The next day, the Lin family gathered at the dock; some were seeing people off, and some were being seen off.
"Sanqi, after you go back, let Aunt Xiang rest for a while. You can eat at your great-uncle's. Mom will stay here with Grandma for a while. If your sister comes back, tell her."
"Mom, don't worry, I'll take good care of myself and Dad. Anyway, he won't be coming back often since you're not home."
Sanqi made a small complaint about his father, saying that sons and daughters always have to take a backseat to their wives.
"Why are you speaking such obvious truths?"
Bonnie patted the child's back three times; the child had grown taller again, now a head taller than her. Time flies, and even children are catching up with us!
"Alright, go do what you're supposed to do, do your own thing, uphold the basic principles of being a decent human being, and don't bring shame to your ancestors."
Bonnie's father gave everyone a serious warning and told them to get on the boat quickly.
The ship sailed away, and Bonnie's father looked at the dock, knowing that the children would come back less and less often in the future.
"Father, Mother, let's go home."
Bonnie linked arms with her mother and followed behind her father, slowly walking back.
“Baoni, it will make your parents feel a little better if you stay. They are heartbroken that your grandparents are gone. Your aunt really envies your mother for having such a good daughter as you.”
Auntie San would occasionally glance back at the dock. Her three children had all settled down elsewhere, and they would have limited opportunities to return to the island in the future.
“Third Aunt, if you miss Lin Hui and the others, go visit them. If that doesn’t work, buy a small house near them. That way, you can visit them when you miss your grandson. That way, you can see the child without having to live together in cramped conditions.”
Bonnie felt that there were too few harmonious mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships. She believed that distance was key to harmony, and that maintaining a certain distance was best for everyone.
“We still have land at home, how can we just leave like that? There’s no place like home. Your third uncle and I will stay on the island. If we miss the children, we’ll go and stay for a few days.”
Aunt Bao Ni understood. She hadn't spent much time with her daughters-in-law and wasn't really familiar with them. If they were forced to live together, it would make the couple uncomfortable and inconvenient for the daughters-in-law. It was better for them to live their own lives and not interfere.
“Your third aunt is right. The son is her own, so everything is fine. But the daughter-in-law isn’t very familiar with the family, and if she goes over too often, it will cause trouble.”
Bao Ni's mother rarely stayed at her sons' homes; it wasn't convenient. She understood perfectly well that daughters-in-law and daughters were different.
The group slowly walked back, and Bonnie suddenly noticed that her parents' steps weren't as light as before, and their legs seemed heavy. Her parents were both over sixty, and this was the first time she had so clearly felt that her parents were getting old.
After parting ways with her third uncle and the others, Bonnie and her parents returned to their own courtyard.
The courtyard is still the same courtyard, and the seaweed house is still the same seaweed house, but Grandpa and Grandma are gone. I can no longer see Grandma busy in the vegetable garden, nor can I see Grandpa sitting at the stone table slowly drinking tea.
"Father, Mother, come inside and get some sleep. You haven't had a good rest these past few days."
Bonnie urged her parents to rest, otherwise their bodies wouldn't be able to take it.
"Hmm, let's go get some sleep. I can't hold on any longer. Does Gu Ye know you're not going back?"
Bao Ni's mother suddenly remembered this matter: Is it really okay for this child to take such a long leave of absence?
"I know, I talked to him on the phone yesterday. School work isn't busy, so taking leave won't affect anything. Everything's taken care of."
Bonnie had only decided to stay for a short time. Looking at her parents' gray hair and their no-longer-young faces, she suddenly felt a pang of sadness.
Grandpa and Grandma passed away together; they were happy. But what about Mom, who took care of Grandpa and Grandma her whole life? How heartbroken she must be facing the empty courtyard.
"That's good, as long as it doesn't interfere with your work. To be honest, I felt a void in my heart when your grandparents suddenly passed away. But I feel much more at ease knowing you're here."
Looking at her daughter, Bao Ni's mother felt much more at ease.
"Mom, go to sleep and don't think about anything. I'm here for you."
Bonnie hugged her mother and stroked her back, just like her mother used to comfort her when she was little.
"Yes, Mother knows."
After persuading her parents to go inside and rest, Bao Ni closed the courtyard gate and went to the brigade headquarters to call her brother Ye.
"Hey, Gu Ye, it's me."
"Wife, how are Father and Mother?"
Gu Ye had just finished a meeting when he received a call from his wife.
"She seems alright on the surface, but she'll need some time to process it internally. My mother lived with my grandparents for decades, almost never apart. Now that both of them have passed away, she'll definitely have a hard time adjusting."
As I walked back from the dock, I suddenly felt my parents' heavy steps, and realized they've really gotten old. My heart ached.
Bonnie couldn't show her sadness in front of her parents, but now, hearing her brother Ye's voice, she couldn't hold back any longer.
"Wife, let's think about parents coming to live in Beijing. They don't like the big courtyard house, but there's also the traditional courtyard house. My husband's younger brother lives nearby, so we can see each other more often. Otherwise, I'm worried about leaving them alone on the island."
Gu Ye's own mother passed away early, so there's no point in mentioning his father. He truly felt the love of a mother from his mother-in-law, genuinely.
“I’ll try, but it definitely won’t work this year. Grandpa and Grandma just passed away, and there are still many customs and traditions to follow. Even if our parents don’t ask us to follow them, they will definitely do them themselves.”
Bonnie also hopes that her parents can live with her so that they can both feel at ease.
"By the way, after Sanqi goes back, I'll let Sister Xiang rest for a while. She hasn't spent much time with her family these past few years. Sanqi is going to eat at Uncle's restaurant. If you come back, you should eat there too. Don't cook for yourself."
Gu Ye, I'll say it again: be careful. You haven't kept your promise to travel with me across the beautiful landscapes of our motherland.
Bonnie was worried. The crackdown was no joke; those guys had weapons.
"I know, I'll be careful, don't worry, I can't bear to part with you."
Gu Ye is terrifying now. He finally met Bao Ni and was hoping to live a long life so that they could grow old together, hold hands and run, watch the sunrise and sunset, and be a loving old couple.
After talking for a while, Gu Ye had to get busy again. Bao Ni hung up the phone, paid the bill, and left the brigade headquarters.
Looking at the distant green mountains and listening to the roaring waves, she felt a little dazed; she had been here for twenty years. How was Old Jiang? Was he still busy? Did he think of her? Where was her mother? And her little brother?
"Hey, isn't this Bonnie? You didn't leave?"
The startled shouts of an elderly woman passing by pulled Bonnie back to reality.
"Auntie, I haven't left. I want to spend more time with my parents."
"That's true. Your mother is really upset now that your grandparents are gone. She's heartbroken. With you at home with her, she'll get through this feeling sooner."
After saying a few words, Bao Ni headed home. Behind her, Auntie San sighed, "Having a daughter like Lin Bao Ni is better than having ten sons!"
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