She glanced at Ning Tang and Mrs. Luo with envy. All the wages earned by Shen Lie and Political Commissar Zhao were handed over without retaining a single cent.

Ning Tang was amused. "How can I give you advice? This is the money earned by Captain Qi himself. If he doesn't want to give it, no matter what anyone says, it will be useless."

Zeng Xinlan also knew this truth and said in a low voice, "I know, but Qian Fangqi Wei is the one who always wants to subsidize their family."

She pursed her lips, as if recalling some bad memories, "Recently, I discovered that he secretly sent money back to his hometown. Although he didn't give me his money for safekeeping, his monthly salary is fixed. I know how much money he has in my hands."

"When school starts in September, Dahu will have to pay tuition and fees. I have already prepared the money, but I deliberately asked him for it. Even if he doesn't give it to me, I have to let him know how much it costs to raise a child." Zeng Xinlan smiled. This was taught to her by Ning Tang.

After laughing, she frowned again, "His face changed color at that time, and he said he had no money. How could that be possible? The tuition fee was only two yuan. I quickly asked him and found out that he sent the few hundred yuan he had saved back to his hometown, saying that his younger brother was waiting to marry his sister-in-law and couldn't wait. When he had a big fat boy, he would still have to call me aunt."

Zeng Xinlan rolled her eyes for the first time, "A few hundred yuan for an aunt, do you think I care about that?"

She has always been shy and gentle, and would not have behaved like this if she hadn't been extremely angry.

Zeng Xinlan stopped eating the barbecue and grabbed Ning Tang's hand, saying anxiously, "So, Xiao Ning, quickly help me come up with an idea on how to get him to hand over the money to me. I finally understand that his parents are vampires, a bottomless pit. Instead of giving the money to them, it's better to throw it into the water, at least we can hear it. It's better to let me have it, at least I can hold on to it."

Ning Tang frowned. This is actually quite difficult to deal with.

Because after all, this money is Captain Qi's salary. It is the hard-earned money he earned by risking his life to defend his country, and he has the power to distribute it.

It's just that he is not very smart, not clear-headed, and is foolishly filial. In fact, it is reasonable to give his parents three to five dollars per month for expenses, and use the rest of the money for his own family.

Of course, normal parents are not like Captain Qi’s parents, who ask their son to send most or all of his income back home to support them every day. Instead, they try every possible way to support their son’s family.

Ning Tang told Zeng Xinlan honestly, "Xinlan, Captain Qi is already 38 this year, which means he has lived for half of his life. At this age, his personality has already been formed. If he has any shortcomings, such as his filial piety, he would have changed them long ago. He didn't change them just because he accepted it and thought it was good for him."

"He sent money back home, and he was the good son in the eyes of his parents, the good elder brother in the eyes of his younger brothers, and the filial son that everyone in the village talked about and regarded as a role model. He felt that it was worth exchanging his reputation for this money." Ning Tang asked Zeng Xinlan, "I said this, do you understand?"

Zeng Xinlan pursed her lips and nodded, "I understand."

"Actually, the current situation is much better than it was at the beginning. Now you want both. It is possible, but it is difficult. But there is a way." Ning Tang said.

When Zeng Xinlan heard Lian Ningtang say that it was very difficult, she almost gave up hope and thought that she would be tied to death in Captain Qi's house for the rest of her life.

After all, Ning Tang is the smartest person among them. If even Ning Tang can't do anything, then others, including herself, will be even more helpless.

Fortunately, Ning Tang left a tail for what he said. Upon hearing the twist, Zeng Xinlan quickly asked, "What else? What can we do? Xiao Ning, tell me quickly."

Ning Tang said, "If you want to put his money into your pocket, you have to prove to him that you have the ability and capability to manage money well. Otherwise, why would he let you manage money? Everyone's money comes from the wind. Would you be happy to do that?"

Zeng Xinlan brought in the money she had earned through hard work. If Captain Qi asked her to give it to him for safekeeping, she would definitely not be happy.

"Then, how can I prove it?"

Ning Tang was amused: "I can't teach you this. You have to consult on your own."

Zeng Xinlan pondered Ning Tang's words, and the more she pondered, the more they made sense to her. Then she seemed to have thought of something, and her eyes lit up.

Mrs. Luo said, "You guys were just talking, and the barbecue has gone cold."

Ning Tang took a piece of roasted eggplant with garlic sauce and said, "Eat it quickly."

With Ning Tang's idea, Zeng Xinlan felt relieved. She felt relieved and her appetite improved. She ate a lot by herself.

Mrs. Luo asked as she ate, "By the way, Xinlan, will your work be even busier after you become a regular employee?"

Zeng Xinlan shook her head. "No, the work is still the same as before, but I've been very busy recently. In the past two months, many people on the island have been sick and the health center is full every day. We don't have enough staff. Sometimes I have to help with IV drips and so on."

At the turn of summer and autumn, the weather was hot and cold. Many people on the island were seeking cool air, both adults and children. Many people came to see doctors and get intravenous drips. Zeng Xinlan also had her first overtime job.

She has been coming home later and later recently, sometimes arriving home after seven o'clock.

Captain Qi doesn't know how to cook, so he and Da Hu and his son can only wait for Zeng Xinlan to come back with empty stomachs.

This went on for several weeks, and Captain Qi went to the army cafeteria to eat.

Zeng Xinlan discussed with him and asked him to bring back some food for Dahu to have a meal.

Unexpectedly, Captain Qi was unhappy. He thought it was troublesome to bring Tang Tang Shui Shui with him, and most importantly, it didn't look good. It seemed like he was digging into the army and fleecing the troops, so he refused.

But Zeng Xinlan was so angry that she thought, "Since you can eat in the army, your son deserves to go hungry."

Because of this, the couple had another quarrel.

Zeng Xinlan said, "I'm really too busy. I want to discuss with Qi Wei and let him learn how to cook or go to the army to get food. In short, he must take good care of Dahu."

She looked at Ning Tang expectantly, "Xiao Ning, I need you to give me some advice on how to convince him."

Ning Tang was amused: "So you are using me as a consultant."

Zeng Xinlan glared at her and said, "If Qi Wei was like your head captain Shen, who can handle both cooking and dining, why would I need your advice?"

You know what, Shen Lie is really good at doing housework.

He cooks delicious meals and can do housework. When Ningtang was not around, he, as a grown man, raised three children very well.

Ning Tang guided her, "What are you going to do? Talk to Captain Qi?"

Zeng Xinlan thought for a moment and said, "Just tell him directly and ask him to take care of Dahu."

She just finished speaking, and then she rejected it herself, "Lao Qi will definitely say that I am a woman, it is natural for women to take care of children, and being a mother means it is harder. How can I refute it?"

Ning Tang thought for a moment, "So you just ask him like this. A father doesn't need to take care of the child, right? You gave birth to Dahu all by yourself, didn't you?"

Mrs. Luo burst out laughing.

Zeng Xinlan was also amused, "Lao Qi will definitely glare at me and say he is a man. Are men the same as women? Raising children is our job as women. I must live up to the title of mother."

Captain Qi, that is sheer chauvinism.

Ning Tang said, "Then you fight back. Is that what you are doing? You are still a father, so what do you do every month? Don't you make a few hundred yuan to bring home? Haven't you fulfilled your responsibilities as a father? He wants to fight back and ask you why you don't make a few hundred yuan a month. You fight back with his words, saying that you are a woman. How can women be the same as men? Making money to support the family is the job of men."

Zeng Xinlan imagined it and became even happier. She slapped her thigh and said, "Okay, I'll do as you say."

She finally figured it out: Qi Wei is a man who responds to soft tactics but not hard ones.

If I go along with him softly, I will just be controlled by him like before. It would be better to be tough and fight back as Ning Tang said. Maybe I can control him completely.

She also thought that if Ning Tang and Qi Wei had got married in the first place, Ning Tang would definitely not have fallen to the point where she had to rely on picking seafood at the sea to fill her stomach. Qi Wei would probably have been completely obedient to her.

She sighed and thought that she should learn more from Ning Tang and be tougher so that her life would get better and better.

Now let's talk about men.

Although fruit wine has a low alcohol content and is not easy to get people drunk, they still drank a lot and one or two of them became a little tipsy.

Shen Lie was delighted, so he waved to Erniu to come over and asked her to sing two songs for him.

He said to Political Commissar Zhao and Battalion Commander Qi, "I'm not bragging to you, but my second daughter sings beautifully. Do you know the Taiwanese singer named Li Jun? My second daughter sings just as beautifully as her."

The hedgehog thinks his own cubs are shiny, and the dung beetle thinks his own cubs are fragrant.

Erniu's singing skills are definitely not comparable to those of professional female singers, but Shen Lie, a daughter slave, can't resist and thinks that Erniu's singing is good in every way and she can even release a record.

Captain Qi curled his lips and thought, just keep bragging.

He really wanted to say that his son also had talents, but he usually paid too little attention to Dahu, and he had no idea what Dahu could do, so he could only talk but failed to refute.

Political Commissar Zhao was in high spirits and said, "Okay, let Erniu sing a song for us."

Erniu was not afraid of the stage. She took two steps to Shen Lie and the others and sang softly, a song she often sang along with the radio, "The Rain Keeps Falling, My Heart Is Unsettled," "The rain keeps falling, my heart is beating unsteadily..."

Her voice is tender and clear, which is definitely not comparable to that of a professional female singer, but it sounds different.

Moreover, she has a very good sense of pitch, as if she naturally knows how to sing this song beautifully and melodiously.

But the three big ones? Men don’t understand this, they just know one thing, Erniu is not out of tune.

For a kid, it's pretty good to sing like this.

They all clapped and clapped their hands vigorously for Erniu, without noticing that Erniu secretly winked at Da Wa and San Wa while she was singing.

The eldest and third child understood immediately, and the two children looked at each other and saw cunning in each other's eyes.

While everyone's attention was on Erniu, the eldest boy used a bottle to scoop up half a bottle of sea buckthorn wine from Shen Lie and his table. The third boy took the bottle, put it behind his back, and secretly carried it back to their table.

The barbecue party lasted until 10 o'clock in the evening. We all ate barbecue and sang songs together. It was so relaxing.

In the end, Zeng Xinlan and the others were all drunk and walked with unsteady steps.

Ning Tang didn't drink much, and Shen Lie had a good alcohol tolerance, so he sobered up after a while. After seeing Zeng Xinlan and the others off, the two of them started cleaning the rooftop.

She wanted to call the older kids for help, but when she turned around, she saw that the three younger kids had passed out drunk with red cheeks.

Ning Tang looked at the overturned wine bottle at their feet and wondered what was going on. He didn't understand and suddenly laughed.

Said to Shen Lie, "You clean the rooftop, I will carry them back to the room."

Shen Lie waved his hands, "If you can't hold it, I'll come over. We can clean the rooftop tomorrow."

He carried the three children back to the room, and Ning Tang tucked them in.

The three little ones were still drunk. The eldest one kicked the quilt aside and started punching and kicking randomly, performing a set of "drunken boxing" for Ning Tang and Shen Lie.

The corners of Erniu's slightly upturned mouth moved, as if she was saying something. Ningtang put his ear close to her mouth and was immediately amused. The little girl was still humming the song "The Rain Never Stops, but My Heart Is Unsettled".

The third child's little face was buried in the quilt, with only the upper half of his face showing. He looked very well-behaved.

But when I think about the good things they have done, this is questionable.

It was getting late, so Ning Tang and Shen Lie took care of the three children and went to bed.

The next morning, Ning Tang woke up and felt a slight headache. He couldn't help but press his temples. This was the consequence of a hangover.

Even if the alcohol content of fruit wine is low, it can still make you drunk if you drink too much.

As soon as she went downstairs, she smelled the fragrance of porridge. When she looked, she saw four bowls of vegetable porridge on the table.

The eldest, second and third children were already sitting on the stools and drinking porridge.

Seeing Ning Tang, Shen Lie said, "Come and have dinner."

Ning Tang asked, "Why are you eating so lightly today?"

"I ate too much barbecue yesterday, it was too greasy, so I had some vegetable porridge at noon to relieve my stomach." Shen Lie said, "By the way, does your head still hurt?"

Ning Tang said, "A little bit."

The eldest child wiped his mouth and raised his hand, "Dad, my head hurts."

Shen Lie sneered, "Who told you to drink secretly yesterday?"

Sanwa smiled and said, "Who told you and mom not to let us drink it? We were curious, so we tried a little."

"Is that a little bit?" Ning Tang said, "You three drank more than me and your dad last night."

The three little ones realized they had gotten into trouble and didn't dare to talk back. They just smiled and concentrated on drinking their porridge.

After lunch, Shen Lie went to the army, and Ning Tang and the three little ones stayed at home.

She went up to the roof and took a look. It had been cleaned up. It must have been done by Shen Lie while she was sleeping.

Ning Tang also recovered, the alcohol had worn off and he no longer had a headache.

The eldest child saw a bag of tea on the table and poked it with his finger, "Mom, what is this?"

This was the tea that Shen Lie gave to Ning Tang two days ago, saying that it was sent by someone else.

Ning Tang didn't like drinking tea, so he just put it on the table and said, "It's tea leaves, someone gave it to me, you can use it to make tea."

"Is the tea delicious?" The eldest boy's eyes lit up.

As soon as he heard that it was food, he became more enthusiastic than anyone else.

"It's not something to eat, it's a drink. It tastes a little bitter, but has a sweet aftertaste. It's neither unpalatable nor unpalatable. People who like to drink it like it very much, but people who don't like it won't even touch it at all." Ning Tang said.

The eldest child pouted and looked at Chaye again without giving up.

All three kids prefer sweet things.

Seeing this, Ning Tang said, "I'll make milk tea for you. We still have a lot of sugar left at home."

The Spring Festival is coming soon, and the army has issued a lot of sugar coupons. It’s okay to indulge yourself occasionally?

"Milk tea?" Sanwa asked with his head tilted.

"It's sweet, don't worry." Ning Tang said.

She had made her own milk tea before and still remembered the recipe. It was not difficult to make.

The tea leaves are just sitting there anyway, so why not use them to make milk tea to sweeten the mouths of my three children?

Before making milk tea, Ning Tang went to the milk station and bought seven bottles of milk, three bottles for Da Wa and the others to drink, and four bottles for making milk tea.

It was the first time for the three eldest children to drink milk. They held the milk bottle carefully and sipped it in small sips.

Ning Tang was frying tea leaves, and when I saw this, I couldn't help but say, "If you like it, we can just order milk from now on, and we can drink it every day."

She calculated that a bottle of milk cost 1.5 cents, and with three children in the family, each bottle would cost 4.5 cents. The milk would be delivered every three days, and there would be discounts if you bought more. In the end, it wouldn't cost that much money a month, and it would provide nutrition and help the children grow taller, which was much more affordable than buying malted milk.

In the evening, when Shen Lie returned home, he saw three children sitting in a row, holding enamel cups and drinking milk tea happily.

There was a sweet aroma in the air, and he swallowed subconsciously, "What should I drink?"

The eldest child said, "Drink milk tea, mom made it, it's delicious."

Shen Lie: "Give it to me? Have a taste." This time he learned his lesson and went to ask Sanwa.

Sanwa wouldn’t give it to him. It’s just a small cup of milk tea, and it’s gone after he finishes it.

Ning Tang was amused: "Don't tease Sanwa, yours is on the table, go get it yourself."

Shen Lie picked up the enamel pot and took two sips. "Not bad, it tastes like milk and tea. No wonder it's called milk tea."

As soon as he finished speaking, he responded, "Wait, tea flavor?"

He subconsciously looked at the table and sure enough, the tea had been opened.

Shen Lie held the enamel pot, not knowing whether to drink it or not, "So this milk tea is made with the tea leaves I gave you."

"Is there a problem?" Ning Tang asked, "No one in my family likes to drink tea, so if I make it into milk tea, everyone can drink it. I see there is still a lot of tea leaves left, so I'll make a tea egg tomorrow."

Shen Lie, "No problem, but let me tell you, this tea is called Jin Jun Mei, this small package is twenty yuan, and it is very difficult to buy." He laughed as he said this, "You are really wasteful."

This is the best Jin Jun Mei, which most tea growers won't sell. If Shen Lie didn't have a comrade serving in the military in Haixi Province, it would be difficult to get.

"Let me tell you something even more expensive. We decided to order milk for Da Wa and the others." Ning Tang said.

Shen Lie was stunned: "Order milk?"

"Yes." Ning Tang said, "Drink a bottle every three days, and each person should drink ten bottles a month. It can replenish nutrition and help you grow taller. If you have enough nutrition, you will not be prone to illness."

It is always better to spend money on delicious food than on medicine.

What? You can save on everything, but you can’t save on food.

Shen Lie nodded: "Okay, I'll go to the milk station in a few days."

Not long after the Spring Festival, a milk delivery box appeared at the gate of the Shen family's yard.

A blue metal box with four big red ? characters printed on it, meaning milk delivered to your door.

The three little ones spontaneously took on the task of collecting milk and felt it was particularly ceremonial.

When it was milk delivery day, the first thing they did after getting up in the morning was to fetch milk. The three little ones even fought for this job.

On the afternoon of April 10, Li Yun came to the Su family to find Ning Xue. As soon as she arrived, she saw the milk delivery box at the door of the Shen family.

She entered the house and said, "Didn't you say your cousin treats the three children of the Shen family very badly? Why? She even ordered milk for them."

Milk is an expensive thing and very few children on the island drink it. Only the commander and division commander’s families would order it.

Ning Xue pursed her lips and said in a muffled voice, "It's just because I have too much money."

Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu looked at each other, and Su Yaozu said in a crisp voice, "Mom, is the milk delicious?"

Ning Xue didn't say anything, but Li Yun took over the conversation. She smiled and said, "It tastes good, with a milky taste and is sweet."

She had never drunk it, but she heard about it from others, using these two adjectives over and over again.

Su Yaozu suddenly became hungry. What’s the point? The second, third and fourth kids have milk to drink, but he doesn’t?

He and Su Guangzong held Ning Xue's arms from left to right and said coquettishly, "Mom, we want to drink milk, too."

If it were in the past, Ning Xue would have ordered it without hesitation.

But now she is still thinking about saving money to buy an electric fan and other electrical appliances. She is reluctant to spend this money because she has to save money.

She comforted the twins, "Be good and listen, milk doesn't taste good."

Su Guangzong pursed his lips and said, "You are lying. Aunt Li just said it tastes good."

Li Yun smiled awkwardly.

Seeing that the twins were about to make trouble again, Ning Xue came up with an idea to comfort them, "We don't drink milk. It will only sweeten our mouths for a while. I will make new clothes for you so that you can wear them all year round, okay?"

I have a lot of cloth at home, so I don't have to spend extra money on this.

When the twins heard that they had new clothes to wear, they immediately stopped making noise.

Ning Xue said, "Whatever pattern you want to sew on your clothes, I will sew it for you."

Su Guangzong said loudly, "Then I want to sew the tiger head."

Ning Xue bent her lips and smiled, "Where's Yaozu?"

"I? I want the wolf's head." said Su Yaozu.

Ning Xue responded repeatedly, "Okay, I'll sew it for you."

Li Yun rolled her eyes, "My little six..."

I just want her to make one for Liu Xiaoliu as well.

Ning Xue cursed in her heart, but she kept smiling, "I'll make Xiaoliu's one as well. Can I sew a panda for him?"

Li Yun smiled and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry. Thank you for troubling me."

As soon as Li Yun left, Ning Xue started working quickly and finally finished all three dresses before mid-May.

She has great craftsmanship and can sew wolf heads, tiger heads and panda heads so vividly that the three children are very happy when they put on their new clothes.

Su Yaozu looked at the clothes on his body, they were so beautiful.

So what if the older kids have milk to drink? They also have new clothes to wear.

Who is worse than who?

The eldest child whom he had been thinking about so much was now waiting at home to eat rice dumplings.

The day before the Dragon Boat Festival, Shen Lie went out early in the morning to buy rice dumplings and glutinous rice, and made rice dumplings with Ning Tang and the three children.

This year is the same as previous years. We also made three flavors of rice dumplings: rice dumplings with pork and salted egg yolk filling, sweet rice dumplings with red dates, red bean paste and chestnut filling, and what else? No fillings, white rice dumplings the size of ping-pong balls, made of pure glutinous rice.

The rice dumplings were ready, and Ning Tang's arms were sore. She rubbed her shoulders and said, "Your father and I make delicious food for you every day. You should write about us in your essays in the future. I have already thought of the topics for you. The greatest father and mother in the world."

The eldest child said with a sneer, "It's unlikely to be written into the composition, but it can be written into the leave application."

Shen Lie didn't react, "What the hell?"

Ning Tang said, "What Big Kid means is that he uses you as an excuse to ask for leave. For example, today you have a cold and he has to take care of you at home, so you don't go to school. Tomorrow you sprain your ankle and he has to help you go to the hospital, so you still don't go to school."

Shen Lie sneered, "You're cursing me. I'm so plagued by disasters and misfortunes, suffering from all kinds of illnesses every day."

The eldest child covered his mouth and laughed secretly, "It's just a joke, don't mind it, Dad."

Shen Lie snorted, "Shen Da Wa, I want to beat you up, this is not a joke."