Ning Tang saw that her face was uncertain and didn't dare to say anything. He said goodbye to her and went back to the house.
After returning home, Ning Tang took a nap, got up on time at 9:30, packed up and prepared to go to the vegetable market.
One day, the eldest child went to school and there was one less person at home. The second and third children felt uncomfortable and didn't even have the mood to play.
Seeing Ning Tang was about to go out, Er Niu hurriedly said, "Stepmother, we will go with you."
"Let's go." Ning Tang put a small straw hat on her and Sanwa's head respectively, held Sanwa in one hand, and followed Erniu beside her. The three of them went to the vegetable market together.
On the way, Erniu clenched her hands unnaturally and glanced at Ningtang from time to time.
Seeing that Ning Tang didn't react, Er Niu pursed her lips and suddenly stepped forward and held Ning Tang's hand.
Ning Tang was walking normally when he suddenly felt something soft on his hand. "Why are you holding me back?"
Er Niu turned her head away and said, "I can pull it if I want to."
In the past, she had seen other mothers holding their children's hands on the street, but her mother had never held hers. She always held the eldest child in her left hand and the third child in her right hand.
Now, the stepmother is also half a mother, so if she tries to take charge, it should be okay, right?
Ning Tang let go of her hand and said, "I won't let you hold me."
"Why?" Er Niu looked at Ning Tang in disbelief.
How come this is different from what Aunt Zhu said? Aunt Zhu said that in order to integrate into their family, the stepmother would definitely try to get close to her and her brothers in various ways.
Where's the closeness you promised?
Ning Tang: "Because the weather is hot, your hands are sweaty."
Er Niu puffed up her cheeks and pointed at San Wa, "Then why are you still holding San Wa? Aren't you feeling hot?"
Ning Tang: "What you said makes sense." Then he put Sanwa down.
Sanwa was originally held in Ningtang's arms, with his little head resting comfortably on Ningtang's shoulder, looking at the scenery on the road. Unexpectedly, Erniu asked Ningtang to put him down after just a few words.
The little kid was instantly furious, and he screamed, stretching out his hands towards Ning Tang, "I don't care, I want my stepmother to hold me."
The second girl made a face, "Third kid, are you ashamed? You are already three years old and still want an adult to hold you."
Seeing that the two kids were about to quarrel, Ning Tang held their foreheads and said, "Okay, I'll hold one with each hand, okay?"
Now Erniu and Sanwa stopped making noise. Each of them held one side of Ningtang's hand. Both kids were very satisfied.
Arriving at the market, Ningtang went straight to a stall and bought a bucket of homemade vinegar from fishermen, and a few seafood dishes. The stall owner even gave her some seaweed for free.
After shopping, I went home carrying large and small bags. It was already eleven o'clock.
When Shen Lie got home, he saw a pot filled with white soup in the middle of the dining table.
Shen Lie raised his eyebrows, "The delicious food you mentioned is hot pot? I was so embarrassed to come back. Forget it, I'd better go back to the army cafeteria to eat." After saying that, he turned around and wanted to leave.
"Come back." Ning Tang called him, "You know it's not delicious even before you try it."
"Nonsense, eating hot pot in the summer will make you sweat before you finish the meal. How can it be delicious?" Shen Lie said.
Ning Tang glanced at him, "You don't understand this, right? This is called dregs vinegar hot pot, perfect for summer, recommended by Luo's wife."
Shen Lie took off his hat and placed it on the cupboard, rolled up his sleeves, sat at the dining table, and picked up his chopsticks. "It was recommended by Mrs. Luo, so it's worth a try."
"Why are you in such a hurry? Let's wait for the eldest son to come back and eat together." Ning Tang pulled him up from the table. "While you still have time, go and weed the yard."
"Weeding?" Shen Lie was stunned and sneered, "You finally remembered. I thought you were blind. The grass in our yard is almost half a person tall."
Ning Tang, "Don't waste your words, hurry up and get rid of it. If you don't get rid of it, my cousin will complain about me every time she sees me."
Shen Lie was stunned again, "What does it have to do with your cousin?"
"You ask me how I know, I just know that one of her eyes is looking at our house." Ning Tang said, "This morning when the eldest child went to school, I told him to have fun. After you left, she grabbed me and scolded me for half an hour."
"Have fun, there's nothing wrong with what you said." Shen Lie said.
Ning Tang spread his hands and said, "It's the first day for the eldest kid to go to school. It's good enough that he can learn to read a few sentences. Most likely, the teacher will lead them to play games."
"It's like this in the lower grades of primary schools on the island. They say that teachers in lower grades are there to help take care of the children. If you really want to learn knowledge, you have to wait until the higher grades." Shen Lie replied.
Ning Tang: "Okay, let's stop talking about this. Hurry up and get rid of the grass."
Shen Lie curled his lips, "If I had known, I wouldn't have come back at noon. I would have come back just to do hard labor for you."
Ning Tang curled his lips, "Don't want to do it? That's fine too."
"Really?" Shen Lie's eyes lit up.
Ning Tang: "I told my cousin that the sun was shining brightly on the island, and you felt sorry for me and didn't want me to get sunburned, so you took the initiative to take over the weeding work. Even if you don't do it today, you have to do it tomorrow."
Shen Lie looked at her in disbelief, "You really? Said that?"
"Really?" Ning Tang said, "She definitely won't stop weeding the yard until she sees you. Believe it or not, when you go out with a shovel later, you'll definitely see her staring at you in her yard."
"I don't believe it." Shen Lie shook his head. He didn't believe that Ning Xue had so much free time.
Ning Tang narrowed his eyes, "What are you betting on?"
"If I lose, I will wash the dishes for you for a week, and you will do the same." Shen Lie said without hesitation.
Ning Tang handed him the shovel and said, "It's a bet."
Shen Lie took the shovel, went out of the house, looked around, no one was there, and laughed in his heart, Ning Xue was really not there? Ning Tang spoke so casually.
He swept the yard and found the weeds were half a man tall. He bent down and started to work seriously.
After weeding for about half an hour, Shen Lie wiped the sweat from his forehead, stood up and prepared to stretch, when he saw a figure suddenly appear in the yard of the Su family opposite.
Shen Lie looked carefully, who else could it be but Ning Xue?
Since he saw him, he just said hello.
Ning Xue stood in the yard and saw Shen Lie really taking a shovel to weed the yard. She felt very uncomfortable.
She snorted and turned back into the house.
Shen Lie was left in a fog. Did he not provoke Ning Xue?
Shen Lie was very strong and skillful, and it took him less than half an hour to remove most of the grass in the yard.
He went back to the house, took a shower, changed into a white vest and tights, and the eldest boy just came back.
When the eldest child came back, he sniffed and asked in confusion, "What's gone bad in our house?"
"You are the one that is rotten." Ning Tang brought the washed whitebait and prawns to the table, "This is the taste of bad vinegar."
"Dregs?" The eldest child tilted his head and asked, "Mom, are you sure it's not swill?"
"Okay, I admit that they smell a bit similar, but I guarantee that dregs vinegar is definitely better than swill." Ning Tang said.
Shen Lie complained, "What is not better than swill? Comrade Xiao Ning, are you really going to eat hot pot on a hot day? Let me remind you, even if it is hot pot with dregs and vinegar, it is still hot pot."
"What's wrong with hot pot? Hot pot is easy to make. Just pour the soup base and dip the ingredients into the pot. It's ready." Ning Tang said.
Shen Lie: "So you make hot pot for convenience."
"Yes and no, this is one of the reasons, the main reason is that it tastes good." Ning Tang said, "If you don't believe me, try it."
The white vinegar soup in the pot was already bubbling, and a strong sour and spicy smell was floating throughout the living room. Shen Lie swallowed subconsciously.
The eldest child didn't care about the rules of eating hot pot in summer. He threw his schoolbag, picked up chopsticks, and shouted, "Stepmother, how do I eat this?"
"It's simple. I've put a lot of seafood and vegetables on a plate next to the hot pot. Just put whatever you want to eat into the pot. It's all done by yourself, and you'll have enough food and clothing." Ning Tang said.
She took the chopsticks from Da Wa's hand and said, "But Comrade Shen Da Wa, before you have enough food and clothing, please wash your hands first."
The eldest child said reluctantly, "Dad, look at your stepmother."
Shen Lie: "It's no use calling me. Didn't you see that I took a shower before coming to eat?"
Ning Tang threatened him, "If you don't wash your hands before eating, it will be easy for worms to grow in your stomach."
The elder child's face changed, "I don't believe it."
"Believe it or not, don't call me or your dad when you have a stomachache." Ning Tang put the chopsticks in front of him to see if he would take them.
The eldest boy curled his lips, walked forward with his short legs, and went to the yard to wash his hands.
While the eldest child was washing his hands, Ning Tang asked Shen Lie, "How was it? Did you see Ning Xue when you were weeding in the yard?"
"Comrade Xiaoning, I find that you still have some ability to predict things. Okay, I'll wash the dishes this week." Shen Lie said.
Ning Tang sneered, "I didn't expect her to actually come out and stare at me. I was just saying it casually."
The eldest child came back after washing his hands and asked, "What did you say?"
"Tell me what you did on your first day of school today." Ning Tang bluffed him.
The eldest child tilted his head and thought for a while, "I didn't do anything. The teacher just called our names and told us to play games, that's all."
Ning Tang gave Shen Lie a look and said, "Look, is it what I said?"
"But..." said the eldest child again.
"But what?" Ning Tang asked.
The eldest child swallowed and said, "Let's eat first, and then we can talk while we eat."
Ningtang put some prawns and shrimps into the pot, and when they were cooked, she put a little into each person's bowl.
The eldest child quickly peeled the shrimp shell and put the shrimp meat into his mouth, "So tender."
"It's tender, right? Doesn't it taste sour and spicy? That's the taste of dregs vinegar." Ning Tang said, "Sister Luo told me that this kind of dregs vinegar made by fishermen is made from the dregs left over from making rice wine. It's the best for making hot pot soup base. Seafood cooked with dregs vinegar tastes even better."
Shen Lie didn't eat the shrimp and sea cucumber properly, so he poured a bowl of vinegar soup and drank it slowly. It was sour and spicy, very appetizing. "Don't be fooled by the smell, it tastes really good."
"It smells good, too. Do you know what it means to have your mouth water?" Ning Tang said, "Big boy, go on."
The eldest child ate a few more. Haibai said, "I ran into my cousin when I came back."
Ning Tang and Shen Lie looked at each other. Why was Ning Xue everywhere?
"How did you meet?" Shen Lie asked.
"Su Guangzong, Su Yaozu and I were in the same class. The three of us came back from school together. When we were almost home, my aunt happened to be at the door of their house. She stopped me and asked the three of us what the teacher taught us in school today." said the eldest child.
Ning Tang: "Then? How did you respond?"
The eldest child said truthfully, "To be honest, Teacher Zhou called out a name today, recognized us as servants, and led us to play a game, the game was tossing hand strings, it was fun."
He snorted, "I think I had a lot of fun, but my cousin's aunt seemed unhappy. She said our teacher was not doing his job and only knew how to take us out to play. She also told Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu to go back and study hard and do the homework she assigned."
The eldest boy had a good memory and repeated it word for word, causing Ning Tang and Shen Lie to look at each other in bewilderment.
He touched the back of his head in confusion, "Dad, stepmother, is our teacher Zhou really not doing her job properly as my cousin aunt said? It doesn't sound like a good word, but I think Teacher Zhou is a nice person and she's funny. Anyway, I like her very much."
Ning Tang said, "It's good that you like it. Just ignore what your cousin says and do whatever the teacher says. As long as you have fun and learn happily, this trip is worth it."
The eldest boy seemed to understand half of what was said, nodded, and continued to eat.
While helping Er Niu and San Wa peel shrimps, Shen Lie whispered to Ning Tang, "Why do I feel like your cousin is always keeping an eye on our family? That's really weird."
What's weird, right? We're in the same group, it would be weird if Ning Xue didn't keep an eye on us.
At most, she would just say a few more nonsense, but it would go in one ear and out the other. It wouldn't affect them anyway, and they wouldn't do what Ning Xue said. So she could just stare at them. It would be useless even if she sat at the door of the Shen family and stared at them.
Ning Tang picked up a piece of seaweed for Shen Lie with his chopsticks. "Let her stare if she wants. It's her own life. Whether you live a good life or a bad life has nothing to do with her."
After dinner, Shen Lie went to clear the dishes, and Ning Tang took out a piece of letter paper and a pen, leaning over the table to write a letter.
Shen Lie came out after washing the dishes and saw that she was halfway through writing. "What are you writing?"
"Write a letter." Ning Tang said, "We wrote letters and sent seafood to my parents before, but they never replied. So I want to write another letter to ask if anything happened."
Shen Lie nodded and said, "You write it, and I'll help you mail it later."
On September 3rd, Shen Lie went to mail a letter.
He waited until September 15th, but still received no reply. Just when Ning Tang was thinking about whether to send a third letter back, the "reply" from Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju arrived.
On the afternoon of September 17, Ning Tang was taking Er Niu and San Wa to take a nap at home when he suddenly heard the ring of a bicycle at the door. "Is anyone home?"
Ning Tang suddenly opened his eyes and responded, "Are you there?" Then he stood up and went to the gate of the courtyard.
As soon as he arrived at the door, he saw two young men in postman uniforms riding bicycles. There seemed to be a large item on the back seat of one of the bicycles, but it was wrapped in a sack, so Ning Tang couldn't see it clearly.
The postman took out an envelope and looked at the address on it. "This is from Qi Province. Please sign for it."
"Qi Province?" Ning Tang was stunned. Isn't Qi Province the province where Shangang Village is located? Could it be that Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju sent something to her?
Another postman unloaded the large items from the back seat of the car and looked behind Ning Tang. "Is there no man at home? I'm afraid you can't move this stuff."
Ning Tang looked at the large items and said decisively, "I'd like to trouble you two comrades to help move them."
When Shen Lie came back from the army, he saw a large item in the middle of the living room. He was stunned and asked, "What did you buy?"
"I didn't buy it. My parents sent it to me and I haven't opened it yet." Ning Tang said.
She glanced at Er Niu and San Wa and explained to them, "It was sent by your grandma and grandpa."
Er Xiaoniu tilted her head and asked, "Grandma, Grandma?"
Ning Tang: "The red dates you ate last time were given to you by your grandma and grandpa."
Thinking of the sweet and fragrant taste of red dates, Er Niu swallowed her saliva and looked at the big box, "There must be a lot of red dates in it."
When he heard that it was red dates, Sanwa stepped forward with his short legs to pull the big sack outside.
But it was tied tightly and he didn't pull it open.
Shen Lie was happy. He picked up the third child and put him aside. He untied the rope tied to the baby, and a brand new electric fan appeared in front of the baby.
"Electric fan?!" Ning Tang was really surprised. She never thought that Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju would send her an electric fan.
On September 8, Shen Lie brought back his wages and subsidies for going to sea, more than one hundred yuan, and put them all in her pocket. She had originally planned to take a boat to a department store in the city one day to buy an electric fan, but before she could do so, Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju sent her money.
"What is this?" Er Niu carefully touched the 'iron lump' in front of her, "Can I eat it?"
"You can't eat it. This is called an electric fan. It's used for blowing air. It has the same function as a large palm leaf fan, but we don't have to do anything. It will move by itself." Shen Lie explained.
Ning Tang patted the electric fan and said, "With this, I won't be afraid of the heat when I sleep in the future."
Shen Lie: "But there's only one, which room should I put it in?"
"Let's put it in the living room." Ning Tang said.
There was only one fan, and it wouldn't be appropriate to put it in any other room, so she put it in the living room, where it would be just right for her, her second daughter, and her third child to have lunch at noon.
Ning Tang said excitedly, "Quick, plug it in and try it out."
Shen Lie moved the electric fan and adjusted its position, plugged it in, and the blades of the fan slowly turned, sending out a breeze that made the hair on both sides of Ning Tang's cheeks flutter. She exclaimed with emotion, "It's really cool."
Shen Lie had been training for the entire afternoon and was sweating profusely. Now he was sitting in front of the electric fan, feeling the strong wind, and he couldn't help but close his eyes and enjoy it.
Er Niu's eyes widened and she waved her hands in front of the electric fan, "Wow, there is wind."
"This electric fan is really useful. If we have enough money, we can install one in every room." Shen Lie said, "By the way, in addition to sending the electric fan, did my father-in-law and mother-in-law send us a letter? What did they say?"
Ning Tang slapped her thigh and said, "I was so curious that I forgot to read it. The letter is on the table. Open it and take a look."
Shen Lie opened the letter and read it quickly. "My father-in-law and mother-in-law said in the letter that they received the seafood we sent them and it tasted great, but they asked us not to send more because it would be a waste. They heard it was hot on the island, so they sent us an electric fan."
Ning Tang felt sad. "Why waste money? As long as it tastes good, seafood is cheap on the island. I'll send some more tomorrow."
Shen Lie carefully put the letter away. "Trading dried fish for an electric fan, we still make a profit, right, Comrade Xiaoning?"
"Don't be sad." Ning Tang said, "Go and see why Da Wa hasn't come back yet."
Shen Lie responded and just as he reached the door, he saw Da Wa walk into the room, followed by Ning Xue and an unfamiliar woman.
Shen Lie was stunned. "Cousin, why are you here? Is there something wrong?"
Ning Xue smiled gently, "Nothing, I just came to check. Were there two postmen at your door just now? It seemed that there was something on the bicycle. I overheard that it was sent from Qi Province."
"Oh, it's an electric fan sent by my parents. They said the temperature here is high and they were worried that we would get too hot, so they sent an electric fan over." Ning Tang said.
"Electric fan?" the unfamiliar woman following Ning Xue exclaimed.
Ning Tang asked, "Who is this?"
Ning Xue said, "Sister-in-law Li Yun, she is Junyan's deputy and Deputy Section Chief Liu's lover. We were sewing clothes together at her house this afternoon, so she just happened to come over to visit me."
It has been almost three months since they came to the island. Ning Tang got to know Mrs. Luo and Zeng Xinlan. Ning Xue used her social skills to get to know many military wives from the Military Academy, and Li Yun was one of them.
Li Yun's eyes seemed to be glued to the electric fan, and she even reached out and touched it twice, "This thing is not cheap."
Ning Tang: "It's OK."
Ning Xue coughed and asked, "You only sent one?"
It's hot on the island, and sleeping is like a pancake. She also really likes this electric fan.
When Ning Tang heard that it was sent by Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju, she couldn't help but wonder if Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin also sent her one?
"Yes, just this one." Ning Tang said truthfully.
Li Yun rolled her eyes, "I remember you two are cousins, how could this family only send one set of stuff? This is biased." She nudged Ning Xue with her elbow, "Could it be that someone stole it?"
Ning Xue didn't respond, but looked at Ning Tang, with the same thought in her mind.
Shen Lie said unhappily, "This is the only one. It was also sent by my father-in-law and mother-in-law. If you want it, write a letter and ask."
Ning Tang was amused and asked, "Cousin, you've been here for so long, have you sent a letter home?"
Of course not. Ning Xue's mind has been on Su Junyan and the Su twins these days. She has long forgotten about family matters, let alone sending letters to Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin.
Ning Xue smiled guiltily, "I was busy and forgot. I'll write a letter and send it to you when I get back."
Li Yun wanted to say a few more words, but Ning Xue pulled her over and said, "We haven't finished our work yet, let's go back first."
After they left, Shen Lie asked Ning Tang, "She wouldn't really write a letter asking for an electric fan, would she?"
"Impossible." Ning Tang said truthfully, "Even if I wrote it, I wouldn't be able to get it. My uncle and aunt have no money."
Ning Weidang was not like Ning Weiguo. He was the village chief and had a son who was a soldier. He sent subsidies to him every month and had a lot of money saved.
The couple still had Ningde to maintain, and they were still very tight on money. An expensive item like an electric fan required both money and tickets, so he and Zhou Yin were reluctant to buy one.
Ning Xue actually knew this, but it was ridiculous for her to ask.
She even suspected that Ning Tang had stolen an electric fan that belonged to her, without even thinking about who sent it to her?
For several days, Ning Xue avoided Ning Tang whenever she met him. She was probably afraid that Ning Tang would ask her if it was true, so she sent a letter back.