Zhou Caiwei's pregnancy was full of ups and downs, but fortunately, she gave birth to a lovely baby girl in October this year.
Ning Tang made an appointment with Mrs. Luo, Zeng Xinlan and others to visit her at Wu's house.
Ning Tang gave a small silver bracelet, Mrs. Luo gave a can of malted milk, and Zeng Xinlan also gave a piece of blue floral material.
Zhou Caiwei picked up the blue floral fabric and said, "This color is so pure, Xinlan. I'm not very skilled, so I'll need you to make me a nice little skirt for summer."
Zeng Xinlan smiled and agreed, "Okay, I promise to use all my skills to make you a beautiful little skirt and sew beautiful patterns on it."
Mrs. Luo said, "Have Xinlan sew you a small conch, coconut tree, bougainvillea, or kapok. She's good at that, and she sews beautifully."
Zeng Xinlan was happy: "Okay? I'll sew them all."
Zhou Caiwei put the small silver bracelet with a bell on her daughter's finger and shook her chubby little hand. "Bao'er, say thank you to Aunt Ning."
Ning Tang smiled and waved her hand in front of the baby, "No thanks, no thanks."
The little baby rolled her eyes, as if looking at Ning Tang's hand, but in fact she couldn't see anything at this stage.
But the baby's movements like this are so cute, especially when he moves his mouth while looking at it, his little pink mouth is so adorable.
Mrs. Luo sat on the bed and asked, "Caiwei, have you decided on a name for her?"
Zhou Caiwei smiled and said, "She's still too young. Let's call her Bao'er for now. Dahui and I will think carefully about her full name."
Mrs. Luo asked, "Caiwei, you and Captain Wu both have to go to work. Who will take care of Baoer? Your mother-in-law?"
The incident of the "sex-changing drug" became a typical example in the military family compound, and everyone knew about it.
Wu Dahui also asked a comrade who worked at the Public Security Bureau of his county to go to his village to thoroughly investigate the matter of the "sex-change drug".
That comrade led people to arrest the unscrupulous doctor who was selling the "sex-change drug", but I heard that there are still a lot of "sex-change drugs" circulating among the villages, and there are many people who believe in them. It can only be said that it is a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution.
Miao Xiaofeng was angry with Zhou Caiwei and Wu Dahui because of the matter of the fetal rebirth medicine. Now the "miracle doctor" in her mind was captured again. Her dream of having a grandson was completely shattered. She hated the two of them even more. How could she possibly come to take care of Zhou Caiwei during her pregnancy, confinement, and the baby?
Zhou Caiwei was never in a good mood when she mentioned her mother-in-law. She pouted and said, "I don't need her to take care of me. When she heard that I had a daughter, she didn't even come to take care of me during the confinement period or take care of Baoer. She didn't even send me a letter."
As good friends, Ning Tang and the other two gave each other silver bracelets, malted milk, and cloth as gifts. However, Miao Xiaofeng, Bao'er's mother-in-law and grandmother, didn't even say a word of greeting. It was really heartbreaking.
Zhou Caiwei gathered her composure and said, "Okay, Dahui asked someone to find an aunt from the same village. She will come to Hailang Island to take care of Baoer after the New Year."
Hearing that someone was taking care of her, Mrs. Luo felt relieved for Zhou Caiwei.
She had also given birth to a child, so she naturally knew how difficult it was for a woman to go through the period right after giving birth.
Zhou Caiwei and Wu Dahui are both working, and Baoer is still young. It would be impossible for them to do this without someone to lend a hand.
As soon as Zhou Caiwei put Baoer on the bed, Baoer immediately danced and wanted to turn over.
Ning Tang cried out, "She wants to turn over."
I just can't turn it over.
Zhou Caiwei looked at Bao'er with eyes full of doting, "Is she turning over faster now?"
Zeng Xinlan smiled and said, "Not fast. They say that children can roll over at three months old, sit up at six months old, and crawl at seven months old. Bao'er is two months old now, so it's normal for him to be able to roll over quickly."
Mrs. Luo said jokingly, "Look at these hands. They're so energetic, dancing around. It looks like swimming to me."
Ning Tang took a glance and saw Baoer's two little fleshy hands, which looked like lotus root nodes, paddling backwards. It was really like what Mrs. Luo said, as if he was swimming.
Zhou Caiwei asked, "By the way, Xiaoning, when will your third child come back? He's been gone for two years now, so it's time for him to come home. Why won't he let them go from that training base?"
Mrs. Luo also said, "To be frank, it's like being trapped in a fence after entering. They don't even let the children come back."
Ning Tang smiled and said, "Sanwa sent a letter saying he will be back for the New Year this year."
This year during the Chinese New Year, Sanwa was finally able to go home.
As soon as he arrived at the training base of the Navy Swimming Team, he participated in several competitions within the team. He swam faster than other swimmers who had trained for many years and stole the show. The top leader of the base even commented that he was worthy of being a kid from the island and had that kind of talent.
Maybe, in the future I will be able to stand on the international stage.
This made Sanwa's coach overjoyed, and he ordered him to undergo systematic training to ensure that this gem would not be left in the dust.
It's been two years since the third child left home. The eldest child and the second girl who skipped a grade are already in the third year of junior high school, and this kid only has the annual leave to go home.
This was in September of this year. Sanwa represented the Navy Swimming Team in the National Games Junior Swimming Competition and won the championship. His coach was so happy that he gave him a long vacation so that Sanwa could go home.
Sanwa was so angry that he wrote countless letters home to complain, saying that Principal Lu had deceived him. He had been told that he could go home as soon as there was a holiday, but in the end, he had not been home for two years and had only been participating in various training and competitions.
This matter is really unfair to Principal Lu. What the leader told Principal Lu at the beginning was that he could reply if he had a leave.
But in recent years, the higher-ups have attached great importance to sports, and various competitions have emerged one after another. As a good seedling and the "little golden egg" of the Navy Swimming Team training base, Sanwa must of course be trained intensively. Holidays and the like will be put aside for the time being, and training and competitions will take priority.
That’s why my third child has been unable to go home during holidays and unable to return home for two years.
Fortunately, Sanwa can finally come back this year.
A month before Sanwa came back, Chen Lie kept saying that Sanwa might have lost weight. After all, this kid always complained that the nutritious meals at the training base were not to his liking.
Ning Tang smiled and said, "If you're worried that Sanwa will get thinner, then make more delicious food these days to nourish him."
Chen Lie said, "What do you think we should cook? Something to eat?"
Da Wa suggested, "Cook the meat with lots of oil and sauce? The kind that's good."
Ning Tang was amused, "That's because you want to eat it."
Big Boy chuckled and said, "It's all the same, all the same."
On New Year's Eve, Chen Lie went to the railway station in Jiang City to pick up Sanwa, while Ning Tang cooked at home with Dawa and Erniu.
Ning Tang, the supervisor, placed his hands on his hips and instructed the eldest child, "Wash the vegetables more carefully. Look at the scallions I cut for you." He then instructed the second girl, "Stir-fry the pickled cabbage twice to make sure it doesn't burn."
The eldest boy kept moving his hands and complained speechlessly, "We've all done it, what are you doing?"
Ning Tang: "I eat while lying down."
Big Baby: "You still? You have the nerve to say that."
Ning Tang slapped him on the back of the head. "Stop talking nonsense and hurry up. Your dad and Sanwa will be home soon. Don't wait until they get home before the three of us have finished cooking." He added, "Look at Erniu. She doesn't talk as much as you do."
Erniu whispered, "I'm angry but I dare not speak."
Ning Tang glanced at her, and Erniu swallowed her words and said solemnly, "I didn't say anything. I'll just stir-fry the pickled cabbage."
Just as the wall clock struck eleven, Ning Tang heard footsteps at the door, followed by Sanwa's yelling, "Mom, I'm back!"
Ning Tang threw the spatula into the pot and rushed out of the kitchen, "You little bastard, you finally decided to come back."
Sanwa grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "Mom, I missed you so much." He sniffed and said, "What kind of home-cooked food is this? It smells so good."
"Are you hungry?" Ning Tang said, "Then let's eat quickly."
The meal was served. Because it was New Year's Eve, the meal was very sumptuous. There were six dishes and one soup, including braised pig's trotters, braised lion's head, cold tofu skin, stir-fried vermicelli with sauerkraut, boiled beets, white-cut chicken, and a pot of seaweed fish ball soup.
Sanwa had taken the train all the way from Shanghai and was extremely tired and famished. He picked up his chopsticks and began to devour the food, saying as he ate, "It's so delicious, Mom! Your cooking skills have improved again."
The eldest child peeked in and took a look, then said happily, "You're really picky. That was the only dish Mom made, the braised lion's head. The rest were made by Erniu and I."
Da Wa and Er Niu's cooking skills have been honed over the past two years. Although their cooking is not as delicious as Chen Lie's, their level is on par with Ning Tang's. They rarely burn the pot or add too much salt.
Big Boy then shook his head and said, "It's not that Mom's cooking skills have improved, it's that you've eaten too many tasteless nutritious meals at your training base, so you think everything tastes good."
Ning Tang slapped him on the back of the head. "Can you talk? It's obvious that my cooking skills have improved. I've honed them. Tomorrow I'm going to sign up for the cooking competition and I'm going to win first place to prove my ability."
"Puff... cough cough cough..." Chen Lie almost choked on his food. Seeing Ning Tang looking at him with a sidelong glance, he quickly said seriously, "I didn't say anything. Hurry and eat, eat."
He looked Sanwa up and down and said, "By the way, Sanwa, are you a little paler?"
Ning Tang was about to say, "Not only has she become whiter, but she also seems to have grown a little taller."
Sanwa asked, "Am I really white?"
Chen Lie glanced at Sanwa again and said affirmatively, "It's clear. If you don't believe me, ask Dawa and Erniu."
The third child looked at his older brothers and sisters. The eldest child said, "Yes, it's whiter than before." The second child nodded, "I think so too."
Sanwa patted his cheeks and said, "That's probably because when I was on the island, I went to the beach whenever I wanted to swim, exposed to the wind and sun. But at the training base, all the pools were indoors, so I couldn't get any sun. That's why I got white."
To Sanwa, it doesn't matter whether he is black or white. He doesn't pursue white as beauty. He looks good when he is white, and he also looks good when he is black.
The eldest child said, "Third child, are you taller than me now?"
Sanwa was stunned. "No, I think. I feel like I'm still the same as before."
Erniu said, "Impossible, it's been two years, you must have grown taller."
The eldest child stopped eating and stood up, saying, "Come on, Third Child, compete with me."
The third child stood next to him and compared heights. He found that they were very close in height, but he was half a head shorter than the eldest child. "Hey, brother, I seem to have really grown taller."
He used to be a head shorter than the eldest boy, but now he is only half a head shorter. As he grows taller, the eldest boy also grows taller, which means he has really grown taller.
Erniu puffed up her cheeks and said, "Great! You two have grown up secretly, but I don't think I've grown at all."
Looking at Sanwa, his eyes lit up, "Sanwa, how come you grew so fast? Do you have any secret recipe?"
Sanwa couldn't explain it either, scratching his head. "Could it be because of the nutritional meal?"
"Nutritious meals are part of it," Ning Tang said. "Exercise is also related. Sanwa has been exercising regularly over the past two years. His body has been stretched, so he's grown a lot taller."
"If you two want to grow taller, you can exercise more. It's not just going out to play games or throwing sandbags that is called exercise. It should be swimming, running, playing ball and so on." Shen Lie said.
Ning Tang said, "If you two want to grow taller, I'll ask Sanwa for his usual nutritious meal recipes and make three meals a day for you. If you combine that with exercise, you'll definitely grow taller."
The eldest child was a little excited, "Third child, what do you usually eat? What's in the nutritious meal?"
Sanwa thought for a moment, "Boiled broccoli, boiled eggs, poached beef, mutton, boiled fish, and fruits too, cherry tomatoes, apples..."
Big Boy was stunned and said, "They're all boiled? Oh, no salt at all? What about braised dishes, cold dishes, spicy stir-fries, and stews? There's not a single one of those?"
Speaking of this, Sanwa's face turned pale. "Yes, very rarely. Less than once a month, and there's a lot of vegetarian food." Pointing to his face, he said, "You all say I've become whiter, but I think I've become greener. It's all because of the vegetables."
The eldest child imagined it and suddenly shuddered, "You want to? So, I'd rather be shorter."
If he had to sacrifice delicious meals to grow taller, he would really rather be a little shorter.
Ning Tang looked at Sanwa twice and concluded, "How can he be green? Not only has he become whiter, he is also more handsome than before."
Before Sanwa went to the Navy Swimming Team training base, his cheeks were still plump. In the past two years, he has lost weight, and his facial features have become more three-dimensional. He looks more and more like Chen Lie.
Sanwa's annual leave lasted until after the Lantern Festival. He returned to Shanghai after eating glutinous rice dumplings. It was a long vacation for him.
When people heard that Sanwa had become an athlete, many were curious. Every day someone would come to him and ask about the Navy Swimming Team training base.
There are many curious people. Some families whose children do not do well in school also want to train them to be athletes like Sanwa. Isn't this a disguised "iron rice bowl"?
So the bold ones went directly to Shen's house to ask Sanwa, while the timid ones went around asking people.
There is another type of people who are scratching their heads and want to know something about the Navy Swimming Team training base, but they don't want to ask Sanwa or inquire about it, for fear of what others will say. Ning Xue belongs to this type of people.
In the past two years, the twins' grades have been as good as ever, leaving the older child far behind.
Logically, Ning Xue should be happy, but there is always a thorn in her heart, and that thorn is Sanwa.
Li Yun had previously told Ning Xue about the various good treatments Sanwa would receive after entering the training base. Ning Xue didn't say anything at the time, but she kept it all in her heart.
She originally wanted to wait for Sanwa to come back and then secretly ask him.
But as soon as Sanwa came back, he was like a little star. Everyone asked him about the Navy Swimming Team training base. Ning Xue didn't know how to ask, nor did she dare to ask others. She started to talk nonsense, saying that Sanwa was a loser. How could she have the nerve to ask about the news of a "lose" person? Others would laugh at her to death.
Ning Xue didn't have a good time this year, and her mind was full of worries about Sanwa.
I am very confused. Should I say hello or not?
After all her struggles, she finally found an opportunity.
Before coming back, Sanwa's coach held Sanwa's hand and reminded him carefully not to slack off during the holiday. Although Hailang Island does not have a swimming pool, there is the sea, and he can swim as long as there is water. He should also practice three times a day when he returns home.
Sanwa agreed, but secretly complained in his heart, "Swimming in the middle of winter, does the coach want to freeze him to death?"
But he still had to listen to his coach. After the New Year, when he returned to Shanghai, he would have competitions to participate in and could not relax.
So Sanwa picked a sunny and warm day, put on the swimming trunks Ningtang made for him with coconut tree patterns sewn on them, and prepared to go to the beach.
But just after taking two steps out of the door, Ning Xue stopped him. She said mysteriously, "Sanwa, come with me."
Sanwa was stunned and didn't react for a moment. After all, in all these years, Ning Xue had never taken the initiative to talk to him, Da Wa and Er Niu. When they met on the road, the three of them greeted her, but she just glanced at them coldly and turned her head away.
What are you trying to do by suddenly looking for him now?
Ning Xue saw that Sanwa didn't react and glared at him. "Why are you standing there? Follow me."
Sanwa was completely bewildered, but out of respect for his elders, he followed Ning Xue to a deserted alley. "Aunt, what do you want from me?"
He hadn't seen Ning Xue for two years, and he always felt that Ning Xue looked much older than before, with even white hair on her temples.
"It's not a big deal." Ning Xue pursed her lips. "I just wanted to ask you about something at the Navy Swim Team training base." As soon as she finished speaking, she threatened Sanwa, "Don't tell your mother what I'm saying to you."
Sanwa was speechless. Wasn't he just asking about the Navy Swimming Team training base? In the past few days, many people came to ask him questions, and some even stopped him on the street to ask questions. Why was Ning Xue being so mysterious? What was she trying to do?
Sanwa said, "Okay, then don't tell me. Aunt, what do you want to ask me?" He added, "Let me make it clear first. If you want to ask me how our base trains and selects athletes, I have nothing to tell you." This is confidential.
Ning Xue snorted, "Why am I asking you that? I'm not planning on training Guangzong and Yaozu to be athletes. It's too tiring. When they go to college, there will be plenty of leisurely and lucrative jobs for them. Why bother to work so hard to become athletes?"
Sanwa felt that he and Ning Xue had no common goal. "Then please ask my aunt. I'm in a hurry to go to the beach to swim." If you have something to say, say it. If not, get out of here.
Ning Xue coughed. "Um, um, what about the treatment at the Navy Swimming Team training base? I heard from others that the base you stayed at not only provided three meals and accommodation, but also provided clothes and subsidies. Is that true?"
Sanwa nodded, "Is it true? Yeah."
Sanwa's words confirmed this statement, and Ning Xue was momentarily dazed. The idea that had troubled her for countless days and nights was finally verified. Without a second thought, she said, "I don't believe it."
Sanwa thought, believe it or not, "Aunt, why would I lie to you? What good would it do me to lie to you?"
Ning Xue said, "Then, then tell me, what kind of clothes did they give you?"
Sanwa said, "They're clothes for all seasons, also called sportswear or training clothes. Sixteen sets a year, four sets a season. Oh, and since we're on the swimming team, in addition to the sportswear we wear every day, we also get swimming trunks and caps. Anyway, the training base has everything covered."
Ning Xue felt bad and said sourly, "You're lying. Sixteen sets a year. You've been there for two years, so you have thirty-two sets of clothes."
Although the policy has been relaxed and more cloth is circulating in the market, what kind of family can afford sixteen sets of clothes a year? Ah, it must be the legendary "ten thousand yuan household", right?
Sanwa blinked, "Aunt, why would I lie to you? I brought back a few sets of training clothes to change into with my usual clothes. If you don't believe me, come home with me and I'll show you. Not to mention, these training clothes are of pretty good quality. I don't know what kind of fabric they're made of, but it doesn't look like Dacron to me. It's definitely one of those very expensive fabrics."
As if Ning Xue wasn't being sour enough, Sanwa added, "And my swimming trunks. They're made of stretchy fabric. Hey, you know what stretchy fabric is? It's the kind that bounces back like a spring when you pull it. The coach said our swimming trunks are really expensive, much more expensive than our training uniforms. He said you can't even buy a pair for 300 yuan."
"Three hundred yuan?" Ning Xue exclaimed in surprise.
She has been working as an officer of the Women's Committee for so many years, but her salary has never increased and is still seven yuan a month. After working for so long, she can't even earn enough to buy a pair of swimming trunks for Sanwa.
Ning Xue's eyes went dark and she almost fainted.
Sanwa still felt the excitement wasn't enough. "By the way, aunt, you asked me about the subsidy. It's not really a subsidy, it's salary. My current monthly salary is thirty yuan. I'll be thirteen after the Chinese New Year. Our coach said that at the age of thirteen, I can take the exam to become a national third-level athlete. If I pass, the training base will give me a raise, but it's not much, only ten yuan, not even as much as the prize money I won in a competition."
He glanced at Ning Xue, "You still don't know what kind of competition I participated in, right? It's all kinds of swimming competitions, some held by the city, some held by the province, and some held nationwide. I swim fast and often win prizes, ranging from three hundred to one thousand each time. My coach said that he will take me to participate in competitions abroad in the future. When I win, I will give me prizes. It's foreign money. Have you ever seen foreign money? I'll give you two when the time comes."
With every word Sanwa said, Ning Xue's heart sank a little.
Is this what you call a lack of prospects? This is simply a huge success!
Ning Xue's face turned pale, she couldn't believe it, and she murmured, "Impossible! You're lying to me! How could you, a little brat, possibly earn so much money? How could your salary be higher than mine, several times higher? You're lying! It's all a lie! You're lying to me on purpose."
Sanwa tilted his head innocently. "Aunt, I'm not lying to you. Don't you read the newspaper or watch TV? Not long ago, I participated in the National Games swimming competition for juniors and won the championship. It was all over the newspapers and on TV. The organizers gave me a thousand yuan, which was very generous. I also got a gold medal. I took it home and it's hanging on the wall in my room now. Do you want to see it?"
Not feeling that his stabbing wasn't enough, Sanwa shook his head and said, "Oh, I forgot, you don't have a TV at my aunt's house." He added, "Aunt, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you've been an officer of the Women's Committee of our Military Family Compound for years, and you haven't gotten promoted yet? I heard your salary hasn't changed. If you don't work harder, my salary will be more than ten times yours."
When Ning Xue thought of this possibility, she took a deep breath and turned her back to the bed.
Sanwa was stunned. How could she fall to the ground while she was talking? He quickly stepped forward and pinched her Ren Zhong point. "Auntie, auntie, wake up! Come and help me!"
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