After eating coconut chicken soup for several days in a row, and with the unremitting efforts of the eldest child and his two friends, we finally accumulated a pile of coconut shells at home.
Ning Tang made many things with coconut shells. In addition to the pendants and ornaments he promised to give to Da Wa and the other two, he also gave Mrs. Luo a lot of flower pots made of coconut shells because she grew vegetables. He also gave Zeng Xinlan, Lei Sufen and other military wives bowls and plates made of coconut shells.
June 21st, Saturday, afternoon.
Ning Tang had just woken up and was sweating all over.
She wiped the sweat off her face and went to the bathroom to take a shower. When she came out, she wiped her hair with a towel and said, "The weather is getting hotter and hotter."
When the three of them came back from playing outside, the eldest child shouted in a hurry, "Mom, is there anything to eat?"
"There is mung bean soup in the kitchen. You can serve it yourselves." Ning Tang said.
The three little ones each held a bowl of mung bean soup and sat under the corridor, drinking the mung bean soup while swinging their legs in the air.
Ning Tang glanced at the three of them. They were all grimy, as if they'd been rolling around in the mud. "Don't run into dirty places when you're playing. Wash your clothes clean and quickly, or it'll take ages to wash clothes."
The eldest child looked at his clothes and saw they were a little dirty. He chuckled and said, "Then let's wear less white clothes and more dark clothes from now on. That way, it won't be noticeable when they're dirty."
Erniu pursed her lips and said, "I don't like dark clothes."
As the little girl grew older and developed a sense of beauty and ugliness, she no longer liked to wear dark-colored clothes. Instead, she preferred light-colored clothes with beautiful patterns and embroidered flowers and grass.
Ning Tang was amused. "You're amazing, Big Baby." He then said to Erniu, "Ladies are your dad's job anyway. I only wash clothes once in a while. You can wear whatever you like."
When Chen Lie came home from get off work, he happened to hear this sentence, "You really know how to assign tasks for me."
Ning Tang asked him, "What's for dinner?"
Chen Lie: "Porridge with pickled vegetables, and steamed seafood."
When the weather gets hot, the whole family loses their appetite. Since the beginning of summer, we no longer cook solid rice at home because it would make our throats choke and be difficult to swallow. So we cook porridge instead, which is paired with various pickled vegetables sent by Mrs. Luo. It tastes better than all the big fish and meat.
The sun sets late in the summer. After dinner, the sky is still covered with an orange sunset glow, and the afterglow of the sunset turns half of the sky red.
Ning Tang stood in the yard, gazing into the distance at the horizon, his mind full of thoughts.
I still remember that at this time in modern times, she had not yet left work. She was either working overtime while eating takeout in the company, or in meetings with her boss and colleagues. She was so busy that she had no time to calm down and appreciate such a beautiful sunset.
Now it seems that time travel is not entirely a bad thing. Perhaps, God wants her, a social animal, to come to this slow-paced era to recuperate and enjoy life?
Chen Lie walked over and asked, "What are you looking at?"
He looked at the sky curiously, but couldn't see anything special.
"Look at the sunset. Don't you think it's particularly beautiful?" Ning Tang said.
Chen Lie gave her a strange look and shook his head honestly, "I don't think so."
He lives on the island all year round, so such a beautiful sunset is nothing new to him.
Ning Tang rolled her eyes. "It's unromantic," she said. "What do you think? Should we redecorate the yard?"
Chen Lie said, "You finally remembered to decorate the yard. On the entire island, our yard is the only one that doesn't have anything planted."
Ning Tang glanced at the yard. It was empty except for the mint that had been planted before.
But the mint is growing well, lush and green, and there is a large area of it.
When the breeze blows, a fresh mint scent comes, which is pleasant to smell.
"Who said you didn't plant anything? There's still the mint you planted." Ning Tang said.
However, she was not very confident in saying this. On the entire island, only the Shen family's yard was relatively deserted, and it looked like no one lived there.
The yards of other families in the military family compound are either practical, growing vegetable seedlings or green onion, ginger and garlic sprouts. When you want to add flavor to your dishes, you don’t have to spend money to buy them at the vegetable market, you can just pick some seedlings in the yard.
Or you can go for the fancy type and plant beautiful flowers in the yard, such as red bougainvillea and yellow winged morning glory.
Ning Tang walked around the yard twice before coming up with an idea. "If we're going to plant something, let's go with something that's easy to care for and doesn't require much effort. It'd be best if it were like mint, which doesn't require any care and only needs a little water to thrive."
Shen Lie was amused: "You really save trouble."
Ning Tang clenched his right fist and clapped it against his left palm. "It's settled. Tomorrow I'll go ask Sister Luo for recommendations on good things to plant. Oh, by the way, I saw some peppers growing in her yard last time. Let's plant a few in our yard too."
Chen Lie: "Grow? Chili peppers?"
"Yes," Ning Tang said, "Chili peppers should be easy to grow. Just water them and they'll be able to survive. Most importantly, their smell, like mint, can repel mosquitoes."
In summer, mosquitoes begin to increase in number again.
In the evening, when the eldest child and his two friends were studying in the living room, they would slap their arms and legs after studying for a while, saying that they were bitten by mosquitoes.
It’s also a good thing that I planted mint in the yard, which kept away some mosquitoes, otherwise there would be more mosquitoes entering the house.
Chen Lie said, "Relying on the smell of chili peppers to repel mosquitoes? You're really imagining things. Why don't you just plant some green onion and garlic sprouts? They'll have a stronger smell and be better at repelling mosquitoes."
Ning Tang glanced at him and said, "If you don't mind, I don't mind either. It doesn't matter what kind of crops you grow." It's better to save trouble.
Chen Lie thought about it and decided that instead of having the smell of garlic lingering under his nose every day, it would be better to smell the smell of chili peppers.
Moreover, after the peppers are harvested and ground into powder, they can also be used to make spicy seaweed. He immediately decided, "Then we'll plant peppers."
Big Baby came over and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Ning Tang: "Are you discussing what to plant in the yard? What? Your dad said he wanted to plant? Bitter melon and carrots."
These two things were what the eldest child hated to eat the most. He was immediately shocked and said, "No, I won't be picky about food anymore."
Whether he eats bitter melon and carrots for one meal or bitter melon and carrots for every meal, Shen Dawa can still tell the difference.
Ning Tang stopped teasing him and took a few steps before planning, "Not only should we plant some crops, but we can also build two more lounge chairs in the yard so we can lie down and read." Then he complained that the sun was too strong and hurting his eyes, "Let's build a parasol."
Chen Lie was amused, "You really know how to enjoy yourself."
Ning Tang said, "Imagine it's a nice day, and we're both leaning on a recliner, each holding a book. Next to us is a table with sliced mangoes, pitted lychees, and longans. We also have a plate of coconut milk pancakes, a small bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup, or iced green bean paste. When we get tired of reading, we can enjoy some delicious food. It's such a wonderful thing."
Chen Lie had no interest in reading or eating delicious food, but when he thought about being with Ning Tang... he immediately said, "I'll find someone to get a lounge chair and a parasol tomorrow."
Ning Tang nodded in satisfaction and gestured, "The lounge chairs need to be made like beach chairs. Beach chairs are just that, with the footrest area extra long. The parasol doesn't need to be too big, just enough to cover two lounge chairs. The material isn't important."
Afraid that Chen Lie didn't understand, she simply drew a picture for him so that when Chen Lie found someone to do it, he would have a basis to refer to, so that he wouldn't end up with something that looked weird.
Throughout the summer vacation, the three of them, including the eldest son, were looking forward to the lounge chairs and parasols.
As soon as the summer vacation was over and school started, the lounge chairs and parasols that Chen Lie had asked someone to make were ready.
On September 11th, Thursday afternoon, Ning Tang stood in the yard, looked at the newly decorated yard, and nodded with satisfaction.
Mint, pepper, perilla, honeysuckle and wild chrysanthemum are planted in the yard. They are all easy to grow and do not require much effort to care for.
The mint leaves are green and lush, planted under the windowsill.
It is the season when peppers are ripe. The bright red peppers hanging on the pepper trees look like drooping curved ox horns.
When she saw the perilla leaves, she thought of grilling meat. When the perilla leaves grew, she would grill the fat meat until it was crispy and oily. She would wrap the perilla leaves, put some garlic slices in it, and eat it in one bite. The taste made her drool just thinking about it.
After picking honeysuckle and wild chrysanthemum, place them on the windowsill to dry, and then use them to make flower tea. It tastes great and has the effect of clearing away heat and detoxifying.
Ning Tang stood in front of the chili tree for a while, then walked around the honeysuckle and wild chrysanthemums. The more he looked, the better his mood became.
Unfortunately, her kindness did not last long.
"Xiao Ning, Xiao Ning, something terrible has happened!" Zeng Xinlan came in hurriedly from outside.
Ning Tang was stunned. "Wait a minute, what's wrong? Speak slowly."
Zeng Xinlan saw that he was running towards her in a hurry. She stopped and took several deep breaths.
Ning Tang hurried into the house and poured her a glass of boiled water. Zeng Xinlan took the boiled water and drank it in one gulp. She returned the empty glass to Ning Tang and said, "Thank you."
"Tell me, what's going on?" Ning Tang pointed to the sky. "What could be so serious as to scare you like this? Is the sky falling? It's okay. Even if it does, there's always someone tall enough to hold it up."
Zeng Xinlan gave her a sullen look and said, "Just stop joking with me. I really have something urgent to tell you."
"Urgent?" Ning Tang said, "Okay, let's talk while we walk."
As the two of them walked out together, Zeng Xinlan said, "Your eldest child and our Dahu had a fight at school, and the teacher asked to call the parents."
She paused, then continued, "I got off work early today, so I went to pick up Da Hu. Just as I reached the school gate, I ran into Da Hu coming out. He saw me and told me that he and Da Wa had a fight at school, and the teacher told me to go home and ask his parents to come to school."
Well, it was just a fight, what did she think? It was no big deal.
Ning Tang nodded, "I understand."
Big Wa is a naughty boy. She is not surprised at all when he fights. She is just curious whether he is beating others or being beaten?
But when Ning Tang heard that even Da Hu had joined the fight, he was stunned. "Wait, you said Da Hu also joined the fight?"
Zeng Xinlan's face dropped when she mentioned this. "He's grown up, and now he's become more and more unruly. He's even learned to fight."
Ning Tang patted her hands, "Don't be so serious. They're just kids, so fighting is nothing strange. I used to think Dahu was too gentle, like a girl, but now he's learned to fight. Boys should have this kind of bloodiness, which is good. Otherwise, when you get bullied in the future, you won't dare to fight back, and you can only swallow your grievances. How uncomfortable."
Zeng Xinlan said, "Why do I suddenly feel that the fight between Dahu and the others isn't a big deal after hearing what you said."
Anyway, her heart was relieved a little.
"It's not a big deal. Take the summer vacation for example. The eldest kid and his friends played outside every day. There were always some minor frictions. Children have short memories. They might have a conflict today, but make up and play together tomorrow. If we, as parents, make a big deal out of it, it will become difficult for these children to get along with each other." Ning Tang said.
This was the first time Zeng Xinlan heard Ning Tang say this. She couldn't help but think about it carefully. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that, hey, it seemed to be true as Ning Tang said.
Ning Tang said, "So, when we get to school, don't be so harsh. If you have anything to say, talk it over nicely and don't scare the kids."
Zeng Xinlan said seriously, "Xiaoning, why do I feel that you have never given birth to a child, but you know how to raise a child better than those of us who have."
Ning Tang thought to herself that she didn't give birth because she didn't want to, and because she was not sure that she could educate the child well.
Everything needs to be certified except being a parent.
In fact, people like Ning Tang, who have decided not to have children after careful consideration, are the most suitable people to have children, because they have the sense of responsibility that parents need most.
Some people get married and have children just to continue the family line and to shut other people up.
For some people, having children is what it means to truly raise a child. Not to mention how rich they are materially, but they are definitely fulfilled spiritually.
That was getting off topic. Ning Tang casually replied, "That's because I've seen a lot, and I've learned to cultivate it after seeing a lot."
As we were talking, we arrived at the school.
As soon as he arrived at the school gate, Ning Tang bumped into Shen Lie.
Beside him was Xiao Zhao, who was chattering, "Captain, Da Wa is still young. Don't be angry. It's not okay to hit children..."
Chen Lie's face turned pale, and it was obvious that he hadn't heard anything. "Oh, that's bad. If he learns to fight at such a young age, he'll definitely cause chaos in the future."
Seeing Ning Tang, Xiao Zhao immediately greeted her, "Sister-in-law." He then greeted Zeng Xinlan, "Sister-in-law Zeng."
He whispered to Ning Tang, "Sister-in-law, please hold the captain back for a while. I'll be leaving first."
Ning Tang nodded, and walked into the school with Chen Lie side by side. She gently pinched the soft flesh on his waist and said, "When we get to the teacher's office later, don't say anything. Let me handle it."
When she pinched him, Shen Lie's anger dissipated a little, and he said "hmm".
When I arrived at the office, it was already an hour after school was over.
Ning Tang took a quick look around the office and found that besides Da Wa, Da Hu and a few other children, there was also a female teacher with fair skin, a round face and glasses, and a male teacher with slightly dark skin and a pointed chin.
Opposite the kids like Da Wa and Da Hu, there was a row of kids standing, about four or five of them.
Two rows of children stood face to face, no one said a word, just glared at each other.
A bunch of kids, all dirty? No way.
Big Baby was wearing a white shirt and black trousers today. The collar of the white shirt was wrinkled and a button was missing. There was a lot of mud on the hem of his shirt and trousers. Looking at his face, there were also many scratches.
Da Hu was in the same situation as him, and the two children just rolled on the ground.
While Ning Tang was looking at everyone, Da Wa's class teacher, Ms. Zhou Caiwei, who also served as her Chinese teacher, was also looking at her.
Zhou Caiwei's husband is Li Dahui, the commander of the Third Regiment, and she is also a military wife who follows the army.
She had heard of Ning Tang a long time ago, but had never seen him in person.
Ning Tang didn't know that her reputation in the military family compound was now polarized.
Those who get along well with her, such as Mrs. Luo, Zeng Xinlan, and Lei Sufen, all think that apart from being a little lazy, she is actually a very nice person and worth making friends with.
The military wives who had never lived with her had many prejudices against her. First, they thought that she was a stepmother and had been married to the island for several years without giving birth to a child. They wondered if she had any health problems. Second, they thought that she had no job and was not motivated.
Zhou Caiwei belongs to the second type. She has a job as a teacher, and she heard that Ning Tang sleeps until very late every day, so she naturally labeled her as a lazy person.
In addition, because she is the teacher of Da Wa's class, she has another understanding of Ning Tang.
In the first grade, Da Wa scored 60 points in Chinese, but Ning Tang not only did not scold him, but also praised him for doing well, at least passing the exam. In comparison, other children who did poorly in the exam had to go home and eat fried bamboo shoots with meat. The group of children were very envious of Da Wa for having such an open-minded stepmother.
Zhou Caiwei is an adult and thinks more deeply than children.
Seeing all of Ning Tang's actions, she couldn't help but wonder if Ning Tang didn't care because Da Wa wasn't her biological child and whether he did well or poorly in the exam had nothing to do with her.
Thinking of this, Zhou Caiwei couldn't help but feel sorry for Da Wa.
Although Da Wa's Chinese grades are a little poor, his math grades are good and he has never scored anything less than full marks.
He is smart and polite, not the kind of kid who likes to play mischief. Zhou Caiwei likes him very much.
So when they met today, Zhou Caiwei couldn't help but look Ning Tang up and down, wanting to "evaluate" her as a "step" mother.
Ning Tang didn't know all this, her attention was focused on Da Wa.
Big Baby was standing in the office, looking nonchalant at first, but when he saw Ning Tang and Shen Lie coming, he suddenly panicked, clutching the corners of his clothes tightly with his little hands, extremely nervous.
Zhou Caiwei coughed and was about to speak when a woman with a long, thin face and wearing a blue floral top suddenly rushed in from the door.
She glanced around angrily and fixed her eyes on a fat kid standing next to the eldest child. She quickly walked up to him and twisted his ear. "Why are you imitating other people's fighting when there's nothing else you can do?" As she spoke, she slapped him hard on the back and buttocks, cursing, "I'll beat you to death, you little bastard."
Suddenly, loud applause rang out in the office.
Zeng Xinlan couldn't help but frown. What a jerk this guy was. He started beating the child without even asking the reason.
She suddenly felt scared, luckily Ning Tang stopped her, otherwise she would be the one beating the child here.
Two teachers and several parents stepped forward to stop the thin-faced woman. The thin-faced woman was tired of beating, so she sat aside. However, she still stared at the fat boy fiercely, as if she was going to settle the score with him when she got home.
The little fat boy who was being stared at trembled and shrank behind the big boy.
Zhou Caiwei looked around and decided to start with Ning Tang. She cleared her throat and said to her, "Dawa's mother, Daawa got into a fight at school."
Ning Tang: "I know." Zeng Xinlan had told her on the way here, "So, did you win?"
Zhou Caiwei: ???
No, this is a normal reaction a parent should have when they hear their children fighting at school?
Even if you are not like the parent just now who educates the child right away, you should at least teach the child a lesson first.
The eldest child was originally very nervous. When he heard this, he didn't know whether to cry or laugh. Well, at least he was not so nervous anymore, and the hands that were clutching the corner of his clothes gradually loosened.
I have to say, she is just like his mother, she never plays by the rules.
Zhou Caiwei: "I won...but..."
"Has the fight been won? Why did you call me here?" Ning Tang asked.
She thought she had lost the fight and that Da Wa had been beaten up, so he called her to come and take Da Wa to the clinic to get medicine.
No, if I think about it carefully, she should come over even if I win—
Come and pay.
Ning Tang nodded, "I understand. You called me here to pay for Da Wa's medical expenses. Tell me, who got beaten by Da Wa?" She waved her hand generously, "Don't worry, I'll pay you what you owe. I won't default on my debt."
A group of little kids looked at Da Wa with shining eyes. Da Wa’s mother is so nice. I really envy Da Wa.
Being stared at by a group of friends, the eldest child couldn't help but puff out his chest.
If it weren't for the wrong time and place, Chen Lie would have almost laughed out loud.
Who would dare to admit what Ning Tang said?
The row of kids standing face to face with Da Wa, Da Hu and other kids looked at least half a head taller than Da Wa and the others. They were obviously from older grades. Asking them to admit that they were beaten by kids younger than them... wouldn't that be so embarrassing?
After that, he became famous in school. Others would point at him and laugh when they saw him. It was this guy who was beaten by the older kid who was younger than him.
How embarrassing.
Zhou Caiwei really wanted to take back what she had just said. She was wrong. She shouldn't have started with Ning Tang. "Um, Da Wa's mother, shouldn't we first understand the situation? For example, why are Da Wa and the others fighting?"
Ning Tang nodded. "Then may I ask, Teacher Zhou, why did Da Wa and the others fight?"
Zhou Caiwei nodded with satisfaction. That was right. She inexplicably felt that Ning Tang was a little more pleasing to the eye. When she thought of having such an idea, she immediately became alert. She must have set too low a standard for Ning Tang!
She came back to her senses and continued, "It's like this. Da Wa, Da Hu, and a few other kids were playing with sandbags in the school yard during recess." She pointed at the male teacher with a pointed chin, "Li Hai from Teacher Lang's class saw it and wanted to join in the fun..."
The boy named Li Hai and the other boys standing next to him were not shorter than him, and Li Hai was as strong as a bear.
Shen Lie took a quick glance and concluded that Li Hai should be a junior high school student.
The primary and junior high schools on the island are right next to each other, so it's not surprising that Li Hai and his classmates run into Da Wa and his classmates during break time.
As Teacher Zhou continued to tell the story, Ning Tang pieced together what had happened.
Wang Xiaoming, also known as the fat boy, from Da Wa's class, bought a new sandbag and pulled Da Wa, Da Hu and other kids to play with it.
Li Hai, a sixth-grader, and his classmates saw it and said they wanted to join in the fun.
Wang Xiaoming disagreed because the sandbag game would not be fun if there were too many people. When there were too many people, there would be less time to get the sandbags, so he refused.
Unexpectedly, Li Hai and the other kids got angry, pushed Wang Xiaoming and said they must play together.
Wang Xiaoming had originally disagreed with them playing together, and now being pushed back, he became even more unhappy. He put away the sandbag and said he didn't want to play anymore.
Li Hai immediately became unhappy and asked him to leave. "Okay, but the sandbags can stay."
Of course Wang Xiaoming disagreed and started arguing with Li Hai.
As they pulled, they started to fight.
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