Ning Tang said, "Do you know what I admire most about your father?"
Big Boy said, "Which point?"
"There's life in your eyes." Ning Tang said.
Chen Lie is different from Captain Qi. He is the kind of man who has life in his eyes.
Normally, if he saw that the floor or table at home was dirty, he would take the initiative to clean it up instead of waiting for Ning Tang to come back and do it.
Ning Tang admired this aspect of his, and advised the three children, "When you're looking for a partner in the future, whether male or female, look for someone who has a keen eye for work. Just remember this: a diligent person isn't much worse off. Remember?"
The three little ones nodded and said in unison, "I'll remember."
While they were talking, Sanwa had already cooked the vegetables. "Mom, try some."
Ning Tang took a quick look and commented, "Are these vegetables fried well?" They weren't burnt, the color looked good, and they smelled delicious.
She didn't teach him much? How can a child like Sanwa be able to cook it? So good, not bad.
He picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and praised, "It tastes pretty good too."
The eldest boy didn't believe it, so he tried a vegetable that the third boy had cooked. Hey, it tasted really good, "Third boy, how come you cook it so well?"
Sanwa scratched his head and said, "I don't know. Is it that difficult? Just imitate the way mom and dad cook. Pour the vegetables into the pot and stir-fry them a few times. Isn't that enough?"
"What about the heat?" The most difficult part of cooking is controlling the heat.
Sanwa was confused. "What's the point of cooking it right? I think it should be cooked right. When it's almost done, it's ready to be served."
Ning Tang was very pleased and said, "It seems that Sanwa is the one who can cook."
Could it be that there really is a cooking genius in the family?
Erniu rolled up her sleeves and said confidently, "Let me try."
Ning Tang expressed her great anticipation. The eldest daughter's cooking skills follow hers, the third daughter's cooking skills follow Chen Lie's, and what about the second daughter? She has to find something in between, right?
Erniu made a dish of stir-fried beans and eggplant. Ning Tang took a bite, patted Erniu on the shoulder, and said bitterly, "It seems that your cooking skills are still like mine."
Da Wa ate a piece of eggplant and immediately spat it out, looking at Ning Tang, "Mom, you and Dad should save more money in the future."
Ning Tang: "Why?"
Sanwa swallowed the black beans with difficulty and said, "Save more for your dowry, otherwise I won't be able to get married in the future."
The eldest boy responded, "Whoever marries her will be unlucky."
Erniu didn't believe it and rolled up her sleeves, "I don't believe it, I'll make another dish."
Ning Tang quickly stopped her, "Goodbye, there's not much food left at home. I'll clean it up for you. What are we having for lunch?"
At noon, Chen Lie returned home, and Ning Tang asked him to taste three dishes made by Da Wa, Er Niu, and San Wa.
Chen Lie's reaction was similar to that of Da Wa and San Wa. "Is this really Er Niu's cooking? Are you kidding me? It must have been Da Wa's cooking. He's the only one who can make food burnt."
"I didn't lie to you." Ning Tang said.
Chen Lie muttered something, but it was unclear what he was talking about. Then he said, "I need to save more money for my dowry."
After dinner, Ning Tang spread a mat on the ground, and the three little ones lay on the mat and took a nap while enjoying the electric fan.
The weather at noon in Hailang Island in summer is so hot that even if you turn on the fan, you will sweat if you stay in bed for a while.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the three of them woke up and went out to play.
Ning Tang casually reminded him, "Go play under the shade of the trees, don't get a heat stroke."
The eldest child nodded, "Mom, we want to eat popsicles."
"There's money in the drawer, take it yourself."
The eldest boy took out a dime from the cabinet at the entrance, waved goodbye, called Erniu and Sanwa, and went out.
Ning Tang glanced outside the house. The sun was like a huge fireball hanging in the sky, and the wind was blowing in her face like a heat wave. In this weather, she didn't even want to go out for a walk, let alone play. Only the group of kids like Da Wa had such leisure time.
She stretched, cut a fruit plate, lay down in the rocking chair, and ate fruit while reading a book.
Da Wa and his two companions went out and walked around the military family compound, calling their friends and soon they had a group of friends following them.
Da Hu asked, "Dawa, where are we going to play?"
"Go to the back mountain to pick wild fruits?" Wang Zhuangzhuang suggested.
Da Wa shook his head and said, "No, it's easy to get clothes dirty."
"Don't you have a washing machine at home?"
"There's a washing machine, but you won't go." Big Boy said, "Not only did my clothes get dirty, but last time that tree branch scratched my pants, exposing my underpants. I had to cover my butt all the way back home."
Sanwa said, "Let's go swimming. I want to swim. The weather is too hot."
Big Boy's eyes lit up and said, "That's fine." He also felt hot.
A group of children ran to the beach. The boys took off their clothes and jumped into the sea. Some of the girls went to play in the sea, some kicked the waves in the shallow water, and some picked up shells on the beach.
Occasionally, an adult would pass by and see them playing on the beach, just smile and walk away.
Few children who grow up on an island cannot swim.
Some children are better at swimming than adults.
Among them, the third child had the most fun. He was like a fish swimming in the sea. He swam over and splashed water on the eldest child's face. When the eldest child wanted to splash water back, he dived into the sea. After a while, he appeared in a place where the eldest child could not reach him, laughing at him.
Among the group of children, Sanwa was the youngest and all the older children were teased by him.
Sanwa wiped the water droplets off his face and said, "Let's go play somewhere else."
Just playing in the sea was no longer enough for him.
The eldest child also thought it was boring and asked, "Where should we go to play?"
Sanwa pointed to a small cliff not far away and said, "Let's go play there. Let's go diving and see who can make the smallest splash."
"Can."
Erniu was a little worried, "Let's just play here. It's a bit dangerous to go over there."
Sanwa said nonchalantly, "What's so dangerous about it? It's just a big rock protruding out of the water, probably only six or seven meters from the surface. I've jumped off it before."
The eldest boy chuckled, realizing that the boy had secretly come to play before. "You're really good! Okay, let's go play over there." He added, "Whoever loses buys a popsicle."
A group of little boys moved to another location, and Erniu, worried, followed them.
When they reached the small cliff, Sanwa volunteered, "I'll go first, I'll go first, I'll be the first to jump."
Without waiting for anyone else to respond, he dived into the sea.
The eldest child stretched his neck to take a look and said with a pout, "You splashed so much water."
Sanwa just giggled and didn't take it seriously.
Diving is much more interesting than swimming. Look at Sanwa jumping, it’s no problem. A group of kids jump down one by one like dumplings.
Wang Xiaoming is quite fat. When he jumped into the water, he deliberately landed on his butt, splashing a large amount of water. The children around him were splashed with water in their faces.
Big Baby was happy: "Xiao Ming, do you want to treat us to popsicles?"
Wang Xiaoming waved his hand. "I did it on purpose. It doesn't count this time."
A group of children were having fun, but they didn't know that not far away, Principal Lu of Hailang Island Primary School was staring at them with wide eyes.
Principal Lu had to go to the army for something. On the way there, he happened to pass by the beach. He glanced over and saw a group of children jumping into the sea one by one like dumplings.
He quickly turned the front of his bicycle, rushed to the edge of the cliff, and shouted, "What are you doing?"
The group of children were startled, and Da Hu weakly called out, "Principal."
Led by Da Hu, voices shouting "Principal" rose one after another.
Principal Lu hummed, then said sternly, "What are you doing here?"
Sanwa rolled his eyes and said, "I-we are swimming."
Principal Lu snorted, "Swimming? Then try swimming for me." He casually pointed at Sanwa and Dahu, "Just the two of you, go ahead and swim."
Sanwa had a bitter face. If he had known earlier, he would not have come to the cliff to dive. Who would have thought that he would bump into Principal Lu.
He exchanged a glance with Dahu, then stood at the edge of the cliff with a miserable look on his face. He didn't dare jump down directly like he did before. He slowly entered the water and splashed around in it for a few times to get the job done.
Principal Lu originally just wanted to teach the kids a lesson, but before he knew it, Sanwa had already swum a long way. He glared at them and said, "How can you swim so fast, little kid?"
Da Hu, who started at the same time as him, had not even swam halfway as him.
Sanwa looked innocent. He just fluttered around a few times and blinked, "Principal, we're done swimming."
Principal Lu: "Stop lying to me. I'm asking you to repeat what you did just now. Tell me, who told you to jump into the sea?"
Sanwa frowned and said, "Principal, we are just dancing for fun."
"Jumping for fun?" Principal Lu said, "Aren't you afraid that there are rocks down there and you'll get a bump on your head if you jump down?" He continued to scare him, "If it were a sharp rock, it would probably gouge your eyes out or scratch your face."
Listen? After Principal Lu said this, the group of kids finally got scared.
One or two of them continued, "Principal, we were wrong."
Seeing that they had a good attitude in admitting their mistakes, Principal Lu hummed, "Go back and write a self-criticism and hand it in on Tuesday." He glanced at the eldest, second, and third children and said, "You three are the children of Captain Shen, right?"
There are too many children in the school, and Principal Lu can't remember all of them.
I have an impression of the three of Da Wa, mainly because of Erniu. During the school anniversary party, Erniu sang very well, so Principal Lu asked Zhou Caiwei whose child she was.
Zhou Caiwei pointed to him and said that it was Shen Ya from the Shen family. She also had an older brother, Shen Zhanping, and a younger brother, Shen Xiangdong, the two wearing red bow ties.
Erniu sang very well, and Principal Lu was also looking forward to the performances of Da Wa and San Wa.
I didn’t expect that… Never mind, let’s not talk about it.
Principal Lu praised Erniu, "Chen Ya, right? Your class sang 'The East is Red' very well, and you led the singing very well too."
Erniu showed her two dimples and said in a crisp voice, "Thank you, Principal."
"Yeah." Principal Lu responded, got on his bike, and turned back to say, "Although you sang well, you still have to submit your self-reflection."
"Why?" Erniu was dumbfounded. "Principal, I didn't jump into the water. My clothes are all dry."
"Because Shen Zhanping and Shen Xiangdong jumped, who told you not to stop them?" Principal Lu said, "This is called collective punishment."
After saying that, he flipped the tripod, and both the car and the people disappeared.
Erniu was so angry that she yelled at Da Wa and San Wa, "Who told you to compete in diving? Now we all have to write self-criticisms."
The eldest child said, "It's all the fault of the third child. He was the one who suggested it."
Sanwa said, "Why didn't you tell me when you were playing? Now you blame me when something goes wrong."
Erniu: "So what should we do now? Go home and write a self-criticism?"
The eldest child pouted and said, "Forget it. It's not due until Tuesday anyway, so it's not too late to write it on Monday."
The eldest boy clapped his hands and said, "Shall we play for a while longer?"
"What are we playing?" asked Sanwa.
Without thinking, Da Wa said, "Diving, we haven't decided the winner yet."
Erniu said, "You've already been scolded by Principal Lu, and you still dare to play around."
"You said it yourself. Principal Lu has already told us off, and he's even made us write self-criticisms. Wouldn't it be a big disadvantage if we don't play?" Big Boy said, "He's not afraid of anything else, but maybe there are rocks underwater. He's afraid we'd get hurt. We've checked, and there are no rocks. So, wouldn't it be pointless not to play? We won't play."
Sanwa thought what Dawa said made sense. "I have to play, otherwise my self-criticism will be in vain." He muttered, "I have to write a self-criticism anyway, so I have to play enough first."
Erniu: What do you think? What you said makes sense.
"Wouldn't it be a big disadvantage if I don't play?" She would have to write a self-criticism if she didn't jump, so she might as well jump.
The eldest child took the lead and dived into the sea, his little head emerging from the water. "Hurry up and play, have fun first, then we'll talk."
Sanwa followed closely behind, "The loser gets a popsicle."
The group of children had a great time playing, and when they returned home at the appointed time, all Ning Tang saw were three wet little ones.
She was happy: "Going swimming again?"
Erniu squeezed the water out of her braids and said, "I went diving, and Principal Lu punished me by making me write a self-criticism—"
Before he could finish his words, Big Boy and Third Boy covered his mouth, "Don't say it!"
Ning Tang raised an eyebrow and said, "Tell me, what did you do wrong?" He glanced at the three little ones and said, "Even if you don't tell me, I can find out. It's your choice, do you want to confess honestly or wait for me to ask."
The three children looked at each other, and the eldest child said, "Let me tell you, it's just that the weather is too hot. We went to the beach to swim, but after swimming for a while, we felt bored, so we went to the cliff to dive."
Ning Tang glared and said, "You are so brave! Aren't you afraid that there will be rocks in the sea that will pierce your foreheads?"
She would go to the beach with Mrs. Luo every now and then. There were black reefs on the beach, hidden below the sea level. Unless you got close, you couldn't see them at all.
Sanwa said, "Principal Lu said the same thing. He said it was too dangerous and told us not to do it anymore. To teach us a lesson, he even made us write self-criticisms as a punishment."
Ning Tang nodded, "Principal Lu did the right thing."
He glanced at Erniu's wet hair and the wet corners of Dawa and Sanwa's clothes and asked, "When did Principal Lu tell you?"
"About two hours ago." Da Wa said, "After that, Principal Lu left in a hurry. He seemed to have something urgent to do."
Ning Tang: "It was over two hours ago. Logically, your clothes should have dried long ago. Why are they still wet now? Could it be that Principal Lu left and you went back to play?"
The three little ones rolled their eyes around, not daring to look at Ning Tang.
Ning Tang sneered, "Write two copies of the self-criticism, one for Principal Lu and one for me."
The three little ones murmured, "Oh."
Chen Lie walked in from outside. "Why write a self-criticism? You don't have to write one." He glanced down at Da Wa, Er Niu, and San Wa. "In my opinion, they need a beating. They'll learn their lesson."
"Dad!" Big Baby screamed, "Why are you back? No, were you eavesdropping? We were talking!"
Chen Lie snorted, "I eavesdropped on your conversation, why would I be punished? It was Principal Lu who complained to me."
Principal Lu went to the army for something and happened to run into Chen Lie. He mentioned to him the three little ones' diving experience.
Chen Lie: "Erniu, Principal Lu told me you didn't play, so why are you wet? You waited until Principal Lu left before jumping into the water, right? Ah, you, knowingly breaking the law, your crime is even more serious."
His hand touched the belt at his waist. "If I don't teach you a lesson today, I will write the word '沉' backwards." He said to Erniu, "Don't think I won't beat you just because you're a girl. No matter who it is in our family, if they do something wrong, they will be beaten."
Ning Tang responded, "Men and women are equal."
Erniu had a bitter face. She didn't want to be 'equal' to Da Wa and San Wa in this matter. "Dad, I was wrong." She added, "I will accept the punishment no matter how you hit me."
The eldest and third children also said, "Dad, we were wrong."
No matter who shouted, it was no use. Chen Lie had made up his mind to beat them all up today, to prevent them from doing something dangerous next time. He had already picked up the eldest child and planned to start with the biggest one. "I'll beat you first, to make an example of you."
Da Wa's face was downcast. He didn't want to be the butchered chicken, so he howled, "Dad, it hurts, it hurts, please be gentle."
Chen Lie was so angry that he almost laughed, "I haven't done anything yet."
After saying that, he raised the belt high.
Da Wa's eyes were filled with tears as he looked at Ning Tang, "Mom, my dear mom, if you don't stop Dad, my butt will be beaten to a pulp."
Ning Tang was amused. "Why stop them? If they didn't, you three would have deserved a beating." He added, "Shen Dawa, go out and ask whose children aren't beaten. You guys got into so much trouble, but he didn't even beat you. If it hadn't gone to Principal Lu this time, he would have indulged you."
Da Wa asked loudly, "Is this called 'habit'?"
Ning Tang looked at Chen Lie and said, "Go ahead and hit him. I support you. Oh, and remember to disinfect your belt? Dip it in iodine and disinfect it as you hit him." He added, "If you don't disinfect it, the consequences will be serious. Last time, that guy used a rusty clothes hanger to hit a child and he got tetanus."
Chen Lie couldn't decide whether to raise or lower the belt in his hand. He laughed in anger, "Whose side are you on? Now that you've said that, should I hit you or not?"
"Beat them." Ning Tang took the belt from his hand. "But you have to wait until they finish their showers. Look at them, all wet from head to toe." He winked at the three little ones and said, "Hurry up and take a shower."
The three little ones reacted instantly and rushed to the bathroom. The eldest jumped down from the stool, pulled up his pants, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Chen Lie sneered and said to Ning Tang, "A loving mother often spoils her child."
"Okay, okay, blame me now." Ning Tang took the hat from his hand and helped him take off his outer navy uniform, leaving only the white vest underneath. "You guys are really something. It's summertime, and you still wear so much."
Chen Lie put on his slippers and said, "I have to wear them. A leader from the central government is coming to inspect today."
Ning Tang handed him a cup of winter melon tea. Chen Lie took it and drank it. The winter melon tea had the fragrance of winter melon and a light sweetness. He drank it in just a few gulps.
Chen Lie said, "By the way, remember to give Zhao Qing a red envelope in a couple of days."
"I remember it." Ning Tang said.
Perhaps she turned her heartbreak into motivation, as she performed exceptionally well in the college entrance exam and was admitted to a normal university in Fujian Province. Political Commissar Zhao and Mrs. Luo were so happy that they wanted to go door to door to announce the good news.
Zhao Qing was still hesitant, saying that she was already 22 years old and was going to college, which made her feel a little embarrassed.
Mrs. Luo said to her, "There are people who go to college in their thirties. If you don't believe me, go to the dormitory and take a look."
Shen Lie said, "If Sun Minghui knew that Zhao Qing was admitted to university, he would probably regret it."
Ning Tang said, "There's no point in regretting it. They are no longer from the same world."
Ever since Zhao Qing was admitted to university, Mrs. Luo no longer asked people to find a partner for Zhao Qing.
There are so many young talents in college, so why worry about finding a partner?
I hope this silly girl can read more books, wipe her eyes, wake up her brain, and find a reliable partner, so that Mrs. Luo and Political Commissar Zhao won't worry so much about her in vain.
All three little ones did well in this year's final exam.
Especially the eldest son, he just entered junior high school. In addition to Chinese and mathematics, he has an additional main subject of English, and five minor subjects: politics, physics, chemistry, biology, and history, a total of eight subjects, and the full score for each subject is 100.
Big Brother suddenly felt the pressure increase dramatically.
In this exam, he got full marks in math just like before, 70 points in Chinese, and a little bit worse in English, only 50 points. English is quite difficult, and there are not many people in their class who get high scores, so this result is considered good. In the other five minor subjects, the eldest boy's scores are all around 70 points.
Ning Tang thought that Da Wa had entered junior high school and that he would have to carry double the red lanterns home, but he didn't expect that he actually did well in the exam. "Dawa, what reward do you want?"
Big Baby: "I want to eat pizza, the kind you see on TV."
Shen Lie was amused. "Last time you wanted hamburgers and fries, but this time you want pizza. Comrade Shen Dawa, could you tell me where your mom and I can get you some pizza?"
The eldest child pouted and said, "I just want to eat pizza. Mom promised me that I would do well in the exam and give me a reward."
"Okay?" Ning Tang said, "I'll make you a pizza for Chinese New Year this year."
The three little ones waited and waited, and finally New Year’s Eve arrived.
On New Year's Eve, at six o'clock in the morning, Da Wa opened his eyes, pushed Chen Lie and Ning Tang, and asked them to write couplets.
Shen Lie picked up the pen and asked, "What are you going to write?"
Da Wa said, "Anything is fine?"
Ning Tang yawned continuously. "Write, first line: Don't wake up in the morning and don't sleep at night. Second line: Always sleepy all day long. Horizontal line: Sleep peacefully."
Chen Lie was happy: "Okay, I'll write one for you."
"Still the old rules?" Ning Tang asked.
Chen Lie nodded. "Well, it's the old rules. Undignified couplets are not allowed to be posted in our rooms or on the door. We can enjoy them by ourselves. Genuine couplets are posted outside."
Ning Tang shook his head and sighed, "You really need to save face."
Chen Lie patted his face and said, "A tree lives by its bark, and a person lives by his face."
After the couplets were written, the eldest child rushed to post them, the second girl was in charge of mixing the paste, and the third child directed, "A little to the left, a little to the right, oops, I said right, not left."
After pasting the couplets in a chaotic manner, Ning Tang picked up a pen and wrote a "Fu" character for the three children, and asked them to stick it upside down on the door of their room, and then also put one outside the main door.
The word "Fu" turned upside down means that good fortune has arrived.
After putting up the couplets, the eldest child started to ask for pizza: "Mom, make pizza quickly, I want to eat pizza."
Ning Tang: "I see. I'll do it for you right away. You've been nagging me for so long, and even if you don't find it annoying, I still do."
She entered the kitchen, and Shen Lie followed in. "You really know how to make pizza. Do you know what pizza looks like?"
"I saw it in an illustration in the newspaper." Ning Tang lied to him casually.
Shen Lie: "Then what are you going to do?"
"How do we do it?" Ning Tang said, "It's simple, just watch."
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