"Is this Commander Gu's house?"
Bonnie looked at the woman she had just met—or rather, the woman who looked to be in her late forties, not quite fifty.
"Yes, may I ask who you are?"
“I am Cao Wenze’s cousin. I heard that his family had returned, so I came to see them.”
Although Aunt Feng was Cao Wenze's cousin, she was only a little over ten years older than him.
"Ah, please come in. Wenze and his family are resting. They must be exhausted after such a long drive."
Bonnie was surprised to learn that this older woman was actually Wenze's cousin's aunt, as he had never mentioned her before.
“I know, we also took several days by train to get here before, it was really tough.”
Aunt Feng knew all too well that taking a car ride was not an easy thing.
Bonnie chatted with Aunt Feng for a while, and then someone came down from upstairs.
"Staff Officer Deng, are you asleep?" Bonnie asked when she saw that it was Staff Officer Deng who had come downstairs. She didn't know if he was asleep or if he was in a different bed.
"We soldiers are used to it; we basically don't have sleep problems. Even when we're exhausted from training, we can fall asleep anywhere."
"That's good, at least I won't have insomnia. By the way, Staff Officer Deng, is Wenze awake? This is Wenze's aunt, she came to see you."
Bonnie felt that the two were unfamiliar with each other or didn't know each other at all.
"Auntie, is that Aunt Feng from our hometown?"
Staff Officer Deng had never met any of Cao's relatives, nor did she have any relatives, but she knew Aunt Feng, whom Wen Ze had mentioned.
"Yes, your mother-in-law is my cousin."
Aunt Feng had never met her nephew's wife before; they hadn't seen each other for many years. She had only reconnected with Wenze a few years ago and had met him twice.
"Hello, Auntie. Wenze will be downstairs soon. We were thinking of waiting a bit before visiting your house, but we didn't expect you to be so well-informed and come to see us first."
Although it was the first time Staff Officer Deng had met her aunt, she had heard Wenze mention that the two families had a good relationship. Back then, her aunt had taken good care of Wenze and his family.
"Auntie, it's been a long time."
Cao Wenze came downstairs and heard voices. He didn't expect it to be his aunt.
"Wenze, it really is you! It's been five or six years since we last met, hasn't it? I can't believe it, time flies so fast, your child is already going to college."
Aunt Feng was genuinely overjoyed. Her cousin had suffered her whole life, and in her short life, this was the only bloodline she had left. Now, everything was alright. Her son and daughter-in-law were both successful, her granddaughter had been admitted to university, and she even had twin grandsons. She could finally rest easy. She hoped to meet a good man in her next life and live a good life.
"Aunt and Uncle are doing well. Are you settling into your life in Beijing?"
"Everything is fine. What's there to be unaccustomed to? We've been moving around with your uncle for so many years, we're used to it. Life is the same no matter where you are."
Aunt Feng didn't care; as long as the family was together, it didn't matter where they lived.
"That's true. As military family members, this is unavoidable. It's the same for everyone. Aunt, let's go to your house tomorrow to get acquainted. The journey in the car is exhausting, more tiring than surgery."
Cao Wenze didn't plan to stay at his aunt's house. Aside from his aunt, he wasn't really familiar with anyone else. He and Gu Ye had been friends since childhood and had gone through hardships together in their youth. Even though they had lost contact for a period, it hadn't affected their relationship. His family was also more familiar with Gu Ye and his friends, making him feel more comfortable staying there.
Auntie understood Wenze's feelings and didn't force him.
"Okay, your aunt will pick you up tomorrow and show you around. You two get some rest. I'll head back now. We'll have dinner at your aunt's house tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll go tomorrow."
After Cao Wenze saw his aunt off, the children woke up, and Liu Jiu led them downstairs.
"There's watermelon in the kitchen, go cut it and eat it yourselves. We'll go to a restaurant for dinner later."
Bonnie has already spoken with her uncle and asked him to reserve a table for her tonight.
My uncle's restaurant is doing well. He has already hired three waiters, plus his own four family members, making a total of seven people. Sometimes they are still too busy to keep up.
Last month, my uncle bought a small courtyard house nearby through Liu Zi. It wasn't big, but the house was well-preserved. After getting the house, my uncle had Lin Nan and her husband transfer their household registration there.
Bao Ni's uncle was thinking of first getting his eldest son's family registered in Beijing. They had been married for over a year and could have a child at any time. With a Beijing household registration, it would be much easier for the child to go to school in the future.
If he saves money for another two years, and buys two more decent courtyard houses, one for his second son and one for his third son, then his mission will be complete. Then he can retire to his island; he still prefers island life.
We had a very enjoyable dinner; my uncle's cooking was excellent.
"Brother Wenze, let's go for a walk around the training ground to digest our food. We ate too much."
Gu Ye participated in the soldiers' training today, and he's tired. He also drank a bit too much alcohol.
"Let's go, I ate quite a bit too. Uncle Bonnie's cooking is great, it makes me feel happy."
Cao Wenze really enjoyed it; they ate almost all the dishes on the table, leaving no leftovers.
After paying the bill, Bonnie and the others headed to the training ground.
Training hasn't even started yet, and I haven't run into anyone I don't want to see.
Commander Yang, Han Ye's father, and several uncles of similar age also arrived at the training ground. The two groups met up.
"Gu Ye, you guys just got here?"
Han Ye's father was familiar with Gu Ye and also recognized Cao Wenze. He was here on a business trip last time, but the impact was still unknown.
"Uncle Han, you're here for the activities too?"
"Uncle Han, it's been a long time."
Cao Wenze also recognized Han Ye's father and came over to greet him.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
