Although not everyone is like Ning Xue, who can cook delicious food and sew beautiful clothes.
But we are not useless, everyone has advantages.
Ning Xue does have many advantages. Her existence is like the moon in the sky. Even if it covers the entire moon, the other stars can still shine.
Her words praised everyone in the room. The military wives immediately smiled and praised Ning Tang for her good speaking skills.
After eating, all the military wives left, leaving only Zeng Xinlan.
Zeng Xinlan took Ning Tang's drawing, glanced at it for a few seconds, and then figured out how to sew it. "Don't worry, Xiao Ning, I'll take care of it."
Ning Tang has helped her so much, now it's her turn to contribute.
Zeng Xinlan blinked her eyes. "Xiao Ning, can you give me one? I want to draw one too. I also want to give Da Hu a piece of clothing with a nice pattern."
Da Hu was there on the day Ning Xue instigated the twins to show off. Although he was very sensible, he did not pester Zeng Xinlan to ask her to sew clothes with wolf and tiger heads on them, nor did he pester her for candy or pocket money.
But he is a child after all, and he always lets things slip.
In addition, the incident of Head Nurse Huang and the others coming to settle the score caused such a big fuss that within a few days, Zeng Xinlan knew the whole story.
As soon as she knew it, tears fell from her eyes.
After all, it is because of the poor conditions and lack of money at home that our children can only drool when watching other children eat.
Thinking of Da Hu's understanding and not going home to make a fuss, I felt even more sad.
In the past few months, the clinic was very busy and everyone was busy all the time. This month, they finally had a lot of free time. The leaders of the clinic called them together and said that they had worked hard in the past few months. They gave everyone benefits, which were nothing but cloth coupons.
With the cloth coupons, Zeng Xinlan planned to make a new piece of clothing for Dahu.
She has good skills and can make clothes easily, but she has no idea what pattern to sew on the clothes after thinking about it over and over again.
If I imitate Ning Xue and sew wolf and tiger heads for the twins, it will be inferior and they will wear the same clothes.
So when she saw the beautiful pattern drawn by Ning Tang, she couldn't help but ask her if she could draw one for her too.
Ning Tang dug out the cartoon characters she had drawn for the three little ones from the cabinet. Da Wa and the other three had chosen three, leaving several unused. She handed them to Zeng Xinlan, "Take them back and see which one Da Hu likes. If he doesn't like any of them, have him come to me and I'll draw him another one."
Zeng Xinlan held the paper and said in surprise, "These are good. Dahu will definitely like them."
Ning Tang went upstairs again to get some cloth for her. She had already asked someone to help her sew, so it was impossible for her to ask them to provide more cloth. "Xinlan, please."
She felt a little embarrassed. "You are usually so busy with work, and I am asking you for this."
Zeng Xinlan glared at her. "It's so awkward for you to tell me this. You've helped me so much, and it's hard for me to help you this once. Besides, the pharmacy isn't busy right now, so I have a lot of time to rest and can sew quickly. I'll be able to sew it for you in a month at most."
"Then I'll trouble you, Xinlan." Ning Tang paused and said, "By the way, can you give me some advice? I, I want to sew one for our Captain Shen as well."
Zeng Xinlan's eyes lit up, filled with gossip. She nudged Ning Tang with her shoulder and said mischievously, "What pattern do you want to sew for Captain Shen? Let me think, mandarin ducks playing in the water? A dragon and a phoenix? Or a landscape painting?"
It's no wonder Zeng Xinlan thought of these things. After all, Chen Lie's temperament doesn't match the cartoon characters drawn by Ning Tang at all. The ones she mentioned as examples still have a little possibility.
Ning Tang was amused, "Neither."
She planned to make a white shirt for Chen Lie, the kind with a pocket on the chest. She had also thought about what to sew on it, and she would sew a small word "Chen" on the pocket.
There's no way, with her sewing skills, she can probably only sew this without messing up.
She had a clear understanding of her own ability. Instead of making a fool of herself, she might as well sew something safe that Chen Lie could wear out without being embarrassed.
After deciding what to sew, Ning Tang went to Zeng Xinlan's house every day for more than half a month, one to help her, and the other to ask her how to do needlework.
Although she only needed to sew a small word "Chen", it couldn't be sewn crookedly, after all, Chen Lie had to wear it out on the street.
Ning Tang gave her a lot of cloth. Every time she made a piece of clothing, there would be a lot of extra cloth. She gave all the extra cloth to Zeng Xinlan to make shoe soles. She also gave Zeng Xinlan a piece of Dacron cloth as processing fee.
So for more than half a month, Chen Lie and the three kids watched Ning Tang running out secretly every day.
On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, after eating mooncakes, Ning Tang called Chen Lie and the three little ones over and gave them the clothes she had sewn. "Here, these are the clothes with patterns you asked for."
Zeng Xinlan's craftsmanship is very good, and her sewing is exactly the same as Ning Tang's drawing.
The three little ones loved it so much that Ning Tang asked them to try it on.
The eldest child put on clothes with Ultraman on them and stood in front of the mirror, taking pictures from various angles.
Even if they have never watched cartoons, boys have no resistance to this kind of human-shaped cartoon characters.
Little girls love beautiful things the most. Erniu loves the dress with the flower fairy sewn on it from the bottom of her heart.
She was reluctant to wear it, so she just tried it on once and put it in the box.
Looking at the clothes in the box, Erniu suddenly realized that since Ningtang came home, her clothes seemed to have increased day by day.
In the past, she would worry about her pants being too short and not having enough clothes to wear, but now, she doesn’t have that worry at all, and her suitcase is always full.
The third child changed into clothes with Totoro patterns on them and was reluctant to take them off. "I'm going to sleep in them tonight."
Ning Tang was happy, "It's up to you, you can wear it to school."
The eldest child twisted his body in front of the mirror again and said, "Of course I have to wear it to school to show off."
Chen Lie glared at him, "Don't cause any trouble like Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu. If any of their parents come to visit, I'll definitely give you a beating."
Ning Tang said, "Don't worry, Da Wa knows his limits."
When he shows off, at most he will show it off in front of his good friends and ask them if it looks good. He will never be like the twins and say those brainless things.
While the three kids were focused on their clothes, Chen Lie approached Ning Tang and coughed, "Um, where's mine?"
Ning Tang said, "I'll give it to you alone before you go to bed."
Compared with Zeng Xinlan's craftsmanship, hers is simply not good enough. She sewed and unstitched the small word "Chen" over and over again, but in the end, she could only sew it so well that you could barely make out what the word was.
If the three little ones saw this, they would surely laugh to death.
"You said it." Shen Lie's eyes lit up.
He rushed the three little ones upstairs, "Alright, you've tried on your clothes. It's getting late now, so hurry upstairs and go to bed."
Big Boy glanced at the wall clock in confusion. It was not even nine o'clock.
However, since I have given the order, the three of Da Wa dared not disobey and went back to their rooms to sleep.
Chen Lie and Ning Tang also returned to their room. They were the only two left in the room. Chen Lie said, "Can you take it out now?"
Ning Tang dawdled and sewed her to Chen Lie's white shirt.
Chen Lie took it and looked at it carefully, examining every part of it over and over again.
Ning Tang didn't know what he was looking at, so he asked, "What are you looking at?"
Is it possible to see a flower?
Although the white shirt she sewed this time was of ordinary style, it was much better than the clothes she had made for the three little ones before because she had learned a lot of sewing skills from Zeng Xinlan. At least there were no extra threads and the pockets would not leak.
Chen Lie's hands kept moving. "I'm looking at the pattern you sewn for me."
"It's not a pattern, it's words." Ning Tang said.
"Words?" A blush flashed across Shen Lie's face. Could it be that there was something about love or affection sewn in? How embarrassing—
He said without hesitation, "Where is the stitch? Show me."
Ning Tang turned over his chest pocket and pointed it out to him, "Here, this is it. I've sewn the word 'Chen' on it for you."
Although it is only one word, it is Chen Lie's last name, so he must like it.
Ning Tang had a good idea, but Chen Lie wasn't buying it. He squinted and said, "You sewed such a large pattern for Da Wa and the others, but only sewed a small word for me. Do you think it's appropriate?"
Ning Tang said, "It fits. How can it not fit? I asked Xinlan to sew the patterns on Da Wa's and the other two's clothes for me, and I sewed the word 'Chen' on your clothes myself. If you don't believe me, go ask Da Wa and the others to take their clothes and compare them tomorrow. The stitching is different."
Asking Zeng Xinlan to help make clothes gave Ning Tang an inspiration. Although not all of these military wives who were "blamed" by Ning Xue were like Ning Xue, who could both work in the living room and cook in the kitchen, had jobs to earn money, could cook delicious meals, and could sew clothes.
But everyone has their own strengths, and if you take them individually, they are no worse than Ning Xue.
Just like Pan Tong, she is not good-looking, but her handwriting is so graceful and elegant that it is obvious that she has copied characters frequently. To be honest, Ning Tang even wants Da Wa to learn from her so that he can change his dog-crawling handwriting.
There is also Lei Sufen. Although she has a bad temper, her cooking is as delicious as Ning Xue's. The coconut milk cake she makes is really delicious.
In fact, every military wife has unique skills.
But not everyone is as good as Ning Xue.
But Ning Tang thought of a good idea: resource exchange.
For example, Mrs. Luo can grow vegetables, and Lei Sufen can cook delicious food. Mrs. Luo can exchange the grown vegetables for snacks made by Lei Sufen.
She can draw, and Zeng Xinlan can make clothes. She draws the pattern first, and Zeng Xinlan sews it according to the pattern.
With this change, who can still say that these mothers are not as good as stepmother Ning Xue?
When he heard that Ning Tang had sewn the word "Chen" for him personally, Chen Lie didn't care that it was only the size of a thumb. He was so happy that he said, "I'll wear it tomorrow."
"Showing off." Ning Tang continued.
I was just talking about the eldest son. He got new clothes and he showed them off.
The next day, in the afternoon, Chen Lie took a special bath and changed into the white shirt that Ning Tang made for him.
He walked around the island and actually found an acquaintance whom he could show off to.
He coughed and said loudly, "Xiao Ai."
Deputy Battalion Commander Ai saw Chen Lie from a distance. The moment he saw Chen Lie, his face turned pale with fear and he wished he could hide on the spot.
Obviously, Chen Lie did not do as he wished and stopped him.
Deputy Battalion Commander Ai scrambled to Chen Lie's side, shrinking his neck. "Captain, what do you want me to do?"
"Can't I call you if nothing's wrong?" Shen Lie looked him up and down. "Why do you look so guilty? You wanted to turn around and leave just now, didn't you? If I hadn't called you, you would have disappeared."
"Hehe." Deputy Battalion Commander Ai chuckled twice.
He wondered in his heart why Chen Lie called him.
Could it be because they lost to the Second Regiment in the competition a few days ago?
Or is it because there is something wrong with the new material he wrote?
Or maybe he didn’t give a good speech at the last meeting?
Thinking of these possibilities, Deputy Battalion Commander Ai broke out in a cold sweat.
Unexpectedly, Chen Lie didn't mention a single word about the three possibilities he had imagined. Instead, he straightened his collar and said solemnly, "Take a look at this white shirt of mine."
Hmm? What can I do?
It’s just a white shirt, an ordinary white shirt.
More than half of the officers in the army wear this as their regular uniform.
Deputy Battalion Commander Ai's forehead was dripping with sweat as big as yellow beans. He struggled to find his words, "Uh, this white shirt is particularly nice. Uh, particularly white, yes, white."
Chen Lie cursed, "Nonsense, this is a white shirt, how can it not be white? I'm asking you, do you think this white shirt is different from other white shirts?"
...What could be different?
Deputy Battalion Commander Ai looked left and right, up and down, and it was just an ordinary white shirt!
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Captain, you know what? I'm stupid. Don't make things difficult for me. Just say what you want to say."
Chen Lie said, "You are such a tactless person. Look here, look here." He pointed to the chest pocket of Deputy Battalion Commander Ai.
Deputy Battalion Commander Ai tried hard to stare with his green eyes, trying to make them as big as copper bells, but he couldn't see what was different about this pocket from the pockets on other white shirts.
Seeing that he still didn't understand, Chen Lie shook his head and sighed. He turned his pocket over and pointed to the word "Chen" that Ning Tang had sewn inside. "Here, do you see it? My wife sewed it for me."
Deputy Battalion Commander Ai was dumbfounded and muttered, "I don't have X-ray vision. Besides, the words are so small, only a ghost could see them."
Besides, why not sew something else instead of just a surname?
Why does it look so much like the name his mother sewed on the quilt he gave her before he joined the army? It was just to distinguish it so that no one would take it by mistake.
Of course, Deputy Battalion Commander Ai only dared to mutter this in his heart, for fear that Shen Lie would punish him if he spoke it out loud.
Chen Lie glanced at him and said, "Say it again."
Deputy Battalion Commander Ai immediately turned serious and said sternly, "I say, the words your sister-in-law sewed are really beautiful. They go especially well with this white shirt."
"Yeah." Shen Lie nodded with satisfaction, "You have good taste."
After saying that, he walked away with his long legs, obviously going to find the next person to show off to.
Leaving Deputy Battalion Commander Ai behind, Xukong waved his fist at him.
Captain Li of the 3rd Regiment, who was familiar with him, came over and asked, "Hey, Xiao Ai, what does your regimental commander want to talk to you about?"
Deputy Battalion Commander Ai complained a lot to Regimental Commander Li, "...Our regimental commander was bragging to me about the clothes his wife had sewn for him, even the embroidered words on them. Do you think he's just bored?"
When he mentioned the five words "bored and full", Deputy Battalion Commander Ai turned his head to look in the direction Chen Lie was going, fearing that he would make a surprise attack.
Unlike the single Deputy Battalion Commander Ai, Captain Li, as a married man, is very understanding of Chen Lie.
It's different when someone is in pain.
In the past, it was impossible to see new clothes on Shen Lie.
He patted Deputy Battalion Commander Ai's shoulder meaningfully and said, "You'll understand when you get married."
After saying that, he left, leaving Deputy Battalion Commander Ai completely confused.
What's going on today? Everyone's asking him riddles. Is this going to be a good day?
Compared to Chen Lie's happy little life, Su Junyan seemed to be living in dire straits.
During this period, people who passed by him always liked to tease him, either asking when his family would buy milk candy, or how much pocket money his family gave to the children today, or asking what new clothes Ning Xue made for the twins.
When asking, he made faces and spoke in a sarcastic tone. Su Junyan didn't know whether to answer or not, so he could only smile.
After a day, my smile became stiff and my anger was rising.
This is not the end. Two weeks ago, the director of their logistics department called him to his office for a talk. He said that someone had reported that his work style was problematic and contrary to mainstream thinking. He was not simple at all and was very extravagant. This was a taboo in their logistics department. What he meant was that his promotion this time was gone.
The notice came down today that it turned out that the person promoted to deputy section chief was not him, but an officer transferred from another place.
Su Junyan had no choice but to accept it. Promotion was a sensitive matter by nature. If he went up, someone would definitely have to step down.
It was just such a coincidence that he was caught by someone at this critical moment.
Who reported him?
It could be his "competitor", or it could be those people Ning Xue offended.
Until now, he still hasn't figured out who tripped him up.
Su Junyan still hasn't figured it out yet. In the final analysis, he really has his own flaws.
Others did report him, but if there were no real unclear points, the Minister of Logistics would not have believed one-sided accounts and not given him a promotion.
After thinking it over, he blamed everything on Ning Xue and ran back home angrily.
Ning Xue only found out today that she had failed the assessment of the Women's Committee and even received a poor grade, which was a very bad review, and her salary increase was canceled.
She returned home in a daze and sat on a stool in a daze, not even hearing the twins' cries of hunger.
When she heard the door open and saw Su Junyan coming back, her eyes lit up, "Junyan, how is it? Did you get the notice? Have you been promoted to deputy section chief?"
"Promotion? Bullshit promotion!" Su Junyan was furious. "With all the good things you've done, I'm lucky I didn't get kicked down!"
Ning Xue's face froze, and she murmured, "No way, is it really that serious?"
She still didn't believe it. She just let the twins go out to show off. How could they cause such a big mess?
She thought that at most people would secretly hold a grudge against her and make a few sarcastic remarks about her.
Su Junyan couldn't explain it clearly either. There were so many things going on here.
He snorted coldly, the air coming out of his nostrils almost turning into substance. "Do you know what I regret most right now?"
Ning Xue had a bad feeling in her heart, but she continued with Su Junyan's words, "What is it?"
"Yes, I married you!"
Su Junyan looked at Ning Xue with a cold and piercing gaze, seemingly intentional yet unintentional. "Why didn't you marry Ning Tang in the first place, but a troublemaker like you?"
"Ning Tang is getting along well with many wives of military personnel in the Military Family Compound. These are all connections. Take Head Nurse Huang for example. Her husband is Deputy Chief of Staff Ma. The Deputy Chief of Staff has a lot of power. He may not be able to help with big things, but if Chen Lie has any small matters, such as switching duty with other regiments, Ning Tang can go to Head Nurse Huang and mention it. Do you think Deputy Chief of Staff Ma will give Chen Lie this convenience?" Su Junyan said coldly.
At this moment, he had completely forgotten Ning Xue's strengths.
Even though Ning Xue has many faults, her feelings for Su Junyan and the twins are beyond words. She works all day, and after work she has to buy groceries and cook for Su Junyan and the twins, wash their clothes, and do housework. She is busy all the time, but never gets a word of praise.
Now I have to face the question, 'Why did I marry you instead of Ning Tang'?
Ning Xue was shocked. How was this different from the scene she had imagined, where everyone in the Shen family would be in turmoil?
In her imagination, it should have been Chen Lie who said to Ning Tang, "Why did I marry you, Ning Tang, instead of Ning Xue?" How did it happen the other way around?
Her lips were cold and she couldn't utter a word.
Shen family
The series of angry roars from the Su family scared Da Wa and the other three again and again, and they ate the whole meal in fear.
Da Wa asked Ning Tang, "Mom, what's the quarrel next door?"
We had a big fight not long ago, and then it was quiet. I thought it was over, but we had another fight today.
Ning Tang: "Who cares what they're arguing about? They're definitely arguing because they didn't get what they wanted."
"Did you hear that?" Chen Lie glanced at the three little ones. "Take this as a warning and don't do anything bad in the future. Otherwise, you'll end up like the family next door, quarreling all day long."
Da Wa clenched his fist and said, "Don't do anything that would be against your conscience."
"Yeah." Shen Lie responded.
It rained all year round this year. Because of the weather, there were fewer sounds of firecrackers outside the house, so the three little ones stayed at home and didn't go out.
Also, because it was the return of the south wind, Ning Tang was always worried that the books on the bookshelf would get damp.
It wasn't until the beginning of March that the sun finally came out.
Taking advantage of the good weather, Ning Tang took the three little ones to take the books on the bookshelf to the yard to dry.
The other two, including Da Wa, all went to school and could recognize a lot of words. Sometimes, Chen Lie and Ning Tang didn't need to tell them stories. They could read by themselves based on the few words they knew and half-guessing.
There are several books that have been read to pieces by them, especially the picture books, most of which are illustrated. Even a three-year-old kid who can't recognize many words can understand them.
Ning Tang sorted the books on the bookshelf and thought about going to the Xinhua Bookstore in Jiang City in a few days to buy a few more books for the three little ones.
She went to find Mrs. Luo, who was also planning to visit Zhao Qing who worked at the Jiang City Cinema, and the two hit it off immediately.
On the morning of April 1st, the two of them took a boat out of the island together.
When they arrived in Jiang City, the two went their separate ways.
Ning Tang went to Xinhua Bookstore to buy books, and then went to the department store to buy some fashionable snacks for the three little ones. The golden oatmeal and calcium milk biscuits at home were almost finished, so she went to the supply and marketing cooperative to stock up some more.
After finishing the shopping, it was the time agreed with Mrs. Luo. Ning Tang arrived at the dock with a lot of bags and saw Mrs. Luo standing there with a bad look on her face. He called her several times, but she didn't respond.
"Sister-in-law? Sister-in-law!" Ning Tang called out again, and Sister-in-law Luo came back to her senses.
On the way back by boat, Mrs. Luo's eyes were unfocused and she looked worried.
After returning to the island, Mrs. Luo did not rush home, but went to Shen's house to sit for a while.
After downing two glasses of boiled water, she hesitantly spoke, "Xiaoning, Qingqing told me she's dating someone."
Ning Tang was busy putting the things he bought into the cupboard and said "Oh" when he heard that.
"Xiao Ning." Mrs. Luo stamped her feet anxiously, "Qingqing has a boyfriend."
Ning Tang was amused. "Sister-in-law, Qingqing is almost 20 years old. It would be a novelty if she didn't have a boyfriend."
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