"Ning Xue, I remember you weren't like this before. When I first knew you, you were very frugal. When we were shopping in the department store, I asked me to buy you some clothes, but you said no, and that you would buy them for Guangzong and Yaozu."
He looked Ning Xue up and down and asked, "Why have you changed so much now?"
Ning Xue was almost furious. In Su Junyan's opinion, buying a washing machine meant changing one into a petty bourgeois?
She took a deep breath and said, "If you don't want a washing machine, you should at least buy a fan."
She continued to encourage him, "The weather on the island is hot, you will definitely need it if you buy it. Would you be willing to bring honor to your family and be unable to sleep every night because of the heat?"
This time she learned her lesson and didn't bring herself up, but used the twins as an excuse.
And they don’t have to buy three like the Shen family did. They only need to buy one. She doesn’t believe that Su Junyan will not agree.
Su Junyan pondered for a moment, "Buy... I can, but not now."
Ning Xue exclaimed, "Why? It's hot now, so it's a good time to buy it. It's so useful."
"Because it's the end of July now, August is coming soon, and in a month it will be September. Autumn is coming and the weather is getting cooler. If we buy a fan now, it will just sit there gathering dust." Su Junyan said, "So we should buy it next spring and use it next summer, which is perfect."
Postpone it to next year? Who knows next year? Postpone it to the year after, after all, the hottest time of the year is only three months.
Ning Xue was almost mad. Why didn't he say to wait until she died before buying it?
However, Su Junyan felt that he had made a good arrangement and gave himself thirty-two thumbs up in his heart.
He is very smart, unlike the two "big fools" next door. If they buy it now, it will be autumn soon. If they leave it there, it will just gather dust and waste money. Besides, maybe the price of electric fans will drop next year?
"By the way, who of us should pay for the electric fan?" Su Junyan asked again.
He was in charge of logistics and had a clear account. "I earn over 50 yuan a month, plus extra subsidies. You only make 7 yuan a month, with no subsidies. We just give you some pots and bowls for the New Year. If you buy an electric fan, I'll still have to pay for the bulk of the cost."
"Besides, buying the fan is just the first expense. The monthly electricity bill is also a considerable expense. What if it breaks? Repairs will cost a fortune too."
The more Su Junyan thought about it, the less cost-effective it seemed. He didn't want to buy it anymore. "No, let's just not buy it."
"No?" Ning Xue refused without a second thought. "We have to buy one. Ning Tang's family has so many appliances, fans, washing machines, radios, and everything else. We don't even have one. It would be so embarrassing to tell anyone."
Su Junyan curled his lips. It turned out that he wasted money just for fear of embarrassment.
"Okay, let's buy it." Su Junyan said, "But I can't pay for it alone. You have to contribute too. You said we can both make money."
But all the money she earned was used to supplement the family income.
Ever since she started working and getting a salary, she has been responsible for paying for all the household expenses, including groceries, pots and pans, snacks and toys for the twins, and big and small expenses.
What's even more outrageous is that this year, she also paid for the twins' tuition. In the past, it was Su Junyan who paid for it, but since she started making money, Su Junyan never mentioned the twins' tuition again.
She was also embarrassed to ask Su Junyan for the money. Firstly, she felt that they were husband and wife, so why should they make such a clear distinction between what was yours and what was mine? Secondly, she felt that she had a job and was an independent woman who could earn money, so it was not appropriate for her to ask for the money.
Unexpectedly, it was her step-by-step indulgence that made Su Junyan become like this.
Ning Xue inhaled and exhaled, barely managing to keep herself from getting angry. "Okay, I'll do as you say."
There was no way out. She spent all the money she earned every month. If she wanted to buy an electric fan, Su Junyan would have to pay for it the most. She could only swallow her anger.
In September, the eldest child was in the third grade and the second daughter was in the second grade.
Although Sanwa is only six years old this year, he is smart and clever. He is not afraid of being bullied by older children when he goes to school. Besides, he has the protection of the eldest child, the king of the children.
Chen Lie discussed with Ning Tang and suggested that Sanwa go directly to first grade at the beginning of school.
Ning Tang agreed of course. She thought the sooner she started school, the better.
So now there is another elementary school student in the family.
In the final exam of the second semester of the second grade, Da Wa's Chinese score was not good again, and he was still hovering around the passing line. Chen Lie started to ask Ning Tang to help Da Wa with tutoring again.
On Saturday afternoon, Chen Lie returned to the army after lunch, saying that he had to attend a meeting. Before leaving, he asked Ning Tang to make sure that Da Wa studied.
Ning Tang glanced at the wall clock. It was 1:15. He called out to Da Wa, "Your father has given you orders. Hurry up and start working after the class starts."
Sanwa was so amused that he giggled, "Hahaha, Mom, why do you talk so much like——"
"Like what?" Erniu asked.
The eldest child said, "They look like devils, or the bad devils who caught me for tutoring."
Ning Tang's imitation was particularly like the Japanese devils in "Two Little Eighth Route Army Soldiers". When Da Wa said this, Er Niu and San Wa also remembered it and laughed with their hands covering their mouths.
Ning Tang glared at him, "How dare you say that? You didn't do well in the exam last time, so why would Erniu, Sanwa and I stay here to study with you?"
The eldest child raised his hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, it's my fault. Then dear mother, great mother, what should we learn now?"
Ning Tang was disgusted by him and got goosebumps. "Let's study Chinese first. I'll give you some exercises so you can practice making sentences."
She felt that another important reason why the eldest child did not perform well in the Chinese test was that his thinking was too active, or too unconventional.
For example, during the final exam for the second semester of second grade, there was a question on the Chinese test paper asking the eldest child to make a sentence using the word "originally".
Most children can make sentences like, "It turns out there is a stone here" or "It turns out the sky is so blue." At the very least, they can make a sentence like, "It turns out it's raining."
It’s the eldest boy’s turn. He is? How to make a sentence.
"So it's the weekend?"
"So that's it? That's it."
"So he is? My father."
That is? Very careless.
It is also very convenient. If you can avoid writing an extra word, don’t write it.
In the words of the eldest child, it also saves pencils.
Their Chinese teacher is a rather serious person, so naturally he would not give him a high score.
And the first two sentences are fine? Okay, but the last sentence... Ning Tang just wanted to say, let Da Wa hide the test paper quickly and don't let Chen Lie find it, otherwise he will definitely be in trouble.
It’s time to start studying, and Ning Tang assigned tasks to the three little ones.
The eldest child is still the same, studying Chinese and math together. The second child is consolidating the knowledge she learned in the second grade. The third child has just entered the first grade, and it is difficult to tell how his grades are. Ning Tang asked him to trace big characters like the second child who just started learning.
After making arrangements for the three little ones, she cut a plate of watermelon and honeydew melon, leaned on the rocking chair on the windowsill, picked up a book to read, and after turning a few pages, she would fork a piece of watermelon or honeydew melon to eat. She felt very comfortable.
After all, the three of them are still children, and their concentration is not as strong as that of adults. They can't sit still after studying for only a while.
The eldest boy twisted left and right as if there were nails under his butt.
Although Erniu was still sitting at the desk obediently, her eyes were blank and she was obviously distracted.
Ning Tang leaned over to look at Sanwa's draft paper. As he wrote, the big characters turned into a mess of threads.
It seemed that the three little ones had no interest in studying. Ning Tang waved his hand and said, "Let's go out and play."
"Play?!" Upon hearing this, the eldest child immediately became excited.
"Right, didn't I tell you last time? Combine work and rest, learn more and play more." Ning Tang glanced at the wall clock. "You've been studying from a little after one until a little after three. It's time for us to go out and play."
Erniu asked excitedly, "Mom, where are we going? Are we still going to the beach to fly kites?"
"Yes, we're going to the beach, but not to fly a kite." Ning Tang said.
Sanwa asked, "Then why go to the beach, swim?"
"Let's go to the beach and pick up shells to decorate our house."
When Ning Tang went to the beach to fly a kite before, he found that there were many beautiful shells on the beach. He could pick them up and string them into shell wind chimes and hang them under the eaves. When the wind blew, the shells would collide and make crisp sounds.
Sanwa pouted, "But? I want to swim."
As the weather gets hotter, the kids all want to go swimming.
"Wait a minute? When your dad is free, I will go with him to take you to the beach. Those who want to swim can swim, and those who want to pick up shells can pick up shells." Ning Tang comforted them.
"What do you mean by 'wait until I'm free'?" A deep voice came from the door.
Ning Tang turned around in surprise and found Chen Lie back. "Aren't you going to a meeting? Why are you back so early?"
The army meeting started right away and lasted until the evening. Ning Tang was prepared for him not to come back for dinner, but she didn't expect him to come back so early today.
Chen Lie waved his hand. "We were supposed to have a meeting, but we waited for an hour and the commander and division commander didn't show up. We waited another half an hour before Zhang Wenshu said the Central Committee had sent a leader over, and the commander and division commander had gone to accompany them. He then sent us back."
"Let's not talk about this anymore. By the way, what were you talking about just now? I seemed to hear the word 'swimming'." Shen Lie said.
"I was planning to take the three of them to the beach to pick up shells and make shell wind chimes. Sanwa said he wanted to swim, but I couldn't look after three kids by myself, so I said I'd take them swimming next time you were free. This time, we'll pick up shells first." Ning Tang said, "But since you came back early, we should be able to pick up shells and swim again today."
Ning Tang suddenly remembered, "Oh, right, can the three of them swim?"
"Of course not, otherwise I wouldn't have stopped them from going to the beach before." Chen Lie said, "But it's not too late to teach them now. If a child who grew up on an island couldn't swim, people would laugh at him if they told others about it."
The sooner you learn the skill of swimming, the better.
It is impossible for him and Ning Tang to keep an eye on the three children all the time. Learning to swim can also help avoid some dangers.
Shen Lie asked Ning Tang, "Can you swim?"
"Of course." Ning Tang made up an excuse, "There's a river on the mountain near Shangang Village. I learned to swim there with my brother when I was a kid."
Chen Lie nodded, believing it without a doubt. After all, the fresh big carp they ate in Shangang Village during the New Year was caught by Ning Weiguo and Ning Weidang by taking Ning De to the river to break the ice.
Ning Tang asked, "What do I need to prepare for swimming lessons? Do I need a change of clothes? Or should I bring an extra set of dry clothes to change into after swimming?"
What would she need then? She had to prepare a lot, including swimsuits, swimming caps, and goggles. If she was missing one of them, she wouldn't be allowed into the swimming pool.
Chen Lie said, "Oh, what's there to prepare? Just wear what they're wearing. When we get to the beach, the eldest and third kids still have to take off their shirts and leave them in their pants. You don't need to bring extra clothes. It's hot now, so after swimming, your clothes will dry quickly."
The three children were wearing the clothes that Ningtang had made for them today, dark short-sleeved tops and shorts.
The eldest and third children are boys. They took off their shirts and only wore shorts, and they were not afraid of being seen.
Erniu is still underdeveloped and she is wearing dark clothes, so it doesn't matter if they get wet.
At four o'clock sharp, we set off for the beach.
The three little kids were so excited at the thought of going swimming (playing in the water) and picking up shells that they kept urging Ning Tang and Chen Lie to hurry up.
They were arguing at the door, which immediately caught Ning Xue's attention.
Through the crack in the window, she saw Ning Tang, Chen Lie and three other children, all carrying buckets in their hands. Then, looking at the direction they were heading, she knew they were going to the beach to play.
She curled her lips in disdain and thought to herself, go ahead and play, play more, and when you fail your studies and the college entrance examination, you will regret it.
The family of five had no idea what Ning Xue was thinking about them, and even if they knew, it wouldn't affect their good mood for playing.
When they got to the beach, Shen Lie taught the three children how to swim.
Ning Tang had nothing to do, so he took off his shoes and walked on the beach, feeling the comfort of the sea water covering his feet.
Occasionally picking up some abalone, jellyfish or something like that, how pleasant is that?
I just pick them up for fun, picking up whatever I see without looking for them intentionally. After all, I don't expect to fill my stomach with them, I just want to feel the fun of going to the beach.
I don’t know whether it’s because Chen Lie taught well, or because the three children were smart and learned quickly.
It didn't take long before the three children were splashing around in the sea. Although their postures were not very graceful and they landed on the ground after swimming for a while, at least they were swimming, right?
Ning Tang took a quick look and saw that Chen Lie was taking his three children with him and was not heading towards the deep water. He was staying at the shallows as he was also afraid of danger.
Big Boy and Third Boy were so excited in the sea that Big Boy scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on Third Boy's face. Third Boy was splashed right on the face and he was not convinced so he scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on Big Boy as well.
Unexpectedly, Da Wa dodged quickly, and the water didn't splash him, but instead splashed Chen Lie.
Facing the gaze from Chen Lie, San Wa chuckled twice, pointed at Da Wa and said, "Dad, it was Brother who splashed water on you."
Chen Lie wiped it around his face, wiping away the water droplets. "Third kid, guess whether I believe it or not."
Sanwa laughed guiltily twice.
After playing for a while, Da Wa called out to Ning Tang on the shore, "Mom, come and play with us."
Ning Tang waved her hand to indicate that she would not go.
Nowadays, the environment is not open to the point where women can swim freely, even if they are wrapped up tightly. If she goes into the water, her curves will definitely be exposed.
Chen Lie also thought of this. Floating in the sea, he patted the eldest child on the head and said, "Since your mother isn't playing, you should learn to swim well. Later, I'll let you compete with the third child to see who swims faster."
The eldest child pouted and pointed at the third child, who had completely shaken off his novice phase and was swimming freely in the sea like a small fish. He said, "Who can outswim him?"
Chen Lie was also puzzled. Sanwa learned to swim so quickly, as if he was born for it.
Erniu swam for a while and felt bored, so she came to play with Ningtang.
The mother and daughter were picking up shells on the beach. The white shells were only the size of a thumb, delicate and cute. Occasionally, they could pick up colorful shells, purple, yellow, pink, and threaded ones. There were all kinds of shells.
Erniu's eyes lit up, and she quickly ran two steps and picked up a 'shell', "Mom, this shell looks so weird."
Ning Tang took a quick look. The shell Erniu had picked up was bigger than her two palms combined. She said in surprise, "This doesn't seem to be an ordinary shell."
Chen Lie brought the eldest and third children back to the shore after their swim. Upon hearing this, he said, "This should be a pearl oyster."
'Pearl oyster' is just a reference, and he doesn't know the real scientific name. However, the shells that can produce pearls are all called pearl oysters by the fishermen on the coast, so he just calls them that.
This thing is very rare and is usually found in deeper seas. This one must have been washed ashore by the sea.
Hearing the word "Pearl", the eldest and third children leaned over to look.
The pearl oyster in front of you, judging from its appearance, is actually similar to a scallop, except that its shell is much smoother and more lustrous than that of a scallop. Facing the sunlight, the surface of the shell is shimmering and very beautiful.
Erniu was very surprised and kept asking, "Is there a pearl in there?"
Chen Lie took a look at the size of the pearl oyster. A pearl oyster this big should have pearls, so he said with certainty, "Yes."
"Wow!" Erniu jumped three times in surprise.
Ning Tang smiled and said, "When we get home, we'll open it. If we get enough pearls, I'll make you a pearl bracelet to wear on your wrist."
Erniu touched the shell lovingly, "What if there's only one?"
Chen Lie continued, "Same, I'll string them together and tie them around your neck."
Ning Tang looked at the sky. It was already late, and the sun was about to sink below the sea level. He waved his hand and said, "Let's go home."
After returning home, Chen Lie asked Ning Tang and San Xiao what they wanted to eat.
The eldest child rolled his eyes and said, "Can I eat anything I want?"
Chen Lie sneered, "If you really want to eat dragon liver and phoenix gall, Shen Dawa, I advise you not to open your mouth."
Big Baby pouted and said, "I don't want to eat dragon liver and phoenix gall. I just want to eat French fries and hamburgers."
Erniu and Sanwa nodded excitedly, "Yes, we want to eat French fries and hamburgers."
"French fries and... hamburgers?" Shen Lie was stunned.
"They heard on the radio that foreigners eat French fries and hamburgers." Ning Tang shrugged. "They said they were delicious, so they wanted to eat them too."
Chen Lie was in a dilemma. These French fries and hamburgers were only sold in foreign restaurants. Where could he get them for them?
Erniu pulled Chen Lie's arm and acted coquettishly, "Dad, I want to eat French fries. I heard they are made from potatoes. We have potatoes at home."
Chen Lie said gently, "How about this? Next time we go to the city and see if there are any foreign restaurants. If there are, I'll take you there to eat French fries and hamburgers."
Do we have to wait until next time? The three little ones' faces visibly fell.
Ning Tang whispered to him, "Oh, this isn't that simple. Cut the potatoes into strips, fry them in a pan, and sprinkle some salt on them. Then they become French fries."
Chen Lie thought about it for a moment, felt it was feasible, and asked again, "What about hamburgers?"
Ning Tang glared at him and said, "Take the leftover steamed bun from this morning and cut it in half into steamed bun slices. Put two slices of meat, cucumber slices, and vegetables in the middle, and then stuff two sausages my mom sent over. Now it's a hamburger, right?" How could this guy be so inflexible?
Shen Lie frowned and asked, "Can this be done?"
"It'll work." Ning Tang glanced at the three children and whispered, "Anyway, they haven't eaten it before, so they can eat whatever you cook."
Chen Lie was still a little hesitant, so Ning Tang told him to just go ahead and do it. "It's okay, just do it. Let them have a taste of what foreigners eat. It's so fashionable."
Anyway, the three little ones have never eaten real French fries and hamburgers. Even if Chen Lie makes a potato pancake and tells them it is French fries, or makes a bread and tells them it is a hamburger, as long as it tastes good, the three little ones will believe it.
If we don't do it, Erniu and Sanwa will be fine, but the greedy eldest boy will make a fuss to the sky. Even if he doesn't make a fuss today, he will make a fuss tomorrow.
Chen Lie muttered a few words and rolled up his sleeves. "Okay, I'll make you some fries and hamburgers right away."
He went to cook, and Ning Tang took the eldest, second and third children to clean the shells they had picked up.
Use an old toothbrush to carefully clean the surface and gaps of the shells to remove dirt and residual sand.
After cleaning, the shells are soaked in water, and under the light, the shiny surface sparkles.
Erniu took out the pearl shell she had picked up and asked Ning Tang to help her open it.
Ning Tang took out the small knife he used to open oysters, found the gap between the shells, and pried the pearl oyster open with the knife.
She reached out and pressed the pearl sac in the white shell meat, and a thumb-sized, smooth and round white pearl was squeezed out of the sac.
She washed the pearls in water, rubbed off the sticky liquid on the surface of the pearls, and handed them to Erniu.
Erniu held the pearl in her arms, cherishing it dearly, yet also feeling somewhat regretful. "If only the pearl oyster were alive, it would be much better. We could raise it and maybe it would produce more pearls."
This pearl oyster was already dead when it was washed ashore, otherwise it could be revived.
In Ning Tang's opinion, this kind of natural pearl is not as round as artificial pearls. It feels a bit flat and round. After all, it is natural, but it is much more lustrous than artificial pearls.
Erniu said, "Mom, I want to wear the pearls around my neck."
I don't have any drilling tools at home, so it's quite troublesome to wear pearls.
However, Ning Tang thought of an idea. She took out black thread from the sewing basket and weaved a "cage" that was just big enough to hold the whole pearl. Then she passed a thread through the two ends of the "cage" and tied it around Erniu's neck, which also looked beautiful.
Sure enough, Erniu took the new "jewelry" very preciously, and kept looking at herself in the mirror and asking Da Wa and San Wa if it looked good.
The eldest and third child really couldn't appreciate it. To them, these pearls were not as interesting and beautiful as the marbles they usually played with.
The meal was ready, and Chen Lie brought French fries and hamburgers to the table.
Ning Tang took a quick look and it turned out to be just potato strips and steamed buns with meat in between.
Fortunately, the three children are still very willing to pay the bill.
Da Wa pinched a French fry between his index finger and thumb, imitating the way foreigners ate Western food as reported on the radio. He dipped the French fry into the tomato sauce that Ning Tang had taught Chen Lie to make, and ate it, praising it generously. "It's delicious, crispy and soft, with a sweet and salty taste. So this is how foreigners eat French fries."
Erniu grabbed the hamburger with both hands and took a bite. The flavor of the meat patty, the juiciness of the sausage, the refreshing taste of the cucumber slices, and the sweetness of the lettuce mixed together had a rich taste and was extremely delicious.
Sanwa doesn't like to eat the whole hamburger like Erniu does. He likes to eat it piece by piece.
Eat the steamed bread slices first, then the meat patties, then the sausages, and finally the cucumber slices and lettuce.
It can be seen that the three little ones are eating very happily.
As he ate, the eldest child nodded and said, "Really? I envy foreigners for being able to eat such delicious food every day."
Chen Lie thought, I really managed to fool these three brats.
Ning Tang, however, felt a pang of sadness in his heart.
Unexpectedly, these fake 'French fries' and 'hamburgers' actually fooled Da Wa and the other three.
After all, it was because of the material scarcity in those days and the three of them had never tasted any real good food, so they were easily fooled by these shoddy versions of 'French fries' and 'hamburgers'.
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