After walking around the Xinhua Bookstore for a few rounds, the three children quickly decided what to buy.

The eldest son picked "Generals of the Luo Family" and "Seven Heroes and Five Gallants", and the second daughter picked "A Touch of Zen", "No. 5 Huayuan Street" and "Flying Tigers and Wild Boars".

Sanwa only took one copy of "One Hundred Thousand Whys", the thin first volume, because he only had enough money to buy that one.

In total, the eldest child bought two books, the second daughter bought three books, and the third child bought one book.

Although Da Wa saved a lot of money by helping with housework, he couldn't save any money. He liked to buy snacks at the supply and marketing cooperative. He only bought two books with the money for popcorn.

Erniu is the best saver in the family. With the money she saved, she bought three books and still had some left over.

The third child is the youngest and has little money, so he can only buy one book.

He blinked his big eyes, looked left and right, his brothers and sisters each had two or three books in their hands, but he only had a thin book. He immediately became unhappy, stared at Erniu, pulled her hand and acted coquettishly, "Second sister——"

Erniu had already spent most of her money, so why should she keep some? She used it to buy sandbags and sheep bones to play with. She pushed it to Da Wa, "Go call your big brother."

The third child looked at the eldest child. The money in the eldest child's hand was enough to buy another book.

He chuckled twice and said, "Third kid, how much do you want to borrow?"

When the third child heard that the eldest child was willing to lend him money, his eyes lit up and he said without thinking, "Lend me one dollar and fifty cents."

Da Wa thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll lend you 1.5 yuan, and you have to pay me back 1.6 yuan when you go back."

Sanwa was dumbfounded. "Why? I only borrowed 1.5 yuan from you. Why should I pay you 1 yuan more when I go back?"

Are you bullying him because he doesn't know arithmetic?

Even though Sanwa can't count, he can still tell if there is an extra dime!

Thinking that the eldest child was trying to trick him, the third child's face immediately wrinkled.

"Because you are in a hurry to buy it." Da Wa said, "Think it over carefully. If you miss this opportunity, there will be no such store. The next time mom and dad bring us to Xinhua Bookstore, we don't know when it will be."

The third child pouted, "Then we won't buy it. We can't read anyway, and if we buy it back, dad will read it to us. If you buy it, we will get the advantage."

The eldest child put his hands behind his back and smiled, "It doesn't matter. Just wait patiently. At the speed at which dad tells stories, I guess you won't be able to finish a book in two or three months."

He rolled his eyes and said, "If I were you, I would buy the books myself, learn the words and read them myself." He added, "Oh, by the way, I just passed by the bookshelf and saw a picture book. There are no words on it, only pictures. It's perfect for you to read."

The third child suddenly became anxious, and stretched out his little fleshy hands, reluctantly saying, "Lend me one dollar and fifty cents."

The eldest boy smiled so hard that his teeth couldn't show. He counted out one dollar and five cents and said, "Here, take it."

Ning Tang and Shen Lie just watched from the side without interfering with them. They let the eldest child do the "business" of the third child, which just happened to let the third child know the importance of saving money.

Let the younger one suffer a loss too. It is better to suffer the older one's loss at home than to suffer the loss of others outside.

The third kid used the borrowed money and bought another picture book. Now he had two books. The little boy was very happy.

After buying the books, I felt hungry, so I went back to the stall at the entrance of the cinema to buy some food to fill my stomach.

There was a stall selling mung bean cakes and maltose at the entrance of the cinema. We bought six mung bean cakes and three sticks of maltose, which were also paid for by Da Wa and his three friends.

Shen Lie ate two mung bean cakes, while Ning Tang, Da Wa, Er Niu and San Wa each ate one.

The mung bean cakes were about half the size of a palm, round and flat, with no patterns printed on them. The stall owner wrapped them in lotus leaves.

Maltose is made by stirring with two small bamboo sticks. The dark yellow maltose is dipped on the bamboo sticks, giving off a sweet malt aroma.

The third child loved it so much that he took the maltose in his hand and kept licking it with his little tongue.

The eldest boy took the mung bean cake in his hand and played with it for a while but did not eat it.

Shen Lie was amused and asked him, "Why don't you eat? Do you have no appetite?"

The eldest child sighed, "No, it was just this time when I came to Jiang City, I went to Xinhua Bookstore, bought some books, popcorn, green bean cakes, maltose, and lent money to the third child. All the money I saved was spent."

Ning Tang said, "It's not like Sanwa won't pay it back. Strictly speaking, you still have 1.6 yuan left."

The eldest child said, "I have to wait for him to pay me back. I guess I have to wait until the end of the year when I get the red envelope."

Shen Lie rubbed his head and said, "You little money-grubber." At worst he could give them the money when he got back.

Big Boy touched the two books inside the bag lovingly.

In fact, he had his eyes on several books at the Xinhua Bookstore, but he had no money to buy them, so he reluctantly gave them up and only bought the two books he wanted most.

The eldest child sighed, "I can only earn a penny each time by doing housework for you two. This is too slow. When can I save a lot of money and buy whatever I want?"

Shen Lie sneered, "You still have money to earn. What kind of children do housework for their parents? It's purely voluntary labor and they don't get a penny."

Just like the three little girls born to Wang Dilai and Captain Wu, Pan Di, Zhao Di and Ying Di. All the housework in their family, from washing clothes and drying quilts to washing dishes and sweeping the floor, is done by these three little girls. Wang Dilai and Captain Wu don't have to do any housework at home, and the three little girls don't have any pocket money, let alone earning pocket money by doing housework like Da Wa, Er Niu and San Wa.

But this is also the norm for some children on the island.

Some, such as Ning Xue, who was particularly lenient, did not ask the twins to do housework. She gave them pocket money on a daily basis, and it was common for them to give them two or three cents a day.

Those who are more stingy, like Ning Tang and Shen Lie, also give pocket money to the three kids, but the bulk of the money still has to be earned by doing housework themselves.

Most parents still neither let their children do housework nor give them pocket money. They only give them a penny or two when they are feeling free.

Da Wa thought about it and agreed, but he still felt that he was making money too slowly. He looked at the long queues outside the cinema and the hot stalls with envy, and said, "If only I could set up a stall outside the cinema, I would definitely make a lot of money."

Shen Lie was amused. "They set up stalls because they have skills and can make delicious food, like popcorn and green bean cakes. Which one doesn't require skills and cooking skills?"

Ning Tang teased him, "That's right, you can't do anything. What are you going to sell there? Air, or your fried pancakes?"

The eldest boy was not convinced and puffed up his little face, "I can't make it, but I can sell it. Sister Luo is a good cook and she can also make mung bean cakes." He muttered softly, "Mung bean cakes made by Sister Luo are much better looking than those made by the uncle who sold mung bean cakes just now, and they must be tastier than those he sells."

He said clearly, "I don't take advantage of Sister Luo. I paid for the mung beans and flour and asked Sister Luo to make them for me. I paid her the processing fee, and then I set up a stall in front of the cinema. I was determined to sell more than the uncle who sells mung bean cakes. My sales are even better."

Shen Lie and Ning Tang looked at each other. They didn't expect that Da Wa had such a business acumen.

Although this plan sounds full of loopholes, for example, how to transport goods from Hailang Island to Jiang City and how to calculate the cost of the boat ticket, they were already surprised that Da Wa, at such a young age, could come up with such an idea to make money.

The eldest child went on to say, "If I really want to sell, I will not only sell green bean cakes, I will also sell melon seeds and peanuts."

Shen Lie asked, "Why do you want to sell these? Two things?"

There are so many snacks, such as plums and preserved fruits, why only sell melon seeds and peanuts?

The eldest child said, "Because a movie lasts nearly two hours, and melon seeds and peanuts have shells, it takes a lot of effort to eat them, so I just use them to kill time. If I were a moviegoer, I would also choose to buy melon seeds and peanuts instead of mung bean cakes, after all, mung bean cakes can be eaten in just two or three bites."

"Oh, I also need to sell orange soda. Melon seeds and peanuts make you thirsty. It's impossible to watch a movie for such a long time without drinking water. Orange soda will definitely sell well."

Shen Lie pondered it carefully and found that it was feasible. He couldn't help but say to Ning Tang, "Hey, what do you think? If we really let Da Wa play the drums, maybe he can really make a lot of money."

Ning Tang was also amazed at Da Wa's agility in doing business.

But Da Wa was just thinking about it. As a primary school student, he still had to focus on his studies. He couldn't go to classes during the day and sell roasted melon seeds in the cinema at night. Not to mention that their class teacher, Mr. Zhou, would come to settle accounts with him, Shen Lie would have to treat him to fried pork with bamboo shoots first.

After eating, I took a break and it was only half past three.

The nearest boat ticket back to Hailang Island is at 6pm, which means there are two and a half hours in between. I don’t know where to kill time.

I first went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy the calcium milk biscuits that Ningtang had promised to buy for Sanwa.

Ning Tang walked to the shelf and took out four packs of calcium milk biscuits.

Shen Lie asked her, "How can Sanwa eat four packs by himself?"

Ning Tang said, "No, these four bags are for the three of them." She glanced at Shen Lie and said, "If you only buy them for the third kid, won't the eldest and second girls make trouble?"

Shen Lie looked over and saw Da Wa and Er Niu standing by, staring at the calcium milk biscuits in Ning Tang's hand. He nodded, thinking that Ning Tang had thought it through. "Then one pack per person will be enough. Why did you buy four packs?"

"One pack each for the eldest and second daughter, and two packs for the third daughter." Ning Tang said.

The eldest and second daughter each had a pack of calcium milk biscuits, and the third daughter had two packs. If the youngest daughter's mouth was blocked, no one would make trouble.

After picking up the calcium milk biscuits, Ningtang caught a glimpse of cereal, it was the Golden Taste brand, with colorful packaging, which was very eye-catching.

She thought about it, took out another big bag and paid the bill together.

Golden Oatmeal has a milky aroma when brewed, and the oatmeal inside is very fine when chewed. It tastes no worse than malted milk, and it is even cheaper than malted milk. You can buy a big bag for three dollars, and a big bag contains at least forty to ten small bags.

It is just the right nutritional supplement for three little kids. It can also be eaten with calcium milk biscuits without getting stuck in the throat.

It only took me half an hour to buy all these things, and it's now exactly four o'clock.

Ning Tang and Shen Lie took the three kids for a walk to kill time.

After leaving the supply and marketing cooperative and walking two blocks, you will find a photo studio.

There are many old photos pasted on the glass windows of the photo studio, with white wavy edges, some of which have turned yellow and curled at the corners.

Two adults and three children stood in front of the glass window, looking at the photos above.

This is a solo photo of a young girl with a high ponytail, wearing a blue dress and white sandals, riding a ladies' bicycle. She holds the handlebars with both hands, lets go of her feet, and smiles brightly at the camera. Everyone who sees the photo is infected by her happiness.

There is also a photo of a couple, which was taken of a man and a woman. The woman had two black ponytails and wore a stand-up collar and floral shirt, while the man wore a Zhongshan suit and his hair was combed neatly. The two of them put their heads close together, their eyes filled with longing for a happy life.

The three little kids looked at the photos, their hearts were moved, and they said in unison, "Dad, Mom, we want to take a photo too."

Shen Lie was also moved and looked at Ning Tang, asking for her opinion.

Ning Tang said without thinking, "Let's take a picture." She asked the boss, "Boss, how much is one picture?"

The owner of the photo studio and the photographer was a big shot. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "It depends on how big you want to take the photo."

Shen Lie didn't know how big the photo should be, so he said, "Just take a family photo." He glanced at Ning Tang, "And take a photo of the two of you, just like the one you put on the window."

The old man nodded, "Two dollars and fifty cents in total."

Shen Lie's mouth twitched in pain. Taking photos is quite expensive.

These days, taking photos is something that only families with some spare money do. Just looking at the photo of the girl just now, you can tell that she can ride a 28-inch bicycle. Her family must be well-off to be able to afford taking photos.

Shen Lie said, "Let's take a family photo together, and for couples, I'll take a photo with your mom."

Ning Tang said, "Why should we take a photo of each other alone? Why not take two family photos together?"

"No." Shen Lie said loudly, and then whispered to Ning Tang, "Neither of us has a photo of ourselves."

There was no photo on the marriage certificate, it was just like a certificate. To be honest, it was really like what Shen Lie said, he and Ning Tang didn't have any photo together.

Ning Tang was amused and agreed, "Okay then, let's take a photo together."

Shen Lie was finally satisfied.

The photo-taking craze during the Spring Festival has passed. There were only two or three people in the photo studio. The family only waited for ten minutes before it was their turn to have their photo taken.

Take a family photo first.

The master led Shen Lie, Ning Tang and three other children to the photo location. The location was very simple, with just a white background cloth and a bench.

The master instructed, "Adults stand behind the stools, and children sit on them."

Ning Tang and Shen Lie followed the principle of men on the left and women on the right and stood behind the stool, one on each side.

There were three children. The two older ones, Da Wa and Er Niu, were also sitting on the left and right, sandwiching the youngest child in the middle.

The master adjusted the camera angle, looked left and right, and felt unimpressed. "You three kids, relax a little."

It was the first time for the eldest, second and third kids to have their pictures taken, and they were very nervous.

The eldest child could only giggle foolishly, the second girl kept pulling at the corner of her clothes, and the third child's face was frozen.

Ning Tang said, "Relax, it's just a photo."

When the eldest child thought about someone taking a photo of him, he became extremely nervous and said with a droopy face, "No, I'm scared."

Especially knowing how expensive it is to take a photo, the three children were even more restrained.

Ning Tang was happy, "What are you afraid of? We are not just taking this one photo. It's okay even if it goes wrong."

Erniu's eyes lit up, "Really?"

"Really." Ning Tang comforted them, "You are different every year. From now on, we can come to the photo studio every year to take pictures as a souvenir."

The three little kids relaxed a lot. At least the eldest one not only smiled foolishly now, but also the second girl stopped pulling at the corners of her clothes.

Although they were not so nervous anymore, the three little kids still smiled very stiffly.

Ningtang taught them to say "eggplant". Da Wa tried it and said "eggplant---"

He rubbed his face and said in surprise, "It really works."

The master also thought this idea of ​​shouting "eggplant" was good, and said, "Then I'll count to one, two, three, and you all shout "eggplant" together, okay?"

"good."

The master was ready to take the photo. "Come on, one, two, three?"

"Cheese." The two big and three small ones shouted in unison.

“Crack—”

A harmonious and beautiful family portrait was taken.

It was Ning Tang and Shen Lie's turn to take a photo together.

Shen Lie asked his master for a mirror and used water to style his hair in front of the mirror.

Ning Tang was speechless, "You just have a short flat head, it won't look good no matter how much you trim it."

Shen Lie snorted and ignored her. He straightened his collar and felt refreshed. Then he let the master start taking pictures for them.

Ning Tang and Shen Lie sat side by side on the stool, their bodies straight.

Ning Tang wore a white floral dress today, while Shen Lie wore a white long-sleeved shirt with black suit pants. It was an accidental success that they really looked like a couple, and it was just right for taking a photo of the two of them.

The two people's heads were touching, and their faces were touching.

Shen Lie didn't know why his palms were hot and sweaty.

It was not until the master shouted, "It's done," that he reacted and exclaimed, "Ah."

Ning Tang asked, "Master, when can I get these photos?"

The master said, "It still needs to be washed. You can come and get it next week."

Shen Lie nodded, "Okay, then I'll ask Xiao Zhao to help me get it."

It was already half past five when I finished taking the photos. I walked to the port and it was exactly six o'clock when I took the boat back to Hailang Island.

After returning home, Shen Lie went to cook.

Ningtang let the three children eat some calcium milk biscuits and golden oatmeal to fill their stomachs.

When golden oatmeal is brewed with hot water, it exudes a rich milky aroma.

When the air cooled down a bit, Sanwa took the enamel mug and drank cereal in big gulps, the milk foam left a circle of "white beard" on his lips.

Erniu unwrapped the calcium milk biscuit, took a piece and soaked it in cereal. The soaked calcium milk biscuit had a strong flavor of cereal and milk, and was also crispier and softer and easier to eat.

The eldest boy was not in a hurry to eat. He took out the Warrior shoes he bought in the morning and tried them on. After running a few steps, he felt that they fit his feet very well.

He couldn't wait until Monday so he could wear it to school and show off.

Eat a simple meal and clear the table.

The three of Da Wa began to urge Ning Tang and Shen Lie to tell them stories.

After buying the new book, the three of them were itching to buy it.

Shen Lie took the book "A Miraculous Romance of a Hero and a Woman" that Erniu had bought, opened it, and told them the story from the beginning.

Ningtang picked up a pen and wrote the names of Da Wa and the other two on the title page of the book he had just bought.

The three little kids stopped listening to the story and came over, "Mom, what are you writing?"

Ning Tang kept writing. "I'm writing the three of you. This way, we won't confuse which book belongs to whom."

Big Boy looked down and saw the three words 'Shen Zhanping', which were exactly his real name.

He suddenly became interested and said, "I want to write too."

Ning Tang handed him the pen and said, "Okay, I'll write for you."

This pen is Shen Lie's fountain pen, and it is different from the pencils that Da Wa and the others usually use.

Da Wa carefully picked up the pen and wrote his name on the page of the book stroke by stroke.

After finishing writing, the eldest child blew away the ink carefully. After it dried, he picked up the book and looked at it carefully. He smiled and said, "Haha, my writing is really beautiful."

Ning Tang took the book and wrote under his name: "Books are the ladder of human progress - Maxim Gorky"

Erniu and Sanwa opened their mouths wide and said, "We want one too!"

Ning Tang asked Erniu to write her own name, and she helped the third child write his name. Then each of them helped to copy down a famous quote related to the book, which made the two little kids very happy.

After listening to the story for a while, I went to take a bath.

After playing outside for a whole day, even the most energetic eldest child was exhausted.

The three little kids couldn't open their eyes, and they started snoring in unison as soon as they got into bed.

Shen Lie tucked them in and returned to his and Ning Tang's room. "They slept so soundly. They must be really tired."

Ning Tang yawned, "Let's not talk about them. I've been walking all day and I'm exhausted." She patted the bed, "Okay, let's go to bed quickly."

Shen Lie blinked his eyes gently, "Don't worry, I'll give you something."

"What?" Ning Tang was stunned.

Shen Lie took out a ladies' watch from his pocket. "Here, it's for you." He coughed. "So you don't have to ask me the time every day."

This exquisite and graceful Plum brand ladies' watch in front of you has a steel strap, a square dial, and golden hands. It is generous yet simple and elegant, and looks very beautiful.

Ning Tang was very surprised, "When did you buy it?" Without waiting for Shen Lie to answer, she suddenly realized, "I know, in the department store, you said you were going to the restroom and left for a while, it must have been that time."

Shen Lie raised his eyebrows. This? She was too smart. She couldn't hide anything from her. He nodded, confirming what she said.

Ning Tang played with the small and exquisite watch and compared it with his wrist, "When did you decide to buy me a watch?"

This Plum brand watch is also called a Plum watch. It is not cheap, and one needs to get a watch ticket to buy it. She didn't believe that Shen Lie had not planned this for a long time.

Shen Lie: "Ever since we were in Shangang Village, I've been thinking about buying you a watch."

Ning Tang remembered that there was no wall clock in Shangang Village. She sometimes couldn't estimate the time correctly and would always ask Shen Lie what time it was.

It turns out that it started from that time.

Ning Tang curled his lips, "Captain Shen, have you ever heard a word?"

Shen Lie: “What?”

"That's right. Someone who really wants to buy something for you won't ask you if you want it. Instead, they will buy it in advance and give you a surprise." Ning Tang said with a smile.

Isn't that Shen Lie you are talking about?

Shen Lie also smiled and took the Plum Blossom watch. "Let me help you put it on."

He put the Plum Blossom watch on Ning Tang's hand. The finger-wide steel strap made Ning Tang's wrist look very slender.

"It's really beautiful." Ning Tang's eyes flashed with surprise.

Shen Lie coughed and said, "As long as you like it."

Ning Tang's eyes flashed with a dark light, "I like it, why not?"

In the moonlight, her fair face was as white as jade, and the mole between her eyebrows was bright red.

Shen Lie's eyes gradually darkened.

"Hmm." A man's suppressed voice and a woman's sobbing were heard from the darkness.

The embarrassing scene in the house was so great that the moon hanging on the tree branch could not help but pull the passing clouds to cover its blushing face.

The next morning, at breakfast.

Da Wa looked at Shen Lie, then at Ning Tang, and always felt that there was an inexplicable feeling between the two of them.

Ning Tang saw that Da Wa had not even eaten, so she just stared at the two of them, "Why are you looking at us? We have steamed buns on our faces. Can you feel full just by looking at them? Hurry up and eat yours."

The eldest child pouted, took a bite of the steamed bun and swallowed it, then nudged Erniu with his elbow, "Erniu, do you feel that something is wrong with Dad and Mom today?"

Erniu is much more meticulous than Da Wa, and she had already seen it.

Normally, they eat separately, but today, maybe it was because the sun rose from the west, Shen Lie helped Ning Tang make porridge, and Ning Tang helped Shen Lie tear the fried cakes into small pieces... In short, they were very close.

Seeing through it, Erniu blinked and said, "Eat yours."