Chapter 112

"It must be Dad who is back!" Shen Jiayi said happily, "Brother, let's go congratulate Dad and ask him to give us money to buy some delicious food."

The brother and sister looked at each other, put down their work, and ran to the yard. Sure enough, the person who walked into the yard was Shen Guobin.

"Dad, Mom said you were promoted to battalion commander. Give me money!" Shen Jiayi said.

Shen Guobin had a stern face, not showing any joy at all. He glanced at his son and daughter and said fiercely, "What money are you giving me? You keep asking for money all day long. Why don't you go and have dinner?"

Shen Jiayi was scolded for no reason and lowered her head with a sense of grievance.

Lin Hui came out and said, "You are such a fool. Why are you so fierce on such a happy day? Come on, Jiayi, come and eat."

Lin Hui called Shen Jiayi over, poured a glass of wine for Shen Guobin, and asked Shen Jiahao to toast Shen Guobin: "Come, have a drink to celebrate."

But the next moment Shen Guobin smashed the glass: "What are you celebrating? What is there to celebrate? Celebrating Li Chengxi's promotion to deputy brigade commander? Or celebrating Wang Yuanliang's promotion to deputy regiment commander?"

Originally, Shen Guobin was not convinced by Li Chengxi and Wang Yuanliang. Today's incident was simply a slap in his face, which was enough to make him feel uncomfortable. He thought that Li Chengxi was younger than him, but now he was a deputy brigade commander, while he had been a deputy battalion commander for several years!

Moreover, he is already 34 or 35 years old this year. If he does not get promoted, he will definitely end up like Lao Jin in a few years. Lao Jin has been in the army for more than 20 years, but after retiring, he was assigned to work as a worker in a factory, and he could not even be an officer!

I'm forty years old and I won't be able to work in the factory for many years.

And what about Li Chengxi? He was only in his early thirties, but he was already a deputy brigade commander. Everyone thought he had a bright future and was the most promising person in their Shengshan Island troops.

He was not convinced. What was his basis? What was Li Chengxi's basis? Didn't he just study a few more years than himself? What's the use of studying? It's just talk on paper! China's world was conquered by fists. If there were no soldiers like them, could the educated people drive away the Japanese? It was simply a dream!

Now that Lao Jin is gone, Shen Guobin has no one to vent his grievances to. He cannot behave too badly when he is outside, so he has to endure it, but the matter will be brought up again when he gets home.

The anger in his heart was vented at this time. He looked at Lin Hui, Shen Jiahao and Shen Jiayi with a very scary look: "One or two of you, all you want is money all day long, but you are useless. If you continue like this, I will send you all back to your hometown in Xiangcheng!"

"Lin Hui, stop talking nonsense to me in the logistics department in the future, otherwise you should go back to me! I was really blind to marry you." Shen Guobin patted the table and sat down.

Seeing him like this, Lin Hui, Shen Jiahao and Shen Jiayi didn't dare to say anything. They lowered their heads and didn't dare to make a sound.

"What are you still standing there for? Get me another glass and pour me some wine!" Shen Guobin shouted angrily.

The wine glass was broken by Shen Guobin. Lin Hui went in to get him a glass. Shen Jiahao went to pick up the broken glass, but accidentally cut his hand. It was bleeding. He screamed and was glared at by Shen Guobin: "You are ten years old, and you can't even do this."

Shen Jiaping walked in when he saw that the farce was over, sat down and started eating.

Feeling unhappy, Shen Guobin drank a lot of wine, got drunk, and reeked of alcohol. Lin Hui boiled some water and asked him to take a bath before going to bed, but he waved his hand and pushed her away. The man was drunk but very strong, and Lin Hui was pushed back several steps, then bumped into the door and sat on the ground.

She looked at Shen Guobin's back. He was only 23 or 24 years old, but he looked like he was in his 30s. Although she was not as fair as Lin Tao before, she was at least fairer than the women on the island. But now, her face was tanned, her skin was very rough, and her hands were thick...

She didn't understand why Shen Guobin was able to be promoted in his previous life but never in this life. Shen Guobin was almost 35 years old. If he was not promoted to a regimental-level cadre before he was 40, he would have to retire at the age of 40, and then he would have nothing!

And Lin Tao's man...has actually been promoted to deputy brigade commander...Why? God is unfair!

No, Lin Hui thought about it, she still has Shen Jiahao. Shen Jiahao is ten years old this year, and in a few years, the reform and opening up will begin. By then, Shen Jiahao will do business and make a lot of money, and she can still enjoy her life!

Shen Guobin fell into a deep sleep, but he began to dream at night.

In the dream, it was already the next day and the day had already dawned. He quickly got up and prepared to go to the group, but when he walked to the door, he saw a man talking to Shen Jiahao. The Shen Jiahao in the dream seemed much more obedient. The man had a slender back and long, black and smooth hair. Obviously, he was not Lin Hui.

Shen Guobin looked at her until she turned around. Then Shen Guobin suddenly realized that it was Lin Tao!

Shen Guo woke up from his dream. He didn't know why he suddenly had such a dream. Although he always regretted not marrying Lin Tao but Lin Hui, this was the first time he had such a dream.

The feeling in the dream was very real, as if it really happened...

Just at this moment, Lin Hui opened the door and called out, "Guobin, get up and have breakfast," interrupting Shen Guobin's thoughts.

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Li Chengxi and Zheng Youde were both promoted to deputy brigadiers and could move to bigger houses.

The house we live in now has two bedrooms and a living room. Lin Tao and Li Chengxi live in one room, and Lin Changhai lives in another room. Yueyue is still young now, so it’s okay. She can sleep in the same room with Lin Tao and Li Chengxi, but when she is two or three years older, it’s time to sleep in separate beds. We should pay more attention to children as they grow up.

In Chen Shuifen's house, the two brothers Zheng Hongxing and Zheng Xiangyang sleep in the same room, which is not a problem, except that Zheng Xiangyang always complains that Zheng Hongxing's feet are too smelly, and the two brothers always quarrel about this. This time they simply move to a bigger house so that the two brothers can live separately, which is good.

Lin Tao and Chen Shuifen are both planning to move to a new house. Actually, both of them are reluctant to leave the house they have lived in for several years.

But there is one good thing. Chen Shuifen said, "Teacher Lin, we can be neighbors again this time."

Lin Tao smiled after hearing this. That's right. When she heard Chen Shuifen say that Captain Zheng didn't get a promotion this time, Lin Tao was thinking that she and Sister Chen wouldn't be able to be neighbors in the future, and she felt very uncomfortable. But then she heard that Captain Zheng got a promotion.

Now it's good, the two can be neighbors again.

Thinking back to the beginning, Lin Tao felt that she might not be able to get along well with someone like Chen Shuifen, so she thought of just treating them as ordinary neighbors, but as time went by, their relationship got better and better.

"Yuting, are you really not planning to change houses?" Lin Tao asked Xu Yuting.

Xu Yuting nodded and said, "No, I've lived there for more than five years and I've grown attached to it. Besides, some of my flowers are not suitable for this season. If I transplant them now, some of them may not survive."

Speaking of this, Lin Tao became worried about her gardenia trees and irises, and asked, "What about the gardenias and irises in my yard? Are they a problem?"

"It's not a big deal. Gardenias and balsams are easy to grow and won't be a problem. When we move in, just water them more in the first few days," said Xu Yuting.

Chen Shuifen said, "We are going to look at houses tomorrow. Teacher Xu, will you come with us?"

Xu Yuting said, "Why not? Even if I don't move, I have to go and see your new house."

So it was settled, and the three good friends went to look at houses the next day during their holiday. Lin Tao chose a house where she could see the sea through the bedroom window. The sunlight here was also quite good.

Chen Shuifen didn't choose from so many options and just picked the one next to Lin Tao.

"Teacher Lin, the house you chose is quite spacious." Chen Shuifen said, "The yard is also large."

When Chen Shuifen and Xu Yuting walked in, they saw Lin Tao standing in front of the window, looking at the sea outside. The sea breeze blew over, waves appeared on the sea surface, and flocks of seabirds flew by. The blue sea and blue sky made people feel happy just by looking at it.

Xu Yuting said, "I finally understand why you chose this room. You can see the sea as soon as you open the window. It's so beautiful."

The sea breeze blew in through the window, feeling refreshing. The three of them stood in front of the window, feeling the tranquility of the moment.

Xu Yuting sighed: "There is a feeling of a peaceful and quiet time."

Lin Tao smiled and said, "The sky is clear and the air is fresh, and the wind is gentle and pleasant."

"What are you guys talking about? I can't understand you." Chen Shuifen muttered, then stretched her back and said with emotion, "I just think life is really good. When I was in the countryside, I never thought I could come here and live such a comfortable life."

Xu Yuting and Lin Tao smiled, and so did they.

When Xu Yuting was on the island, she felt that life was torture. She couldn't listen to records, couldn't wear her old clothes, and sometimes even had to be careful when she spoke, otherwise she would easily get into trouble.

But since Lin Tao came, her heart seemed to have slowly calmed down. She began to enjoy her days on the island, and after her heart calmed down, she lived a comfortable life.

As for Lin Tao, she was even more grateful for her courage and for meeting Li Chengxi. If it weren't for Li Chengxi, she felt that no one would make her feel so lucky.

Once you've chosen a house, it's time to get busy with moving.

The new house had not been lived in for a long time, so it needed to be cleaned first. After school, Lin Tao went to the new house to clean.

When we arrived, Lin Changhai and Xiaoning were there, as was Yueyue. Although she was young, she also wanted to help, so she took a small towel and helped to wipe the floor.

The bathroom was cleaned in two days. It didn't take much time to clean the bathroom, but it still took a few days to build the kang and toilet. After the toilet was built, Li Chengxi also had someone install the shower, so that they could take a shower directly after they moved into the new house.

Chen Shuifen thought it was so rare and lamented that Lin Tao had so many rare things at home. But when Lin Tao asked her if she wanted one, she waved her hand and said no.

The main reason is that they are used to washing in a basin and have never tried to take a bath while standing. They are not used to it.

The day before the move, Lin Tao cooked a meal at home and invited everyone to come over. Chen Shuifen had originally planned to invite everyone to dinner, so she discussed with Lin Tao and decided to cook together and bring the food to Lin Tao's house.

The braised pork with preserved vegetables that Lin Tao cooked last time received unanimous praise from the family, so she made this dish again today. Other dishes included hairy clams with scallion oil, stir-fried sour beans, and two baskets of steamed wowotou.

Chen Shuifen killed a chicken, cooked a braised fish, and stir-fried Chinese cabbage with vinegar and leeks.

These dishes filled the table. Today, we were having dinner in the yard. Li Chengxi and Lin Changhai went to move the table. At this time, Xiaoning happened to come and brought some things, which were specialties from her hometown.

He hurried to help lift the table: "Uncle, I'll do it, I'll lift it."

"Your uncle is not old yet, he has plenty of strength." Lin Changhai said with a smile, but he did not want to compete with the young man for work, so he let Xiaoning carry the table.

Seeing him carrying so many things, Lin Tao said, "Xiao Ning, why do you bring so many things just to have a meal?"

Xiao Ning said, "Sister-in-law, these are specialties from our hometown. I asked my mother to send them to you. They are not worth much, but just a token of my appreciation."

Li Chengxi said, "A Tao, it's okay, take it."

Only then did Lin Tao accept the things and take them into the room.

By this time, the meals for both families were ready. Chen Shuifen brought the dishes over and put them on the table. Almost everyone was there. The families sat down together and started eating.

As usual, they sat at the same table with the women and children. Yueyue sat between Zheng Hongxing and Xiao Qingming, and she was so happy.

This was their last dinner in this house, as they were moving tomorrow. The trees in the yard had been transplanted to the yard of the new house, and the chickens and ducks would be moved there after everything was moved there tomorrow.

While digging the tree, Lin Changhai also dug out the wine that Lin Tao had buried last year. The wine was packed in a wooden box so that the bottle would not come into direct contact with the soil and would not have an earthy smell when drinking.

Lin Tao was already living when she buried the bottle of wine. She was going to save it for drinking when she moved this year, and now is the perfect time to drink it.

I poured half a glass of wine for the men first. It was the first time for Zheng Youde, Wang Yuanliang and Xiao Ning to drink wine. They all thought it was something new and interesting to watch.

Zheng Youde said: "Teacher Lin is really amazing. Not only can he teach, but he can also cook delicious meals. Not only can he cook delicious meals, but he can also brew wine. Old Li, you are really lucky."

Zheng Youde used to call Lin Changhai Old Lin, and now he calls Li Chengxi Old Li. It's really confusing.

Everyone was having a great time, and life was getting better and better.

Yueyue eats very quickly and doesn't need anyone to worry about her. After eating, she plays with Zheng Hongxing and Xiao Qingming. Zheng Hongxing takes charge of the situation and tells them the story of the Monkey King making a big fuss in the Heavenly Palace.

Since he didn't bring the picture book, Zheng Hongxing sometimes talked without any context. When he got excited, he even showed off his kung fu. Yueyue and Xiao Qingming sat on small stools, clapping from time to time, showing great support.

Lin Tao couldn't help laughing when she saw this. They were in a good mood today. Lin Tao, Chen Shuifen and Xu Yuting also drank some wine.

Lin Manman has to go to work at the health center tomorrow and can't drink, so she didn't drink.

The wine tasted good, but if you drank too much, you would still feel a little drunk. After the men drank a little, they felt that the wine was not strong enough and continued to drink their pine wine.

Chen Shuifen can drink, so this little bit of wine is no problem for her. When Xu Yuting was at home, she often secretly drank her mother's red wine, so it is okay for her to drink some wine.

Only Lin Tao had a low alcohol tolerance. After drinking two glasses of wine, her fair cheeks turned red. She supported her chin with one hand, looked at the men who were chatting enthusiastically, and then at the children who were having fun.

With two good friends and her younger sister Lin Manman by her side, Lin Tao had a smile in her eyes.

Xiao Ning raised her wine glass and said to Li Chengxi, "Thank you, Captain! Thank you for recommending me to attend the military academy!"

After saying that, Xiao Ning drank the glass of wine.

Xiao Ning was not much of a drinker, but he had drunk several times over to toast several leaders. Now he was drunk to the point of having a red face and thick neck, with tears in his eyes.

Wang Yuanliang saw him and said, "Why are you crying, you are a grown man? Your regiment commander, no, you should call him deputy brigade commander now. Your deputy brigade commander is thinking about you. This opportunity to study in the military academy is not easy to come by. If you really want to thank the deputy brigade commander, you should work hard when you go to the military academy."

"Well, I will definitely do it well." Although Xiao Ning is married and has children, she is actually one year younger than Lin Tao. She must be too moved at this moment, her eyes are red and tears are flowing.

Li Chengxi patted him on the shoulder and said, "What Deputy Regimental Commander Wang said is that you have to work harder when you go to the military academy. It's not that everything will be fine once you go to the military academy. If you want to get promoted quickly after graduation, you have to perform well."

"Yes!" Xiao Ning saluted Li Chengxi with a standard military salute.

It was just like when Li Chengxi went to the guard company to select guards and picked Xiaoning, and Xiaoning saluted him. When Xiaoning first became a guard, his performance was average and he was scolded by Li Chengxi a lot. Later, he improved after being scolded more. In the past two years, he has rarely been scolded.

When people talk about Li Chengxi, they all know that he is a very serious person and rarely jokes with his subordinates. Of course, this situation has improved a lot in the past few years since Lin Tao came to the island.

But in the past, many people came to Xiao Ning to make fun of him, asking him if it was miserable to be Captain Li's bodyguard and if he was often scolded.

But Xiao Ning always spoke on Li Chengxi's side, saying that the leader said it was all for his own good!

He knew that the regiment commander was actually a very good person, and he was very glad that he was chosen by the regiment commander to be a guard. But he did not expect that the first thing the regiment commander did after being promoted to deputy brigade commander was to recommend him to go to the military academy for further studies. This position was really too rare...

If he continued to stay in the guard company, he would not know when he could be promoted. But if he went to the military academy for further studies and came back after two or three years, he would immediately be promoted to deputy company-level platoon leader after joining the army.

It was only at this moment that Lin Tao understood why Li Chengxi had asked her to accept the special products that Xiao Ning had sent her.

He must have been afraid that if he didn't accept it, Xiao Ning's feelings would be even more inexpressible. So he accepted it. Although it wasn't something valuable, the thought was there after all.

Xiao Ning had to leave the island and report to the military academy before school started in September.

When he left, Lin Tao specially packed a basket of buns and boiled several eggs for Xiao Ning to take with him on the road.

Every time Xiao Ning sees Yueyue, she thinks of her own children back home, and wonders when she can take her children over. Now she finally has the chance.

Not long after Xiao Ning left, Lin Tao heard another piece of news, that is, Commander Qi was promoted and would be transferred to the military region. This meant that both Director Yang and Commander Qi had to leave the island.

It was actually a good thing that Teacher Qi was promoted, but Lin Tao still felt sad when she heard that Director Yang was leaving.

She will never forget the first day she arrived on the island and the time she met the women's director, Director Yang Ai-Dang. She had advanced and independent ideas, dared to be the first, and acted in a vigorous manner, telling everyone that men and women were equal.

Not only Lin Tao felt sad, Chen Shuifen was also reluctant to let her go.

"Oh." Chen Shuifen sighed again.

Xu Yuting said helplessly: "Sister Chen, this is the eighteenth time you have sighed this afternoon. Let me tell you, if a woman sighs all the time, she will age faster and become ugly."

Every woman loves beauty, and Chen Shuifen is no exception. Her first reaction after hearing what Xu Yuting said was to touch her face, and then she said, "Well, I'm already old, and I don't look that good anyway, so what am I afraid of?"

Xu Yuting said: "The more this happens, the more you need to be careful. Sister Chen, you can't just give up."

Chen Shuifen imitated Xu Yuting's way of pouting and said, "Teacher Xu, I understand what you meant. You are insulting me. You said I am a broken jar."

Seeing the two of them bickering, Lin Tao was amused and interrupted them, saying, "Sisters, aren't we talking about Director Yang? Wait a minute before you start bickering, and let's talk about Director Yang first. This is what I think. Director Yang was really nice to all of us when she was on the island, and it was because of her presence that there were fewer unnecessary disputes among us military wives."

This is the truth. If Lin Hui was not afraid of Yang Ai Dang, it would not be so easy to calm down.

After hearing Lin Tao's words, Xu Yuting and Chen Shuifen both nodded repeatedly.

Lin Tao continued, "So I thought, Director Yang is leaving soon, why don't we hold a farewell party for her. It will also let her know that we are all thinking about her in our hearts."

Xu Yuting and Chen Shuifen both supported Lin Tao's proposal. Director Yang had dedicated more than ten years on the island and was leaving now. Apart from anything else, it was okay for these military wives to hold a farewell party.

Just like what Lin Tao said, if Director Yang knew that everyone has her in their hearts and is grateful to her, her heart would feel warmer.

This matter was done right away. The school was busy with midterm exams recently, and Lin Tao and Xu Yuting were busy these two days, so Chen Shuifen simply took the matter upon herself.

Chen Shuifen patted her chest and said, "It just so happens that our logistics department is not busy recently. We only need to work half a day. Leave the notification to me."

After saying this, he thought for a moment and asked again, "By the way? Should we inform Lin Hui?"