Shen Lie didn't know whether to praise himself for his ability to foresee things or to praise himself for his crow's mouth.

That day, when he was going home from get off work, he actually ran into Su Junyan.

The two people have different positions and different working hours. Su Junyan gets off work one hour earlier than Shen Lie, so they generally don't run into each other.

But today, as soon as Shen Lie got off work, he saw Su Junyan leaning against the wall of the Su family's courtyard at the door of his house.

Shen Lie grumbled in his heart, why does it feel like he was here specifically to block him?

Since we've already run into each other, it's not bad not to say hello.

Shen Lie coughed, and before he could say anything, Su Junyan came over and said, "Hey, Shen Lie, you're off work."

Shen Lie raised his eyebrows, "Yes, I had a lot of things to do today, so I got off work late."

Su Junyan smiled like a flower, "The results of the first-grade final exams have come out recently, how many points did your eldest son get?"

Shen Lie thought, good guy, Su Junyan is really not vague at all, the topic jumped directly from getting off work to the first-year final exam results, it was obvious that he came here just for this.

Besides, Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu were in the same class as Da Wa. If Shen Lie said that Su Junyan didn’t know how Da Wa did in the exam, he wouldn’t believe it at all.

He remembered Ning Tang's words and laughed immediately, even more brilliantly than Su Junyan's. "You asked how much Da Wa scored in the final exam. How would I know? I don't care. Ning Tang is in charge of studying. This is their business. By the way, how much did you give out in the Spring Festival allowance and salary this time?"

Su Junyan didn't expect that Shen Lie would be better than him at changing the subject, and what he asked was the pain in his heart - subsidies and wages!

He has been working as the head of the logistics department for many years, and his superiors have no intention of promoting him.

Officers in the Logistics Department have a fixed amount of salary and allowances they can receive each year.

Unlike Shen Lie, who can go out to sea from time to time and receive subsidies, if he makes meritorious service, even though his rank cannot be raised, his salary and subsidies can still be increased.

Thinking of this, Su Junyan felt as if he was holding back a lot of anger, and his face suddenly turned red.

Seeing this, Shen Lie didn't dare to tease him anymore. He walked into the yard with his long legs and said hello, "Well, I'm leaving first. My wife is calling me home for dinner."

When I got home, Ning Tang came up to me and asked with a smile, "Did you meet Su Junyan?"

Shen Lie was shocked. "How did you know that? You also learned fortune-telling."

Ning Tang glanced at him and said, "Don't talk about those monsters. I saw you two chatting in the alley on the second floor."

Shen Lie curled his lips and said, "That's what I said. Ning Tang hasn't cultivated to that level yet."

He took out a thick envelope from his pocket. "This is this month's salary, and there is also a subsidy for the Spring Festival. Please count it."

Ning Tang took the envelope, opened it, and a big blue stack of money fell out. He immediately smiled and said, "Sure, Captain Shen, you are really good at making money."

It makes me feel particularly happy to receive the money without having to work outside!

She said to the three little ones, "Your dad has received his salary, and he will buy you some delicious food for the New Year."

The eldest child swallowed and said, "I want to eat meat."

Ning Tang: "Okay, buy a few pounds of pork belly and let your dad cook it for us."

Erniu raised her hand, "I want fish, sweet and sour fish."

She likes eating fish, especially the sweet and sour ones. Ever since Shen Lie made it last time, she has been thinking about it until now.

"Okay, I'll buy them all." Ning Tang replied, "But the market will be closed the day after tomorrow. If you want to eat chicken and fish, we have to buy them in advance and keep them at home. When we want to eat them, we can just slaughter them."

She asked Sanwa, "Sanwa, what do you want to eat?"

Sanwa said loudly, "Sanwa is fine."

Ning Tang was happy and patted the kid's head. "The third kid is really easy to raise." Then he shook the banknotes and said, "Anyway, we have money, we can buy anything."

Shen Lie looked at her with amusement and said to Ning Tang, "Why do you look at the money as if you were looking at your own mother?"

Ning Tang carefully put the bill into the box, "She is my real mother. She is the one who provides me with food and clothing. I don't need to spend money on anything. Those who say they don't love money are just two words: hypocritical!"

Shen Lie didn't argue with her. He glanced at the two bulging bags in the corner and asked, "What's in them?" They had been at home for several days.

"Oh, that's the red paper and ink I bought to write couplets." Ning Tang said.

It was the first time that Ning Tang didn't celebrate the Spring Festival in Shangang Village and wasn't with Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju. Ning Tang didn't want to spend the Spring Festival without the festive atmosphere, so he went to buy some things for the Spring Festival a few days in advance.

In addition to buying red paper and ink for writing Spring Festival couplets, she also bought red lanterns and firecrackers. She set off firecrackers for the three little ones on New Year's Eve and hung the red lanterns under the eaves, which created a Chinese New Year atmosphere.

On February 15th, Ningtang slept until he woke up naturally.

After having lunch with my three children, I took them to clean the house to welcome the new year.

Ning Tang called the three kids over and planned to assign tasks to them.

When they heard that they had to work, the three children lost interest.

The New Year is coming, and the entire military compound is decorated with lights and firecrackers, filled with a New Year atmosphere.

The friends who were familiar with Da Wa and Er Niu had made an appointment with them to play together early on, but if they had to work at home, they could not play with their friends.

So the eldest child said, "Stepmother, let dad help you. We want to go out and play."

Ning Tang: "Whoever stays to help me will get double the red envelope this year. You guys, think about it. How many more candies and firecrackers can you buy with the doubled red envelope?"

Da Wa immediately responded, "I'll help you with the work."

Erniu and Sanwa looked at each other and also succumbed to the double red envelope.

Ning Tang then assigned tasks, "Big Boy and Second Girl, take rags and dip them in water to wipe the tables, chairs, windowsills, and corners. Third Boy will be responsible for handing clean rags to his brothers and sisters, so that they don't have to run back and forth and waste time."

As for herself, she was responsible for sweeping and mopping the floor.

When Shen Lie returned home, he saw Ning Tang leading the three kids working hard, and the second floor of the small building looked brand new.

He naturally took the rag from the eldest child's hand and said, "The windows outside haven't been cleaned yet."

The glass windows were high up and difficult to clean from the outside, so he guessed that Ning Tang and the three children hadn't cleaned that area yet.

"Smart." Ning Tang said, "But don't just wipe it with a rag. Go find some old newspapers and wipe it twice with a rag, then wipe it once with the newspaper. This way it will be clean."

The old newspapers in the house were all brought back by Shen Lie from the army. The army subscribed to newspapers every day, and a thick stack of them had accumulated. Shen Lie saw that no one wanted them, so he took some home, cut out the good reports, and pasted them in his own notebook. The rest were the newspapers that Ning Tang mentioned were used to wipe the glass.

Shen Lie went upstairs to get the newspaper. Ning Tang said to Erniu, "If you want to find a partner in the future, look for a man like your dad who has a lively mind. Don't look for the kind of man who just sits there waiting for his wife and children to take care of him. Whoever does that will suffer for the rest of his life."

Erniu nodded, not quite understanding.

Shen Lie was going downstairs with a newspaper when he heard this sentence. His ears turned red and he worked even harder.

In the blink of an eye, it was already the twenty-ninth day of the lunar month.

As the Chinese New Year is approaching, Shen Lie still has to report to the troops and even stay longer, because when the whole country is reuniting for the Chinese New Year, there are still a large number of soldiers who cannot go home and are stationed at the border.

To this end, the troops held activities such as making dumplings, writing blessing characters, and celebrations. As the head of the group, Shen Lie certainly could not be absent.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Shen Lie returned home. As soon as he entered the door, he saw Ning Tang leading three children to write couplets.

On the table in the living room was a stack of red paper, ink, and a large bowl of paste.

Ning Tang was leaning over the table, holding the brush in his right hand, dipping it in ink, and preparing to write the couplet in one go.

He was interrupted by Shen Lie, "Writing couplets."

"Yes." Ning Tang responded, "Write it now and paste it on the door in a moment."

The eldest child rolled his eyes and shouted, "Stepmother, let me write, let me write."

Ning Tang was amused and pinched his little face, "Can you write? You know a few words now."

Shen Lie complained, "You got 60 points in Chinese? How dare you write a couplet?"

The eldest boy puffed up his cheeks and put his hands on his hips, saying, "Don't look down on me. I can't write, but I can also trace. You guys write a sketch first and I'll just trace it." He said in a taunting manner, "I don't care. I'm going to write. I'm going to write."

Shen Lie held his forehead with his hand, "Okay, okay, I'll write one for you, and you can copy it."

Only then did Da Wa stop making trouble.

Ning Tang gave up his seat and let Shen Lie write.

Shen Lie took off his navy blue coat, threw it on the stool, rolled up his sleeves, and got ready. "Let me think about what kind of couplet to write."

Ning Tang took an orange from the basket and peeled it while saying, "The first line means to enjoy the fruits of one's labor without any effort. The second line means to rise to the top without any merit. The second line means to have food served to you without any effort."

Shen Lie glared and said, "This is nonsense. If we really write it like this and post this couplet, how can we still stay in the military academy?"

"You guys just take face too seriously. Writing couplets is fun and makes you happy. It's also pleasing to look at when you put them up outside." Ning Tang said, "If you don't believe me, write a couplet in the old way. After two or three months, see if you still want to write it. But if you write the kind of couplets I just mentioned, full of beautiful visions, you will have to read them every day after get off work and at the doorstep."

Shen Lie complained, "I'm not as open-minded as you think. I still have to write what you call the 'old-fashioned' couplet. Otherwise, what's the point of hanging it on the door of our house? Let me think about what to write."

He slapped his head and said, "That's right, just write, wealth will come smoothly every day, good fortune will come with spring every year, and everything will go well. What do you say?"

Ning Tang took the cool and sweet orange peel into his mouth, "Not very good, think about it yourself, your 'Day by day wealth comes smoothly, year by year blessings come with spring, everything goes well' and mine 'Unearned gains without work, rise to heaven in one step, food comes to mouth?' Do they have the same meaning? In fact, the meanings of ordinary couplets are similar, but mine is more direct."

Shen Lie was stunned. When he thought about it carefully, it was true.

What is the difference between making money easily every day and becoming rich overnight without any effort?

"I hate those face-saving efforts the most. Who knows? The God of Wealth might fall for our tricks. I think our couplets are straightforward. Unlike other couplets that are roundabout and direct, ours is accurate." Ning Tang continued with her 'distorted logic'.

"Okay." Shen Lie compromised, "Then let's paint two pictures, the serious one to hang outside, and the casual one to hang inside the house, so we can enjoy it ourselves."

The eldest child was speechless, "You two? Have you discussed what to write?"

"Write them all, write them all." Shen Lie said, picked up the brush, and wrote two couplets smoothly. He handed the couplets to the eldest child, "Here, copy them."

The eldest boy was immediately delighted. He took the couplet and began to write it stroke by stroke on the table.

Ning Tang asked Erniu and Sanwa, "You two? Do you want to write?"

The two little kids shook their heads.

"Then you two come with me in the living room to roll out the dumpling wrappers and get ready. We'll make dumplings tomorrow." Ning Tang said.

When Erniu heard that there were dumplings to eat, she immediately became hungry and couldn't help asking, "Stepmother, are the dumplings delicious?"

Ning Tang was stunned. Could it be that the three children had never eaten dumplings?

She looked at Shen Lie and he coughed. "In the past few years, the situation in the South China Sea has been unstable. I have basically spent the New Year in the military camp. Their mother doesn't like to go into the kitchen because it's dirty. In addition, she is not in good health, so no one dares to ask her to do anything elaborate."

How much effort can be put into making dumplings? Ning Tang thinks that making dumplings is one of the simpler steps in cooking.

Prepare the filling, stuff it into the rolled dumpling skin, pinch a few folds, and then put it in the pot to cook. It is very convenient.

As for Da Wa's biological mother, she probably thinks that since there is no man at home, she and her three children can just fool around during the New Year.

These thoughts flashed through Ningtang's mind, and he told Erniu and Sanwa, "Dumplings are delicious. This year, we're making dumplings for the Chinese New Year. Let's make three kinds of fillings: leek and egg filling, shrimp and oyster sauce filling, and corn, mushroom and pork filling. Okay?"

'Chives and Eggs', 'Shrimp and Roasted Duck', 'Pork with Corn and Mushrooms', just hearing them makes me drool.

Erniu immediately said, "Okay, stepmother, I'll help you."

Sanwa raised his hand and said in a baby voice, "Sanwa wants to help too."

Ning Tang was happy: "Okay, come on."

Shen Lie saw Ning Tang carrying two small dumplings and thought, maybe he doesn't need to do any work, so he touched his nose, put on some oil on his feet, and wanted to go upstairs.

Ning Tang kept moving and said coldly, "Captain Shen? Where are you going?"

Shen Lie blinked his eyes and said calmly, "I'll go upstairs to change clothes."

Ning Tang: "Come down after you change your clothes, wash your hands and come over to make dumplings. How much effort can two little ones give? You are the main force."

Shen Lie changed his clothes, went downstairs to the kitchen to wash his hands, and brought out flour, rolling pin, and cutting board. He sighed, "I really owe you in my last life. It's New Year's Day, and you can't let me rest for two days. I just came back from the army to hold a celebration party, and now I have to help you make dumplings. I am so tired."

Ning Tang took the flour, poured it into a bowl, added water and kneaded it, "It's good to be tired. Comfort is for the dead. You can rest as long as you want after you close your eyes."

Shen Lie soaked the Yao Zhu dry and muttered, "Can't you just hope for me to be better?"

The eldest child finished tracing the couplet, grabbed a piece of red paper with one hand, unfolded it and looked at it, expressing his satisfaction, "Dad, stepmother, second daughter, third child, come and see how my couplet is written."

Shen Lie stood up and walked to the table. "Okay, I'll read your masterpiece, Shen Dawa."

As soon as he saw the couplet written by Da Wa, Shen Lie was immediately happy, "This couplet is written for you."

The black words on the red paper are crooked.

Not to mention anything else, just look at the word "lai" in "日日財源顺意来", the stroke of which is almost outside the red paper.

Looking at the eldest child again, his hands and face were covered with ink, just like a little cat.

However, considering the writing level of the eldest child, who is in the first grade, these two couplets are already an extraordinary performance.

The eldest child puffed up his cheeks and said, "I wrote it very well, okay? I'll put it on the door later."

Shen Lie: "Go away, your handwriting is too thin. You don't even think it's dirty to stick it outside the door. How about this, you can write it next year during the Qingming Festival."

The eldest child looked at Ning Tang and howled, "Stepmother, Dad... bullied me."

Ning Tang came out of the kitchen, his hands covered with white flour, "What happened again?"

The eldest child complained, "Dad said my handwriting is ugly and this couplet cannot be posted on the door. He asked me to write a handwritten newspaper for the Qingming Festival next year."

Ning Tang chuckled and then reprimanded Shen Lie in a stern voice, "Why are you teasing the child for no reason? What if he starts crying? Are you going to comfort him?"

"Besides, the New Year is coming soon, what's the point of talking about Qingming Festival or not?" Ning Tang said, "It's not auspicious at all."

Shen Lie was secretly complaining in his heart, and she still wanted to teach him a lesson? She herself was not a person who followed the rules and was not afraid of these monsters.

Ning Tang patted the eldest child and said, "Be good, your father doesn't know how to appreciate it. You can put this couplet you wrote on your door so that you can see it every day when you return to your room, okay?"

The eldest child was about to nod in agreement, but suddenly reacted, "Why put it on my door instead of outside the yard?" He said loudly, "Okay, stepmother, you also think my couplet is ugly, are you on the same side as me?"

Ning Tang looked up at the ceiling and said, "Oh, Erniu and Sanwa are calling me. I'll go back to the kitchen first."

The eldest child refused to give in, "Stepmother, please don't leave. Give me some advice."

Shen Lie picked up the eldest child with one hand and said, "What are you yelling about? If you don't know, you might think we're beating our kids on New Year's Day. Come on, I'll take you to post the couplets."

Ningtang only took Erniu and Sanwa to roll out the dumpling skins, and the fillings would be prepared tomorrow.

Because Hailang Island is not like Shangang Village. In Shangang Village, after making dumplings, you can roll them up with a curtain and put them on the windowsill to freeze overnight. You can eat them the next day after they thaw. The weather on Hailang Island is hot, and it is not as cold as Shangang Village in winter. If the dumplings are made in advance, they will not be fresh the next day.

After putting the dumpling skins in the cupboard, Ningtang took Erniu and Sanwa to the yard to watch Shen Lie and Dawa paste couplets.

Shen Lie stood on a stool and pasted the paste-covered couplets on the door.

Big Boy stood by and directed, "A little to the left, a little more to the left, no, right, right! Oh, I said right!"

Shen Lie was so angry that he jumped off the stool and said, "You just know how to give orders blindly. How about you do it?"

Da Wa wanted to say, "Let him come if he wants to," but he said tactfully, "You come if you want to. I won't say anything more."

Shen Lie snorted and pasted the couplet "Wealth and fortune will come smoothly every day, blessings and luck will come with spring every year, and everything will go well" on the door. He patted it with his palms to make the couplet stick tightly.

He jumped off the stool, looked at the festive red couplets at the door, and nodded with satisfaction.

Ning Tang came over and asked, "Is it done?"

Shen Lie: "Okay, take a look at how it's attached."

Ning Tang said, "It's a good sticker. It would be even better if it was my sticker of 'Unearned Gain and Enjoy the Fruit of Other'."

Shen Lie glanced at her and asked, "Have you finished making the dumplings?"

"Just roll out the dough and prepare the fillings tomorrow. We'll make them now." Ning Tang said.

Shen Lie nodded, looked at the red couplets, then looked at the bright smiling faces of Ning Tang and the three little kids, and for the first time he felt the atmosphere of the New Year.

The eldest child yelled, "Dad, the door has been pasted, it's time to paste the couplets in my room."

Shen Lie was happy, "Okay, okay, this is for you."

The family of five returned to the house and went upstairs. The eldest son personally pasted the ugly couplet he had written on the door of his room.

After putting it on, Shen Lie laughed, "How shabby."

The eldest child didn't think that the couplet he wrote himself was tacky. "Humph, it's not tacky at all. I will write it every year and change the couplet on the door every year."

Sanwa clapped his hands and said, "Sanwa wants to write couplets too."

The eldest boy said, "When you grow up and can read like me, we can each write a couplet and stick it on our doors."

Shen Lie, "Write everything. I'll buy you some red paper and ink."

Ning Tang glanced down and happened to see the envy flashing across Erniu's eyes. "Erniu, do you also want to write a couplet and then post it on your door?"

The three children live in two rooms respectively. It can't be that only the eldest and third child's rooms have it, while the second daughter's room doesn't have it. Their family doesn't make such distinctions.

Erniu nodded and shook her head. She wanted to write, but she couldn't read and couldn't trace like the eldest child.

Ning Tang paused and asked Shen Lie to bring the red paper and ink from the living room table. He cut the red paper into a square with scissors, and then held Erniu's hand and wrote a word "Fu" together.

Erniu looked at the word "Fu" and couldn't believe that she had written it. "Did I write this?"

Shen Lie, "Yes, it was written by our Erniu. Erniu, post it wherever you want."

Erniu tilted her head and thought for a while, then pointed at the door and said, "Just stick it there." She could see it as long as she stood at the door of the room.

Shen Lie taught her how to make the paste step by step, then picked her up and let her paste the word "Fu" by herself.

After Erniu pasted the word "Fu" on the door, she got off Shen Lie, took a few steps back, and looked at the word "Fu" on the door. The joy in her heart was like bubbles in soda, popping up one after another.

Shen Lie felt a little guilty when he saw how excited Erniu was. It is said that the second child in the family has to bear the brunt of the pressure, and either the older one or the younger one has to take care of him. He? He really neglected her too much in the past.

The next day was New Year’s Eve.

As soon as Ning Tang and Shen Lie opened their eyes, they saw three children wearing new clothes standing in front of the bed, spreading their hands, showing their palms, and smiling brightly, "Dad, stepmother, happy new year, give me the red envelopes."

Shen Lie was happy. He reached out from under the pillow and took out three red envelopes. "They are all ready. Here are the New Year's money for you guys."

The three children took it, opened it and saw that each red envelope contained one yuan.

The supply and marketing cooperative on the island sells small firecrackers for one cent each, and candies for one cent each. This one cent is enough to buy ten small firecrackers or ten bags of candies!

The three little kids immediately burst into laughter.

Shen Lie looked at Lehe and took out a stack of loose bills, "If you say a few more nice words, there will be New Year's money."

The eldest child's eyes lit up, "I'll go first. I wish my father and stepmother good health."

Shen Lie nodded and gave him another fifty cents.

It was Erniu's turn. After thinking for a while, she said, "I wish my father and stepmother good fortune."

"Yeah." Shen Lie nodded again and gave her fifty cents.

It was the turn of the youngest, San Wa. San Wa scratched his head, racking his brains but still couldn't come up with a good blessing, so he could only plagiarize his elder sister's, "I, I also wish my father and stepmother good fortune."