After welcoming Zhou Caiwei in, Ning Tang asked her to sit on the recliner, then went back into the kitchen to peel some fresh fruit, opened a coconut, and inserted the disposable cork straw she had asked Chen Lie to make.
Zhou Caiwei thanked him and took a big sip of the sweet coconut water, only then did she feel the thirst in her mouth was relieved a lot.
Ning Tang noticed her gaze wandering around the books on the small round table. He handed her one and said, "Would you like to read it, Teacher Zhou?"
Zhou Caiwei blinked quickly, "Is that okay? Big Baby's mother."
Ning Tang was happy, "Sure, take a look at it."
She didn't read books like Chen Lie, who would finish one book and then move on to another. Instead, she chose a few books she liked, read a paragraph from each, and then put bookmarks in them. So she took out several books at once.
She added, "Don't call me Da Wa Mom anymore. Just call me Xiao Ning."
Zhou Caiwei hesitated for a moment before saying, "...Xiao Ning."
"If these books don't suit your taste, you can go to the bookshelf in the living room and have a look. There are other books there," said Ning Tang.
Zhou Caiwei was stunned: "You have a bookshelf at home?"
"Well, Captain Shen, my eldest, second, and third children, and I, all love reading. We often go to the Xinhua Bookstore in Jiang City to buy books to read. When we bought so many, we had someone build a bookshelf to store them." Ning Tang glanced at Zhou Caiwei. "Come to think of it, my family's reading habit has something to do with you, Teacher Zhou."
Zhou Caiwei pointed at herself and was surprised. "Is it related to me?"
Ning Tang: "Big Baby told us that sometimes you would pick out some stories you read in books and tell them in class. Big Baby loves to listen to them. Captain Shen and I were inspired by them and bought the book."
Zhou Caiwei looked through the window at the bookshelf in the Shen family's living room. Many books were neatly arranged on the bookshelf, proving that Ning Tang's words were true. She pursed her lips and said dryly, "It's good to read more books."
Ning Tang curled his lips, "Yeah."
Zhou Caiwei picked up a copy of "Pride and Prejudice" and started reading.
At first, she couldn't concentrate on reading. After turning a few pages, her eyes kept wandering around Ning Tang involuntarily.
Ning Tang was half lying on the recliner, with one leg bent and the other flat, holding a book in his hand, turning the pages from time to time, drinking a sip of coconut water from time to time, and eating a few pieces of fruit, looking very comfortable and relaxed.
Zhou Caiwei looked at Ning Tang a few more times and found that Ning Tang didn't seem to want to talk to her. He called her in, as if he just wanted to find a companion to read books with and enjoy the afternoon.
Gradually, Zhou Caiwei seemed to be infected by Ning Tang's leisurely yet serious, serious yet a hint of laziness, and unconsciously, she imitated Ning Tang's movements.
She also started reading a book and eating for a while.
Before I knew it, time had passed quickly.
By the time Zhou Caiwei reacted, the sun had already set, and she had finished reading a quarter of "Pride and Prejudice".
During the period, I also drank a coconut, ate fruits such as jackfruit, dragon fruit, mangosteen, cantaloupe, and the coconut milk pancake sent by Lei Sufen, and a bowl of very sticky white fungus soup made with white fungus, wolfberry, and red dates sent by Sun Aiju.
Seeing the mess on the small round table, Zhou Caiwei blushed, a rare flash of embarrassment, and coughed, "Um, thank you for the hospitality."
Ning Tang closed the book and raised the corner of his mouth, "You're welcome."
Zhou Caiwei lowered her head, the glare from her glasses making it hard to discern the emotion in her eyes. "You...are a nice person." She pursed her lips. "Not what I imagined."
Ning Tang was amused, "You are also different from what I imagined."
He looks like an old scholar, but unexpectedly he is a little tsundere.
She stood up and stretched lazily to stretch her muscles. "It's getting late. Captain Shen and Da Wa will be back soon. I still have to cook, so I won't see you off."
Zhou Caiwei nodded, closed the book, touched the very textured cover reluctantly, put the book on the small round table, and stood up to leave.
Ning Tang suddenly said, "I think you haven't finished reading the book 'Pride and Prejudice' in your hand yet. I can lend it to you to read at home."
Zhou Caiwei was stunned. "Is it possible?"
She liked this book very much. When she thought that she had only read a quarter of it, she felt scratching her head and was sure that she would not be able to sleep tonight. Unexpectedly, Ning Tang actually said that he could lend it to her to read at home.
"Yes, I've already finished reading that book. Captain Shen doesn't like it, and Da Wa and the others won't understand it." Ning Tang stuffed the book back into Zhou Caiwei's hands and blinked. "You must take good care of it. If it gets dirty or lost, I'll hold you responsible."
Zhou Caiwei held the book in her hands, her lips curled up. "Thank you." She paused, "I'll take good care of it."
She took a few steps and suddenly turned back, "Do you know if anyone is saying bad things about you?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhou Caiwei's face wrinkled into a ball, and she was very annoyed. Damn it, why did she say what was in her heart?
After being a 'peeping tom', the next impression she left on Ning Tang was a 'chatterbox'!
Ning Tang was stunned, then couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Zhou Caiwei stamped her feet and said angrily, "What are you laughing at? Someone said something bad about you, aren't you angry?"
Ning Tang waved his hand and sat on the recliner. "What's there for me to be angry about? Let them say whatever they want."
Zhou Caiwei was speechless, "You look so happy."
"I don't call this being open-minded, I call this being clear-minded." Ning Tang said, "How does the saying go?"
She thought carefully, clenched her right fist, and slapped the palm of her left hand. "I remember now. The saying is, 'Who doesn't talk behind others' backs?' 'Who doesn't talk behind others' backs?'"
She blinked at Zhou Caiwei. "Aren't we both talking about others behind their backs now? What's the difference between us and them?"
Zhou Caiwei was shocked and speechless.
Ning Tang looked at her silly look and couldn't help laughing, "Hey, tell me, what did they say about me?" She was quite curious.
Zhou Caiwei said unhappily, "They said you were lazy, sleeping until noon to go to the market to buy vegetables, and even asking Captain Shen to help you with cooking and housework. They said you were unmotivated, and you've been on the island for several years, but you haven't said you want to find a job."
She pursed her lips, as if she was hesitant about whether to continue.
Ning Tang said, "Just tell me without worry. You said it yourself, I am very open-minded."
So Zhou Caiwei continued, "...said, you can't have children, so you become a stepmother to Da Wa and the others."
After she finished speaking, she glanced at Ning Tang. Seeing her smile, her eyes curved. She couldn't help but ask, "They said so many bad things about you, aren't you angry at all?"
"Angry? Not angry." Ning Tang said, "I think they are right."
She is indeed lazy, and this may not change until the day she lies in the coffin.
If they don't want to find a job, then they don't have to. No one is competing with them for the position. Shouldn't these people be happy? If one day she gets bored at home and goes out to work, what will they have to do with it?
Besides, when she is not working, she lives a very carefree and leisurely life. Every day is like the weekend. If she were to work, and want to spend the whole afternoon reading and eating like today, she would have to squeeze out some time from her busy schedule.
As for the issue of not being able to have children, there is actually not much difference between not wanting to have children and not being able to have children if you think about it carefully. In the end, you just don't have children.
If she doesn't want to have a baby, then she won't have one. Hehehe, if you have the guts, come over and watch her and Chen Lie sleeping together.
Ning Tang imagined it in his mind and became happier the more he thought about it.
"What's wrong with not having children? If anyone dares to say that I don't want to have children, I will block her door and ask her for money." Ning Tang said.
Zhou Caiwei was stunned. "Money? What money do you want?"
Ning Tang rolled his eyes. "Of course, there's money to give birth and raise the child. You have to stay in the hospital, right? There are registration fees, hospital stay fees, and nutrition costs during childbirth. Everything costs money."
"Raising children is even more expensive. Not to mention the long-term costs, just take our three kids for example. They eat more and more every day. A few days ago, our team leader Shen even discussed with me whether we should build a bigger pot to cook, otherwise there won't be enough food. And with the four seasons, we need to make at least two sets of clothes. Where do we get the money and the cloth coupons to make the clothes?"
Ning Tang shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, these people are so easy to talk without any pain in their backs."
Zhou Caiwei thought about it, hey, it's true, those people say every day that Ning Tang doesn't want to have children, have they ever thought about the Shen family having to raise three children, the cost of having and raising the children, will they pay for it?
You're not going out, so why are you nagging about this?
She had already been convinced by Ning Tang in her heart, but she still maintained a stubborn attitude. "I can't argue with you. You have such a good eloquence, go talk to those people." She patted the book in her hand and said, "Remember to call me when you quarrel. Just because you borrowed this book from me, I have to cheer you on and support you."
Ning Tang was happy and waved his hand, "Thank you in advance."
Zhou Caiwei nodded, and couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth as she asked, "Hey, can I still come to your house to read books in the future?"
"Come on." Ning Tang blinked. "Captain Shen is often not at home, and Da Wa and the other two like to go out and have fun. It's boring for me to read at home alone. It would be great to have a companion."
Zhou Caiwei raised her chin and hummed, "Then, it's settled then."
It was getting late, and Zhou Caiwei was getting ready to go home. When she was about to reach the door, she unexpectedly ran into Da Wa, Er Niu, and San Wa.
The three little ones were all dirty, and it was obvious that they had just come back from playing outside.
The eldest boy had one trouser leg rolled up and his open-toed sandals were covered in sand. The second girl's braids were crooked. She was holding a bucket in one hand and a small shovel in the other. There was quite a harvest in the bucket. The third boy was even wet, and it was obvious that he had just come back from swimming.
Da Wa tilted his head and said, "Teacher Zhou, why are you at my house? Are you here for a home visit?"
Zhou Caiwei was embarrassed and didn't know how to explain to Da Wa.
The eldest child took one look at the empty plate on the small round table, pouted, and complained, "Okay, you two are eating alone."
Ning Tang was just about to rush Sanwa to the bathroom to take a shower. This little brat, it's already November and he still went swimming, he really deserves to be beaten with Chenlie's belt.
Wen Yan said, "Who told you to go out and have fun this afternoon? There's still food in the pot. Whoever cleans themselves up first can eat first."
After saying that, he pulled Sanwa into the bathroom.
When Da Wa and Er Niu heard this, they looked at each other, threw the bucket away, and ran to the kitchen.
Da Wa hadn't run two steps when Zhou Caiwei grabbed him and said, "Da Wa."
Big Boy was stunned, "Teacher Zhou, is there something wrong?" Let go quickly, he is in a hurry to eat delicious food!
Zhou Caiwei noticed his greedy look and felt both angry and amused. "It's okay. I just wanted to tell you that your mother is a very nice person."
The eldest child was even more puzzled. "My mom is always very good," he said, puffing out his chest proudly. "My mom is the best mom in the world." He stretched out his hand and drew a big circle. "She's so, so, so good. Especially, especially, especially good."
Zhou Caiwei smiled and patted his shoulder, "Okay, go eat."
As soon as she let go, the eldest child ran to the kitchen impatiently.
She walked out of the Shen family's door, looking at the book "Pride and Prejudice" in her hand, with an indescribable feeling in her heart. She remembered what Ning Tang said, "Who doesn't talk about others behind their backs?", and couldn't help but curling the corners of her mouth.
After returning home, Zhou Caiwei and her lover, Captain Wu Dahui, had a simple dinner, rested for a while, and went to bed.
Wu Dahui asked her, "Where have you been? Why haven't you been seen all afternoon?"
"Oh, I went to Xiao Ning's house and read a book with her." Zhou Caiwei pointed to the book on the dressing table. "She lent me this book to read at home."
"Xiao Ning?" Wu Dahui was surprised, because among Zhou Caiwei's friends, there was no one with the surname Ning.
Zhou Caiwei said, "It's Ning Tang." When she mentioned Ning Tang, she couldn't help but smile.
"Ning Tang?" Wu Dahui was even more surprised, looking at her strangely. "You don't like her, so why would you want to go to her house to read books?"
The couple mentioned Ning Tang when they were chatting about gossip at home, and Zhou Caiwei seemed to be quite disgusted with her in her words.
Zhou Caiwei rolled her eyes. "It's okay if you like her now. Actually, she's a pretty good person."
He showed her books to read, lent her books, and treated her to a lot of delicious food. She also agreed with what Ning Tang said.
Ning Tang has many advantages, generosity is one, and insight is another.
"I was mistaken." Zhou Caiwei sighed. "No, I shouldn't rely on hearsay. When evaluating someone, I shouldn't listen to what others say. I should actually get to know them."
Wu Dahui listened to her words intermittently, then put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Today? ...Do you want to do that?"
Zhou Caiwei nodded.
After the two of them finished doing that, Zhou Caiwei hung her feet side by side on the wall as she did before. It is said that this can increase the chances of conceiving a child.
But as soon as she put the legs up, she put them down again, got into the bed, and tucked in the quilt.
Wu Dahui was surprised and gestured, "You, why aren't you doing that pose today?"
I don't know where she heard those unorthodox things. Anyway, Wu Dahui has always scoffed at them, but Zhou Caiwei believed them without a doubt.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Caiwei didn't do it today. If the sun hadn't set, Wu Dahui really wanted to see whether the sun rose from the west today.
Zhou Caiwei said, "Because I've come to terms with it. Xiao Ning is right, 'Who doesn't talk behind others' backs? Who doesn't talk behind others' backs?' If I can't have children, then I can't have children. I'm just a hen that doesn't lay eggs. Let them say whatever they want."
She seemed to have thought of something and chuckled, "Giving birth and raising a child is so expensive. Whoever urges me to have one should pay for it. If not, then don't pay. Keep nagging me."
Wu Dahui agreed and embraced her, "You are right to think so. Having a son and a daughter is fate."
He pondered Zhou Caiwei's words, "Who?..." and chuckled, "That does make some sense."
Zhou Caiwei smiled and told him what happened that afternoon. "...That's the truth. The two of us discussing Xiao Ning now is also talking about her behind her back."
Wu Dahui slapped his thigh and said, "According to what you said, Captain Shen's lover is quite conscious."
He suddenly thought of Chen Lie. In the army, Chen Lie was a man of few words and a man of practical work. Anyway, he had a good impression of him. For a man like him, the lover he found should not be too bad.
He paused, "It wouldn't be a bad thing if you spent more time with her in the future?"
Zhou Caiwei responded, "Yeah."
After the Chinese New Year, in March, Chen Lie discussed with Ning Tang whether to buy a bicycle.
"Buy a bicycle? Why?" Ning Tang asked.
Chen Lie said, "Next September, my eldest will be going to middle school. I heard that the schools on the island are going to be restructured, separating the elementary school from the middle school, and setting up a new middle school campus on the west side of the island."
Ning Tang said, "We should have done this a long time ago."
Nowadays, the primary and junior high schools on the island are mixed in one building, which is a mess.
Chen Lie continued, "The west side is quite far from our home. He'd be dead tired if he just walked there. He probably wouldn't even be able to make it home in time for dinner. So I plan to buy Da Wa a bicycle and spend the next year or so teaching him how to ride. By the time he starts junior high school next year, he'll be able to ride a bicycle to school."
He glanced at Erniu and said, "You can ride Erniu to school in the future."
The third child is still young. When he grows up, he can continue to ride the eldest child's bicycle, or we can buy a new one. It's all up to us. By then, the family will definitely have saved up enough money to buy a second bicycle.
"Now that you've made up your mind, just buy it." Ning Tang said.
The eldest child's face flushed with excitement, and he kept shouting, "Oh, there are bicycles to ride!"
Bicycle, if he rides it out, how many little ones will he get? His friends envy him!
By the way, can you ride a tiger to school?!
Imagine two brothers, one riding a bicycle and the other standing on the back seat, riding down the slope. It would be really fun.
"Can I buy it?" Ning Tang glanced at Da Wa, "Can his feet touch the ground?"
The eldest child puffed up his cheeks and said, "Mom, you are too young to look down on others."
He recalled the way he had seen other people riding bicycles and imitated their posture, half-crouching, holding the handlebars with both hands, and pushing off with his feet. "I'm sure I can reach the ground."
He chuckled at Shen Lie, "Hey, Dad, just buy it for me."
Chen Lie also said, "Don't worry, Da Wa is definitely tall enough."
The eldest child took after Chen Lie and had the tall gene. After Ning Tang came, he often bought them nutritious foods, such as calcium milk biscuits. He is now about 1.56 meters tall.
Compared with Li Hai's group of eighth-grade students, he is a little shorter, but this height is definitely unique among a group of elementary school students.
Chen Lie glanced at the eldest child and said, "His legs are long enough, he can definitely touch the ground. Besides, we didn't tell him to ride it right away after buying it. He must have grown a lot during the practice period."
"If you buy it, I guarantee that within a month, Da Wa will be able to skillfully ride it with his group of friends." Ning Tang thought for a moment and said, "Let's buy him a women's bicycle. It's light and compact, and the seat isn't too high, which is just right for him."
Da Wa pouted and said, "Why buy a women's bicycle? I want a 28-inch bicycle."
"You should go to bed early today. You can dream about anything." Ning Tang retorted and looked at Chen Lie. "It seems that Da Wa doesn't agree. Then let's not buy it."
When he heard that they were not buying it, the eldest child quickly made a gesture to stop them, "No, no, no," and said aggrievedly, "Women's is women's, can't I ride it?"
That women's bicycle is also a bicycle.
He is a primary school student, and will be a junior high school student in the future, but he rides a bicycle that only workers can ride. It's very impressive.
Although Chen Lie acted quickly, it was difficult to get a bicycle ticket. It was not until June, when Da Wa and his friends were on summer vacation, that he spent 168 yuan and a bicycle ticket to buy a brand new women's bicycle.
June 17th, morning.
Da Wa played with Da Hu and the others very late yesterday, so he got up a little late in the morning.
When he was half asleep in the morning, he heard a noisy sound downstairs. He didn't pay attention to it at the time, turned over and fell asleep again.
At exactly eleven o'clock, he got up, went downstairs to the yard to wash up. As soon as he walked into the yard, he saw a brand new women's bicycle with a kickstand parked in the open space in the yard.
The eldest boy opened his mouth and exclaimed in surprise, then ran to the women's bicycle, touching it left and right, and was very curious about it.
This women's bicycle is not at all as "feminine" as Da Wa imagined.
Compared with the heavy 28-inch bicycle, this Phoenix brand women's bicycle, from the handlebars to the stem to the bell, is made entirely of steel, reflecting a silvery white light under the sunlight.
Its tires are slimmer and smaller than those of a 28-inch bicycle. As the name suggests, the 28-inch bicycle has 28-inch tires, while the tires of this women's bicycle are only 26 inches.
Big Boy stood in front of the bicycle and compared it. The seat was just below his waist, so he should be able to ride it.
In fact, not being tall enough is not a problem at all. Once you know how to ride a bicycle, you can just apply the brakes, pull to one side, and stop with one foot. Height is not a hard requirement. There are some female workers who are about the same height as Da Wa, or taller than him, and they can ride bicycles very well.
Chen Lie said, "How is it? Does it look good? No."
The eldest child's face flushed with excitement, and he nodded repeatedly, "It looks good!" After thinking for a moment, he added, "It looks better than a 28-inch truck."
He looked at Chen Lie suddenly, "Dad, please teach me how to ride."
"Why rush? The bike is right here. It won't run away in the middle of the night." Ning Tang said, "It's almost noon. Let's eat lunch first. Then ask your dad to teach you how to ride it this afternoon."
Erniu puffed up her cheeks and raised her hand, saying, "I want to ride too."
It's a women's bicycle, and you can tell it's the one she rides.
Sanwa also pouted and said, "I want one too."
Ning Tang was happy and patted the two little kids' heads. "You two are still small and not tall enough. You can ride it when you grow up."
Seeing the two little ones pouting so hard that you could hang a soy sauce bottle on their pouty lips, Ning Tang quickly added, "But you can let me or your dad take you for a ride."
Shen Lie was stunned, "You can ride a bicycle?"
"Yes," Ning Tang said, "You forgot, my dad has a 28-inch bicycle. I learned how to ride it from him. When he wasn't using it, my brother would ride me to and from school, or I would ride it to and from school and to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things."
Of course it was a serious lie. She could ride a bicycle, but that was something she learned in modern times.
When I was in Shangang Village, I also learned it, but I was not very good at it. I had to stop after riding for a while.
Chen Lie became interested, "Then you ride me and see?"
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