The eldest child shook his head, "I don't understand."

Ning Tang: "For example, being served means that you can remove bones and peel shrimp shells by yourself, but your father does it for you. Being looked after means that you cannot pick up the food by yourself, and your father does it for you."

Now the eldest boy understood. He glanced at the shrimps in the bowl and thought, it’s a good thing that he peeled them himself.

He clenched his fists, good thing, he didn't let anyone serve him!

Ning Xue was so embarrassed that her face turned red and white, but she couldn't refute it and continued to silently "take care of" the twins.

Fortunately, the twins ate with relish, which was some consolation.

After dinner, I took a short break and prepared to take a shower.

Shangang Village is not like Hailang Island, where water is connected. To take a shower, you have to heat water in the stove and then take it to the bathroom to rinse with cold water.

This way of washing is more troublesome and time-consuming.

In addition, it was late at night and the weather was cold, so Ning Tang didn't dare to let the three children take a bath for too long, so he simply discussed with Sun Aiju, "Why don't we just wipe their faces and wash their feet, and let them go to bed first, and we'll talk about it tomorrow."

Sun Aiju disagreed. The five of them had been on the train for almost a week without a proper bath. They were almost smelly. They finally got home and had to take a hot bath to scrub themselves clean. "Don't worry, we have a new hot pot at home. Let Da Wa and the other three go up there and 'boil some water'. They will be done in no time."

Ning Tang was stunned. "Bathtub?"

She had never heard of anything like pots and stoves.

Sun Aiju took her, Da Wa and the other two to the bathhouse. They saw that a stove had been installed in the bathhouse at some point. On top of the stove was a large pot half a person's height, cast from cast iron, and very much like a pot used for cooking.

Sun Aiju explained to her, "This is a bath stove. When I was visiting your sixth aunt in the village next door, I saw that they were using one. I tried it and thought it was great, so I asked your dad to have someone install one."

Ning Tang was dumbfounded when she saw the huge pot in front of her. "Mom, you are so stupid. Can you take a bath with this thing? Don't let it get cooked while you are taking a bath. The room will be filled with the smell of meat."

Sun Aiju spat, "Pfft, pfft, what unlucky words are you saying? It can be washed, look." She pointed to the small wooden block next to the big pot, "This is called a 'turtle board'. When you take a bath, put it on the bottom and sides of the pot, and you won't get burned."

Seeing that Ning Tang still looked unconvinced, she simply said, "Oh, don't worry, it really works? Your father and I have washed it so many times, if it was cooked, we would have cooked it long ago."

Ning Tang was still very hesitant, but Da Wa was very excited and kept saying, "Grandma, I want to take a bath. I want to take a bath in this big pot!"

He didn't care whether it was cooked or not. In his eyes, if this big pot was covered with a lid, it would look exactly like the alchemy furnace of Laozi in "Journey to the West" that Shen Lie had told them about.

If he cooks in there for a while, will he be able to "cultivate" the golden eyes like Sun Wukong?

As he thought about it, he stood on tiptoe and looked at the bottom of the pot, wanting to see if there were any black pills in this "alchemy furnace".

Seeing the eldest child's support, Sun Aiju narrowed her eyes and smiled, "Okay, okay, then the eldest child will wash first."

She poured water into the pot, added some firewood into the stove, and fanned it with a fan. Soon, the water in the bathtub and stove was covered with white mist.

The pot was heated up, and Sun Aiju called to the eldest child, "Go in and wash."

The eldest child wanted to take off her clothes, her face turned red, and she said shyly, "You, don't look at me."

Ning Tang was amused, and pulled Sun Aiju around with her back turned, "Then take it off yourself, and then tie a small towel around your waist."

The eldest boy took off his clothes, wrapped a small towel around himself, and jumped into the water.

Ning Tang and Sun Aiju turned their heads only after hearing the sound of a puff.

In the Shangang Village in February, the thick white mist can be seen even when you talk. You can see how cold it is.

When the eldest boy took off his clothes, he was shivering with cold. Then he jumped into the pot and was soaked in the warm water. He felt from extreme cold to extreme heat. This feeling of ice and fire made him feel comfortable. He just wanted to stay in the hot pot and didn't want to come out.

Ning Tang was curious as to why Da Wa was so easy to talk to. Da Wa gave her the answer. She explained the story about the alchemy furnace and the flaming eyes.

Ning Tang was amused, "So your dad told you so many stories, and you just remember this one."

The eldest boy pouted, "How can it be the same? Those are golden eyes, they can see monsters."

Ning Tang said, "You look like a monster to me."

The eldest child looked at his reflection on the water and rubbed his face, "How can there be a monster as good-looking as me?"

Ning Tang: "Look how beautiful you are."

Sun Aiju was standing aside and watching them talking, she just felt curious.

These two, one big and one small, look more like real family than real children.

Just like her and Ning Tang, the mother and daughter love to quarrel with each other, you quarrel with me and I quarrel with you.

This is good, among family members, they are polite to each other. Are they guests or relatives?

After washing for almost half an hour, the eldest boy's skin was wrinkled, but he was still reluctant to get out of the pot.

Ning Tang urged, "Big boy, it's time to wash."

Sun Aiju smiled and said, "It's okay. It's his first time using a hot tub and he thinks it's new and interesting. Let him take a bath again."

That won’t do. There are Erniu and Sanwa behind us. Besides, this thing is a bit like taking a hot spring bath. It’s definitely not good for you to take a bath for too long.

Ning Tang threatened him, "If you wash it again, it will be cooked. If you don't believe me, lift your arm and smell it to see if there is any meaty aroma."

The eldest child pouted and said, "Okay, I'll come out right away."

Before he took the food out of the pot, he rubbed his eyes in desperation, but still he didn't see the signs of piercing fire, so he reluctantly took the food out of the pot.

It's Erniu's turn to wash.

Sun Aiju cleaned the pot, boiled another pot of water, and called Erniu in.

Erniu was not afraid of being seen. She took off her clothes, jumped into the pot, and exclaimed, "It's so comfortable."

Sun Aiju smiled and said, "As long as I feel comfortable."

She undid Erniu's braid, scooped up warm water with a gourd ladle and poured it over her head, rubbed some soap nuts into foam, and washed her hair.

Sun Aiju had rubbed Erniu's scalp cleanly, and the little girl felt dizzy from the heat. Like her brother, she stayed in the bathtub and didn't want to come out.

But she still listened to Ning Tang very much and came out as soon as she called her.

Ning Tang took a square towel and wrapped Erniu's wet hair, asked her to dry herself, change into clean clothes, and handed her to Shen Lie who was waiting outside the door, "Take her to the house and use the kang to dry her hair. Remember to dry it a little to avoid catching a cold."

Shen Lie nodded, held Erniu's hand and walked away.

She just reminded him in vain that there was nothing to worry about as the father was taking care of the baby.

It’s the third child’s turn to take a bath.

When Sanwa saw the big pot in front of him, his face wrinkled, his mouth shrunk, and tears welled up in his big eyes like black grapes. "Mom, is there no meat at home?"

He thought of the sumptuous meal in the evening. He must have eaten too much that night. There was no meat at home, so he had to be cooked so that he could have meat and vegetables tomorrow!

Ning Tang didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "What are you thinking about? At home, I won't cook for you if there's no meat to eat." He added, "If I have to cook, I'll start with the eldest child."

Sun Aiju was so angry at what she said that she hit her.

Sanwa thought about it and realized that this was the truth. Just now he saw his brother walking out safely.

Little Sanwa was relieved now. He took off his clothes and jumped into the pot.

After a busy schedule of giving the three kids a bath, Ning Tang and Shen Lie also boiled some hot water and gave them a quick rinse.

As for the bathtub, Sanwa and the other two are still young, so it's not a big deal for them to use it. However, Ningtang and Shenlie always felt uncomfortable looking at it, so they just used the old way to take a bath.

I took a shower and went to bed, and there was no conversation all night.

The next day, when the sun was high in the sky, Ningtang opened his eyes and saw Erniu's cute little face.

She closed her eyes, then opened them again, "Who tied your hair for you?"

It has been a year since the last time she had her hair cut. Erniu's hair has grown a lot longer. Children's hair grows fast. Her hair, which was originally short to a little below her ears, has now grown to her chest.

This chest-length, shiny black short hair was combed into two long braids, one on the left and one on the right, hanging on her shoulders. Each braid had three small red flowers pinned on it from beginning to end, which looked beautiful and festive.

She and Shen Lie don't have this skill, otherwise Erniu wouldn't have two crooked braids every day.

Erniu showed off beautifully, "My grandma gave me the tattoo."

Sun Aiju lifted the cotton curtain and came in. "If you like it, I'll do it for you in a different way tomorrow."

Ning Tang said jokingly, "Okay, Mom, you are biased. Why didn't you tell me to braid my hair when I was at home?"

Sun Aiju said, "Come on, forget it. I wanted to braid your hair, but you thought it was too much trouble and just wore a ponytail every day."

Ning Tang deliberately said, "Nonsense, Mom, you just think I'm ugly, so you don't let me braid my hair."

Sun Aiju hugged Erniu and said, "You are right. Our Erniu is pretty and I braid her hair every day. You can't envy her for that."

Among five children, Erniu is the only girl. How could she not be cherished?

Erniu snuggled in Sun Aiju's arms, and her little face blushed.

Ning Tang chuckled and changed the subject, "What's for breakfast?"

Sun Aiju patted her butt through the quilt and said, "The sun is shining on your butt, and it's still early. Hurry up and get up for lunch."

Ningtang got up and went to the yard to wash up.

Sun Aiju asked Erniu, "When your mother was on the island, did she also sleep so late every day?"

Erniu nodded and shook her head, and said crisply, "From Monday to Friday, my brother has to go to school, so mom gets up at nine or ten o'clock, and then goes to the market to buy vegetables and cook. On weekends, my brother doesn't go to school, so he will take me and Sanwa to buy vegetables, and mom will sleep later than today."

Sun Aiju nodded, very surprised, "Your mother can cook?"

Ningtang was a very quiet person in the Shangang Village. He only talked but never took any action.

Suddenly, Erniu said that she could cook...Sun Aiju was very worried about the health of the three little ones.

"So, is it delicious?"

What Sun Aiju actually wanted to ask was, is it unpalatable?

But not wanting to ruin Ning Tang's image in front of the three little ones, she tried her best to swallow these three words and changed her words abruptly.

Erniu was silent for a while, "...It's not bad."

Ningtang always thought that the food he cooked was delicious and he had a natural talent for it.

In fact, the food she cooked was not even a finger as good as Shen Lie’s.

The three little ones were only doing it to save her face, so they ate voraciously in front of her. Plus, Ning Tang could always whip up some weird and delicious snacks, so the three little ones didn't make any noise.

Sun Aiju understood.

The old man and the young looked at each other, then silently looked away and changed the subject.

Erniu: "Oh, I'm hungry."

Sun Aiju: "Okay, let's go eat."

The two of them entered the main room. Ning Tang had already washed up and was sitting on a stool waiting for them.

She glanced at the old man and the young, and always felt that there was an inexplicable sense of guilt on their faces?

Forget it. Never mind.

Ningtang threw away the peanut shells and prepared to eat.

Compared with last night's meal, today's lunch has two fewer dishes and the portion is not as large as yesterday. After all, last night was a welcoming dinner, so it had to be more substantial.

After dinner, Ning Weiguo took the Ning Wei party out to help the villagers kill the New Year pig.

This is a major custom during the New Year in Shangang Village. As soon as the last month of the lunar calendar arrives, people start slaughtering the New Year pig, dividing the pork meat, and stuffing sausages.

The pigs from the pig farm were released relatively late this year, and they had to wait until the higher-ups had distributed the pigs before the remaining ones belonged to the villagers, so the pigs were not slaughtered until almost the Chinese New Year.

Before Ning Wei Guolin left, he asked Da Wa and his two children, who also had twins, if they wanted to go and watch the slaughter of the New Year pig.

The three little ones are not going. They have made an appointment with Ningde to go set off firecrackers today.

The twins were not interested in killing the New Year pig. There was nothing to see just by looking at the blood.

After sending Ning Weiguo and the others away, the three kids followed Ning De to set off firecrackers, and the house was instantly mostly empty.

Ning Tang had nothing to do, so she sorted out the specialties she brought from Hailang Island and said, "Mom, these are the seafood I bought from the fishermen, and the dried fruits I took Da Wa and the others to dry."

Sun Aiju knew about seafood. After all, Ning Tang sent it to her every two months, so she and Ning Weiguo ate a lot of it at home.

But what is this dried fruit?

Ning Tang pointed at them one by one and explained to her, "This is dried pineapple, which is pineapple that has been dried in the sun. Dried pineapple is not pungent when eaten. Dried banana is made by slicing bananas and drying them. There is also dried mango, which is made by spreading sugar on both sides of the mango flesh and then drying it in the sun."

The dried pineapple is golden in color, with clear veins that sparkle with an alluring luster. The dried banana smells faintly of banana. The surface of the dried mango is covered with a layer of white icing, which looks delicious.

Ning Tang took a piece of dried pineapple and stuffed it into Sun Aiju's hand. "Don't just talk, Mom, try it."

Sun Aiju took a bite and found it sour, sweet and soft, and even better than the canned fruits that Ning Jun had brought back before.

Then I tried the dried bananas and dried mangoes, and they were equally delicious.

Such delicious dried fruits filled up a large table. Sun Aiju couldn't help but ask, "This must have cost a lot of money, right?"

After all, it is an expensive fruit. Not only is the price high, but you also need to get fruit tickets.

This precious thing was just casually placed on the table, making Sun Aiju's eyelids twitch.

"It doesn't cost any money." Even if I did spend money, it was only a small amount.

Ning Tang explained to her that on Hailang Island, fruits are cheap and are everywhere. Take these mangoes for example, they were picked by Da Wa and his friends on the roadside.

Hearing that it didn't cost any money, Sun Aiju was finally relieved. She was of the older generation and was used to being frugal.

She pinched another piece of dried mango and started to eat it. "This thing tastes good. Send me some in the future. I'll share some with your sixth aunt and third uncle."

Ning Tang replied, "Don't worry, Mom. I'll send you some when I get back. Hailang Island has a rich harvest of different fruits in each season. Next time I'll send you dried peaches and dried pineapples. They taste equally good. I guarantee you and my aunt and uncle will have a good meal."

Sun Aiju scolded her with a smile.

The mother and daughter were having a great time together, but over there, the stingy Zhou Yin was watching with red eyes.

Those dried fruits look expensive at first glance. I guess they cost a lot of money.

Sun Aiju is so lucky!

Thinking of this, Zhou Yin glared at Ning Xue. They were both daughters, both married to Hailang Island, and both married military officers.

How come one goes home with lots of bags for the New Year, while the other goes home empty-handed?

Ning Xue was rummaging through her old clothes, planning to alter them to smaller sizes for the twins.

She was not as considerate as Ning Tang, who dressed the three little ones warmly. She only gave the twins two thin red sweaters. It was cold in Shangang Village. Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu complained of the cold as soon as they arrived. Now they were hiding in the main room by the stove.

The cold is one of the main reasons why the twins don’t go out to play.

Ning Xue was suddenly glared at by Zhou Yin. She didn't react, "Mom?"

Zhou Yin hit her again, and afraid that the mother and daughter in the room might hear him, he whispered, "You went home for the New Year this time, and you didn't bring anything back?"

Ningde is grown up now and it’s time for him to get married.

Zhou Yin had very high standards. She looked down upon ordinary village girls, so she thought of looking for one in the city, preferably a pretty girl who worked in a factory, got paid, and had a stable job.

Every family wants a girl like this. With Ningde's conditions, he can only win the hearts of the girl and her family by spending a lot of money and giving a high bride price.

Ning Wei? Dang is not like Ning Wei? Guo, the village chief. He usually does farm work and depends on the weather for his food. At the end of the year, he can just make ends meet. Zhou Yin is the same.

Since there was no money at home, Zhou Yin took the initiative to turn to Ning Xue.

The couple didn't get along well and couldn't help their son, but there was still Ning Xue!

This daughter is married to a military officer. How high is Su Junyan's salary? It must be at least fifty yuan a month. Even if a little money leaks out from between his fingers, it would be enough to support Ning's family for a year.

Zhou Yin said in a strange voice, "Look at Ning Tang, she only knows how to bring good things home, such as dried abalone and dried mackerel, and sends them home as if they are free. This time she also brought back some dried fruits. What about you? You have been in Hailang Island for almost two years, and you haven't brought anything back."

She knew Ning Xue's fate too well. As long as she was compared with Ning Tang, Ning Xue would definitely not be able to suppress her anger.

Sure enough, Ning Xue's expression changed immediately.

Su Junyan would occasionally give her some pocket money, and since she worked, she actually saved quite a bit of money. However, she gave her money to Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu to buy delicious and fun things in various ways. She still had to pinch her pennies and pinch her own pennies to save just fifty yuan.

Originally, Ning Xue planned to use the fifty yuan to buy good cigarettes and wine for Ning Wei's party, buy a silver jewelry for Zhou Yin, and give Ning De some pocket money, so that she could "return home in wealth and glory".

But to make matters worse, they encountered a thief on the train!

A full fifty dollars, just went down the drain!

Ning Xue told Zhou Yin about the thief she encountered on the train and said unhappily, "Do you think I don't want to bring you something nice? Wasn't your money stolen on the train?"

When he heard that the fifty-five yuan was missing, Zhou Yinxin felt as if he was cut by a knife. He clenched his fist and hit Ning Xue several times. Then he sat down on the floor and cried, "Hey, damn it, this is fifty-five yuan, a full fifty-five yuan, enough to buy so many pigs and cows, why are you so stupid!"

Ning Xue was also very upset, but she couldn't bear to hear Zhou Yin scolding her for being stupid. She was the only high school student in Shangang Village and she considered herself to be extremely smart.

Pretending to be casual, he said, "It's just fifty dollars. I can earn it back in a few months."

"Struggle?" Zhou Yinmin grasped this word sharply.

"Yes, mom, you may not know this, but I am now an officer of the Women's Committee on our island, and I can receive ..." Ning Xue was vain and deliberately raised her salary, "I can receive 15 yuan a month, and I can earn back the 50 yuan in three or four months. Besides, I also have the annual benefits, and I may earn it in two or three months instead of three or four months."

Zhou Yin's eyes flashed with greed, and then he smiled happily, "Why didn't you tell me earlier that you became an official? By the way, what is an official? It sounds impressive."

Ning Xue raised her head proudly, "Of course, my job is to do clerical work and sit in an office. I have a lot of free time at work, so I go to work at nine o'clock every day. I usually read newspapers, drink tea, chat with colleagues, and then go home."

In fact, it's all bragging. I work in the Women's Committee and I'm extremely busy. I have no time to rest.

But once she told the first lie, Ning Xue didn't even need to prepare the rest of the lies.

Zhou Yin does not have that kind of awareness that labor is glorious. In her eyes, if the work is easy, then it is a good job. Moreover, if the salary is high and there are annual benefits, then it is simply the best job.

He stood up and patted the dust off his pants. "Oh, my daughter has really made a difference. She really made me proud. I said at the beginning that it is also useful for girls to study. Look, she has found a great job now."

Ning Xue curled her lips and didn't expose her.

At that time, there were four children in the Ning family, Ning Jun, Ning Tang, Ning De, and Ning Xue. Except for Ning Xue, the other three had poor academic performance.

Otherwise, Ning Jun would not have joined the army, and Ning De would not have worked in the fields.

Logically speaking, since they were boys, if they had studied well, they would have been promoted to higher-ups long ago. Even though the college entrance examination had not been resumed at that time, passing the exam and becoming a formal worker in a factory in the city would have been a top-notch, stable job.

In this way, they changed from farmers who depended on the weather for their food to city dwellers who could receive wages and eat commercial food.

But who would have thought that among the four children in the family, Ning Xue was the only one with good grades, and outstanding grades. In elementary school and junior high school, she never got a grade other than the first in the grade.

Parents should be happy if their children study well.

But Ningxue is a girl. Even if a girl graduates from school and passes the exam to become a formal worker in a factory and earns money, that money is earned for her husband's family.

This is what Ning Wei and Zhou Yin thought.

In addition, they didn't earn much, and studying cost a lot of money in those days, so they were not willing to continue supporting Ningxue to go to high school in the city.

In the end, it was Ning Weiguo who made the final decision, thinking that the family had finally produced such a talented student and he had to support her. Therefore, Ning Weiguo paid for Ning Xue's living expenses and tuition fees during her high school years.

Ning Xue felt that her uncle had given birth to a "useless" daughter, so he supported her niece's education to bring honor to the family and to promote his younger brothers and sisters. She felt very justified in taking the money that Ning Wei paid for the country.

Ning Wei's party and Zhou Yin felt that their brother paid the money and took the blame for them, which made them very happy.

Anyway, after so many years, no one in the family of three has asked to repay the money to the country.

However, the youngest Ningde repeatedly discussed with Ning Weiguo about paying back the money in installments.

Although he is the youngest in the family, he has a good heart. Unfortunately, he does not make much money, so his desire is greater than his ability.

Ning Wei? The country would never ask him to pay back the money. To be frank, even if he needs to pay back the money, it should be your father, mother and sister who should pay it back. It has nothing to do with a little kid like you.