On the morning of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Bonnie cooked dumplings and ate them after the children finished washing up.
Now she can finally relax. She's done all the necessary outings. These past few days, she and Gu Ye have been incredibly busy, and even taking care of the children hasn't given them a moment's peace.
"Mom, when is Aunt Xiang coming back?"
After washing up, Sanqi asked Aunt Xiang when she would be back, as he wanted to eat the hot pot she made.
"I'll be back today, I should arrive around this morning."
Bonnie gave Sister Xiang a day off, telling her to come back on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.
"Let's have hot pot tomorrow. I've eaten a lot these past few days, but I feel like I haven't eaten enough. I can't even remember what I ate."
Sanqi doesn't dislike going out to visit relatives with his parents; he finds it interesting to meet different people. His sister, however, doesn't like it as much, but her mother says that everyone has to interact with society sooner or later.
"I don't remember what I ate. I felt full, but I wasn't actually full. I just couldn't eat anything else."
Xuan Yi felt the same way. In the past few days, they had visited many people with their uncle and aunt. These were all old family members. They understood that relationships needed to be maintained and that friendships with the next generation needed to be built gradually.
Gu Ye had already finished eating and gone to work. The children didn't get up for their morning exercise; they were exhausted from all the commotion these past few days and slept in a little longer.
"Okay, I'll go to Dayang Village this afternoon to buy some mutton. We don't have much left at home."
Bonnie hadn't eaten enough these past few days, and she felt that Liu Jiu hadn't eaten enough either. Even at other people's houses, the two of them couldn't eat as much as they wanted. When they got home, they were neither full nor hungry, and had lost their appetite.
"Mom, I'll go with you."
Liu Jiu wanted to stay with her mother. It was freezing cold, and she would feel so lonely by herself. Her father was at work and couldn't come out.
"Second Aunt, I'll go. I know where Dayang Village is."
Xuanyu didn't want his second aunt and sister to go out on a tricycle in the cold weather. As a boy, he had to protect his family when his second uncle wasn't home.
"Alright, stop arguing, I'll go by myself. I can ride a bike faster by myself."
The tricycle belonging to Liu Jiu's family is not easy to ride in the dead of winter, especially when the snow is heavy and the roads are slippery, and the roads downhill are not easy to travel.
"Where are you going? I heard you saying you were going out as soon as you came in."
The eldest sister pushed open the door and came in, carrying a cloth bag in one hand, the contents of which were unknown. In her other hand, she carried a basket covered with a floral cloth.
"Aunt Xiang is back. Happy New Year, Aunt Xiang."
Sanqi hurried a few steps and took the things from Aunt Xiang's hands; they were quite heavy.
"I'm back. I brought you some food, snacks made by my youngest son. He loves making these things. Try them."
Aunt Xiang lifted the floral cloth, revealing a basket lined with oil paper, filled with fried food.
Sanqi took a round ball, popped it into her mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed it. "Delicious, really delicious. Is it made from potatoes?"
"Yes, Sanqi's tongue is really amazing!"
Aunt Xiang's youngest son is a decent cook, though not quite as good as his mother, but he enjoys experimenting with new recipes, especially these snacks.
"That's right, you didn't even know who I am."
Sanqi was so arrogant that Liujiu rolled his eyes at him.
"Alright, take it to the table and eat it."
Bonnie urged the children to eat quickly, and their constant chatter gave her a headache.
"Sister Xiang, is everything alright at home?"
"Everything is fine. My eldest daughter-in-law takes care of the children in her spare time, and my younger son and his wife, along with my little daughter, can also lend a hand. For now, things seem to be going well, and there are no conflicts. With my help, the children will grow up slowly."
The eldest daughter-in-law hasn't recovered yet and has no intention of finding a companion, nor is she comfortable with her three children. "Wouldn't finding someone else be bad for the children? It would only make things more complicated."
While talking to his older sister and Bonnie, he took out six pairs of cloth shoes from his cloth bag, which were gifts for Bonnie's family.
Since she started working here, Bonnie has really taken good care of them. She's brought home plenty of things for them, including clothes the children have outgrown, toys, books, vegetables, and fish.
The eldest daughter-in-law felt embarrassed and thought of giving something in return. Hearing that Bao Ni couldn't make shoes, she, along with her youngest daughter and second daughter-in-law, made six pairs of cloth shoes with multi-layered soles and gave them to Bao Ni's family.
"Sister Xiang, these shoes are really well made, I like them, thank you."
Looking at these six pairs of finely crafted cloth shoes, Bonnie truly liked them and was very happy.
"By the way, Sister Xiang, I'm going to Dayang Village to buy some mutton later. The kids want to eat your hot pot."
"Ah, you were just talking about going to Dayang Village. Then we don't need to go. I saw Xiao Yang coming, let's meet up."
When Sister Xiang came over, Xiao Yang and the others' carriage had just arrived.
"Really? That's great! I'll go check right away and buy more so they can freeze outside."
Bonnie took her shoes and went back inside to change. She didn't need to wear new clothes to the market; they were already dirty.
Bonnie went out carrying her basket. She was surprised that Xiao Yang had come to set up his stall so early. He was really capable.
When Bonnie arrived at the market, there were already quite a few people at Xiao Yang's stall. Bonnie went over to take a look and saw that they had mutton, beef, and pork.
"Sister Bonnie, Happy New Year! What would you like some?"
"Happy Chinese New Year, Xiao Yang! We'd like some lamb, beef, and pork. The kids want hot pot. Do you have any offal? We'd like some of that too."
Bonnie bought a lot, which attracted the attention of the aunties and older women in front of her, who kept looking at her with a mixture of envy and disapproval in their eyes.
Bonnie didn't care about any of that. She paid, grabbed her things, and hurried home. It was so cold; she wasn't in the mood to joke around with them.
Just as I stepped out of the small market, a group of people came running forward, shouting, "Someone's dead! Someone's dead..."
Bonnie, unaware of what was happening, was swept along by the crowd and ran forward as well.
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