"Liu Jiu, what do you suggest we do? We can't just go to the teacher directly, can we?"
Gu Xuanyi was also having a headache. He hadn't said much to Liang Xiaocao, the class representative for Chinese.
"Let's ask Liang Xiaocao first. If this gets out of hand, it won't be good for the girl."
Liu Jiu had occasionally heard her mother say that society is often quite harsh on women, and that she should learn to protect herself.
"That's true, and some gossip will start to spread and it will sound nasty."
Gu Xuanyi also knew the destructive power of rumors and gossip; they were quite terrifying.
"Then let's do it tomorrow at noon. I'll call Liang Xiaocao out and talk to her. She should focus on her studies and not think about such nonsense."
Liu Jiu thought that since she was a girl, it would be easier for her to communicate with other girls.
With the matter settled, the two returned to the classroom; afternoon classes were about to begin.
In the afternoon, after finishing her own work, Bonnie helped Lan Hua organize the books.
“Bonnie, let’s work together from now on. I’ll help you with sewing and mending, and you can help me with the physical work.”
"You wish! How many books do I sew in a year? How much physical labor do you do in a year? I've just started to get along with you, and you're already causing trouble."
Bonnie was speechless at Lan Hua's antics; she was always so annoying, constantly trying to provoke them and making it impossible for the two of them to get along peacefully.
"Oh dear, life is so boring, I always have to find some fun. We're like a pair of rivals, isn't that great, that's so lively."
Orchids just love to stir things up; they're always making a ruckus when they have nothing better to do.
"How can your man tolerate you? You're so despicable."
“I don’t flirt with my man; he listens to everything I say.”
Lan Hua looked proud; her husband wouldn't dare to argue with her.
"Are you sure it's not because of your uncle? You should be more careful and tone it down."
Bonnie had heard some things about orchids; in modern terms, her man was a "phoenix man" (a man from a poor background who achieves success).
Because of her uncle, Lan Hua is bossy at home, causing tension with her in-laws. It's fine while her uncle is in power, but hopefully her husband will have some conscience once he retires.
"I didn't, I..."
Lan Hua couldn't continue. She knew her own temper; her husband could get incredibly angry sometimes, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"Okay, that's all done. I'm going home now, it's almost time to leave work."
Bonnie didn't say anything more; a word or two would suffice, anything more would be bad.
When it was time to leave work, Bonnie went to buy groceries with her shopping basket. She had collected the rent yesterday, so she wanted to treat herself to something nice today.
The small market had already grown to a considerable size, and relevant departments intervened and made adjustments. Now, food vendors are in one group, and other small general merchandise vendors are in another, making it much more organized.
A crowd had gathered in front of the stall in Dayang Village, and Bonnie knew there was something good to see.
"Sister Bonnie, would you like some fresh beef?"
The brigade leader's youngest son greeted Bonnie warmly when he saw her; she was a major client of their Dayang Village.
"Beef, some please."
Bonnie squeezed in. She didn't know much about beef either, but it looked good, so she asked for a cut without tendons to make steamed dumplings that night.
Everyone watched as Bonnie bought a huge piece, weighing at least four or five pounds, and thought to themselves, "She's really rich. What a spendthrift woman, she doesn't know how to manage money at all."
Bonnie had no idea what they were thinking. She picked up the beef, put it in her shopping basket, and didn't look at anything else. She was in a hurry to get home, knead the dough, and chop the filling.
After Bonnie kneaded the dough and chopped the meat filling, Gu Ye and Sanqi came in together.
"Mom, what are we having for dinner?"
"Make beef dumplings. You two hurry up and wash the dough for the filling; it's been resting for a while."
Bonnie came out of the kitchen and told the father and son to get to work.
Gu Ye changed his clothes, washed his hands, and went to prepare the filling. Sanqi also went to wash her hands, as they were going to make dumplings later.
Bonnie also had cucumbers in the kitchen; this was the last batch, and they'd be gone soon. The old cucumbers and squash would all have to be picked in a couple of days and put in the cellar to eat in the winter.
The three of them made dumplings together. Gu Ye was in charge of rolling out the dough, while Bao Ni and San Qi were in charge of filling them.
"Mom, next year I'll be in fifth grade, and my sister will be in 10th grade. Then I'll be in 7th grade, and my sister will be in 11th grade. Who will cook then?"
Sanqi was making dumplings, but she was also worried about the future.
“By then, your dad might get another promotion, and we'll be able to live in the General's Mansion. I'll hire a housekeeper then, because I'm worried there won't be anyone to cook.”
Bonnie has confidence in her son, and even if he doesn't get a promotion, it won't stop her from hiring someone to cook for her.
Sanqi was surprised by this answer: hiring a nanny is something very few families do these days.
Liu Jiu thought to herself that more and more families would hire nannies in the future, and she was just a few years ahead of time.
Gu Ye watched his wife and son chatting about household matters, feeling good. He decided to wait until things were settled before discussing the promotion.
When Liu Jiu and Xuan Yi returned, a pot of dumplings had already been steamed, and the aroma was already wafting out.
"It smells so good! What are we having for dinner, Auntie?"
"Steamed beef dumplings, you two wash your hands quickly, they'll be ready in a bit. After you finish eating, we're going to Teacher Zhai's place, so we'll bring her a lunchbox to try too."
After Bonnie finished speaking, she went to the kitchen to get busy. The pot of dumplings was almost ready. She took them out and steamed them again. There were many people, so she had to make a lot of dumplings.
Several pots of dumplings were eaten, except for the ones reserved for Teacher Zhai and Gu Xuanyu. The children were all stuffed.
"Gu Ye, after you drop off Liu Jiu and the others, go to Xuan Yu's school and bring him the clothes and dumplings."
"Okay, you pack it up, I'll put it in the car."
Gu Ye called Liu Jiu and the others to set off, then picked up the clothes and lunchbox that Bao Ni had found and went downstairs.
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