The Dragon Boat Festival came more than a month after the Qingming Festival. Lin Tao saw Chen Shuifen drying the rice dumplings in the yard and wanted to eat rice dumplings too.

After thinking it over, they asked Li Chengxi to go to the food factory to buy some glutinous rice that day, and they also planned to make some rice dumplings to eat on the Dragon Boat Festival.

People in Xiangcheng usually eat sweet rice dumplings. Some have red dates wrapped inside, while others don't wrap anything inside and just eat the white rice dumplings with sugar. As for salty rice dumplings, Lin Tao learned about this way of eating from Li Chengxi.

So Lin Tao made two kinds of rice dumplings. One was white rice dumplings without anything in them, which was also the more common rice dumpling in Xiangcheng. When it was steamed, she would tear open the rice dumpling leaves and eat it with a little sugar.

I also made a few salty rice dumplings filled with diced bacon and salted meat.

Unexpectedly, after the rice dumplings were steamed, Lin Tao was conquered as soon as she tasted the salty rice dumplings. She couldn't help but eat two in a row before stopping.

But she is now more than five months pregnant, and her big belly makes digestion difficult. If she eats too many rice dumplings, she feels blocked in her stomach and even feels uncomfortable when sleeping.

When Li Chengxi found out about this, he took away all the rice dumplings in the house and forbade her to eat this kind of food made from glutinous rice that was difficult to digest.

The rice dumplings were taken into the regiment, which benefited the soldiers under Li Chengxi.

There were not many zongzi, only about 20 or 30 in total, and they were served on a first-come, first-served basis. Soldiers who arrived late and didn't get any zongzi were drooling over their comrades who were eating the delicious zongzi.

I knew my sister-in-law’s cooking skills were good, but many people have never tried it.

Now I finally got the chance, but I didn’t get it!

It's really uncomfortable.

I don't know who was brave enough to say, "Captain, we want to eat zongzi too. Can you ask your sister-in-law to make more next time?"

Li Chengxi glanced at the crowd with a serious expression.

The man who was speaking was so frightened that he quickly hid behind his comrades, trying to hide himself.

Then Li Chengxi said, "There are so many people in the group, and everyone wants to eat. Can your sister-in-law prepare enough?"

Come to think of it, everyone wants to eat, but my sister-in-law only has two hands, how can she handle it! Not to mention that the team leader dotes on my sister-in-law so much, he must be reluctant to let her suffer.

Just when everyone was sighing, Li Chengxi said, "The group will have target practice in a while, and the top 20 will get to eat rice dumplings next year."

As soon as these words were spoken, the soldiers, who usually trained diligently and with remarkable results, immediately cheered.

Li Chengxi maintained his outward indifference, but in his heart he smiled along with the group of soldiers.

He certainly couldn't make zongzi for the entire regiment, but he could make twenty or thirty. He had seen Lin Tao making zongzi very quickly, and at that time Lin Tao even asked him if he wanted to make more so that he could bring them back to the regiment to share with his comrades.

**************************

Two new wives of soldiers have come to the family area. However, since Xu Yuting gave birth, Lin Tao has been busy going back and forth between school, Xu Yuting's house to look after the child, and then back home. In addition, she is due to give birth in a few months, so she has to make some clothes while her belly is not that big, which makes her even busier.

During this period, two more packages were sent from Shanghai, which contained some nutritional supplements and things for children. They also sent a piece of particularly soft cotton cloth, which was better than the one they bought in Shanghai last time. I don’t know where my aunt bought it from.

When she saw the two new military wives again, she found that they had become friends with Lin Hui.

Lin Tao also lost the desire to make friends with them. It wasn't that Lin Tao felt that they couldn't play with her just because they played with Lin Hui. It was just that her relationship with Lin Hui had always been at odds. Lin Hui was concerned about Director Yang and didn't dare to cause trouble, but she always hated her in her heart, and Lin Tao knew it.

With Lin Hui's personality, it would be impossible for her not to gossip in front of these two military wives.

One day, Xu Yuting happened to tell her about this.

"Tao, guess who I met on the road?" Xu Yuting said. Although she said so, she did not wait for Lin Tao to guess and continued, "I met Lin Hui. She was bragging about her watch to the two military wives who had just arrived. She said she spent 200 yuan to buy it and how good Shen Guobin was to her. Tsk."

"I was so happy to hear that. I never wore or even looked at her watch before. What's the point of saying it's 200 yuan? It's obviously only 80 yuan. Is she afraid that others don't know she's bragging?" There was some disdain in Xu Yuting's eyes.

She had already had a bad impression of Lin Hui because of Lin Tao's incident. She didn't expect to see Lin Hui bragging, so she exposed Lin Hui directly in person.

At that time, Lin Hui's face was like a dye factory, sometimes green and sometimes blue. At first, she was still stubborn and insisted that she bought her watch for 200 yuan.

As a result, Xu Yuting immediately told Lin Hui the brand and model of her watch, leaving her speechless.

When Xu Yuting mentioned this, Lin Tao suddenly remembered that when she was still in Xiangcheng, she heard people in the village talking about how good Shen Guobin was to Lin Hui and how he was willing to buy her a watch worth 200 yuan, which was the first of its kind in the village.

Some people even said this to insult her, asking her if she regretted giving the marriage to Lin Hui after knowing that Shen Guobin was so generous and caring.

Lin Tao found these words funny. She didn't want to marry Shen Guobin. She wouldn't even take a look at a watch worth two thousand dollars, let alone two hundred dollars.

She was reluctant to marry Shen Guobin at first, but later she married Li Chengxi. His kindness to her made her feel that this was the best thing she had ever done.

Not to mention that she hated Shen Guobin from the bottom of her heart when she saw him. She didn't even want to look at him, so how could she marry him? Not to mention in this life, even in the next life, it was impossible!

As for Lin Hui, her vanity made Lin Tao laugh. In fact, a watch worth eighty yuan was considered very good in Xiangcheng, and it would cost an ordinary worker two or three months' salary to buy it.

But Lin Hui insisted that she spent two hundred yuan to buy it. It was not enough for her to show off in Taohua Village, she also wanted to show off in front of the two new military wives. Others didn't know whether it was true or not, and she happened to meet Xu Yuting, who was knowledgeable and exposed her on the spot.

You feel embarrassed this time.

Regarding Lin Hui's behavior, Lin Tao could only say that it was all her own fault.

"My family used to run a watch shop. I know at least a hundred kinds of watches. The kind of watch she wears cannot even be found in my shop," said Xu Yuting.

After hearing this, Lin Tao quickly looked around and found that they were the only two people there, which made her feel relieved. If someone with ulterior motives heard what Xu Yuting said just now, they might make trouble again.

"Be careful with what you say, it would be bad if others heard you." Lin Tao reminded.

She just took Lin Hui's stupidity as a joke, but it would be bad if something happened to her good friend because of it.

Xu Yuting quickly covered her mouth and didn't dare to say those words anymore. She pointed at the watch on Lin Hui's hand and said, "The watch you are wearing is not bad. Although the price is not very expensive, the workmanship and style are good. The main thing is that the meaning of this watch is not ordinary. Do you know the story of this watch?"

"Story?" Lin Tao glanced at the watch on her wrist. This watch was bought for her by Li Chengxi. At that time, she just thought it was very beautiful. The watch was elegant in style, and it looked quite expensive, costing two hundred yuan.

She has always taken good care of it, and even though she has been wearing it for almost a year, it is still almost the same as when she first bought it.

But she really didn't know that this watch had a story. Lin Tao shook her head: "I haven't heard of it. What's the story?"

Xu Yuting said, "This watch is a couple's watch. Yours is a women's watch, and the one Captain Li is wearing is a men's watch. The designer designed this watch specifically for him and his wife, and named it 'True Love Forever'. The watch will never stop turning, and their love will also be eternal."

This watch was released during the Republic of China, but the original style was older and was a pocket watch. The new model released now is a modified new one.

After hearing this, Lin Tao was shocked. She never thought that such a story was hidden in such a small watch.

She couldn't help but feel moved, for the creator of the watch, and for Li Chengxi's love for her hidden in the details.

Xu Yuting smiled at Lin Tao and said, "How is it? Are you touched? When I saw the watch you were wearing, I knew you were Captain Li's relative and understood his love for you. Tsk, your Captain Li always looks stern and scary, but I never thought he was so thoughtful."

It was only after Lin Tao had been with Li Chengxi for a long time that she realized that although this man did not look like a meticulous person on the surface, he was actually able to prepare everything for her.

Later, Xu Yuting talked about some things about the watch, and Lin Tao realized that the watch was not worth more than 200 yuan, but 377 yuan. As for why it was 377 yuan and not 380 yuan, it was because July 7th was the Chinese Valentine's Day.

It is true that life never stops, romance never ceases, and even the price is not spared.

Lin Tao thought that when she heard that this watch cost 377 yuan, her first reaction would be to feel sorry for the money. 377 for one watch, two watches would be 754 yuan.

But another emotion in her heart suppressed all her heartache for the money.

It was as if her whole body was immersed in a jar of honey. Lin Tao suddenly felt very sweet.

Lin Tao's lips unconsciously raised a smile. Seeing this, Xu Yuting curled her lips and snorted, "That's too much. You show such a smug expression in front of me, who can't enjoy such treatment. Do you want me to be jealous of you marrying such a good man like Captain Li?"

"Are you jealous of me? Is your Captain Wang not good?" Lin Tao knew that Xu Yuting was teasing him on purpose. "When you were in confinement, Captain Wang took care of all the work. He took care of you and the baby, and washed diapers. When you were in pain, you scolded him, and he just stood there and let you scold him. That's not good enough, what else do you want from him?"

Thinking back to that incident, Xu Yuting felt quite embarrassed.

At that time, she had just given birth and was feeling unwell all over. Her wounds were painful and she was in a bad mood. At first, Wang Yuanliang didn't know how to take care of the child. When the child cried, he didn't even hold the child to her to feed her.

Xu Yuting scolded him for this, and ended up holding the child in her arms. It was so small, and she didn’t know how to hold it…

She also reflected on her bad temper and shouldn't have treated Wang Yuanliang like this. He had worked hard to take care of her and her son. Why couldn't she control her emotions and be so aggressive to him...

However, Wang Yuanliang did not take this matter to heart. He just joked that his wife had given birth to a child for him. She was pregnant for ten months. She vomited badly in the early stage and could not eat. In the later stage, she could not sleep well. She was in pain for thirteen hours, from morning to night before she gave birth to the child.

It's like going to the gates of hell to get this child!

At that time, Wang Yuanliang had been waiting outside until his legs were weak and his palms were sweaty. He only had one meal in more than ten hours, and it was brought to him by Li Chengxi. Otherwise, he would not have felt hungry at all.

He felt that even if Xu Yuting was in a bad mood and cursed at him, even if she hit him, he would stand at attention and let her hit him obediently.

Xu Yuting had nothing to say about Wang Yuanliang's love for her.

She smiled and said, "Of course my Wang Yuanliang is fine too. Everything is fine. They are fine. We are all happy. That's it."

Lin Tao also laughed.

Yes, they are all happy.

*********************************

Today I stewed pork ribs and kelp soup, and stir-fried water spinach at home.

Lin Tao had pickled some sour peppers a while ago, and now they were ready to eat. So Lin Tao opened the lid of the pot and took out a dozen peppers from inside, planning to eat them in the evening.

The method of making sour peppers is different from that of chopped peppers. Chopped peppers need to be chopped, but sour peppers do not. They are pickled with salt and sour water, and the taste is also very delicious.

Speaking of the phrase "ba shi", Lin Tao learned it from Li Chengxi, and would occasionally say it later.

When Li Chengxi came back in the evening, he unexpectedly received another package, but this time it was sent from Xiangcheng.

When I opened it, I saw a few small clothes and a few pairs of small shoes inside, which were obviously made by Aunt Fang. There was also a letter inside, also written by Aunt Fang.

Aunt Fang asked in the letter when Lin Tao was due, and whether Li Chengxi's stepmother would come to take care of her during the confinement period. If not, Lin Tao could tell her if she needed anything, and she could come to take care of her during the confinement period.

Seeing that the baby was due in more than three months, Lin Tao had actually discussed this issue with Li Chengxi.

It was impossible for Li Chengxi's stepmother Zhang Sufen to come and take care of her during the confinement period. However, even if Zhang Sufen came, Lin Tao would not be willing.

Although she had never met Zhang Sufen, she did not have a good impression of her.

Not only did Lin Tao dislike Zhang Sufen, she also disliked her father-in-law whom she had never met. If her mother-in-law had not been trying to protect him, how could she have been arrested and suffered such serious injuries?

After finally returning home, she found out that her husband had married someone else.

Even before I died, I didn't get to see him for the last time...

Just thinking about it this way, Lin Tao felt sorry for her mother-in-law whom she had never met.

As for Lin Tao's aunt and uncle, they liked her very much and were very kind to her, but they all had their own jobs. It was not like they could take leave whenever they wanted, not to mention that it would take half a month to go back and forth from Shanghai, plus the confinement period, so she would need at least one and a half months of leave.

Even if her aunt and younger sister were willing to treat her, Lin Tao would feel embarrassed to keep them company for so long.

After all was said and done, Lin Tao still wanted Aunt Fang to come and take care of her during her confinement.

First, Lin Tao hadn't seen Aunt Fang for nearly a year and missed her very much. It would be a good thing to take this opportunity to have Aunt Fang come over. Aunt Fang didn't have a job either. She usually worked in the commune. There were many people in the commune and there was no shortage of workers. If someone didn't work, the commune wouldn't give them work points, and the team leader wouldn't say anything. Anyway, the more work you do, the more you get.

The second reason is that she was brought up by Aunt Fang. In her heart, even if Aunt Fang is not her mother, she is like her godmother. She would not feel uncomfortable with Aunt Fang taking care of her during the confinement period.

She had wanted to write a letter to Aunt Fang recently to mention this matter, but unexpectedly, Aunt Fang brought it up first.

Lin Tao put the letter away and thought about it. Maybe Aunt Fang was afraid that she would be embarrassed to speak, so she deliberately wrote this letter first.

This possibility is very high. Aunt Fang is always considerate and always thinks about her and Lin Manman.

"What does the letter say?" Li Chengxi was a little worried when he saw Lin Tao was happy and sighing at times while reading the letter.

Lin Tao said: "Auntie Fang asked me if I had decided who would take care of me during the confinement period. If no one came, she could come over."

Li Chengxi: "This is great. Didn't you say last time that you wanted Aunt Fang to come over? Why are you sighing now?"

"I sighed because I knew Aunt Fang was afraid that I would find it difficult to speak up, so she took the initiative to ask. Cheng Xi, Aunt Fang is really so good to me." Lin Tao said.

Li Chengxi laughed after hearing this: "I thought it was a small matter. Aunt Fang treats you well, so why don't we treat her well too? There's nothing to be sad about."

After saying that, he went to sort out the packages, took out the children's clothes and shoes, and stacked them up.

"Eat quickly, or the food will get cold." Li Chengxi said.

Li Chengxi took the bowl and chopsticks, served Lin Tao a bowl of rice, and the two began to eat.

Li Chengxi picked up a sour pepper and ate it. It was his first time to eat sour pepper. Unexpectedly, it was quite delicious. He ate several in a row.

However, I didn't feel much after eating the first one, but after eating a few in a row, my mouth started to feel hot. Li Chengxi quickly ate a mouthful of rice, and then he felt a little better.

On the other hand, Lin Tao could eat spicier food than before she was pregnant. She ate several pickled chili peppers, but her complexion remained normal and she had no reaction at all.

Li Chengxi suppressed the burning sensation in his mouth, and thought to himself that his wife was quite capable as she could remain calm.

After dinner, Li Chengxi went to wash the dishes, while Lin Tao took off her shoes and walked back and forth on the cobblestone path in the yard.

Speaking of this, she saw it in a book last time, which said that walking on it often can promote blood circulation and is good for the body.

When Xu Yuting was in the late stages of her pregnancy, her feet became swollen due to insufficient blood circulation. When she pressed them with her fingers, dimples appeared.

Lin Tao learned her lesson, and after reading what was written in the book, she proposed to build a cobblestone pavement in the yard.

Without saying a word, Li Chengxi asked Xiao Ning to bring a large bag of pebbles the next day. Within a day, the road was paved. After the cement dried, Lin Tao could walk on it.

At the time, Chen Shuifen was standing on the ladder of her house, watching what was happening here. She sighed as she watched, "Oh my god, what are you doing? Why are you getting these stones?"

Lin Tao told Chen Shuifen what she had read in the book. Chen Shuifen didn't know whether it was true or not, but she felt that Captain Li really loved his wife and was willing to do anything for her as long as Lin Tao opened her mouth.

After the cobblestone road was paved, Lin Tao would always walk on it before eating.

I don't know if it's just Lin Tao's psychological effect, but she feels it's quite effective. Now she's six months pregnant and she doesn't have any edema at all.

After walking on the cobbles for about half an hour, Lin Tao put on her shoes and stopped walking. Although walking is good for the body, you have to pay attention to the time.

By this time, Li Chengxi had also washed the dishes, and the two of them went out for a walk, not far, just strolling around near their home. When Lin Tao got tired, Li Chengxi quickly took her home.

Last winter, Li Chengxi asked someone to make a bathtub for Lin Tao.

There was a stool in the bathtub. Lin Tao sat in the bathtub and took a bath. It was so comfortable.

After taking a shower, Li Chengxi came to wipe Lin Tao's hair which was still dripping with water. Lin Tao just sat on the chair and let Li Chengxi play with her obediently.

It was past eight o'clock in the evening and they both went to bed. Lin Tao glanced at the time on her watch and then at the watch on Li Chengxi's wrist.

This is the beginning of today’s topic——

Lin Tao cleared her throat and said seriously, "Chengxi, I want to ask you something."

Li Chengxi closed the book in his hand: "What's wrong?"

"Let me ask you, have you ever lied to me?" Lin Tao's expression suddenly became serious.

Li Chengxi shook his head and said, "No." Then he asked, "A Tao, what's wrong with you today? Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?"

Li Chengxi frowned, with confusion in his eyes.

Then, Lin Tao raised her hand, pointed at the watch on her fair wrist, and said with pursed lips, "At that time, I asked you if you bought this watch for 200 yuan, and you said yes. But today I found out that this watch costs 377 yuan, which is almost twice as expensive as I thought."

Li Chengxi: “…”

It turned out that it was because of this incident. He thought that something had happened. The key point was that his conscience was worthy of heaven and earth. He had never done anything to let Lin Tao down, nor had he lied to her. So when Lin Tao asked about it, Li Chengxi was really confused.

He didn't even know where to look for the reason.

Unexpectedly, Lin Tao was talking about the watch. Li Chengxi smiled, stretched out his hand and gently pinched her nose, saying: "A Tao, why do I remember that I said 'about the same'? I didn't say that the watch was exactly 200 yuan, so it's not considered a lie to you?"

Lin Tao's eyes widened. She originally just wanted to tease him, but she didn't expect Li Chengxi to be so shameless.

About the same, right?

Are 200 yuan and 377 yuan similar? There is obviously a big difference!

Seeing Lin Tao's look of disbelief, Li Chengxi stopped joking with her, put his arm around her waist, and said seriously, "Tao, this watch has a different meaning. When I was going to buy you a watch, I only wanted to buy you this one. Our watches are a pair. As for the money, don't worry, I will work hard to earn it in the future."

Lin Tao was originally joking with Li Chengxi, but after hearing his words, she was moved.

So she stopped teasing him, smiled and nodded: "I know, Yuting has told me the story behind the watch today. I really didn't expect that the watch you gave me has this meaning. Before I knew it, I cherished it very much, and now I know it, I will cherish it even more."

True love lasts forever.

*******************************

Not long after the Dragon Boat Festival, the transition from primary school to junior high school came soon.

There is currently no junior high school on Shengshan Island, so the children on the island have to go outside the island to take exams. The results of this exam were unexpectedly good, with not all of the fifth graders being admitted to junior high school, and no one falling behind.

Moreover, Xiao Shengtian ranked first in Shengshan Primary School and was among the top ten in the city’s junior high schools.

When Xiao Shengtian came to Lin Tao's house with a basket of eggs and brought the news, Lin Tao was sincerely happy for Xiao Shengtian.

In fact, Xiao Shengtian has always been a smart child. He has strong learning ability, but he feels inferior because of his accent. Especially under Jin Pingping's usual ridicule, this child has a strong self-esteem and is afraid of being laughed at. He dares not speak in class.

Under this condition, the intensity of learning will be greatly reduced.

But after Lin Tao counseled him last year, he no longer thinks it is shameful to speak with an accent. He has become more confident. He walks with his head held high and speaks openly. He no longer feels embarrassed because of his accent.

He is who he is, and it's not shameful to speak with an accent.

At the same time, he did not slack off in his studies. His Chinese performance, which had once lagged behind, also improved greatly within this year.

So it was not surprising that he got such a good ranking this time.

"Teacher Lin, thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I definitely wouldn't have gotten such good grades." Xiao Shengtian said.

Lin Tao shook her head: "I was just guiding you at that time. You were able to succeed because you are a smart kid. Xiao Shengtian, you are very smart, have a strong learning ability, and are quick to learn. You must work hard when you go to the city to study in the future. The teacher believes that you will become an outstanding person who will be useful to the motherland in the future."

"Teacher Lin, I'll remember what you said. I will definitely do it!" Xiao Shengtian said firmly.

Xiao Shengtian handed the basket of eggs to Lin Tao again: "Teacher Lin, take these eggs in the basket. They will help you replenish your nutrition. They are also a small token of my appreciation."

Lin Tao refused to take it. She pointed to the chickens in the yard and said, "Look, the teacher also has chickens at home, so they don't lack eggs. Take the eggs back and keep them for you, your parents, and your brothers and sisters. If you really want to do something for the teacher, then study hard. If you study hard and become a useful person to our motherland in the future, the teacher will be happy."

Xiao Shengtian looked at the basket full of eggs, then looked at Lin Tao.

Actually his family was not rich. His parents were fishermen. He had two younger sisters and a younger brother. His parents had to support their education, so they lived a tight life.

But when he proposed to collect the eggs laid by the hens at home every day and give them to Teacher Lin, his parents agreed without hesitation.

After returning home, he told his parents what Teacher Lin had said to him. Both of them were in their thirties, and they were moved to tears and kept saying that Teacher Lin was a good teacher.

He had saved these eggs one by one. Although Teacher Lin confiscated them, he knew in his heart that it was not that Teacher Lin looked down on the basket of eggs. She knew the situation in his family and could not bear to eat the eggs that their family had saved.

Xiao Shengtian kept Lin Tao's words in mind, bowed deeply to Lin Tao again, and said solemnly: "Teacher Lin, I will definitely be a useful person to the motherland in the future!"