October 1st, National Day.
It was a rare occasion for Chen Lie to rest at home, and Ning Tang found it quite special. She asked him, "How many days do you have for National Day holiday? Seven days?"
Chen Lie said, "How can that be possible? Just let it go for three days."
The eldest child made the number seven with his fingers and said, "We have seven days off. Aren't you jealous?"
Chen Lie: "I'm so envious. You've only been in school for a short time, and you're already on vacation again."
Ning Tang said, "I remember you said last time that you would take us to the beach during the holidays. Remember, Captain Shen?"
Chen Lie choked, "I didn't forget, isn't it just going to the beach? Let's go this afternoon."
In the afternoon, a few dark clouds floated over the sky, blocking the sun. It was not very sunny, which was a perfect time to go to the beach.
Chen Lie led Ning Tang and the three children out, carrying buckets and shovels. As they walked, he said, "I kept my promise. You can't say I don't keep my word."
Da Wa nodded excitedly, "As long as Dad takes us to the beach, you'll be the most trustworthy person in the world."
Chen Lie was amused. "Alright then. Today I'll be the most trustworthy person in the world. It's just a trip to the beach. Look how excited you are."
Ning Tang rolled up his sleeves and said, "Today I'm going to show you my skills. Let's see who can pick up the most seafood."
Chen Lie sneered, "You're always thinking about competing with me. I won't compete with you."
"It's you who doesn't dare to compete. You've lost to me several times." Ning Tang said.
Chen Lie shook his head. "You're trying to provoke me. I won't fall for it."
As I was talking, I suddenly heard a familiar voice in my ear, "Where are you going?"
Chen Lie looked up and saw that the person who called them was none other than Su Junyan.
He hasn't seen Su Junyan for a while. One of them is the regiment commander, training every day, and the other is the section chief of the logistics department, in charge of logistics. They don't have much in common.
Su Junyan looked at the five members of the Shen family, each carrying a bucket with their trouser legs rolled up high. He wondered where they were going and couldn't help but ask.
Chen Lie replied, "The weather is nice today, I'm taking them to the beach."
"Going to the sea? You mean picking up seafood?" Su Junyan frowned. "You can buy a bunch of that stuff at the market for just a few cents. Why bother with all that? You'll come back covered in sand, tired and dirty."
This guy really spoils the fun.
Chen Lie curled his lips and said, "It's worthless. I picked it up. It's fun. I can play with the child."
"Play?" Su Junyan said, "I heard from Xiaoxue that you two take the children out to play every day. Erniu and Sanwa are still young, and Dawa is already in school. Be careful not to teach them bad things, or they will get zero points on the exam."
The eldest boy was not convinced and said with his hands on his hips, "You got zero points on the test."
"Hey, kid, how can you talk like that?" Su Junyan looked at Chen Lie, "Don't you want to do anything about it?"
"Who cares? I think the kid is right." Shen Lie snorted.
Su Junyan was indignant and looked up. Chen Lie was tall and strong with an unhappy expression, so he immediately became timid.
He ran away, leaving behind a sentence, "If you spoil your child like this, he'll become a prodigal sooner or later."
"Tsk." Ning Tang sneered and patted Da Wa's head. "Shen Da Wa, don't try to save face by making steamed buns. Let him see from now on that our Da Wa is promising and not a spendthrift."
Da Wa clenched his fist, "Dawa is not a spendthrift."
Chen Lie asked, "Why would he come and challenge us for no reason?"
Ning Tang thought for a moment, "It's probably because of the electric fan. My parents sent it to me, but my second uncle and aunt didn't send it to Ning Xue. She felt unhappy and asked Su Junyan to buy it for her. Su Junyan didn't agree, so the couple had a quarrel."
That’s exactly what happened. Ning Tang was right.
The last time Ning Xue went back, she mentioned to Su Junyan that it was hot on the island and asked him to buy an electric fan and put it at home to keep the air cool.
Su Junyan was reluctant to spend the money, so he asked Ning Xue why Ning Wei Dang and Zhou Yin didn't send her.
This touched Ning Xue's heart, and the two of them were in a cold war for two days. However, because they were newlyweds, their relationship was pretty good. After a little disagreement, they made up.
Su Junyan returned home and started throwing things around.
Ning Xue was stunned. "What's wrong? Who offended you?"
Su Junyan snorted, "Who else could it be? Your cousin and her husband. After all, I'm their husband. I tried to persuade them with good intentions not to spoil the child too much, but they ended up saying a few words to me and even ordered the child to scold me. Tell me, does this make sense?"
He muttered, "Chen Lie wasn't this bad before. Why is it that he's become a completely different person after getting married?"
Ning Xue poured him a glass of water. "My cousin has always been very stubborn. Chen Lie, I think she's probably influenced him astray. Just ignore them. My cousin doesn't listen to me, let alone you."
"That's right. The child is theirs anyway. Whether he is taught well or not is none of our business." Su Junyan glanced at Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu who were writing big characters on the table and smiled with satisfaction.
On this side, Chen Lie and Ning Tang brought their three children to the beach.
Ning Tang looked at the endless sea and couldn't help but sigh that this beautiful scenery would still be so pleasing to the eye even if he came ten or a hundred times.
Chen Lie let Sanwa sit on his shoulders and said, "Tell me, what kind of seafood should we pick up?"
Ning Tang said, "Sister Luo isn't here this time, so I don't know what seafood to pick up. I'll just pick whatever I like. As long as it's edible, it's fine."
Erniu squatted on the beach and exclaimed, "Wow, there are crabs here."
"Where, where, let me see." Ning Tang looked in the direction of her finger. Oh, there really were crabs, but they were only the size of a thumb. Compared with them, the swimming crabs sold in the vegetable market were simply the ancestors of crabs.
Chen Lie was amused. "Erniu, pick this up and take it back. It's enough to fill your teeth."
Erniu shook her pigtails and said, "If you don't want to eat it, we'll take it home and raise it."
She grabbed a small crab and placed it in her palm, presenting it to Chen Lie. "Look, how cute...ah!" Before she could finish her words, she was pinched by the crab. She immediately pouted and said, "The crab pinched me."
Chen Lie asked, "Where is it? Let me see."
Erniu stretched out her hand to him. Look, there was not even a mark on her white and tender palm.
"It's okay. These little crabs were born not long ago, and their claws are so small. It won't hurt you." Ning Tang said.
Erniu puffed up her cheeks and said, "I changed my mind. I don't want to raise them anymore. I want to catch them and eat them."
Ning Tang was happy. "That's fine. Catch more, especially the big ones. I'll make fried crabs for you when we get home."
"What are fried crabs?" asked Big Boy, tilting his head.
Ning Tang showed him how to do it. "Roll the crab in flour paste, then fry it in oil. It'll be crispy and crunchy."
The three children were all envious of the crabs. The eldest child clenched his fist and said, "I promise to catch you a bucket full of crabs."
"Go ahead, but be careful not to get pinched by the crab. It won't hurt, but it will be uncomfortable." Ning Tang said.
She taught the three children how to catch crabs. "Little crabs are very agile. You three should focus on one and circle around it. When catching it, pinch the crab's abdomen with your index finger and thumb from behind. No matter how it moves its claws, it won't be able to bite you."
The three children were all smart. After listening to Ning Tang's words, they applied what they had learned to other situations. In less than a moment, they had caught half a bucket.
Seeing that they had already gotten the hang of it, Ning Tang asked Chen Lie to keep an eye on it while he went back to the black reef where he and Mrs. Luo had been last time.
She carried a bucket and pliers, walked back and forth on the black reef, observed carefully, and really found something useful.
Oysters of various sizes with lime-gray shells are densely packed on the black rocks, making them very conspicuous.
Ning Tang was overjoyed. She picked up the pliers and swept the oysters on the reef. Oysters were much easier to catch than the abalone last time. Soon she picked up a big bucket.
She returned to the beach with the bucket, and Chen Lie asked her, "What did you pick up?"
Ning Tang presented his treasure and said, "We picked up a lot of oysters. Let's go back and make grilled oysters with garlic."
Shen Lie stretched out his hand, "Let me show you what I picked up."
Ning Tang looked over and saw an octopus lying on Shen Lie's hand, still twisting its tentacles. She was surprised and said, "Where did this come from?"
Chen Lie said, "It looks like it was washed up from the sea. Anyway, I saw it on the beach as soon as I turned around."
Ning Tang: "Let me think, what should I cook with octopus? How about making a dish? Stir-fried octopus with soy sauce."
Chen Lie was amused. "You sound very reasonable. Can you do it?"
"No." Ning Tang said, "I still have you."
She put the bucket full of oysters on the beach and asked the eldest child, "How are you three catching crabs?"
Big Boy gestured with his hands and said, "I caught a lot. Look if you don't believe me." He showed the buckets to Ning Tang. All three small buckets were full.
Chen Lie glanced at the horizon. The orange sunset seemed to cover the sea with a layer of orange gauze. "Time? It's getting late. Let's go back."
A family of five was heading home. The eldest, second daughter and third child, each carrying a full bucket, walked in front with high spirits.
Chen Lie was happy, "Look how happy they are."
After returning home, Chen Lie cleared out a water tank and poured all the crabs caught by the three children into the tank. He asked Ning Tang, "How do you make those fried crabs you mentioned?"
"Wash the crabs clean while I prepare the flour paste," Ning Tang said. "Bring them here when you're done."
Chen Lie did as he was told, and the three children helped him. The three children, one big and three small, quickly washed the crabs.
Ning Tang also prepared the flour paste. She handed the bowl to Chen Lie, "Pour oil into the pan. When the pan is hot, coat the crabs in the flour paste and fry them in the pan. That's it."
Chen Lie grumbled as he fried some crabs, "It's only the beginning of the month, and I've already used up all the oil at home for you."
"It's a holiday, so it's okay to splurge a bit." Ning Tang said, "Look, the three little ones are greedy."
Chen Lie glanced at the kitchen door. Big Boy, Second Girl, and Third Boy were lying on the door frame, constantly looking inside.
Chen Lie picked up a crab with chopsticks, rolled it in flour paste, and put it into the oil pan. With a "sizzling" sound, countless bubbles suddenly emerged from the oil pan, and the aroma of fried food instantly filled the entire kitchen.
Big Baby sniffed and said, "Wow, it smells so good."
Soon, Chen Lie fried a plate of small crabs and called to Da Wa, "Bring it to the living room."
The eldest child trotted over, took the plate and ran to the living room, stuffing his mouth with fried crabs as he ran.
Ning Tang was amused, "Shen Dawa, are you cheating?"
The eldest child held the crab between his cheeks and said incoherently, "No, no."
Ning Tang sneered, "Don't say I didn't warn you. We'll also have grilled oysters with garlic and stir-fried octopus with black sauce. If you only eat the fried crabs and fill your stomach, you won't be able to eat anything else later."
Da Wa quickly swallowed the fried crab and promised, "I won't eat it anymore."
Chen Lie cleaned the octopus, cut it into small pieces, added green and red peppers and black bean paste and stir-fried it in a pan.
While he was making the stir-fried octopus, Ning Tang brought out the stove he had used to make grilled oysters with garlic, lit the charcoal fire, and placed five cleaned oysters on the wire mesh.
After about half an hour of hard work, a plate of stir-fried octopus and a dish of grilled oysters with garlic were ready.
Chen Lie brought the fried octopus to the table, glanced at the plate of fried crabs, and snorted, "Tell me, who stole some?"
The three little ones looked at each other and said in unison, "We didn't steal any food."
Ning Tang said, "Don't try to fool your dad. You guys are really good at stealing food. The tip is flat. Next time you steal food, remember to take it from the side. If you just take it from the top, he'll find it at a glance. Your dad is not blind."
Big Boy curled his lips and said, "How can you be so smart? You can see all this."
Ning Tang: "Captain Shen and I have lived many more years than you three. Is it possible that we are not smarter than you? Only when you live to our age will there be a slight chance of deceiving us."
Chen Lie picked up a roasted oyster with garlic sauce. The aroma of roasted garlic kept reaching his nose. "Comrade Xiao Ning, is this edible? This is the first time I've seen it prepared like this."
"This way of grilling is much more delicious than the ordinary method. It is more flavorful and can also bring out the aroma of garlic. If you don't believe me, try it." Ning Tang said.
Chen Lie swallowed his saliva and put the grilled oysters with garlic into his mouth. The smooth and plump oysters accompanied by the taste of garlic were so fragrant that it made people swallow their tongues.
Shen Lie couldn't help but give a thumbs up, "This is delicious, I'll make it this way from now on."
The Shen family was enjoying their meal, but the Su family had no appetite.
Grilled oysters with garlic, stir-fried octopus with soy sauce, and deep-fried small crabs all have strong flavors. The two homes are very close, and the aroma keeps wafting from the Su family to the Su family.
Su Junyan glanced at the tasteless dishes of boiled cabbage and stir-fried eggplant with beans on the table, slammed his chopsticks on the table, and couldn't help muttering, "What did Chen Lie and his family cook today? It smells so good."
He glanced at Ning Xue who was eating across from him and said, "I didn't realize your cousin is such a good cook. I remember never seeing her cook when I went on a blind date in Shangang Village before. It turns out she's a hidden talent."
Su Guangzong asked, "Mom, my cousin's cooking is very good. Is it delicious?"
Su Yaozu curled his lips and said, "How is that possible? If my cousin's cooking is so good, why did Da Wa, Er Niu, and San Wa come to our house for free meals last time?"
Ning Xue lovingly wiped the rice grains from the corners of Su Yaozu's mouth and looked at Su Junyan, "How can my cousin cook? The aroma of food you smell is probably the cooking of Captain Shen."
"Chen Lie?" Su Junyan asked in surprise, "What's a grown man doing cooking?"
Ning Xue paused, "In the Shen family, Ning Tang always cooks lunch, and Captain Shen cooks dinner."
"That's impossible. Chen Lie is an active-duty soldier, and Ning Tang doesn't go to work. Why should Chen Lie cook?" Su Junyan said.
Ning Xue, "Really, I saw Captain Shen washing vegetables in the yard several times."
"That's just washing vegetables, not helping with cooking. There's still a big difference." Su Junyan said.
"If you don't believe me, go ask Captain Shen yourself later." Ning Xue gave him a gloomy look. "It would be great if someone could help me cook."
Su Junyan touched his nose and said, "I don't have that kind of cooking skills..." He put a chopstick of boiled cabbage into Ning Xue's bowl and said with a wry smile, "Your cooking is delicious. The children and I love your cooking."
Ning Xue complained in her heart, Ning Tang’s cooking was so bad, didn’t Chen Lie and the three children of the Shen family eat it all?
She sighed, "It seems that I am still not as lucky as Ning Tang. I don't have to cook at home, and I have someone to help me after I get married."
On October 29th, Ning Tang got up very early.
The eldest child was very puzzled. "Stepmother, aren't you going to sleep in today?"
"You make it sound like I sleep in every day." Ning Tang said, "I have something to do today and need to go out."
Erniu said, "Oh," and asked, "Stepmother, what are you going to do?"
Ning Tang said, "Go help your sister-in-law Luo harvest the vegetables. The fruits and vegetables in her yard are ripe."
Sanwa tilted his head and asked, "Why do we have to help Sister Luo pick the vegetables?"
Ning Tang patted his little butt and said, "Because we are neighbors, Sister Luo has helped our family a lot. The clothes you are wearing were sewn by Sister Luo."
Sanwa nodded and said, "Then Sanwa will go too, to help sister-in-law harvest the vegetables."
"You're so good." Ning Tang praised him generously and asked Da Wa and Er Niu, "Are you two going?"
The eldest and second daughter responded in unison, "We're going too."
Ning Tang brought the three children to Sister Luo's house, "Sister-in-law, we are here."
Mrs. Luo was busy in the yard. She brushed the dirt off her hands and said, "Okay, why are Da Wa, Er Niu, and San Wa here too?"
Erniu said crisply, "Sister-in-law, we and stepmother are here to help you pick the vegetables."
"Hey, Erniu is awesome," Luo's wife said with a smile. "Then help me harvest the white radishes in the vegetable garden. I'll make you some sweet and sour radishes."
Mrs. Luo's vegetable garden is not big. It is just a few plots of land in front of the two-story building. But she knows how to make use of the space. She has planted a lot of fruits and vegetables in this small place. Ning Tang looked around and saw at least seven or eight kinds of vegetables.
Big Boy squatted in front of the vegetable patch, looking at the radish leaves, "This is the white radish that Sister Luo mentioned, right?"
"You're stupid. The radish stalk is half exposed. I can tell at a glance." Erniu said.
The eldest boy reached out and grabbed the radish tops, pulling them hard and saying, "Look at me." The next second, he cried out "ouch" and fell flat on his face, still holding a handful of radish tops in his hand.
Ning Tang was amused. "You definitely won't be able to pull it out like this. The three of you should work together to clear the soil around the radish, exposing half of the radish. Then pull it out together. That's the only way to pull it out."
The three eldest children did as they were told. After a while, they turned into three little cats with dirt all over their faces and bodies. But the effect was obvious, and the basket was half filled with dirt.
Seeing the three children happily picking radishes, Ning Tang asked them to be responsible for picking radishes. He walked over to Mrs. Luo and asked her, "Sister-in-law, besides radishes, are there any other vegetables to harvest?"
Mrs. Luo was about to answer when she suddenly heard footsteps in the yard.
Zeng Xinlan hurried into the yard and anxiously grabbed Sister Luo's sleeve, "Sister-in-law, do you have any money? Lend me some."
Ning Tang was stunned. "What's wrong, Xinlan? Why are you running so fast?"
Zeng Xinlan nodded at her, a worried look on her face, "Xiaoning, you're here too. It's just right. If my sister-in-law doesn't have enough money, I'd like to trouble you to lend me some."
Mrs. Luo took a handkerchief from her pocket and said, "Wipe your sweat first. Don't be anxious. Tell me slowly if you have something to say. Did something happen to Dahu?"
Zeng Xinlan took the handkerchief and clenched it in her palm. "No, it's my father-in-law. He said he had a gout attack and was lying in bed in so much pain that he couldn't get up. He asked me to get some money and go to a big hospital."
Mrs. Luo said, "I see. But didn't Captain Qi just get his salary not long ago? You guys send money back every month, so it should be enough for us to live on."
Zeng Xinlan bit her lower lip tightly. "When Lao Qi No. 8 received his salary and allowance, we sent him 40 yuan. But unexpectedly, my father-in-law suddenly fell ill. They've already spent most of the 40 yuan. It's not enough for his treatment. We need... we need another 200 yuan."
"Two hundred yuan?" Ning Tang blurted out, "That's several months' salary."
Zeng Xinlan sighed, "There's no way. My father-in-law's gout is very severe this time. My mother-in-law said that two hundred yuan is just the minimum. To completely cure it, it will cost at least five hundred yuan."
"I understand." Mrs. Luo patted Zeng Xinlan's hand, "I'll go back to the house and get it for you."
Zeng Xinlan said repeatedly, "Hey, thank you, sister-in-law."
Ning Tang frowned and said, "Wait a minute, sister-in-law, don't rush to take the money."
She looked at Zeng Xinlan and said, "Xinlan, let's not rush to take the money for now. Tell me what happened. I really don't believe it. How can gout be cured and it will cost hundreds of dollars? Isn't this a big deal?"
After Ning Tang stopped her, Luo's wife also realized something was wrong and stopped. "Are you sure your mother-in-law said gout can be cured? I used to have a relative who also had gout. I went to so many hospitals and consulted so many doctors, but it was never cured."
Zeng Xinlan was stunned. "That's what my mother-in-law said."
"That's not right," said Mrs. Luo. "My relative once told me that for elderly people like them, if they get a chronic disease like gout, there's basically no cure, and they'll just have to live with it for the rest of their lives."
Ning Tang continued, "Xinlan, think about it carefully. Two hundred yuan. A visit to the clinic on our island costs fifty cents, and a visit to the city hospital is only two yuan. What kind of hospital and what kind of miracle doctor did your parents-in-law find? Can they guarantee that for two hundred yuan they can cure your father-in-law's gout, which is so painful that he's bedridden?"
After hearing what Ning Tang and Luo's wife said, Zeng Xinlan also felt that something was wrong. She looked around and said hesitantly, "Could it be that my parents-in-law were deceived?"
Ning Tang raised an eyebrow, "Xinlan, tell me the whole story in detail."
Zeng Xinlan said slowly, "Lao Qi's salary is about fifty yuan. Every month when he gets paid, we send forty yuan back to his hometown. This month is no exception. On the 8th, we received his salary and allowance, and we sent them back immediately. On the 12th, I received a letter from my mother-in-law saying that my brother-in-law was getting married soon and asked us to go back for the wedding."
Mrs. Luo said, "Drinking at a wedding, isn't that a good thing?"
Zeng Xinlan smiled bitterly and said, "I originally thought so, so I happily agreed to it with Lao Qi. But I didn't expect that the sister-in-law my mother-in-law said she was going to marry was a girl from the city. Her parents were both working, and her family was well-off. They spoiled her, so they wanted a betrothal gift of three turns and one ring and forty-eight legs. My mother-in-law said that we knew our family's financial situation and couldn't afford it, so she asked my husband and me to help."
"Three turns and one ring, forty-eight legs." Zeng Xinlan snorted, "It would cost at least several hundred dollars to buy it. Even Lao Qi and I can't afford to dismantle it."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
