However, the eldest boy was still too serious. As soon as the dishes were served, his face fell.
Bitter melon stuffed with meat, bitter melon stuffed with shrimp paste, bitter melon fried with shrimp and eggs, and finally there is even a dish of cold bitter melon!
Not to mention Da Wa, Ning Tang would also frown when he saw the green table.
Those who know think that Chen Lie is punishing Da Wa, while those who don’t think he is hinting at something.
Ning Tang stepped on him under the table. Chen Lie also felt that he seemed to have gone a little too far. He coughed and said, "Well, it's hot out. Eat more bitter melon to cool down."
Erniu and Sanwa were not afraid of eating bitter melon. They picked up the bowl and started eating without any psychological barriers. They ate it with relish.
On the other hand, the eldest and the youngest had their brows furrowed into knots.
I want to eat a piece of meat, so I pick up my chopsticks but don’t know where to start.
He was wrong. He could not eat any meat. Even though the meat inside this bitter melon stuffed with meat looked fragrant, the green bitter melon wrapped around it was enough to make his little face turn pale.
Look at bitter melon stuffed with shrimp paste. It’s the same. The difference is that the hollowed-out green bitter melon is filled with pink and white shrimp paste.
Not to mention the cold-mixed bitter melon. Big Brother also admires his father for being able to come up with such a way to eat bitter melon. He can imagine the disgusting taste without even tasting it. He probably would feel sick for the whole night after taking one bite.
In the end, I could only think of scrambled eggs with bitter melon and shrimp.
Big Brother thought, if he couldn’t eat meat and shrimp paste, then he could try some shrimp skin and eggs, which would be good to go with his rice.
As a result, just as he was about to pick up the dried shrimps and eggs, a serious look came over.
Big Baby:...Wow...Wow...Isn’t it okay for him to eat bitter melon?
The meal ended with the eldest boy's face wrinkled more bitter than a bitter melon.
The next day, when Chen Lie returned from the army, he saw Ning Tang and three little kids sitting around the table, whispering to each other, and he didn't know what they were discussing.
They were talking so seriously that they didn't even notice Chen Lie approaching.
Big Boy took out a small clay pot and turned it over. A stack of banknotes, both small and large, fell out of it, along with a few coins, which made a crisp sound when they fell on the table.
Looking at his kingdom, Da Wa nodded in satisfaction, "Well, this should be enough."
Erniu took out a biscuit box and opened the lid with great effort, revealing the neatly arranged bills inside. Each bill was neatly stacked together, looking much neater than the scattered bills of Da Wa, and the total amount seemed to be more than Da Wa's.
It was the third child's turn. Unlike his older brothers and sisters, the youngest child did not prepare his own piggy bank. He put a little money here and a little there.
Occasionally, when Ning Tang helped him clean the house, he would find money under his pillow, or when he helped him wash clothes, he would take out a dime or two from his pocket.
The third child took out a handful of banknotes from the small pocket of his clothes. It looked like a lot, and his little hands could hardly hold it. The banknotes "burst" out from between his fingers.
Ning Tang looked around and saw that the three little kids each had some savings. He was very satisfied. "Not bad, not bad, that's enough for now. Let's go to Xinhua Bookstore next Saturday."
The eldest child grumbled, "Mom, don't just go to the Xinhua Bookstore. It won't take long to buy books. Let's go to the cinema and watch some movies. I heard from my classmates that there are some good movies coming out soon."
Erniu continued, "Okay, okay. Sister Qingqing told me that there are lots of food for sale at the entrance of the cinema, including popcorn, malt sugar, and roasted sweet potatoes..."
Every time she said one, Big Boy would slurp his saliva and wish he could fly to the cinema right away.
The third child pulled Ning Tang's arm. Ning Tang looked down and saw the little child tilting his face up with big watery eyes. It seemed that he was also looking forward to it.
Ning Tang was happy and waved his hand, "Okay, let's all go."
Since they had decided to go to Jiang City together next Saturday, Ning Tang discussed the specific travel plans with the three children, such as what time to get up, what time to take the boat to Jiang City, what time to go to Xinhua Bookstore, and what time to go to the cinema...
The three little kids wanted to go everywhere, so they basically had to stay in Jiang City for the whole day.
Big Baby said, "Let's go to Xinhua Bookstore first. I have many storybooks I want to buy."
Erniu said, "No, let's go to the cinema first. I want to watch a movie."
Big Baby said again, "No, a movie takes at least two hours, and by the time we're done, the Xinhua Bookstore might be closed."
The third child interrupted, "Why don't we go to the department store first? I want to buy some toys." The only toy at home was a wooden toy car, and he and the eldest child had long been tired of playing with it.
The three little kids were arguing with each other and no one could convince anyone else.
Ning Tang didn't interrupt and let them arrange the itinerary.
After arguing for a long time, we finally settled on it. We got up at six in the morning, washed and had breakfast until seven, then took a two-hour boat ride to Jiang City. We arrived in Jiang City at exactly nine o'clock. As soon as we landed, we went shopping in the department store. It took about two hours to go around the whole store. It was eleven o'clock when we finished shopping, so we went to the state-owned restaurant for lunch.
After lunch, I took a break and went to the cinema to watch a movie at one o'clock. The movie lasted no more than two hours. When I came out, I had digested my lunch and had a good time to eat some mung bean cakes and roasted sweet potatoes sold at the small stall in front of the cinema. After that, I went to Xinhua Bookstore and bought the books that my three children wanted.
If you want to have other activities, that’s another matter.
Chen Lie nodded repeatedly as he listened behind them, "Well, it's a good arrangement."
But the more he listened, the more something seemed off. This 'Saturday plan' didn't sound like it had anything to do with him.
He coughed suddenly, "Ahem."
The eldest child was startled and turned around to see that it was him. "Dad, when did you come back? Why didn't you tell me?"
Chen Lie: "I came back a long time ago and stood here listening to your discussion for a long time, but you were too engrossed in the discussion to notice."
He continued, "Come on, tell me what you plan to do next Saturday."
The eldest described it to him with excited gestures, and the second and third daughters added to it. It was obvious that they were very excited and looked forward to next Saturday.
Chen Lie nodded as he listened, then said, "Well, the discussion went well, and the itinerary was well arranged. However, have you ever thought of taking me along?"
There was nothing about him in the 'Saturday plan' of the three children. They even agreed to buy only four boat tickets to Jiang City.
Ning Tang slapped his head and said, "Oh, I forgot about you." After saying that, he glanced at him and said, "Who knows when you will be on leave? What if we have made arrangements and you suddenly say you have to go to a meeting in the army and can't go? Our plans will be ruined."
The three children nodded in unison, expressing their complete agreement.
Chen Lie blew his beard and glared, "Then you guys? Can't you go one day when I'm on vacation?"
Ning Tang blinked and thought, I didn’t expect this.
The three little ones also felt guilty...
Looking at the innocent eyes of the three children, Chen Lie almost fainted. He said, "Then let's go next Saturday. Remember to buy my boat ticket."
Ning Tang nodded and asked him, "Where are you going?"
Chen Lie walked to the entrance, put on his shoes, and said without looking up, "I'm going back to work overtime."
I quickly worked overtime to prepare the materials for the meeting so that I could spare some time next Saturday to accompany Ning Tang and the three children on a wonderful Saturday trip.
April 12th, Saturday.
Chen Lie woke Ning Tang up early in the morning.
Ning Tang had been on the island for so long, and the earliest he woke up was nine o'clock. He had never been woken up by a slap at seven o'clock.
She almost exploded in a bad mood when she woke up. When she opened her eyes, she saw the three little ones all dressed up and standing in front of her bed. She suddenly remembered that she was going to Jiang City to play today.
"You three got up really early." Ning Tang yawned, and his bad mood disappeared completely.
The eldest child nodded excitedly, "Of course not, we're going to have fun."
And they are a family? Going out and playing together.
He and his three children were so excited that they almost didn't sleep last night. They kept muttering in bed, saying that they went to the department store and Xinhua Bookstore, wondering what fun toys and interesting books they wanted to buy.
I muttered until almost dawn before going to bed. I estimated that I slept for two hours, but I still felt energetic when I woke up.
Chen Lie prepared breakfast. Ning Tang washed up and drank some lean meat porridge and ate scallion pancakes with the three little kids. Now that they were full, they prepared to set off for the boat ride.
When I left the house, the sun had already risen to the middle of the sky, making most of the island sparkle.
Ning Tang and Shen Lie walked at the back, while the three little kids, Da Wa, Er Niu and San Wa, carried small backpacks and walked in a row in front.
From their heroic and high-spirited posture, those who knew would understand that they were going to Jiang City for fun, while those who didn't would think that they were three little kids going to fight.
When we arrived at the port, it was already bright. Over the water in the east, the fiery red sun slowly emerged from among the white clouds, like a huge fireball.
Chen Lie bought the boat tickets and the family of five boarded the ship.
The eldest, second and third daughters looked at the blue sea and exclaimed in amazement.
The last time I went back to Shangang Village, two families, four adults, and five children squeezed into one boat. The captain's skills were not good, and the boat was shaking all over. The whole experience of sitting on the boat was extremely bad. Da Wa and his three friends didn't notice the scenery at all.
Looking at this moment, the blue sea is sparkling, and occasionally a bird flies over the water, causing ripples.
Not only the three little children were amazed by the beautiful scenery, but even the two adults, Ning Tang and Shen Lie, were fascinated by it.
Big Brother looked at the sea view for a while, then turned his attention to the captain in the cabin.
He said in surprise, "Wow, Grandpa, you are so awesome. You can actually drive a boat, and you drive it so steadily." He is much better than the uncle who drove the boat for them last time.
The captain stroked his white beard complacently. "Of course. Your grandfather was nicknamed Old Sea Wolf, and he's been sailing for almost thirty years."
Da Wa's eyes lit up, "I want to sail a boat, too."
Captain? Laughed.
Erniu also said in a crisp voice, "Grandpa, I want to sail a boat too."
"Okay, okay, when you all grow up, you can sail the boat." The captain said with a smile.
When Da Wa heard Er Niu say she wanted to drive a boat, she was not convinced and puffed up her cheeks, saying, "If you drive a boat, then I'll drive a train."
Erniu argued with him, "Then I'll fly the plane."
The third child refused to give in and said, "I'll drive a tank."
You and I were chatting back and forth, making the three adults on the boat very amused.
The two-hour boat ride was spent with the three of them, Da Wa and his friends, chatting and enjoying the beautiful scenery on the sea.
When we arrived in Jiang City, we got off the boat and stepped on the ground, and finally felt like we were standing on solid ground.
Ning Tang asked, "What time is it?" She was afraid that if she missed the boat time, she would not have time to go to the department store.
Chen Lie looked at the sky and estimated, "Around nine o'clock."
His eyes flickered to Ning Tang's empty wrist, he moved his mouth, wanted to say something, but swallowed it back.
The third child was very excited and shouted, "Let's go to the department store first."
Chen Lie pinched his little face and agreed, "Okay, let's go to the department store first."
The department store in Jiang City is a small four-story building. Nowadays, there are bungalows everywhere, and two-story buildings like the Shen family's are rare. The department store is simply unique. You don't have to look for it specifically, you can see it at a glance, like a landmark of Jiang City.
The sunlight gradually became stronger, and the family of five walked into the department store to avoid the sun.
The first floor of the department store sells big items, including brand new and shiny bicycles, 12-inch black and white TVs, sewing machines... everything you can think of.
However, there were not many people on the first floor, it was empty, because big items were not only expensive but also required tickets, so only a few people could afford them, and there were not many customers staying.
Ning Tang and Shen Lie took the three children directly to the second floor, where clothes and shoes were mainly sold.
Chen Lie glanced around the clothing store and picked up a white Dacron shirt. "This suits you very well."
Ning Tang took a look at it. The lotus leaf collar design of this Dacron top was very fashionable these days. If she wore it, it would probably make her neck look longer. "Yes, it's good."
Chen Lie immediately took out the money and bought it. He also chose another pair of blue denim pants and a black and red plaid skirt and paid for them all. His generosity surprised the salesperson.
Such generous men are so rare. Even city dwellers have to pick and choose carefully when buying clothes, and it takes an hour to buy a piece. They also have to bargain with the salesperson to reduce the price, and at least they have to get a red ribbon.
After buying clothes for Ning Tang, Chen Lie asked the three little ones if they wanted anything, "Do you want me to buy two for you too?"
The three little ones are really not interested in clothes or anything like that.
The eldest child looked at the cloth shoes on his feet that were breaking apart and said, "Dad, I want to buy some shoes."
Erniu and Sanwa raised their hands, "We want one too."
Three children, going up mountains and down the sea every day, shoes are worn out the fastest,
Chen Lie's eyes swept over the three children's feet. The shoes of the eldest and second daughter were already coming apart, and the soles of the third child's shoes were also worn thin. He agreed without hesitation, "Let's go and look at the shoes."
Since the 1948 National Games held at the Hongwan Stadium in Shanghai, the domestic shoe brand Huili has been vigorously promoting itself, attracting many young students as customers. Today, sales are still booming. There happened to be a Huili shoe store in the department store, so Chen Lie and Ning Tang took their three children there.
When I arrived at the shoe store, I saw white Warrior sneakers neatly arranged on the shoe rack. On the side of the shoe was a huge trademark. Nowadays, the Warrior trademark is not a lying "F" like in later generations, but a "W", but it looks good just the same.
Three little kids stood in front of the shoe rack and exclaimed in unison.
Big Boy couldn't help but shrink his feet. Compared with the stylish and beautiful Warrior sneakers on the shoe rack, the pair of fashionable Liberation shoes on his feet seemed not so presentable.
Chen Lie asked, "Which pair do you want to buy?"
The eldest and third child looked left and right, and thought that all the pairs were good. They all looked at Ning Tang and asked for her opinion.
Ning Tang took a quick look. While the current Huili shoes certainly couldn't compare to those of later generations, they were still quite fashionable these days. All pairs were essentially the same. "They're all the same. You guys can pick and choose, and your dad will pay."
Chen Lie was amused. "You really can order me around." He beckoned the salesperson over. "Bring over some of your store's most popular shoes so my little one can try them on."
Leaning against the counter, the lazy male salesperson opened his mouth and was about to say that he was not allowed to try it.
Shen Lie glanced over, and he involuntarily walked to the shoe rack and took two pairs of shoes.
After the shoes were brought to the three children, the male salesperson finally reacted. Hey, this is really strange. Why were they frightened by the man in front of them?
He was about to say a few words when Shen Lie gave him another sharp look.
The salesman swallowed his words, chuckled, and introduced the shoes to the three children, "These two are the most popular shoes in our store right now. A lot of people like them and they're not cheap, only five dollars a pair."
Da Wa felt the money in his pocket. He had saved a total of six yuan. This six yuan included the red envelopes given by Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju during the Chinese New Year, as well as the pocket money he earned from helping Ning Tang and Shen Lie with housework in the past few months.
I've saved for so long and only saved six dollars. If I buy a pair of sneakers, I'll spend most of it at once and only have one dollar left.
Fortunately, it was his father who paid for it, and the eldest son breathed a sigh of relief.
The eldest and third child tried on the shoes. The soles were soft and very breathable, and their feet didn't feel stuffy at all.
The two children blinked their big, shining eyes and looked at Chenlie, their meaning was very clear: buy it, buy it.
Chen Lie was happy and bought the two pairs of Huili shoes.
The eldest and third child wrapped the packaged shoe boxes tightly and treasured them very much.
Ning Tang saw that Erniu didn't even try it and didn't seem very satisfied, so he asked her, "What's wrong? Don't you like it?"
Erniu nodded and shook her head, pointing to the sandal store opposite the Huili shoe store. The little girl prefers open-toed sandals to Huili sneakers. After all, summer is coming soon.
Ning Tang understood what she meant and took her to the sandal store.
Erniu's eyes brightened when she saw the exquisite and beautiful sandals.
She picked a pair at first sight and said to Ning Tang, "Mom, I want this pair."
Ning Tang followed her gaze and saw that Erniu had picked out a pair of plastic sandals, also known as crystal sandals, with a small yellow plastic flower embedded in the green upper.
In her opinion, it was as tacky as it could be.
Erniu repeated, "Isn't it very beautiful?"
Ning Tang swallowed his words and said, "...Well, our second daughter has really good taste. These plastic sandals are really nice."
Chen Lie led the eldest and third children over, and Erniu also asked him a question.
Chen Lie's straight male perspective is consistent with Ning Tang's.
But looking at his daughter's expectant eyes, he chose to convince himself, "It looks good, especially good. Look at the green upper, look at the yellow plastic flowers..." Chen Lie had to rack his brains before he could continue praising, "...well...it's just like a freshly picked cucumber with thorns on the top."
Ning Tang couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Oh my god, Captain Shen’s description is really good. The green shoe upper and the yellow plastic flower are exactly the same as the small cucumber with the cucumber flower just growing on the top. The description is really apt.
Cucumber, cucumber flower.
Erniu looked at Chen Lie with resentment, "Dad, after hearing what you said, I don't want to buy it anymore."
"No, I'll buy it for you right now." In order to prove that he and his daughter had the same taste and were in the same fashion, Chen Lie took out the money from his trouser pocket and bought it immediately.
After buying shoes, Chen Lie asked the three children if they wanted to go around some more, like buying toys or snacks.
The three children shook their heads and said no, as they had already spent a lot of money today.
Chen Lie felt relieved and thought that the three of them were quite sensible.
After leaving the department store, it was already noon. The family was hungry, so Chen Lie and Ning Tang took the three of them to a state-owned restaurant to have lunch.
On the way, Chen Lie muttered to Ning Tang, "Why are the three of them so sensible now? Before, when I took them to the supply and marketing cooperative, they always refused to leave. I had to buy them a bag of candy to get rid of them."
Ning Tang glanced at the three children leading the way in front and said with a smile, "That's because they know that making money is not easy."
Chen Lie blinked, "No? I understand."
Ning Tang explained to him, "Before, when they wanted pocket money, they would just hand it over to you with their palms facing upwards, without any effort, as if the money had blown in from the wind. Now, they have to do housework to earn money, and they can only earn a penny at a time. If you were in their shoes, would you be frugal?"
Shen Lie believed it very well. When Ning Tang first suggested doing housework to earn pocket money, he thought it was unnecessary. After all, he would not mistreat the child, so if he wanted pocket money, he could just ask him directly.
Now it seems that Ning Tang is the one who thinks clearly.
Firstly, it exercises the three little ones' housework ability. With pocket money hanging in front of them, the three little ones' enthusiasm for doing housework is improved.
Secondly, the third child only knows that money is hard-earned. With the concept of money, he will cherish the hard-earned rewards even more.
He told Ning Tang about his idea, and Ning Tang was amused. "Well, your first point can be changed to, "It trains them to do housework, and it also frees up our hands as parents." The second point can be changed to, "It saves money for the family. We can use the money to buy appliances, or it frees up our hands."
Chen Lie was speechless. It seemed like you had a problem with housework. "That's true, but can't you let me think more positively?"
As we were talking, we arrived at the state-owned restaurant. The money and tickets were ready, and we had also decided what to eat.
As soon as he arrived at the restaurant, Chen Lie ordered a generous order of braised pork, mapo tofu, pork feet stewed with soybeans, and a plate of meat dumplings stuffed with leeks and pork.
The waitress taking the order was stunned by him and hesitated, "Comrade, are you sure you want to order so much?"
Chen Lie said, "Of course. Look, there are two adults and three little kids. I'm worried there won't be enough food."
The waiter muttered, "Okay then," and went to place the order.
As soon as the dish was served, Shen Lie was dumbfounded.
These days, restaurants are very honest and each dish is generously portioned.
Chen Lie was stunned. He didn't know that he joined the army at the age of sixteen and had dedicated half of his life to the army. The army provided food and accommodation, so he had never been to a state-owned restaurant.
Thinking that I had finally brought Ning Tang and the kids out for a trip and had fun, I wanted to eat to my heart's content, so I generously ordered four dishes. Who would have thought?
But after they ordered everything, they found that the chef of the state-owned restaurant was very good. Every dish was well-cooked and tasty. Ning Tang and the three children were very satisfied with the meal, and Shen Lie bought all the remaining dishes by himself.
He ate so much that his stomach was full and the food got stuck in his throat.
Ning Tang didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "I told you not to eat it, at worst we can just pack it up."
Chen Lie burped and waved his hands, "No, that won't work. The waiter is staring at me. I've already made a promise, so I have to finish it."
Ning Tang laughed at him, saying that he was suffering from the consequences of his insistence on saving face.
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