"No matter how I look at it, this outfit is much more pleasing to the eye. Finally, I don't have to see you in that gray fur coat anymore." Bonnie woke up but didn't get out of bed. She lay in bed watching Gu Ye standing there, neatly dressed, organizing his briefcase.
"I'm glad you're happy. The school fees, food ration book, and other necessities for the child have all been taken care of. You can take care of breakfast yourselves; I don't have time."
Gu Ye looked at Bonnie, who was wearing a floral vest and shorts. Although the clothes weren't great, Bonnie's lazy posture still attracted his attention.
Gu Ye couldn't resist kissing Bao Ni before turning and leaving.
"I haven't washed my face yet, aren't you disgusted?"
"I don't mind!" Gu Ye strode away.
Bonnie lingered on the bed for a while, not wanting to move because she was hot.
"Mom, are you up yet? I'm hungry."
Sanqi patted Bonnie's bedroom door. Her mother said to knock before entering and only come in if you are allowed to.
"Okay, you play in the yard for a while, Mom will get ready soon." Bonnie quickly got up; she was hungry and missed their Shandong steamed buns, which were very filling.
When Bonnie finished getting ready and came out, Liu Jiu also got up and was strolling around the yard with San Qi.
"Mom, what kind of fruit is this? Can we eat it?"
Liu Jiu and San Qi stood under the fruit trees in the yard, one relatively tall and one relatively short.
"It must be a longan tree." Bonnie reached out and picked one, peeled it, and put it in her mouth. It was so sweet!
Bonnie couldn't distinguish between longan and dried longan, nor did she know if they were the same variety but different names, or if they were two different things, or even related.
Seeing her mother eat them with a happy expression, Liu Jiu also reached out and picked two, giving one to San Qi. The two siblings peeled them and put them in their mouths, just like their mother. Sweet, so sweet!
"Mom, there's nothing wrong with coming here, it's just a bit hot, and you'll get a tan easily." Sanqi habitually put her hands behind her back, giving advice on life.
"Mom, what's that big one? Can we eat it?"
Liu Jiu pointed to the tall one next to him.
"That's a pomelo, it's not ready yet, we can only eat it in winter." Bonnie also likes to eat pomelos, they're sweet and sour.
"Is it snowing here too?" Liu Jiu heard them say yesterday that this place has always been very hot.
"It's hot all year round without snow." Bonnie could already imagine how tanned her daughter would become. Back on the island, if you got tanned in the summer, you could cover up some of it in the winter.
They hadn't cooked at home yet, and they didn't know if the canteen would still have food at this hour. Bonnie, holding her food coupons, took the child to the canteen to find something to eat, while Sanqi's face twitched.
The mother and her two children went into the cafeteria, which was much larger than the cafeteria on the island.
At this time, those going to work or school have all left, and there aren't many people in the cafeteria.
"Mom, I want to eat steamed buns, big steamed buns." Liu Jiu has a Shandong stomach and can't get full from eating rice.
"Okay, Mom will check. If not, Mom will steam some buns tonight."
After settling Liu Jiu and San Qi in, Bao Ni went to the window to check. They had steamed buns, so she bought several, along with two side dishes and a pot of soup. San Qi couldn't eat much, but she and Liu Jiu had huge appetites, almost as much as two adult men.
"Mom, the steamed buns aren't good. They're not as good as Grandma's." Sanqi took a bite of the steamed bun, her face tense and unhappy.
"The way they make steamed buns here is different from how we make them back home. I bought some seasonings and kitchen supplies later, and Mom will steam the buns tonight."
"Okay, Mom's steamed buns are delicious too." Although Sanqi didn't really like them, she didn't waste any food and ate one bun. She didn't like the buns, but she ate quite a bit of the vegetables. Sanqi always preferred light flavors, while Liujiu liked strong flavors.
After eating and drinking their fill, the mother and her two children strolled back slowly. The weather was nice today, and Bonnie wanted to air out the clothes and bedding.
The military district is located in a fairly prosperous area, not particularly remote. Besides, the family compound has a service center, a vegetable market, a hospital, and a school for employees' children, so the living facilities are quite good.
Bonnie hung the bedding on the clothesline, picked up her basket, and the three of them went shopping again; they would have to cook dinner that evening.
The service center is quite large, and most of the sales clerks are military spouses, which is a good job.
Bonnie looked around and found that everything was quite complete. She decided to buy seasonings first, since she had already brought the grains and soybean oil from home, so she didn't need to buy any more for the time being. Liu Jiu and San Qi were looking at candies and cookies, many of which they had never seen before.
Bonnie bought some seasonings. Luckily, the sales clerk spoke Mandarin, though with an accent, which she could understand. It's often said that military camps are all-encompassing, gathering brothers and sisters from all over the country, and that's absolutely true. Even in such a small service shop, Bonnie could hear several different accents.
After buying what they needed for the house, they also bought some local specialty candies for the two children, and then the mother and her children carried their things home.
She was sweating profusely with every movement, and Bonnie wasn't really used to the heat. Luckily, there was plenty of water here, so she could take a shower anytime.
Bonnie was tidying up in the kitchen, while the two children played in the yard. Liu Jiu was mainly exploring various things, and San Qi was resting in the shade. San Qi was being very careful, afraid of getting tanned like the other children, whose skin was completely black except for their teeth.
Yesterday, the two children went out for a walk. Liu Jiu didn't seem to feel much, except that he didn't have any familiar friends and couldn't understand what they were saying. San Qi didn't like it much; he was afraid of getting a tan and also missed his maternal grandmother and great-grandmother.
Bonnie wasn't quite used to it either; it was too hot, a different kind of heat from the island heat she experienced. But she had to learn to adapt. Their status as military wives meant they were destined to migrate constantly, like migratory birds.
Bonnie hasn't looked around the yard properly yet, but if nothing unexpected happens, they might live here for several years.
The yard wasn't small; besides two fruit trees, there was a vegetable garden. The garden wasn't large, but it was filled with flowers, suggesting the previous owner was a refined person. Bonnie herself wasn't knowledgeable about plants and planned to move the flowers away and plant vegetables instead.
Bonnie walked around the yard wall and didn't see any signs of raising chickens. She had to remember that. If they didn't raise chickens, they wouldn't have any eggs. What could they do with just that little supply of eggs for a month?
I wonder how strict the restrictions on the number of chickens allowed are. According to the quota, her family can only raise two chickens. It's 1974 now, so the restrictions shouldn't be that strict anymore.
Bonnie went into the side rooms, which were more like simple sheds filled with chopped firewood and honeycomb briquettes. The most eye-catching thing was the several simple stoves of different sizes. Could this be part of the legendary soup-making artifact?
Bonnie was getting restless. She thought that since she wasn't good at stir-frying, she could try making soup – it would be authentic and flavorful. Besides, Bonnie's steamed buns were excellent; she'd inherited her mother's skills and made genuine Shandong steamed buns.
Bonnie walked around the yard wall again, planning where to build a chicken coop. The soil around the wall was also good, and she could also plant climbing vegetables like green beans and pumpkins.
Bonnie isn't good at needlework, but she's quite good at growing vegetables. In this day and age, clothes only come in a few colors, and there's not much choice in styles. Bonnie doesn't care about any of that; as long as her family of four is well-fed, well-hydrated, and healthy, that's more important than anything else.
After wandering around inside and out, Bonnie had a plan in mind; a new life was about to begin.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
