"Gu Ye, I went to the Children's Palace a couple of days ago, and they have quite a few programs. I'm planning to take Liu Jiu and San Qi there on Sunday so they can choose one they like to learn. What do you think?"
After dinner, Bao Ni and Gu Ye cleaned up the kitchen while discussing taking the children to the Children's Palace.
“Sure, Liu Jiu and San Qi are old enough to learn some skills. It will enrich their leisure time and be useful in their future lives and work.” Gu Ye agreed with Bao Ni’s opinion. The two children were born in a good era and could learn things without any burden.
Bonnie thought about it for a while, but couldn't help herself and told them about her application to be a diving instructor at the Children's Palace.
"Really? The results for the diving instructor at the Children's Palace are out yet?" Gu Ye was quite surprised. After talking with Bao Ni last time, he knew that she didn't want to do anything with the military wives in the family compound, and he was worried that she would be bored at home by herself.
This is perfect! The job of a diving instructor at the Children's Palace is a great fit for Bonnie, as his wife's diving skills are quite excellent.
"I passed the exam. I'll go through the formalities next Monday and start work next Saturday. It's two days a week, and the pay is pretty good. I also like this work schedule. I don't have to go to work every day, and I can arrange other things in the rest of the time. Most importantly, I can take Liu Jiu and Bao Ni to the Children's Palace on the way. They study, and I work. It's a win-win situation." Bao Ni is really satisfied with this job and the schedule. It's not too busy, and it's not boring either.
"My wife is amazing, she found a satisfactory job so quickly!"
Gu Ye excitedly picked up Bao Ni and spun her around the kitchen several times, causing Bao Ni to scream repeatedly.
Luckily, the children weren't home; they were out playing. Otherwise, they would have laughed at me so much.
The two chatted about everyday things, such as their children's studies, while working, and Gu Ye listened attentively.
"By the way, new neighbors are moving in next door. Do you know what kind of people they are? Aunt Zhang said they're from Shanghai, and they seem to have some connections. The maintenance staff have been cleaning for days on end; they're getting pretty good treatment!"
Bonnie suddenly remembered the neighbors who hadn't moved in yet, and she was curious about them.
"I'm not entirely sure. I don't have any familiar comrades in Shanghai. I've heard some rumors, and it seems like he's quite formidable. He'll be here soon, within three to five days. You'll see for yourself then."
Gu Ye really didn't know anything about the staff officer who was to be transferred this time; the news was kept very secret and hadn't been leaked.
Since Gu Ye didn't know either, Bao Ni stopped worrying about it; she'd find out sooner or later anyway.
On Sunday, Bonnie took her two children to the Children's Palace. The gatekeeper remembered her and let her take the children in.
It was the same comrade who received us last time, who took Bao Ni's mother and her two children to each class to find out what was going on.
Finally, Liu Jiu chose scuba diving. She had practiced for a while before, but wasn't very skilled. Most importantly, she loved swimming, but her mother wouldn't allow her to swim at the beach.
Sanqi chose the suona class, which doesn't require too much effort. He originally wanted to join the model boat class, but they wouldn't accept someone so young, so he had to settle for the instrument class instead.
After the two children finished reading and made their choices, Bonnie enrolled them. Since she was starting work on Monday, there were some employee benefits. The biggest surprise was that Bonnie had her own desk where the children could do their homework and wait for her to get off work.
The three of them were in high spirits. After leaving the Children's Palace, Bonnie decided to take Liu Jiu and San Qi to a state-run restaurant for a good meal.
Bonnie had already told Liu Jiu and San Qi that she shouldn't tell anyone about her plans to work at the Children's Palace until after she officially started working there.
Liu Jiu and San Qi understood what their mother meant. The aunties and grandmas in the family compound were too fond of gossiping, and even they, as children, knew this.
"Where did you three go? You left early this morning." Aunt Zhang was a little curious when she saw Bao Ni and the others return, as they hadn't been seen since early on a weekend.
“I took my two children to the Children’s Palace so they could learn some skills. Otherwise, they have too much energy and I want to use it up so they won’t be bored.”
Bonnie let the two children go play by themselves, and she and Aunt Zhang stood on opposite sides of the courtyard wall and chatted.
"What is the Children's Palace for? Special skills, what are special skills?" This was the first time Zhang's wife had heard of the Children's Palace, and she didn't understand what special skills meant.
"The Children's Palace is a place to cultivate children's interests and hobbies. Special skills are things they are good at, such as singing, dancing, swimming..." Bonnie didn't think it was strange that Aunt Zhang didn't know these things. In this era, many places still didn't have enough to eat or wear, and only in some larger cities would there be Children's Palaces.
"Ah, now that you mention it, I understand. Does it cost money?"
"It costs money. There is a certain fee for each class. The fee varies depending on the content of the class."
Bonnie didn't remember the exact cost of each item, but it wasn't too expensive per month, and her family could afford it.
"Are your children Liujiu and Sanqi learning too?" Aunt Zhang thought about the two older children; they probably didn't need to. She'd ask her husband, Lao Xu, that evening whether the two younger ones should learn. She didn't really know much about these things, but Bao Ni felt that if it was good for the children, it couldn't be wrong.
"Children's Palace, did the neighbor's kid go to the Children's Palace?" That evening, Aunt Zhang mentioned the Children's Palace to her husband, Mr. Xu.
"Yes, today Bonnie took the two kids to register. It seems that Liu Jiu is learning to scuba dive and San Qi is learning to play the trumpet." Aunt Zhang didn't know what a suona was, so Bonnie told her it was a trumpet.
"The Children's Palace is quite good. Do you also want to send Hongxia and Xu Tao there?" Political Commissar Xu himself had gone to university. During the talent shows, some classmates had special talents in playing musical instruments and singing, and he had been very envious of them. But his family's financial situation was already very difficult enough to afford his university education, so how could he possibly learn any artistic skills!
“I think if Bonnie thinks something is good, it can’t be bad. Our two younger children are close in age to Liu Jiu and San Qi. If it’s not too expensive, I’d like to send them to learn something too.” Aunt Zhang lives a frugal life, but she is generous when it comes to education.
Her husband, Lao Xu, only got this stable, high-paying job because he went to university.
"Alright, let the two younger ones go and learn something. It'll be good to have one or two skills when they start working. Ask Comrade Lin next door to take you to see it, and let the kids learn about it too, and choose something that interests them."
And so, Aunt Zhang and Political Commissar Xu also decided to send their child to the Children's Palace to learn a special skill. Bao Ni was unaware that some of her actions had influenced Aunt Zhang.
On Monday, Bonnie took the completed forms to the Children's Palace to officially report for duty, becoming an employee. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, she would be promoted to a permanent employee after three months, enjoying all the benefits.
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