She went to bed late last night, and when Bonnie woke up it was already past seven o'clock. She quickly washed up, ate breakfast, and rushed to work.
The library is still the same. Teacher Zhang has retired, Teacher Ma has become the librarian, and a new colleague has been hired. I don't know which family he is related to; he didn't get into university after graduating from high school and was forced into the position.
Bonnie wasn't interested in her new colleague; the age difference was too great, and they had nothing in common. The good thing about their library was that each person was responsible for a grade level, so they did their own work and there wasn't much that needed to be done together.
"Bonnie, have you heard? Junior high school is going to be a three-year program from now on?"
"Teacher Ma, has everything been settled?"
Bonnie had heard Sanqi mention this before, but she didn't know when the official document would be issued.
"It's settled. The principal said it yesterday after coming back from a meeting. The higher-ups have issued a document, and it will be implemented gradually. Junior high schools will have to change, and senior high schools may have to change as well."
Teacher Ma heard about it from a close colleague; it's no secret anymore.
“My Panax notoginseng just arrived just in time, which is good, so I don’t have to rush it.”
"Yeah, that way the kids can have it easier. I wonder if it'll be easier to get into university. These days, college graduates are in high demand. They get government jobs right after graduation, and then they'll have everything they need."
Teacher Ma is so envious of Bonnie. Her eldest daughter got into a top military academy, and her youngest son is a good student and speaks several foreign languages—a sure-fire college prospect.
"There are 360 professions, and every profession can produce an expert. Look at the current state of national development. As long as people aren't lazy, they can make a living. The country is now encouraging individual businesses to develop the economy. In the future, we might even have to envy them."
Bonnie doesn't think going to university is the only way out. With so many people and so many jobs across the country, there's bound to be someone who can support themselves. If you study hard, you'll eventually find a suitable path.
Teacher Ma didn't respond. Self-employed individuals are looked down upon.
Bonnie didn't say anything more; saying too much would make her seem like she was showing off.
The day passed quickly. Not long after Bonnie got home from get off work, Gu Ye returned.
"You're up early today?"
"It's nothing. I'll be going on a business trip in a few days, but I'll spend more time with you when I get back."
Gu Ye and his team will be leading a group to support the Public Security Bureau in a while to rectify the current public order. This year, there have been too many major and serious cases across the country, which are extremely heinous in nature and have had a very bad impact.
"Another business trip? You're a division commander now, do you still have to lead the team yourself?"
Bonnie was surprised. In her memory, weren't division commanders supposed to be stationed in the rear?
"The division commander is also a brick in the revolution; he can be moved wherever he is needed."
Gu Ye didn't say what he was going to do, and Bao Ni didn't ask either.
When Sanqi came home from school, Gu Ye remembered something important.
"Sanqi, please tell Teacher Zhai not to go to class in the evenings recently. The security situation has been a bit chaotic lately. I'm worried about you going back and forth all by yourself."
Gu Ye told Sanqi that there had been quite a few robberies happening at night recently.
"I'm going to Professor Zhai's house to pick up some books for myself this weekend. Professor Zhai is going to a sanatorium next week and won't be back until after May Day next year."
Sanqi originally planned to talk about it when he came back on the weekend, but his dad brought it up first.
"Going to the sanatorium so early? You didn't go this early last year either!"
"Teacher Zhai felt that it got cold earlier this year, and her legs were uncomfortable, so she went early."
Bonnie understood: the older you get, the less tolerant you are of the cold.
"Okay, let's go over together on our day off and see if Teacher Zhai needs anything else, and prepare it for her. The vegetables we sent her last time should be finished by now."
After autumn arrived, Teacher Zhai didn't like going out anymore, though she still came over for meals and rarely went to her uncle's restaurant. Bao Ni brought her a lot of food and supplies, and she also hired a housekeeper to take care of her three meals a day.
The next evening, Gu Ye was away because of something. Bao Ni and the others had just finished eating when Gu Wei's wife came over.
"How come you have time to come over? Aren't you busy at work?"
"I'm busy, I took the day off and didn't go to work today."
Chen Lili brought her daughter over, and her son ran out to play after finishing his meal.
"What's wrong?"
Bonnie and Chen Lili have a decent relationship, but Chen Lili is busy with work and taking care of two children, so she rarely has time to visit each other.
“It’s because Gu Bei is gone. My uncle found the child’s grandfather, and we were busy with the funeral arrangements today. We didn’t see you, so we came over to tell you.”
Chen Lili also knew what had happened to her uncle's family and felt that it was understandable that Bao Ni and the others did not attend the funeral.
"They finished posting their gloomy messages pretty quickly."
Bonnie had completely forgotten about this; she never expected that everything would be over.
"He's so young, we can't have a big celebration. Just a simple formality won't take long."
Chen Lili didn't want to go at first, but her mother-in-law and father-in-law felt that since they were close relatives, it wouldn't be right not to attend.
Has Gu Bei's wife appeared yet?
Bonnie was quite curious about this matter. She thought Qian Lanlan was quite a character, capable of keeping Xu Fang completely under her thumb.
"No, judging from Aunt's cursing, it seems she ran off with someone and is living a good life now. Throughout the funeral, none of the three sisters, including Gu Lan, cried; their expressions were very indifferent. Only Aunt cried the most heartbrokenly and fainted several times."
"How could she not cry? She's always favored boys over girls and treated her own children differently. Now that her son is gone, she's bound to go crazy! Even though Gu Xi and the others are brothers with Gu Bei, what could they possibly be sad about given their parents' favoritism?"
"That's true. My aunt has always favored boys over girls, and Gu Bei was spoiled from a young age. Gu Xi was almost sent to the countryside back then. If she hadn't been cunning, her situation would have been similar to Gu Yu's."
Bonnie believes that most children who are favored by their parents will not amount to much.
"Seeing my aunt faint from crying, I was scared. I told myself, 'You must pay close attention to your child's education, otherwise, he will easily grow up badly, and it will be too late to regret it then.'"
"Xu Fang is crying now, but it's too late. If only she had known this would happen, she wouldn't have done it in the first place."
Bonnie's words had a double meaning: she was saying that she only spoiled Gu Bei and didn't guide him to grow up properly, and that she betrayed Gu Ye's mother by interfering in someone else's marriage, ultimately losing everything.
She had nothing left, but she also gave birth to a grandson. While others can enjoy their retirement, they still have to raise their underage grandson.
"Sigh, she looks much older. Her hair is all white, and she has a lot of wrinkles on her face. She looks several years older than she actually is. Gu Yu and Gu Xi weren't very sad about Gu Bei's death, and they were very impatient with their mother. They just showed up and left before us. Gu Feng stayed until the very end, but he looked a bit gloomy and uncomfortable."
Chen Lili recounted some events from Gu Bei's funeral, which Bao Ni listened to as mere gossip. However, she felt a little regretful for not witnessing Gu Xiangdong and Xu Fang's disheveled state firsthand; they deserved to experience the same pain her brother had suffered.
Chen Lili left after a short while; she had to go to work the next day.
After seeing Chen Lili off, Bonnie thought about what Chen Lili had said and realized that as parents, they must put their heart into raising children, otherwise they would suffer and become a burden on society!
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