Sanwa frowned, "So he's a bad guy."
"Yeah, and they're really bad guys. We should just ignore them from now on." Da Wa thought for a moment and then said, "It would be even better if Dad didn't give them money."
Chen Lie wrote two reply letters to Ning Tang, one of which was to Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju.
The other one was addressed to Da Wa's mother's uncle and aunt, Liang Dong and Bai Xiaofen. It cursed them both to bits, and they still wanted money? That was wishful thinking. He told them to stay away from it.
After finishing the letter, Chen Lie placed it on the cabinet, ready to take it out to mail it tomorrow. Just then, he heard Da Wa say, "Don't worry, your dad isn't stupid. I won't give them any more money."
In the past, the three children were still young, but now they are all grown up and sensible. Chen Lie no longer needs to worry about them coming to his house to cause trouble and scare the three children.
Ning Tang hadn't carefully read the letter written by Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju yet. She asked Chen Lie, "By the way, why did Dad and Mom suddenly say they were coming to the island?"
In the past, they would send a letter back every few months, repeatedly urging them to come, but the old couple never said they wanted to come over, and they always kept putting it off.
Unexpectedly, this time, even without them urging them, the old couple took the initiative to say they wanted to come over.
Chen Lie shook his head. "I don't know. The letter didn't mention it. Mom and Dad just asked us how our lives were going, and whether the eldest, second, and third children had grown taller. Then they said they would be coming to the island at the end of July."
"Come and experience the coconut breeze and the sea breeze, it's nice." Ning Tang said.
Chen Lie seemed to have thought of something, "Oh, by the way, the letter mentioned that Dad resigned from the position of village chief."
"Quitted?" Ning Tang raised his eyebrows.
The biggest reason why Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju like Da Wa and the other three so much but have not come to the island yet is because Ning Weiguo is the village chief. There are many things to do in the village and they have to go to him for everything.
Sometimes the chickens of the widow in the east disappeared, sometimes someone started fighting with someone else, or it was spring planting and autumn harvest. There was no free time all year round, so there was no time to come to the island to see them.
"Well, Dad resigned on his own initiative." Shen Lie said, "He just mentioned that, and that was it."
Ning Tang thought about it for a while, but couldn't figure it out, so he put it out of his mind.
Anyway, the old couple will be here at the end of the month, so if you have any questions, just ask them.
On the morning of July 30th, Chen Lie and Ning Tang took Da Wa, Er Niu and San Wa to the port to pick up Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju.
The old couple jumped into the boat and stumbled.
Ning Tang was amused. "Dad, Mom, are you seasick?"
This was the first time for the old couple to take a boat ride, and they were indeed a little seasick.
Sun Aiju said stubbornly, "No way, I'm crazy."
Ning Tang applied some Fengyoujing on them. Stimulated by the smell of Fengyoujing, the old couple finally recovered.
The eldest, second, and third children all said in a crisp voice, "Grandma! Grandpa!"
"Hey!" Sun Aiju and Ning Weiguo laughed happily.
Ning Weiguo looked at the eldest and third child, comparing them, "Hey, have you two grown taller?"
The third child tilted his head and smiled, "He's almost a head taller than the last time I saw Grandpa."
The eldest child said, "Yes, I've grown taller, Grandpa. I can even ride a bicycle now."
"Oh wow, he can even ride a bike now," Ning Weiguo praised. "Big Boy is amazing."
When Ning Weiguo praised him, the eldest boy's tail was so high up in the sky.
The third child puffed up his cheeks and shouted, "Grandpa, when I grow taller and am as tall as my big brother, I can ride a bike too."
Ning Weiguo smiled brightly and praised, "Well done, Sanwa is amazing too."
Only then did Sanwa smile with satisfaction.
Erniu threw herself into Sun Aiju's arms and said in a crisp voice, "Grandma, I miss you so much."
Sun Aiju laughed so hard that the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes popped out. "Oh, I miss Erniu so much too."
She touched Erniu's head and saw that her braid was crooked. She glared at Ning Tang and said, "You don't braid Erniu properly again. A girl from a wealthy family goes out with messy hair every day, and you don't think it's dirty."
Ning Tang chuckled twice, "I have you here, mom. Once you come, you can braid Erniu's hair into pretty braids."
"You only know how to assign tasks to me." Sun Aiju retorted, then patted Erniu's head and comforted her, "It's okay, grandma will braid your pigtails for you."
Erniu smiled and said, "Thank you, grandma." She blinked her eyes and said, "Grandma, I can sing now."
"Oh, our Erniu is really amazing." Sun Aiju hugged Erniu, "Then how about going home and singing for grandma?"
"Okay." Erniu responded loudly.
The eldest boy stretched his head and looked behind the old couple, "Isn't my uncle here?" He was referring to Ningde.
Ning Weiguo shook his head, "No."
Ning De wanted to come. Firstly, he hadn't seen Ning Tang, Dawa and the other two for a long time and he missed them very much. Secondly, he also wanted to see Ning Xue, after all, she was his biological sister. However, Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin would not let him, saying that they were reluctant to let Ning De go through the tiring journey, which took seven days of train and boat rides, and he would have to go back after only a few days.
So they stopped him from coming and arranged a blind date for Ning De, saying that after he got married, he would bring his wife to see Ning Xue.
As the group walked home, Sun Aiju fanned herself with her hands every two steps, "It's so hot here." She even wanted to take off her clothes.
"It's quite hot." Ning Tang said, "Luckily, Mom and Dad sent me the electric fan, otherwise it would be unbearable in the summer."
Ning Weiguo looked at the coconut trees on the roadside without blinking, "What kind of tree is this? They are everywhere on the roadside."
"It's the coconut tree. Look at the round fruits on it. They are coconuts. The coconut strips I sent back before are made by drying the white coconut meat inside the coconut and then cutting it into strips." Ning Tang said.
Ning Weiguo nodded and said, "That thing is delicious." It was crispy when he took a bite, with a fresh fragrance of coconut meat.
After hearing what Ning Weiguo said, Sun Aiju also looked at the coconut trees on the roadside.
There are mainly pine trees, locust trees and fir trees in Shangang Village, and they are all very tall.
Most of the species on Hailang Island are coconut trees and fruit trees.
The leaves of the coconut tree are like green feathers, and round coconuts grow crowded among the leaves. These coconuts are green when they are not yet ripe, and the skin turns yellow when they are ripe.
Chen Lie said, "Dad, Mom, you must be thirsty. There's coconut water to drink when you get home."
Sun Aiju asked, "Coconuts? Did you climb the tree to pick them?"
Ning Tang laughed. "No, someone else organized people to climb up and pick the coconuts." She pointed to the coconut trees by the roadside. "A coconut tree can produce over a hundred coconuts a year. After picking them, every household can get a lot. There's a shortage of everything here, but coconuts, fruits, and seafood are not."
As we were talking, we arrived home.
Ning Weiguo opened his mouth slightly in surprise, "Is this the house you live in?"
He was considered a relatively knowledgeable person in the village, but he had never seen such a white two-story building. It was just like the Western-style houses where foreigners lived. It was extremely beautiful and looked very spacious. Compared with this two-story building, the tiled houses that everyone in Shangang Village envied were simply not worth mentioning.
"Yes," Ning Tang said, "This was allocated to Chen Lie by the army, and the ownership still belongs to the army."
Chen Lie went to the yard to get a coconut and said, "Dad, Mom, do you want something sweeter or more bitter?"
The green tender coconut is not very ripe and tastes a bit astringent, but the coconut meat is very tender. The yellow coconut is fully ripe and tastes sweet. If you drink too much, it will have a smell of alcohol. The coconut meat is older than the tender coconut and has a crispy texture.
Sun Aiju said, "A little sweeter?"
Ning Weiguo said, "Then I want something a little more bitter?"
Chen Lie opened two coconut shells and gave them to Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju. They took a sip and exclaimed in surprise, "It's quite delicious."
The coconut water was very sweet and thirst-quenching, which effectively relieved the thirst of the old couple.
Ning Tang and Chen Lie went to the kitchen to cook, while Da Wa, Er Niu and San Wa took Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju around.
Sun Aiju looked around. The living room was clean and tidy. In one corner, there was an oscillating electric fan, blowing cool air. In the other corner, there was a dark green washing machine, which looked very fashionable. Under the eaves, there was also a string of shell wind chimes hanging, which made crisp and pleasant sounds when the wind blew.
Ning Weiguo saw the bookshelf and asked in surprise, "You bought so many books?"
The eldest child chuckled and said, "Second daughter, third daughter, and I all like reading, so mom and dad bought us a lot of books."
Ning Weiguo smiled and nodded, "Reading more books is a good thing."
The biggest regret in his life is that he didn't go to school for a few years and didn't read any books. He is very relieved that Sanxiao can only read more books and learn more knowledge.
The eldest, second and third daughters took the old couple to visit their room on the second floor. The whole look gave the old couple a very warm feeling.
After touring the room, Ning Tang and Shen Lie also prepared dinner.
The welcoming banquet was a seafood feast, including steamed lobster, crab with ginger and scallions, blanched prawns, steamed grouper, stir-fried eggplant with beans, and seaweed fish ball soup.
There are five dishes and one soup. Most of the seafood is steamed because they are just caught and are very fresh. Steaming can retain the original flavor of the seafood. Just dip it in a little seafood dipping sauce specially made with millet pepper, tangerine peel, soy sauce, vinegar and other seasonings to make it especially delicious.
The steamed lobster was as long as an arm. Ning Tang peeled the lobster meat for Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju and placed it in their bowls. "Try this lobster meat. There's very little of it sold because it's hard to catch. It's just a coincidence that we were able to buy it today."
Sun Aiju took a bite and found the lobster meat tender and chewy. "Is this a shrimp?" It tasted much fresher than any shrimp she had eaten before.
"Yes." Ning Tang said, "But lobsters are much bigger than shrimps."
Although Ning Tang often sends seafood back home, all of it is dried seafood, and the taste is still inferior to fresh seafood.
The old couple was very satisfied with the seafood dinner and almost finished it all.
Sun Aiju chatted with Ning Tang, "Last time in the village, didn't you give those two gossipy women, Wang Guizhi and Zhao Chunhua, a good scolding? After you left, they held a grudge against you and spread rumors everywhere, saying that you married into a barren land where chickens shit and birds lay eggs, and that you would come back crying sooner or later."
Wang Guizhi and Zhao Chunhua were ignorant and thought that Hailang Island was just a remote island with no grass growing on it. If Ning Tang married there, she would have to live in a thatched hut and drink rainwater. In short, her life was as miserable as it could be.
Sun Aiju slapped her thigh and said, "We should let them come and see."
Ning Tang said jokingly, "I'm afraid that once they get here, they'll cry and make a fuss and not want to go back."
Yes, I live in a two-story building that is even more beautiful than the tiled houses in Shangang Village. I can also eat fresh seafood every meal for free and at a cheap price. I can feel the coconut breeze and the sea, drink coconut water, and eat pancakes. It's just like a vacation.
After dinner, Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju went to the guest room to rest.
After running around for so many days, the old couple were tired.
The next day, at nine o'clock in the morning.
As soon as Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju opened their eyes, they saw Da Wa and the other three standing at the head of the bed.
The eldest and third children shouted, "Grandpa, I'll take you to see the sea."
Ning Weiguo smiled and said, "Grandpa has seen the sea."
He had seen it when he was on the boat. The beautiful sea view was much more magnificent than the small river in Shangang Village, and he was so fascinated by it that he couldn't leave.
Da Wa walked over and pulled Ning Weiguo along, saying coquettishly, "Then Grandpa will accompany us to the beach. I'll take you to catch clams and crabs."
"Okay, okay." Ning Weiguo responded with a smile in his eyes.
The third child said, "Grandpa, we can go swimming. I can swim very fast. I'll show you."
Ning Weiguo stood up and said with a smile, "Wait until I finish washing up, then we can go to the beach to swim, catch clams, and crabs."
"Great." The eldest and third kids jumped up happily.
Erniu puffed up her cheeks and said to Sun Aiju coquettishly, "Grandma, you're staying in bed."
Sun Aiju's eyes flashed with a smile, "Grandma, I'll get up and braid your hair right away. How about we braid a centipede hair today?"
"Okay." Erniu's face suddenly turned from cloudy to sunny.
Chen Lie was cooking in the kitchen when he saw the three little ones dragging Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju downstairs. He frowned and said, "Why don't you let grandma and grandpa sleep a little longer?"
Ning Weiguo said solemnly, "Don't blame them three, it's all our fault for getting up late." He smiled and teased the three little ones, "Grandpa is a big lazy bum, isn't he?"
"Hahaha." The three little ones burst into laughter.
Sun Aiju used a red hairband to braid Erniu's hair. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ning Tang sitting on a reclining chair in the yard. "Come here and learn how to braid Erniu's hair."
Her mother started giving her orders as soon as she arrived. Ning Tang sighed and said, "I'll be right there."
Sun Aiju straightened Erniu's hair and said, "Look, our Erniu's hair is so beautiful, so black."
As he spoke, he separated a strand of hair from the left side of Erniu, and then divided it into three strands. He added a strand of hair each time he braided it. After a while, a beautiful centipede braid was completed, which made Erniu's little face even more adorable.
Erniu looked in the mirror, left and right, and loved it so much.
After lunch and a short nap, in the evening, Ning Weiguo and Shen Lie took the eldest, second and third children to the beach to play, carrying small buckets and shovels.
The sea at dusk is another kind of beautiful sight, just like the sea the old couple saw when they came here.
Ning Weiguo looked at the vast and sparkling sea. For some reason, the depression in his heart quietly and lifelessly slipped away a lot.
Da Wa went up and took Ning Weiguo's hand, "Grandpa, let's go catch crabs."
Ning Weiguo smiled and said, "How about catching a big crab and bringing it back to make crab porridge?"
Big Baby said crisply, "Okay."
Ning Tang and Sun Aiju did not go to the beach but stayed at home.
Ning Tang cut the fruit into pieces and placed it on the small round table in the yard. He and Sun Aiju lay on the recliners, each on one side.
Sun Aiju picked up a piece of orange and said, "You are living a really comfortable life." She ate as much fruit as she could.
Ning Tang also ate a piece of pineapple soaked in salt water. "That's it." She looked at Sun Aiju. "Tell me, Mom, why did you and Dad suddenly say you wanted to come to the island to see us? Did something happen at home?"
Sun Aiju paused, "Did you figure it out?"
Ning Tang pointed to his own eyes and said, "I'm not blind."
After the old couple came, they didn't talk much most of the time except when they smiled at the eldest child.
Ning Weiguo often hid in the yard and smoked his homemade cigarettes, one after another.
Sun Aiju sighed, "This matter has to start with your father's resignation as village chief. He has been getting old these past two years and feels a little overwhelmed. So he discussed with the villagers and decided to step down and promote a capable young man to take over his position."
Ning Tang nodded, "Isn't that good?"
She had long wanted Ning Weiguo to give up this job. Although he was the village chief and the head of the whole family, he was actually just like a nanny in the village. He had to worry about so many things, including all the trivial matters. If someone lost an egg today, she would go to him. If someone stole a widow tomorrow, she would go to him. If he handled the matter well, no one would praise him. If he handled it poorly, he would get into trouble.
It's a thankless task.
Sun Aiju also thought it was a good idea, but Ning Weiguo wasn't worried about that. He had wanted to resign as village chief for a long time. What worried him was, "After your father resigned as village chief, your second uncle started to make a fuss about dividing the family property."
"He's trying to split up the family?" Ning Tang's brows knitted together. "It's good enough that my dad doesn't try to split up the family. With the way he is, how can he still have the nerve to do that?"
The situation of the Ning family is rather complicated. Logically, the two brothers Ning Weiguo and Ning Weidang should have separated after they came of age and got married. However, Ning Tang's grandparents passed away early and left a will asking Ning Weiguo, the elder brother, to take good care of Ning Weidang, the younger brother.
Ning Weiguo was very promising at a young age and could earn full work points. Whenever there was any work in the village, he was the first person that came to mind. However, Ning Weidang was a half-baked person who could not get ahead. This young man, who was in his teens or almost twenty years old, was like a child picking wheat ears, earning only one or two work points a day.
Later he married a wife, Zhou Yin, who was also lazy and gluttonous.
Ning Weiguo thought that if the family split up, the couple would starve to death if they went out, and besides, they were the only two brothers left in their branch, so they should support each other. So he never mentioned the matter and often subsidized Ning Weidang.
He didn't even mention it, and Ning Weidang and his wife would definitely not mention it. For so many years, they have been shamelessly living under Ning Weiguo's protection.
With Ning Weiguo, their brother who is the village chief, taking care of them, Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin were able to get some easy but high-point jobs, such as feeding pigs and cutting grass for them. They also ate together at home. Most of the food was bought with Ning Weiguo's money, and Ning Jun often sent money and things back. A considerable portion of it must have gone into the mouths of Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin, as if Ning Weiguo was supporting them both.
That's why Ning Tang said that Ning Weidang had the nerve to make a fuss about separation, but it was lucky that Ning Weiguo didn't make a fuss.
Ning Tang asked: "What's the reason?"
"Your second uncle said that the two brothers are both old, and the children at home have grown up. It would not look good if the family did not split up, so he asked the elders to organize the division of the family." Sun Aiju said.
"Why didn't he say this when he was young?" So he has grown stronger now, right?
Now that the family is divided, all the things in the house have to be divided in half, or at least 30% to 70%.
If the family splits up, would Ning Weidang and his wife stick around? They would make a lot of money.
Ning Tang said, "I'm your father, I agree immediately." She would kick out such a heartless couple without any delay, even if she gave them some money, so as not to keep them in front of her and feel annoyed.
Sun Aiju thought the same. She was annoyed with Zhou Yin. When Ning Tang was still at home, Zhou Yin, the second aunt, was always making fun of Ning Tang. Whenever she got the chance, she would say something bad about Ning Tang.
It was as if by suppressing Ning Tang, Ning Xue would become superior.
Ning Tang's reputation of being lazy and gluttonous was mostly spread by her good second aunt.
Ning Tang thought for a moment and said, "Second Uncle probably feels that since Dad is no longer the village chief, there won't be any benefits for him and Second Aunt. Plus, Ning Xue and De Zi are both grown up. Ning Xue married an officer, and De Zi is also getting married. They don't have much to ask of Dad, so they want to be the masters of the family themselves, so that's why he proposed to divide the family."
In the past, when Ning Weiguo was in charge, Ning Weidang would not dare to speak if he just gave him a look.
Now that Ning Weiguo is no longer the village chief, he wants to take charge.
Sun Aiju sighed, "But your father can't get over this. He feels that his brother, whom he personally raised and who usually seems quite honest, is suddenly talking about splitting up the family business. Moreover, he has been here for most of his life, and he didn't mention it earlier or later, but now he is bringing it up as soon as he is no longer the village chief. It's a bit embarrassing, and he's just being too picky."
That's why I came to Hailang Island to relax.
At half past six, Chen Lie and Ning Weiguo planned to return home with their three children.
On the way back, I happened to meet Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu.
When the twins saw Ning Weiguo, a hint of surprise flashed across their eyes. They looked at each other, turned around and ran away without calling anyone.
Ning Weiguo put down his raised hand awkwardly and asked Chen Lie, "Are these two children Guangzong and Yaozu? I think I'm remembering correctly, right?"
Chen Lie was also embarrassed and tried to excuse the twins, saying, "They're probably just shy of strangers."
When he got home, Ning Tang asked, "How was the harvest today?"
The eldest child happily shook the bucket and said, "We caught a lot of little crabs."
Ning Weiguo smiled and shook his head. "I thought I could catch big crabs that are almost as big as my palm, but there are only small crabs on the beach that are about the size of my thumb. They are not even big enough to fill my teeth. I'd better not make crab porridge."
Chen Lie said, "For those big crabs, like swimming crabs, fishermen have to go out to sea with their fishing boats and cast their nets to catch them. On the beach, there are only these newly born, small, transparent crabs. Or, at high tide in the middle of the night, larger crabs will crawl out of the sea onto the beach. But compared to the crabs caught from the sea, they are still a little smaller."
Sun Aiju took the bucket from Da Wa and looked down. The crabs in the bucket were waving their claws and blowing bubbles. "It's okay. I don't need to make crab porridge. They're just as delicious fried."
For several days, Chen Lie, Ning Tang and the three children took the old couple to the beach and the back mountain, played all over Hailang Island, and tried all the seasonal fruits and special foods of Hailang Island.
Seeing more and more smiles on the faces of the old couple Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju, Ning Tang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
August 13th, morning.
At the port of Hailang Island, a man and a woman got off the boat. The man was very tall and thin, and the woman was short and fat, with a small bag on her hand. They looked very mismatched, like a skinny bamboo pole and a round winter melon walking together.
Liang Dong frowned as he walked, "Did we go to the wrong island? I remember Hailang Island wasn't like this before."
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