The day after Bonnie and the others finished their meeting, the family members who were visiting arrived on the island.
After receiving the meeting notice, Bao Ni asked Gu Ye to help compile a list of family members from their group who were coming to visit, so that she would have a general idea of the visitors' basic information and know how to receive and interact with them.
Gu Ye had his correspondent conduct a survey and compile a list.
After dinner, the children were all asleep. "Baoni, here's the list you requested. Oh, and there's a special case: the application for our regiment's second battalion commander to accompany his family has been approved."
"Why did you only just arrive to join the military? Isn't it possible to join the military just because you're a company commander?"
“His family situation is special. When he was promoted to the rank of military officer and accompanied his father to the military, his father passed away unexpectedly, leaving behind a frail old mother and two young siblings. His mother couldn’t take a long-distance bus and couldn’t come. His wife stayed at home to take care of her. Not long ago, his mother passed away, and that’s when he applied for his family to accompany him to the military.”
Bonnie thought the Second Battalion Commander's wife was truly amazing; she had endured so much. How had she managed to survive all these years with her sickly mother-in-law, her young brother-in-law, her sister-in-law, and her own child?
"Got it, which area are the houses allocated to?"
"The house behind ours used to be the one where Dr. Yang and her colleagues lived."
After Gu Ye was promoted to regimental commander, he was supposed to be allocated a larger house according to his rank, the one that Dr. Yang and the others had. Bao Ni felt that it would only be one more main room, which was enough for her small family, so she didn't move; it would be too much trouble.
"That's good, it just so happens that he has a lot of family members."
"Alright, it's too late, go to sleep. You'll be busy tomorrow."
Bonnie thought about it and realized that thinking about it now was useless; she would only know how to get along with someone after seeing them in person.
The two tidied up, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.
The boat arrived around 9 a.m., and Bonnie and several of her sisters-in-law went to the dock to pick up the people.
As the boat docked, it was clear that many of the women were seasick and listless, yet they were still straining to look out onto the shore, trying to spot that familiar figure. There were also children calling out for their fathers from the water…
When Bonnie saw this scene, tears involuntarily streamed down her face. She seemed to see her younger self standing on the shore, watching the large ship return to port, and she tried hard to find Old Jiang's figure...
One by one, family members who were visiting relatives disembarked.
Judging from their clothing and appearance, the family members who came to visit were not well-off. This group of twenty or thirty people were mostly wearing patched clothes, and even those without patches were faded and looked like they had been worn for a long time.
Most importantly, they were all in poor condition. Although they were seasick, they were all pale and thin, and few of them were fat. Their faces were covered with the marks of time, and they looked very tired.
After everyone came down, Aunt Zhang, on behalf of the army and the family compound, welcomed them. Then she led the visiting group towards the family compound. Although Bao Ni had a list of visiting family members from their Second Regiment, she couldn't match the names, so she decided to leave it at that for now.
The family compound has a dedicated guesthouse with quite a few rooms. To make things easier for everyone, Sister Zhang specially assigned rooms according to the different regiments.
They have a division-level organization on the island, which consists of five regiments. This time, it was the second and third regiments' turn to visit relatives. If they all came together, there wouldn't be enough space.
The relatives of the Second Regiment were assigned to rooms on the east side, one room per family. A total of six families came from the Second Regiment, not counting the Second Battalion Commander's family, who were accompanying the troops. Someone had already been arranged to take them to their assigned rooms.
"Everyone must be tired from the boat trip. Seasickness is awful. Now that the rooms have been assigned, everyone can rest for a bit. We'll have lunch at the canteen at noon, and there will be a welcome ceremony. As for the men, they can come back tonight. We're all here now, so there's no rush."
"Take good care of the children you brought with you. Our island is surrounded by the sea, so don't let the children run away and get into danger. Oh, I forgot to mention, I'm the wife of the commander of our Second Regiment. My name is Lin Baoni, you can just call me Baoni."
Bonnie's appearance is very deceptive. People who don't know her well think she looks young and has a round face, making her look particularly young and non-threatening.
Bonnie's words put the relatives of the Second Regiment at ease, easing their tension. They had all come from their hometown, enduring a long and arduous journey, their hearts constantly on edge. Now, hearing these comforting words, they felt much more at ease.
"There are thermos flasks in your rooms, filled with hot water. If you feel unwell, drink some hot water first to calm down, and you can wash up later. You've had a tough journey. There's a washbasin in each room, so you can do a quick wash."
Having said that much, Bonnie left first, otherwise, they would feel uncomfortable.
Bonnie didn't have time to go home; she had to go to the Second Battalion Commander's house. They had just moved in, and there were still many things she didn't know how to do.
Bao Ni was glad her parents' home was nearby. She had asked Gu Ye to speak to her mother that morning, asking her to watch over Sanqi for a while. Her mother had come early; otherwise, it wouldn't have been appropriate to carry Sanqi in and out in such cold weather. Cai, the wife of the political commissar of their second regiment, had a job; otherwise, Bao Ni wouldn't have been in such a hurry.
"Is everything packed up?"
Bonnie entered the yard where Dr. Yang's house used to be. It was quiet and there was no sound. It had been cleaned up.
"Who are you?"
A woman in her thirties came out of the house. She had a thin face and a frail figure, and looked as if a gust of wind could blow her away.
"I'm Lin Baoni, the wife of the Second Regiment Commander. You must be from Battalion Commander Duan's family."
"Yes, yes, I am Duan Zhigang's wife, Ge Honghua."
Upon hearing that it was the wife of her husband's boss, Ge Honghua became even more nervous. A rural woman, she had rarely left home; this was her first time traveling so far. Since marrying Zhigang, she had stayed at home and hadn't visited her family.
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