The next day, Shen Lie was on vacation. He got up early and cooked a pot of shrimp rice porridge and fried a large plate of scrambled eggs with green onions.

After washing up, Da Wa sat at the dining table, drinking porridge while sleepily asking Shen Lie, "Dad, what did you whisper to stepmother last night? You talked all night long? It was so noisy that I couldn't sleep."

Shen Lie: "Uh, you're asking me what secrets I have with your stepmother? Ah..."

How can I explain the things we talked about last night to a kid like Da Wa?

He nudged Ning Tang with his elbow and said, "I'm asking you."

Ning Tang said with a fake smile, "Your father said he would take us to go fishing in two days. Last night we discussed what seafood we should pick."

Shen Lie widened his eyes and signaled Ning Tang with his eyes: When did I say that?

Erniu looked at him excitedly and said, "Dad, really? You want to take us to the sea?"

"Really?" Ning Tang continued, "Your father is a man of his word. His words are as good as nails."

"Great." The three children cheered.

Being tricked by Ning Tang, Shen Lie tried to raise his lips, "Yes, I speak, and every spit I say is a nail."

The eldest child tilted his head, "When are we going to go fishing again? Two days? Which two days?"

"The next day I take a day off." Shen Lie said without hesitation.

"It's a deal then." Ning Tang said, "Next time you're on vacation, why don't you take us to the sea, and I'll..."

"What do you mean?" Shen Lie said with a smile.

Ning Tang also responded with a smile, "I won't wash the dishes. I'll leave them all to you."

Shen Lie pouted, "You can only use this to blackmail me." He shouted to Da Wa, "Dada, I didn't tell you everything just now. Last night, I discussed with your stepmother that she will cook for you from now on. She will make seafood fried noodles for you every day."

Da Wa's eyes lit up, "Really? Stepmother?"

You fart!

Ning Tang swallowed the dirty words and said, "I'm going upstairs to get something." After saying that, he slipped upstairs.

Shen Lie looked at her fleeing back, sneered, and thought to himself, fight with me.

After a while, Ning Tang took out two pieces of cloth.

Shen Lie was surprised, "You really went upstairs to get something."

Ning Tang glared at him, then looked at the three children. Seeing that they didn't notice this, she whispered to Shen Lie, "I went upstairs to get two pieces of cloth, planning to sew a new dress for Erniu. Look at what she's wearing, it's so short that her belly is almost exposed. Don't you think it's too shabby?"

She had this plan a long time ago, and after talking with Shen Lie last night, she put this matter on the agenda.

Shen Lie was a man after all, and was not that attentive. He only paid attention to Erniu's eating and drinking, and did not notice that her clothes were too short. He nodded repeatedly, "It's time to make some clothes."

He glanced at the two pieces of cloth in Ning Tang's hands and said, "But one piece of cloth is enough. Two pieces are enough to make several sets of clothes." Summer clothes only use less cloth.

Ning Tang was speechless. "How can you make clothes for only one child? When the new clothes are brought back, how will you explain it to the eldest and third children?"

Shen Lie choked, "That's true, but can you make clothes?"

"No, ah." Ning Tang said as a matter of course, "So I was planning to go out and look for Mrs. Luo."

"Go quickly and come back soon." Shen Lie said.

Ning Tang walked to the door and waved, "You make lunch, make it light, it's too hot and I have no appetite."

When we arrived at Mrs. Luo's house, Mrs. Luo was doing work in the house. Unexpectedly, Zeng Xinlan was also there.

Mrs. Luo asked Ning Tang, "Xiao Ning, why are you here?"

Ning Tang showed her the two pieces of cloth in her hand and said, "I want to make some clothes for Da Wa and the others, but I don't know how to make them, so I came to ask you, sister-in-law."

"Oh, I thought it was nothing. Don't worry, I'll teach you." Mrs. Luo said, "It's summer now, just make short sleeves and shorts, it's very simple."

"How long will it take?" Ning Tang asked.

Zeng Xinlan continued, "Sister-in-law, we have a sewing machine at home. It should be pretty quick, maybe less than two hours."

Ning Tang calculated the time and found that she had just made it to lunch. She asked Zeng Xinlan, "Xinlan, why are you also at my sister-in-law's house?"

Mrs. Luo said, "She came here to mend the soles of her shoes, and chatted with me."

While the three of them were talking, Mrs. Luo was instructing Ningtang on how to sew clothes.

Unfortunately, Ning Tang was a piece of useless wood, and had absolutely no idea how to make clothes. She put the cloth aside in frustration and said, "Forget it, I'd better go to the ready-made clothing store in the city to buy it."

"The ones sold in ready-made clothing stores are too expensive. Making your own clothes saves both fabric and money." Mrs. Luo said, "Why not let Xinlan teach you? Her craftsmanship is much better than mine. If you don't believe me, look at the soles she sews."

Zeng Xinlan said shyly, "Xiao Ning, don't listen to what your sister-in-law says. My skills are not up to par."

Ning Tang stretched his head to look at the soles made by Zeng Xinlan. There was a flower of unknown origin sewn on the soles, which looked lifelike. "Sister-in-law, I'm not kidding. You sew so well. Please teach me. But will it interfere with your work?"

"No, it's just a shoe sole, it doesn't take much effort. Besides, you gave me so much seafood last time, and I haven't thanked you properly yet. I just taught you how to sew a piece of clothes." Zeng Xinlan said.

Since she said so, Ning Tang humbly asked her for advice.

Zeng Xinlan gave Ning Tang some pointers. Ning Tang didn't want to do anything fancy. He just wanted to simply sew three sets of short-sleeved shirts and shorts.

Just as he was about to start, Ning Tang slapped his thigh and said, "Oh no, I forgot to measure the size of Da Wa and the others."

Zeng Xinlan took the cloth from Ning Tang's hand and said, "It's okay. I've met your three children. I'll help you cut the cloth."

Mrs. Luo said, "Xinlan's eyes are like a ruler. Don't worry about her cutting the cloth."

Zeng Xinlan cut the cloth, and Ning Tang tried to sew it with a sewing machine. It turned out pretty good.

After making three sets of clothes, Ning Tang considered herself done. She saw that Luo's hands were busy, "Sister-in-law, what are you busy with?"

"I'm sewing a schoolbag for my daughter. School is going to start in two days," Mrs. Luo replied.

Zeng Xinlan looked at Ning Tang, "I remember that your eldest child will be in the first grade in September this year, right?"

Ning Tang's heart skipped a beat. Da Wa had mentioned this before, but she didn't know if Shen Lie had signed up. "Yes..."

"Hey, when the children grow up and go to school, troubles will come..." Mrs. Luo naggingly said.

Ning Tang had no mood to listen any further. It was already August 28th and school was about to start in two days. She had to go back and ask Shen Lie.

She packed three sets of small clothes and hurriedly said goodbye to Mrs. Luo and Zeng Xinlan.

After returning home, I put my clothes away and asked Shen Lie, "Is Da Wa going to school this year?"

Shen Lie looked at her panting and said without hesitation, "Yes."

Ning Tang asked him, "Have you signed up?"

Shen Lie: "Register...Okay, I forgot." He muttered, "I have so much to do. I was so busy when I got back that I was dizzy. By the way, why don't you help him register?"

"You are not ashamed to say that. Is that your son? Or? My son?" Ning Tang rolled his eyes.

"He's my son," Shen Lie added, "but he's also your adopted son. Don't worry, it's okay. I'll help him register tomorrow. It won't be too late."

"Let's not talk about this for now." Ning Tang waved her hands, picked up three sets of small clothes and showed them to him, "Look, I sewed them, they look good, don't they?"

Shen Lie was speechless. "There's not even a single pattern on it. Even if I want to say it's pretty, I can't go against my conscience."

"What do you know? Beauty lies in simplicity and elegance." Ning Tang said, "None of the three of them are old enough to know the difference between beauty and ugliness. It's enough for them to wear something comfortable."

Seeing that Shen Lie still wanted to say a few more words, Ning Tang glared and said, "If you have any opinions, you can sew it."

Shen Lie muttered, "How dare I have an opinion?"

As they were talking, Da Wa, Er Niu and San Wa came back after playing outside.

As soon as the eldest child entered the room, he shouted, "Dad, I'm hungry, what are we having for lunch?"

"Eat the clothes, taste it." Shen Lie handed the clothes to him.

The eldest child pouted and said, "You think I'm the third child? It's so easy to fool you."

Sanwa, with her round belly, said angrily, "Sanwa is not easy to lie to."

Ning Tang patted his little butt, "Okay, stop being hungry, take some clothes and go upstairs to change."

The eldest and third child responded and ran upstairs holding their clothes. Shen Lie shouted behind them, "Run slower, or you might knock your teeth." Only then did the two children slow down.

Ning Tang glanced at Erniu who was still standing there motionless and asked her, "Why don't you go upstairs to change clothes?"

Erniu was a little confused and touched the back of her head, "Do I have one too? It's not just the brothers who have new clothes to wear."

Ning Tang glared at Shen Lie quietly and whispered, "I think it's not unfair for your ex-wife to die early."

Shen Lie sighed, "Alright, alright, the dead are the greatest."

Ning Tang coughed and said, "From today on, there is no rule in our house. If you want to make clothes, you have to make three sets. You can have all three."

No matter what, it's a good thing to have new clothes to wear. Erniu happily went upstairs to change clothes, holding the clothes.

Three children? They all came down in new clothes.

Ning Tang took two pieces of cloth in total, one blue and one light gray. The blue cloth was used to make short-sleeved shirts, and the light gray cloth was used to make shorts. Neither of them was a very eye-catching color, but they were very pleasing to the eye and resistant to dirt.

The three children were wearing exactly the same blue short-sleeved shirts and light grey shorts, and their faces looked somewhat similar, making them look like brothers and sisters pretending to be each other.

Shen Lie's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, praising, "It's pretty good."

"Of course. Don't you see whose work it is?" Ning Tang said complacently.

Shen Lie: "When will you make one for me?"

Ning Tang squinted at him and said, "It depends on when you can perform well."

"What do you mean by good performance?" Shen Lie asked.

Ning Tang: "You did something to please me."

Shen Lie muttered, "That's difficult. You're such a difficult person to please."

Ning Tang glanced at him and said, "Then stop talking nonsense and continue wearing your white vest with holes in it."

The next day, Shen Lie went to register for Da Wa and brought back two textbooks and a collection of great quotes.

He handed the three books to the eldest child and said, "Here, school starts at 7:30 on the morning of September 1st. Don't be late."

The eldest child ran with his textbook in his arms, shouting happily, "I'm going to school now."

Ning Tang just woke up and saw him running around the house like crazy, "What's so exciting about going to school? You can't sleep in from now on."

The eldest child snorted, "Stepmother, you think I am you. I don't like to sleep in. I like to go to school."

Ning Tang was happy, "I hope you can be this happy when you come back with achievements next year."

Da Wa's body suddenly stiffened.

Erniu looked at the book in Da Wa's hand with longing, "Brother, is it fun to go to school?"

"It's fun." The eldest child responded without hesitation. "When I go to school, I have many friends to play with. I heard from Brother Dahu that we can play sandbag throwing and hopscotch..."

Erniu looked at Shen Lie suddenly, "Dad, I want to go to school too."

Shen Lie rubbed her little head and said, "You are not yet of age. I will enroll you in two years."

"Okay." Erniu hung her head and said sadly.

Ning Tang comforted her, "It's okay, it's just fun. When the eldest child goes to school, I will take you to the beach and the back mountain to play."

"Sanwa will go too." Sanwa said loudly.

Ning Tang was happy, "Okay, okay, let's go."

The eldest boy was unhappy and said with his hands on his hips, "Why do you guys plan to go out and play as soon as I go to school?"

"Then are you still showing off?" Ning Tang said.

The eldest boy puffed up his cheeks and said, "I won't show off anymore." He shook the textbook in his hand and said, "I'm going out to show off." Then he ran out the door.

Shen Lie shouted from behind him, "You may show off, but don't tear the book by accident."

Ning Tang replied, "You tore up the book, and Captain Shen tore you up."

Shen Lie twitched his lips, "Am I that fierce?"

Ning Tang said, "No, Captain Shen, what are you having for lunch?"

Shen Lie lay down on the rocking chair, "I should be the one asking you this question. Did you make lunch?"

Ning Tang raised his hands in surrender, "I'll do it, it's up to me, whether you want to eat the hot pot or not."

"It's so hot today, do you have an appetite for hot pot?" Shen Lie said.

"I have no appetite. How about I go to Mrs. Luo's yard to pick some cucumbers and tomatoes and mix them into two refreshing side dishes." Ning Tang said.

Shen Lie: “That’s fine.”

Mentioning Luo's wife, Ning Tang thought of schoolbags, "By the way, have you bought a schoolbag for Da Wa?"

Shen Lie said without hesitation, "No."

Ning Tang couldn't believe it. "What about the pencils and notebooks? Don't tell me you didn't buy them either."

"Of course I didn't buy it. Didn't you tell me that I just needed to register? I thought the school would give it to me..." Shen Lie's voice gradually weakened with guilt.

Ning Tang really wanted to spit on his face, "Then when I asked you to eat, did you only eat the rice and not the vegetables?"

"That's not the case..." Shen Lie said.

Ning Tang glared at him and said, "I'm going to cook now. Go pack my schoolbag, notebooks, and pencils all at once."

"Yes, sir." Shen Lie saluted.

When Ning Tang came back from Mrs. Luo's house, Shen Lie also came back.

He held a large cardboard box in one hand, "Do you think these are enough?"

Ning Tang stretched his head and saw a box full of notebooks and pens. The corners of his mouth twitched, "Did you confiscate the supply and marketing cooperative?"

Shen Lie also felt that he had bought too much, and scratched his head in embarrassment, "It's okay, this thing won't go bad anyway."

"Of course it won't go bad." Ning Tang said, "It can be used by Erniu and Sanwa in school."

Shen Lie said, changing the subject, "I'm hungry, let's cook."

"Can you make cold noodles? Cold cucumber and sugar-mixed tomatoes, paired with a bowl of cold noodles, are good for stimulating appetite and perfect for summer," Ning Tang asked him.

Shen Lie was tired of her description and rolled up his sleeves. "It's just a cold noodle. Today I'll show you my skills."

The two worked together, Ning Tang was responsible for making the cold cucumber and sugar-mixed tomatoes, and Shen Lie was responsible for making the cold noodles, and it was done in less than half an hour.

Shen Lie brought the cold noodles out of the kitchen and glanced at the living room. "Has Da Wa come back yet?"

"He came back following the scent." Ning Tang had just finished speaking when a voice came from the door. "Look, here comes the devil."

The eldest boy came back from showing off. He was already hungry. He sat down and took a bite of the cold noodles. "Delicious."

Ning Tang was amused. "What is not delicious in your mouth?"

The eldest child made a face and looked at Shen Lie, "Dad, are we going to have cold noodles tonight?"

Shen Lie: "Don't eat cold noodles for dinner. I'll stew you for dinner and we'll eat steamed pork belly."

The eldest child rolled his eyes and complained to Ning Tang, "Stepmother, Dad is going to stew me."

Shen Lie was amused. "It's no use complaining to her. She will just happily pass me firewood."

"Really? Stepmother?" Big Brother didn't believe it.

He felt that during the time that Shen Lie was at sea, he had established a revolutionary friendship with Ning Tang.

"Really?" Ning Tang pinched his little face, "Look how fat you are. One stew is enough for us to eat for three meals."

Erniu was holding the bowl and laughing foolishly. Da Wa threatened her, "Why are you laughing? After you finish eating me, you will be next."

Erniu was so frightened that she couldn't even hold the bowl steady. She hurriedly said, "Don't eat Erniu."

"Whoever is naughty will be eaten first. You three are our family's reserve food." Ning Tang teased them.

In the blink of an eye, it was the day when the eldest child started school.

Da Wa was so excited last night that he didn't sleep much the whole night, but he was still full of energy the next day. Ning Tang yawned and said, "It's good to be young."

The eldest child put on his small schoolbag, put his textbooks in it, and waved, "I'm going to school."

Shen Lie: "Do you know where the school is?"

Ning Tang said, "He spends every day on the island having fun. He knows the way better than you do, so you can rest assured."

Shen Lie muttered, "No, it's the eldest child's first day of school after all, I have to go and see him off."

Ning Tang curled her lips and worried about nothing.

Following him to the door, as soon as he pushed open the gate, he saw the Su family opposite. Ning Xue led Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu out of the house.

Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu also carried schoolbags and looked like they were going to school just like the eldest child.

Ning Tang remembered that Su Junyan's twin sons were the same age as the eldest child and should also be in the first grade this year.

Ning Xue caught a glimpse of Ning Tang from the corner of her eye, and while she was sorting out the twins' clothes, she raised her voice and said, "When you two go to school, you must listen to your teachers carefully, don't make trouble, don't bully your classmates, study hard, and become a useful person to society."

Ning Tang doubted whether Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu understood what he said. Nine out of ten kids of this age go to school just to have fun.

As expected, Su Guangzong tilted his head and asked Ning Xue, "Mom, what does it mean to be a useful person to society?"

Ning Xue choked, "It's getting late, hurry up and go to school, or you'll be late."

Ning Tang patted Da Wa's head and said, "You should go to school too and have more fun."

Da Wa nodded heavily, "Okay." He waved his hand, "Stepmother, please prepare dinner at noon and wait for me to come back."

"To celebrate your first day of school, let's prepare something delicious for lunch today," Ning Tang said.

The eldest child's eyes lit up, "What delicious food are you going to make?"

Ning Tang narrowed his eyes, "If you don't go to school, I'll make bamboo shoots and pork for lunch."

The eldest boy shrank his neck and said, "I'll go right away." Then he ran away with his small schoolbag slung over his shoulder.

Shen Lie remembered the delicious seafood fried noodles last time and licked his lips. "What delicious food are you planning to make?"

Ning Tang looked at him in surprise, "Don't you eat lunch in the army cafeteria?"

"Yes, or no." Shen Lie said, "It depends on what delicious food you cook."

"Don't worry, it's even better than the seafood fried noodles last time." Ning Tang said.

Shen Lie saw that Da Wa had already run far away, so he followed him and said, "I'll come back for lunch, so you can make more."

Ning Tang sneered, turned around and wanted to go back to the house, but was stopped by Ning Xue after taking just two steps.

Ning Xue frowned and said, "Just now, Captain Shen was here and I couldn't say anything bad to you. How could you let the eldest child have fun at school? Children go to school to learn, not to play."

Ning Tang complained in her heart, thinking that once Shen Lie left, you could criticize me, "He is only a freshman, what can he understand? It's enough for him to get along happily with his classmates. If you want to focus on studying, it's not the time to focus on studying now."

Ning Xue's brows furrowed even more. "What do you know? Children need to be educated from a young age. Even though they are only in the first grade, now is the best time to lay a solid foundation. If they can't learn well in the first grade, they will end up like you when they go to higher grades."

Ning Tang: ...You shouldn’t make personal attacks like this.

She said, "Cousin, I won't interfere with how you educate your children, and you don't interfere with me either."

Ning Xue glared and said, "Why can't I interfere with you? I'm your cousin. If you teach her a bad child, how can I explain to Captain Shen?"

Ning Tang was speechless, "What about just now? Did Shen Lie say anything?"

"No." Ning Xue said, "After all, this is the first time for Captain Shen to experience a child going to school. He is a man, so it's not surprising that he doesn't understand."

"It's the first time for me, a grown-up girl, to ride on a sedan chair," Ning Tang said.

Ning Xue looked at her with disdain: "I won't talk to you about these nonsense. Look at the weeds in your yard. It's been almost two months and you haven't cleaned them up. It must be so dirty when others pass by."

Ning Tang rolled his eyes. "Well, it's not that I don't want to clean it up. Shen Lie went out to sea last month. Before he went out to sea, he specifically told me to wait for him to come back and clean it up. I don't have to do it myself."

Ning Xue's eyes showed doubt, "Really?"

"Really? He said the weather here on Hailang Island is too sunny and I would easily get sunburned if I work under the scorching sun." Ning Tang lied without any guilt.

Ning Xue recalled how she had spent an entire afternoon pulling weeds under the scorching sun. When she returned home, Su Junyan didn't even bring her a glass of water, and her heart ached.