The next day, Chen Lie was on vacation. He got up early and cooked a pot of shrimp porridge and a large plate of scrambled eggs with green onions.
After washing up, Da Wa sat at the dining table, drinking his porridge while sleepily asking Chen Lie, "Dad, what were you whispering to stepmother about last night? You talked all night long, it was so noisy that I couldn't sleep."
Chen Lie: "Um, you're asking me what secrets I have with your stepmother? Ah..."
How can I explain the things we talked about last night to a little kid like Da Wa?
He nudged Ning Tang with his elbow and said, "I'm asking you."
Ning Tang said with a forced smile, "Did your dad say he'd take us to the beach in the next two days? Last night we were discussing what kind of seafood we should pick up."
Chen Lie widened his eyes and signaled Ning Tang with his eyes: When did I say that?
Erniu looked at him excitedly and said, "Dad, really? You're taking us to the beach?"
"Really?" Ning Tang continued, "Your father is a man of his word. What he says is as good as a nail."
"Great." The three children cheered.
Having been tricked by Ning Tang, Chen Lie tried to raise his lips, "Yes, my words are as good as my words."
Big Boy tilted his head. "So when are we going to go fishing again? Two days? Which two days?"
"The next day I'm on vacation." Shen Lie said without hesitation.
"That's a deal then," Ning Tang said. "Next time you're on vacation, why don't you take us to the beach? I'll..."
"You what?" Shen Lie said with a smile.
Ning Tang also responded with a smile, "I won't wash the dishes. I'll leave them all to you."
Chen Lie curled his lips. "That's all you can use to threaten me." He shouted at Da Wa, "Dai Wa, I didn't tell you everything just now. Last night, your stepmother and I discussed that she would cook for you from now on. She would make seafood fried noodles for you every day."
Da Wa's eyes lit up. "Really? Stepmother?"
You fart!
Ning Tang swallowed the curse words and said, "I'm going upstairs to get something." After saying that, he slipped upstairs.
Chen Lie looked at her fleeing back, sneered, and thought to himself, fight with me.
After a while, Ning Tang came down with two pieces of cloth.
Shen Lie was surprised, "You really went upstairs to get something."
Ning Tang glared at him, then glanced at the three children. Seeing they weren't paying attention, she whispered to Chen Lie, "I went upstairs and got two pieces of cloth. I'm going to sew a new dress for Erniu. Look at what she's wearing. It's so short it's almost showing her belly button. Don't you think it's dirty?"
She had already planned this, and after talking with Chen Lie last night, she put this matter on the agenda.
Chen Lie was a man after all, and not so attentive. He only paid attention to Erniu's eating and drinking, and didn't notice that her clothes were too short. He nodded repeatedly, "It's time to make some clothes."
He glanced at the two pieces of cloth in Ning Tang's hands, "But one piece of cloth is enough, two pieces are enough to make several sets of clothes." Summer clothes only use less cloth.
Ning Tang was speechless. "How can you make clothes for only one child? When the new clothes are brought back, how will you explain it to the eldest and third children?"
Chen Lie choked, "That's true, but can you make clothes?"
"No, ah." Ning Tang said as a matter of course, "So I was planning to go out and look for Mrs. Luo."
"Go quickly and come back soon." Shen Lie said.
Ning Tang walked to the door and waved, "You make lunch. Make it light. It's too hot and I have no appetite."
When we arrived at Mrs. Luo's house, Mrs. Luo was doing work in the house. Unexpectedly, Zeng Xinlan was also there.
Mrs. Luo asked Ning Tang, "Xiao Ning, why are you here?"
Ning Tang showed her the two pieces of cloth in his hand and said, "I want to make some clothes for Da Wa and the others, but I don't know how to make them, so I came to ask you, sister-in-law, for help."
"Oh, I thought it was nothing. Don't worry, I'll teach you." Mrs. Luo said, "It's summer now, just make a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, it's very simple."
"How long will it take?" Ning Tang asked.
Zeng Xinlan continued, "Sister-in-law, we have a sewing machine at home. It should be pretty quick, less than two hours."
Ning Tang calculated the time and found that she had just made it in time for lunch. She asked Zeng Xinlan, "Xinlan, why are you also at my sister-in-law's house?"
Mrs. Luo said, "She came over to mend the soles of shoes, and chatted with me by the way."
While the three of them were talking, Mrs. Luo was instructing Ning Tang on how to sew clothes.
Unfortunately, Ning Tang was a piece of useless wood and knew nothing about making clothes. She put the cloth aside in frustration and said, "Forget it, I'd better go to the ready-made clothing store in the city to buy it."
"Ready-made clothes are expensive. Making your own clothes saves both fabric and money." Mrs. Luo said, "Why not let Xinlan teach you? Her craftsmanship is much better than mine. If you don't believe me, just look at the soles she sews."
Zeng Xinlan said shyly, "Xiao Ning, don't listen to what my sister-in-law says. My cooking skills are not up to par."
Ning Tang stretched his head to look at the soles Zeng Xinlan had made. There was a flower of some unknown origin sewn on the soles, which looked very lifelike. "Sister-in-law, I'm not kidding. You sew so well. Please teach me. But will it interfere with your work?"
"No, it's just a shoe sole, it doesn't take much effort. Besides, you gave me so many seafood last time, and I didn't thank you properly. I just taught you how to sew clothes." Zeng Xinlan said.
Since she said so, Ning Tang humbly asked her for advice.
Zeng Xinlan gave Ning Tang some pointers. Ning Tang didn't intend to do anything fancy. He just wanted to sew three sets of short-sleeved shirts and shorts.
Just as he was about to start, Ning Tang slapped his thigh, "Oh no, I forgot to measure the size of Da Wa and the others."
Zeng Xinlan took the cloth from Ning Tang's hand and said, "It's okay. I've met your three children. I'll help you cut the cloth."
Mrs. Luo said, "Xinlan's eyes are like a ruler. Don't worry about her cutting the cloth."
Zeng Xinlan cut the cloth, and Ning Tang tried to sew it with a sewing machine. It turned out pretty good.
After making three sets of clothes, Ning Tang considered herself done. She looked at Sister Luo, who was busy with her hands, and asked, "Sister Luo, what are you busy with?"
"I'm sewing a schoolbag for my daughter. School starts in two days," Mrs. Luo replied.
Zeng Xinlan looked at Ning Tang, "As I recall, your eldest child will be starting first grade this September, right?"
Ning Tang's heart skipped a beat. Da Wa had mentioned this before, but he didn't know if Chen Lie had signed up. "Yes..."
"Oh, when the children grow up and go to school, troubles will come..." Mrs. Luo kept muttering.
Ning Tang didn't have the heart to listen any further. It was already August 28th and school was about to start in two days. She had to go back and ask Chen Lie.
She packed three sets of clothes and hurriedly said goodbye to Mrs. Luo and Zeng Xinlan.
After returning home, she put her clothes away and asked Chen Lie, "Is Da Wa going to school this year?"
Seeing her panting, Chen Lie said without hesitation, "Yes."
Ning Tang asked him, "Have you signed up yet?"
Chen Lie: "Register... okay, I forgot." He muttered, "I have so much to do. I'm so busy as soon as I get back. Oh, why don't you help him register?"
"How dare you say that? Is that your son? Or? My son?" Ning Tang rolled his eyes.
"He's my son," Shen Lie added, "but he's also your adopted son. Don't worry, it's okay. I'll help him register tomorrow. It won't be too late."
"Let's not talk about this for now." Ning Tang waved her hand, picked up three small sets of clothes and showed them to him, "Look, I sewed them, don't they look good?"
Chen Lie was speechless. "There's no pattern on it at all. Even if I wanted to say it looks good, I can't go against my conscience."
"What do you know? Simple and elegant is beauty." Ning Tang said, "The three of them are not old enough to know what is beautiful and ugly. They just need to wear something comfortable."
Seeing Chen Lie still wanting to say a few more words, Ning Tang glared and said, "If you have any objections, you come and sew it."
Shen Lie muttered, "How dare I have any opinion."
As they were talking, Da Wa, Er Niu and San Wa came back after playing outside.
As soon as the eldest child entered the house, he shouted, "Dad, I'm hungry. What are we having for lunch?"
"Eat clothes, try it." Shen Lie handed the clothes to him.
The eldest child curled his lips and said, "You think I'm the third child? I'm so easy to fool."
Sanwa, with his round belly sticking out, said angrily, "Sanwa is not easy to fool."
Ning Tang patted his little butt and said, "Alright, stop joking. Go get some clothes and go change upstairs."
The eldest and third child responded and ran upstairs holding their clothes. Chen Lie shouted behind them, "Run slower, or you might knock your teeth." Only then did the two children slow down.
Ning Tang glanced at Erniu, who was still standing there motionless, and asked her, "Why don't you go upstairs to change clothes?"
Erniu was a little confused and touched the back of her head. "Do I have new clothes too? It's not just my brothers and sisters who have new clothes."
Ning Tang glared at Chen Lie quietly and whispered, "I think it wasn't unfair for your ex-wife to die early."
Chen Lie hissed, "Alright, alright, the dead are the greatest."
Ning Tang coughed and said, "From today on, there is no such rule in our family. If we need to make clothes, we will make three sets. You all have three."
No matter what, it's a good thing to have new clothes to wear. Erniu happily went upstairs to change clothes with the clothes in her arms.
Three children? They all changed into new clothes.
Ning Tang took two pieces of cloth, one blue and one light gray. The blue cloth was used to make short-sleeved shirts, and the light gray cloth was used to make shorts. Neither of them were eye-catching colors, but they were very pleasing to the eye and resistant to dirt.
The three children were wearing exactly the same blue short-sleeved shirts and light grey shorts, and with their somewhat similar faces, they looked like siblings.
Chen Lie's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, praising, "It's pretty good."
"Of course, don't you see whose craftsmanship it is?" Ning Tang said complacently.
Chen Lie: "When will you make one for me?"
Ning Tang squinted at him and said, "Let's see when you perform well."
"What do you mean by performing well?" Chen Lie asked.
Ning Tang: "You did something to please me."
Shen Lie muttered, "That's difficult. You're such a difficult person to please."
Ning Tang glanced at him sideways, "Then stop nagging and keep wearing your white vest with holes in it."
The next day, Chen Lie went to register for Da Wa and brought back two textbooks and a collection of quotations from great men.
He handed the three books to the eldest child and said, "Here, school starts at 7:30 on the morning of September 1st. Don't be late."
The eldest child ran with his textbook in his arms, shouting, "I'm going to school!"
Ning Tang just woke up and saw him running around the room like crazy. "What's so exciting about going to school? I can't sleep in from now on."
The eldest child snorted, "Stepmother, you think I am you? I don't like to sleep in. I really like going to school."
Ning Tang was happy. "I hope you'll be this happy when you get your results next year."
Da Wa's body suddenly stiffened.
Erniu looked longingly at the book in Da Wa's hands, "Brother, is going to school fun?"
"It's fun." Big Baby agreed without hesitation. "When I go to school, there are lots of friends to play with me. I heard from Big Tiger that we can play sandbag throwing and hopscotch..."
Erniu looked at Chen Lie suddenly, "Dad, I want to go to school too."
Chen Lie rubbed her little head and said, "You're not old enough yet. I'll sign you up in two years."
"Okay." Erniu said dejectedly.
Ning Tang comforted her, "It's okay, it's just fun. When the eldest child goes to school, I'll take you to the beach and the mountains to play."
"Sanwa is going too." Sanwa said loudly.
Ning Tang was happy, "Okay, okay, let's go."
The eldest child was unhappy and said with his hands on his hips, "Why do you guys plan to go out and play as soon as I go to school?"
"Then are you still showing off?" Ning Tang said.
The eldest boy puffed up his cheeks and said, "I won't show off anymore." He shook the textbook in his hand and said, "I'm going out to show off." Then he ran out the door.
Chen Lie shouted after him, "You can show off, but don't accidentally tear the book."
Ning Tang interjected, "You tore up the book, Captain Shen tore you up."
Chen Lie twitched the corner of his mouth, "Am I that fierce?"
Ning Tang said, "No, Captain Shen, what are you having for lunch?"
Chen Lie lay down on the rocking chair, "I should be the one asking you this. Did you make lunch?"
Ning Tang raised his hands in surrender. "I'll do it, so be it. Whether you want to eat hot pot or not."
"It's so hot today, do you have an appetite for hotpot?" Chen Lie asked.
"I have no appetite. How about I go to Mrs. Luo's yard and pick some cucumbers and tomatoes and mix them into two refreshing side dishes?" Ning Tang said.
Shen Lie: "This is fine."
Mentioning Luo's wife, Ning Tang thought of schoolbags, "By the way, have you bought a schoolbag for Da Wa?"
Chen Lie said without hesitation, "No."
Ning Tang couldn't believe it. "What about the pencils and notebooks? Don't tell me you didn't buy them either."
"Of course I didn't buy it. Didn't you tell me that I just needed to register? I thought the school would just give it to me..." Shen Lie's guilty voice gradually faded away.
Ning Tang really wanted to spit on his face, "Then when I asked you to eat, did you only eat the rice and not the vegetables?"
“That’s not the case…” Shen Lie said.
Ning Tang glared at him and said, "I'm going to cook now. Go get your schoolbag, notebooks, and pencils ready at once."
"Understood, sir." Shen Lie saluted.
When Ning Tang returned from Mrs. Luo's house, Chen Lie also came back.
He was holding a large cardboard box in one hand. "Do you think this is enough?"
Ning Tang stretched his head and took a look. He saw a cardboard box full of notebooks and pens. The corners of his mouth twitched. "Did you rob the supply and marketing cooperative?"
Chen Lie also felt that he had bought too much and scratched his head embarrassedly, "It's okay, this thing won't break anyway."
"It won't break." Ning Tang said, "It can be used by Erniu and Sanwa to go to school."
Chen Lie felt guilty and changed the subject, "I'm hungry, hurry up and cook."
"Can you make cold noodles? Mixed cucumbers and tomatoes with sugar, served with a bowl of cold noodles, it stimulates appetite and is perfect for summer." Ning Tang asked him.
Chen Lie was envious of her description and rolled up his sleeves. "It's just cold noodles, right? Today I'll show you my cooking skills."
The two worked together, Ning Tang was responsible for making cold cucumber salad and sugar-mixed tomatoes, and Chen Lie was responsible for making cold noodles. It was ready in less than half an hour.
Chen Lie brought the cold noodles out of the kitchen and glanced at the living room. "Has Da Wa not come back yet?"
"He followed the scent and came back." Ning Tang had just finished speaking when a sound came from the door. "Look, who cares? Speak of the devil!"
After showing off for a while, the eldest boy came back hungry. He sat down and picked up the cold noodles and slurped them. "Delicious."
Ning Tang was amused. "What is not tasty in your mouth?"
Da Wa made a face and looked at Chen Lie, "Dad, are we still having cold noodles tonight?"
Chen Lie: "Tonight? Don't eat cold noodles? Tonight? I'll stew you and we'll have steamed big baby."
Da Wa rolled his eyes and complained to Ning Tang, "Stepmom, Dad is going to stew me."
Chen Lie was amused. "It's no use complaining to her. She'll just happily pass me some firewood."
"Really? Stepmother?" Big Brother didn't believe it.
He felt that during the time that Chen Lie was out at sea, he had established a revolutionary friendship with Ning Tang.
"Really?" Ning Tang pinched his little face. "Look at how fat you are. One stew is enough for us to eat for three meals."
Erniu was holding the bowl and laughing foolishly. Da Wa threatened her, "Why are you laughing? After you finish eating me, you will be next."
Erniu was so frightened that she couldn't even hold the bowl steady. She hurriedly said, "Don't eat Erniu."
"Whoever doesn't behave will be eaten first. You three are our family's reserve food." Ning Tang teased them.
In the blink of an eye, it was the day when the eldest child started school.
Da Wa was so excited last night that he barely slept the entire night. The next day, he was still full of energy. Seeing this, Ning Tang yawned and said, "It's good to be young."
The eldest child slung over his small schoolbag, put his textbooks in it, and waved, "I'm going to school."
Chen Lie: "Do you know where the school is?"
Ning Tang said, "He stays on the island every day, having fun. He knows the roads better than you do, so you can rest assured."
Chen Lie muttered, "No, it's Da Wa's first day of school after all, I have to go and see him off."
Ning Tang curled his lips, worrying about nothing.
Following them to the door, as soon as they pushed open the gate, they saw the Su family opposite. Ning Xue led Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu out of the house.
Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu also had schoolbags on their shoulders, and looked like they were going to school just like the eldest child.
Ning Tang remembered that Su Junyan's twin sons were the same age as the eldest son and should also be in the first grade this year.
Ning Xue caught a glimpse of Ning Tang from the corner of her eye. While sorting the twins' clothes, she raised her voice, "When you two get to school, listen to your teachers. Don't make trouble or bully your classmates. Study hard and become useful members of society."
Ning Tang doubted whether Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu understood what he heard. Nine out of ten children of this age go to school just to have fun.
As expected, Su Guangzong tilted his head and asked Ning Xue, "Mom, what does it mean to be useful to society?"
Ning Xue choked, "It's getting late, hurry up and go to school, or you'll be late."
Ning Tang patted Da Wa's head and said, "You should go to school too and have fun."
Da Wa nodded heavily, "Okay." He waved his hand, "Stepmother, please prepare lunch and wait for me when I come back."
"To celebrate your first day of school, let's make something delicious for lunch today," Ning Tang said.
Da Wa's eyes lit up, "What delicious food are you making?"
Ning Tang narrowed his eyes and said, "If you don't go to school, I'll make stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots for lunch."
Big Boy shrank his neck and said, "I'll go right away." Then he ran away with his small schoolbag slung over his shoulder.
Chen Lie remembered the delicious seafood fried noodles he had last time and licked his lips. "What delicious food are you planning to make?"
Ning Tang looked at him in surprise, "Don't you eat lunch in the army cafeteria?"
"Yes, and maybe not." Chen Lie said, "It depends on what delicious food you cook."
"Don't worry, it's even better than the seafood fried noodles last time." Ning Tang said.
Seeing that Da Wa had already run away, Chen Lie followed him and said, "I'll be back for lunch. Make more."
Ning Tang sneered, turned around and wanted to go back to the house, but was stopped by Ning Xue after taking two steps.
Ning Xue frowned and said, "Just now, Captain Shen was here and I couldn't say anything to you. How could you let the eldest child have fun at school? Children go to school to learn, not to play."
Ning Tang complained in her heart, thinking, "As soon as Chen Lie leaves, you can criticize me." "He's only in the first grade, what can he understand? Just get along with his classmates happily. If you want to focus on studying, it's not time now."
Ning Xue frowned even more. "What do you know, kid? You need to be educated from a young age. Even though it's only the first grade, now is the best time to lay the foundation. If you can't learn well in the first grade, you will end up carrying a red lantern like you when you move on to higher grades."
Ning Tang: ...You shouldn't make personal attacks like this.
She said, "Cousin, if I don't interfere with how you educate your children, don't interfere with me either."
Ning Xue glared and said, "Why can't I interfere with you? I'm your cousin. If you teach someone else's child bad things, how can I explain it to Captain Shen?"
Ning Tang was speechless, "What about just now? Did Chen Lie say anything?"
"No," Ning Xue said, "After all, this is Captain Shen's first time experiencing a child going to school. He's a man, so it's not surprising that he doesn't understand."
"It's my first time as a grown-up girl riding in a sedan chair," Ning Tang said.
Ning Xue gave her a look of disdain. "I won't waste my time on these nonsense. Look at the weeds in your yard. It's been almost two months, and you haven't cleaned them up. It looks so filthy to others passing by."
Ning Tang rolled his eyes. "Well, it's not that I don't want to clean it up. Didn't Chen Lie go out to sea last month? Before he left, he specifically told me to wait for him to come back and clean it up. I don't have to do it myself."
Ning Xue's eyes showed doubt, "Really?"
"Really? He said the weather here on Hailang Island is too hot and I'd easily get sunburned if I worked under the scorching sun." Ning Tang lied without any guilt.
Ning Xue recalled how she had spent the entire afternoon pulling weeds under the scorching sun. When she returned home, Su Junyan didn't even bring her a glass of water, and her heart ached.
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