Sun Aiju was almost dying of anxiety. "Village Chief, why can't you do the math? Yes, Su Junyan gave an extra hundred yuan, but Chen Lie has a higher rank than him, so his salary must be higher. This hundred yuan will be earned back in less than two months."
"You can earn this money but you can't spend it. I heard that things are not peaceful in the South China Sea. Chen Lie might be going to the battlefield soon." Ning Weiguo said, "You don't want our daughter to be a widow, do you?"
Sun Aiju rolled her eyes. "Education or not, she's not called a widow, she's called a martyr's widow. Yes, there's unrest in the South China Sea, but there's no guarantee there will be a war. Even if there were to be a war, I wouldn't regret having my daughter marry a soldier who defends our country."
After Sun Aiju finished speaking, she didn't forget to tsk her tongue and criticize Ning Weiguodao, "How can you be so backward in thinking?"
Ning Tang used tongs to pick up the sweet potatoes from the stove. While peeling the sweet potatoes, he watched Sun Aiju and Ning Weiguo bickering with great interest.
Sun Aiju looked at Ning Tang, who was afraid of the heat but still wanted to peel the sweet potato, and then touched her ears with her hands after peeling it. She took the sweet potato from her hand and peeled it for her. "It's true that children are a debt. Your brother is over 30 and still hasn't married. And you, we are discussing your marriage, but you don't care at all. You act like you are listening to a joke."
Ning Tang took the sweet potato that Sun Aiju had peeled, blew it cool, took a big bite, and said with a slurred voice, "I'm just listening."
Ning Weiguo squatted on the ground, puffing on his cigarette one after another. When the room was filled with white smoke, he finally figured it out and made up his mind, "Then I'll choose Chen Lie."
"That's right." Sun Aiju smiled with satisfaction.
Sun Aiju was not like Ning Tang, who was careless and only focused on eating. During this meal, she observed almost everything about Chen Lie and Su Junyan.
Ning Tang saw Chen Lie taking over the plate that Ning Xue couldn't hold, and helping to set the table, and Sun Aiju also saw it.
Sun Aiju's favorable impression towards Shen Lie was growing rapidly.
How bad can a man with a lively look in his eyes be?
Besides, since her daughter doesn't do housework and doesn't work, she needs to find someone like Chen Lie who can work.
When a couple lives together, they should complement each other.
Ning Tang is already lazy and greedy, and now he's paired with someone who's just as lazy and doesn't work. How can the couple survive? They might as well just die and hang a big cake around their necks. Whoever finishes it first will die first.
Ning Weiguo also thought about Ning Tang's inability to cook, and couldn't help but mutter, "Our daughter can't cook. What will the family eat when she gets married?"
Ning Tang blinked his eyes: "So before they got married, their family didn't eat. How come they didn't starve to death?"
After a night of discussion, both families had almost made up their minds.
When they woke up in the morning, the two brothers Ning Weiguo and Ning Weidang talked to each other and were even more satisfied when they learned that the two families had chosen different people.
There is no problem on the woman's side, it depends on the man.
After breakfast, Ning Weidang and his family pulled Su Junyan into the house and discussed the marriage arrangements in detail.
I don't know what they talked about exactly, but judging from the smile on Su Junyan's face when he walked out of the room and Ning Xue's shy expression, I guess the conversation must have gone very well.
It was Chen Lie's turn. Ning Weiguo pulled Chen Lie into the house, and Sun Aiju and Ning Tang kept him company.
At the square table in the main hall, Ning Weiguo, Sun Aiju, and Ning Tang sat on one side, and Chen Lie sat directly opposite them, giving the impression of a three-party trial.
Ning Weiguo started first. He said directly, "Um, Comrade Shen, what do you think of my daughter?"
Chen Lie felt uncomfortable. He just picked up the water cup to drink some water, but when he heard Ning Weiguo's straightforward words, he almost spit out a mouthful of water.
Chen Lie coughed twice. "Uncle, when I joined the army, I was assigned to the same class as Junzi. When I was serving in the Western Territory, if it weren't for Junzi, I might not have been able to come back. My parents died when I was young. You are Junzi's father, and I also regard you as my half-father. I won't hide anything from you. I will tell you directly if I have something to say."
Chen Lie paused, then continued, "I'm well aware of my situation. I'm a widower with three children, and people say I'm unlucky for my parents and my wife, and I'm a lonely star." He glanced at Ning Tang, "So, it doesn't matter what I think of your daughter. It's up to your daughter to choose me."
When Sun Aiju heard Chen Lie revealing his family scandal, she originally frowned, but the more she listened, the more her brows relaxed.
How should I put it? Chen Lie is indeed not good-looking at first glance, but once he opens his mouth, you can't help but want to hear what he says.
Moreover, Shen Lie did not mention any of his advantages, such as high salary and high rank, but only put himself in a low position and gave the right of choice to Ning Weiguo and his wife and Ning Tang.
Sun Aiju's evaluation of Shen Lie is getting higher and higher. This is the attitude of a blind date.
Ning Tang was originally peeling longans to eat, but as he listened, he forgot to eat the peeled longans and began to look Chen Lie up and down.
She was actually in a good mood. She threw away the longan shell and asked Chen Lie with great interest, "Hey, you really are destined to be alone? What if I marry you and you kill me?"
Sun Aiju glared and said, "Pah, pah, pah, what are you talking about?"
Chen Lie was stared at by Ning Tang, and he turned away slightly with some embarrassment, "That's all just rumors. My parents died of overwork, and my late wife died of illness."
He scratched his head, as if afraid that Ning Tang wouldn't believe him, and added, "If I was really destined to be alone, how come my three children are still alive and well?"
"You have children, and three at that?" Ning Tang asked in surprise.
Ning Weiguo couldn't help but sigh. His daughter was so obedient that she ignored everything he said. He didn't know which words she remembered and which she didn't.
"Yes, two sons and a daughter. The eldest son is seven years old, the second daughter is five years old, and the youngest son is three years old." Shen Lie explained everything in detail.
Ning Tang couldn't help but wonder in her heart, if Chen Lie had a child, would he not let her give birth to it?
A few years ago, a newly married young woman in their village gave birth in a hospital in the city, but ended up with two deaths.
Even in her time, there was no guarantee that childbirth was 100% risk-free, let alone in this era of backward medical conditions. Ning Tang didn't want to gamble with her life.
Ning Tang asked whatever he thought, "You already have a child, will you ask me to have a child?"
Chen Lie didn't expect Ning Tang to ask this, but he stared into Ning Tang's eyes seriously, "This depends on you. I respect your opinion, but..."
He gave Ning Tang a strange look and said, "If you marry me, you will become the stepmother of three children. Normally, don't women want to have a child of their own?"
Sun Aiju nodded in agreement and whispered in Ning Tang's ear, "Raising someone else's child, aren't you afraid of not being able to raise them well? Who will be filial to you in the future?"
Ning Tang rolled her eyes. "Biological children are always filial. Aunt Sun who lives at the entrance of our village gave birth to three sons. They are biological children, right? They are sons, right? How are they doing now? After her husband passed away, none of her three sons were willing to support her. Aunt Sun goes from house to house begging with a broken bowl every day. Mom, have you forgotten? When Aunt Sun passed by the other day, you stuffed two steamed buns into her bowl."
"Similarly, non-biological children are not necessarily filial, but they may also be very filial sons and daughters. It depends mainly on the individual. Of course, biological children are generally more filial than non-biological children." Ning Tang's words blocked both sides.
Sun Aiju couldn't help but clench her fist and hit Ning Tang, "You kid, you always argue with me."
Chen Lie was quite surprised to hear Ning Tang's words. He couldn't help but say, "If I die before you, I will definitely take care of you before I die. Even if my three children are unwilling to support you, it won't be a big problem."
Hiss, Ning Tang looked at Chen Lie carefully. Why did she find that the man in front of her looked more and more pleasing to the eye?
Ning Tang extended his hand and said, "Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Ning Tang. Thank you for your guidance in the future."
Chen Lie looked into Ning Tang's eyes and held out his hand, "Chen Lie, please give me some advice."
Sun Aiju and Ning Weiguo were both dumbfounded. Neither of them had expected that this blind date would be arranged so hastily.
Ning Weiguo asked tentatively, "So, is this a done deal?"
Chen Lie was also a straightforward person. He took out two hundred yuan from his pocket and put it on the table. "This is the betrothal gift."
Ning Tang took the two hundred yuan without hesitation and handed it all to Sun Aiju, "Mom, take it."
Sun Aiju rolled her eyes at her and stuffed the two hundred yuan back into her hands. "Silly girl, your father and I are rich. Your brother sends his salary back every month, and your father and I save it. These two hundred yuan are your private money, and your father and I will also give you some extra money."
Ning Tang knew that Ning Jun could make money. The army provided food and accommodation, and every month there were a lot of subsidies besides salary. Ning Jun didn't spend a penny and sent it all to Sun Aiju.
Moreover, Sun Aiju had saved a lot of money over the years, so Ning Tang didn't bother to be polite with Sun Aiju and stuffed two hundred yuan into his pocket.
After Chen Lie left, Sun Aiju and Ning Weiguo took Ning Tang to have a small meeting.
Sun Aiju said, "Think it over carefully. If you really marry Chen Lie, even if he has good conditions, he is a widower with three children. You will become a stepmother if you marry him."
Ning Weiguo hesitated after hearing what Sun Aiju said. "How about, forget it? Although our daughter is a little older, she is still a virgin after all. There is no need for her to be a stepmother. We can just find someone in the village to marry her. After all, it's her first marriage."
Ning Tang thought for a moment and said, "Dad, Mom, I know you're good to me, but after thinking about it, I feel that Chen Lie's conditions are still suitable for me."
First of all, Chen Lie has a high salary and is a soldier, which means that after marrying Chen Lie, her material conditions will not be too bad. If she marries a villager from the same village, she will probably still have to work in the fields.
Ning Tang tried working in the fields. Wow, the sun was so scorching that it could peel off a layer of skin. It was no exaggeration at all. After working for a whole day, her whole body felt like it was being run over by wheels, and her back and waist were sore. It was simply unbearable for someone like her who had been in an air-conditioned office every day before traveling through time and had not been productive after traveling through time.
If she really had to work in the fields, and work in the fields all the time, Ning Tang thought she should just wash herself clean and find a rope to hang herself.
Secondly, Chen Lie has three children, which is an advantage rather than a disadvantage for Ning Tang.
Ning Tang didn't want to have children in the first place. Chen Lie already had three children and wouldn't let her have one. Besides, these three children were not young at all and had basic self-care abilities. They also had Chen Lie as their biological father, so Ning Tang could only keep an eye on them.
Think about it in a positive way, just think of it as living with three kids.
Besides, she is a stepmother. If she treats a child who is not her biological child badly, is there anyone who would point fingers at her and say something bad about her?
The most important thing is that based on her previous testing experience, the irresistible force of the plot will pull back everything that deviates from the plot.
It's like she can't do business. The plot insists on making her a stepmother in the control group. If she doesn't marry Chen Lie in this blind date, she will have to marry a divorced officer with children from Hailang Island like Wang Lie or Zhang Lie in the future.
It would be better to marry Chen Lie. At least Chen Lie seems to be a good person. As for the next one, it’s hard to say.
Ning Tang explained all this to Sun Aiju and Ning Weiguo that night.
Sun Aiju and Ning Weiguo still found it a little hard to accept, but there was nothing they could do. After all, it was Ning Tang's own choice. If she didn't live well, the worst that could happen was that Chen Lie would report to the higher-ups and get a divorce. The old couple and Ning Jun would support Ning Tang for the rest of her life.
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