Ning Tang responded, "Okay."

She imitated Mrs. Luo and aimed the pliers at the abalone, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the abalone off as easily as Mrs. Luo.

This made Mrs. Luo next to him laugh. "Xiao Ning, catching abalone also requires skills. It's just like fighting a war. You have to attack the enemy when they are least prepared."

Ning Tang was stunned. "What do you mean by catching someone off guard?"

Mrs. Luo explained, "This abalone is afraid of being washed away by the sea water, so it will cling tightly to the rock. If you want to pick it up, you have to catch it when it is not paying attention. If you miss it at once, it will only cling tighter."

So that's how it was. After listening to what Mrs. Luo said, Ning Tang targeted a large abalone and attacked it with lightning speed, grabbing it lightly with pliers. Sure enough, just as Mrs. Luo said, he caught it in one go.

It’s so fun to catch the sea!

It's simply a battle of wits and courage with the creatures in the sea!

Ning Tang had a lot of fun picking abalone and soon filled half a bucket. While picking abalone, she also took the time to pay attention to the three children.

Perhaps the three children were frightened by her words, "I won't take you to the sea next time," so the three little ones just played obediently in the circle she made and didn't dare to run around.

A abalone about the size of half a child's palm was clinging to a crevice in the reef. It was a difficult place to lower the pliers, so Ning Tang prepared to reach out and grab it.

She squatted down and reached out to touch the abalone, but instead of touching the abalone, she felt something smooth and soft.

Ning Tang looked closely and found that it was actually a brown sea cucumber as thick as two fingers.

Ningtang immediately forgot about the abalone and only wanted to catch the sea cucumber.

This sea cucumber was hiding in the crevices of the reef, with its head hidden and its tail exposed. It was very easy to catch, and Ning Tang caught it in one go.

Ningtang took the sea cucumber in her hands and played with it. This was the first time she had seen a live sea cucumber.

This chubby sea cucumber has fleshy thorns all over its back. A light touch will shoot out a stream of water, which is really fun.

Mrs. Luo said with emotion, "Xiaoning, you are so lucky that you can catch sea cucumbers in this season."

Ning Tang pointed to the gap in the reef where he had just caught the sea cucumber and said with a smile, "There's more, look, Sister Luo."

Mrs. Luo looked in the direction of her finger and saw several fat sea cucumbers quietly attached to the reef, almost blending into the reef. If she hadn't looked carefully, she would have almost missed it.

"Hey, you can have an extra meal tonight." Mrs. Luo said with a smile.

The two of them helped each other and soon picked up a dozen plump sea cucumbers and two buckets of fat abalone.

Mrs. Luo stood up and looked at the sea. A red sun was slowly sinking into the sea bottom. The afterglow of the setting sun made the sea surface red. "It's getting late. We should go back."

Hearing this, Ning Tang looked at the reef with some reluctance. She had not yet reached the sea.

However, the abalones on this reef had almost been picked up by them, and there would be no gain if they stayed.

The two of them packed up and prepared to go back. After walking a few steps, Luo Saozi saw a familiar figure. She called out, "Xin Lan, you come to the sea too."

The woman called Xin Lan was slender and graceful. She was wearing a dress that was washed white. Her facial features were very pretty, but her skin was slightly dark and fine lines could be seen if one looked closely, which greatly reduced her beauty.

Zeng Xinlan was also delighted to see Sister Luo, and responded, "Yes, sister-in-law."

Mrs. Luo took Ning Tang to Zeng Xin Lan and introduced her to her, "This is Ning Tang, Xiao Ning, the lover of Captain Shen." She then introduced Zeng Xin Lan to Ning Tang, "Zeng Xin Lan, the lover of Captain Qi Wei of the Second Regiment. You can call her Xin Lan or Xiao Zeng."

Ning Tang readily called out, "Hello, Xin Lan."

Zeng Xinlan tucked her hair behind her ears and smiled shyly at Ning Tang.

She looks like a very shy woman.

Mrs. Luo glanced at the bucket Zeng Xinlan was carrying. There were only three or four abalones in the bucket. She said in ridicule, "Why are there so few abalones in your bucket?"

Zeng Xinlan pursed her lips and said, "Our Dahu has been pestering me these past two days. I couldn't leave him and came to the beach very late, so I didn't pick up anything."

Hearing this, Ning Tang picked up his own bucket, poured half of the abalone in it into Zeng Xinlan's bucket, and gave seven or eight of the sea cucumbers he had picked to Zeng Xinlan.

Zeng Xinlan's eyes widened as big as copper bells, and she kept saying, "Xiao Ning, what are you doing? You can't do that!"

Ning Tang waved his hands and said, "It's not a big deal. I came early and picked up a lot of abalone and sea cucumbers. I'll give you half."

Mrs. Luo was surprised and said, "Xiao Ning, didn't you work so hard to pick this up?" Ning Tang looked so proud.

Ning Tang nodded, "Yes."

Then you still want to give Zeng Xinlan half? Luo Saozi thought.

Ning Tang saw what Luo's wife was thinking and said, "We go fishing for fun and to enjoy the process. The reward is not important."

Mrs. Luo raised her thumbs up, "Xiao Ning, you are at a really high level."

Zeng Xinlan still felt bad, "No, I can't take so many things from you for nothing."

These abalones were big and plump, and there were even three rare sea cucumbers. It was obvious that Ning Tang had spent a lot of effort picking them, so how could she bear to accept them?

Ning Tang waved his hands, "Just keep it. I'm not giving it to you, but to your Da Hu. You only picked up such a small amount of abalone, how can it be divided? You and your wife can't all stop eating it, so leave it for Da Hu. Even if the children eat it, it won't be enough for a whole meal."

Zeng Xinlan thought of Qi Dahu's thin face and finally stopped refusing. She looked at Ning Tang gratefully and said, "Well, thank you, Xiao Ning."

Ning Tang said, "You're welcome."

Mrs. Luo said, "Don't be so quick to thank me. Not only Xiao Ning is giving it to you, I'm giving it to you too. These abalones and sea cucumbers are divided equally into three portions. Let's each take one portion. Is that okay?"

Zeng Xinlan looked at Ning Tang and Luo Saozi gratefully, almost unable to speak, and choked up, "Yes."

So Mrs. Luo redistributed the abalone and sea cucumbers she had picked up, so that everyone had half a bucket in their bucket, and Zeng Xinlan had even more in her bucket.

Mrs. Luo glanced at Ningtang's bucket and said teasingly, "You only took so little stuff back. Won't your three kids make a scene?"

Ning Tang waved his hands, "It's okay, Da Wa and the others don't dare to show any interest in me. If they do, I'll beat them up."

From behind came the resentful voice of the eldest child, "Stepmother, I heard everything."

Ning Tang was startled. She looked up and saw Da Wa, Er Niu and San Wa standing behind her. "When did you three get here?"

Erniu puffed up her cheeks and said, "We waited there for a long time but didn't see you guys coming over. Then we saw you guys were chatting, so we came over to look for you."

So that's how it is. Ning Tang pinched Erniu's little face and said, "It's the stepmother's fault, okay?"

The third child lay on the side of the bucket, looking up and saying, "Shame on you, stepmother, how come you only picked up so little."

The eldest boy replied, "That's right, we picked up much more than you did."

Ning Tang looked at the three kids' buckets, which were filled with clams. It was a big harvest. "Okay, I lose this time."

Zeng Xinlan knew all three of the Shen family's children. She smiled and said, "Big one, your mother picked up a lot of things, and she shared them with me, so there are only a few left in the bucket."

Ning Tang said, "Did you hear that, Big Boy?"

She discussed with the three children, "You think Auntie Lan didn't pick up much seafood today, so I'll give her some abalone and sea cucumber, is that okay?"

After all, the things we picked up were to be taken back to eat together, so we still had to explain to the three children where the things went.

Hearing this, Da Wa looked at Zeng Xin Lan and said, "Aunt Xin Lan, didn't you pick up any seafood today?"

Zeng Xinlan nodded, "Well, I came late today, so I picked up a few abalones, which were quite small."

The eldest boy thought for a moment, picked up his own bucket, and poured half of the clams into Zeng Xinlan's bucket. "Aunt Xinlan, these are the clams I caught. You can take them home and eat them."

Second girl and third child followed the example of the eldest child and shared the clams in the bucket with Zeng Xinlan, "Aunt Xinlan, we'll share our clams with you, too."

Zeng Xinlan already felt bad for accepting Ningtang and Mrs. Luo's things, and now even the three children had to share their things with her.

She quickly picked up the bucket and wanted to pour the clams back into the buckets of the three children. "No, no, keep the clams for yourselves."

Ning Tang stopped her from moving. "These are the children's good intentions. It would be bad if you refuse them."

Zeng Xinlan lowered her head and saw the three children looking at her expectantly.

Her heart softened and she finally compromised, "Okay, then I'll take it."

The three kids jumped three feet high, "Great!"

It was getting late, so the group hurried back. When they reached a fork in the road, Zeng Xinlan said goodbye to Ningtang, Mrs. Luo, and their three children. She lived in another direction.

On the way back, Ning Tang said, "The beach here is really full of treasures. From now on, I don't need to buy vegetables anymore. I can just go to the beach every day."

Mrs. Luo said happily, "Who goes fishing every day? In our military family compound, only Xinlan and I often go fishing. I am too busy and Xinlan is forced to do so by life. Few military families in our military family compound go fishing. After all, the army pays high wages and seafood in the market is cheap. No one wants to spend the time to go fishing. After working hard for an entire afternoon, you may not be able to pick up much seafood. It is better to spend a few cents to buy freshly caught seafood."

Forced by life?

Ning Tang asked tactfully, "Are Xin Lan and Captain Qi's family conditions not very good...?"

Otherwise, he wouldn't be wearing clothes that were washed so thin that they looked bleached by starch, and he wouldn't be looking so anxious when he couldn't find anything in the sea.

If Ning Tang hadn't seen Zeng Xinlan's anxious face, he wouldn't have shared half of the abalone and sea cucumber with her without hesitation.

"How can that be possible?" Mrs. Luo sighed again, "The army pays well and provides subsidies. Captain Qi is a battalion commander after all, and he earns 40 to 50 yuan a month."

Ning Tang raised her eyebrows. Why was Zeng Xinlan wearing such bleached clothes?

Captain Qi is really too stingy. He is not even willing to buy his wife a piece of nice clothes.

Ning Tang said coldly, "Captain Qi is really a master at picking doors."

Mrs. Luo curled her lips and said, "Pick? Captain Qi is not picky. He is very generous, but he is not generous to Xin Lan and Da Hu."

Mrs. Luo said slowly, "Captain Qi has five brothers, and he is the oldest. He finally succeeded and became a battalion commander. The whole family depends on his salary to support the family. I heard from Xin Lan that Captain Qi only keeps ten yuan of his salary for family expenses every month, and sends the rest back home."

"It's only 40 or 50 yuan, not 400 or 500 yuan. How can it be enough for all those people to spend? Occasionally, she has to send back another 3 or 4 yuan out of the 10 yuan. Xin Lan wants to make every penny count, but the family can't save a penny. She can only save money on food and clothing. She can't bear to cut cloth to make clothes, nor can she bear to go to the market to buy seafood. She comes here every day to catch seafood."

The more Ning Tang listened, the more his brows furrowed. He really felt that Captain Qi was out of his mind. He was kind to his parents and brothers, but treated his wife and children badly.

As we were talking, we arrived home.

After saying goodbye to Mrs. Luo, Ningtang led the three children into the house.

As soon as I entered the room, I heard Shen Lie's angry roar, "You four still remember to come back? Don't you see what time it is now?"

At that moment, Ning Tang seemed to have returned to her previous life. The way Shen Lie, wearing an apron and holding a spatula and scolding her, looked just like her own mother.

Ning Tang and the three children glanced at the clock on the wall and said angrily, "It's seven o'clock..."

When Shen Lie saw the appearance of Ning Tang and the three children, he almost fainted.

The big one and the small three were all covered in dirty sand and mud. Ningtang's trouser legs were longer on one side than the other, and there were some brown seaweed stuck on her plastic sandals. The big one looked like he had rolled in the sand.

Erniu had two pigtails, one high and one low, and her hair and nails were full of sand. The fat little Sanwa was the cleanest, but his face was also covered with a lot of white sand.

Shen Lie raised his eyebrows and asked, "Did you go to the beach?"

He didn't ask Ningtang, but Dawa, "What did I tell you? The seashore is dangerous and rough, but you still went there to play? Is your butt itchy and you want to eat bamboo shoots and fried meat?"

Hearing this, the eldest child quickly covered his buttocks and said aggrievedly, "Dad, I was wrong. I won't do it again next time."

"Humph." Shen Lie snorted coldly, "You won't dare to do it next time? Let's see if you dare to do it next time." He glanced at the bucket in the hands of the three children, "Abalone, sea cucumber, razor clams, wow, we got quite a lot today."

Ning Tang smiled awkwardly and said, "It's OK, Captain Shen, don't blame them. It was me who wanted to go to the sea, and then I asked them to accompany me."

The eldest, second and third daughters were stunned. They never expected that Ning Tang would put all the responsibility on them.

If the three of them hadn't been pestering her all the time, she wouldn't have to take the three of them with her.

Shen Lie frowned, "Don't give them any excuses, they just want to have fun."

Seeing that he couldn't fool her anymore, Ning Tang rolled her eyes and reminded Shen Lie, "Your dish is about to get burnt. I can smell a burnt smell."

Shen Lie snorted twice and really smelled the burning smell. He said, "Wait for me, I will deal with you later."

After saying that, he turned and went into the kitchen.

The next second, Ning Tang followed in with a few buckets in his hands. He blinked at him and said, "Cook these too. If you leave them out tomorrow, they won't be edible."

Shen Lie held his forehead and cooked the sea cucumber, abalone and razor clams.

Braised sea cucumber with scallions, garlic abalone, stir-fried clams with ginger and scallions, pan-fried small yellow croaker, and shrimp rice porridge are all placed on the dining table, exuding a rich aroma.

The three children were drooling all over the floor. Ning Tang, the adult, had better self-control, but he also kept glancing at the dining table.

Shen Lie sat on a stool in front of the dining table with his arms and legs spread out. He took off the apron tied around his waist, crumpled it into a ball and threw it aside. He looked at the three children standing in front of him, bowing their heads and admitting their mistakes. "What did you do wrong? Big one, tell me first."

The eldest boy made a bitter face and said, "We shouldn't go to the sea."

"Wrong." Shen Lie said mercilessly, "Erniu, you tell me."

Erniu tugged at her braid and said anxiously, "Erniu, Erniu, you don't know."

Shen Lie's eyebrows twitched a few times, "San? Wa, you tell me."

Just as San Wa was about to speak, he was interrupted by Shen Lie. He sighed and said, "Forget it."

The third child had a puffy face and his hands on his hips like a little teapot.

There is no such distinction!

The three children all looked at Ning Tang in unison, casting hopeful glances at her.

Ning Tang raised his hand awkwardly, "How about I tell you?"

Shen Lie glared at Ning Tang and said, "I will teach the three little ones first, and then I will settle the score with you individually."

Ningtang shrugged at the three children, saying that he was powerless.

Shen Lie said slowly, "You guys were wrong. You didn't tell me that you were going to the sea. I couldn't find you when I came back. I almost ran all over the island. Fortunately, I met Political Commissar Zhao. He told me that Sister Luo and the others had gone to the sea. So I went home to wait for you."

Political Commissar Zhao?

Ning Tang thought about it. Shen Lie mentioned that Mrs. Luo’s husband was the political commissar of their regiment. So this Political Commissar Zhao should be Mrs. Luo’s lover.

I heard that Shen Lie almost ran all over the island to find them.

Ning Tang rarely felt a trace of guilt in his heart, "I was wrong."

Shen Lie looked at her and continued, "If you want to go to the sea, why don't you just tell me? Will I still stop you?"

Can!

The three little ones looked at him aggrievedly, and this was what they meant in their eyes.

Shen Lie suddenly remembered that he had repeatedly warned the three children not to go to the beach.

But that was because there was no adult to take care of them. This time when they went to the sea, Ning Tang and Mrs. Luo were there, so Shen Lie was not really worried. So after he heard Political Commissar Zhao say that they were going to the sea, he chose to go home and wait.

Ning Tang couldn't help but say, "How about we talk while we eat."

When the three children heard this, they nodded their heads and said, "That's right, that's right."

There was no way. The food cooked by Shen Lie was so delicious. They were standing right in front of the dining table. They could see the delicious food and smell the fragrance, but they couldn't eat it. What a torture!

Shen Lie glanced at them, stretched out his index and middle fingers and tapped twice on the dining table, as if he was thinking.

Ning Tang struck while the iron was hot and said flatteringly, "Are you too hungry? It doesn't matter to us, but don't let Captain Shen, an active-duty soldier, get too hungry."

The eldest child nodded and said, "My stepmother is right. It doesn't matter if we get hungry, but don't let dad get hungry."

Erniu also smiled flatteringly, "We made a mistake and deserved to be punished, but you didn't make a mistake, right, Dad?"

Shen Lie sneered and asked, "You are right. How about I eat first and you watch?"

Hearing this, four bitter faces responded to him.

Ning Tang frowned and said, "Come on, Captain Shen, can you bear it?"

Seeing that Shen Lie was no longer so cold, the eldest child became bolder and lay on the dining table, tilting his little face towards Shen Lie and said expectantly, "Dad, give me a taste."

Shen Lie patted his little butt and said, "Stop being so coquettish and eat with your chopsticks."

"Great!" Ning Tang and the three children cheered happily, and quickly gathered around the table to eat voraciously.

Catching fish is a physically demanding job, and the four of them were already hungry.

Shen Lie looked at them eating and curled his lips, "Are you really that hungry?"

Ning Tang ate while mumbling, "Of course I'm hungry. Look, there are abalones, sea cucumbers, and razor clams. The four of us caught them all. It must have taken a lot of effort to get so many things."

The eldest child waved his hands and said, "That's right, Dad, you don't work hard, so you eat so much for nothing. You must have made a lot of money, right?"

Shen Lie sneered, and Da Wa quickly covered his mouth and said with a wry smile, "Hehe, you thought I didn't say anything."

Soon, the food on the table was eaten up in no time.

Erniu still felt a little unsatisfied, "If we had known that we would share with Auntie Xinlan, we should have caught more clams."

Hearing this, Shen Lie cast a puzzled look at Ning Tang.

Ning Tang said, "We met Zeng Xinlan when we were fishing. She came late and didn't pick up anything, so we gave her some of the sea cucumbers, abalones, and razor clams we picked up."

So that's how it is. Shen Lie nodded and praised, "Well done."

After all, they were in the same army, and Shen Lie had heard about Captain Qi's family affairs. The seafood that Ning Tang and the others gave to Zeng Xinlan must have helped her a lot, which was a good thing.

The eldest child took a look at Shen Lie's expression and said cautiously, "Dad, can we go to the sea again next time?"

Ning Tang also said, "Captain Shen, don't worry, we will definitely take good care of Da Wa and the others and will not cause you any trouble."

Erniu and Sanwa grabbed Shen Lie's legs and looked at him with watery eyes, "Dad, we want to go swimming. It's fun."

Being begged by the big and small, Shen Lie's heart softened even if it was made of iron, but he had to teach them a lesson, so as not to do such a thing again in the future, so he said, "We'll talk about it next time, it depends on your performance."

Going fishing is addictive. Ning Tang and his three children get itchy whenever they think about the abundance of seafood waiting for them to pick up.

But in the short term, Ning Tang and the three children dared not touch Shen Lie, for fear of provoking him again. In the future, they would never be able to catch up with him.

Fortunately, after enduring for a long time, Shen Lie finally got to go out to sea.

Before Shen Lielin left, he called the three children to his side and warned them carefully, "We are going to go out to sea tomorrow. We will be gone for about a month. You should stay at home and don't make trouble."

He looked at Ning Tang, as if he wanted to tell her something. After thinking for a while, he sighed and said, "Forget it. Telling you and me? It's better to tell Sister Luo."

Ning Tang rolled up his sleeves and said, "Don't look down on me."

Shen Lie raised his eyebrows and looked at her. Ning Tang remembered that she also had a criminal record and suddenly felt deflated.

Shen Lie went out to sea, and there was one less person at home. Logically, everyone would still find it difficult to adapt.

But Shen Lie was busy with work to begin with, and during this time he had to go out to sea, leaving early and returning late, and also had to go to the army for training at night. Sometimes Ning Tang also cooked dinner, and Ning Tang and the three children were used to his elusive appearances.

So even though he was gone, the three children were only a little sad for a while and then went back to their business.

As soon as Shen Lie left, Da Wa felt that since there was no tiger in the mountain, the monkey was king, and he kept pestering Ning Tang to ask her to take them to the sea again.

After the last incident of chasing the sea, the three children found that Ning Tang was a very righteous person, so they put all the blame on her and she was on their side.

The three children's attitudes towards Ning Tang gradually softened. At least they were no longer as cold and stern as when Ning Tang first came.

The eldest child carried a small bucket and a small shovel, and said with sparkling eyes, "Stepmother, Dad is gone, let's go to the sea."

Ning Tang said, "Aren't you afraid that your dad will find out and come back to beat you up?"

Erniu also wanted to go fishing. She patted her chest and said, "What are you afraid of? Dad has already gone out to sea. We can go fishing quietly. How can he find out?"

The third child nodded his head and agreed, "By the time Dad comes back, we'll have gone to the sea several times."

Ning Tang was happy, "I guarantee that as soon as we go to the sea, your father will get the news right away."

Big Baby was skeptical, "No way."

Ning Tang rolled his eyes and said, "Although your father has gone out to sea, his spies are still on the island."

Erniu tilted her head, "Spy? Sister Luo?"

"Yes, last time Sister Luo took us to the sea, Political Commissar Zhao told her about it when we came back, and Captain Shen reminded her before he left, so she definitely won't let us go to the sea." Ning Tang said, "If she wants to let us go, she has to wait until Captain Shen comes back."

The eldest child gritted his teeth and said, "No, I can't wait any longer. How about we go to the sea first, and we can settle the bill when Dad comes back."

Erniu rolled her eyes and said, "Dad said he would be gone for a month." She held up a little finger and said, "A month is a long time. Maybe he will forget to beat us when he comes back."

Ning Tang chuckled, "Your father is going out to sea, not abroad, so he still needs to be beaten. He has a book in his mind, and he has recorded everything. He will settle the accounts one by one when he comes back."

Hearing this, the eldest and second daughter hung their heads. Compared with getting their butts bruised, it seemed that it was no big deal to go to the beach later.

At the end of July, the weather started to get warmer.

The eldest child sat on a cool mat, holding a large palm-leaf fan in his hand, waving it intermittently, "Stepmother, what are we having for lunch today?"

Ning Tang lay in a corner of the lounge and said weakly, "Let's eat seafood. Prawns, mantis shrimps, eels, scallops...you can choose."

Erniu sighed like a little adult, "Eat these again? Ah."

"It's good to have something to eat. The mantis shrimps in this season are yellow and taste good." Ning Tang said.

"Then let's have mantis shrimp." said Sanwawa.

Ning Tang nodded, "Besides the mantis shrimp, what else do you want to eat?"

"Order some scallops. Scallops are the only delicious steamed ones." said the eldest boy.

Ning Tang went to the market to buy mantis shrimp and scallops. Today, these two kinds of seafood were not big, so she did not buy much, just a little of each.

On the way back, I passed by Luo's yard. Luo was applying fertilizer in the yard. When she saw Ning Tang passing by, she quickly called her, "Xiao Ning, where are you coming from?"

Ning Tang shook the bag in his hand and said, "I just came back from buying groceries."

Mrs. Luo said, "Wait for me?"

After that, she picked a lot of cucumbers and tomatoes grown in her garden and put them in a basket, then handed them to Ning Tang across the courtyard wall. "Take them home to sweeten the mouths of the children. In summer, these fruits and vegetables are good for appetite. Cut the tomatoes and cucumbers and sprinkle some sugar on them. They taste great."

Ning Tang looked at the juicy cucumbers and tomatoes in the basket, and after listening to Luo's sister-in-law's description, his heart was moved. He quickly thanked her, "Thank you, sister-in-law."

Mrs. Luo waved her hands, "You're talking to me? Why are you being polite?"

When Ning Tang got home, he saw that Da Wa and the other three were still lying on the cool mat to cool off. He patted Da Wa's little butt and handed her a cucumber, "Wash it and share it with Er Niu and San Wa."

"Wow, cucumber, where did you get it from?" The eldest boy's eyes widened as he looked at the tender green cucumber.

"Mrs. Luo gave them these, and there are tomatoes, too." Ning Tang showed them the fruits and vegetables in the basket, "I'll wash the tomatoes, cut them into slices, and sprinkle some sugar on them for you to eat."

"Okay, okay." Erniu nodded her head vigorously.

The eldest boy ran to the yard, washed the cucumber with water from the tap, and broke it into three pieces. He, the second girl and the third boy each took a piece. They took a bite of the cucumber, and the refreshing juice burst into their mouths, with a crisp taste.

Ning Tang steamed the mantis shrimp and scallops in a pot, cut the tomatoes into slices, placed them on a plate, and finally sprinkled them with white sugar.

The three children were chewing cucumbers and staring at the kitchen. When they saw Ning Tang coming out, they immediately surrounded her and said, "Stepmother, we want to eat tomatoes."

Ning Tang said, "You have already eaten the cucumber, so you can eat the tomatoes after dinner."

With tomatoes hanging on their backs, the three little ones were not averse to eating mantis shrimps and scallops at all. They were even busy stuffing them into their mouths just to eat the tomatoes sprinkled with sugar.

After finally finishing lunch, the three little kids looked at Ning Tang eagerly, waiting for her to take out the tomatoes.

Ning Tang took out tomatoes from the cabinet. The three little ones couldn't wait to grab a slice of tomato each and put it in their mouths, saying while eating that it was really delicious.

Ning Tang saw how happily they were eating and couldn't help but eat a piece as well.

The slightly sour tomatoes paired with sweet white sugar are both sour and sweet, and are simply the best snack in this hot summer.

The eldest child tasted the tomatoes, squinting his eyes happily, "Stepmother, let's eat tomatoes tomorrow too."

Erniu raised her hand and said, "I want to eat cucumber too."

"Cucumber sprinkled with sugar must be delicious too." said Sanwawa.

Ning Tang was amused, "You three have developed an eye for food. Okay, if we sell it in the market, we'll buy it."

"Great." The three little ones cheered happily.

Ning Tang glanced at the wall clock. It was already one o'clock. She lay down on the rocking chair by the window and took a nap for a while.

When I opened my eyes, it was already 3:30 in the afternoon.

Ning Tang looked around the room and was surprised to find that none of the three little ones were there.

Her heart skipped a beat. Would these three little bastards go swimming without her knowledge?

Ning Tang quickly changed his shoes and prepared to go out to look for the three of them.

But just as she reached the door, she saw Da Wa push the door open and call out to her, "Stepmother, you're awake."

Following closely, Erniu and Sanwa also entered the house, and the one walking at the end was Ning Xue.

Ning Xue curled her lips, "I saw the children playing in the yard, and I happened to have something delicious at home, so I called them over to eat."

Ning Tang glanced at the three children, and sure enough, each of them was holding a white thing that looked like rice cake.

Da Wa held up the rice cake in his hand and showed it off to Ning Tang, "This is the barley cake my aunt gave me. It has coconut shreds in it. It's delicious."

Ning Xue gently touched Da Wa's head and said, "I'm glad you like it. My cousin has a lot more. I'll pack some for you later."

After saying this, she gave Ning Tang a subtle, smug look.

What do you think? Are you jealous when you see your stepson calling me "Aunt" in a friendly way and liking the things I make?

But Ning Tang ignored her gaze and looked at her expectantly, "Cousin, pack more. I just woke up and I'm very hungry. I want to eat too."

Knowing that Da Wa and the other two did not go swimming, Ning Tang relaxed and her stomach started to rumble.

Ning Xue's pupils trembled. No, shouldn't Ning Tang have thrown the barley cakes in Da Wa and the other three's hands on the ground, said they didn't want to eat the food she gave them, and then slammed the door and left angrily?

Why are you looking at her expectantly and asking her for food?

Ning Xue thought about it over and over but couldn't figure out Ning Tang's train of thought, so she gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, I'll go home and give it to you in a while."

Ning Tang waved her hand and said, "Cousin, please hurry up. The children and I are waiting."

Looking at Ning Xue's leaving back, Ning Tang curled the corners of his mouth.

The heroine's cousin's level is too low. Whatever she thinks is shown on her face. She is not even on the same level as her colleagues in her previous life who were smiling but treacherous. She really can't help but have the evil intention of teasing her.

Ning Xue brought the Job's tears cake very quickly. This time she didn't stay for long and left as soon as she put the Job's tears cake down.

Ning Tang glanced at her back with regret, then turned his gaze to the barley cake that Ning Xue brought her.

These barley cakes are only the size of a ping-pong ball, with a white outer skin made of glutinous rice flour, wrapped with coconut shreds and peanuts, and rolled into the shape of a green ball, and finally wrapped in a layer of green coconut leaves.

When eating, peel off the coconut leaves and take a bite. You will first taste the softness of the glutinous rice skin, then the crispness of the peanuts, and finally the sweetness of the coconut shreds. The taste is very rich, and the glutinous rice skin will also be stretched. It is simply delicious and fun.

Ning Tang couldn't help but eat one after another, and she finished one third of the plate of barley cake in an instant.

The eldest child was speechless, "Stepmother, please leave some for us."

Ning Tang waved his hands, "I know, I know."

She ate two more, then stopped eating, realizing that she was still not satisfied. She looked at the eldest, second, and third children, "When are you three going to show off your cuteness again and bring back some barley cakes to eat?"

Putting aside other things, the barley cake made by Ning Xue tasted really good. The cooking skills of this hostess's cousin were really amazing.

Why is everyone she meets such a good cook?

Ning Xue is, and so is Shen Lie.

Only she is still fighting with steamed seafood!

Oh no, she also knows how to make cold cucumber and candied tomatoes, Ning Tang thought with comfort.

The eldest child patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, stepmother, I'll take care of it."

For several days in a row, the eldest, second and third kids would run to Ning Xue's house whenever they had time.

The two families live next door to each other, which is very convenient.

Ning Xue probably wanted to keep the three children under her control, so she accepted everyone who came and gave a lot of delicious food to the eldest, second and third children. She also offered sacrifices to Ning Tang's five dirty temples.

But gradually, Ning Xue also came to her senses.

After all, every time the eldest, second, and third daughters came over, they would pack up big bags of delicious food to take back with them as if they were begging for money.

How much can three children eat?

It goes without saying who ended up with these delicacies!

So when the eldest, second, and third kids went to Ning Xue's house again, Ning Xue closed the door and refused to see them.