Ning Xue thought the same thing, but when Su Junyan said it, she didn't like it. "What's wrong with one cent? One cent is not money anymore?"
Su Junyan curled his lips in disdain. "Your parents didn't treat Guangzongyaozu as their own grandson, so they gave so little. Look at Ningtang's parents. They only gave Dawei and the others a little over one yuan each."
Having said that, he was the section chief of the logistics department and had a high salary of about 50 yuan a month. Of course, he looked down on the price difference. It was just that he was angry about the different treatment of the two elderly couples.
He felt that his two sons were smart and handsome, and were no worse than the three of them, including Da Wa.
They are all non-biological grandchildren, so why can Da Wa and his friends get more than one dollar, while Guangzong and Yaozu can only get one cent? Guangzong and Yaozu even scored better than Da Wa and his three friends in the exams.
This is a hundred times price difference, no father can bear it.
Ning Xue also thought of this. She opened her mouth, but couldn't refute it. She could only say, "My parents don't have money, but they're not like my uncle, the village chief, who has a lot of money. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to pay for my high school tuition."
Of course it's not what Ning Xue said. Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin have saved some money over the years, so they can definitely come up with one dollar.
However, Ningde is old and it is time for him to get married. Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin are always very tight-lipped, thinking about saving money for Ningde's dowry so that he can marry a beautiful and elegant city girl.
Besides, Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu are grandsons after all, and not biological children, so it is understandable that they gave less red envelopes during the Chinese New Year.
Anyway, Ning Wei and Zhou Yin both felt that it was good enough to be able to give it.
Doesn’t Su Junyan know what they are thinking? Even if he knew, he would only feel more upset.
No matter what, it was a foregone conclusion that the two of them would give the twins red envelopes. Su Junyan didn't show it on his face, but in his heart he had a considerable prejudice against Ning Wei's party and Zhou Yin.
After New Year’s Eve, every household starts visiting each other to pay New Year’s greetings.
On the morning of the fifth day, Ning Tang had just gotten up when he saw Sun Aiju hurried back. As she walked, she said, "Quick, put away all those delicious foods and drinks for me."
Ning Tang blinked, "What's wrong, Mom?"
Sun Aiju ignored her and walked quickly into the main room. She put away the fruit plate full of dried fruits on the table, glanced at the five-color fruit plate filled with melon seeds, peanuts, longans, walnuts, and cashews, put away the walnuts, cashews and longans, thought for a while, and grabbed a handful of peanuts.
Two full fruit plates were messed up by her, leaving only a pitiful handful.
Ning Tang was confused by Sun Aiju's actions, "Mom, what are you doing?"
Sun Aiju put the things away, placed them in the chest of drawers, and locked it with a big padlock. Only then did she have the time to answer Ning Tang's questions.
As she sipped her hot boiled water, she said, "Those two troublemakers, Wang Guizhi and Zhao Chunhua, are coming to our house this afternoon to pay New Year's greetings."
Wang Guizhi and Zhao Chunhua?
Ning Tang only thought about it briefly and pictured the appearance of these two people in his mind.
After being away from home for more than a year, she could no longer remember the appearance of some people, but she remembered the appearance of these two people clearly.
Wang Guizhi has droopy eyes, and the corners of her eyes droop when she speaks. Zhao Chunhua has high cheekbones, and she looks difficult to get along with.
The most important thing is that these two people don't get along with Sun Aiju and are always looking for trouble.
Ning Tang was very impressed.
She nodded, "Mom, how did you know?"
"I met them on the road and they told me." Sun Aiju said.
The two troublemakers said they were coming to pay New Year's greetings, and then they said in a roundabout way that Ning Weiguo was the village chief, Ning Jun was a soldier, and the two cousins Ning Tang and Ning Xue had married well, and the Ning family was wealthy and rich. Since they were coming to pay New Year's greetings this time, Sun Aiju must spend a lot of money to entertain them.
But Sun Aiju was so angry that she started packing up her things as soon as she got home.
You can't just stop them from wishing them a happy new year. After all, Ning Weiguo is the village chief, and it won't sound good if this gets out. But you can still do it by using some tricks.
Ning Tang was so amused after listening to Sun Aiju's story that she hadn't been able to stop laughing. She hadn't expected her mother to be so petty, so she offered her some advice. "Putting everything away is too obvious. I have an idea. Take out the salted peanuts Dad bought and put them on the fruit plate. It might look like a large portion, and it might seem like a sincere hospitality, but they're actually awfully salty. Eating them makes you want to drink water, and drinking water takes up space in your stomach."
Sun Aiju agreed and said, "Just do as you say."
In the afternoon, Wang Guizhi and Zhao Chunhua came to pay New Year's greetings as expected.
Ning Weiguo is the village chief and the head of the village. He holds considerable power. In addition, he is fair and has a good relationship with others. During the Chinese New Year, many people come to the Ning family to pay New Year's greetings.
But no one is like Wang Guizhi and Zhao Chunhua, who came to pay New Year's greetings empty-handed.
Is this person here to pay New Year's greetings or to ask for money?
The two of them casually sat down on the two chairs in the main seat of the Ning family's main hall. Wang Guizhi looked at the fruit plate on the table and raised her slanted eyes. "Aiju, don't be harsh, but you're being too stingy. Your Ning family is so wealthy, and this is all you use to entertain guests during the New Year?"
Sun Aiju smiled with a fake smile, "How can our family be as wealthy as yours, using melon seed shells to entertain guests during the New Year?"
Wang Guizhi was stingy and only bought less than two taels of melon seeds for the New Year. However, her sister-in-law's two big fat grandsons were greedy and ate up all the two taels of melon seeds.
The two kids were so smart that they only took a bite of the melon seeds instead of breaking them open completely. They ate the kernels inside and left the shells intact on the fruit plate. You couldn't see them unless you took them with your hands.
On the day when Wang Guizhi's family entertained guests, the guests came to the house and were having a good chat. They planned to eat while chatting. But when they touched the melon seeds and put them in their mouths, they found only the melon seed shells. Where were the melon seed kernels?
Not only can you not eat the melon seeds, but the skins are also wet, as if they were stained with saliva, which is really disgusting to the customers.
Wang Guizhi was so angry that she took off her shoes, chased the two children from one end of the village to the other, and beat them up.
Wang Guizhi's eyelids twitched when her shortcoming was exposed, and she was so angry that she couldn't speak.
Now it was Zhao Chunhua's turn to make her presence felt. As if afraid of not getting a good deal, she quickly peeled salted peanuts and ate them while saying, "Aiju, I really envy you. Your daughter is already in her twenties, and you're not alone. She's even married."
Ning Weiguo didn't know where he bought the salted peanuts, but they were too salty. Sun Aiju didn't even offer tea. Zhao Chunhua ate them while spitting. She finished her sentence three times.
Wang Guizhi recovered and continued sarcastically, "She just didn't marry well. So what? Although she married an officer, she became a stepmother. The child she raised wasn't even her own. Oh, how pitiful."
Sun Aiju was so angry that she wanted to curse, but Ning Tang patted the back of Sun Aiju's hand soothingly, meaning to let her come.
"Aunt Wang, Aunt Zhao, why don't I become your son's daughter-in-law instead of a stepmother?" Ning Tang nodded. "That's right. Aunt Wang, your son is over 30 and stutters when he speaks. Aunt Zhao, your son is also in his twenties and earns the same work points as the 13 or 14-year-old kids in our village. He can't find a good wife, so he's targeting me."
Wang Guizhi couldn't stand hearing people say bad things about her son. Without even thinking, she'd start cursing, "You're bullshit! My son won't marry you. You sleep in all the time, you can't do housework, you're lazy and greedy. Whoever marries you will be unlucky for the rest of their lives."
Zhao Chunhua continued, "That's right, our son likes you. Don't be the one coveting our precious son."
Ning Tang smiled. "Yes, yes, I want Aunt Wang's son. I want him to be old, right? He likes to take a bath. I want Aunt Zhao's son. I want him to look like a pumpkin."
She blinked. "No? That's right. My husband is energetic, earns money, and loves to clean and do housework. Why would I want your sons? What do I want from them?"
Chen Lie just walked into the room. When he heard Ning Tang's words, his eyes twitched. It turned out that he had so many advantages in Ning Tang's eyes. How come he didn't know?
It was the first time that Wang Guizhi and Zhao Chunhua met Chen Lie. As soon as they saw each other, they were shocked by the iron-like military aura of Chen Lie.
After taking a closer look, Ning Tang was right. Chen Lie looked quite energetic, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and strong facial features.
He often trained under the scorching sun in the army, and his skin became very dark. However, it became a little whiter in winter and became a wheat color. Also, because of the training, he had a great figure and strong muscles.
In the eyes of most villagers, this type of people is liked because they can be seen at first glance as good workers. Being able to work and earn money is more important than anything else. They are the pillars of the family and are good men.
If Chen Lie were placed in Shangang Village, he would be extremely popular.
Not to mention that Chen Lie could make money. His monthly salary of about 70.5 yuan was more than what any other man in Shangang Village could earn.
When Wang Guizhi and Zhao Chunhua thought about the fact that their son was indeed no match for Chen Lie, they became furious and started screaming and cursing.
One moment she said Ning Tang was a stepmother, the next moment she said that the three children they had adopted would definitely not be filial, one moment she said Ning Tang was greedy for Chen Lie's money, and one moment she said that Ning Tang got married when she was over 20, which was a disgrace to her ancestors.
In short, Ning Tang was belittled from top to bottom, from left to right.
Ning Tang was not angry but laughed instead, because these two people were just impotent and furious.
She waved her hand, calling Erniu over, and said to her, "If you're still not married by the time you're thirty, I won't push you. Those who say no one wants a thirty-year-old woman who can't get married are usually people like Grandma Zhao and Grandma Wang. They just want to suppress you."
Erniu was puzzled and scratched her pigtails. "Why are they suppressing me?"
Ning Tang said, "Because they want to suppress you, make you cheap, make you feel that you are not good at this or that, and then lower your own standards for choosing a partner. In this way, their useless sons and grandsons will have wives to marry."
This time, Erniu understood and clenched her fist, "Erniu understands."
What her mother meant was that her own value should not be reflected in the mouths of these two grandmothers.
"Be good." Ning Tang patted the little girl's head, "Go play."
Erniu went out with light steps and skipping.
In the room, Wang Guizhi and Zhao Chunhua were also so angry that they jumped up and down, because their deepest thoughts were touched upon and they were used as negative examples, so they blurted out swear words.
Ning Tang didn't want to argue with them, but Sun Aiju didn't either. She couldn't stand anyone belittling her daughter. She pulled out a broom from behind the door and waved it vigorously, "Get out of here, both of you. You're not welcome in our house."
Wang Guizhi and Zhao Chunhua looked at each other and saw a cold light in each other's eyes. They rolled up their sleeves and prepared to have a good fight with Sun Aiju.
Chen Lie took a step forward, grabbed one of them by the back of the collar with one hand, and threw them out the door like they were little chickens.
Wang Guizhi and Zhao Chunhua were both notorious shrews in Shangang Village. They were thrown into the dirt and of course they were not convinced. They immediately wanted to make a comeback and have a good fight with Sun Aiju and Ning Tang.
However, Chen Lie blocked the door with his tall body.
He was two heads taller than the short Wang Guizhi and Zhao Chunhua. From their perspective, Chen Lie was like a huge mountain, and his shadow completely covered them.
Wang Guizhi and Zhao Chunhua immediately became intimidated, a trace of fear flashed across their faces, and they said harshly, "You, you just wait." After that, they slipped away without looking back, and one of their shoes was gone.
On February 11th, Ning Tang and Chen Lie were about to pack their luggage and prepare to return to Hailang Island.
The three of them, Da Wa, Er Niu and San Wa, were having a lot of fun in Shangang Village. Shangang Village is a rural village in the north, and it has a completely different style from Hailang Island in the south.
Ningde took the eldest and third children to the mountains to dig out beehives and to the river to pick up wild duck eggs. With Ningde, the big boy, leading them, the two little children were so happy going up the mountains and down the river every day that they didn't want to leave.
These days, Sun Aiju keeps Erniu by her side every day, braiding her hair, making tiger-head shoes for her, and making small clothes for her. She dotes on her so much that Erniu likes her grandma and of course doesn't want to leave.
So when they heard that they were about to set off back to Hailang Island, the three little ones immediately became unhappy. They grabbed Ning Tang and Shen Lie's trouser legs and howled like crazy, refusing to go back no matter what.
Shen Lie threatened them, "No? Don't go back after you go back."
The three little ones looked at each other and seemed to think that this was pretty good?
Ning Tang said, "Big Boy, Dahu is still waiting for you on the island. See if you can bring him any gifts when you go back to your grandma's house. Erniu, your little friend Fangfang has made an appointment with you to skip rope together when you get back."
The eldest and second daughter looked at each other and saw hesitation in each other's eyes.
Grandma and grandpa are important, but friends are also indispensable.
Sun Aiju was happy and patted the two children's heads. "If you miss grandma and grandpa, you can come back anytime to visit them. We can, or during the slack season, your grandpa and I will go to the island to visit them. You can go."
The eldest and second daughter finally complied, holding Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju on either side. "It's a deal, then. Grandma and Grandpa, you must come to the island to see us."
"Okay, okay." Ning Weiguo responded repeatedly.
Sanwa followed his older brothers and sisters' lead, so it was natural for him to take care of the two older children.
In contrast, Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu did not have the slightest reluctance to part with Ning Wei and Zhou Yin.
Su Junyan regretted coming to Shangang Village even more. Shangang Village was not like Hailang Island where it was spring all year round. Instead, it was so cold that people were shivering. He was not used to sleeping on the kang. After only staying there for a few days, the dark circles under his eyes were heavier than those of a panda.
So when they heard that they were leaving, the two children, one adult and two children, were full of energy and looked radiant.
Ning Xue also wanted to leave. She encountered a kidnapper on the train and lost fifty yuan, which was a bad start. When she arrived at Shangang Village, everything went wrong as expected.
In the eyes of Ning Wei's party and Zhou Yin, this family's behavior is nothing but cruel and ruthless.
They came all the way here, and our family treated them to delicious food and drinks, but in the end, they couldn't wait to leave...
Ning Weidang felt that the old saying still made sense: if a girl married someone else, she would become an outsider and would be betraying the old man.
On the morning of the 12th, the two families got up early and prepared to rush to the city train station.
Before leaving, Da Wa, Er Niu and San Wa held Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju's hands, reluctant to leave, and said that they would definitely write to the old couple when they returned.
Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju were reluctant to leave their three children, so they prepared egg buns, dried sweet potatoes, and some specialties of Shangang Village in advance for them to take back and eat on the way.
Su Junyan led Ning Xue, Su Guangzong, and Su Yaozu to face Ning Wei's party and Zhou Yin. They stared at each other, not knowing what to say. Okay, he coughed, "Well, father-in-law and mother-in-law, we'll be leaving first."
Ning Wei? Party nodded expressionlessly.
Zhou Yin held Ning Xue's hand, and had many things to say. "When you go back to work and get your salary, don't forget to send some money back. I'll save it for you."
Su Junyan's heart skipped a beat when he heard Zhou Yin's words.
Ning Xue earns money for their small family to spend, so what's the big deal about giving it to Zhou Yin?
He glanced at Ning Xue and saw that she looked indifferent. He moved his mouth but didn't say anything. Forget it, the separation is imminent, so don't cause any trouble.
Although Zhou Yin cares more about Ning De's affairs, she does not care about Ning Xue at all. After all, Ning Xue is her only daughter.
She held Ning Xue's hand, glanced at Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu, and whispered, "You still have to give birth to a child yourself when you go back? One, after all, it's someone else's child..."
She thought she was speaking quietly, but in fact, everyone around her heard it.
Su Junyan's face turned purple and he was too embarrassed to save himself.
The twins had no expression on their faces and remained silent.
Ning Xue immediately retorted, "It's impossible. Guangzongyaozu is my biological son. Besides these two, I can't possibly have any other children in my life."
Zhou Yin was so angry that he hit her. "Why are you so stupid? Wait until you are old and see if they will be filial to you."
Zhou Yin really thought that her daughter was extremely stupid. Not only did she become a stepmother, but she was also so naive as to think that two children who were not her biological children would be filial to her.
Who knows, if Su Junyan dies, the twins will kick her out of the house and leave her wandering the streets.
Thinking his daughter was so silly, she needed to be smarter. Zhou Yin said, "You should give me all the money you earn for safekeeping. I'll use it to find a wife for your brother, and then give birth to a big, fat grandson. When your nephew grows up, he can support you. Remember, your nephew and you are family."
Su Junyan's face turned pale and he yelled, "Mother-in-law!"
Zhou Yin was startled and covered his chest. "What did you call me for?"
Seeing Su Junyan's ugly face, she realized that she had gone too far. Even if she thought so in her heart, she couldn't just say it out loud without any hesitation. She quickly laughed awkwardly and said, "Haha, Junyan, I was just talking nonsense, just talking nonsense. Don't take it personally."
Su Junyan didn't respond, and it was unknown whether he took it to heart. In any case, Zhou Yin didn't dare to speak anymore and could only keep winking at Ning Xue.
After staying in Shangang Village for so many days, this was not the first time Ning Tang had seen them making such jokes.
Look, Sun Aiju is still holding Da Wa and the other three, her eyes full of tears.
She deliberately said jokingly, "Mom, why don't you ask me to give birth to one too?"
Sun Aiju rolled her eyes at her. "Isn't it enough to have a big baby, a second baby, and a third baby? You can have more children if you want. If you don't want to have children, then forget it."
Ning Tang was happy, "Mom, you look so happy."
Sun Aiju rolled her eyes. How could she not be happy when she saw that?
Ning Jun was in his thirties and still hadn't gotten married, and Ning Tang didn't get married until he was in his twenties.
If you can't get over it and keep causing yourself trouble, then you might as well just quit living, clean yourself up, and find a crooked tree to hang yourself.
"Anyway, I have figured it out. My children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. If I don't have any, I will enjoy my own happiness." Sun Aiju said.
Older sisters of the same age as her have raised sons and daughters, and are also taking care of grandchildren. They are busy all day long and have no time to rest. They don’t even have time to get together and chat.
On the other hand, she sees Ning Jun defending his country in the army, and Ning Tang living a very comfortable life on Hailang Island. She doesn't need to take care of either of them.
She goes to work every day, and after work she grabs a handful of peanuts and chats around. She has plenty of time and can do whatever she wants. She is so free and easy.
She felt that at this age, she could only relax for the rest of her life.
Everyone was so amused that they couldn't stop laughing, and the sad atmosphere of parting was swept away.
The three of Da Wa and the others waved their handkerchiefs and said goodbye happily to Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju.
We didn't talk much on the way back, and stayed on the train for another seven days.
When he got home, Ning Tang smelled his clothes and found that they all smelled rotten.
She quickly took the three little ones to take a bath, and after they finished bathing, she and Shen Lie went in to take a bath.
After taking a shower, the two adults and three children breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more relaxed all over.
It was noon, Chen Lie was cooking in the kitchen, and Ning Tang led the three children to clean the house, wiping the windows and other things.
They went to Shangang Village for half a month this time, and many places in the house were covered with dust.
Shen Lie's meals were all prepared, and the house was only half cleaned.
During the Chinese New Year period, people in Shangang Village had a feast of meat and fish every day, so Chen Lie wanted to go home and eat something light.
There were no vegetables at home, so when he went to Mrs. Luo's house to deliver the specialties of Shangang Village, he also asked for some vegetables.
The bitter melons, potatoes and tomatoes planted in Mrs. Luo's yard were ripe, so she picked a full basket for Chen Lie and also gave him a few eggs.
So there are several dishes on the table, namely scrambled eggs with tomatoes, scrambled eggs with bitter melon, and spicy and sour shredded potatoes.
The eldest boy only eats scrambled eggs with tomatoes and spicy and sour potato shreds, and occasionally he will pick up a little egg from the scrambled eggs with bitter melon, but he will never touch bitter melon.
Chen Lie noticed and put a piece of bitter melon into his bowl, "No, you are not allowed to be picky about food."
Da Wa's face fell as he swallowed the bitter melon. "Who on earth invented something so disgusting as bitter melon? Tomorrow I'm going to go to Sister Luo's yard and pull out all the bitter melons she's planted."
Ning Tang said, "If you really do this, I guarantee that Captain Shen will ask Mrs. Luo for a bag of bitter melon seeds and plant them in our yard. Then you can eat bitter melon every day."
Older children can still tell the difference between the harms of eating bitter melon once a meal and eating bitter melon every meal.
He forced a laugh and said exaggeratedly, "Oh, I love bitter melon the most." As he spoke, he chewed the bitter melon, feeling the bitter and astringent juice sliding down his throat, sobbing twice, "Wow, it's so delicious."
Ning Tang was amused. "That's enough. You're already so old, and you're still so picky about food. Look at Erniu and Sanwa, they're not picky about food at all."
The eldest boy was speechless. He just talked about him, but he didn't see that Ning Tang did the same thing when he ate scrambled eggs with tomatoes. He only ate the eggs and not the tomatoes.
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