"Ning Xue, I remember you weren't like this before. When I first knew you, you were very frugal. When we were shopping in a department store, I asked you to buy some clothes for you, but you said no, you bought them for Guangzong and Yaozu."

He looked Ning Xue up and down and asked, "Why have you changed so much now?"

Ning Xue was so angry that she almost fell over. It turned out that in Su Junyan's eyes, buying a washing machine made her a different person, like a little Burjoa?

She took a deep breath and said, "If you don't want to buy a washing machine, you should at least buy a fan."

She continued to encourage him, "It's hot on the island, you will definitely need it if you buy it, would you be willing to bring honor to your family by being unable to sleep every night due to the heat?"

This time she learned her lesson and stopped talking about herself and used the twins as an excuse.

And they didn't have to buy three like the Shen family did. They only needed one. She didn't believe that Su Junyan would not agree.

Su Junyan pondered for a while, "I can buy it... but not now."

Ning Xue said loudly, "Why? It's hot now, it's a good time to buy it. It's very useful."

"Because it's the end of July now, it will be August soon, and then September in a month. In autumn, the weather will be cool again. If we buy the fan now, it will just sit there gathering dust." Su Junyan said, "So we should buy it next spring and use it next summer, which is perfect."

Postpone it to next year? Who knows? Postpone it to the year after that. After all, the hottest time of the year is only three months.

Ning Xue was almost mad. Why didn't he just say he would buy it after he died?

However, Su Junyan felt that his arrangement was very good and gave himself thirty-two thumbs up in his heart.

He is very smart, unlike the two 'big fools' next door. If they buy it now, it will be autumn soon. If they leave it there, it will just gather dust and waste money. Besides, maybe the price of electric fans will drop next year?

"By the way, who of us should pay for the electric fan?" Su Junyan asked again.

He was in charge of logistics, and he knew the accounts clearly. "I can earn more than 50 yuan a month in salary, and I also get extra subsidies. You can only earn 7 yuan a month, and you don't get much subsidy. You just get some pots and bowls as New Year's benefits. If you buy an electric fan, I have to pay for most of the money."

"Besides, buying a fan is only the first expense. The electricity bill you have to pay to run the fan every month is also a considerable expense. What if it breaks down? Repairs will cost money too."

The more Su Junyan thought about it, the more he felt he had to stop buying it. "Or, let's just not buy it."

"No?" Ning Xue refused without thinking, "We have to buy it. Ning Tang's family has many electrical appliances, such as fans, washing machines, radios, and everything else. But we don't even have one appliance. It would be so embarrassing if we told others about it."

Su Junyan curled his lips, thinking that he was wasting money just for fear of embarrassment.

"Okay, let's buy it." Su Junyan said, "But I can't pay for it alone, you have to pay for it too. You said that we can both make money."

But all the money she earned was used to supplement the family income.

Ever since she started working and getting paid, she has been responsible for paying for all household expenses, including the groceries, the pots and pans at home, and snacks and toys for the twins.

What's even more outrageous is that this year, she also paid for the twins' tuition. In the past, it was Su Junyan who paid for it, but ever since she started making money, Su Junyan never mentioned anything about the twins' tuition.

She was also embarrassed to ask Su Junyan for the money. Firstly, she felt that they were husband and wife, so why should they divide it so clearly? Secondly, she felt that she had a job and was an independent woman who could earn money, so it was not appropriate for her to ask for the money.

Unexpectedly, it was her step-by-step indulgence that made Su Junyan become like this.

Ning Xue inhaled and exhaled, barely managing to keep herself from getting angry, "Okay, I'll do as you say."

There was no other way. She spent most of the money she earned every month. If she wanted to buy an electric fan, Su Junyan had to pay for it. She could only swallow her anger.

In September, the eldest daughter was in the third grade and the second daughter was in the second grade.

Although Sanwa is only six years old this year, he is smart and clever. He is not afraid of being bullied by older children when he goes to school. What's more, he has the protection of the eldest child, the king of children.

Shen Lie discussed with Ning Tang and suggested that Sanwa go directly to the first grade at the beginning of school.

Ning Tang agreed of course, she thought the sooner she started learning the better.

So now there is one more elementary school student in the family.

In the final exam of the second semester of the second grade, Da Wa's Chinese score was not good again and was still hovering around the passing line. Shen Lie started to let Ning Tang help Da Wa with tutoring again.

On Saturday afternoon, Shen Lie returned to the army after lunch, saying that he had to attend a meeting. Before leaving, he reminded Ning Tang to force Da Wa to study.

Ning Tang glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 1:15. He called out to Da Wa, "Your father has given orders. Hurry up and open the classroom to work."

Sanwa was so amused that he couldn't stop laughing, "Hahaha, Mom, why do you talk so much like——"

"Like what?" Erniu asked.

The eldest boy said, "They look like the devils, or the bad devils who caught me for tutoring."

Ning Tang's imitation was particularly like the Japanese in "Two Little Eighth Route Army Soldiers". When Da Wa said this, Er Niu and San Wa also remembered it and laughed with their hands covering their mouths.

Ning Tang glared at him: "How dare you say that? If it weren't for the fact that you didn't do well in the last exam, would Erniu, Sanwa and I be here to help you study?"

The eldest child raised his hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, it's my fault. Then dear mother, great mother, what are we learning now?"

Ning Tang got goosebumps from his evil intentions. "Learn Chinese first. I'll give you some exercises so you can practice making sentences."

She felt that another important reason why the eldest child did not do well in the Chinese test was that his thinking was too active, or too jumpy.

For example, in the final exam of the second semester of the second grade, there was a question on the Chinese test paper asking the eldest child to make a sentence using the word "originally".

Most children can make sentences like, 'It turns out there is a stone here', 'It turns out the sky is so blue', and even the most ignorant ones can make a sentence like 'It turns out it is raining'.

It’s the eldest child’s turn. He is? How to make a sentence.

'It's the weekend.'

"So that's it?"

'So he is? My father'

That is? Very careless.

It is also very convenient. If you can avoid writing an extra word, then don’t write it.

In the words of the eldest child, it saves pencils.

Their Chinese teacher is a relatively serious person, so naturally he would not give him a high score.

And the first two sentences are fine? Okay, but the last sentence... Ning Tang just wanted to say, let Da Wa hide the test paper quickly and don't let Shen Lie find it, otherwise he will definitely be in trouble.

They started learning and Ning Tang assigned tasks to the three little ones.

The eldest child remained the same, studying Chinese and math together. The second child was consolidating what she had learned in the second grade. The third child had just entered the first grade, so it was hard to tell how his grades were. Ning Tang asked him to trace the big characters like the second child who had just started learning.

After making arrangements for the three little ones, she cut a plate of watermelon and honeydew melon, leaned on the rocking chair on the windowsill, picked up a book to read, and after flipping through a few pages, she would pick up a piece of watermelon or honeydew melon to eat. She felt very comfortable.

After all, the three of them are still children. Their concentration is not as strong as that of adults. They can't sit still after studying for only a short while.

The eldest boy twisted and turned left and right as if there was a nail under his butt.

Although Erniu was still sitting at the desk obediently, her eyes were empty and it was obvious that she was distracted.

Ningtang leaned over to look at Sanwa's draft paper. As he wrote the big characters, they turned into a mess of loose threads.

It seemed that the three little ones were not interested in studying. Ning Tang waved his hand and said, "Let's go out and play."

"Play?!" Upon hearing this, the eldest child immediately became excited.

"Yes, didn't I tell you last time that you should combine work with rest, learn more and play more." Ning Tang glanced at the wall clock, "You have been studying from one o'clock to three o'clock now, it's time for us to go out and play."

Erniu asked excitedly, "Mom, where are we going? Are we still going to the beach to fly kites?"

"Yes, we're going to the beach, but not to fly a kite." Ning Tang said.

Sanwa asked, "Then why go to the beach, swim?"

"Let's go to the beach and pick up shells to decorate our house."

When Ning Tang went to the beach to fly kites before, he found that there were many beautiful shells on the beach. He could pick them up and string them into shell wind chimes and hang them under the eaves. When the wind blew, the shells would collide and make crisp sounds.

Sanwa pouted, "But? I want to swim."

As the weather gets hotter, the kids all want to go swimming.

"Wait? When your dad is free, I will go with him to take you to the beach. Those who want to swim can swim, and those who want to pick up shells can pick up shells." Ning Tang soothed.

"What do you mean by wait until I'm free?" Shen Lie's voice came from the door.

Ning Tang turned around in surprise and found Shen Lie coming back. "Aren't you going to a meeting? Why are you back so early?"

The troop meeting started and lasted until the evening. Ning Tang was prepared that he would not come back for dinner, but he did not expect him to come back so early today.

Shen Lie waved his hands, "We were originally preparing for a meeting. We waited for an hour, but the commander and the division commander were late. We waited another half an hour before Zhang Wenshu said that the Central Committee had sent a leader over, and the commander and the division commander went to accompany them, so he sent us back."

"Let's not talk about this. By the way, what were you talking about just now? I seemed to hear swimming." Shen Lie said.

"I planned to take the three of them to the beach to play, pick up shells, and make shell windchimes. Sanwa said he wanted to swim, but I couldn't take care of three children by myself, so I said I would take them to the beach to swim next time when you are free, and this time we will pick up shells first." Ning Tang said, "But you came back early, so we should be able to pick up shells and swim today."

Ning Tang suddenly remembered, "By the way, can the three of them swim?"

"Of course not, otherwise I wouldn't have stopped them from going to the beach before." Shen Lie said, "But it's not too late to teach them now. If a child who grew up on an island can't swim, people will laugh at him if they tell others about it."

The sooner you learn the skill of swimming, the better.

It is impossible for him and Ning Tang to keep an eye on the three children all the time. Learning to swim can also help avoid some dangers.

Shen Lie asked Ning Tang, "Can you swim?"

"Of course." Ning Tang made up an excuse, "There is also a river on the mountain near Shangang Village. I learned to swim from my brother when I was a kid."

Shen Lie nodded, believing it without a doubt. After all, the fresh big carp they ate in Shangang Village during the New Year was caught by Ning Weiguo and Ning Weiguo when they took Ning De to the river to break ice.

Ning Tang asked, "What do I need to prepare for swimming lessons? Do I need to change clothes? Or should I bring an extra set of dry clothes to change into after swimming?"

What would she need then? She had to prepare a lot, including swimsuit, swimming cap and goggles. If she was missing one of them, she wouldn't be allowed to enter the swimming pool.

Shen Lie said, "Oh, what do you need to prepare? Just wear the clothes they are wearing. When we get to the beach, the eldest and third kids have to take off their shirts and leave only their pants on. No need to bring extra clothes. It's hot now, and the clothes will be dry soon after swimming."

The three children were wearing the clothes that Ningtang had made for them today, dark short-sleeved tops and shorts.

The eldest and third children were boys. They took off their shirts and wore only shorts, and they were not afraid of being seen.

Erniu is still underdeveloped and she is wearing dark clothes, so it doesn't matter if they get wet.

At four o'clock, we set out for the beach on time.

The three kids were so excited at the thought of going swimming (playing in the water) and picking up shells that they kept urging Ning Tang and Shen Lie to hurry up.

They were quarreling at the door, which immediately attracted Ning Xue's attention.

Through the crack in the window, she saw Ning Tang, Shen Lie and three other children, all carrying buckets in their hands. Then she looked at the direction they were going and knew they were going to the beach to play.

She curled her lips in disdain and thought, have fun, play more, and when you fail the college entrance examination and your studies are terrible, you will regret it.

The family of five had no idea what Ning Xue was thinking about them, and even if they knew, it would not affect their good mood for playing.

When they arrived at the beach, Shen Lie taught the three children how to swim.

Ningtang had nothing to do, so he took off his shoes and walked along the beach, feeling the comfort of the sea water covering his feet.

Occasionally, I would pick up some abalone, jellyfish, etc. It was so relaxing.

I just picked them up for fun, picking up whatever I saw without looking for them deliberately. After all, I didn't expect to fill my stomach with them, I just wanted to feel the fun of rushing into the sea.

I don’t know whether Shen Lie is a good teacher or the three children are smart and learn quickly.

It didn't take long before the three children were splashing around in the sea. Although their postures were not very graceful and they fell to the ground after swimming for a while, at least they were swimming.

Ning Tang took a quick look and saw that Shen Lie was taking the three children with him and not going into the deep water. They were staying on the shallow beach as he was afraid of danger.

Big Boy and San Wa were so excited in the sea. Big Boy scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on San Wa's face. San Wa was splashed right on the face. He was not convinced, so he also scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on Big Boy.

Unexpectedly, Da Wa dodged quickly, and the water didn't splash on him, but splashed on Shen Lie instead.

Facing the gaze from Shen Lie, the third child laughed awkwardly and pointed at the eldest child and said, "Dad, it was my elder brother who beat you."

Shen Lie rubbed it on his face and wiped off the water droplets. "Third kid, guess whether I believe it or not."

Sanwa laughed twice guiltily.

After playing for a while, Da Wa called out to Ning Tang on the shore, "Mom, come and play with us."

Ning Tang waved her hands to indicate that she would not go.

Nowadays, it is not open to women to swim freely, even if they are wrapped tightly. If she goes into the water, her curves will definitely be exposed.

Shen Lie also thought of this. He floated in the sea and patted the eldest child on the head. "Your mother doesn't want to play. You should learn to swim well. I will let you compete with the third child to see who swims faster."

The eldest boy pouted and pointed at the third boy who had completely gotten rid of the novice stage and was swimming in the sea like a free and easy fish, and said, "Who can swim better than him?"

Shen Lie was also puzzled. Sanwa learned to swim so quickly, as if he was born to do it.

Erniu swam for a while and felt bored, so she came to play with Ningtang.

The mother and daughter were picking up shells on the beach by the sea. The white shells were only the size of a thumb, delicate and cute. Occasionally, they could pick up colorful shells, purple, yellow, pink, and spiral shells. There were all kinds of shells.

Erniu's eyes lit up, she quickly ran two steps and picked up a shell, "Mom, this shell looks so weird."

Ning Tang took a quick look and found that the shell Erniu had picked up was bigger than her two palms combined. She was surprised and said, "This doesn't seem to be an ordinary shell."

Shen Lie brought the eldest and third children back to the shore after swimming. Upon hearing this, he said, "This should be a pearl oyster."

'Pearl oyster' is just a reference, and he doesn't know the real scientific name. However, the shells that can produce pearls are all called pearl oysters by the fishermen along the coast, so he just followed suit.

This thing is rare and is usually found in deeper seas. This one must have been washed ashore by the sea water.

Hearing the word "pearl", the eldest and third child poked their heads over to take a look.

The pearl oyster in front of you, judging from its appearance, is actually similar to a scallop, but its shell is much smoother and more lustrous than that of a scallop. Facing the sunlight, the surface of the shell is glittering and very beautiful.

Erniu was so surprised that she kept asking, "Are there pearls in there?"

Shen Lie took a look at the size of the pearl oyster. Such a large pearl oyster should have pearls, so he said with certainty, "Yes."

"Wow!" Erniu jumped three times in surprise.

Ning Tang smiled and said, "Let's open it when we get home. If we get a lot of pearls, I'll make you a pearl bracelet to wear on your wrist."

Erniu touched the shell lovingly, "What if there is only one?"

Shen Lie continued, "Same thing, string them together and tie them around your neck."

Ning Tang looked at the sky. It was already late. The sun was about to fall below the sea level. He waved his hand and said, "Let's go home."

After returning home, Shen Lie asked Ning Tang and San Xiao what they wanted to eat.

The eldest boy rolled his eyes and said, "Can I eat anything I want?"

Shen Lie sneered, "If you want to eat dragon liver and pheasant gall, Shen Dawa, I advise you not to ask for it."

The eldest child pouted and said, "I don't want to eat any dragon liver or phoenix gall. I just want to eat French fries and hamburgers."

Erniu and Sanwa nodded excitedly, "Yes, we want to eat French fries and hamburgers."

"French fries and hamburgers?" Shen Lie was stunned.

"They heard on the radio that foreigners eat French fries and hamburgers." Ning Tang shrugged, "They said they are delicious, so they want to eat them too."

Shen Lie was in a dilemma. These French fries and hamburgers were only sold in foreign restaurants. Where could he get them for them?

Erniu pulled Shen Lie's arm and acted coquettishly, "Dad, I want to eat French fries. I heard they are made from potatoes. We have potatoes at home too."

Shen Lie said gently, "How about this, next time we go to the city and see if there are any foreign restaurants. If there are, I'll take you to eat French fries and hamburgers."

Do we have to wait until next time? The three little ones' faces drooped visibly.

Ning Tang whispered to him, "Oh, this is not that simple. Cut the potatoes into strips and fry them in a pan. Then sprinkle some salt on them and they will become French fries."

Shen Lie thought about it for a while, thought it was feasible, and asked, "What about the hamburger?"

Ning Tang glared at him and said, "Take the leftover steamed bun from this morning and cut it in half into steamed bun slices. Put two slices of meat, cucumber slices, and vegetables in the middle. Then stuff it with two sausages my mom sent over. It will be a hamburger, right?" Why is this guy so inflexible?

Shen Lie frowned and asked, "Will this work?"

"It's OK." Ning Tang glanced at the three children and whispered, "Anyway, they haven't eaten it before, so they will eat whatever you cook."

Shen Lie was still a little hesitant, Ning Tang told him to go ahead and do it, "It's okay, just do it, and let them taste the food that foreigners eat, it's more fashionable."

Anyway, the three little ones have never eaten real French fries and hamburgers. Even if Shen Lie makes a potato pancake and tells them it is French fries, or makes a bread and tells them it is a hamburger, as long as it tastes good, the three little ones will believe it.

If you don't do it, Erniu and Sanwa will be fine, but the greedy eldest boy will make a fuss to the sky. Even if he doesn't make a fuss today, he will make a fuss tomorrow.

Shen Lie muttered a few words and rolled up his sleeves, "Okay, I'll make French fries and hamburgers for you guys."

While he went to cook, Ningtang led the eldest, second and third children to wash the shells they had picked up.

Use an old toothbrush to carefully clean the surface and crevices of the shells to remove dirt and remaining fine sand.

After cleaning, the shells are soaked in water, and under the light, their shiny surfaces sparkle.

Erniu took out the pearl shell she had picked up and asked Ningtang to help her open it.

Ningtang took out the small knife he used to open oysters, found the gap between the shells, and pried the pearl oyster open with the knife.

She reached out and pressed the pearl sac in the white shell meat, and a smooth, round white pearl the size of a thumb was squeezed out of the sac.

She washed the pearls in water, rubbed off the sticky liquid on the surface of the pearls, and then handed them to Erniu.

Erniu held the pearl in her hands, feeling very precious, yet a little regretful, "It would be great if the pearl oyster was alive. We could raise it and maybe it would produce more pearls."

This pearl oyster was already dead when it was washed ashore, otherwise it could have been revived.

In Ning Tang's opinion, compared with artificial pearls, this kind of natural pearl is not so round overall, but rather a bit flat. After all, it is natural, but it is much more lustrous than artificial pearls.

Erniu said, "Mom, I want to wear the pearls around my neck."

I don't have any drilling tools at home, so it's quite troublesome to wear pearls.

However, Ning Tang thought of an idea. She took out black thread from the sewing basket and weaved a 'cage' that was just big enough to hold the whole pearl. Then she passed a thread through the two ends of the 'cage' and tied it around Erniu's neck, which also looked beautiful.

Sure enough, Erniu took the new jewelry and treasured it so much that she looked at it in the mirror and asked Da Wa and San Wa whether it looked good.

The eldest and third child really couldn't appreciate the pearls. To them, the pearls were not as interesting and pretty as the marbles they usually played with.

The meal was ready, and Shen Lie brought French fries and hamburgers to the table.

Ning Tang took a quick look and found that it was indeed potato chips and steamed bread slices with meat in between.

Fortunately, the three children are still very willing to pay the bill.

The eldest child pinched a French fry between his index finger and thumb, imitating the way foreigners eat Western food as reported on the radio. He dipped the French fry into the tomato sauce that Ning Tang taught Shen Lie to make with tomatoes, put it in his mouth, and praised it generously, "It's delicious, crispy and soft, and has a sweet and salty taste. So this is the French fry that foreigners eat."

Erniu grabbed the 'burger' with both hands and took a bite. The taste of the meat patty, the juiciness of the sausage, the refreshing taste of the cucumber slices, and the sweetness of the lettuce were mixed together. The taste was rich and delicious.

Sanwa doesn't like to eat the whole hamburger like Erniu does. He likes to eat it piece by piece.

Eat the steamed bread slices first, then the meat pie, then the sausage, and finally the cucumber slices and lettuce.

It can be seen that the three little ones are eating very happily.

The eldest child nodded while eating and said, "I really envy foreigners for being able to eat such delicious food every day."

Shen Lie thought to himself, I really managed to fool these three little brats.

Ning Tang, however, felt a pang in her heart.

I didn't expect that these fake 'French fries' and 'hamburgers' could actually fool Da Wa and his three friends.

After all, it was because of the material scarcity in those days and the three of them had never eaten real good food, so they were easily fooled by these crude and shoddy versions of 'French fries' and 'hamburgers'.