Ning Tang passed the water to Erniu, who drank it several times. She didn't dare drink it because she was afraid that she would need to go to the toilet when she went on stage.

After the singing, as if a great matter had been resolved, Erniu felt a lot more relaxed. She started to eat snacks while sitting on the bench, a piece of osmanthus cake, a handful of peanuts, feeling very comfortable.

The chorus of Erniu's class was so outstanding that the following class performances seemed a bit mediocre.

There were those who forgot the words when reciting poetry, those who danced in the wrong moves, and those who sang out of tune in the chorus. There was everything.

Finally, it was the turn of Da Wa’s class to perform.

Shen Lie was startled and nudged Ning Tang with his elbow, "Look, it's Da Wa's class' turn."

Ning Tang said, "I see." The bow tie is red and blue, so eye-catching.

Da Wa was standing in the first row. When he saw Ning Tang, Shen Lie and Er Niu, he winked at them playfully and stuck out his tongue.

Shen Lie really wanted to beat him up. The performance was about to begin, and this kid was still thinking about making faces.

Da Hu pulled Dawa's hand, signaling him that the performance was about to begin. Only then did Dawa perk up his little face.

Da Wa's class is Class 2, Grade 6, which is a senior grade. The performances of senior grades are different from those of junior grades. Children in junior grades lack concentration and often go wrong in their performances, so the performances of Da Wa's class are still highly anticipated by the audience.

The performance began, and all the teachers and students in Class 62 began to recite together: "The spring breeze of reform is blowing all over the land."

Just as Ganglang finished reading a sentence, a clear sound came from somewhere: "Gu——"

No one noticed the first sound and was still concentrating on watching the performance of Da Wa's class.

"The Chinese people are really hardworking."

“Gu——”

"…the beauty of the mountains and rivers."

"Gu-gu-gu-gu" two more sounds were heard.

Shen Lie and his friends were in the front and could hear it very clearly. Shen Lie asked Ning Tang in confusion, "Which frog has run onto the stage?" Why is it croaking?

Ning Tang couldn't hold it in any longer and almost laughed out loud, "That's a frog. How can a frog make that sound? Listen carefully, that's clearly the sound of a hungry stomach growling."

Shen Lie pricked up his ears but didn't hear anything. After a while, he figured out that it was indeed the sound of his stomach singing the empty city plan. "Puchi, what's going on with Da Wa's class?"

"What's the matter? I'm hungry." Ning Tang said, "I haven't eaten for half the night. Now it's your turn. Aren't you growling?"

Ning Tang and Shen Lie listened for a while.

The pauses in poetry recitation are particularly long, in order to build up emotions, and thus these repeated "cooing" sounds are particularly noticeable.

Fortunately, the noise was not very loud. Only Ning Tang and her friends who were sitting near the front, almost next to the stage, could hear it. Those in the back row could hear nothing at all.

Ning Tang glanced at the judges. The principal and the dean of studies looked embarrassed. The deputy commander and the chief of staff who were invited to watch the performance pursed their lips with strange expressions, as if they were trying to hold back laughter. They must have heard it.

Another sweep showed that the students in Da Wa's class looked like they were about to cry.

Sanwa’s class was the last to perform, also reciting poetry. The effect was similar to that of Dawa’s class, also “coo coo coo”.

The children in Sanwa's class were hungrier longer, their growling was more obvious, and their poetry recitation was a mess.

After the performance, Sanwa and his classmates didn’t know what to say, so they just let the children go and go home to eat.

Winning or not is a small matter, don’t let your child become too hungry.

The whole evening show was very interesting. Even though some classes' performances were not so outstanding, there were still a lot of jokes. However, it was these mediocre performances and these small "shortcomings" that made this Children's Day unique and the 30th anniversary celebration of Hailang Island Primary School.

The school celebration party was over. Shen Lie was clearing the chairs and picking up the trash when he suddenly remembered something and slapped his thigh. "Oh no! I should have bought a camera to take photos of Da Wa and the others' performance and record it."

Ning Tang also felt very sorry that the concerto of poetry recitation and cooing, as well as Erniu’s wonderful chorus, should have been recorded.

Although she felt sorry, she pointed to her head and said, "It's okay. We recorded it in our brains."

Shen Lie still felt very sorry and said, "I still have to buy a camera. It will come in handy someday."

Ning Tang: "Okay, take some photos and develop them, then we can make a photo wall at home."

Every time I look at it from now on, it’s all just memories.

Just like the family photo taken at Jiang City Photo Studio before, every time Ningtang sees it, he can always recall the happiness he felt when taking the photo.

The winning classes for outstanding performances at the school anniversary party were selected that evening, but since it was too late, the awards were not presented on the spot. The children and their parents were allowed to go home first, and the awards were presented during the flag-raising ceremony on Monday.

On Monday afternoon, Erniu came home in high spirits, with small steps and skipping steps, and shouted "Mom!" as soon as she opened her mouth, fearing that Ningtang couldn't hear her.

"I heard it." Ning Tang came down from the building and scratched his ears. "You shouted so loudly that even your sister-in-law Luo heard it."

Erniu stuck out her tongue and handed the prize to Ningtang, "Look, this is the prize I won at the school celebration party."

Ning Tang lowered her head and saw that the prize Erniu mentioned was an enamel mug. This enamel mug was two sizes larger than the ones they usually used to drink water. Printed on the white enamel surface was a woman with short hair and a military cap. She made a "move forward" gesture, and next to it were seven big red characters: Women Hold Up Half the Sky.

Ning Tang was amused. In her opinion, this was too tacky, but it was tacky in a unique way. In this day and age, it could be considered a fashionable thing. She swallowed her words and said, "...It's really beautiful."

But maybe there is a typo? Shouldn't it be something like 'Labor is the most glorious' or 'Exercise in the wind and waves'?

This 'woman'... has nothing to do with Erniu, a pretty little girl?

Erniu said, "Our class won the first prize. The prize was 100 yuan and a certificate. The certificate was posted on our class wall. There was also this enamel pot. Since there was only one, it was difficult to share. Teacher An said that I was the lead singer and had put in a lot of effort, so he gave this award to me."

"Very good." Ning Tang nodded, "This thing is practical. A jar of water is enough for you to drink for a day."

No matter what Ning Tang thought, Erniu liked it very much. She held the enamel pot tightly and couldn't let it go. She also said that she would wait for Shen Lie to come back and show it off to him.

Ning Tang asked Da Wa and San Wa: "How about your class? Did they win any prizes?"

The eldest child sighed, "I just got a consolation prize, a certificate."

Sanwa also puffed up his cheeks and said, "Next time, next time we will definitely win a prize, and I want an enamel pot too."

Ning Tang was amused. "Next time, I guess we'll have to wait until the 40th anniversary of the school, and it has to coincide with Children's Day, to hold such a school celebration party." He patted the little boy's head. "By then, you won't even be a primary school student anymore."

Sanwa: "Then I want to win the prize too."

Erniu said, "By the way, Mom, when I was leaving school, I ran into Wu Yingdi and her mother at the school gate."

Ning Tang nodded, "And then?"

Erniu tilted her head and thought for a moment, "Mother Wu Yingdi walked towards me and glared at me." She blinked, very confused, "Why did she glare at me?"

Ning Tang guessed that Wang Di was probably upset because Erniu had been in the spotlight yesterday. "Don't bother with her. No one in their right mind can understand her."

The eldest child responded, "What is she thinking?"

Ning Tang thought about it and concluded, "If you see others doing well, you can drink two less bowls of porridge, and if you see others doing badly, you can eat two more steamed buns."

You just can't stand seeing others being better than her.

Shen Lie entered the room, "What kind of porridge and steamed buns?"

"No problem." Ning Tang interrupted him casually, "By the way, shall we have porridge or steamed buns for lunch?"

Shen Lie was speechless, "When did we ever have porridge and steamed buns for lunch?" They couldn't be that poor.

Ask the three little ones, "Did your mother secretly say bad things about me when I was not around, saying that I only gave you porridge and steamed buns to eat?"

The three little ones shook their heads and covered their mouths with their hands while laughing.

Shen Lie, "By the way, why are you asking me what I'm having for lunch? You didn't make lunch?"

Ning Tang waved his hands, "I slept late and didn't even buy food."

Shen Lie was happy, "You are really good." He rolled up his sleeves and went into the kitchen. His voice came from the kitchen, "If I don't come back, what are you going to eat?"

Ning Tang said, "I'm going to use my unique skills to make another dish for Da Wa and the other two, fried instant noodles."

The eldest child took a sip of water and looked towards the kitchen. "Dad, why don't you go back to the army?"

Shen Lie: "You are truly my biological son."

Erniu saw Shen Lie enter the kitchen and followed him in.

Shen Lie was cooking noodles when he saw Erniu: "What are you doing in the kitchen?"

Erniu rolled her eyes and said, "I, I came to see what you are cooking."

Shen Lie: "Don't expect too much. Since we didn't buy any food at home, I'll make noodles for you guys for lunch."

Erniu nodded, "It takes one egg and two drops of sesame oil."

Shen Lie: "Are you going to add a handful of green vegetables?" He glanced at Erniu, "Do you have anything else to do?"

Erniu blinked her big eyes and said, "It's okay."

Shen Lie: "Then you can go out."

Erniu puffed up her cheeks and asked, "Why?"

Shen Lie said bluntly, "Because you are clumsy in the kitchen and it affects my performance."

Erniu was so angry that she turned around and left the kitchen, stomping on the floor. She complained to Ningtang, "Mom, look at Dad. He said I was a hindrance and it affected his performance." She muttered, "How can I perform well when I make noodles?"

Shen Lie's voice came from the kitchen, "Shen Erniu, if you have any ideas, you can do it."

Erniu shrank her neck guiltily and said loudly, "Dad, I have no objection, just hurry up and make it, I really like eating noodles."

Ning Tang went to the kitchen to help Shen Lie. If two people worked together, it would be faster.

Seeing her come in, Shen Lie also muttered to her, "What's wrong with Erniu today? She had to squeeze into the kitchen to watch me cook."

Ning Tang couldn't help laughing, "Didn't you see that?"

Shen Lie shook his head, "What kind of riddle is this?"

Ning Tang gestured, "You are blind. She has such a big enamel pot in her hand and keeps pushing it towards you. The enamel pot is almost touching your face, just waiting for you to compliment her."

Shen Lie: “…”

He realized that when Erniu entered the kitchen just now, she was holding an enamel pot that was a size larger than the ordinary ones. He thought Ningtang bought it for her. Who told her to always buy things for the three little ones? "You didn't buy it? Then where did it come from?"

Ning Tang glared at him, "It's an award from the school, a first-class prize at the school celebration party."

Shen Lie: "Okay, I'll praise her later."

While eating, Shen Lie really praised Erniu a lot.

Erniu is not the same as before. When she hears others praise her, she blushes and puffs out her chest, like a young rooster that has just grown a comb. She is full of pride and says, "Dad, you are right."

Shen Lie: “…”

The eldest child picked up a few noodles with chopsticks and frowned, "How can I eat noodles for lunch? Dad, you are too perfunctory. Have you ever heard of the saying, eat a full breakfast, eat well at lunch, and eat less at night?"

Shen Lie: "Every meal in our house is always filling and delicious."

The eldest child put the noodles into his mouth and said, "Look at these noodles, do they taste good?"

"How about you do it?" Shen Lie said, "You don't even have to cook. There are so many things to do every day."

The eldest child said quickly, "I will do it."

Ning Tang: "You said so. I was just planning to teach you three how to cook."

Now it was Shen Lie's turn to be stunned, "Is this true?"

"Really?" Ning Tang said, "Dawa is going to junior high school in September. It's so rare that he can't cook even though he's already in junior high school."

Shen Lie: "I remember you didn't know how to cook when you first came."

Ning Tang choked, "What do you think?"

Shen Lie shrugged, "I don't dare." He turned and looked at the three kids, "When you look for a partner in the future, you must keep your eyes open. The first condition is whether he can cook."

Erniu asked, "Why?"

The eldest child covered his mouth and laughed, "Because Dad was deceived. He only found out that Mom couldn't cook after he married her."

Shen Lie said earnestly, "Among a couple, one must be able to cook, otherwise they will be left with nothing."

Ning Tang patted his shoulder and said, "So this heavy task is handed over to you. Besides, I am the cook now." He added, "You said it yourself that one of the couple must know how to cook. I decided to let Da Wa be the one who knows how to cook."

Shen Lie: "Are you serious?"

"Really." Ning Tang said, "Have you ever heard of the saying, 'People who know how to cook will never starve to death wherever they go?'"

"I haven't heard of it." Shen Lie shook his head. "But I can see that you want to teach the three of them how to cook, and then you can let go and be the boss, waiting for Da Wa, Er Niu and San Wa to cook for you every day."

Ning Tang: "Just one sentence, teach them or not." Then he said, "You think, teach them how to cook. There are five people in our family, and each of them cooks for a day. It will be much easier for the two of us."

Shen Lie thought about it and realized that this made sense. "Then, teach them?"

"I'll teach you." Ning Tang said, "By the way, how old were you when you learned to cook?"

People of their generation should have learned to cook very early, right?

Shen Lie stood up to clear the table and said casually, "I learned this in elementary school. My parents have to go to the fields to work and earn work points. I'm the only child in the family. If I don't cook, who will?" After finishing cooking, he had to go to the fields to deliver the food.

Recalling the past, "I first learned to cook sweet potato porridge, then I moved a small stool, took a spatula, and stood in front of the stove to cook. If you ask me, I can't remember when I learned to cook."

Ning Tang thought, no wonder Shen Lie is such a good cook, it turns out he has been practicing since he was young.

She kept her word and dug up the three of them, Da Wa, on Sunday morning.

The eldest child finally wanted to take a nap, and rubbed his eyes sleepily, "Mom, why did you wake us up so early?"

Ning Tang said, "I'm calling you to get up and cook." He added, "Now is the time to cook lunch. Once it's ready, you can have it in time for lunch."

Erniu was dumbfounded, "Mom, are you serious?"

"Really? I'm a man of few words. When have I ever told a lie?" Ning Tang passed the spatula over. "Come, let's learn the simplest one first: scrambled eggs with tomatoes."

The eldest child took the spatula and muttered, "Shouldn't Dad be the one to teach us how to cook?"

Sanwa said, "That's right, learn your cooking skills from mom." Shaking his head, he said, "It's better not to learn."

Ning Tang choked, "Don't forget who cooks the meals you eat every day. You haven't starved to death despite my cooking skills."

Erniu sighed, "Your requirements are really low."

Ning Tang put her hands on her hips and said, "Stop talking nonsense and just tell me whether you want to learn or not."

The eldest child looked at the spatula in his hand and said with a bitter face, "The spatula is already in my hand, how can I not learn it?"

"No." Ning Tang said, "This morning, you must learn to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes for me." After thinking for a while, he said, "From now on, you must learn a dish every few days and you must master it."

Once you teach Da Wa and the other three, you will be liberated!

The eldest child took the spatula and asked, "So, how do you make scrambled eggs with tomatoes?"

Ning Tang said, "First, learn how to cut tomatoes and green onions with a kitchen knife."

The eldest child muttered, "This is not easy."

For the eldest child, using a kitchen knife is really easy. It is much easier than learning Chinese.

He recalled the way Shen Lie cut vegetables, holding the scallions in one hand and the kitchen knife in the other. In a short while, he had cut a bunch of scallions.

Ning Tang stretched his neck to take a look. Although the lengths were different, at least it was cut out.

The same goes for tomatoes, just cut them into small pieces.

Ning Tang said, "Crack another egg."

The three little ones often help with small tasks like beating eggs, so the eldest kid doesn't have to do it, because the second girl can mix the eggs right away.

I just wasn't paying attention and ended up laying a few extra eggs.

Ning Tang waved his hands and said, "It's okay. Eat more eggs. They are nutritious and good for your body."

The eldest boy poured oil into the pot and added minced garlic. The pot immediately started to sizzle.

Ning Tang took a step back in fear and pulled the three little ones back, "Stay away."

Big Boy is not afraid of this. He just likes to listen to this kind of sound, crackling, like firecrackers.

Scrambled eggs with tomatoes is the simplest home-cooked dish and not difficult to make.

Just heat the pan, add chopped tomatoes and eggs, stir-fry for a few times, add some salt and sugar, and finally sprinkle with chopped green onions.

A dish of scrambled eggs with tomatoes was quickly prepared. Although there were too many eggs, the tomatoes were not broiled, and the green onions were of different lengths, but at least they were cooked.

Ning Tang instructed Da Wa, "Take a bite and see if it tastes good."

The eldest child was speechless: "Why don't you taste it? You asked me to cook this meal."

Ning Tang said confidently, "Because I still want to live a few more years. Stop talking nonsense and try it quickly to see if it tastes good. Return the meal I asked you to cook. Shouldn't you take the first bite of the meal you cooked?"

The eldest child shook his head and said, "I can't argue with you." He picked up a piece of egg with chopsticks and stuffed it into the third child's mouth in a flash, "Don't spit it out. If you spit it out, it will be a waste of food. If you dare to waste food, I will tell Dad and let him beat you."

Sanwa held a scrambled egg in his mouth, his eyes filled with tears.

Erniu asked curiously, "Is it delicious?"

Sanwa pursed his lips and said nothing.

Ning Tang: "Needless to say, it's definitely not tasty." Pointing at the eldest child, "Look at the food you cooked. It almost made the third child cry because it's not tasty. And you still have the nerve to complain that your father's noodles are not tasty."

Sanwa chewed it, swallowed it, and said quietly, "It's actually not bad." He muttered, "It tastes almost the same as the rice you cook."

Ning Tang really wanted to beat him up, "You make the next dish."

"Ah——" Sanwa wanted to cry but had no tears.

"What?" Ning Tang said, "I want to see how delicious your cooking is. Let me tell you, my cooking skills are already pretty good."

Big Baby muttered, "Yes, it's just a level that can't kill me."

Ning Tang scratched his ears, "Big Boy, what did you just say?"

The eldest boy immediately straightened his face and said seriously, "I didn't say anything." He rolled his eyes and said, "I said, Sanwa, it's time to cook." He stuffed the spatula into Sanwa's hands.

Sanwa took the spatula and looked at Ningtang aggrievedly, "Mom, what should I cook?"

Ning Tang said, "Just stir-fry some vegetables, and don't ask for more."

While the three kids were picking vegetables, Ning Tang threatened them, "You all should learn how to cook. If you don't know how to cook, you won't be able to find a partner in the future."

Big Baby said, "I don't believe it."

Ning Tang continued to bluff: "Really? Your dad married me because I can cook. Think about it, a man who can cook gets extra points. When you go out on a blind date, just mention to others that you can cook, especially boys, the people chasing you will line up from the vegetable market to the supply and marketing cooperative."

Erniu asked, "What about girls who can cook?"

"It's the same bonus." Ning Tang said, "What I don't understand the most is that I don't know since when women are required to know how to cook. If a man can't cook, no one will say anything, but if a woman can't cook, it's like she has violated the law of heaven."

Sanwa said, "It seems that on our island, it's the aunts and uncles who cook, and my dad is the only man who knows how to cook."

Da Wa said, "Yes, Uncle Qi can't cook." He often went to Da Hu's house to play. "Uncle Qi can't do anything. Once, Aunt Xinlan was busy cooking in the kitchen, and Uncle Qi wanted to drink tea, so Aunt Xinlan let him cook it himself. During the time it took to cook a meal, Uncle Qi went into the kitchen and asked Aunt Xinlan three times, 'Where is the cup?' 'Where is the tea?' 'How much water do you want?'"

Ning Tang understood immediately and was immediately happy. Captain Qi, what kind of person is this? He had to ask several questions even for making tea. And what kind of questions did he ask? It was as if he didn't live in this house but was a guest here. "Do you know why your Uncle Qi doesn't do this? Do you think he really doesn't know how to make tea?"

Erniu shook her head, "I don't think so. Uncle Qi should know how to make tea. I don't believe that he doesn't drink tea in the army."

Captain Qi's position is not enough to require guards, so there is no one to help him, so he must do it on his own.

Ning Tang nodded, "Of course he would. He did this on purpose because he didn't want to do it himself. He went into the kitchen a few more times and asked a few more times, which annoyed your Aunt Xinlan so that she would take the initiative to make tea for him."

Many men are like this. They don't want to do it and are too lazy to move, so they pretend that they can't learn it.

It's just like cooking. Is cooking really that difficult? Ning Tang, who thinks he has no talent in cooking, can just learn it a few more times and cook it a few more times, and the dishes he cooks will still be delicious.

They pretend that they can't cook, or deliberately cook badly, just to avoid cooking. If they cook well, they will have to cook every day in the future.

So, there are so many "stupid" men who can't cook, can't even clean a table, and can't even make tea?

Although he is said to be stupid, he is actually very smart.