After eating coconut chicken soup for several days in a row, and with the unremitting efforts of my eldest son and his two children, we finally collected a pile of coconut shells at home.

Ning Tang made many things with coconut shells. In addition to the pendants and ornaments she promised to give to Da Wa and the other two, she also gave Mrs. Luo a lot of coconut shell flower pots because she grew vegetables. She also gave Zeng Xinlan, Lei Sufen and other military wives bowls and plates made of coconut shells.

June 21st, Saturday, afternoon.

Ning Tang had just woken up and was sweating all over.

She wiped off the sweat and went to the bathroom to take a shower. When she came out, she wiped her hair with a towel and said, "The weather is getting hotter and hotter."

The three of them came back from playing outside. The eldest child shouted in a hurry, "Mom, is there anything to eat?"

"There is mung bean soup in the kitchen, you can serve it yourselves." Ning Tang said.

The three little ones each held a bowl of mung bean soup and sat under the corridor. They drank the soup while swinging their legs in the air.

Ning Tang glanced at the three of them. They were all dirty, as if they had rolled in the mud. "Don't run into dirty places when you play. Make sure your clothes are clean and washed quickly. Otherwise, it will take a long time to wash clothes every day."

The eldest boy looked at his clothes and saw that they were a little dirty. He chuckled and said, "Then let's wear less white clothes and more dark clothes in the future. That way, we won't be able to see when they are dirty."

Erniu pursed her lips and said, "I don't like dark clothes."

As the little girl grew older and developed a sense of beauty and ugliness, she no longer liked to wear dark-colored clothes. Instead, she preferred light-colored clothes with beautiful patterns and embroidered flowers and grass.

Ning Tang was amused, "You are amazing, Big Baby." He then said to Erniu, "Washing clothes is your dad's job anyway. I only wash clothes once in a long time. You can wear whatever you like."

When Shen Lie came back from get off work, he happened to hear this sentence, "You are really good at assigning tasks for me."

Ning Tang asked him, "What are you having for dinner?"

Shen Lie: "Porridge with pickled vegetables and steamed seafood."

When the weather gets hot, the whole family loses their appetite. Since the beginning of summer, we no longer cook dry rice at home because it would choke the throat and be difficult to swallow. So we cook porridge instead, which is served with various pickled vegetables given by Mrs. Luo. It tastes better than all the big fish and meat.

In the summer, when the sun sets late, after dinner, the sky is still covered with an orange sunset glow, and the afterglow of the sunset turns half of the sky red.

Ning Tang stood in the yard, gazing into the distance at the horizon, his mind full of thoughts.

I still remember that at this time in modern times, she had not yet gotten off work. She was either working overtime while eating takeout at the company, or attending meetings with her boss and colleagues. She was so busy that she had no time to calm down and appreciate such a beautiful sunset.

Now it seems that time travel is not all bad. Maybe God wants her, a social animal, to come to this slow-paced era to recuperate and enjoy life?

Shen Lie came over and asked, "What are you looking at?"

He looked at the sky curiously, but couldn't see anything special.

"Look at the sunset. Don't you think it's particularly beautiful?" Ning Tang said.

Shen Lie looked at her strangely and shook his head honestly, "I don't think so."

He spends most of his time on the island, so such a beautiful sunset is nothing new to him.

Ning Tang rolled her eyes. "It's unromantic." She said, "What do you think? Should we redecorate the yard?"

Shen Lie said, "You finally remembered to decorate the yard. On the entire island, our yard is the only one that has nothing planted."

Ning Tang glanced at the yard. It was empty except for the mint that had been planted before.

But the mint is growing quite well, lush and green, and it has grown in large patches.

When the breeze blows, a fresh mint scent comes, which is pleasant to smell.

"Who said you didn't plant anything? There's still the mint you planted," Ning Tang said.

But she didn't have the confidence to say this. On the entire island, the Shen family's yard was the only one that was relatively desolate and looked as if no one lived there.

As for the yards of other families in the military compound, they either take a practical approach and grow vegetable seedlings or green onion, ginger and garlic sprouts. When they want to add flavor to their dishes, they don’t have to spend money to go to the vegetable market to buy them. They can just pick some seedlings in the yard.

Or you can go for the fancy type and plant beautiful flowers in the yard, such as red bougainvillea and yellow nymphaeaceae.

Ning Tang walked around the yard twice and came up with an idea. "If we want to plant something, let's plant something that's easy to take care of and doesn't require much effort. It would be best if it's like mint, which doesn't need any care and can grow with just a little water."

Shen Lie was happy: "You really save a lot of trouble."

Ning Tang clenched his right fist and clapped it against his left palm. "It's settled. Tomorrow I'll go ask Mrs. Luo for any recommendations on good things to plant. Oh, by the way, I saw some peppers growing in her yard last time. Let's plant a few in the yard as well."

Shen Lie: "Grow? Chili peppers?"

"Yes." Ning Tang said, "Chili peppers should be easy to grow. Just water them and they will survive. The most important thing is that their smell can repel mosquitoes just like mint."

In summer, mosquitoes begin to increase in number again.

In the evening, when the eldest son and his two friends were studying in the living room, they would slap their arms and legs after studying for a while, saying that they were bitten by mosquitoes.

Thanks to the mint planted in the yard, it kept away some mosquitoes, otherwise there would be more mosquitoes coming into the house.

Shen Lie said, "Relying on the smell of chili peppers to repel mosquitoes? You really have an unrealistic mindset. Why don't you just plant some green onion and garlic sprouts? They have a stronger smell and can repel mosquitoes better."

Ning Tang glanced at him and said, "If you don't mind, I don't mind either. It doesn't matter what kind of crops you grow." It saves trouble.

Shen Lie thought about it and decided that instead of having the smell of garlic lingering around his nose every day, it would be better to smell the smell of chili pepper.

Moreover, the peppers can be harvested and ground into pepper powder to make spicy seaweed. He immediately decided, "Then we will grow peppers."

The eldest child came over and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Ning Tang: "Are you discussing what to plant in the yard? What? Your dad said to plant bitter melon and carrots."

These two things were what the eldest child hated the most. He was immediately shocked and said, "Don't worry, I won't be picky about food anymore."

Whether he eats bitter melon and carrots at one meal, or eats bitter melon and carrots every meal, Shen Dawa can still tell the difference.

Ning Tang stopped teasing him, took a few steps, and planned, "Not only can we grow crops, but we can also build two more lounge chairs and put them in the yard so that we can lie down and read books." He also complained that the sun was too strong and hurt his eyes, "Let's build a sun umbrella."

Shen Lie was happy, "You really know how to enjoy yourself."

Ning Tang said, "Imagine that the weather is fine, and we are both leaning on a recliner, each holding a book, and there is a table next to us with cut mangoes, pitted lychees and longans, a plate of coconut milk pancake, a small bowl of Tremella and Lotus Seed Soup or iced green bean paste. It is a wonderful thing to enjoy some delicious food when you are tired of reading."

Shen Lie had no interest in reading or eating delicious food, but when he thought about being with Ning Tang... he immediately said, "I'll find someone to make a lounge chair and parasol tomorrow."

Ning Tang nodded in satisfaction and gestured, "The lounge chair should be made like a beach chair. The part for the feet should be extra long. The sun umbrella doesn't need to be too big, just enough to cover two lounge chairs. The material is not important."

Afraid that Shen Lie didn't understand it clearly, she simply drew a picture for him, so that when Shen Lie asked someone to make it, he would have a basis to refer to, to avoid making a weird result.

Throughout the summer vacation, the three kids, including the eldest, were looking forward to the lounge chairs and parasols.

As soon as the summer vacation was over and school started, the recliner and parasol that Shen Lie had asked someone to make were ready.

On September 11, Thursday afternoon, Ning Tang stood in the yard, looked at the newly decorated yard, and nodded with satisfaction.

The yard is planted with mint, pepper, perilla, honeysuckle, and wild chrysanthemum, all of which are easy to grow and require little effort to care for.

The mint leaves are green and lush, and are planted under the windowsill.

It is the season when peppers are ripe. The bright red peppers hang on the pepper trees like drooping ox horns.

When she saw the perilla leaves, she thought of barbecue. When the perilla leaves grew up, she would grill the plump meat, and it would be crispy and oily. Then she would pack a bag of perilla leaves, put some garlic slices in it, and eat it in one bite. The taste was so good that she drooled just thinking about it.

After picking honeysuckle and wild chrysanthemum, place them on the windowsill to dry, and then use them to make scented tea. It tastes great and has the effect of clearing away heat and detoxifying.

Ning Tang stood in front of the chili tree for a while, then walked around the honeysuckle and wild chrysanthemums. The more he looked, the better his mood became.

Unfortunately, her kindness did not last long.

"Xiao Ning, Xiao Ning, something terrible has happened!" Zeng Xinlan came in hurriedly from outside.

Ning Tang was stunned. "Wait a minute, what's wrong? Speak slowly."

Zeng Xinlan saw that he was running over in a hurry. She stopped and took a few deep breaths.

Ning Tang hurried into the room and poured her a glass of boiled water. Zeng Xinlan took the boiled water and drank it in one gulp. She returned the empty cup to Ning Tang and said, "Thank you."

"Tell me, what happened?" Ning Tang pointed to the sky. "How big a thing could it be to scare you like this? Could it be that the sky is falling? It's okay. Even if the sky is falling, there will be something tall to hold it up."

Zeng Xinlan gave her a cold look and said, "Just come with me. It's urgent."

"Urgent?" Ning Tang said, "Okay, let's talk while we walk."

As the two of them walked out together, Zeng Xinlan said, "Your eldest child and our Dahu had a fight at school, and the teacher asked us to call the parents."

She paused and continued, "I got off work early today and went to pick up Da Hu. As soon as I walked to the school gate, I ran into Da Hu coming out of the school. He saw me and told me that he and Da Wa had a fight at school and the teacher told me to go home and ask the parents to come to school."

Well, it was just a fight, what did she think it was? It was no big deal.

Ning Tang nodded, "I understand."

Big Wa, a naughty boy, she was not surprised at all when they fought, but she was curious whether he was beating others or being beaten?

But when Ning Tang heard that even Da Hu had joined the fight, he was stunned. "Wait, you said Da Hu also joined the fight?"

When this was mentioned, Zeng Xinlan's face dropped, "He has grown up, and now he is getting worse and worse. He even learned to fight."

Ning Tang patted her hands, "Don't be so angry, kids, it's not uncommon for them to fight. I used to think Da Hu was too gentle, like a girl, but now he has learned how to fight. Boys should have this kind of courage, it's good. Otherwise, if you get bullied in the future, you won't dare to fight back, you can only swallow your grievances, how uncomfortable it is."

Zeng Xinlan said, "Why do I suddenly feel that the fight between Dahu and the others is not a big deal after you said that."

Anyway, her tense heart was suddenly relieved.

"It's not a big deal. Take the summer vacation for example. The eldest and his friends played outside every day. There were always some minor frictions. Children have short memories. They might have a conflict today, but they would make up and play together tomorrow. At this time, we as parents have to pay attention to the situation. It is difficult for these children to get along with each other." Ning Tang said.

It was the first time that Zeng Xinlan heard Ning Tang say this, and she couldn't help but think about it carefully. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that, hey, it seemed to be true as Ning Tang said.

Ning Tang said, "So, when you get to school, don't be so angry. If you have anything to say, just talk to them nicely and don't scare the kids."

Zeng Xinlan said seriously, "Xiaoning, why do I feel that you have never given birth to a child, but you know how to raise a child better than those of us who have given birth to children."

Ning Tang thought to herself that she didn't give birth because she didn't want to and because she was not sure that she could educate the child well.

Everything needs to be verified except being a parent.

In fact, people like Ningtang, who have decided not to have children after careful consideration, are the most suitable people to have children, because they have the sense of responsibility that is most needed to be a parent.

Some people get married and have children just to continue the family line and to shut other people up.

And for some people, having children is what it means to truly raise children. Not to mention how rich they are materially, but they are definitely fulfilled spiritually.

This is going off topic, Ning Tang replied casually, "That's because I've seen a lot, and when you see a lot, you'll learn to care for it."

As we were talking, we arrived at school.

As soon as she arrived at the school gate, Ning Tang bumped into Shen Lie.

Beside him was little Zhao, who was still chattering, "Captain, Da Wa is still young, don't be angry, it's not okay to hit a child..."

Shen Lie's face turned pale, and it was obvious that he hadn't heard anything. "Oh, that's bad. If he learns to fight at such a young age, there will be chaos in the future."

When he saw Ning Tang, Xiao Zhao immediately greeted her, "Sister-in-law." He then greeted Zeng Xinlan, "Sister-in-law Zeng."

He whispered to Ning Tang, "Sister-in-law, please take care of the leader. I'll be leaving first."

Ning Tang nodded, walked into the school with Shen Lie, and gently pinched the soft flesh on his waist. "When we get to the teacher's office, don't say anything. Let me handle it."

When Shen Lie was pinched by her, his anger dissipated a little and he said "hmm".

By the time I arrived at the office, it was already an hour after school.

Ning Tang took a quick look around the office and found that besides Da Wa, Da Hu and a few other children, there was also a female teacher with fair skin, a round face and glasses, and a male teacher with slightly dark skin and a pointed chin.

Opposite the kids like Da Wa and Da Hu, there was a row of kids standing, about four or five of them.

Two rows of children stood facing each other, no one said a word, just glared at each other.

A bunch of kids, all dirty? No way.

The eldest boy was wearing a white shirt and black trousers today. The collar of the white shirt was wrinkled and a button was missing. There was a lot of mud and dust on the hem of his shirt and trousers. There were also many scratches on his face.

Da Hu was similar to him, and the two children just rolled around on the ground.

While Ning Tang was looking at everyone, Da Wa's class teacher and Chinese teacher, Ms. Zhou Caiwei, was also looking at her.

Zhou Caiwei's husband is Li Dahui, the commander of the Third Regiment, and she is also a military wife who follows the army.

She had heard of Ning Tang a long time ago, but had never seen him in person.

Ning Tang didn't know that her reputation in the military academy was now polarized.

Those who get along well with her, such as Luo Saozi, Zeng Xinlan, and Lei Sufen, all think that, apart from being a little lazy, she is actually a very nice person and worth making friends with.

The military wives who had never lived with her had many prejudices against her. First, they thought that she, as a former military mother, had been married to the island for several years but had not given birth to a child. They wondered if she had any health problems. Second, they thought that she had no job and was not ambitious.

Zhou Caiwei belongs to the second type. She has a job as a teacher. She also heard that Ning Tang sleeps until very late every day, so naturally she labeled her as a lazy person.

Besides, because she is the teacher of Da Wa's class, she has another level of understanding of Ning Tang.

In the previous grade, Da Wa scored 60 points in Chinese, but Ning Tang not only did not scold him, but also praised him for doing well, saying that at least he passed the exam. In comparison, other children who did poorly had to go home and eat fried bamboo shoots with meat. The group of children were extremely jealous of Da Wa for having such an open-minded stepmother.

Zhou Caiwei is an adult and thinks more deeply than children.

Seeing all these actions of Ning Tang, she couldn't help but wonder if Ning Tang didn't care because Da Wa's performance was not her biological child and had no relationship with her.

Thinking of this, Zhou Caiwei couldn't help but feel sorry for Da Wa.

Although the eldest child's Chinese grades were a little poor, his math grades were good and he never got anything less than a perfect score.

He is smart and polite, not the kind of kid who likes to play tricks. Zhou Caiwei still likes him very much.

So when they met today, Zhou Caiwei couldn't help but look Ning Tang up and down, wanting to "evaluate" her "stepmother".

Ning Tang didn't know all this, her attention was all on Da Wa.

The eldest child was standing in the office, looking nonchalant at first, but when he saw Ning Tang and Shen Lie coming, he suddenly panicked, clutching the corner of his clothes tightly with his little hands, and was extremely nervous.

Zhou Caiwei coughed and was about to speak when a woman with a long thin face and wearing a blue floral top suddenly rushed in from the door.

She looked around angrily and stared at a fat boy standing next to the eldest child. She took a step forward and walked quickly to the fat boy. She pinched his ear hard and said, "Why don't you learn something else? Why do you learn to fight like others?" While saying this, she slapped the fat boy's back and buttocks hard and cursed, "I'll beat you to death, you little bastard."

Suddenly, loud applause sounded in the office.

Zeng Xinlan couldn't help but frown. What a shameless guy! He just started beating the child without even asking for the reason.

She suddenly felt scared, luckily Ning Tang stopped her, otherwise she would be the one beating the child here.

Two teachers and several parents stepped forward to stop the thin-faced woman. The thin-faced woman was also tired from beating, so she sat aside. However, her eyes were still staring at the little fat boy fiercely, as if she was going to settle the score with him when she got home.

The little fat boy who was being stared at trembled a little, then shrank vigorously behind the big boy.

Zhou Caiwei looked around and decided to start with Ning Tang. She cleared her throat and said to her, "Dawa's mother, Daawa got into a fight at school."

Ning Tang: "I know." Zeng Xinlan told her on the way here, "So, did you win?"

Zhou Caiwei: ???

No, this is a? Is this a normal reaction for parents when they hear their children fighting in school?

Even if you are not like the parent just now who started educating the child right away, you should at least teach the child a few words first.

The eldest child was originally very nervous. After hearing this, he didn't know whether to cry or laugh. Well, at least he was not so nervous anymore, and his hands that were clutching the corner of his clothes gradually relaxed.

It should be said that she is worthy of being his mother. She never plays by the rules.

Zhou Caiwei: "I won...but..."

"Were you victorious? Why did you call me here?" Ning Tang asked.

She thought she had lost the fight, and Da Wa was beaten up, so he called her to come and take Da Wa to the clinic to get medicine.

No, if I think about it carefully, she should come over even if she wins.

Come and pay.

Ning Tang nodded, "I understand. You called me here to pay for Da Wa's medical expenses. Tell me, who got beaten by Da Wa?" She waved her hand angrily, "Don't worry, just give me what you should pay. I will never default on my debts."

A group of little kids looked directly at Da Wa with sparkling eyes. Da Wa's mother was so nice! They were really jealous of Da Wa.

Being stared at by a group of little friends, the eldest couldn't help but puff out her chest.

If it weren't for the wrong time and place, Shen Lie would have almost laughed out loud.

Who dares to admit what Ning Tang said?

The row of kids standing opposite Da Wa, Da Hu and a few other kids seemed to be at least half a head taller than Da Wa and the others. They were obviously from a higher grade. Asking them to admit that they were beaten by kids younger than them, wouldn't that be so embarrassing that they would bring disgrace to everyone's house?

He became famous in school afterwards. When others saw him, they would point at him and laugh. It was this guy, who was beaten by the older kid who was younger than him.

How embarrassing.

Zhou Caiwei really wanted to take back what she had just said. She was wrong. She shouldn't have started with Ning Tang. "Well, Da Wa's mother, shouldn't we first understand the situation? For example, why did Da Wa and the others fight?"

Ning Tang nodded: "Then may I ask Teacher Zhou, why did Da Wa and the others fight?"

Zhou Caiwei nodded with satisfaction. That was right. She inexplicably felt that Ning Tang was a little more pleasing to the eye. When she thought of having such an idea, she immediately became alert. She must have set her expectations for Ning Tang too low!

She came back to her senses and continued, "It's like this, Da Wa, Da Hu and a few other kids were playing with sandbags in the school yard during break time." She pointed at the male teacher with a pointed chin, "Li Hai from Teacher Lang's class saw it and wanted to join in the fun..."

The boy named Li Hai and the other boys standing next to him were all of similar height. Li Hai was even stronger than a bear.

Shen Lie took a quick look and concluded that Li Hai should be a junior high school student.

The primary and junior high schools on the island are close to each other, so it is not surprising that Li Hai and his classmates run into Da Wa and his classmates during break time.

As Teacher Zhou told the story, Ning Tang pieced together what had happened.

Wang Xiaoming, the fat boy from Da Wa's class, bought a new sandbag and pulled Da Wa, Da Hu and a few other kids to play with it.

Li Hai from the sixth grade and his classmates saw it and said they wanted to join in the fun.

Wang Xiaoming disagreed, because the sandbag game would not be fun if there were too many people. When there were too many people, there would be less time to get the sandbags, so he refused.

Unexpectedly, Li Hai and the others? The older kid got angry, pushed Wang Xiaoming, and insisted that they must play together.

Wang Xiaoming originally disagreed with them playing together, and now being pushed back, he became even more unhappy. He put away the sandbag and said he didn't want to play anymore.

Li Hai immediately became unhappy and asked him to leave? Okay, but the sandbags can stay.

Of course Wang Xiaoming disagreed and started arguing with Li Hai.

As they pulled, they started to fight.