The eldest child rolled his eyes and said loudly, "Mom."

Ning Tang scratched his ears and said, "I heard it, but I'm deaf."

Da Wa pointed at Shen Lie and said, "Dad threatened me. He said he would beat me up."

Ning Tang smiled and said, "I think you deserve to be beaten, Shen Dawa. There is a saying that goes, you can eat anything you want, but you can't say anything you want. Just for cursing me and your father, if he really beats you, you deserve it."

Shen Lie raised his hand and slapped Da Wa on the back of his head, "Did you hear that?"

The eldest child pouted and said, "I heard it."

After eating the rice dumplings, Da Wa and his two friends went out to play.

Da Wa first took Er Niu and San Wa to look for Da Hu, and then went to Ding Ronghua's house to look for Wang Zhuangzhuang. A group of friends teamed up to play the ghost catching game in the open space of the military compound.

In the first round, the eldest kid plays the ghost. The third kid kicks the tin cans circled on the open space far away. The eldest kid goes to pick up the tin cans, and once he picks them up, he can start catching people.

Several children took turns being ghosts and had a lot of fun.

Ning Xue could hear Da Wa's cheers while she was weeding in the yard.

She stood up and looked far away. She saw that the eldest, second and third children were all there. Her eyes flickered and she called the twins, "Guangzong, Yaozu, you don't have to study today. I'll give you a day off. Go out and play."

In the living room, Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu, who were doing the homework assigned by Ning Xue, did not feel happy at first, but disbelief.

They looked at each other and saw suspicion in each other's eyes.

When did their mother become so kind? Instead of forcing them to study, she sent them out to play?

Ning Xue called out again, and the twins came out reluctantly. Su Guangzong pursed his lips and whispered, "Mom, can we really go out and play?"

Ning Xue smiled gently, "Of course, today is the Dragon Boat Festival, let's take a break, go out and have some fun with your friends."

Su Yaozu jumped three feet high on the spot, "Great, thank you, Mom."

He couldn't wait to grab Su Guangzong's hand and wanted to run out to play, "Then let's go."

Before he could run two steps, he was stopped by Ning Xue, "Don't worry, change your clothes first."

Su Guangzong was stunned: "Mom, why do we need to change clothes before going out to play?"

He looked at his body. He was wearing the blue shirt and white shorts that Ning Xue had made for them years ago. What was wrong with that? Was it inappropriate?

Ning Xue smiled and didn't answer. Instead, she said, "Didn't I sew those clothes with wolf and tiger patterns for you not long ago? Wear them when you go out."

Su Guangzong wanted to ask more questions but was pulled back by Su Yaozu.

Su Yaozu's eyes flashed with a hint of cunning, which matched his handsome face and made him look very smart. "Mom, we got it. We'll go change it now."

Ning Xue smiled contentedly.

Although they are twins, Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu have very different personalities. Su Guangzong is a little more "dumb" than Su Yaozu and sometimes can't quite understand what she means.

In comparison, Su Yaozu is a little more transparent, which is more to Ning Xue's liking.

She touched Su Yaozu's head and said, "Yaozu is really smart. Go change your clothes."

Su Guangzong pursed his lips, a look of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

Su Yaozu curled his lips and glanced at his brother with a hint of pride.

But Ning Xue didn't see any of this.

Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu changed their clothes and were about to go out when they were stopped by Ning Xue again.

She grabbed a handful of candy from the cupboard and said, "Put it in your pocket and eat while you play." After thinking for a moment, she gave each of the twins fifty cents.

Ning Xue gave the twins milk candies. At home, the twins could only eat one occasionally, so this time she gave each of the twins a big handful.

Su Guangzong swallowed his saliva and said, "Mom, can we really eat these candies?"

"Eat it. You can eat it all." Ning Xue's eyes flashed with a trace of pain. "I bought it here for you to eat."

Su Yaozu approached Ning Xue and showered her with nice words as if they were free of charge. "Mom, you are so kind. I really like you so much. The teacher said that a mother's love is like a mountain. It's talking about a good mother like you."

Su Guangzong was not good at speaking, and he only learned one sentence from Su Yaozu, "I like mom too."

Ning Xue touched the twins' heads and whispered a few words into Su Yaozu's ear.

Su Yaozu raised his lips and said in a crisp voice, "Mom, we promise to complete the mission."

Ning Xue smiled even more happily and patted their shoulders, "Okay, go play."

Su Yaozu pulled Su Guangzong out the door. After walking for a while, they saw Da Wa and a group of children coming towards them.

It was mid-June and the weather was extremely hot. The kids started sweating after playing for a while, so a group of them decided to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy popsicles to quench their thirst and cool down.

Su Yaozu's eyes flickered, and he pulled Su Guangzong to join a group of children, asking repeatedly, "Where are you going?"

Although the twins have the bad habit of comparing their grades with others before deciding whether to play with them, children have short memories and don't hold grudges. Even if they have a fight today, they will be fine tomorrow.

So as soon as he said this, a kid named Ma Dongdong immediately said, "Let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy popsicles."

Su Guangzong understood a little bit, "Oh, then we will go with you."

A group of children arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative.

The eldest child asked the second and third children, "What flavor of popsicles do you want to eat?"

Erniu said, "I want the white peach flavor."

"Then I want lychee flavor." said Sanwa.

The eldest boy paid for three flavors of popsicles and sat in a row with the second girl and the third girl on the dirt platform in front of the supply and marketing cooperative.

The other kids also bought popsicles and huddled close to the three little ones. Soon the whole place was filled with the sound of licking their popsicles.

Ma Dongdong ate a popsicle and said enviously, "Did you see the clothes Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu are wearing? They are so beautiful."

Wang Zhuangzhuang responded, "I saw it. There are wolves and tigers sewn on their chests. They look just like the real thing."

Da Hu pursed his lips and said, "I'm really jealous. They have new clothes to wear every day."

Ma Dongdong quickly asked Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu, "Hey, where did you buy the clothes you two are wearing? I'll ask my mother to buy one for me too."

Ma Dongdong's father is the deputy chief of staff, and his mother is also a nurse at the island's health clinic, both full-time workers. He is the only son, and his family is well off. He can buy whatever he wants. Basically, as long as he mentions it to his parents, they will always agree.

Su Guangzong puffed out his chest, his eyes showing pride. "No, I didn't buy it. My mother made it for us. Do you see the wolf and tiger heads on it? Don't they look real? Let me tell you, my mother sewed it with several kinds of colored threads and embedded it with sequins. Don't they sparkle in the sun?"

When Da Wa looked closely, he found that the wolf and tiger heads on Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu's chests were indeed lifelike, majestic and look just like the real ones.

Ma Dongdong puffed up his cheeks, "Your mother is really good at cooking. Unlike my mother, she is clumsy. Last time, my pocket leaked and I asked her to fix it for me. She said it was fixed, so I put money in my pocket without any worries. But I lost it after school that day. It was two dimes."

Da Hu was also very envious. Although their family conditions were much better than before, clothes could not be made casually.

Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu showed off in front of the children, then ran to the eldest, second, and third children and asked them repeatedly, "Is it? Is it very? Beautiful?"

Little boys might like patterns like wolf and tiger heads, but Erniu is not interested at all.

After having tasted the bitter taste of crispy chicken legs once, Da Wa is not so easily fooled.

Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu just wanted to trick him into going home and getting beaten with a rolling pin!

I suddenly became very alert and didn't even want to look at it.

After all, Sanwa was still young and had no self-control. He kept staring at Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu's clothes, his big eyes full of envy.

Seeing this, Su Yaozu deliberately showed the clothes to Sanwa, "It looks good, Sanwa, you can go home and ask your mom to make one for you. Your mom and my mom are cousins, my mom can make this, so your mom can do it too."

Sanwa blinked.

Seeing that Sanxiao looked a little unmoved, Su Yaozu rolled his eyes, took out a handful of candies from his pocket, and slowly peeled the candy wrapper.

"Wow, it's candy." Another kid named Zhang Jianshe swallowed his saliva in delight.

Su Yaozu smiled and said, "My mother also bought them. She has a job and can earn money. She uses the money she earns to buy delicious food for me and my brother. Our family not only has milk candy, but also glutinous rice sticks, rice flower candy, and so on. There are many delicious things."

Now even Ma Dongdong was jealous. He had bad teeth and his parents didn't allow him to eat too many snacks.

He howled, "I really envy you guys. I also want to have endless snacks every day."

"You can also ask your parents to buy it for you." Su Yaozu said, "My mother said that this milk candy is made from concentrated milk. One milk candy is equivalent to three cups of milk. It is better than drinking milk."

When saying "better than drinking milk", Su Yaozu glanced at Da Wa, Er Niu and San Wa with the corner of his eye, with a hint of pride.

With a smile on his face, he winked at Su Guangzong.

Su Guangzong understood and turned to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy six popsicles.

He has three, and Su Yaozu has three.

There are three flavors, which are exactly the same as the three flavors that the eldest, second and third kids eat.

Su Yaozu took the popsicle and licked it in an exaggerated manner.

Every time he licked it, he could hear the obvious sound of swallowing saliva.

A group of children had finished their popsicles long ago, and now they could only watch Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu eat their popsicles and swallow their saliva.

Su Yaozu was very proud, he chose this time on purpose.

Each popsicle in the supply and marketing cooperative cost one cent, and not every child had pocket money. Among the children in Da Wa's group, not many could afford popsicles, let alone people like Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu who ate three each!

Luxury, really luxury.

Da Hu swallowed his saliva, turned around and found that Da Wa didn't seem to be moved at all. He was stunned for a moment and asked him, "Aren't you jealous?"

The eldest child frowned and said, "Why should I be jealous? I just think they are wasting money."

Erniu and Sanwa nodded and said in unison, "I think they are wasting money too."

The weather was hot and the popsicle melted quickly. The twins deliberately ate it very slowly. Before they had even taken a few licks, the popsicle had melted into a pool of water, and they only ate a tiny bit of it.

Ever since they started doing housework for Ning Tang and Shen Lie to earn pocket money, the three little ones have developed a good concept of money.

Unless something is necessary, they will not buy anything. They will save as much as possible and use the saved money to buy books to fill their bookshelves.

So when he saw Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu wasting so much, Da Wa frowned subconsciously. One popsicle cost one cent, which was equivalent to one day of housework for them.

Doing housework is tiring. Take washing dishes for example. There are several steps involved, including rinsing, scrubbing the dishes with loofah pulp, and scrubbing them clean. In order to wash them clean, you have to repeat this process several times.

It takes so much hard work to earn a penny.

A book costs at least two dollars, and you have to do 200 chores to earn that much.

Over time, the three little ones understood better how difficult it is for adults to make money.

Although the Su family is rich, the money did not come from the wind. It was earned by Su Junyan and Ning Xue through hard work.

The money that was earned with so much hard work was just wasted by Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu.

The eldest boy sighed and shook his head.

Erniu looked at the water stains on the ground with a hint of disapproval in her eyes. She said to Da Wa, "They are really wasting it. That's food. Mom told us that in corners of the world we can't see, there are still many people who have nothing to eat and no water to drink." She paused and whispered, "It would be great if the food wasted by Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu could be given to those who have nothing to eat."

The eldest and third child nodded in agreement.

The three little ones were whispering to each other, and their voices were so low that Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu could not hear them.

But seeing them shaking their heads and sighing all the time, Su Yaozu guessed that they were probably jealous, so they kept shaking their heads and sighing, thinking that their family didn't have such good conditions to be like them, having beautiful new clothes to wear, candies to eat, and popsicles to buy at will.

Thinking of this, Su Yaozu was so happy that he deliberately said loudly to Su Guangzong, "Oh, how come the popsicle melted so quickly? I feel like I didn't get to eat anything. How about buying three more?"

Su Guangzong echoed him and said in a loud voice, "It's okay. We have plenty of pocket money. We can buy whatever we want. Don't even mention three. We can afford thirty."

What? I can afford thirty of them!

Ma Dongdong's eyes widened. "Wow, you guys are so rich. By the way, how much pocket money do you have?"

Ma Dongdong was already considered a child with relatively much pocket money. With ten cents a day, he could buy most snacks at the supply and marketing cooperative, and he wouldn't damage his teeth otherwise.

He wondered in his heart, could it be that Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu had more pocket money than he did?

He earned ten cents a day, which was three dollars a month. There were few kids on the whole island more lenient than him.

Su Yaozu threw away the popsicle stick, wiped his hands, and said indifferently, "About two or three cents a day."

He was telling the truth. Ning Xue gave all her meager salary to the twins as pocket money.

Even when Ning Xue needed to save money to buy electrical appliances recently, she would save some pocket money for the twins.

It used to be 20 or 30 cents a day, and now it’s only 30 or 5 cents a day? It’s still there.

No? It doesn't prevent Su Yaozu from continuing to brag.

Ma Dongdong howled like a monkey, "I'm so jealous of you guys." He rubbed his hands, eyes full of expectation, "Well, let me ask you one more question, do you still need children?"

Su Guangzong was not willing to share his pocket money with others, and curled his lips, "Not short of it."

He took out the remaining 43 cents from his pocket after buying popsicles, counted them in front of a group of children, and deliberately sighed, "Oh, there are so many, how can I spend them all?"

Ma Dongdong's eyes were almost filled with envy, and the envy in Dahu's eyes was almost turning into reality.

It turns out that what the twins said was true! They really have so much pocket money!

The three little ones were fine, as they each had savings, which were kept in their own piggy banks, and were not less than the forty-three cents in front of them.

So I just took a look and then looked away.

In the eyes of Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu, they dared not look at their performance for too long, for fear of arousing envy and jealousy.

Su Yaozu was delighted, thinking that after completing Ning Xue's task, Ning Xue would definitely reward them again. Would it be a reward with delicious food or something fun? He couldn't help but start imagining about it.

Su Guangzong continued to encourage them, "Actually, you can go home and ask your parents for pocket money." He glanced at Sanwa and said, "You can also go back and ask your mother to make beautiful clothes for you."

"My mother is a stepmother, but she can be so good to me and my brother. Your mother can't do that, right?"

Ma Dongdong thought, yes.

The biological mothers of Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu have both left the island, and the mother of the twins is now the stepmother.

A stepmother can make good clothes for them, buy delicious food for them, and give them lots of pocket money every day.

Why can't his own mother do it?

Su Yaozu covered his mouth and smiled, "We were just saying it casually, don't take it to heart."

He winked at Su Guangzong and said, "Come on, brother, let's go buy some popsicles."

After the twins left, the remaining kids had no interest in playing anymore and were all thinking about what the twins said.

Yes, they are parents. Why can Ning Xue do what her parents can’t?

They also want beautiful clothes! They want candies! They want a few dimes a day for pocket money!

The group of kids made up their minds and went home in high spirits.

The three of Da Wa also went home.

After playing for a whole afternoon, I was already feeling hungry.

As soon as we got home, the eldest child yelled, "Mom, what's for dinner?"

Ning Tang: "Eat cold noodles."

I ate too many rice dumplings at noon and was afraid that I couldn’t digest them, so I simply had some cold noodles for dinner.

Shen Lie brought over five bowls of cold noodles. The thin strips of buckwheat noodles were soaked in a light red sweet and sour soup. The noodles were neatly arranged with cucumber shreds, carrot shreds, halved cherry tomatoes, and half a tea egg. The look of it made one's appetite whet.

The eldest child's little face was almost buried in the bowl. He said while eating, "The cold noodles are delicious."

It is really delicious, the soup is sweet and sour, the noodles are chewy, and the side dishes are refreshing. It is perfect for summer.

Erniu eats much more gracefully than him. Although her movements are slow, she eats just as well as Da Wa.

Sanwa held a mouthful of noodles in his mouth, his cheeks bulging like a little hamster.

He swallowed the noodles, rolled his eyes, picked up a piece of pickled radish from the plate with chopsticks, and put it in Ningtang's bowl, "Mom, you eat it."

Ning Tang nodded in agreement and picked up the pickled shallots to eat with the cold noodles. The pickled shallots were crisp and had a hint of garlic, which went perfectly with the chewy noodles.

Seeing that Ningtang had finished eating, most of the cold noodles in the bowl were gone.

Sanwa blinked, without waiting for Ningtang to respond, he took her bowl and said, "Mom, I'll make noodles for you."

Ning Tang raised an eyebrow, enjoying the service of her youngest son, "Okay, Tang Ye also takes care of it?"

After dinner, Ningtang cleared the table.

Sanwa rolled up his sleeves and gave Ningtang a flattering smile, revealing the two dimples on his face, "Mom, I'll help you clean up."

Ning Tang put the bowl in his hand on the table and said, "Shen Sanwa, tell me, what do you want to do?"

This kind of dedication is an eyesore.

Sanwa rolled his eyes and said, "I don't want to do anything. I just want something."

Ning Tang sneered, "If you want the moon under the water or the stars in the sky, I advise you not to talk about it."

Sanwa waved his hands, "How is that possible?" He looked at Ningtang expectantly, "Mom, I want clothes."

Ning Tang glanced at his clothes and asked, "What's wrong? Are they old and torn? Do they need to be patched?"

She made these clothes for the three little ones during the Chinese New Year. They are the same as before, plain and without any patterns, in solid colors. Although not particularly colorful, they are simple and elegant.

Sanwa pursed his lips and said, "Not really, I don't want clothes. I want you to help me sew a pattern on the clothes."

"Pattern?" Ning Tang was stunned.

Sanwa curled his lips and gestured, "Yes, sew a big tiger or wolf, a very majestic one, and make it look very real, just like the real thing, use several kinds of colored threads, and embed sequins. If possible, sew one on the pants, and it would be best if you also sew one on the back."

Ning Tang was amused: "Shen Sanwa, I am your mother, not the turtle in the wishing pond."

"If I knew how to sew, I would have made clothes for you long ago."

She really doesn't have the skill.

No? What kind of non-genetic person is it?

As a person from the modern world, she types on computers and mobile phones every day. She sometimes feels unfamiliar with holding an embroidery needle or operating a sewing machine.

San Wa pouted his lips, which looked like they could hold a soy sauce bottle. He pulled Ning Tang and refused to give in, crying, "I don't care, I don't care, I just want it."

Shen Lie frowned and said, "A real man should shed blood and sweat instead of tears. What kind of man are you crying for a piece of clothing? Even if your mother can make it, I won't let her make it for you."

Upon hearing this, Sanwa cried even harder, and rolled over, "I don't care, I want it. I'm still young, and I'm not a real man."

Shen Lie really wanted to beat him up now, and asked Ning Tang, "Where did you put your rolling pin? Help me find it. I have to beat him up today."

When Sanwa heard that his father was going to beat him, he was so scared that he hid behind Ningtang.

Ning Tang said, "Don't scare him. You've already said it yourself. It's just a piece of clothing. Sanwa, where can you buy the kind of clothing you want? I'll take you to buy it in a few days."

Shen Lie blew his beard and glared, "Buy? Buy shit, if you don't buy it for him, you have to cure his bad habit and stop wanting everything he sees every day."

Ning Tang glanced at him and said, "When you were Sanwa's age, weren't you like him? Rolling around and asking for things?"

Of course there are, and they are even more noisy than Sanwa.

Shen Lie choked and was speechless.

Ning Tang then said to San Wa, "Tell me, where can we buy those clothes with wolf and tiger stitching?"

Seeing Ning Tang leaning towards him, San Wa stopped wiping his tears and hiccuped while stammering, "I can't buy it."

Ning Tang raised an eyebrow, "How do you know you can't buy it?"

Sanwa: "Su Yaozu said that the clothes with wolf and tiger patterns were sewn by their mother and cannot be bought in department stores."

Erniu responded, "He just saw Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu wearing them and thought they looked good, so he wanted them too."

Ning Tang was stunned and asked the three children to repeat to her in detail what happened in the afternoon.

After hearing this, she couldn't help but twitched the corners of her mouth.

Well, it’s directed at her again.

Their family ordered milk, so Ning Xue bought milk candies for the twins.

What's the point of saying that one piece of candy is equivalent to three cups of milk? It's a shame that she can say that.

Ning Tang washed the towel and wiped Sanwa's face. "Sanwa, you are really promising. Is it worth crying like this just for a piece of clothing?"

Sanwa also felt embarrassed and let Ningtang wipe his face.

He sniffed and glanced at Ning Tang cautiously, "Mom, you're not angry, are you?"

Ning Tang was happy, "Why are you angry? I'm not angry."

She didn't blame Sanwa. It was normal for children to have low self-control and want something when they saw it was something else.

Sanwa has always liked big tigers and majestic wolves. For example, when he was making a kite last time, Ningtang drew a tiger for him and he liked it very much.

Not to mention Sanwa, even as an adult, when she sees something she likes, she can't help but want to buy it.

The real bad guy is Ning Xue, who deliberately let the twins show off in front of Sanwa.

Ning Tang asked, "Sanwa, do you really want to sew clothes with wolf and tiger heads?"

Sanwa's eyes were full of anticipation, "I want... not necessarily a big tiger or a wolf, as long as it has a nice pattern sewn on it." He quickly added, "Mom, I can help you with housework every day, please sew one for me."

He pulled Ning Tang's hand and acted coquettishly.

Ning Tang thought about it for a moment and came up with an idea. He assured Sanwa, "Don't worry, I promise to make you a piece of clothing with a beautiful pattern." The mountain man has his own clever plan.

Sanwa nodded frantically. The little head said, "Okay."

When Da Wa and Er Niu heard her answer, their eyes lit up immediately, and they looked at Ning Tang in unison, stretching out their voices, "Mom——"

"Don't worry, you two won't be short of supplies either." Ning Tang said.

Sanwa was so happy that he kept saying nice things as if they were free, "Mom, you are so nice."

Ning Tang was both angry and amused, "Don't call me mom, I'm the turtle in the wishing pond."

"Puchi." Shen Lie couldn't help but laugh.

Ning Tang glanced at him, and he immediately calmed down and said, "I didn't hear it."

As they were talking, a piercing shout suddenly came from outside the house, "Ning Xue, get out of here!"