For dinner, Bonnie made hand-pulled noodles, and Liu Jiu made the sauce.
Perhaps because they had worked all day, the children ate more than usual.
After dinner, Gu Xuanyi took Gu Xuanhao home. The little guy had been running around all day and was tired and sleepy.
"Is Xuanhao asleep?"
Gu Ze took his youngest son from him; the little guy was already snoring.
"I'm going to sleep. I've been busy all day, and I've done a lot of work." Gu Xuanyi was also tired, his hands hurt, and he had two blisters.
"What did your second aunt take you to do?" Sister-in-law Gu asked curiously.
"We went to the courtyard house and tidied up the small garden. My second aunt said she wanted to achieve the freedom to grow vegetables."
Mom, you have no idea, those weeds were as tall as a person. My second aunt and Liu Jiu took sickles and cut down a huge patch of them in no time.
I hadn't even figured it out yet, and it was already done.
Gu Xuanyi's tone was tinged with regret, but also with admiration for Liu Jiu.
“Before 1969, when we lived on the island, your second aunt farmed, and she helped out.”
However, Liu Jiu is impressive; he's only a teenager, but he has great perseverance and has consistently maintained his morning exercise routine. Even San Qi keeps it up. You three brothers should all learn from this.”
Gu Ze knew that Liu Jiu had been practicing morning exercises with Gu Ye since she was three years old and had persisted ever since. San Qi joined later but hadn't fallen behind.
"Okay, I understand, Dad."
Sister-in-law Gu also agreed with this point, saying that Bao Ni had taught her child to be very independent and grateful.
"What are you going to do tomorrow? This summer vacation, you'll be taking Xuanhao and your second aunt with you. Tomorrow, I'll get you some food coupons; your second aunt's family doesn't have enough food for all of you big eaters."
"We'll tidy up the yard tomorrow. Mom and Dad, I'm going to bed now, I'm a little tired."
Gu Xuanyi entered the house, while Gu Ze and his sister-in-law seemed to be deep in thought.
“Gu Ze, tell me, let Bao Ni tidy up the pond in our courtyard house. See if she likes raising fish or planting lotus flowers. We’re leaving at the end of the year, and we’ll have to trouble Bao Ni with all the things at home. Gu Ye simply doesn’t have time to deal with these things.”
Gu Ze thought about it and agreed. They wouldn't be able to come back for a year or two, and it would take at least three to five years. They would have to entrust the family matters and Xuan Yu to Bao Ni.
"Okay, I'll ask Bonnie tomorrow and see what she thinks."
Bonnie had no idea that she would not only achieve the freedom to grow vegetables, but also the freedom to raise fish.
The next day, the group took a car to the courtyard again. They didn't need to change cars, and it wasn't far away.
"This is it, I'll open the door." Bonnie called to the children. This area was crowded and chaotic, so she had to keep an eye on the kids.
Opening the door, the yard was rather desolate, with only a fruit tree, its branches still quite lush.
Bonnie closed the gate and led a few children to look around.
The courtyard isn't very big, just over 100 square meters, with three main rooms and two side rooms.
Bonnie opened all the doors and windows. There were three main rooms, each over thirty square meters, which could be divided into two smaller rooms. The rooms were empty.
Bonnie looked around and realized that if they wanted to rent them out separately, they would need to make some changes. Each room would have its own door, and the houses were all made of brick and tile, so they were quite sturdy.
The original layout had a main hall in the middle, with two doors on the east and west sides.
Now, we need to find someone to block these two doors. Then, we'll open a door to each of the two rooms on the east and west sides from the front, making three separate rooms in total.
Bonnie then looked at the side rooms. The west side was the kitchen, and the east side was the storeroom, which was also over 20 square meters and empty. If it could be cleaned up, it could also be rented out.
That adds up to four rooms, and the monthly rent is several tens of yuan, almost equivalent to a worker's salary.
Bonnie thought it was a good deal. Perfect timing, housing prices aren't expensive now, she could buy a few houses, become a landlady, and after retirement, she'd have a pension and rent money, and live however she wanted.
With a plan in mind, Bonnie wasn't in a hurry anymore. She needed to check the roof first to see if there were any leaks and make some repairs.
She can't do this; we need to find a professional.
It's 1978 now, and policies weren't introduced until the end of the year, which gradually led to the emergence of individual businesses.
She has no business sense and no patience for such things. She just plans to buy a few houses, and if they appreciate in value, she'll have everything she needs. She'll just have enough money to get by.
For her family members Liu Jiu and San Qi, it seems that having a stable job and a pension in their old age is enough.
With a plan in mind, Bonnie decided to go and see if there were any bricklayers or carpenters doing odd jobs nearby. There are quite a few people doing odd jobs secretly these days; Bonnie has seen them before.
"Xuanyi, Liujiu, I'm going out to see if there are any odd jobs available. You two lock the door, and don't open it until I come back."
"Okay, Auntie, we'll pull weeds in the yard."
Gu Xuanyi noticed a lot of grass at the base of the courtyard wall and decided to clear it away.
Bonnie went out. There are many alleys in this area, and they are intricate and complicated.
Bonnie walked around, stopping frequently, but didn't see anyone doing odd jobs. She thought she'd ask someone from the neighborhood committee.
"Hey girl, what are you looking for?"
Bonnie glanced at her; she was a woman in her forties with a bob haircut and two black hair clips. She looked quite kind.
"I'm not looking for anything. My house hasn't been cleaned in a long time, so I'd like to find a bricklayer to do some repairs."
Bonnie looked at her older sister, who seemed to be a resident of the neighborhood, as she was carrying a shopping basket.
"If you really want to repair the house, how will your wages be calculated?" the older woman asked in a low voice.
"Does the eldest sister have connections?"
“My husband is a bricklayer. He used to work on a construction team. Now that the kids are going back to the city, we've given up our jobs to them. We have no choice but to secretly take on small jobs ourselves, otherwise, our whole family would starve.”
The eldest sister didn't hide anything; her eldest son returned with his wife and children, as did her second son.
I got married in the countryside and had children. I can't be so heartless as to abandon my wife and children; I have to bring them all back with me.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
