Shen Lie still didn't believe it, "Drying fruit will definitely not taste good."

Ning Tang said, "What about that? Dried fruits taste better than fresh ones."

"For example?" Shen Lie asked.

Ning Tang thought for a moment, "Longan, longan is longan? Dried in the sun, what do you think? Longan tastes better than longan? Oh, and persimmon cakes, I think frosted persimmon cakes taste better than fresh persimmons."

Shen Lie had no way to refute, "Then go ahead and play the drum. If you break it, don't blame me for not reminding you."

Ning Tang snorted, "You're looking down on me."

She ignored Shen Lie and discussed with her three children what dried fruits to dry in the sun.

The seasonal fruits at this time include winter pineapples, bananas, and some mangoes that ripen later. All three can be dried in the sun.

Ning Tang just did it. During this period of time, he took the three little ones to study how to dry the fruits. It was not until the end of December that they figured out the method.

Bananas are best dried in the sun. Cut ripe yellow bananas into slices about the thickness of a thumb, then arrange them neatly on a dustpan and place them in the yard to dry.

Winter pineapple is even simpler. The taste of raw pineapple is not very good and it is easy to prick your mouth. After drying the pineapple, it retains its original sweet taste and is not so prickly.

The last mangoes are the most difficult to pick. Mangoes in autumn and winter are not as sweet as those in summer. Most of the remaining mangoes are not big and have a green taste, otherwise they would not have been left to the end after being surrounded by Da Wa and his group of children.

It is easy to deal with if the mangoes are not big. The small size is just right for drying mangoes.

But the green texture is difficult to deal with. Ning Tang couldn't bring back the mangoes with a green texture to give to Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju.

But this did not pose a problem for Ning Tang, and she soon came up with an idea.

The family can now receive five taels of sugar coupons a month. Ningtang receives two taels, and the three children each receive one tael.

Shen Lie has a high rank and has worked for a long time. He can get half a pound of sugar coupons a month, which means he can do the work of three people like Ning Tang.

It was calculated that the Shen family had one pound of sugar coupons every month. Normally, cooking did not require much sugar, so the family saved a lot of sugar coupons, a total of five pounds.

Ning Tang discussed with the three children and decided to exchange the sugar coupons for some sugar to pickle mangoes.

Da Wa and his friends readily agreed. They could also eat dried mangoes pickled in sugar, so why not?

By early January, the dried fruits are ready.

Ning Tang collected the dried bananas, pineapples and mangoes that had been dried in the sun, placed them in transparent glass jars, and arranged them neatly on the table, which was pleasing to the eye.

The three little ones were drooling at the sight of the dried fruits.

Ning Tang poured a little onto the plate and said, "You guys try it."

The eldest child took a piece of dried pineapple and put it in his mouth. After taking two bites, his eyes widened and he said, "Wow, it's delicious!"

"It's delicious, right?" Ning Tang also ate a piece of dried pineapple.

The sun-dried pineapple does not taste as pungent as the raw pineapple. It only has the sweetness of the pineapple and tastes great.

Sanwa grabbed two pieces of dried bananas and ate so much that his cheeks were bulging.

After being dried, bananas are fragrant and crispy, but a little tough on the cheeks. If you give one to Sanwa, he can eat it for half a day.

Seeing that they were eating with relish, Shen Lie pretended to pass by casually and quietly took a piece of dried mango.

The first taste was amazing. It had a sweet and sour taste and the flesh was fresh and chewy. It had a completely different flavor compared to raw mangoes and mangoes dipped in chili salt.

Shen Lie couldn't help but pass by again and again, taking away one piece after another.

The eldest child was confused, "Dad, why are you walking around?"

Shen Lie choked, "I'm full, can't I take a walk?"

The eldest child was speechless. "Okay? Okay? Okay?"

Ning Tang was amused. "Captain Shen, stop pretending. If you want to eat, just come over and eat openly."

Shen Lie sat down shamelessly, holding a piece of dried pineapple in his hand, "Hey, you're right, you really made me realize that these dried fruits taste pretty good."

"Now I know it tastes good." Ning Tang said.

She said to the three little ones, "Do you know what your dad is doing?"

The three little ones shook their heads in unison.

Ning Tang laughed, "This is called true fragrance."

As I was talking, I suddenly heard the sound of a car bell coming from outside the door.

Ning Tang and Shen Lie looked at each other, and Shen Lie went out to get the letter.

Shen Lie took the letter back and unfolded it, reading it at a glance. "It's a reply from my father-in-law and mother-in-law."

"Nonsense." Ning Tang said.

Besides Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju, who else would send letters to them?

"What does the letter say?"

"Just tell them that they know we are going back to celebrate the New Year this year, and they are very happy. Just let us come, no need to buy this or that." Shen Lie said.

Ning Tang nodded. This sounded like something an old couple would say.

Shen Lie glanced at Ning Tang and hesitated.

Ning Tang's eyelids twitched. "What else? Tell me all at once. Could it be that my dad or mom is sick?"

She frowned, "It must be my dad. He loves smoking, and I don't know if there's something wrong with his lungs. Really, before I left, I asked mom to take good care of him."

Shen Lie didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "What are you thinking?" He shook his head, "None of that."

"What is that? As long as you are not sick, it's fine." Ning Tang said, "Just tell me what you have to say, why are you hesitating?"

She said so, Shen Lie explained everything, "Mother-in-law asked you if you had a quarrel with Ning Xue."

Over the past year, Ning Tang sent letters home frequently, all of which said that she was having a good time on Hailang Island, and talked about the interesting things that happened to her, Shen Lie, and their three children, as well as what delicious food and fun things there were on Hailang Island.

But? Not a word was mentioned about Ning Xue.

Logically speaking, as cousins ​​who married to the same island, they must interact with each other, after all, they are related by blood.

Although Ning Xue didn't send letters and special products as frequently as Ning Tang, she still wrote two or three letters a year. She also didn't mention Ning Tang in the letters, but only said that she was living a good life, Su Junyan was very good to her, and the twins were smart and obedient.

The letter sent back to Shangang Village would definitely be read by the two brothers Ning Weiguo and Ning Weidang, as well as the two sisters-in-law Sun Aiju and Zhou Yin.

Isn't it strange that two cousins ​​don't mention each other?

So it was normal for Sun Aiju to ask this question in her letter.

"I guess so." Ning Tang said, "What do you think? How should I respond?"

Shen Lie sneered, "What can I say? If it were me, I would use those two little tricks of Ning Xue to complain to my father-in-law and mother-in-law."

Ning Tang rolled her eyes and said, "You are already an adult, and you are still complaining."

"Then I won't go back. Anyway, they all know that Ning Xue and I don't get along well. We have been at odds since we were young." Ning Tang said.

Shen Lie said, "You shouldn't have gone back in the first place. You two are cousins, not biological sisters. Besides, even if you are biological sisters, you shouldn't spend every day together."

Ning Tang nodded, "Then you can just write a letter to let us know you're safe."

At the same time, Ning Xue also received a letter from Zhou Yin.

Compared with the letters sent by Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju, the tone of Zhou Yin's letter was obviously not that polite.

Zhou Yin didn't care at all whether Ning Xue had any quarrel with Ning Tang. She knew that the two had been at odds with each other since childhood. She also looked down on Ning Tang and wished that Ning Xue would bully Ning Tang.

What she sent was a letter of questioning.

More than a month ago, Ning Tang sent a letter saying that she would go back to Shangang Village with Shen Lie and their three children to celebrate the New Year. It was Shen Lie who specially took New Year leave and took the initiative to ask to go back.

This made Sun Aiju very happy, but also made Zhou Yin very angry.

They are both sons-in-law, so why can Shen Lie take New Year leave to accompany Ning Tang back home to celebrate the New Year, but Su Junyan can't?

Su Junyan is from the logistics department, so it is much easier for him to take leave than Shen Lie, the active regiment commander.

Zhou Yin waited for more than a month, but Ning Xue never sent a letter back saying that Su Junyan had also taken New Year's leave to accompany her back to celebrate the New Year.

So, this questioning letter came.

Su Junyan saw Ning Xue reading a letter, and her face looked unhappy. He coughed and asked, "What's in the letter?"

Ning Xue forced a smile, "Oh, didn't say anything? What? My mom just asked us how we were doing."

Su Junyan nodded, not knowing whether he believed it or not.

Ning Xue rolled her eyes and said, "Hey, where are we going to celebrate the New Year this year?"

Su Junyan looked at her strangely, "What are you talking about? We must be celebrating the New Year on the island."

"Oh..." Ning Xue gritted her teeth, "Actually, my mother also said in the letter that this year Ning Tang and Shen Lie will bring their three children back to Shangang Village to celebrate the New Year."

Su Junyan was surprised and said, "That's impossible. Do you know how far Shangang Village is from Hailang Island? It takes 14 days to go back and forth."

Ning Xue said, "It's true. So this year, should we also bring Guang Zongyaozu home to celebrate the New Year? My parents haven't even met Guang Zongyaozu yet."

She whispered, "Although the journey is a little far, Ningtang and Shenlie can go back, why can't we?"

Su Junyan frowned, "Why do you think so? You have to take the train back and forth, and there are so many kidnappers now. Are you sure that our family will be honored when we go out?"

Ning Xue opened her mouth to refute, "Ning Tang and Shen Lie also have three children. We have one less child than them, and our children are not as young as theirs, so it is much easier to take care of them."

Su Junyan still felt something was wrong and pouted, "Why go back to your home and not mine? My home is in Jiang Province, which is much closer than Qi Province where Shangang Village is located. If you say so, my parents haven't seen their grandson for several years."

Ning Xue felt cold after hearing this, but she still decided to fight back.

Having been married to Su Junyan for more than a year, she knew Su Junyan's personality very well and had a good idea of ​​it. She deliberately provoked him, "Think about it again. Shen Lie took a special annual leave to accompany Ning Tang back this time."

She looked at Su Junyan's face with her peripheral vision and said slowly, "When he returns to the village, people will say that you, as a son-in-law, can't love his wife as much as Shen Lie does. He can accompany his wife back to the village, but you can't."

After hearing this, Su Junyan's expression changed instantly. What he hated most was when others said that he was not as good as Shen Lie. He immediately said, "It's just going back to the village to celebrate the New Year, right? I'll go with you."

Ning Xue suddenly smiled brightly, feeling that she had Su Junyan firmly under her control. "Hey, that's right. I've been married for more than a year. Logically, it's time for me to go back to my parents' home."

Although Su Junyan agreed to Ning Xue's request, he still felt a little unhappy.

I've never heard of going back to the woman's home during the Chinese New Year instead of going back to the man's home.

If it weren't for this face, he wouldn't want to go to Shangang Village.

What's good about this place in the corner?

He was unhappy, and it showed on his face. He was not merciful in his words, "I will only accompany you for this year? Ah, for the New Year in the future? Either spend it on Hailang Island, or go to my parents' home in Jiang Province."

Ning Xue curled the corners of her mouth, but the smile did not reach her eyes.

Let's take it one step at a time. As long as Su Junyan can accompany her back to Shangang Village to celebrate the New Year this year and not be absent, it will be enough.

After thinking about it, she felt cold in her heart again.

Su Junyan's original intention of accompanying her home for the New Year was not to sympathize with her for not having seen her family for more than a year, but to save face with Shen Lie.

How can it not make people feel chilled?

Su Junyan didn't notice Ning Xue's expression, and continued, "You have to know that I am different from Shen Lie. He has no father or mother, so he can accompany Ning Tang home for the New Year. I am different. I have both parents and I am the only son in the family. My two sisters both gave birth to daughters. I am the eldest son and grandson of the family, which brings honor to the family. I can accompany you back home for the New Year, which is a great honor for your ancestors."

Ning Xue listened to Su Junyan's mumbling with an expressionless face. For the first time, she felt regret for choosing Su Junyan.

It has been decided to go back to Shangang Village to celebrate the Spring Festival this year. From the beginning to the end of January, Ningtang was in a very relaxed and happy mood.

But this good mood disappeared completely when they learned that Ning Xue and Su Junyan were also going back with them.

How did Ningtang know that?

The news was brought back by Shen Lie. After Su Junyan and Ning Xue agreed to return to Shangang Village to celebrate the New Year this year, he couldn't wait to find Shen Lie in the army and tell him, or rather, show off the news.

His meaning was very clear, if Shen Lie could do it, he could do it too.

The reputation of loving his wife can't be shared by Shen Lie alone, right?

At this point, the two had no choice but to pack their luggage with the eldest, second and third children and prepare to return to the village to celebrate the New Year.

This time I went back to Shangang Village, excluding the round-trip journey, the actual time I stayed in the village was less than a week, so I only needed to bring one set of casual clothes.

One set of casual clothes, plus the one I'm wearing, two sets in total, which is more than enough.

Then we brought some dried fruits that Ningtang had dried and some dried fish that we bought from fishermen at the market, and we set out on the journey with a light load.

After all, it takes fourteen days to go back and forth by train, and the time spent on the train is longer than the time spent in the mountain village. Bringing too many things will be of no use except taking up space.

Ning Tang asked Shen Lie, "Which two sets of clothes do you plan to bring?"

Shen Lie thought for a moment and said, "Just bring one set of casual clothes and one set of our training clothes."

The training uniform is inconspicuous and stain-resistant, making it perfect for daily wear.

After Shen Lie decided on the things he wanted to bring, Ning Tang began to pack the luggage for the three children.

Shen Lie took a look and found that among the clothes Ning Tang had collected for them, there were some old clothes that they had not worn in previous years. He was surprised and asked, "How did you get these old clothes?"

Ning Tang also made a lot of clothes for the three little ones. Although they didn't have any patterns or designs, and the styles were not fashionable, they were at least new clothes without patches. But the clothes she was collecting for the three little ones now were their old clothes from previous years.

Not only did I bring patches, but my clothes had also turned a little yellow from being stored in the camphorwood cabinet for so long.

Ning Tang said, "Look carefully, one set is old, and the other set is new."

Shen Lie nodded, "That's because I brought old clothes. Why would we bring old clothes? If other people see us, they will think we are not doing well. How embarrassing."

Ning Tang said, "Are you stupid? We have to take a train for 14 days to go there and back. It's the Spring Festival travel season, so there are a lot of people on the train, and there are a lot of thieves and kidnappers. If we dress them up a little, we won't be noticeable, so we can hide from a lot of bad guys."

Thieves target wealthy families, and kidnappers target pretty children.

When the time comes, let the three kids wear their good clothes inside and their old clothes outside, so that they won’t be noticeable. When they get to Shangang Village, they can take off their old clothes without looking shabby.

Besides, Shangang Village is much colder than Hailang Island. The temperature will only get lower and lower as you go north. Wearing two sets of clothes can keep you warm.

Shen Lie thought about it carefully and realized that this was indeed the truth. "You are really thoughtful."

He thought about it for a while, "Hey, what do you think? Should I find two old clothes to wear to avoid attracting thieves?"

Ning Tang: "Forget it, you are as strong as an ox. If I were a thief, I wouldn't dare to steal from you. Before I steal your money, I'll break your bones first."

Shen Lie pouted and muttered softly, "What do you mean by strong as a bull? I'm in great shape now, okay?"

He really didn't say that? He has broad shoulders, narrow waist, tight muscles, abdominal muscles and mermaid lines. He has everything, all of which are the result of training.

But usually, it is hidden under the thick training suit and no one finds it.

On January 30th, we officially set off and prepared to depart from Hailang Island to Shangang Village.

The Su and Shen families agreed on a time and took the train together.

The Su family has two children and the Shen family has three children. Together, there are more children than adults. And it’s a long journey, so traveling together is necessary.

They agreed to meet at the port where they would board the ship. When the two families met, they both smiled at each other.

Ning Xue took a look and saw that the three children, from Shen Lie and Ning Tang to Da Wa, were all wearing inconspicuous old clothes.

Especially the three children, each one is uglier than the other.

The clothes of the eldest and second daughter were patched, and the third daughter's old pants were almost showing her ankles.

The three children don't look like the leader's children at all. They are as rural as they can be.

While Ning Xue was looking at Da Wa and the other three, Ning Tang was also looking at Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu.

The twins were wearing new clothes that Ning Xue had made for them for the New Year: bright red woolen tops and black pants. Because 1978 was the Year of the Horse, Ning Xue had the unique idea of ​​sewed two flying ponies on their sweaters.

Coupled with the twins' exquisite looks, they look fashionable no matter how you look at them.

In this comparison, Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu are like the rich young masters of a landlord's family, while Da Wa and the other three are like the poor farmhands of the landlord's family.

How could Ning Xue not be happy?

Ning Tang saw the twins dressed so 'gorgeously', as if they were going on a fashion show. She moved her mouth, wanting to say something, but then thought better of it.

She did not miss the contempt and schadenfreude in Ning Xue's eyes.

Until now, Ning Xue probably still thought that Ning Tang didn't know how to make beautiful clothes, and that the Shen family wasn't as well off as the Su family, nor as rich as the Su family, so the three of them, including Da Wa, weren't as well dressed as the twins.

If you are not from the same family, you will not enter the same door.

Ning Xue looks down on Da Wa and the other two, and so does Su Junyan.

He deliberately walked to the side of Shen Lie and said in a gloomy tone, "Hey, it's New Year's Day, why don't you give the child something nice to wear? Don't you have any money? Do you want me to lend you some?"

Shen Lie was speechless, but like Ning Tang, he had no intention of waking Su Junyan up. He just laughed it off, indicating that you can say whatever you want, whatever you say is right.

Unexpectedly, Shen Lie was not provoked at all. Su Junyan found it very boring. After saying a few more words, they ignored each other.

There was no conversation during the boat ride.

When we arrived at the train station, it was crowded with people.

At a glance, there were people carrying large and small bags to go home for the New Year, men, women, young and old, it was very crowded.

Ning Tang frowned, asked Shen Lie to carry the luggage in one hand and picked up the third child with the other hand, and reminded the eldest child to take good care of the second girl.

After thinking about it, he felt worried again, so he took out the rope he had prepared in advance, tied up Da Wa and Er Niu with one end of the rope, and tied the other end tightly around her wrist.

Ning Tang looked at the anti-lost rope he made and was very satisfied.

It was the Spring Festival travel season, and the train station was so crowded that kids like Da Wa and his three companions couldn't even be found in the crowd.

Fortunately, Shen Lie was tall and strong, and he had been protecting Ning Tang and the three children. With the help of Ning Tang's special anti-lost rope, they were able to successfully check their tickets, enter the station, and find a seat to sit down.

Shen Lie had decided early on that he and Ningtang would take their three children back to Shangang Village to celebrate the New Year this year, so he asked someone to buy sleeper tickets for them in advance.

Su Junyan and Ning Xue came up with the idea at the spur of the moment, so they certainly weren't as prompt as Shen Lie in buying the tickets, and they couldn't get good tickets either.

So he could only huddle in the narrow space in the green carriage with Ning Xue, Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu. He could not lead the three children to lie comfortably on two clean and tidy beds covered with white sheets like Shen Lie and Ningtang.

The green carriage was already very crowded, and Ning Xue brought a lot of luggage in order to create a feeling of returning home in glory for her family.

Once all the luggage is placed on two chairs, and two adults and two children sit on them, there is no space at all. They have to sit straight and are not allowed to tilt even a little.

Looking at Ningtang's side, they didn't bring much luggage to begin with, and the two beds were more than enough to accommodate two adults, three children, and not much luggage.

Moreover, there is empty space under the bed where you can put some things. You don't have to compete with others for space on the luggage rack like Ning Xue and the others did. There is plenty of space.

The soft sleeper and hard seat compartments were connected. When Ning Xue looked up, she could see Ning Tang and the others resting comfortably on the beds. She was so envious that her eyes turned red.

However, Ning Tang was not as comfortable as Ning Xue imagined.

After all, he had to use up all his strength to get into the station. Ning Tang felt that all the breakfast in his stomach had been squeezed out, so he had to lie down on the bed and take a rest.

It was the first time for Big Boy and his two friends to take a train. They were very excited. They leaned against the window, staring at the rapidly passing scenery outside the window and discussing something from time to time.

Ning Tang really envied their boundless energy and said with emotion, "It's great to be young."

But she recovered after a short rest.

Shen Lie asked her, "Would you like to eat something, some dried fruit?"

Since this morning, we have only had breakfast. It is almost noon now and everyone's stomach is rumbling.

Ning Tang waved his hands and said, "No more eating. Go see if there are any lunch boxes for sale. Get some for us."

Shen Lie went there as asked, and soon came back with four box lunches, including rice with rice, cabbage and vermicelli, green pepper and pork rice, and grilled fish fillet rice.

Shen Lie ate one portion for himself, Erniu and Dawa each ate one portion, Ningtang and Sanwa shared one portion, four portions in total, just right.

Ning Tang took a few bites and found it tasty and filling. She asked Shen Lie, "How much is this lunch box? How much is one serving?"

Shen Lie finished the rice in just a few bites. This was the eating speed he developed while in the army.

As he dug out an enamel pot from his luggage and prepared to fetch water, he answered Ning Tang's question, "Three cents a copy, no ticket required."