The eldest child rolled his eyes and said loudly, "Mom."
Ning Tang scratched his ear and said, "I heard it. I'm not deaf."
Da Wa pointed at Chen Lie and said, "Dad threatened me. He said he would beat me."
Ning Tang smiled and said, "I think you deserve a beating, Shen Dawa. There's a saying that goes, 'You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want.' Just because you cursed me and your father, if he really beats you, you deserve it."
Chen Lie raised his hand and slapped Da Wa on the back of the head, "Did you hear that?"
The eldest child pursed his lips and said, "I heard it."
After eating the rice dumplings, Da Wa and the other two went out to play.
Da Wa first took Er Niu and San Wa to find Da Hu, and then went to Ding Ronghua's house to find Wang Zhuangzhuang. A group of little friends teamed up to play the ghost-catching game in the open space of the military family compound.
In the first round, the eldest child plays the ghost, and the third child kicks the tin cans circled around in the open space far away. The eldest child goes to pick up the tin cans, and once he picks them up, he can start catching people.
Several children took turns being ghosts and had a lot of fun.
Ning Xue could hear Da Wa's cheers even when she was weeding in the yard.
She stood up and looked out. Seeing the eldest, second, and third children all there, her eyes twinkled as she called out to the twins, "Guangzong, Yaozu, you don't have to study today. I'm giving you a day off. Go out and play."
In the living room, Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu, who were doing the homework assigned by Ning Xue, were not happy at first, but disbelief.
They looked at each other and saw suspicion in each other's eyes.
When did their mother become so kind? Instead of forcing them to study, she sent them out to play?
Ning Xue called out again, and the twins finally came out reluctantly. Su Guangzong pursed his lips and whispered, "Mom, can we really go out and play?"
Ning Xue smiled gently, "Of course, today is the Dragon Boat Festival, I'll give you some fresh air, go out and have some fun with your friends."
Su Yaozu jumped three feet high on the spot, "Great, thank you, Mom."
He couldn't wait to grab Su Guangzong's hand and wanted to run out to play, "Then let's go."
Before he could take two steps, he was stopped by Ning Xue, "Don't worry, change your clothes first."
Su Guangzong was stunned: "Mom, why do we need to change clothes before going out to play?"
He looked at his body. He was wearing the blue shirt and white shorts that Ning Xue had made for them years ago. Was there anything wrong with that?
Ning Xue smiled and didn't respond. Instead, she said, "Didn't I sew you those clothes with wolf and tiger heads on them not long ago? Wear them when you go out."
Su Guangzong wanted to ask more questions but was pulled back by Su Yaozu.
A sly glint flashed across Su Yaozu's eyes, and with his handsome face, he looked quite clever. "Mom, we got it. Let's go change it right away."
Ning Xue smiled with satisfaction.
Although they are twins, Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu have very different personalities. Su Guangzong is a little more "stupid" than Su Yaozu and sometimes can't quite understand what she means.
In comparison, Su Yaozu understood everything at once, which was more to Ning Xue's liking.
She touched Su Yaozu's head and said, "Yaozu is so smart. Go change your clothes."
Su Guangzong pursed his lips, a look of disappointment flashing in his eyes.
Su Yaozu curled the corners of his mouth and glanced at his brother with a hint of pride.
But Ning Xue didn't see any of this.
Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu changed their clothes and were about to go out when they were stopped by Ning Xue again.
She grabbed a handful of candy from the cupboard and said, "Put it in your pocket and eat it while you play." After thinking for a moment, she gave each of the twins fifty cents.
Ning Xue gave the twins milk candy. At home, the twins could only eat one occasionally, so she gave each of them a big handful.
Su Guangzong swallowed his saliva and asked, "Mom, can we really eat these candies?"
"Eat it. Eat it all? That's fine." Ning Xue's eyes flashed with a trace of pain. "I bought it for you guys to eat, didn't I?"
Su Yaozu approached Ning Xue, showering her with compliments as if they were free. "Mom, you're so kind. I really love you so much. The teacher said a mother's love is like a mountain, and that's what it means to be a good mother like you."
Su Guangzong was not good at speaking, so he only learned one sentence from Su Yaozu, "I like mom too."
Ning Xue touched the twins' heads and whispered a few words into Su Yaozu's ear.
Su Yaozu raised the corner of his mouth and said crisply, "Mom, we promise to complete the task."
Ning Xue smiled even more happily and patted their shoulders. "Okay, go play."
Su Yaozu pulled Su Guangzong out of the door. After walking for a while, they saw Dawa and a group of children coming towards them.
It was mid-June and the weather was extremely hot. The kids started sweating after playing for a while, so a group of them decided to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy popsicles to quench their thirst and cool down.
Su Yaozu's eyes flickered, and he pulled Su Guangzong to join the group of children, repeatedly asking, "Where are you going?"
Although the twins have the bad habit of comparing their grades with others before deciding whether to play with them, children have short memories and don't hold grudges. Even if they have a fight today, they will be fine tomorrow.
So, as soon as he spoke, a kid named Ma Dongdong immediately chimed in, "Let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy some popsicles."
Su Guangzong understood a little, "Oh, then we will go with you."
A group of children arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative.
The eldest child asked the second and third children, "What flavor of popsicles do you two want?"
Erniu said, "I want the white peach flavor."
"Then I want lychee flavor." said Sanwa.
The eldest boy paid for three flavors of popsicles and sat in a row with the second girl and the third girl on the dirt platform in front of the supply and marketing cooperative.
The other kids also bought popsicles and sat close to the three little ones. For a while, the sound of licking popsicles was everywhere.
Ma Dongdong ate a popsicle and said enviously, "Did you see the clothes Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu are wearing? They look so nice."
Wang Zhuangzhuang chimed in, "See? There's a wolf and a tiger sewn on their chests, just like the real thing."
Da Hu pursed his lips and said, "I'm so envious. They have new clothes to wear every day."
Ma Dongdong quickly asked Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu, "Hey, where did you two buy the clothes you are wearing? I asked my mother to buy me one too."
Ma Dongdong's father is the deputy chief of staff, and his mother is a nurse at the island's health center. They are both working, and he is their only son. His family is well off, so he can buy whatever he wants. Basically, as long as he mentions it to his parents, they will always agree.
Su Guangzong puffed out his chest, his eyes gleaming with pride. "No, I didn't buy it. My mom made it for us. Do you see the wolf and tiger heads on it? Don't they look real? I'm telling you, my mom sewed it with several different colored threads and even inlaid it with sequins. Don't they sparkle in the sun?"
When Da Wa looked closely, he found that the wolf and tiger heads on Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu's chests were indeed lifelike and majestic, just like the real ones.
Ma Dongdong puffed up his cheeks. "Your mom is really good at cooking. Unlike my mom, she's clumsy. Last time, my pocket leaked, so I asked her to fix it. She said it was fixed, so I put money in my pocket without worry. But I lost it after school that day. It was two cents."
Dahu was also very envious. Although their family conditions were much better than before, clothes could not be made casually.
Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu showed off in front of the children, then ran to the eldest, second, and third children and asked repeatedly, "Is it? Is it very beautiful?"
Little boys may like patterns like wolf and tiger heads, but Erniu is not interested in them at all.
After suffering a loss from a crispy chicken drumstick once, Da Wa is not so easily fooled.
Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu just wanted to trick him into going home and getting beaten with a rolling pin!
I suddenly became alert and didn't even bother to look.
After all, Sanwa was still young and had no concentration. He kept staring at Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu's clothes, his big eyes full of envy.
Seeing this, Su Yaozu deliberately showed the clothes to Sanwa, "It looks good, doesn't it? Sanwa, you can go home and ask your mom to make one for you. Your mom and my mom are cousins. If my mom can make this, your mom will definitely be able to do it too."
Sanwa blinked.
Seeing that Sanxiao seemed a little unmoved, Su Yaozu rolled his eyes, took out a handful of candies from his pocket, and slowly peeled off the candy wrappers.
"Wow, it's milk candy." Another child named Zhang Jianshe swallowed greedily.
Su Yaozu smiled and said, "My mom bought them too. She has a job and can work and earn money. She uses all her earnings to buy delicious food for me and my brother. Our family not only has milk candy, but also glutinous rice sticks, rice flower candy, and so on. There are so many delicious things."
Now even Ma Dongdong was envious. He had bad teeth and his parents didn't allow him to eat too many snacks.
He howled, "I really envy you guys! I wish I could have endless snacks every day."
"You can also ask your parents to buy it for you." Su Yaozu said, "My mom said that this candy is made from condensed milk. One candy is equivalent to three cups of milk. It's better than drinking milk."
When saying "better than drinking milk", Su Yaozu glanced at Da Wa, Er Niu and San Wa with the corner of his eye, with a hint of pride.
With a smile on his face, he winked at Su Guangzong.
Su Guangzong understood and turned to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy six popsicles.
He had three, and Su Yaozu had three.
There are three flavors, which are exactly the same as the three that the eldest, second and third kids eat.
Su Yaozu took the popsicle and licked it exaggeratedly.
Every time he licked it, he could hear the distinct sound of swallowing saliva.
The group of children had finished their popsicles long ago, and now they could only watch Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu eat their popsicles and swallow their saliva.
Su Yaozu was very proud. He had chosen this time on purpose.
Popsicles at the supply and marketing cooperative cost one cent each, and not every child had pocket money. Among the children in Da Wa's group, not many could afford popsicles, let alone people like Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu who ate three each!
Luxury, really luxury.
Da Hu swallowed, turned around, and found that Da Wa didn't seem moved at all. He was stunned for a moment and asked him, "Aren't you envious?"
The eldest child frowned and said, "Why should I envy them? I just think they are wasting money."
Erniu and Sanwa nodded and said in unison, "I think they're very wasteful, too."
The weather was hot and the popsicle melted quickly. The twins deliberately ate it very slowly. After just a few licks, the popsicle melted into a puddle of water, and only a tiny bit went into their mouths.
Ever since they started doing housework for Ning Tang and Shen Lie to earn pocket money, the three little ones have developed a good concept of money.
Unless something is necessary, they will not buy it. They will save as much as possible and use the saved money to buy books to fill their bookshelves.
So when he saw Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu being so wasteful, Da Wa frowned subconsciously. A popsicle cost one cent, which was equivalent to one day of housework for them.
Doing housework is tiring. Take washing dishes for example. You have to rinse the dishes, scrub them with a loofah, and then scrub them clean. There are several steps involved, and you have to repeat them several times to get them clean.
It takes so much hard work to earn a penny.
A book costs at least two dollars, which requires doing chores two hundred times to earn.
Over time, the three little ones understood better how difficult it is for adults to make money.
Although the Su family is rich, the money did not come from the wind. It was earned by Su Junyan and Ning Xue through hard work.
The money that was worked so hard for was just wasted by Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu.
Big Boy sighed and shook his head.
Erniu looked at the puddle on the ground, a hint of disapproval flashing in her eyes. She said to Da Wa, "They're really wasteful. That's food. Mom told us that in corners of the world we can't see, there are still many people who have nothing to eat or water to drink." She paused and whispered, "It would be great if the food wasted by Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu was given to those who have nothing to eat."
The eldest and third children nodded in agreement.
The three little ones were whispering to each other, and their voices were so low that Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu couldn't hear them.
But seeing how they kept shaking their heads and sighing, Su Yaozu guessed that they were probably envious and jealous, so they kept shaking their heads and sighing, thinking that their family didn't have such good conditions that they could be like them, wearing beautiful new clothes, eating candies, and buying popsicles at will.
Thinking of this, Su Yaozu was so happy that he deliberately said loudly to Su Guangzong, "Oh, how come the popsicle melted so quickly? I feel like I didn't get to eat anything. How about buying three more?"
Su Guangzong echoed him, saying loudly, "It's okay. We have plenty of pocket money, so we can buy whatever we want. Don't even mention three, we can afford thirty."
What? I can afford thirty of them!
Ma Dongdong's eyes widened. "Wow, you guys are so rich. By the way, how much pocket money do you have?"
Ma Dongdong is already considered a child with relatively high pocket money. With ten cents a day, he can buy most snacks in the supply and marketing cooperative, otherwise he won’t damage his teeth.
He wondered in his heart, could it be that Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu had more pocket money than he did?
He made ten cents a day, which was three dollars a month. There were few kids on the entire island who were more generous than him.
Su Yaozu threw away the popsicle stick, wiped his hands, and said indifferently, "About two or three cents a day."
He was telling the truth. Ning Xue gave all her salary to the twins as pocket money.
Even though Ning Xue wanted to save money to buy electrical appliances recently, she still saved money to give pocket money to the twins.
It used to be two or three cents a day, and now it’s only three or five cents a day? It’s still there.
No? It won't stop Su Yaozu from bragging.
Ma Dongdong howled like a monkey, "I'm so envious of you." He rubbed his hands together, his eyes filled with anticipation, "Well, let me ask you something, are you still in need of children?"
Su Guangzong was not willing to share his pocket money with others, and curled his lips, "Not short of it."
He took out the remaining 43 cents from his pocket after buying popsicles, counted them in front of a group of children, and sighed deliberately, "Oh, this is so much, how can I spend it all?"
Ma Dongdong's eyes were almost glued to the money, and the envy in Dahu's eyes was almost turning into reality.
It turns out what the twins said was true! They really do have so much pocket money!
The three little ones were fine. They each had savings, which were all kept in their own piggy banks, and the amount was no less than the 43 cents in front of them.
So I just took a look and then looked away.
Seeing their behavior, Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu didn't dare to look at them any longer, for fear of being envied, jealous, and jealous.
Su Yaozu was overjoyed, thinking that after completing Ning Xue's task, Ning Xue would definitely reward them. Would it be a delicious reward or something fun? He couldn't help but start to imagine.
Su Guangzong continued to encourage him, "Actually, you can go home and ask your parents for pocket money." He glanced at Sanwa, "You can also go back and ask your mother to make you beautiful clothes."
"My mom is my stepmother, but she's still so kind to me and my brother. Your mom can't do that, right?"
Ma Dongdong thought, yes.
Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu's biological mothers have left the island, and now the twins' mother is their stepmother.
A stepmother can prepare good clothes for them, buy them delicious food, and give them lots of pocket money every day.
Why can't his own mother do it?
Su Yaozu covered his mouth and smiled, "We were just saying it casually, don't take it to heart."
He winked at Su Guangzong and said, "Come on, brother, let's go buy some popsicles."
After the twins left, the remaining kids had no interest in playing anymore and were all thinking about what the twins had said.
Yes, they are all parents. Why can Ning Xue do it but their parents can’t?
They also want nice clothes! They want candy! They want two or three cents of pocket money a day!
The group of kids made up their minds and went home in high spirits.
Da Wa and the other two also went home.
After playing for a whole afternoon, I was already starving.
As soon as we got home, the eldest child yelled, "Mom, what's for dinner?"
Ning Tang: "Eat cold noodles."
I ate too many rice dumplings at noon and was afraid that I couldn’t digest them, so I just had some simple cold noodles for dinner.
Chen Lie brought over five bowls of cold noodles. The thin strips of buckwheat noodles were soaked in a light red sweet and sour soup. Shredded cucumbers and carrots, halved cherry tomatoes, and half a tea egg were neatly arranged on the noodles. The sight of them was appetizing.
The eldest child's little face was almost buried in the bowl. As he ate, he said, "The cold noodles are delicious."
It is really delicious, the soup is sweet and sour, the noodles are chewy, and the side dishes are refreshing. It is perfect for summer.
Erniu eats much more gracefully than him. Although her movements are slow, she eats no slower than Da Wa.
Sanwa held a mouthful of noodles in his mouth, his cheeks bulging like a little hamster.
He swallowed the noodles, rolled his eyes, picked up a piece of pickled radish from the plate with his chopsticks, and put it in Ning Tang's bowl, "Mom, you eat it."
Ning Tang responded with a "yes" and picked up the pickled radish to eat with the cold noodles. The pickled radish was crisp and had a hint of garlic, which went perfectly with the chewy noodles.
Seeing that Ning Tang had finished eating, most of the cold noodles in the bowl were gone.
Sanwa blinked, but didn't wait for Ning Tang to respond before taking her bowl. "Mom, let me make you some noodles."
Ning Tang raised an eyebrow, enjoying his youngest son's service, "Okay, can you bring more soup too?"
After dinner, Ning Tang cleared the table.
Sanwa rolled up his sleeves and gave Ning Tang a flattering smile, revealing two dimples on his face, "Mom, I'll help you clean up."
Ning Tang put the bowl in his hand on the table, “Sanwa Shen, tell me, what do you want to do.”
This kind of offering is really an eyesore.
Sanwa rolled his eyes and said, "I don't want to do anything. I want something."
Ning Tang sneered, "If you want the moon under the water or the stars in the sky, I advise you not to talk about it."
Sanwa waved his hands, "How is that possible?" He looked at Ning Tang expectantly, "Mom, I want clothes."
Ning Tang glanced at his clothes and asked, "What's wrong? Are they old and torn? Do they need patching?"
She made these clothes for the three little ones during the Chinese New Year. They were the same as before, plain and without any patterns, in solid colors. Although not particularly colorful, they were simple and elegant.
Sanwa pursed his lips and said, "Not really? I don't want clothes. I want you to help me sew a pattern on the clothes."
"Pattern?" Ning Tang was stunned.
Sanwa curled his lips and gestured, "Yes, sew a big tiger or wolf, a very majestic one. Make it very realistic, just like the real thing. Use multiple colors of thread and embed sequins. If possible, sew one on the pants, and preferably one on the back as well."
Ning Tang was happy: "Chen Sanwa, I am your mother, not the turtle in the wishing pool."
"If I could sew, I would have sewn clothes for you long ago."
She really doesn't have the skill.
Not? What kind of intangible cultural heritage is it?
As a person from the modern era, she types on the computer and mobile phone every day. Let alone holding an embroidery needle or operating a sewing machine, sometimes she even feels unfamiliar when picking up a pen.
Sanwa pouted so hard that a soy sauce bottle could be hung on it. He pulled Ning Tang and refused to give in, crying, "I don't care, I don't care, I just want it."
Chen Lie frowned and said, "A real man should shed blood and sweat, not tears. How can you cry like a child just for a piece of clothing? Even if your mother can make it, I won't let her make it for you."
Upon hearing this, Sanwa cried even harder, rolling on the ground and saying, "I don't care, I want it. I'm still young, I'm not a real man."
Chen Lie really wanted to beat him up now, and asked Ning Tang, "Where did you put your rolling pin? Help me find it, or I'll beat him up today."
When Sanwa heard that his father was going to beat him, he was so scared that he hid behind Ning Tang.
Ning Tang said, "Don't scare him. You said it yourself. It's just a piece of clothing. Sanwa, where can I buy the kind of clothes you want? I'll take you there in a few days."
Chen Lie blew his beard and glared, "Buy? Buy a shit. If you don't buy it for him, then you have to cure his bad habit of wanting everything he sees every day."
Ning Tang glanced at him sideways, "When you were Sanwa's age, didn't you act like him? Throwing a tantrum and asking for things?"
Of course there are, and they are even more noisy than Sanwa.
Chen Lie choked and was speechless.
Ning Tang then said to Sanwa, "Tell me, where can I buy those clothes with wolf and tiger stitching?"
Seeing Ning Tang leaning towards him, Sanwa stopped wiping his tears and hiccuped while stammering, "I can't buy it."
Ning Tang raised an eyebrow, "How do you know it's not available?"
Sanwa: "Su Yaozu said that the clothes with wolf and tiger patterns were sewn by their mother. You can't buy them in department stores."
Erniu chimed in, "He just saw Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu wearing them and thought they looked good, so he wanted one too."
Ning Tang was stunned and asked the three children to repeat to her in detail what happened in the afternoon.
After hearing this, she couldn't help but twitched the corners of her mouth.
Well, it’s directed at her again.
Her family ordered milk, so Ning Xue bought milk candies for the twins.
She even said that one piece of candy is equivalent to three cups of milk. How could she say that?
Ning Tang washed the towel and wiped Sanwa's face. "Sanwa, you are really promising. Is it worth crying like this just for a piece of clothing?"
Sanwa also felt embarrassed and let Ning Tang wipe his face.
He sniffed and glanced at Ning Tang cautiously, "Mom, you're not angry, are you?"
Ning Tang was happy, "What are you angry about? I'm not angry."
She didn't blame Sanwa. It was normal for children to have low self-control and want something when they saw others had it.
Sanwa has always liked big tigers and majestic wolves. For example, when he was making a kite last time, Ning Tang drew a tiger for him and he loved it.
Not to mention Sanwa, she is an adult and when she sees something she likes, she can't help but want to buy it.
The real bad guy is Ning Xue, who deliberately let the twins show off in front of Sanwa.
Ning Tang asked, "Sanwa, do you really want to sew clothes with wolf and tiger heads on them?"
Sanwa's eyes were full of anticipation. "I want one... not necessarily a tiger or a wolf, but anything with a nice pattern." He quickly added, "Mom, I can help you with the housework every day. Can you please sew one for me?"
He pulled Ning Tang's hand and acted coquettishly.
Ning Tang thought about it for a moment and came up with an idea. He assured Sanwa, "Don't worry, I promise to make you a piece of clothing with beautiful patterns." The mountain man had his own clever plan.
The three kids nodded frantically. "Okay," they said.
When Da Wa and Er Niu heard her answer, their eyes lit up immediately. They looked at Ning Tang in unison and stretched out their voices, "Mom——"
"Don't worry, you two won't be short of it either." Ning Tang said.
Sanwa was so happy that he kept saying nice things as if they were free. "Mom, you are so nice."
Ning Tang was both angry and amused, "Don't call me mom, I'm the turtle in the wishing well."
"Pfft." Shen Lie couldn't help laughing.
Ning Tang glanced at him, and he immediately straightened his face and said, "I didn't hear it."
As they were talking, a piercing shout suddenly came from outside the house, "Ning Xue, get out here!"
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