"Sister Bonnie, Bonnie..."
Aunt Bonnie and Dingxiang were a little nervous when they saw the fully armed soldiers standing guard at the entrance of the family compound. This was the first time they had seen real weapons up close, not the props in the movies that were hard to make out.
"It's alright, this is their job."
After registering, Bonnie led her uncle's family into the compound and headed towards their own yard.
"Bonnie, your family compound is much bigger than the ones on the island, it's all small buildings!"
“Auntie, there are a lot of military personnel here, and a lot of their families too. This family compound is all small buildings, while other family compounds have tenement buildings and apartment buildings with bathrooms. We used to live in a three-bedroom apartment building.”
Bonnie explained that even the commander on the island lived in a single-story house, not a multi-story building, which made her aunt and the others a little curious.
"Bonnie's back, dinner's ready."
When Sister Xiang came out of the kitchen and saw the group of people coming in, she said, "The food is ready."
"Sister Xiang, this is my uncle from my maternal family. My aunt, cousin, and sister-in-law will be visiting often in the future."
Bonnie introduced the two parties, and Sister Xiang was quite impressed when she learned that Bonnie's uncle had come to open a restaurant.
Bao Ni's uncle knew that Xiang's older sister used to be a chef in a state-run restaurant, so he humbly asked her about things related to restaurants in Beijing. Both sides were very polite, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant.
After finishing their meal, Aunt and the others rushed back to pack their things, and Uncle also wanted to check on how to set up the shop in front. He didn't let Bao Ni come with them, telling her to go about her business as she pleased, as they would have to deal with these chores on their own sooner or later.
Bonnie was also eager to harvest the vegetables, so she told her uncle and the others to familiarize themselves with the yard first, and she would go over in the afternoon.
"Uncle, is there any way back to the courtyard?"
"You underestimate your uncle. I remember it."
Uncle Lin is now full of confidence. He likes the house and has met a chef from Beijing. Things are going very well, and everything will be fine.
"Alright, you guys pack your things first and see if you need anything. I'm going to harvest the autumn vegetables, and I'll come find you when I'm done."
"How much vegetables do you have? We'll come over and help you collect them."
Aunt Bonnie wanted to help; she was good at preparing autumn vegetables.
"No need. How many can we get in the yard? Sister Xiang and I will ride our tricycle over there and be done in no time. I'll tell you when I get back."
Uncle Lin went to the small courtyard, and Bao Ni rode her tricycle to take Sister Xiang to the courtyard house.
"Bonnie, you planted quite a lot! I thought there really weren't many!"
Looking at the yard full of cabbages and radishes, which were growing so robustly, Sister Xiang was quite surprised.
"I'm just worried that my aunt will come to help. They've just arrived and won't be able to settle down until they've settled in."
Bonnie understood the hardships they faced leaving their hometowns. She was strong and quick at work, so she could finish the job in no time.
"That's true. No matter where you are, as long as you have a place to live and a home, your heart can be at peace."
Sister Xiang understood and didn't say anything, then started working.
Bonnie was experienced; she could finish collecting these vegetables in no time. Sister Xiang also witnessed Bonnie's strength; she was much stronger than the average man.
"Sister Xiang, you don't need to weed it. I can do it myself. Your hands have an old injury. After I'm done weeding it, you can tidy it up and put it aside. I'll carry it under the eaves later. We won't be afraid of a heavy frost."
Bonnie was very quick; she finished harvesting the cabbages from both rows in no time, knowing exactly where to start.
“Bonnie, your vegetables are growing really well, they’re all solid. And don’t throw away these radish greens, I can make them into pickles or dried vegetables. Back when the grocery store used to sell cabbages, they never had cabbages this good, and you never saw any radish greens.”
As a chef, Sister Xiang really liked the fresh ingredients. She talked without interfering with her work, and she seemed to enjoy it very much.
"Okay, Sister Xiang, if you know how to cook, then cook it all and take some home too. I don't know how to cook, so I threw away last year's."
Bonnie felt that it was better to give the child away than to throw it away. Besides, Sister Xiang's son was a martyr, and the child was still young, so she should take care of him if she could.
"Okay, thank you so much, sister. My daughter-in-law was so happy with the clothes you gave her before, and she was thinking about how to thank you."
Sister Xiang knew that Bao Ni was taking care of her, as well as her eldest daughter-in-law and children.
“Sister Xiang, it’s fate that we met. My husband Gu Ye is a soldier, I am a military dependent, and your eldest daughter-in-law and child are also military dependents. If we look after each other, life will get better and better, and it will also put the departed at ease.”
Bonnie had also worried when Gu Ye was on a mission. She thought that when she was Jiang Jiaojiao, her grandmother and mother had also thought about whether she would one day become a martyr's family member.
"Yes, I'll feel at ease."
Sister Xiang secretly wiped away a tear, but quickly rallied her spirits. She had to live well; she still had three grandchildren who needed her. With so many people like Bao Ni around her, she had confidence.
The two of them finished harvesting the cabbages in no time at all, and then Bonnie started pulling up radishes, carrots, pumpkins...
After harvesting all the autumn vegetables and placing them under the eaves, Bonnie took them to the neighboring pond to catch fish, so that her uncle could cook fish for dinner that night.
Sister Xiang has really seen something new today. Such a big house, growing vegetables, raising fish, and raising them so well.
The two packed their things and rode their tricycle home. After dropping Sister Xiang off, they went to check on their uncle to see how their packing was going.
"Uncle, how about it? Have you made up your mind yet?"
As soon as Bonnie arrived in the courtyard, she saw her uncle wandering around the shop.
"Bonnie, the house you chose is really nice. The shop in front is about a hundred square meters, so it will be very spacious once it's cleaned up."
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