Ning Tang saw that her face was gloomy and uncertain, so he didn't dare to say anything. He said goodbye to her and went back to the house.
After returning home, Ning Tang took a nap, got up on time at 9:30, packed up and prepared to go to the vegetable market.
One day, the eldest child went to school and there was one less person at home. The second and third daughters felt uncomfortable and didn't even feel like playing.
Seeing Ning Tang about to go out, Er Niu quickly said, "Stepmother, we will go with you."
"Let's go." Ning Tang put a small straw hat on her and Sanwa's head, held Sanwa in one hand, and followed Erniu beside her. The three of them went to the vegetable market together.
On the way, Erniu tightened her hands unnaturally and glanced at Ning Tang from time to time.
Seeing that Ning Tang didn't react, Er Niu pursed her lips and suddenly stepped forward to hold Ning Tang's hand.
Ning Tang was walking normally when he suddenly felt a soft touch on his hand. "Why are you holding my hand?"
Er Niu turned her face away and said, "I can hold your hand if I want."
In the past, when she was on the street, she had seen other mothers holding their children's hands, but her mother had never held hers. She always held the eldest child in her left hand and the third child in her right hand.
Now, stepmother is also half mother, if she tries to hold the hand, it should be okay, right?
Ning Tang let go of her hand and said, "I won't let you hold my hand."
"Why?" Erniu looked at Ning Tang in disbelief.
How come this is different from what Aunt Zhu said? Aunt Zhu said that in order to integrate into their family, the stepmother would definitely get close to her and her brothers in every way possible.
What about the closeness we promised?
Ning Tang: "Because it's hot, your hands are sweaty."
Er Niu puffed up her cheeks and pointed at San Wa and said, "Then you're still holding San Wa, aren't you feeling hot?"
Ning Tang: "What you said makes sense." Then he put Sanwa down.
Sanwa was originally held in Ning Tang's arms, with his little head resting comfortably on Ning Tang's shoulder, looking at the scenery on the road. Unexpectedly, Erniu asked Ning Tang to put him down with just a few words.
The little kid instantly exploded with rage, screamed, and stretched out his hands towards Ning Tang, "I don't care, I want my stepmother to hold me."
Er Niu made a face and said, "Third kid, aren't you ashamed? You're already three years old and still want someone older to hold you."
Seeing the two little kids about to quarrel, Ning Tang held his forehead and said, "Okay, I'll hold one hand each, okay?"
Now Erniu and Sanwa stopped arguing. Each of them held Ning Tang's hand, and the two little ones were very satisfied.
When he arrived at the vegetable market, Ning Tang went straight to the stall and bought a bucket of homemade vinegar made by the fishermen, and also bought some seafood. The stall owner also gave him some seaweed at a discount.
After shopping, I was carrying a lot of bags home. It was already eleven o'clock.
When Chen Lie returned home, he saw a pot filled with white soup in the middle of the dining table.
Chen Lie raised his eyebrows. "The delicious food you mentioned is hot pot? It's a pity that I rushed back. Forget it, I'd better go back to the army canteen to eat." After saying that, he turned around and wanted to leave.
"Come back." Ning Tang called him, "You know it's not tasty even before you try it."
"Nonsense, sir? Eating hot pot in the summer will make you sweat before you finish the meal. How can it be delicious?" Chen Lie said.
Ning Tang glanced at him sideways. "You don't understand this, do you? This is called dregs vinegar hotpot. It's perfect for summer. Sister Luo recommended it."
Chen Lie took off his hat and placed it on the cabinet, rolled up his sleeves, sat at the dining table, and picked up his chopsticks. "Sister Luo recommended it, so it's worth a try."
"Why are you in such a hurry? Let's wait for the eldest son to come back and eat together." Ning Tang pulled him up from the table. "While we still have time, go and weed the yard."
"Weeding?" Chen Lie was stunned and sneered, "You finally remembered. I thought you were blind. The grass in our yard is almost half a person tall."
Ning Tang, "Stop talking nonsense and go now. If you don't get rid of it, my cousin will keep complaining about me every time she sees me."
Shen Lie was stunned again, "What does it have to do with your cousin?"
"You ask me how I know, I just know that one of her eyes is focused on ours." Ning Tang said, "This morning, when the eldest child went to school, I told him to have fun. After you left, she grabbed me and read to me for half an hour."
"Have fun, there's nothing wrong with what you said." Shen Lie said.
Ning Tang spread his hands and said, "It's the first day of school for the eldest child. It's good enough that he can learn to read a few sentences. Most of the time, the teacher will lead them in playing games."
"It's like this in the lower grades of primary schools on the island. They say that teachers in the lower grades are there to help take care of the children. If you really want to learn knowledge, you have to wait until the higher grades." Chen Lie replied.
Ning Tang: "Okay, enough about this, hurry up and get rid of the weeds."
Chen Lie curled his lips, "If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have come back at noon. I would have come back just to do hard labor for you."
Ning Tang curled his lips, "Don't want to do it? That's fine too."
"Really?" Shen Lie's eyes lit up.
Ning Tang: "I told my cousin that the sun is so strong on the island, and you felt sorry for me and didn't want me to get sunburned, so you took the initiative to take over the weeding work. Even if you don't do it today, you have to do it tomorrow."
Chen Lie looked at her in disbelief. "You really? Said that?"
"Really?" Ning Tang said, "She definitely won't stop weeding until she sees you. Believe it or not, when you go out with a shovel later, you'll definitely see her staring at you in her yard."
"I don't believe it." Shen Lie shook his head. He didn't believe that Ning Xue had so much free time.
Ning Tang narrowed his eyes, "What are you betting on?"
"If I lose, I'll wash your dishes for a week, and you too." Shen Lie said without hesitation.
Ning Tang handed him the shovel and said, "Let's bet."
Chen Lie took the shovel, walked out of the house, looked around, and saw no one. He laughed in his heart, Ning Xue really wasn't there? Ning Tang was talking so casually.
He swept the yard and found the weeds were half a man's height. He bent down and began to work seriously.
After weeding for about half an hour, Chen Lie wiped the sweat from his forehead, stood up and prepared to stretch, when he saw a figure suddenly appear in the yard of the Su family opposite.
Chen Lie looked carefully, and wondered who else could it be if not Ning Xue?
Since they met, he said hello.
Ning Xue stood in the yard and saw Chen Lie really weeding the yard with a shovel, and she felt very uncomfortable.
She snorted and turned to go into the house.
Leaving Chen Lie confused, he didn't offend Ning Xue, right?
Shen Lie was strong and nimble, and it took him less than half an hour to remove most of the weeds in the yard.
He went back to the room, took a shower, changed into a white vest and shorts, and the eldest son just came back.
When the eldest child came back, he sniffed and asked in confusion, "What's gone bad in our house?"
"You're the one that's rotten." Ning Tang brought the washed whitebait and prawns to the table. "This tastes like bad vinegar."
"Dregs of vinegar?" The eldest child tilted his head. "Stepmother, are you sure it's not swill?"
"Okay, I admit that they smell a bit similar, but I guarantee that dregs vinegar is definitely better than swill." Ning Tang said.
Chen Lie complained, "Nothing tastes better than swill, Comrade Xiao Ning, are you really planning on eating hot pot on such a hot day? Let me remind you, even if it's vinegar hot pot, it's still hot pot."
"What's wrong with hot pot? Hot pot is easy to make. Just pour the soup base and put the food in the pot, and it's done." Ning Tang said.
Chen Lie: "So you make hot pot for convenience."
"Yes and no. This is one of the reasons. The main reason is that it tastes good." Ning Tang said, "If you don't believe me, try it."
The white vinegar soup in the pot was already bubbling, and a strong sour and spicy smell wafted through the entire living room. Chen Lie swallowed subconsciously.
The eldest child didn't care about the rules about eating hot pot in summer. He threw his schoolbag to the ground, picked up his chopsticks, and shouted, "Stepmother, how do we eat this?"
"It's simple. I put a lot of seafood and vegetables on plates next to the hot pot. Just put whatever you want to eat into the pot. Do it yourself and you will have enough food and clothing." Ning Tang said.
She took the chopsticks from Da Wa and said, "But Comrade Shen Da Wa, before you have enough food and clothing, please wash your hands first."
The eldest child said reluctantly, "Dad, look at your stepmother."
Chen Lie: "It's useless to call me. Didn't you see that I took a shower before coming to eat?"
Ning Tang threatened him, "If you don't wash your hands before eating, it's easy for bugs to grow in your stomach."
The eldest child's expression changed. "I don't believe it."
"Believe it or not, don't call me or your dad when you have a stomachache." Ning Tang put the chopsticks in front of him to see if he would take them.
The eldest boy curled his lips, took a step with his short legs, and went to the yard to wash his hands.
While the eldest child was washing his hands, Ning Tang asked Chen Lie, "How was it? Did you see Ning Xue while weeding in the yard?"
"Comrade Xiaoning, I find that you still have some ability to predict things. Okay, I'll wash the dishes this week." Chen Lie said.
Ning Tang sneered, "I didn't expect her to actually come out and stare at me. I was just saying it casually."
The eldest child came back after washing his hands and asked, "What did you say?"
"Tell me what you did on your first day of school today." Ning Tang bluffed him casually.
The eldest child tilted his head and thought for a moment, "I didn't do anything. The teacher just called our names and told us to play games, that's all."
Ning Tang winked at Chen Lie and said, "Look, is it what I said?"
"But..." Big Boy said again.
"But what?" Ning Tang asked.
The eldest child swallowed and said, "Let's eat first. We can talk while we eat."
Ning Tang put some prawns and whitebait into the pot, and when they were cooked, he put a little into everyone's bowl.
The eldest child quickly peeled the shrimp shell and put the shrimp meat into his mouth. "So tender."
"It's tender, isn't it? And it tastes sour and spicy, right? That's the flavor of dregs vinegar," Ning Tang said. "Mrs. Luo told me that this dregs vinegar is made by fishermen themselves. It's fermented from the lees left over from making rice wine. It's perfect for making hot pot soup base. Seafood cooked with dregs vinegar tastes even more delicious."
Chen Lie didn't eat the shrimp and sea cucumber properly, so he poured himself a bowl of vinegar soup and drank it slowly. It was sour and spicy, very appetizing. "Don't be fooled by the smell, it tastes really good."
"It smells good too. Do you know what it means to make your mouth water?" Ning Tang said, "Big boy, go on."
The eldest child ate a few more before Haibai said, "I ran into my cousin when I came back."
Ning Tang and Chen Lie looked at each other. Why was Ning Xue everywhere?
"How did you meet him?" Shen Lie asked.
"Su Guangzong, Su Yaozu and I are in the same class. The three of us came back together after school. When we were almost home, my aunt happened to be at their door. She stopped me and asked the three of us what the teacher taught us in school today." said the eldest child.
Ning Tang: "Then? How did you guys respond?"
The eldest child said truthfully, "To be honest, Teacher Zhou just called out the names of the students today and recognized them as servants. Then he started playing a game with us. It was called Drop the Handkerchief, and it was really fun."
He shrugged his nose. "I think we had a lot of fun, but my cousin's aunt seemed unhappy. She said our teacher wasn't doing her job and only knew how to play around with us. She also told Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu to go back and study hard and do the homework she assigned."
The eldest child had a good memory and repeated it word for word, which made Ning Tang and Shen Lie look at each other in surprise.
He rubbed the back of his head in confusion. "Dad, stepmom, is our teacher Zhou really as idle as my cousin aunt said? It doesn't sound like a good word, but I think Teacher Zhou is a nice person and she's funny. Anyway, I like her very much."
Ning Tang said, "As long as you like it, just ignore what your aunt says and do whatever the teacher says. As long as you have fun and enjoy learning, this trip will be worth it."
The eldest boy didn't quite understand what was said, nodded, and continued eating.
While helping Er Niu and San Wa peel shrimp, Chen Lie whispered to Ning Tang, "Why do I feel like your cousin is always staring at our family? It's really weird."
What's strange, right? We're in the monitoring group, it would be strange if Ning Xue didn't keep an eye on us.
At most, she would say a few more words of nonsense, which would go in one ear and out the other. It would not affect them anyway, and they would not do what Ning Xue said. So let her stare at her. It would be useless even if she sat at the door of the Shen family.
Ning Tang picked up a piece of dried seaweed for Chen Lie with his chopsticks. "Let her stare if she wants. She's living her own life. Whether it's good or bad is none of her business."
After dinner, Chen Lie went to clear the dishes. Ning Tang took out a piece of letter paper and a pen and leaned over the table to write a letter.
Chen Lie came out after washing the dishes and saw that she was halfway through writing. "What are you writing?"
"Write a letter." Ning Tang said, "We wrote letters and sent seafood to my parents before, but they never replied. So I want to write another letter to ask if anything happened."
Chen Lie nodded, "You write it, and I'll mail it for you later."
On September 3rd, Shen Lie went to mail a letter.
They waited until September 15th, but there was still no reply. Just when Ning Tang was thinking about whether to send a third letter back, the "reply" from Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju arrived.
On the afternoon of September 17th, Ning Tang was taking Erniu and Sanwa home for a nap when he suddenly heard the jingle of a bicycle bell at the door. "Is anyone home?"
Ning Tang suddenly opened his eyes and answered, "Are you there?" Then he stood up and went to the gate of the courtyard.
As soon as he arrived at the door, he saw two young men in postman uniforms riding bicycles. There seemed to be a large item on the back seat of one of the bicycles, but it was wrapped in a sack, so Ning Tang couldn't see it clearly.
The postman took out an envelope and looked at the address on it. "This is from Qi Province. Please sign for it."
"Qi Province?" Ning Tang was stunned. Isn't Qi Province the province where Shangang Village is located? Could it be that Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju sent something to her?
Another postman unloaded the large items from the back seat of the car and looked behind Ning Tang. "Is there no man at home? I'm afraid you can't carry this."
Ning Tang looked at the large items and said decisively, "I'd like to trouble you two comrades to help move them."
When Chen Lie returned from the army, he saw a large item placed in the middle of the living room. He was stunned. "What did you buy?"
"I didn't buy it. My parents sent it to me. I haven't opened it yet." Ning Tang said.
She glanced at Er Niu and San Wa and explained to them, "It was sent by your grandparents."
Er Xiaoniu tilted her head and asked, "Grandma, Grandpa?"
Ning Tang: "The red dates you ate last time were given to you by grandma and grandpa."
Thinking of the sweet and fragrant taste of red dates, Er Niu swallowed her saliva and looked at the big bag. "Then there must be a lot of red dates in here."
When he heard that it was red dates, Sanwa took his short legs and went to pull the big sack outside.
But it was tied tightly and he didn't pull it open.
Chen Lie was happy. He picked up Sanwa and put him aside. He untied the rope tied to the fan, and a brand new electric fan appeared in front of him.
"Electric fan?!" Ning Tang was really shocked. She never thought that Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju would send her an electric fan.
On September 8th, Chen Lie brought back his salary and sea subsidies, more than 100 yuan, and left them all with her. She had originally planned to take a boat to the department store in the city one day to buy an electric fan, but before she could do anything, Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju sent it to her.
"What is this?" Er Niu carefully touched the 'iron lump' in front of her. "Can I eat it?"
"You can't eat it. This is called an electric fan. It's used for blowing air. It has the same function as a large palm-leaf fan, but you don't have to do anything. It will move by itself." Shen Lie explained.
Ning Tang patted the electric fan and said, "With this, I won't be afraid of the heat when I sleep anymore."
Chen Lie: "But there's only one. Which room should I put it in?"
"Just put it in the living room." Ning Tang said.
There is only one fan, and it is not suitable to put it in any other room, so it is placed in the living room. It is just right for her, Erniu and Sanwa to have lunch break at noon.
Ning Tang said excitedly, "Quick, plug it in and try it."
Chen Lie moved the electric fan, adjusted its position, and plugged it in. The fan blades slowly began to turn, sending a gentle breeze that made the strands of hair on both sides of Ning Tang's cheeks fly. She sighed with emotion, "Really? Cool."
Chen Lie had been training for the entire afternoon and was sweating profusely. Now, he was sitting in front of the electric fan, feeling the strong wind, and couldn't help but close his eyes to enjoy it.
Er Niu's eyes widened, and she waved her little hands in front of the electric fan, "Wow, there's some wind."
"This electric fan is really useful. If we had the money, we could install one in every room." Chen Lie said, "By the way, besides sending the electric fan, did my parents-in-law send any letters? What did they say?"
Ning Tang slapped her thigh and said, "I was so curious that I forgot to read it. The letter is on the table. Open it and take a look."
Chen Lie opened the letter and read it quickly. "My father-in-law and mother-in-law said in the letter that they received the seafood we sent and it tasted delicious, but they asked us not to send any more, as it would be a waste. They heard it was hot on the island, so they sent us an electric fan."
Ning Tang felt sad. "What's the point of throwing it away? As long as it tastes good, that's all. Seafood is cheap on the island. I'll send some over tomorrow."
Chen Lie carefully put the letter away. "Trading dried fish for an electric fan, we still made a profit, right, Comrade Xiao Ning?"
"Stop joking." Ning Tang said, "Go and see why Da Wa hasn't come back yet."
Chen Lie responded and just as he reached the door, he saw Da Wa walk into the house, followed by Ning Xue and an unfamiliar woman.
Chen Lie was stunned. "Cousin, why are you here? Is there something wrong?"
Ning Xue smiled gently. "Nothing, I just came to check. Were there two postmen at your door just now? I think there was something on their bicycles. I overheard and they said it was sent from Qi Province."
"Oh, it's an electric fan sent by my parents. They said the temperature here is high and they were worried that we would get too hot, so they sent an electric fan over." Ning Tang said.
"Electric fan?" exclaimed the unfamiliar woman following Ning Xue.
Ning Tang asked, "Who is this?"
Ning Xue said, "Sister-in-law Li Yun, she's Junyan's deputy and Deputy Section Chief Liu's lover. We were sewing clothes together at home this afternoon, so she happened to come over to visit me."
It has been almost three months since they came to the island. Ning Tang got to know Mrs. Luo and Zeng Xinlan. Ning Xue used her social skills to get to know many wives of soldiers in the military family compound, and Li Yun was one of them.
Li Yun's eyes seemed to be glued to the electric fan, and she even reached out and touched it twice. "This thing must be expensive."
Ning Tang, "It's okay."
Ning Xue coughed, "You only sent one?"
It's hot on the island, and sleeping is like being on a pancake. She also really needs this electric fan.
When Ning Tang heard that it was sent by Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju, she couldn't help but wonder if Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin also sent her one?
"Yes, just this one." Ning Tang said truthfully.
Li Yun rolled her eyes. "I remember you two are cousins. How could your family only send one thing? That's just biased." She nudged Ning Xue with her elbow. "Could it be that someone stole it?"
Ning Xue didn't respond, but looked at Ning Tang, with the same thought in her mind.
Chen Lie said unhappily, "It's just this one. It was also sent by my father-in-law and mother-in-law. If you want it, cousin, just write a letter and ask."
Ning Tang was amused and asked, "Cousin, you've been here for so long, have you sent any letters home?"
Of course not. Ning Xue's mind has been on Su Junyan and the Su twins lately. She has long forgotten about family matters, let alone sending letters to Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin.
Ning Xue smiled guiltily, "I was busy and forgot. I'll write a letter and send it to you when I get back."
Li Yun wanted to say a few more words, but Ning Xue pulled her away and said, "We haven't finished our work yet, let's go back first."
After the two of them left, Chen Lie asked Ning Tang, "She wouldn't really write back asking for an electric fan, would she?"
"Impossible." Ning Tang said truthfully, "Even if I wrote it, I wouldn't be able to get it. My uncle and aunt don't have any money."
Ning Weidang is not like Ning Weiguo. He is the village chief and has a son who is a soldier. He sends him a subsidy every month and has saved a lot of money.
The couple also had Ningde to support, so they were very short of money. An expensive item like an electric fan required both money and tickets, so he and Zhou Yinqie were reluctant to buy it.
Ning Xue actually knew about this, but it was ridiculous for her to ask.
She even suspected that Ning Tang had stolen an electric fan that should have belonged to her, without even thinking about who would send it to her?
For several days, Ning Xue avoided Ning Tang whenever she saw him. She was probably afraid that Ning Tang would ask her if it was true, so she sent a letter back.
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