The military school was very simple at first, but most of the students were children of soldiers on the island, and they were worried that it would be unsafe in case of a natural disaster. So the higher-ups gave permission, saying that the soldiers on leave could work hard and they would pay for it, and little by little the school was built to its current size.

It is a brick and tile house, and looks more imposing than a military compound.

Qiao Yu found the principal.

The principal was an elderly man wearing glasses. After hearing the noise, he exhaled, wiped his glasses with his sleeve, and said, "Come in."

"Hello, principal. I am a family member who has just come to accompany the military tour. This is my son Dawei. He is old enough to go to school. I have brought his household registration and marriage certificate. Can you please help with the admission process?" Qiao Yu said in one breath.

The principal poured her a glass of water and saw that she was still breathing slightly. He asked, "Is it urgent?"

"I just arrived and have a lot to do. I haven't let my family know I'm safe yet. I want to go after I get my child enrolled in school."

"I see... How are his grades?"

"Just like his real father, he's very smart. Oh, his real father is a high school student, he grew up eating at many houses, and he's grateful for the kindness of the members, so he's been contributing to the production team."

Upon hearing this, the principal said with emotion: "He is a good comrade."

Because it was a military marriage, Qiao Yu had to investigate everything throughout her life. In addition to the weird adoptive parents, her late husband was also investigated. The higher-ups tacitly allowed her to bring Dawei and Xiaoyong with him in the army, after all, they were all good comrades with good character.

"You should pay the tuition first, and then let him take a pre-school test tomorrow to see what class to put him in."

"You're not going to school today?"

"I can't get in today."

Qiao Yu thought about it and didn't think it was a bad idea. He decided to let Dawei take care of Xiaoyong when he made a phone call later, which would be more convenient for him.

"Okay, thank you, Principal."

After leaving school, Qiao Yu took the two children to the post office, where they could write letters, send telegrams, and make phone calls. There was an auntie guarding the post office.

Qiao Yu: "Hello, comrade. I'm calling Beijing. This is the phone number."

Pass the folded paper over.

The aunt looked at Qiao Yu and said, "Wait."

The call was made by my aunt.

As soon as the phone was connected, my aunt went to the side to knit a sweater. Dawei and Xiaoyong were also playing under the shade of a tree not far away.

After two rings, the phone was picked up.

"Hello?"

"Grandpa! I arrived at the island safely!"

"Oh, it's Qiao Yu. How is life on the island? Are you used to the food and the accommodation? Do you have enough money?"

Qiao Yu was suspicious: "Grandpa, do you still have money?"

"I don't have any, I can ask your parents...then what about the evil couple?"

Qiao Yu was not happy: "Grandpa, I don't want to have anything to do with them."

"How can I ask you to have anything to do with them? I'm old enough, and it's time for them to take care of me. Shouldn't they give me some pension money?"

"...Oh, that makes sense. We can order more. My son Xiaoyong loves to drink milk powder, and the other four kids also like to drink malted milk. But food is hard to get. There are six of us, and we only have 60 kilograms of food for two months. And it's all sweet potatoes and potatoes. If you eat too much, you'll get heartburn."

Grandpa Zhang was silent for a moment, then said, "Wait, I'll come up with a solution for you!"

"Hey, I know that Grandpa treats me the best! Grandpa, what are you going to do?"

"secret."

"...Okay, I won't say any more. I still have to send a telegram to my mother-in-law. Goodbye, Grandpa."

Click.

Hang up.

Grandpa Zhang was so angry that he laughed when he saw the beeping phone.

Telegrams are charged by the word, one cent per word.

Qiao Yu has plenty of money, but there's no need to go into too much detail in the telegram, right?

So there were only eight short words: I have arrived at the island, I am safe, don't worry.

The telegram cost one dollar and one dime.

When collecting the money, Qiao Yu realized that symbols also cost money!

Regret it.

I should have omitted the commas and periods earlier. It’s enough if you can understand it.

She wrote another letter, which was very detailed and described the specific situation on the island.

I guess it took a month for the letter to be sent to the production team?

The telephone call, stamps, paper and envelopes for the letters, and the telegram cost two dollars and a half.

Qiao Yu: ?_??

Too expensive.

Two dollars and fifty cents is enough to buy a lot of things.

After all the trouble, Qiao Yu returned home with his two children.

Seeing that it was still early, Qiao Yu said to Dawei, "You take care of my brother. I'll go see if I can get some fresh vegetables. Eating only sweet potatoes and potatoes is not enough."

She hadn't visited anyone since she came to the compound, and the only people she had interacted with were the director of the Women's Federation and that... Wang Zhaodi?

She asked where Wang Zhaodi lived, and found out that she lived a few houses away, also in the yard.

She knocked on the door, "Is Sister Wang in?"

Wang Zhaodi had just finished removing the bugs from the vegetable garden when she heard a knock on the door. She washed her hands before running to open it: "I'm here, who's there? Uh... Sister Qiao?"

"Sister Wang, I just arrived at the compound and haven't packed up yet. My house won't be full without fresh vegetables, so I want to exchange these candies for a cabbage. Do you think it's okay?"

There are three candies. Fruit candies are sold at one cent each in the supply and marketing cooperative, so three candies cost three cents.

A pound of cabbage is only one cent. Her cabbage is not big, and each one weighs only about two pounds. She can exchange it for three fruit candies...

You need candy tickets to buy fruit candies.

In the end, she got the upper hand. Even though food was expensive in a famine year, Wang Zhaodi managed to get two cabbages.

"Just don't mind that the cabbage is too small."

"Okay, thank you, Sister Wang. I will come to visit you when I am done with my work."

"OK."

When visiting someone, you have to give them something. Food is precious nowadays, so you can't just give them something when you visit them, right? So Qiao Yu only planned to visit the director of the Women's Federation and Wang Zhaodi.

I got home with two cabbages in my arms, and it was time to make dinner.

Qiao Yu: "Look after my brother, I'm going to cook."

"good."

Still chop the potatoes and sweet potatoes into pieces, and wash the cabbage and cut it into pieces.

Pour soybean oil into the pot.

The soybean oil was bought at the market, weighing less than a pound, and she copied it in a black box.

The oil can was just taken out and placed on the stove, along with soy sauce, vinegar, and salt.

Heat the oil and add the Chinese cabbage, stir-fry until lightly fried, then add water, and then throw in the sweet potato cubes, and finally grab a handful of rice flour that has been used for hunger. In order to make it taste better, add some soy sauce, vinegar and salt.

Although it still looks like foul water...

Tsk.

But at least I could swallow it.

When Zhou Jun's three children came back, they smelled the fragrance from the kitchen and swallowed their saliva.

"Zhou Jun! Serve the food!"

Qiao Yu's voice came from the kitchen, and several children ran away quickly.

This proves the modern saying: If you don't eat actively, there's something wrong with your brain.

After taking a bite, the children's eyes lit up.

Zhou Wu was the first to lose his temper: "Auntie, did you add oil to the pot?"

"Yeah, it's soybean oil, otherwise the soup would be watery and tasteless."

very nice.

It's either bacon or sweet porridge, and today they added soybean oil to the pot. Tasting the rich aroma of oil, it's definitely not the amount of oil that other people use chopsticks to brush the bottom of the pot.

Qiao Yu used a lot of water to pour at the bottom of the pot at noon, but most of the boys at home drank it all up...

Fortunately, she has space and her grandfather is a person with a good background.

Otherwise, how can we afford to raise so many boys?

Qiao Yu asked Dawei to wash the dishes.

"Take turns to brush. Xiaoyong, I'll let your big brother take care of him. We can also show our affection to each other."

Look how fair she is as a stepmother.