All night long, Ningtang took Sanwa by the hand and gave him detailed instructions on every detail.

Sanwa was in a very low mood and was annoyed by her nagging, "Mom, it's not like I won't be back. Didn't Principal Lu tell me that I still have holidays during the holidays? Well."

Ning Tang glared at him, "How can it be the same? We used to see each other every day." He hissed, "Could it be that you forgot what your father and I looked like after you left for such a short time?"

Sanwa shook his head, "How could that be?"

Shen Lie said, "Take the family photo we took at the photo studio and put it in your dormitory. Look at it every day." He added, "Before you leave, take a few more photos and put them at home. We can look at them when we miss you."

Big Baby: "Really? Just put it on the wall, frame it, and have dinner with us."

The third child nodded as he listened, and suddenly realized something was wrong. He raised his fist and wanted to hit the eldest child, "Brother, curse me."

Ning Tang discussed with Shen Lie, "How much money do you think we should give him?"

There are many new things in Shanghai, and the prices are high, so the expenses are also great. Ning Tang prepared to give Sanwa 500 yuan, which will be enough for him to spend for a long time.

Shen Lie said, "No need. The training base is semi-closed. He may not be able to leave the base once a month. He has no place to spend the money. Besides, the base provides three meals a day. I heard that they are nutritionally balanced. The nutritious meals are much healthier than what you eat at home. They also provide him with clothes. How can he spend the money?"

Ning Tang thought about it and agreed, but he still prepared two hundred yuan for Sanwa and asked him to take it with him in case of emergency.

"What do you think? Should we let Sanwa bring some special products from Hailang Island, like dried fruits and seafood, to the soldiers?" Shen Lie said.

Ning Tang: "No need, I will send it to my brother when the time comes. Sanwa is going to Shanghai with those leaders. It's not convenient to carry so many bags."

It is very convenient to send a package nowadays. All you need to do is go to the post office.

Even if it was Sanwa, Ningtang didn't plan to let him carry a straw mat, quilt, or enamel pot to take the train. It would be quite inconvenient.

These things should have been prepared for him at the training base. If not, he can just buy them in Shanghai. It's tiring to carry them around, and what's the point of doing that? It's tiring and thankless.

With the departure of the third child, the family was a little depressed for a while. Fortunately, there were still the eldest child and the second daughter. The eldest child alone made the whole family uneasy.

It was no secret that Sanwa was chosen by the leader of the Marine Swim Team training base from Shanghai, especially for the students in Sanwa's class. How could they not know that there was one person missing? The more active ones went to ask the teacher. The teacher told all the classmates about Sanwa being a little athlete and encouraged everyone to be like Sanwa.

One person tells ten people, ten people tell a hundred people.

The news spread quickly.

Almost everyone in the military academy knew the news, except for one person, Ning Xue.

Ever since the twins were born and she boasted about "your biological mother is not as good as my stepmother", the wives of soldiers in the Military Family Institute have been vaguely repelling Ning Xue. They would still say hello to her when they met, but they were not close friends.

In the entire military academy, Li Yun was the only one who stayed with Ning Xue.

The Su family and the Shen family live across the street from each other, so if there is any movement, they can immediately discover each other.

When Sanwa just "disappeared", Ning Xue didn't notice it yet.

But after a month, in the morning, only the eldest and second daughter went out to school together, and there was no sign of the third child, so she felt a little puzzled.

At first, Ning Xue thought Sanwa had returned to Shangang Village.

But another month passed, and then two months passed...there was still no sign of Sanwa, so she realized something was wrong and became anxious.

Sanwa, is he dead?

Ning Xue asked Li Yun: "Do you know the Shen family? Where is Sanwa? Why is he gone? Could he have... done something? But I haven't seen Ning Tang and Shen Lie go to the hospital."

Moreover, if the third child really died, the Shen family would not be as comfortable as it is now. It would definitely be gloomy.

Li Yun was surprised, "Don't you know?"

"Know what?" Ning Xue was even more surprised than her.

Li Yun looked at Ning Xue meaningfully, "Sometimes, I really don't think you and Ning Tang are cousins. Your family is related to the Shen family."

Ning Xue pursed her lips and said, "Just keep talking about the subject, don't talk about other things."

Li Yun said, "The leader of the Navy Swimming Team came to our island to select talents. The third child of the Shen family was selected. From now on, he will be a little athlete."

"Ah?" Ning Xue looked incredulous. "With Shen Sanwa's character? Why would anyone choose him?"

In Ning Xue's eyes, Sanwa is a "bad student" who is naughty and always climbs up the roof and tiles. His grades are worse than those of the eldest child, and there is really no subject that he can show off.

Sometimes when Ning Xue is free, she would wonder, was it the eldest child who got into a fight and ended up in jail first, or was it the third child who couldn't go to high school or get into college and became a scum at the bottom of society first?

Li Yun said, "He swims fast, and the leader is a member of the swimming team, so he was attracted by this." She said enviously, "It would be great if our Xiaoliu could also be selected. I heard that there would be a training base, three meals a day, clothes, and subsidies."

Ning Xue was so angry that her mouth was almost twisted. "Impossible, Shen Sanwa is only ten years old, just a little brat. He was selected by the Navy Swim Team and went to the Navy Swim Team's training base. What contribution can he make to them? Why should they provide him with three meals a day and give him clothes, not to mention subsidies? It's all bullshit!"

Li Yun was spitted in the face by her. She wiped her face and said, "Why would I lie to you? Principal Lu said that the training base saw Sanwa's potential and made an investment in him. They also encouraged parents like us whose children have poor academic performance to let our children develop in many aspects and not just focus on grades. Maybe they will be like Sanwa and have talents in other areas."

Liu Xiaoliu's grades were not good either, and Li Yun was planning to let him learn running or something, so that he could become the second "third child".

I heard that Sanwa was only among the first batch selected, and more people will be selected in the future. Maybe... maybe her Xiaoliu will be selected?

Li Yun said, "If you don't believe me, wait until Sanwa returns to the island and ask him yourself."

Ning Xue didn't say anything, and it was unclear whether she heard what Li Yun said.

As soon as Li Yun left, Ning Xue grabbed Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu and said, "You should study hard and don't be outdone by Sanwa."

Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu were so shocked by her words that their ears grew muzzled.

Ning Xue used to say, "You guys should work hard, don't be like the eldest and third kids, who are like useless jellyfish that can't even climb a wall."

Now that Sanwa has become successful, she has changed her words so that Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu will not be outdone by Sanwa.

After Ning Xue finished her muttering, she went to the kitchen to cook. Before leaving, she did not forget to remind the twins to finish the homework she assigned to them.

Su Guangzong looked up to the sky and sighed, "When can we be freed?"

Su Junyan soothed them, "Wait until you get into college, if you get into a good university, then you will be free."

As for himself, he did not have the same good luck as the twins. He could not escape and could only continue to be tortured by Ning Xue.

Ning Xue was cooking in the kitchen. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. What if what Li Yun said was true? If the training base of the Navy Swimming Team really gave Sanwa such good treatment, then Sanwa would have a bright future.

Is this another kind of "iron rice bowl"?

When Ning Xue thought that Sanwa would be more successful than Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu, she couldn't eat or sleep well. In less than a week, she became so thin that her face became sunken and she had two big dark circles under her eyes.

Su Junyan even murmured, wondering if she had become a thief at night.

The next day, Ning Tang took Da Wa and Er Niu to the market to buy vegetables, and met Ning Xue on the way back.

Ning Tang glanced at her and was ready to nod and leave as usual.

Unexpectedly, Ning Xue saw her, and she ran straight up with a limp, shouting, "Ning Tang!"

"What are you doing?" Ning Tang took a step back and patted his chest. "You scared me. If you have something to say, just say it."

Ning Xue didn't say anything. She first looked Ning Tang up and down, then cast a hesitant look at Da Wa and Er Niu.

After the two children were all taken away, Ning Xue said coldly, "Where is your third child?"

Ning Tang breathed a sigh of relief. She thought Ning Xue was going to confront her in person, but she didn't expect it was for San Wa's matter. "San Wa, you went to Shanghai."

Ning Xue: "Shanghai?"

"He's a fast swimmer, so he was spotted by the leader of the Navy Swimming Team and was taken to the training base to be an athlete." Ning Tang said, "This happened several months ago."

Ning Xue couldn't help but believe it after hearing Ning Tang's confirmation of Li Yun's statement.

She sneered, "Your third child is really lucky."

Why is this so unpleasant to hear? Ning Tang frowned and said, "Are you jealous? Then you can ask Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu to practice swimming as well. They can swim faster than Sanwa. I will help you find a leader to recommend them."

Ning Xue glanced at her and said, "No need. No matter how good Sanwa is at swimming, the leader chose him because he is young and pitiful. He will be a great honor to our family and will become a college student in the future. He will have a much better future than your Sanwa."

After saying that, he glanced at Da Wa and Er Niu, not forgetting to take them with him, "He is more promising than you two."

Ning Tang was too lazy to argue with her, "Is there anything else? If not, I'm leaving."

Ning Xue sneered, "You are such a vicious person. If I remember correctly, your third child was only ten years old, and you forced him to leave his hometown and go all the way to Shanghai to be an athlete. You can do such a thing. It's different for a child who is not your own."

She had no idea that the last sentence also implicated herself.

She said, "I'm not as cruel as you. The leaders want to choose Guangzong and Yaozu, and I won't let them go."

She looked at Da Wa and Er Niu with pity and said, "How pitiful! You still don't understand the situation. Your mother doesn't care about you at all. Look at San Wa. His present is your future. Sooner or later, your mother will kick you out of the house."

The more she talked, the more she felt that this was the truth. "I heard that going to that training base is subsidized by bonuses? Tsk tsk, she just treats you three as money-making tools, as a cash cow, otherwise why would Sanwa go out to make money at such a young age?"

As the eldest boy heard her words going further and further out of line, he clenched his fists and was ready to rush up to argue with her.

Ning Tang patted Da Wa's shoulder soothingly, turned around, looked at Ning Xue, and pretended to be surprised, "How did you know? You are so smart. Yes, I just treat the three of them as tools to make money, as a cash cow. My ultimate goal in this life is to support the younger ones, let the three of them succeed, and make money for me in the future. I can spend it however I want, standing or lying down."

Ning Xue had never expected Ning Tang to reveal her "purpose" so openly. She angrily said to Da Wa and Er Niu, "Did you hear that? Her true colors have been exposed. Aren't you two idiots going to wake up?"

Da Wa and Er Niu looked at each other and saw smiles in each other's eyes.

The eldest child stiffened his neck and pretended to be stupid, "We are willing to raise mom."

Erniu raised her hand and said, "That's right, I want to make a lot of money for my mother."

The eldest child made a "forward" gesture, "I will go back and study hard, get into a good university, become a college student, and make my mother proud."

"You, you guys!" Ning Xue was about to explode with anger. She gritted her teeth and said, "You guys have really been brainwashed by her."

The angrier she got, the happier Ning Tang was. She smiled and patted the heads of Da Wa and Er Niu, "You are so good. Make more money in the future and buy me a house that is more beautiful than a two-story house and a car."

Da Wa and Er Niu responded in unison, saying loudly, "Okay!"

The more Ning Xue looked at Da Wa and Er Niu, the angrier she became. She felt that they were two idiots with square heads. She stamped her feet in anger and said, "You two are really hopeless. You were sold out by someone and you're still counting their money."

The eldest child still felt that she was not angry enough, so he shook his head and said, "I am happy to do it!"

"Bah!" Ning Xue was furious. "What's the point of you being happy? The two of you, plus the third child, are three good-for-nothings. You won't be able to make any money in your lifetime. Don't you think about it? With your lousy grades, Shen Dawa, you can't even go to school. How can you make any money? Bah! You just talk big!"

"Then you won't have to worry about it." Ning Tang still had a smile on his face.

To someone like Fu Ningxue, the calmer and more unmoved you are, the angrier she will be, and the more angry she will be.

Ning Tang had just finished cooking when he got home when he heard the sound of a car bell at the door.

Da Wa and Er Niu went out to receive the letter. Er Niu ran back into the house, holding up the letter and yelled, "Mom, it's from San Wa."

Ning Tang's eyes lit up, "Really? Let's take a look at what he wrote."

Shen Lie got off work and heard that Sanwa had sent a letter. He walked a few steps quickly and said, "Sanwa has sent a letter."

The eldest child was carrying a large package with great effort, and glanced at Shen Lie with resentment, "Dad, come and help me move the things." He then muttered, "Why did the third child send so many things back?"

Ning Tang washed her hands, wiped them with the corner of her clothes, and opened the letter herself, "Let me see what Sanwa wrote."

He glanced over the letter and said with a smile, "Sanwa said that he is doing well in the training base. Since he is the youngest, the coach and others take good care of him and told us not to worry about him."

Pointing to the large package, he said, "He said the training base gave him a subsidy of 25 yuan a month, and he didn't spend a penny of it. He saved it all. This is what he bought for us. It's a specialty of Shanghai."

The eldest child buried himself in the package and took out something every now and then. "What is this? Let me see. Pear paste candy, Gaoqiao pine cake, Gu embroidered handkerchief... The third child bought so many things. Why is it so heavy?"

Shen Lie picked up a can of pear paste candy. The white candy contained small yellow cubes of candy. He ate one and chewed it, making a crisp sound. "Mm, not bad, delicious. This stuff can moisten the throat. I'll take two cans to Lao Zhao later. He is a political commissar and has to attend meetings with his subordinates every day. This will soothe his throat. This is just right for him."

Erniu tried on the little leather shoes that Sanwa bought for her. The black shoes had several small flowers decorated with beads on them. They were delicate and pretty, extremely beautiful.

Ning Tang saw that the three of them were still looking at the things that San Wa had sent, and urged them, "Eat first, and then look after you finish eating."

Shen Lie nodded, "What are we eating today?"

"Let's have fish hotpot." Ning Tang said.

It is the season when fish is plump. Cook a pot of thick soup with sheep bones, add fresh fish fillets, and dip them in special seasonings. It is so delicious that it will make your tongue fall off.

The eldest child picked up a piece of fish fillet and asked, "Mom, what kind of fish is this?"

"Crispy Anhui fish, does it taste different from ordinary fish? It's crispy and especially chewy." Ning Tang said.

The eldest child took another sip and said, "Really? Eh."

Erniu didn't like eating fish. She always felt that fish had a fishy smell. Even if Ningtang described the crispy fish as delicious, she didn't want to pick up her chopsticks. She frowned and said, "I don't want to eat fish."

Shen Lie said, "Hey, you're still picky." He threatened her, "I'm going to send you to the training base where Sanwa is staying. Don't even mention not eating fish. You'll want to eat everything you see."

Erniu tilted her head, "Why?"

"Because the food at the training base is not good." Thinking of this, Shen Lie wanted to laugh, "By the way, Sanwa also said in the letter that Principal Lu lied to him, and he wants to come back to settle the score with Principal Lu."

The eldest child asked, "Why is it not good?"

He was originally very excited about Sanwa being able to go to the training base, because he heard that the cultural course requirements at the training base were not the same as those at the schools on the island. They only needed to learn some basic cultural knowledge, and the main focus was still on sports.

For Big Wa, this is simply heaven.

He even thought about whether he should learn from Sanwa and swim more often in the hope of being selected by the training base next year.

Ning Tang said, "It's not that the food at the training base is bad, it's just that it doesn't suit his taste."

What do athletes eat? Nutritious meals with less oil, less salt, high protein and vitamins, pursuing nutritional balance. But Sanwa, who loves spicy food and strong flavors, would be at a loss if he went there.

Shen Lie said, "According to Sanwa, the nutritious meals at the training base don't have oil or even salt. They taste the same as the steamed seafood your mom makes, which is just blanched in water. No matter if it's seafood, meat, or vegetables, they're all cooked the same way. He said his mouth is so dry that it tastes like a bird."

Under the table, Ning Tang stepped on Shen Lie's foot and squinted his eyes, "Do you have any ideas? Then I won't cook anymore. You can come back from the army and cook at noon."

Shen Lie laughed and said, "I was just kidding, I was just kidding, you cooked lunch after all, the food you cooked is so delicious, I love it."

Erniu imagined eating that kind of tasteless food for three meals a day. She shuddered for a moment and honestly picked up her chopsticks to pick up the crispy fish fillet. "Dad, now that you mentioned that, I suddenly think the crispy fish is delicious. I must eat more."

After dinner, Ning Tang took a look at Shen Lie's hair and asked, "Has your hair grown longer?"

Shen Lie touched his temples and said, "Has it grown? Why didn't I notice it?"

Erniu also took a look and said, "Dad, your hair has really grown longer." She gestured, "It was this long before, and now it's that long."

Shen Lie was confused by her, "What's the point of this and that? If it gets too long, just let your mother cut it for me."

Ever since Ning Tang showed off her skill, she has been the one cutting everyone's hair in the house, from top to bottom.

"Go get a basin of water and bring the scissors." Ning Tang instructed Da Wa.

She asked Shen Lie to sit on a stool, took out two newspapers as haircut capes, and quickly gave Shen Lie a short flat head.

Shen Lie looked at himself in the mirror, touched his short flat head, and felt a little uncomfortable. "Why does it look the same whether I cut it or not?"

"Because they all have short flat heads." Ning Tang said, "What's the difference?"

It's not that I don't want to help him cut his hair into a different style. In the army, people are not allowed to have any hairstyle other than a short crew cut, unless you want to be set as a role model.

"Not only does it look the same whether you cut it or not." Shen Lie complained, "I also think your haircut is ugly. It doesn't look lively at all. Has your technique deteriorated?"

"You are the one who has regressed." Ning Tang said with his hands on his hips, "Have you ever heard a saying?"

Shen Lie asked: "What?"

Ning Tang smiled and said, "If a man feels energetic after getting his hair cut, it means he is old. Think about it, isn't that the truth?"

Shen Lie thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case.

Ning Tang patted his shoulder and said, "So, if you think it's ugly, it means you're still young."

Shen Lie nodded. He also felt that he was in his prime. However, he pointed to the part of himself that was cut off and asked, "How do you explain this?"

"Oh." Ning Tang choked, "Who told you to keep talking to me? I was distracted and ruined my hair. Oh, it's okay. You have a hat, so just put it on. Who will notice?"

Shen Lie muttered, "Even if you have a hat, you can't wear it every day."

Ning Tang asked Da Wa and Er Niu, "Do you two want to get your hair cut?"

The eldest child scratched his hair, looked at it in the mirror, and realized it was getting too long. "I want to cut it."

Ning Tang helped him cut his hair. "It's still the same hairstyle as before, right?"

The eldest boy tapped his head wildly.

Erniu didn't want to cut her hair. She wanted to keep her hair long and tie it into a braid. Ningtang helped her trim the ends of her hair and then trim her bangs.

That day, Ning Tang took out the books on the bookshelf and cleaned them up, then picked out a few and prepared to give them to Zhou Caiwei.

Zhou Caiwei struggled for several years but still couldn't get pregnant. Perhaps her fate had finally arrived, and two months ago, she finally got pregnant.

Wu Dahui is almost 40 years old this year and had never expected to have children. Unexpectedly, Zhou Caiwei gave him a big surprise out of the blue. He was overjoyed.

At home, Zhou Caiwei was treated like the empress dowager and was almost worshipped as a deity.

When Wu Dahui's biological mother Miao Xiaofeng heard the news that Zhou Caiwei was pregnant, she ignored everything and immediately took a train from the countryside to Hailang Island, saying that she would take good care of Zhou Caiwei.

Because it was the first child and a late-born one, Wu Dahui treasured her very much and asked Zhou Caiwei to put her school work aside for the time being and wait until she recovered from the pregnancy before returning to work.

As a teacher, you have to stand on the podium all day long. Zhou Caiwei teaches students in the lower grades. Children in the lower grades like to run around. If one of them accidentally bumps into Zhou Caiwei's stomach, that would not be fun.

Although Zhou Caiwei is not pregnant yet, her pregnancy symptoms are very obvious. She can't eat and feels like vomiting when she smells a little fishy. The eldest child complained that she is suitable for eating the "nutritional meals" at the base of the third child, which are tasteless. Maybe they are still edible.

After all these things, Zhou Caiwei reported to the school and planned to stabilize the pregnancy first and deal with other things later.