Chapter 128

"Teacher Lin, aren't you too bullying? Last time, didn't I ask you to bring some things for me from Beijing? Not only did you refuse to bring the things, but you also asked Liu's leader to criticize him. Now you ask people to bully my two sons. What kind of people are you? You're not even a teacher." Liu Gangzi's mother Du Yudan said as they stood at the gate of the courtyard with Liu Gangzi and Liu Tiezi.

In order to let everyone see Lin Tao's "true face", she deliberately spoke with a hoarse voice.

Xu Yuting glanced at Du Yudan and sneered, "Your words are quite interesting. When your deputy battalion commander Liu was criticized, deputy brigade commander Li and his family went to Beijing and were not on the island at all. How could you see that it was Teacher Lin who asked people to criticize him? And don't you know why your deputy battalion commander Liu was criticized? You don't reflect on yourself, but come here to talk about it. You are really something."

Chen Shuifen put her hands on her waist and continued, "That's right. You are so blind to say that Teacher Lin asked people to beat your two sons. How old is Teacher Lin's daughter? How old are your two sons? Can her daughter beat your sons? Your two sons were beaten by our Red Star, and why did you beat them? Don't you know it? The two good sons you raised are shameless. They robbed the little girl's things. It's just like you. The azalea robs other people's nests, but your sons robbed other people's things. It's really shameful!"

Xu Yuting and Chen Shuifen each spoke a few words, which made Lin Tao, who had already prepared, a little unsure of what to say.

Looking at Du Juandan who was speechless, Lin Tao said with a sullen face, "Teacher Xu and Sister Chen have said everything they need to say just now. As the school's dean, I have one more thing to say. Liu Gangzi and Liu Tiezi should reflect on the matter of stealing Fangfang's things. Write a self-criticism before the start of the school term and send it to my office when you report to school. If you don't write it, you should not come to school to attend classes. We at Shengshan School teach students, not bandits or hooligans."

"Based on...based on what? Based on what? Why should I write a self-criticism?" Du Juandan said unconvinced, but her attitude was obviously not as arrogant as before.

Lin Tao said, "I have just made it very clear. If you want your two sons to be hooligans, you don't have to write it."

Liu Gangzi and Liu Tiezi never expected that not only would they be beaten up today, but they would also have to write a self-criticism. The two have already begun to regret coming here to "seek justice."

I am not here to seek justice, I am here to seek a lesson.

The key point is that their mother was so domineering before, but now she can't say a word after being criticized.

Lin Tao continued, "There are some things I have said many times, men and women are equal. You are also a woman, don't you think about yourself when you say those things?"

Du Juandan was originally a rural woman who could only curse when quarreling with others. After being scolded like this, she moved her lips but could not utter a word.

In the end, he was so angry that his face turned red. He said to Lin Tao that they were just bullying others by relying on their numbers. He gritted his teeth and took his two sons back.

Chen Shuifen chased him to the gate of the courtyard and deliberately shouted at the top of her voice: "Speak clearly, who bullied you? Your son stole other people's things, and you said nonsense and caused your husband to be criticized. You don't reflect on yourself, and you come to Teacher Lin's house to make trouble. What's the matter? Teacher Lin is a cultured person, and he won't quarrel with a shrew like you, right? You are so capable."

Du Juandan left in shame, and Chen Shuifen entered the yard and said to Lin Tao and Xu Yuting, "How was it, Teacher Lin, Teacher Xu, was my performance just now okay?"

In the past, when Chen Shuifen quarreled with others, it was hard for her to say anything profound and she would just curse.

Later, she saw that Xu Yuting and Lin Tao didn't argue with others, but could make people speechless with just a few words. She thought they were amazing, so she followed their example.

Lin Tao couldn't help laughing when she saw Chen Shuifen looking for praise.

Xu Yuting nodded and said, "Not bad, not bad, much better than before."

The three of them smiled at each other. Seeing that the adults were not angry about this, the children breathed a sigh of relief and went to play together again.

Since moving to the new house, the yard is now a little bigger than the previous one. After clearing a vegetable plot, there is still an empty space. This year, Lin Changhai planted some watermelons in his yard, and the watermelons are ripe now and can be eaten.

Li Chengxi picked the best growing watermelon last night. The lines on the watermelon were clear and when he tapped the rind, he could hear a "dong-dong-dong" sound. The watermelon looked sweet.

"The watermelons at home are ripe. I picked one last night. Wait, I'll go cut the watermelon." Lin Tao said.

Lin Tao took out the watermelon that had been chilled in cold water and cut it horizontally in the middle with a knife. However, as soon as the knife made a cut in the watermelon, the watermelon automatically split open, revealing the water-red flesh, black watermelon seeds, and green watermelon rind. The three colors formed a sharp contrast.

The fragrance of watermelon is not as strong as that of cantaloupe, but after cutting it, you can still smell a hint of sweetness.

Yueyue was already waiting nearby. She took out the plate used to hold melon seeds at home and said, "Mom, put the watermelon on it. I'll take it out for everyone to eat."

Lin Tao placed the cut pieces of watermelon that looked like sailboats on a plate. However, it was not easy to pick up so many pieces of watermelon. Yueyue was still too young to lift them.

Lin Tao knew that Yueyue wanted to eat watermelon, so she handed her a piece and said, "Mom, take it."

Yueyue took the watermelon and took a bite. The sweet and juicy watermelon was bitten open, and red juice flowed out. The watermelon had been chilled in cold water for a whole morning, so it tasted cool, refreshing and sweet.

Yueyue exclaimed: "It's delicious."

Lin Tao took Yueyue to the yard and invited everyone to eat watermelon.

Chen Shuifen's family also grows watermelons, but they are not ripe yet. After taking a bite of Lin Tao's watermelon, she said it was really sweet. Xu Yuting ate the watermelon in small bites, and Chen Shuifen said she ate like a chicken, why did she eat so slowly.

Yueyue and Zheng Hongxing were under the grape trellis. Each of them sat on a small stool, holding a watermelon in both hands, and competing with Zheng Hongxing to see who could spit the watermelon seeds farthest.

Wang Qingming sat by and watched, not joining them. Chen Shuifen asked, "Qingming, why don't you play with your brother and sister?"

Wang Qingming looked at Yueyue and Zheng Hongxing who were laughing foolishly, with a look of disgust on his face: "I don't want to play such a stupid game."

Chen Shuifen choked and said, "This child is like a little adult."

"I don't know who he looks like." Xu Yuting said.

Yueyue accidentally got watermelon seeds on her face, which was seen by Zheng Hongxing. Zheng Hongxing pointed at Yueyue's face and laughed until tears came out: "Yueyue, you are so funny."

Yueyue looked at Zheng Hongxing who was missing two front teeth, and she also covered her mouth and smiled until her eyes narrowed into crescents in the sky: "Brother Hongxing, you are so funny too."

Wang Qingming came over, reached out and took the watermelon seeds out of Yueyue's mouth, and whispered, "Little fool."

Yueyue snorted: "I'm not stupid, I'm smart."

Even the wind on the island is hot in the summer. Lin Tao had already taken out the electric fan at home and started fanning herself. The wind blew on her face, making her feel much more comfortable and not so hot.

Yueyue also likes to stand next to the fan and open her mouth towards the fan: "Ah——"

The sound produced by this would echo, and she enjoyed it endlessly. Until Lin Tao told her to stop playing this game, because the wind would go into her stomach and cause bloating.

After eating watermelon, it was time for the children to take a nap. Zheng Hongxing was crazy about it and did not take a nap at noon. Yueyue and Wang Qingming had the habit of taking a nap since they were young. They felt sleepy when the time came. The two younger ones went to sleep, and Zheng Hongxing slipped out to continue playing.

Chen Shuifen told him: "No fighting, did you hear me?"

Even though she didn't punish him today for the fight, there was a reason. This time he was trying to help others, but that didn't mean she supported the fight.

Without the children around, the adults continued to chat, talking about the dishes grown at home and what to eat tonight.

Life is so ordinary, but warm and happy.

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Before school started, someone came to Xu Yuting's house. They were not from the Zhou family, but from the Xu family. Xu Yuting's second uncle came with her cousin.

They were holding two boxes of snacks and said they had come to see Xu Yuting specially. However, Xu Yuting would not even let them in and locked them outside the door. They were not allowed to enter until Wang Yuanliang came back in the evening.

"Uncle, my cousin is here. Why is he standing at the door instead of coming in to sit down?" Wang Yuanliang pushed the courtyard door and found that it was bolted from the inside and could not be opened.

He smiled at Xu Guangyao and said, "I guess Yuting is sleeping. Yuting will bolt the gate when she sleeps. Although this is the military, we still need to be aware of safety. After all, Yuting also experienced a house raid, which left a big shadow in her heart. Until now, she has to lock the door when she goes to bed, otherwise she will be afraid."

Xu Guangyao was very embarrassed. Wang Yuanliang's words were obviously unbelievable. He and his son had arrived at noon and had been waiting outside for four or five hours. Who could sleep so long in broad daylight? And there were voices inside. It was obvious that Xu Yuting knew they were here and deliberately did not open the door.

But no matter how clear he understood in his heart, he was too embarrassed to tell the truth.

Because the second half of Wang Yuanliang's sentence was obviously talking about him.

When something happened at home, he immediately published an announcement in the newspaper to sever ties with the Xu family, and personally led the Little Red Soldiers to search the house, just to prove that he had no relationship with the Xu family, hoping to redeem himself with meritorious service.

Because of what he did back then, he was not implicated when the Xu family got into trouble. His work and family were not affected at all, and he was set up as a positive role model in the unit, so that everyone could learn from him and be determined not to recognize relatives in such a major event.

Even so, he knew in his heart that many people in the unit looked down on him because of this incident.

Niece Xu Yuting hated him, but now he had to ask for help for the sake of his son's future. Looking at his niece-in-law in front of him, he never expected that the child from a poor family that his brother had sponsored would become the deputy head of the group. Xu Guangyao couldn't help but regret that he shouldn't have done such a bad thing.

The movement was so violent that he thought the Xu family was doomed. Unexpectedly, his brother was quite resourceful and married his most beloved daughter to the poor boy, and the poor boy actually became successful.

He never thought that one day he would have to ask Xu Yuting for help.

"Uncle, what brings you here this time?" Wang Yuanliang asked.

Xu Guangyao said, "Yuanliang, this is what happened. Your cousin is eighteen years old this year. I heard that you are doing well here and are now the deputy head of the regiment. So I want to ask you for a favor. Can you let your cousin come here to serve as a soldier?"

Wang Yuanliang laughed and said, "Uncle, look at what you said. I am really nothing as the deputy head of the group. It is not my turn to speak here."

Xu Guangyao: "Yuanliang, don't be so humble here. You are already the deputy head of the group, so what is that? What about the second uncle? I know Yuting is still angry with me for what happened in the past, but we are a family after all. Even if the bones are broken, the tendons are still connected. Yuting was also raised by me since she was a child. I have come to you for a small favor for so many years. Yuanliang, you are not unwilling to help the second uncle for this, right?"

At this moment, the gate was suddenly opened from the inside. Xu Yuting sneered and said in a bad tone: "Family? When you brought the Red Guards to search our house, you didn't tell us that you were a family. We don't welcome you here. Get out of here."

He glared at Wang Yuanliang again and said, "Wang Yuanliang, are you coming in or not? If you want to come in, come in quickly. If you don't want to come in, don't come in."

After Wang Yuanliang came in, Xu Yuting went to close the gate, determined not to let Xu Guangyao and his son in.

Xu Guangyao stuffed the gift he brought into the room and said, "Here, take this."

But Xu Yuting threw the thing away.

Xu Yuting originally thought that her attitude was so obvious that Wang Yuanliang knew what she meant. As early as when their family was in trouble and Xu Guangyao took advantage of the situation, she said that she would no longer recognize this second uncle.

Unexpectedly, the next day, when Xu Guangyao and his son were waiting outside, Wang Yuanliang told them to go to the army with him and let Xu Guangyao's son receive some training first. If he passed the training, he could join the army.

Xu Yuting was so pissed at that time that she had a fit at home. However, the more she thought about it, the more upset she felt. Wang Yuanliang had really grown up. She had told him to ignore Xu Guangyao and his son, but she just pretended that this second uncle and cousin didn't exist, but he still took people to train?

Is this a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for him? Or does he just love to help others? Does he want to help everyone?

Xu Yuting was so angry that she went to Lin Tao's house and told her about this matter: "A Tao, I am almost mad to death. Do you think Wang Yuanliang was kicked in the head by a donkey? Why did he do that? It must be because he ate too much. You don't even know what Xu Guangyao and his family did..."

Xu Yuting told Lin Tao what happened that year. Although Lin Tao had heard before that some people deliberately reported their family members in order to protect themselves, she still felt sad when she learned that such a thing happened to her.

She could also understand why Xu Yuting was so angry and excited.

But thinking about it carefully, Wang Yuanliang really doesn't seem like that kind of person. He has no reason and no need to do this. This is the Xu family, not their Wang family. Xu Yuting has already said that, so why should he go to help?

So Lin Tao said, "Yuting, I wonder if there is some misunderstanding here. Deputy Head Wang doesn't seem like that kind of person. Why don't you wait until he comes back and ask him again?"

Xu Yuting curled her lips and snorted, "Don't bother telling him that he can't go home today. I'll bolt the door when I get back and won't let him in."

As a result, not long after he finished speaking, Wang Yuanliang arrived.

Wang Yuanliang: "I went to the house and didn't see you, so I guessed you came to Teacher Lin's house."

Xu Yuting ignored him: "I don't want to talk to you, stay away from me."

Wang Yuanliang smiled and said, "Are you angry? I was planning to tell you about my second uncle. Didn't he say he wanted my cousin to join the army? So I took him to the regiment. First, I asked him to run 3,000 meters, and then do the crawling training. If he can do all these well, he can join the army."

Xu Yuting asked unhappily: "And then?"

"What else could happen? He was so tired before he even finished half the run, and he insisted on going back. I thought we were family, so I tried to persuade him to stay, telling him not to be discouraged as he had several projects to complete and he could try again. But he cried and insisted on leaving, so I told him not to blame me because I gave him the opportunity and he didn't have the ability," said Wang Yuanliang.

When he spoke, his face was full of cunning, and he couldn't help laughing when he talked about his cousin Xu's appearance.

Xu Yuting stared at him for a while, then said, "So you did this on purpose?"

Wang Yuanliang said, "Isn't this obvious? How can I really help them if you dislike them so much?"

Xu Yuting curled her lips: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Wang Yuanliang was helpless. He wanted to tell it earlier, but Xu Yuting did not give him this opportunity last night. As soon as Xu Guangyao's family was mentioned, she got so angry that she said she wanted to go to sleep and did not want to hear anything about their family, so he acted first and told her later.

In fact, Lin Tao also knew that Xu Yuting's temper was sometimes very impatient, and when she was angry, she was not willing to listen to others' explanations. This was actually not a good thing, and Xu Yuting herself understood it. When Lin Tao mentioned it to her before, Xu Yuting also said that she would change, but it was not so easy to change.

But Wang Yuanliang and Xu Yuting's tempers complement each other. They have known each other for a long time, and Wang Yuanliang has been chasing Xu Yuting for so long like the light. He dotes on her and tolerates her little temper. Whenever Xu Yuting loses her temper, Wang Yuanliang is happy to coax her and never feels annoyed.

Lin Tao looked at Xu Yuting, who had calmed down, and a smile appeared on her face again. She couldn't help but smile too.

Xu Yuting said, "I'll make you some braised pork tonight."

Wang Yuanliang: "That's great. Your braised pork is the best. I suddenly think that my second uncle and his family are also great. Come more often in the future and you can cook braised pork for me more often."

Xu Yuting patted him on the back and said, "You are stupid. If you want to eat braised pork, why don't you just tell me? Why go to so much trouble? I don't want to see them. I can't even eat when I see them."

"Then eat more today." Wang Yuanliang coaxed.

Xu Yuting: "No, eating too much will make you fat."

The two of them discussed what to eat tonight. Xu Yuting smiled at Lin Tao and said, "A Tao, I'm sorry to make you laugh. We won't quarrel anymore. We are going to the food factory to see if we can buy some meat. Do you want me to bring you some?"

Lin Tao was helpless: "Of course you guys are reconciled, but have you forgotten something?"

Xu Yuting and Wang Yuanliang asked together: "What's the matter?"

Lin Tao: "Qingming is still sleeping at my house, why don't you take him with you?"

When the two reconciled, they even forgot about their son. It turned out that they were the ones with true feelings for each other, and Wang Qingming was just an accident.

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There is also a school on Shimizu Island so that children there can go to school.

Although it is called a school, it actually only has one classroom and the only teacher is Zhong Jing.

School was about to start, and the school there had no textbooks, so Shengshan School was planning to send some textbooks. Lin Tao hadn't seen Zhong Jing for a long time, so she took this opportunity to go to Qingshui Island.

Yueyue heard that her mother was going to Qingshui Island, so she asked the day before: "Mom, is it the island that Jiaping went to?"

"Yeah." Lin Tao nodded. Shen Guobin's family was exiled to Qingshui Island. The only one Lin Tao felt sorry for was Shen Jiaping. Shen Jiaping was a good child.

Fortunately, there was Zhong Jing. In the past two years, Lin Tao and Zhong Jing had met once or twice. They had mentioned things about Shen Jiaping. Zhong Jing always praised him and said that he would give Shen Jiaping lessons when he had time. He said that Shen Jiaping was very smart and would learn things quickly.

When Yueyue heard that Shen Jiaping was also there, she said, "Mom, I'll go to Qingshui Island with you tomorrow. I haven't seen Brother Jiaping for a long time, and I miss him, and Aunt Zhong."

Yueyue is so old now, and she will go to school after the semester starts. She can walk by herself and doesn’t need Lin Tao to carry her, so it’s okay to let Yueyue go with her.

Lin Tao said, "Okay, then you go with mom tomorrow."

Yueyue was very happy to know that she could go to Qingshui Island. She went to bed early that night and got up early the next morning. After having breakfast, she helped Lin Tao get her textbooks.

Many things could not be bought on Qingshui Island, so Lin Tao took the opportunity to buy a lot of things from the supply and marketing cooperative and brought them back to Zhong Jing. Xu Yuting and Chen Shuifen knew about this and asked her to bring some things over as well.

Although they haven't seen each other for a long time, they are still thinking about each other.