Just as Bonnie had predicted, the news of the dancing spread like wildfire throughout the family compound.
"Mom, aren't those aunties and grandmas cold? They've been standing outside talking for over an hour!"
Sanqi came in from outside; he had gone to his classmate's house to play. When he left, several aunties and older women stood there talking, saying they would wait for him to come back.
"They may have gotten too excited from gossiping, causing their bodies to secrete too many hormones, which made them forget about the cold."
Bonnie didn't know how they could talk so much. It was freezing outside, yet they could keep talking nonstop.
"Mom, is there anything wrong with dancing?"
Sanqi also knew that the ballroom dancing they were talking about was described in many foreign language books and was a very normal activity.
"There is nothing wrong with dancing itself. The problem is that some people have lost their sense of proportion and have not paid attention to the impact."
Bonnie didn't think there was anything wrong with dancing; the problem lay with some people who made a perfectly good activity seem so vulgar.
"Sigh, how come they have so much free time? They must be so bored. They could do something meaningful. They could sweep the snow, help the elderly living alone with their cleaning, or go to the orphanage and play with the children for a while."
Sanqi visited the welfare home several times during her winter vacation and felt sorry for the children there. They were abandoned and sent to the welfare home for various reasons.
Sanqi felt that his abilities were limited, so he could only do what he could to help them. He used his pocket money to buy candy for them, so that they would know that even in the bitterest of lives, there is a touch of sweetness.
“Sanqi, if everyone in the world thought this way, then world peace would not just be a wish. Why do people commit crimes? It’s because they can’t control their desires or their behavior.”
A world of perfect harmony is nothing more than a beautiful wish.
Everyone has selfish desires; no one can be truly selfless.
"I read in a book that the brain is a mysterious entity, and we don't know what kind of instructions it will issue."
Sanqi shook his head. He had overheard a few idle words outside, found them boring, and no longer wanted to know the details.
As Bonnie watched Sanqi's retreating figure, she sighed inwardly. Children grow up and see more and more of the darker side of life. This is the price of growing up; no one can avoid it.
"Sister Xiang, I'm going to pick up the groceries. We're having sauerkraut stew with pork bones for dinner."
Bonnie bought a lot of pork, mutton, chickens, and geese from Dayang Village yesterday. The Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and she wants to prepare these things in advance.
"Okay, I'm going to stew the bones. They won't taste good if they're not stewed long enough."
Sister Xiang looked at the large bones that Bao Ni had chopped, thinking how considerate she was.
"Did you know that the Yang family's daughter has been dating several men, and I heard she even had an abortion?"
"Really? I heard she's with a rich man and is his mistress."
"No, it's that girl from the same compound. I saw them kissing in public, without hiding it from anyone, without any shame."
"And then there's this young wife, married for less than two years, hasn't even had a child yet, and she's already out fooling around with other men. Any family that marries a wife like that is truly cursed!"
...
Bonnie carried her basket as she walked out of the residential compound. Groups of two or three people were chatting animatedly, their voices barely audible. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the conversations revolved around women, both married and unmarried.
Bonnie shook her head. Throughout history, those who gossip have never considered the extent of the impact their venting has on the people involved.
Bonnie took sauerkraut, cabbage, and radishes from the courtyard house, filled a basket, enough to eat for more than a week.
When I got back to the family compound by car, I happened to run into the Yang family.
Commander Yang's wife and two daughters-in-law escorted Yang Xue home.
Yang Xue was pale, whether from the cold or from fright, it was hard to tell. She stayed at the police station for quite some time.
"Oh my, one of the celebrities in our compound is back. Is everything alright now? Why is he wearing a military overcoat? Isn't it said that only people with no taste wear baggy military overcoats?"
An aunt who looked to be in her fifties saw the Yang family approaching and blurted out a sarcastic remark.
“Hey Feng, you don’t need to gloat here. You’d better stop talking about my family’s affairs and watch your mouth.”
Comrade Wu cursed back at Commander Yang's wife.
“It’s not that I’m being rude, it’s just that some people are so immoral, and now they’re getting their comeuppance. It’s a pity that the old man’s eyesight isn’t good, so the bad guys haven’t been punished, but the children are dying one by one.”
Bao Ni didn't recognize this Aunt Feng, but she could tell that she and Comrade Wu had a long-standing feud.
"Hey, Mr. Feng, I don't have time to talk to you today."
Comrade Wu pulled his daughter along as they walked back, his pace noticeably faster.
The two daughters-in-law of the Yang family also looked unwell, because Yang Xue had brought shame upon their family.
"Look how arrogant they are, they don't even know how to reflect on what they've done. Now look what's happened, they're getting their comeuppance."
Aunt Feng watched the Yang family's retreating figures with a smile in her eyes. "Good, Wu, your retribution has come. I wonder if you can handle it."
"Sister Feng, do you have a grudge against Lao Wu?"
Among the onlookers, some who knew Aunt Feng asked curiously.
"Yes, we had a grudge, a very big one."
Aunt Feng didn't elaborate, glanced at the Yang family members who had walked away, and then turned and went home.
Bonnie overheard a juicy story. Although she didn't know the specifics, she could sense that there was something going on between Aunt Feng and Comrade Wu.
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