Chen Lie still didn't believe it, "Dried fruit definitely won't taste good."
Ning Tang said, "Is there anything wrong? Dried fruits taste better than fresh ones."
"For example?" Shen Lie asked.
Ning Tang thought for a moment. "Longan, longan is the same as lychee? Dried, you say? Isn't longan better than lychee? Oh, and there's persimmon cake. I think frosted persimmon cake tastes better than fresh persimmons."
Chen Lie couldn't refute it, "Then go ahead and tinker with it. If it breaks, don't blame me for not warning you."
Ning Tang snorted, "You're looking down on me."
She ignored Chen Lie and discussed with her three children what fruits to dry.
The seasonal fruits at this time include winter pineapples, bananas, and some mangoes that ripen later. All three can be dried into fruits.
Ning Tang took the three little ones to study how to dry fruits. They studied until the end of December and finally figured out the method.
Bananas are easy to dry. Cut the ripe yellow bananas into slices about a thumb thick, then arrange them neatly on a winnowing basket and place them in the yard to dry.
Winter pineapple is even simpler. Pineapple doesn’t taste good when eaten raw and it can easily prick your mouth. But after being dried, it retains the original sweet taste of the pineapple and is not so prickly.
The last mangoes are the most difficult. Mangoes in autumn and winter are not as sweet as those in summer. Most of the remaining mangoes are small in size and taste green and astringent, otherwise they would not have survived the siege of Da Wa and his group of children.
It is easy to deal with if the size is not big, and the small size is just right for drying mangoes.
But the astringent taste is difficult to deal with. Ning Tang couldn't bring the dried mangoes with astringent taste back to Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju.
But this did not pose a problem for Ning Tang, as she soon came up with an idea.
The family can now receive five taels of sugar coupons a month. Ning Tang receives two taels, and the three children each receive one tael.
Chen Lie has a high rank and a long service history. He can earn half a pound of sugar coupons a month, and he can do the work of three people including Ning Tang.
It was calculated that the Shen family had one kilogram of sugar coupons every month. They didn't use much sugar for cooking on a daily basis, so they saved a lot of sugar coupons at home, a total of five kilograms.
Ning Tang discussed with the three children and decided to use the sugar coupons to exchange for some sugar to pickle dried mangoes.
Da Wa and the others readily agreed. They could also eat dried mangoes pickled in sugar, so why not?
By the beginning of January, all the dried fruits are ready.
Ning Tang collected the dried bananas, dried pineapples and dried mangoes, placed them in transparent glass jars, and arranged them neatly on the table, which was pleasing to the eye.
The three little ones looked at the dried fruits and drooled with greed.
Ning Tang poured a little onto the plate and said, "Try it."
The eldest child picked up a piece of dried pineapple and put it in his mouth. After taking two bites, his eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Wow, it's delicious!"
"It tastes good, right?" Ning Tang also ate a piece of dried pineapple.
The dried pineapple does not have the pungent feeling of raw pineapple. It only has the sweet taste of pineapple, and it tastes great.
Sanwa grabbed two pieces of dried banana and ate until his cheeks were bulging.
After being dried, bananas are fragrant and crispy, but a little chewy. If you give one to Sanwa, he can eat it for half a day.
Seeing them enjoying their meal, Chen Lie pretended to pass by casually and quietly took a piece of dried mango.
The first time I tasted it, I found it amazing. It was sweet and sour, and the flesh was refreshing and chewy. Compared with raw mangoes and mangoes dipped in chili salt, it had a completely different flavor.
Chen Lie couldn't help but pass by again and again, taking away piece after piece.
The eldest child looked confused and asked, "Dad, why are you walking around?"
Chen Lie choked, "I'm full, can't I take a walk?"
Big Baby was speechless, "Okay? Okay? Okay?"
Ning Tang was amused. "Captain Shen, stop pretending. If you want to eat, just come over and eat openly."
Chen Lie sat down shamelessly, holding a piece of dried pineapple in his hand. "Hey, you know what, you really figured it out. These dried fruits taste pretty good."
"Now you know it tastes good." Ning Tang said.
She said to the three little ones, "Do you know what your dad's behavior is?"
The three little ones shook their heads in unison.
Ning Tang laughed, "This is called true fragrance."
As I was talking, I suddenly heard the sound of a car bell coming from outside the door.
Ning Tang and Chen Lie looked at each other, and Chen Lie went out to get the letter.
After getting the letter back, Shen Lie unfolded it and read it quickly. "It's a reply from my father-in-law and mother-in-law."
"Nonsense." Ning Tang said.
Apart from Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju, who else would send letters to them?
"What does the letter say?"
"Just say that they know we are going back to celebrate the New Year this year, and they are very happy. It's enough for us to come, and there is no need to buy anything." Chen Lie said.
Ning Tang nodded. This sounded like something an old couple would say.
Shen Lie glanced at Ning Tang and hesitated.
Ning Tang's eyelids twitched. "What else? Tell me all at once. Could it be that my dad or mom is sick?"
She frowned and said, "It must be my dad. He loves smoking. I don't know if there's something wrong with his lungs. Really, before I left, I asked Mom to take good care of him."
Chen Lie didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "What are you thinking?" He shook his head. "None of that."
"What's that? As long as you're not sick, that's fine." Ning Tang said, "Just tell me what you have to say. Why are you hesitating?"
Since she had said so, Chen Lie explained everything, "Mother-in-law asked you if you had a quarrel with Ning Xue."
Over the past year, Ning Tang frequently sent letters home, all of which mentioned how well she was doing on Hailang Island, the interesting things that happened to her, Chen Lie, and their three children, and the delicious food and fun things to do on Hailang Island.
But? Not a single word was mentioned about Ning Xue.
Logically speaking, cousins who married to the same island should definitely interact with each other, after all, they are related by blood.
Although Ning Xue didn't send letters and local specialties as frequently as Ning Tang, she still wrote two or three letters a year. She also didn't mention Ning Tang in the letters, but only said that she was living a good life, Su Junyan treated her well, and the twins were smart and obedient.
The letter sent back to Shangang Village would definitely be read by the two brothers Ning Weiguo and Ning Weidang, as well as the two sisters-in-law Sun Aiju and Zhou Yin.
Two cousins, isn't it strange that neither of them mentions the other?
So it was normal for Sun Aiju to ask this question in her letter.
"I guess so." Ning Tang said, "What do you think? How should I respond?"
Chen Lie sneered, "What can I do? If it were me, I would tell my father-in-law and mother-in-law about all those little tricks Ning Xue used."
Ning Tang rolled his eyes and said, "You're already an adult, and you're still complaining."
"Then I won't go back. Anyway, they all know that Ning Xue and I don't get along well. We have been at odds since we were young." Ning Tang said.
Chen Lie said, "I shouldn't have gone back in the first place. You two are cousins, not biological sisters. Besides, even if you were biological sisters, you wouldn't be together every day."
Ning Tang nodded, "Then just write a letter saying you're safe."
At the same time, Ning Xue also received a letter from Zhou Yin.
Compared with the letters sent by Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju, the tone of Zhou Yin's letter was obviously not as polite.
Zhou Yin didn't care at all whether Ning Xue had a quarrel with Ning Tang. She knew that the two had been at odds since childhood, and she looked down on Ning Tang. She wished Ning Xue would bully Ning Tang.
What she sent was a letter of questioning.
More than a month ago, Ning Tang sent a letter back saying that she would go back to Shangang Village with Chen Lie and their three children to celebrate the New Year. It was Chen Lie who specially took New Year leave and took the initiative to ask to go back.
This made Sun Aiju very happy, but also made Zhou Yin very angry.
They are both sons-in-law, so why can Chen Lie take New Year leave to accompany Ning Tang back home for the New Year, but Su Junyan can't?
Su Junyan is in the logistics department, so it is much easier for him to ask for leave than Chen Lie, the active regiment commander.
Zhou Yin waited for more than a month, but Ning Xue didn't send a letter back saying that Su Junyan also took annual leave to accompany her back to celebrate the New Year.
So, this questioning letter came.
Su Junyan saw Ning Xue reading the letter, and her face looked unhappy. He coughed and asked, "What's in the letter?"
Ning Xue forced a smile, "Oh, you didn't say anything? What? My mom just asked how we were doing."
Su Junyan nodded, not knowing whether he believed it or not.
Ning Xue rolled her eyes and asked, "Hey, where are we going to celebrate the New Year this year?"
Su Junyan looked at her strangely, "What are you talking about? We must be celebrating the New Year on the island, right?"
"Oh..." Ning Xue gritted her teeth. "Actually, my mother also said in the letter that Ning Tang and Chen Lie would be taking their three children back to Shangang Village to celebrate the New Year this year."
Su Junyan was surprised and said, "That's impossible. Do you know how far Shangang Village is from Hailang Island? It takes fourteen days to go back and forth."
Ning Xue said, "It's true. So this year, should we also bring Guang Zongyaozu home for the New Year? My parents haven't seen Guang Zongyaozu yet."
She whispered, "Although the journey is a little far, Ning Tang and Chen Lie can go back, so why can't we?"
Su Junyan frowned, "Why do you want to do this? You have to take the train back and forth, and there are so many kidnappers now. Are you sure we can bring honor to our family when we go out?"
Ning Xue opened her mouth to retort, "Don't Ning Tang and Chen Lie also have three children? We have one less child than them, and they're not any younger, so it seems much easier to take care of them."
Su Junyan still felt something was wrong and curled his lips. "Then why go back to your home and not mine? My home is in Jiang Province, which is much closer than Qi Province where Shangang Village is. If you say so, my parents haven't seen their grandson for several years."
After hearing this, Ning Xue felt a chill in her heart, but she still decided to fight back.
Having been married to Su Junyan for over a year, she knew his personality inside out, and had a pretty good idea of it. She deliberately provoked him, saying, "Think about it again. Shen Lie took a special annual leave to accompany Ning Tang back home."
She observed Su Junyan's expression from the corner of her eye and said slowly, "When he and Chen Lie return to the village, others will say that you, as a son-in-law, can't love your wife as much as Chen Lie does. He can accompany his wife back to the village, but you can't."
After hearing this, Su Junyan's expression changed instantly. What he hated most was people saying that he was not as good as Chen Lie. He immediately said, "It's just a matter of going back to the village for the New Year, right? I'll go with you."
Ning Xue's face suddenly lit up with smiles, feeling that she had Su Junyan firmly under her thumb. "Hey, that's right. I've been married for over a year now, so it's time for me to go back to my parents' home."
Although Su Junyan agreed to Ning Xue's request, he still felt a little unhappy.
I've never heard of a woman going back to the woman's home during the Chinese New Year instead of the man's.
If it weren't for this face, he wouldn't want to go to Shangang Village.
What's so good about this place in the corner?
He was unhappy, and it showed on his face, and he was not forgiving in his words, "I'll just accompany you for this one year? Ah, for the New Year after that? Either spend it on Hailang Island, or go to my parents' home in Jiang Province."
Ning Xue curled the corners of her mouth, but the smile did not reach her eyes.
Let's take it one step at a time. As long as Su Junyan can accompany her back to Shangang Village to celebrate the New Year this year and not be absent, it will be enough.
After thinking about it, she felt cold in her heart again.
Su Junyan's original intention of accompanying her home for the New Year was not to sympathize with her for not having seen her family for more than a year, but to save face with Chen Lie.
How can it not make people feel chilled?
Su Junyan didn't notice Ning Xue's expression and continued, "You have to know that I'm different from Chen Lie. He has no parents, so he can accompany Ning Tang home for the New Year. But I'm different. I have both parents and I'm the only son in the family. My two sisters both gave birth to daughters. I'm the eldest son and grandson of the family, bringing honor to our family. I can accompany you back home for the New Year, which is a great honor for your ancestors."
Ning Xue listened to Su Junyan's mumbling with an expressionless face. For the first time, she felt regret for choosing Su Junyan.
Ning Tang had decided to go back to Shangang Village to celebrate the Spring Festival this year. From the beginning of January to the end of January, he was in a very relaxed and happy mood.
But this good mood disappeared completely when they learned that Ning Xue and Su Junyan were also going back with them.
How did Ning Tang know that?
The news was brought back by Chen Lie. After Su Junyan and Ning Xue agreed to return to Shangang Village to celebrate the New Year this year, he couldn't wait to go to the army to find Chen Lie and tell him, no, he should have shown off the news.
His meaning was very clear, if Shen Lie could do it, he could do it too.
The reputation of loving his wife can't be shared by Chen Lie alone, right?
At this point, the two of them had no choice but to pack their luggage with the eldest, second, and third children and prepare to return to the village for the New Year.
This time when I returned to Shangang Village, excluding the round trip journey, I actually stayed in the village for less than a week, so I only needed to bring one set of casual clothes.
One set of casual clothes, plus the one I'm wearing, a total of two sets, which is more than enough.
Then he took the dried fruits that Ning Tang had dried and the dried fish that he bought from the fishermen at the market, and traveled light.
After all, it takes fourteen days to go back and forth by train, and the time spent on the train is longer than the time spent in Shangang Village. Bringing too many things will be of no use except taking up space.
Ning Tang asked Chen Lie, "Which two sets of clothes are you planning to bring?"
Chen Lie thought for a moment and said, "Just bring one set of casual clothes and one set of our training clothes."
The training suit is not conspicuous and is stain-resistant, making it perfect for everyday wear.
After Chen Lie decided on what to bring, Ning Tang began to pack the luggage for the three children.
Chen Lie took a look and found that among the clothes Ning Tang had collected for the three of them, there were some old clothes that they hadn't worn in previous years. He was surprised, "How did you get these old clothes?"
Ning Tang also made a lot of clothes for the three little ones. Although they didn't have any patterns and the styles were not fashionable, at least they were new clothes without patches. But what she collected for the three little ones now were their old clothes from previous years.
Not only were the clothes patched, but they had also turned a little yellow from being stored in the camphorwood cabinet for so long.
Ning Tang said, "Look carefully, one set is old, and the other set is new."
Chen Lie nodded. "That's because we brought old clothes. Why would we bring old clothes? If other people see us, they'll think we're not doing well. How shabby!"
Ning Tang said, "Silly or not? We're going all the way here, and it'll take us fourteen days to ride the train. It's also the Spring Festival travel rush, so there are a lot of people on the train, and there are a lot of thieves and kidnappers. If we dress them up a little, so they don't look conspicuous, we can hide from a lot of bad guys."
Thieves target wealthy families, and kidnappers target pretty children.
When the time comes, let the three children wear their good clothes inside and their old clothes outside, so that they won’t be noticeable. When they get to Shangang Village, they can take off their old clothes without looking shabby.
Besides, Shangang Village is much colder than Hailang Island. As you go north, the temperature will only get lower and lower. Wearing two sets of clothes can keep you warm.
Shen Lie thought about it carefully and realized that this was indeed the case. "You are really thoughtful."
He pondered for a moment and said, "Well, what do you think? Should I find a couple of old clothes to wear to avoid attracting thieves?"
Ning Tang: "Come on, you're as strong as an ox. If I were a thief, I wouldn't dare steal from you. Don't break your bones before you steal the money."
Chen Lie curled his lips and muttered softly, "What do you mean by strong as a bull? I'm in good shape now, okay?"
He really didn't say that? He has broad shoulders, a narrow waist, tight muscles, abdominal muscles and mermaid lines. He has everything, all of which are the result of training.
It's just that normally it's hidden under the thick training suit and no one notices it.
On January 30th, we officially set off and prepared to depart from Hailang Island to Shangang Village.
The Su and Chen families agreed on a time and took the train together.
The Su family has two children, and the Shen family has three children. Together, there are more children than adults. And since it is a long journey, it is necessary to travel together.
They agreed to meet at the boat station at the port, and when the two families met, they both smiled at each other.
Ning Xue took a look and saw that from Chen Lie and Ning Tang to the other three children, Da Wa, they were all wearing inconspicuous old clothes.
Especially the three children, each one is uglier than the other.
The clothes of the eldest and second daughter were patched, and the third child's old pants were almost showing his ankles.
The three children don't look like the captain's children at all. They are as rural as they can be.
While Ning Xue was looking at Da Wa and the other three, Ning Tang was also looking at Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu.
The twins were both wearing new clothes that Ning Xue had made for them for the New Year: bright red sweaters and black pants. Because 1978 was the Year of the Horse, Ning Xue had the ingenuity to sew two flying ponies on the sweaters.
Coupled with the twins' exquisite looks, they look fashionable no matter how you look at them.
In such a comparison, Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu are like the rich young masters of the landlord's family, while Da Wa and the other three are like the poor farmhands of the landlord's family.
How could Ning Xue not be happy?
Ning Tang saw the twins dressed so 'gorgeously', as if they were on a fashion show. He moved his mouth, wanting to say something, but thought better of it.
She did not miss the contempt and gloating in Ning Xue's eyes.
Ning Xue probably still thought that Ning Tang didn't know how to make beautiful clothes, and that the Shen family wasn't as well off as the Su family, nor as rich as the Su family, so the three of them, Da Wa, weren't as well dressed as the twins.
If you are not from the same family, you will not enter the same door.
Ning Xue looks down on Da Wa and the other three, and so does Su Junyan.
He deliberately walked to the side of Shen Lie and said sarcastically, "Hey, it's New Year's Day, why don't you give the child something nice to wear? Are you out of money? Do you want me to lend you some?"
Chen Lie was speechless, but like Ning Tang, he had no intention of waking Su Junyan up. He just laughed it off, saying that you can say whatever you want, everything you say is right.
Unexpectedly, Chen Lie was not provoked at all. Su Junyan found it very boring. After saying a few more words, they ignored each other.
There was no conversation during the boat ride.
When we arrived at the train station, it was crowded with people.
At a glance, there were people carrying big and small bags to go home for the New Year, including men, women, young and old, and it was very crowded.
Ning Tang frowned, asked Chen Lie to carry the luggage in one hand and pick up Sanwa with the other, and reminded Dawa to hold Erniu's hand tightly.
After thinking about it, she felt uneasy, so she took out the rope she had prepared in advance, tied up Da Wa and Er Niu with one end of the rope, and tied the other end tightly around her wrist.
Ning Tang looked at the anti-lost rope he made and was very satisfied.
It was the Spring Festival travel rush, and the train station was incredibly crowded. Kids like Da Wa and the other two couldn't even be found in the crowd.
Fortunately, Chen Lie was tall and strong, and he always protected Ning Tang and the three children. With the help of Ning Tang's special anti-lost rope, they were able to successfully check their tickets, enter the station, and find a seat to sit down.
Chen Lie had decided long ago that he and Ning Tang would take their three children back to Shangang Village for the New Year this year, so he asked someone to buy sleeper tickets in advance.
Su Junyan and Ning Xue decided on this at the last minute, so they certainly didn't buy the tickets as quickly as Chen Lie, and they couldn't get good tickets either.
So he could only huddle in the narrow space in the green carriage with Ning Xue, Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu. He could not lie comfortably on two clean and tidy beds covered with white sheets with his three children like Chen Lie and Ning Tang.
The green carriage was already very crowded, and Ning Xue brought a lot of luggage to create a feeling of returning home for her family.
Once all the luggage is placed on two chairs, and two adults and two children sit on them, there is no space at all. They have to sit straight and not even a little bit tilted.
Looking at Ning Tang's side, they didn't bring much luggage to begin with. The two beds were more than enough to accommodate two adults, three children, and not much luggage.
Moreover, there is empty space under the bed where you can put some things. You don’t have to compete with others for the luggage rack like Ning Xue and the others did. There is plenty of space.
The soft sleeper and hard seat carriages happened to be connected. Ning Xue looked up and saw Ning Tang and the others resting comfortably on the beds. She was so envious that her eyes turned red.
However, Ning Tang was not as comfortable as Ning Xue had imagined.
After all, it took a lot of effort to get to the station. Ning Tang felt that the breakfast in his stomach had been squeezed out, so he had to lie down on the bed and take a rest.
It was the first time for Da Wa and the other two to take a train. They were so excited that they leaned against the window, staring at the scenery passing by quickly outside the window, and occasionally discussing something.
Ning Tang really envied their boundless energy and sighed, "It's great to be young."
But she recovered after a short rest.
Shen Lie asked her, "Would you like something to eat, some dried fruit?"
From morning till now, we have only had breakfast. It is almost noon now and everyone's stomachs are rumbling.
Ning Tang waved his hand, "I'm not eating anymore. Go see if there are any boxed lunches for sale and get some for us."
Chen Lie went there as he was told, and soon he came back with four boxed lunches, including rice with toppings, cabbage and vermicelli noodles, green pepper and shredded pork rice, and grilled fish fillet rice.
Chen Lie ate one portion for himself, Erniu and Dawa each ate one portion, and Ning Tang and Sanwa shared one portion, making four portions in total, just right.
Ning Tang took a few bites and found it delicious and generous. He asked Chen Lie, "How much is this lunch box? How much is one?"
Chen Lie finished his rice in just a few mouthfuls. This was the eating speed he developed in the army.
As he fished out an enamel pot from his luggage and prepared to fetch some water, he answered Ning Tang's question, "Thirty cents a pop, no ticket needed."
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