Ning Xue almost fainted from anger. This matter could not be kept secret, so Ning Tang naturally knew about the conversation between her and Sanwa.

When she learned about this, her first reaction was to be speechless. Then she asked Sanwa, "Sanwa, you did this on purpose, didn't you?"

Sanwa blinked and said innocently, "No."

Ning Tang narrowed his eyes, "Do you believe this yourself?"

Sanwa stuck out his tongue and said, "Okay? I was deliberately provoking her. It was because of her that she always looked down on me and my brothers and sisters and said those unpleasant things." He muttered quietly, "Who knew she would be so vulnerable to provocation?"

Ning Tang said, "It's okay. It can be considered as a lesson for her. But next time someone asks you, don't tell anyone everything."

Sanwa nodded. He understood the truth. If you don’t show your wealth to others, you don’t have to worry about thieves stealing it. You have to worry about thieves targeting it.

It was only when he was talking to Ning Xue that he told her everything about the treatment at the Marine Swimming Team training base. When facing other people, he was reserved and would not tell them everything.

After all, the treatment he received from the Marine Swimming Team Training Base was too generous. It was inevitable that others would be jealous of him as a little kid who could earn so much money.

Shen Lie said, "Sanwa told Ning Xue about all the good treatment. Do you think she would be jealous?"

Ning Tang said, "Just be jealous."

Ning Xue only saw Sanwa wearing sixteen sets of clothes a year, expensive swimming trunks that cost more than three hundred yuan, and a salary of twenty-five yuan a month. She did not see the sweat and tears Sanwa shed during training, nor did she see his skin turning white and wrinkled from soaking in the swimming pool.

All I can say is that Sanwa deserves the good treatment he receives, and Ning Xue deserves to be jealous.

Because of Ning Xue's interruption, Sanwa of course couldn't swim that day. After all, she had fainted. Sanwa was busy pinching her needles, and it took a lot of effort to carry her to the health center.

So while Ning Xue was recuperating at home, Sanwa was finally able to go swimming at the beach.

When he went to the beach, he brought two small buckets with him and swam in the sea. After one morning, his swimming training for the day was over and the two small buckets were full.

When Sanwa came home, Ningtang saw that he was wet and knew that he had gone swimming. She said angrily, "How dare you go swimming in this month? It's a pity that we are in Hailang Island. The sun is still shining in February and the weather is warm. If you were in a mountain village or a northern city, the creek would be frozen. If you jump in, you will get a bump on your head or be frozen into a popsicle."

Sanwa chuckled and changed the subject, holding up two small buckets, "Mom, look what I brought back."

Ning Tang looked down and found that the bucket was filled with small crabs, Lugu shrimps and oysters.

The small crab is a small flower crab with red and white patterns on its claws. It is not very big, about half the size of a palm. You can imagine that there is not much roe inside.

Lugu shrimp is the mantis shrimp, also known as the rich shrimp. This one is quite fat. Ningtang thinks it is about as long as her palm. There should be yellow shrimp paste inside.

The oysters in this month are the most plump, with white meat, round and firm. I believe the taste will not be too bad.

You can pick up small crabs and oysters at the beach, but you definitely can't pick up Lugu shrimps. Ning Tang asked, "Where do these Lugu shrimps come from?"

Sanwa said, "It was given to me by a fisherman. He saw me swimming and asked me why I was swimming in the sea in such a cold weather. I said it was for exercise, and he said it was good, so he gave me half a bucket of Lugu shrimp."

Ning Tang asked, "Have you said thank you to them?"

Sanwa said, "Of course." He shivered, "Mom, can I go take a shower? It's so cold."

I didn't feel it when I was swimming in the sea, but now that I've been on shore for a long time and the cold wind blows, I feel cold.

Ning Tang was happy, "Come on, I'll make you something delicious."

Sanwa swallowed his saliva and asked, "What should I cook? Food?"

Swimming is very tiring. He is now tired and exhausted, and his stomach is rumbling with hunger.

Ning Tang thought for a moment and said, "How about making soy sauce crab and raw pickled crab?"

"What are soy sauce crab and raw pickled crab?" Big Boy came over. He had never heard of these two things.

Ning Tang: "As soon as there's something delicious to eat, you come over right away."

The eldest child chuckled and said, "Oh, I'm hungry, so, mom, what are soy sauce crab and raw pickled crab?"

Ning Tang said, "Soy sauce crabs are crabs soaked in soy sauce, white wine, and rice wine. The flower crabs that Sanwa picked were too small, and there wasn't much roe inside. They would definitely not taste good if steamed. Soy sauce crabs would taste better. Raw pickled crabs, as the name suggests, are made by marinating raw seafood with seasonings. I won't go into details, but it will definitely taste good if cooked."

Erniu asked, "So, is this what we're going to eat for lunch?"

"That's not the case." Ning Tang said, "Do I have to pickle both the soy sauce crab and the raw pickled crab? They will only be seasoned in the afternoon. I'll pickle them now so I can eat them for dinner."

Fortunately, I bought a refrigerator at home, otherwise it would take several days to marinate.

The refrigerator was bought not long ago. Sanwa sent all his salary and winnings from competitions back home. Ningtang asked him to keep it for himself, but he refused. Ningtang then planned to buy a new appliance. The family already had a bicycle, a washing machine, and an electric fan, so Shen Lie suggested buying a refrigerator.

The refrigerator can be used to store leftovers, fruits, and make popsicles. It has many uses. Ning Tang and he hit it off immediately. They had the same idea, so they bought the refrigerator home very quickly.

Ning Tang said to San Wa, "When the time comes, you can try this pickled food. If it tastes good, take some back and share it with your coach and other teammates." Xiang Xiang said, "I'll find a few more aluminum lunch boxes or glass jars for you to pack. You don't have to take them on the train. It'll be faster if I mail them."

Sanwa nodded heavily and said "OK".

Ning Tang urged him, "Hurry up and take a shower. Look at the floor. It's full of your stains." She threatened him, "Your father just mopped the floor. Be careful, or he'll see you and beat you up when he comes back."

Sanwa stuck out his tongue and ran to the bathroom, "I'll go take a shower right now."

While Sanwa was taking a bath, Ningtang took Dawa and Erniu to make soy sauce crabs and pickled vegetables.

While watching the small flower crabs blowing bubbles in the basin, the eldest boy pinched them between his thumb and index finger and cleaned them vigorously with an old toothbrush.

The little flower crabs were spitting white foam from their mouths, but that did not stop them from baring their teeth and claws. The eldest boy hissed, "Hiss, it wants to pinch me."

Erniu said, "Hurry up and wash them." She pointed to the half-washed basin of oysters and said, "I'm almost done."

The eldest boy looked over and saw that he was indeed a little slow. He pouted and rolled up his sleeves, "Just wait, I'll work harder and I'm sure I'll finish before you."

While the two of them were washing the seafood, Ningtang was making the sauce.

Light soy sauce, rice wine, ginger slices, green onions... sugar and salt are mixed into a pot of dark black sauce that looks very similar to soy sauce.

Ningtang soaked the washed small flower crabs one by one in the prepared sauce and stuffed them full.

Erniu asked, "Is this all that's left?" She saw that the little flower crab was still alive and kicking.

"Sure. After the crabs drink the sauce, they will slowly get drunk. Then put them in the refrigerator for a while. They will be completely cooked and marinated by the afternoon." Ning Tang said.

The method of raw pickling is almost the same. Oysters and Lugu shrimps are completely immersed in the sauce prepared with minced garlic, rice wine, soy sauce, white vinegar and other seasonings. Put it in the refrigerator and freeze it for an afternoon. It can be eaten.

In the evening, when Shen Lie returned home, he saw a table full of raw pickled Lugu shrimp, raw pickled oysters, and soy sauce crabs. The air was filled with the salty and fresh smell of the sauce. Shen Lie sniffed and reached out involuntarily, "What are you eating? It looks delicious. Eat it."

Ning Tang was holding two bowls of rice in his hands. He looked over and asked, "Have you washed your hands?"

Shen Lie had just come back from outside, so of course he hadn't washed his hands. He shrugged, "I'll go wash them now." He muttered quietly, "It's not clean, but you won't get sick if you eat it."

"Say it again, louder." Ning Tang put the bowl on the table.

Shen Lie immediately said sternly, "I said, wash your hands before eating." He looked at Da Wa, "Did you hear me, Da Wa? I'm talking about you."

As soon as Da Wa reached out to poke the crab's claws, he heard Shen Lie throw the pot on his head and was speechless.

Sanwa also poked the crab's back and said, "Mom, I feel like this crab is still raw. Can it really be eaten?"

Erniu took a look and said, "It's not red, so it must be raw."

"It's raw, but you can still eat it." Ning Tang said, "This is called raw pickling. This is another way of cooking. You can try it and see if it tastes good or not and if it suits your taste."

Sanwa picked up a Lugu shrimp, tore off the shrimp head, peeled off the shell, revealing the white shrimp meat inside. He took a bite and found it soft and sticky. Because it had just been taken out of the refrigerator, it still had a cool taste. He exclaimed in surprise, "It's delicious."

Compared with the usual pepper and salt Lugu shrimps, the taste of raw pickled Lugu shrimps is even better. Although the shrimp meat of pepper and salt Lugu shrimps is delicious, it does not have the unique sweet, refreshing, soft and chewy taste of raw pickled shrimps.

Moreover, the Lugu shrimp is roe-yellow. The roe of the Lugu shrimp after being pickled has a runny texture. Spread the shrimp meat and roe on the rice, stir and mix them. The soft, glutinous and chewy shrimp meat and roe, paired with the fragrance of the rice, tastes simply amazing.

Shen Lie came back from washing his hands in the yard, picked up a soy sauce crab, broke the crab legs, broke the crab body in half, took a bite, and the salty and fresh taste instantly lingered in his mouth. His eyes lit up, "This soy sauce crab is good. Wait a minute, I'll go get a bottle of beer to go with it."

He took a bottle of beer sent by Wu Dahui from the refrigerator, bit the bottle cap with his teeth, poured the beer into the cup, and gurgling bubbles came out. He took a bite of soy sauce crab and a sip of beer. These two things are simply a perfect match.

Ning Tang said, "Of course it's OK. This recipe for soy sauce crab was given to me by Mrs. Luo, and I put enough ingredients in it. As the saying goes, if the ingredients are enough, even soy sauce shoe pads are delicious."

The small flower crabs are not fat enough and there is not much crab roe inside. So the best choice is to sauce the small flower crabs with soy sauce crab method. The sauced small flower crabs can even be chewed for a long time with their claws and legs which have little meat. The more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes, which just makes up for the shortcoming of the small flower crabs not being fat enough.

Da Wa tried the raw pickled oysters. They were tender and smooth. As soon as the oysters touched the tip of the tongue, they immediately slid down the throat. Good? She couldn't eat them. "Mom, what is this called raw pickled oysters? It's so good. It's delicious." ." He puffed up his face and said, "Why didn't you do it earlier and let us eat boiled and steamed food every day?"

Ning Tang said, "I would like to do it, but firstly, I didn't have a refrigerator at that time, so it's not convenient to make raw pickles. Secondly, you are still young and your intestines and stomachs are not fully developed. What if you eat the raw pickles and get an upset stomach?"

Shen Lie came over, holding a crab leg in the corner of his mouth, "You can cook it secretly, and then we can eat it secretly at night and not share it with them."

Erniu stamped her feet and shouted, "You are really our biological father."

The eldest child looked dazed. "If the second child and I went to college, and the third child went to the training base, and you two were the only ones at home, you wouldn't secretly eat a lot of delicious food behind our backs, right?"

He thinks it is possible!

Ning Tang said as if it was a matter of course, "Nonsense, do you think your father and I are the kind of parents who treat ourselves harshly when our children are not around, not willing to eat or wear anything, and only eat dried radishes and fermented bean curd for a meal?"

The eldest boy tapped his head wildly.

Shen Lie was amused: "You think too much. When the three of you leave, we will not only prepare delicious meals for you every day, but we will also go to Jiang City to eat out frequently. Anyway, there are only two of us at home, so we can eat whatever we want."

Erniu shook her head, "I don't believe it."

"Then don't believe it." Ning Tang said, "Anyway, we ate delicious food in secret, and you three wouldn't know about it."

The eldest child wanted to cry but had no tears. "You, you, have you eaten well? You didn't even bring us the food!"

Shen Lie began to miss the beautiful world of two people he and Ning Tang lived in without Da Wa, Er Niu and San Wa. "You three should hurry up and go. Those who should go to college should go to college, and those who should go to the training base should go to the training base."

The eldest boy's eyebrows were raised in an inverted eight shape, and he crossed his arms over his chest, "What if I don't go? I'll go to college and stay at home. What will you eat? You have to bring me all the food."

Shen Lie ruthlessly complained, "You want to go, but they don't necessarily want you. With your test scores, if a university wants you, you should be thankful."

The eldest boy was not convinced. He said that he did not do very badly in the exam. Although he was not the top student in the class, his grades were at least around the average.

Sanwa asked, "Mom, will this raw pickled food really make me sick?"

Ning Tang said, "It's possible. If you really eat something that upsets your stomach, at the very least, you'll have diarrhea. At the worst, you might get gastroenteritis and be hospitalized."

Sanwa's hand holding the chopsticks clenched, and he was a little afraid to eat, "No way? Mom, are you scaring me?"

"Why would I scare you?" Ning Tang said, "Eating this stuff can really upset your stomach. It depends on your physique. Some people have no problem eating it, while others just can't get used to it. So, the three of you, don't eat too much when you first eat it. See if you're used to it, and then eat more if you are used to it." He added, "Sanwa, when you give the raw pickles to the coach and your swimming team members, remember to tell them not to eat too much. Just try a little first. Once they can accept it and don't get diarrhea, they can eat more."

Shen Lie nodded, "If you are not used to it, just leave it all for me. I am sure I can eat it."

Ning Tang glanced at him and asked, "What's the matter? Do you have a strong stomach?"

Shen Lie said, "Of course, Hailang Island is already very rich in resources, with many delicious foods. When I went to the Northwest to provide support, I ate gophers. You said I can eat gophers, let alone a little pickled crab and soy sauce crab."

This? This is the first time Ning Tang has heard of this. "How did you catch the mole? And what does a mole taste like?"

Shen Lie recalled, "That thing's name may not be gopher, but we just call it that. The Northwest is very desolate, there is nothing to eat, and the ground is covered with grass roots. When we are hungry, we will go dig caves. Sometimes we can dig out rabbits, and sometimes we can dig out gophers. Our squad leader is a master at digging these."

"After you take out the mole, shave off the fur, clean the insides, and then string it with branches or bamboo sticks and roast it over a campfire. You don't need to add salt or anything. Once roasted, the meat will sizzle and smell delicious. If you're lucky, you can find a beehive and put some honey on the meat to make it even more delicious." Shen Lie smacked his lips. "What do you want to say about the taste? I think it's a bit like pork belly."

Ning Tang told him that the rice was full, so he put the raw pickled oysters and Lugu shrimps on the rice, mixed them, and took three big mouthfuls.

Even though Ning Tang didn't let the eldest, second and third kids eat too much, these three were so greedy that they couldn't stop eating. They even blamed the raw and pickled food for being so delicious that they couldn't finish it.

Fortunately, since the three of them could accept the taste and did not have diarrhea after eating it, Ning Tang observed them for two days and saw that they really had no reaction, so he started to make raw pickles.

Raw pickled crabs, raw pickled shrimps, raw pickled cucumbers, raw pickled snails... We had been eating raw pickled foods until the Lantern Festival. Shen Lie joked that there were no jars of raw pickled foods left at home.

After the Lantern Festival, Sanwa will return to the Navy Swim Team training base in Shanghai.

Ning Tang packed his luggage for him, "...I have pickled ten jars of raw crabs and raw shrimps. Once you get on the train, I will ask your dad to go to the post office to send them to you. You will receive them in two days after you get off the train."

Sanwa nodded and asked, "Mom, can I not share with the coach and teammates?" He chuckled and said, "I don't even have enough for myself."

Ningtang had sent him some dried mangoes before. After training, he was hungry so he took out a few pieces and ate them. His coach saw it and asked him what they were. He gave the coach a taste. Unexpectedly, the coach liked them very much and ate a whole bag of dried mangoes by himself. He even asked him with a smug look when his mother would send him more dried mangoes.

It’s obvious that if I bring the pickled fish back this time, I won’t be able to escape the coach’s clutches!

Ning Tang was happy, "You little greedy cat, then I will pickle five more cans of raw pickled crabs and five cans of raw pickled shrimps for you. You can eat ten of these cans yourself, and you can give the remaining twenty cans to others. Is that all right?"

Sanwa said, "OK!"

Shen Lie: "In addition to the pickled food, I'll send you some dried mangoes and bananas. Oh, and some seafood, too, dried abalone, shrimp, mackerel, squid, etc. Maybe one of your teammates or your coach will like it."

It would be unreasonable for Sanwa not to bring back some local specialties when he goes home for the long vacation.

Besides, he is a child alone and must have received a lot of care from others. It is only right for him to give them a thank-you gift.

Ning Tang reminded him, "Divide it into several portions before distributing them. Even if the portions are a little less, don't let anyone complain."

Sanwa nodded, "I understand."

All that needed to be said had been said, and Ning Tang felt empty inside as he watched Sanwa leaving again.

Shen Lie said, "Then let's take a photo?"

Ning Tang said, "Okay, let's take a family photo. I'll go ask Sister Luo to help us take it."

Mrs. Luo came and directed the family of five, "Come closer so I can take pictures."

With a click of a button, the photo freezes.

Before Sanwa left, the photos were developed in duplicate.

Ning Tang said, "Put one on the wall together with the previous family photo, and take the other one with you to the training base."

Sanwa nodded heavily, "I will. I'll frame it." Then he would look at it every day.

Shen Lie patted his shoulder, feeling that he was much stronger than before. "Listen to the coach more and work hard. Don't let the team down."

Sanwa smiled and said, "I will."

This September, the eldest and second daughter entered the first year of high school.

Ning Tang really felt that time passed very quickly. It was like in the blink of an eye, the three little ones had grown into three big ones.

After entering high school, Shen Lie had a serious talk with Da Wa and Er Niu for the first time. "You two are both in the first year of high school. Have you decided which university you want to go to and what major you want to study?"

Da Wa and Er Niu looked at each other and nodded.

There were newspapers, television, and radio at home, so there were many channels for them to get in touch with the outside world. The eldest and second daughter were not completely ignorant of the matter of going to college.

Especially since the college entrance examination was resumed in 1977, it has been held regularly for ten years. Every year there are people on the island who are admitted to universities, from all kinds of schools and all kinds of majors. Word of mouth spreads, and even if you are not a candidate or the parent of a candidate, you can say something about the university's major.

The eldest child said first, "I, I want to study accounting. It doesn't matter which university I go to, as long as I study accounting."

He was good at math, but didn't want to study pure math. He thought it was tedious to just do exercises and research. He couldn't sit still, so he thought about studying accounting.

Shen Lie nodded, "This? Okay."

There is always room for improvement. If you can read it out, there will definitely be a way for the eldest child to have a meal.

However, this kid's grades are average, so he probably won't be able to study accounting at a very good university.

Shen Lie also thought it through. It would be best if the eldest child could go to college. If not, he would let the eldest child work in a factory first and then go to night school at night. There are accounting majors in night school. Once he gets an accounting certificate, he will have more career options and it is not necessary for him to go to college.

Ning Tang also thought so. It would be best if the eldest child could go to college. After all, when he goes to college, the platform will be different, and the people around him will be different too. He can be exposed to new things and broaden his horizons.

She hopes that the three of them, including the eldest son, can go out for a walk and have a look.

Now that the third child has done it, it’s up to the eldest and second daughter.

After discussing the matter of Da Wa, Shen Lie asked Er Niu, "Er Niu, what about you? Have you decided which university to go to and what major to study?"

Erniu nodded and said, "I want to go to Shanghai Conservatory of Music and study vocal performance."

Over the years, she has never given up singing and has treated it as a hobby. Her singing has become better and better, from singing together with people in her class in the beginning to later on, she could get a solo performance at every evening party.

If anyone on the island were to ask which little girl sang the best, they would definitely mention Erniu.

Wu Yingdi, who was nominated together with Erniu, now keeps silent. Only Erniu persists.

Erniu had decided long ago to go to this school and study this major.

She is good at all subjects, but she doesn't excel in any one of them, and she doesn't have any particular favorite subject. However, she has always liked singing.

Sanwa was in Shanghai and he would always write letters back to describe the prosperity of Shanghai.

Erniu wanted to go to Shanghai, so Ning Tang asked Ning Jun to find out if there were any good singing colleges in Shanghai. Ning Jun asked around for her and sent back a letter with just two lines of words on it: Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Vocal Performance Department.

Ning Tang said, "This is what vocal performance major? It's probably the ace major of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. The score required for ace majors is generally higher. If you want to focus on this major, you can't let down your guard."

Erniu was very confident, "I'm sure I can do it."