Thanks to Da Wa, we have fresh mangoes to eat at home every day.
Ning Tang ate all the Tainong mangoes, egg mangoes, etc. that he wanted to eat without spending any money. He heard from Da Wa that he had exchanged the mangoes he picked with others.
Mangoes alone are greasy, so Ning Tang racked his brains to think of many ways to eat mangoes, such as mashing mango juice and adding flour to make mango dumplings, or adding mangoes to coconut milk and gelatin powder to make mango pudding... Chen Lie and the three children were so addicted to it that they said it was a feast for the eyes.
But indulging in mangoes also has its disadvantages. Chen Lie even developed mouth ulcers from eating them. Later, he drank chrysanthemum tea made from wild chrysanthemums picked by Da Wa in the back mountain for a few days, and only then did the ulcer subside.
I kept eating them until the end of July, when mangoes were out of season.
One day, Chen Lie was reading the newspaper at home when he suddenly saw a piece of news. The gist of it was that the Ministry of Education would hold a national college admissions conference in the capital Beijing in September this year.
Chen Lie pointed at the newspaper and said to Ning Tang, "Look at this news. They're going to hold a national college admissions conference." He clicked his tongue. "Why hold a meeting for no reason? Are they planning to reinstate the college entrance examination?"
As soon as the words fell, Chen Lie was stunned. After thinking about it carefully, it was really possible.
Ning Tang had known for a long time that the Gaokao would be resumed after the meeting in September this year, and that the news would be announced at the end of October. However, she still feigned surprise, saying, "That's a good thing! From now on, my eldest, second, and third children will be able to take the college entrance exam."
"It's a good thing indeed. Before, we could only get into the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University through recommendations, and they only admitted so many people each year, with a very strict selection process. If the college entrance examination were reinstated, more universities would enroll students, and even more students would be able to attend university." Shen Lie glanced at the three children playing in the living room. "Maybe our family can actually produce three college graduates."
The eldest boy chuckled and said, "Rely on me? Impossible. Maybe you can rely on Erniu and Sanwa."
Chen Lie was amused. "Can't you grow up a little bit and promise your dad that you will definitely be able to get into university?"
Erniu tilted her head, "What do you mean by going to college?"
It's no wonder that Erniu asked this question. There are only elementary schools and high schools on the island, and there hasn't been a college entrance examination for nearly ten years. It's normal for her not to know that there is such a thing as going to college.
Chen Lie explained to her, "Going to university is just like going to elementary school, middle school, or high school. You're just going to school and you have the same teachers and classmates."
Erniu nodded, "So? Change the place where I study."
Ning Tang said, "It's far away. We don't have a university on our island yet. If you want to go to university, it's best to go to a big city. Big cities have good universities, good majors, and good teachers."
Sanwa was unhappy. He didn't want to leave Chen Lie and Ning Tang, so he pouted and said, "Then I won't go to college."
Ning Tang pinched his little face and said, "Okay, stay at home with your mother."
Chen Lie snorted, "You have no ambition. It would be great if you could go to college. In our time, there was no college to go to. If there was, I don't know how many people would have rushed to get into college."
The eldest child didn't understand, "Why? Why is it so good to go to college?"
"Of course. These days, college graduates are guaranteed jobs, and they're good, secure jobs." Ning Tang thought about how to explain it to him. "Do you still remember that job your Aunt Xinlan took the exam for a Women's Committee secretary position a few months ago?"
Da Wa said, "Remember, a lot of people signed up for the exam, so Aunt Xinlan didn't pass."
"If you become a university student, you won't need to take an exam to be assigned a job that's several times better than the Women's Committee." Ning Tang said, "It's a high salary, good benefits, and relatively easy. Now you know the benefits of going to university, right?"
The eldest child nodded, then shook his head, his face downcast. "I know, but I don't think I can pass the exam."
"So? You have to work hard now." Shen Lie said, "Otherwise, why would I ask your mother to help you with your studies? Isn't it just to improve your grades?"
Originally, Chen Lie planned to let Da Wa join the army like him, or take the exam to get a formal job in a city factory. Now that the college entrance examination has been resumed, there will be another way out, so it is even more necessary to improve Da Wa's grades.
Da Wa pursed his lips and said, "So according to you, anyone who can't get into college is a waste."
Chen Lie said without thinking, "Of course..."
Before he could finish his words, Ning Tang interrupted him, "Of course not."
Ning Tang explained to the three children, "Getting into university means you'll have a better platform, see a wider world, meet different people, and have a more fulfilling life. This is the original purpose of going to university. Even if you don't get in, if you can achieve these four points, then it doesn't matter whether you go to university or not."
Having a high level of education is definitely a good thing, as it means that your efforts have been proven.
But not getting into college doesn’t mean you will achieve nothing.
After all, all roads lead to Rome.
As long as you look back on your life and feel that it was worth living, then you will have no regrets.
The eldest child's face seemed to light up, glowing with brilliance. "What is this vast world?"
Ning Tang said, "It's skyscrapers, airplanes and tin cars, foreign-owned restaurants selling coffee and cakes, sturdy tweed trousers with bell-shaped sleeves, in short, all kinds of new things you've never seen before."
Big Baby wasn't interested in tall buildings or cars. He was craving food. When he heard about coffee and cake, his mouth watered. "What are coffee and cake? Are they delicious?"
Of course Ning Tang couldn't answer, otherwise he would be exposed.
She looked at Chen Lie, who had actually tasted coffee once. "Coffee is just for drinking. It doesn't taste very good, it's bitter. Our chief of staff brought a bag over last time and we split it up and drank it. It was awfully bitter. I took a sip and nearly spit it out. Our chief of staff even said I was wasting it. That little bag was worth so much money."
Upon hearing that the coffee was bitter, Da Wa immediately lost interest and quickly asked, "What about the cake? Is it bitter too?"
"Cake," Chen Lie said. "Cake is sweet, especially sweet. I heard it's because it's covered with cream."
The eldest child exclaimed, "Wow, then I'm going to go to college, go to a big city to eat cakes, and buy lots of cakes for Mom and Dad, and for the second and third daughters."
Chen Lie snorted, "You're kind, but the college entrance exam is still a thing. It's not like there haven't been national college admissions conferences in the past, but they were all talk and no action. There's no guarantee that the college entrance exam will be held."
According to Chen Lie, this might be another story of the boy who cried wolf.
However, Shen Lie miscalculated this time.
A national college admissions conference was held in Beijing in September.
On October 21, major media outlets announced the resumption of the college entrance examination, and that when admitting students, priority would be given to medical and agricultural colleges, with a focus on recruiting doctors, teachers, and agricultural science and technology activists.
For a while, newspapers, radios, and televisions were all reporting and broadcasting news about the resumption of the college entrance examination, and people were spreading the news.
When Chen Lie heard the news, his eyes widened. "No way, the college entrance examination is really being resumed this time."
"Yes," Ning Tang continued, "This is a good start. In the future, more and more public universities will be established, and more and more college students will be enrolled. Who knows, maybe we will even have a university on our island."
But it's just a mention.
The three of them are still young. The eldest, Da Wa, is only eight years old and in the second grade. Er Niu just started the first grade in September this year. The youngest, San Wa, is still in the Yuhong class. The college entrance examination and going to college are still a long way off for them.
At the same time, the Su family learned the news.
The Su family didn't subscribe to newspapers, nor did they buy radios or televisions. How could Ning Xue know the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination? Or was it because Su Junyan brought it back?
The moment Ning Xue heard the news, she was in a trance and murmured, "The college entrance examination has been resumed... The college entrance examination has been resumed... College students..."
She pursed her lips, her expression complicated. "What if? I wish I was born a few years later. That way I could take the college entrance exam and become a university student."
Going to college was once her lifelong dream.
The Ning family had an uncle who had a bad background and was labeled a capitalist. So, although Ning Xue had good grades at the beginning, she did not get a recommendation for a place in the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University and missed the opportunity to go to university.
This time the college entrance examination has been resumed and enrollment has been liberalized. Anyone can sign up for the college entrance examination regardless of their background.
If the college entrance examination had been resumed a few years earlier, perhaps Ning Xue could have been admitted to university and become a college student. By then, she would have taken a completely different path.
Unfortunately, it’s time and fate.
Ning Xue thought so, but Su Junyan didn't think so.
He curled his lips. "Come on, the college entrance examination is like a thousand troops crossing a single-plank bridge. Even though you went to high school and your grades are okay, that's only relative to your small village. Compared to the top students across the country, you're nothing."
Ning Xue opened her mouth to refute, but then she thought again and felt that Su Junyan was right, "You are right."
She glanced at Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu who were studying hard at their desks, and sighed, "In my lifetime, I can only hope to raise Guangzong and Yaozu to become college students." She was even more determined to supervise the twins' studies.
Ning Xue curled her lips, a strange glint flashing across her eyes. "If I can't be a college student, I'll be the mother of a college student."
Su Junyan thought so too? Otherwise, he wouldn't have given the twins names like "Guang Zong Yao Zu" which clearly expressed his hope for their success. "That's right."
He said, "As a woman, it doesn't matter if you make a name for yourself and build a career. Others will only ask about your husband and whether your children are promising. If you don't have these two qualities, no matter how rich or successful you are, you will still be looked down upon. Raising your children to be successful is your greatest mission as a mother."
Ning Xueshen agreed and complimented Su Junyan, "I'm already married to a good husband. As long as they get into college and become university students, it will truly bring honor to our family and bring glory to me."
The couple smiled at each other, completely unaware that, out of their sight, Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu's faces turned pale, and they looked at the exercise books in their hands, feeling nauseous and wanting to vomit.
On November 10th, Chen Lie came home from get off work and saw Ning Tang writing a letter.
He asked, "Yes? Writing a letter home?"
Ning Tang nodded. "It's almost Chinese New Year. I'll send a letter to my parents to wish them a happy new year."
Chen Lie nodded, "Remember to mention it in the letter. We'll be going back to Shangang Village for the New Year this year."
Ning Tang wrote down what Chen Lie had said in the letter. As soon as she finished writing, she realized what had happened and asked in surprise, "What did you say? Go back to Shangang Village for the New Year this year?"
What's the meaning?
Does it mean that she can go back to Shangang Village during this Spring Festival and see Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju?
Chen Lie smiled and said, "I've already taken my annual leave, a total of twenty days, which is just right for this Spring Festival."
Accompany Ning Tang back to Shangang Village. She has been away from home for more than a year and she must be missing home.
"Twenty days." Ning Tang blinked. "You still have a lot of time to take your annual leave."
Chen Lie raised his eyebrows. "Officers who have served or worked for less than 20 years can take 20 days of annual leave each year. I used all of my annual leave this year."
Ning Tang was so happy that she threw herself into Chen Lie's arms, "Captain Shen, you are so kind!"
Chen Lie's body stiffened in her embrace, and he coughed. "Hugging and hugging, how disgraceful! Get off me quickly. You're peeling off me like an octopus. What if someone sees you? What should I do?"
Ning Tang glanced at him and said, "Go upstairs and look on the bedside table in our room."
"What are you looking for?" Shen Lie was puzzled.
"Looking for a marriage certificate." Ning Tang said without hesitation, "We are a legal couple, and we are in our own home. What's wrong with hugging each other? If I think about it, I can even kiss you."
After saying that, she pouted and moved closer to Chen Lie's cheek.
Chen Lie's face flushed red, and he stuttered like a monkey's bottom. "You, you, get out of here!" An idea suddenly occurred to him. "Dawa and the others will be back soon. Don't let those three see us."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard the eldest child's voice, "Dad, we didn't see it, so just pretend we don't exist."
Chen Lie looked back and saw that Da Wa and the other two had been standing at the door for some time.
The eldest child covered his eyes with both hands, but there was a big gap between his fingers. The second girl covered her own eyes with one hand and covered the third child's eyes with the other hand, with a tiny gap between her fingers. It was not as obvious as what the eldest child did, but it was easy to see that these three little kids were peeking.
When the children caught him, Chen Lie's face turned redder and he wished there was a one-centimeter gap under his feet so that he could squeeze into it.
Ning Tang was much more generous than him. He narrowed his eyes and asked the three little ones, "What did you see just now?"
The eldest, second, and third children all shook their heads and said in unison, "We didn't see anything."
Ning Tang: "You guys are smart."
Looking at Chen Lie again, he still looked at a loss.
Ning Tang was amused. He had already fathered three children, but he still looked so innocent. She couldn't help but tease him and whispered in his ear, "Captain Shen..."
Before he could say anything, Chen Lie fled in panic, staggering. Looking at him, if you didn't know better, you would think there was a dog chasing him.
Ning Tang sneered, stretched out his hand to call the three children over, and said to them, "Let's go back to grandma and grandpa's house for the New Year this year."
The eldest child tilted his head, "Grandma and Grandpa? But? We don't have? Grandma and Grandpa?"
Ning Tang was stunned. She thought Da Wa would ask if he wanted to go back to his grandparents' home, but she didn't expect Da Wa to give this answer.
Chen Lie came down from upstairs, obviously keeping an eye on the goings on here. "Da Wa's biological parents died a few years after she was born, so she was fostered by her uncle and aunt."
So that's how it is.
After figuring it out, Ning Tang explained to the three little ones, "You have a grandparent now. Your grandparents are my parents."
Erniu asked, "Mom and Dad?"
"Yes." Ning Tang said.
Da Wa was a little uneasy. "Are they good people?"
Chen Lie's face turned grim as he whispered to Ning Tang, "I don't have any elders here. Da Wa's mother's uncle and aunt only came once, during her funeral, and asked for two hundred yuan before leaving."
"Wait a minute." Ning Tang asked in surprise, "Dawa's mother is dead, why are her uncle and aunt coming to ask for money? I don't understand the logic behind this."
She is still... This is the first time I heard that someone did not give a free gift to a funeral, but instead came to the door to ask for money.
How fresh.
Chen Lie scoffed. "Dawa's mother's uncle and aunt think that they raised her to this age, she lived well at home, married me, and gave birth to three children for me, but she died because I didn't take good care of her, treated her harshly, and used her as a reproductive tool. That's why she died so young. They're here to demand compensation."
Ning Tang was speechless, not knowing what to say. She asked him, "Did you give me the money?"
Chen Lie curled his lips and said, "Give it to me, just treat it as sending away a beggar."
At that time, Da Wa's biological mother's uncle and aunt came to the house in a rage and made a huge fuss. Da Wa and his two children were still young and were so scared that they huddled aside.
Chen Lie didn't want the three children to suffer any psychological trauma, nor did he want to get entangled with those two scoundrels, so he gave them two hundred yuan at once and asked them not to come to his house again.
He added, "Give it to me, don't you know the two cheeky people's nature? They can't keep their money. They have a son, and he's acting like a local tyrant at home. I heard he indulges in eating, drinking, whoring, gambling, and everything else. He's a bottomless pit."
Chen Lie glanced at Erniu and whispered, "Da Wa's mother's preference for boys over girls was probably formed under the oppression of her uncle, aunt, and cousin."
Ning Tang nodded, then thought about it and felt something was wrong. "You said they were a bottomless pit, so they couldn't just come to you and ask for money once."
"They know I spent a lot of money on medicine for Da Wa's mother and the funeral, which drained our family savings. That two hundred yuan was the most I could come up with at the time," Chen Lie said. "Besides, my rank wasn't as high as it is now, and the salary and benefits in the army weren't as good as they are now."
No wonder.
Ning Tang understood. "If they knew you got a promotion and could make more money, wouldn't they come knocking on my door again?"
Chen Lie hesitated and said, "That shouldn't be the case. I've lost contact with them a long time ago. We haven't exchanged letters in the past few years."
But he was not sure. After all, he was a regimental commander with a name and surname. The couple knew that he was serving in the military on Hailang Island with his eldest son, second daughter and third daughter. Maybe one day, when he had spent all his money, they would come to him again.
Seeing Shen Lie's hesitation, Ning Tang smiled, "It's okay. If they dare to come, I'll beat them out with a broom."
Chen Lie also laughed, "Just your little arms and legs."
After laughing, he said seriously, "If something like this really happens, don't get into a fight with them. Wait for me to come back and deal with it. They're just a couple of scoundrels and two-faced people. Getting into a fight with them will only hurt you."
An inexplicable light flashed across Ning Tang's eyes. "Hey, Captain Shen, are you really concerned about me?"
Chen Lie's eyes darted around, but he didn't look at her. He coughed and said, "Well, I'm going to cook."
After saying that, he fled in panic.
Ning Tang was amused. She never thought that Chen Lie would have to flee in panic one day, not to mention twice!
After Chen Lie ran off, Ning Tang continued talking to Da Wa and the others. "Where were we talking about? Oh, by the way, let's go back to Shangang Village for Spring Festival this year. I'll take you to meet your grandparents, that is, my parents."
The eldest boy pursed his lips and didn't respond.
Ning Tang pinched his little face and said, "Don't worry, grandma and grandpa are very nice people."
The eldest child still didn't believe it, and the second and third children were also a little hesitant.
The three children were really scared because they were frightened by their mother's uncle and aunt at the funeral.
The word "elder" leaves a foul and unpleasant mark in their minds.
Ning Tang didn't explain to them. Anyway, when they saw Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju, they knew how good the two old people were.
Instead, he pulled them aside to discuss, "What do you think we should bring back for grandma and grandpa? Dried shrimp, dried mackerel?"
Ning Tang sends these seafood back every two months. This time when she goes back for the Spring Festival, she wants to bring some fresh ones to satisfy Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju.
The eldest child said, "Our island is famous for seafood and fruits. It depends on what you want to bring."
"I do want to bring some fruit," Ning Tang said, "but it takes nearly seven days to get from Hailang Island to Shangang Village by train. Fruit will rot if I bring it with me. Besides, it's not easy to bring fruit on the train. What if I don't get a seat or sleeper ticket and it gets squeezed by other people, the fruit will get squashed."
Erniu concluded, "The only option is to dry the hairtail fish. Once the fish is dried, it won't get squeezed."
Ning Tang suddenly had an idea. "Not really. Erniu reminded me that we could dry the fruits and take them back."
She thought of the dried jackfruit, dried kiwi, and dried bananas she had eaten in her previous life...
"Dried fruit?" asked the eldest child. "Can it be delicious?"
He thinks fresh fruit is more delicious, sweet and juicy.
Ning Tang said, "Let's try it. Maybe it will taste better than fresh fruit."
Chen Lie came out after finishing cooking and just happened to hear this. He laughed, "Comrade Xiao Ning, you're trying to waste things again. I've never heard of any fruit that tastes better when dried than fresh. If you really want to bring fruit to your parents-in-law, then get off the train and go to the department store in the city and buy a few bags of fresh fruit to take back."
Ning Tang said, "What do you mean I'm wasting things? And what do you mean again? There's not even one? The variety of fruits I buy at the city department store isn't as rich as the ones on Hailang Island, nor are they as delicious. They're also expensive, only a few dollars for this little bit, and you have to buy a ticket. It's not worth it at all."
When they were in Shangang Village, Ning Tang was greedy, so Sun Aiju bought him a bag of apples. There were only four apples in the bag, and each apple was only half the size of a fist. They were dry and thin, and they were powdery and tasted bad when bitten.
Just this thing? It costs two yuan, which is equivalent to fifty cents for a tasteless apple.
In addition, you have to buy fruit tickets on the black market at high prices.
All in all, it's not worth it.
In comparison, the fruits on Hailang Island are simply top-notch.
Take the mangoes we ate a while ago, for example. They were everywhere in the mountains. No money or tickets were required. Anyone who wanted to eat them could just pick them.
If it were in Shangang Village, mangoes like this would probably be several times more expensive than the shriveled apples that Ning Tang ate.
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