It took Shen Lie half an hour just to worry about this matter. When he looked at the clock on the wall, it was already half past seven.

Shen Lie rolled up his sleeves and said, "I'm going to cook."

While Shen Lie was busy in the kitchen, Ning Tang had nothing to do, so she walked around the Shen family's house.

The whole building has two floors. The first floor is the living room, kitchen and bathroom. The living room is furnished with some mahogany furniture, a long table, stools, and a wall clock hanging on the wall.

There were three rooms on the second floor. Ning Tang just glanced at them roughly without looking closely.

Above the second floor is the roof. Perhaps for the sake of space utilization, the roof was replaced by a terrace with a fence. The small door leading to the terrace was locked. Ning Tang was unable to go up, but just looked at it from a distance in the yard. It felt empty and there was nothing interesting to see.

Looking at the entire two-story building, the place is relatively spacious, clean and tidy. Ning Tang is very satisfied.

After all, this is where she will live in the future, so it must be better for her to live comfortably.

By the time Ning Tang finished touring the second-floor building, Shen Lie had already prepared the meal.

There was some rice and flour left at home, as well as a rattan pot given by Mrs. Luo as a gift. Shen Lie simply cooked a pot of noodles and steamed the rattan pot.

So what was served on the table were five bowls of thin noodles and a large plate of steamed rattan pot.

Shen Lie looked at the simple thin noodles and said a little embarrassedly, "Noodles are all we have left at home, so let's just make a simple meal. I'll go to the grocery store tomorrow to buy some daily necessities."

Ning Tang nodded, picked up the noodles with chopsticks, and ate them in two or three bites. "It's okay, the noodles are also very fragrant."

You know what, Shen Lie’s cooking skills are pretty good.

The simple thin noodles were only drizzled with two drops of sesame oil and tasted very good.

The three children were probably hungry too, so they took the bowls and started to wolf down the food.

Ning Tang looked at the three people eating and couldn't help but ask Shen Lie curiously, "How did they get food while you were gone?"

When they got home, they only saw three children and no adults. Could it be that these three children knew how to cook? They were too precocious.

However, Ning Tang was overthinking.

Shen Lie said, "I have guards, and the army also has a canteen. During the few days I was in Shangang Village, the guards prepared meals in the army canteen and brought them to Da Wa, Er Niu and San Wa."

Shen Lie glanced at the three children and said, "Two meals a day, one at noon and one at night."

Ning Tang's eyes lit up, "Can I eat in your army cafeteria every day?"

Shen Lie was speechless. "How is that possible? I can eat, but you can't. This is a special case. Otherwise, everyone would do the same. All the military families go to the army canteen to eat. How can the army bear this consumption?"

"Okay." Ning Tang lowered his eyelids, expressing his disappointment.

After dinner, Shen Lie went to wash the dishes, leaving Ning Tang staring at the three children in the living room.

Ning Tang glanced at the three children and continued packing.

After all, she brought a lot of luggage and had to organize it properly.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Ning Tang raised her legs, she was stopped by Da Wa, "Hey——"

Ning Tang turned around, opened his hands to make a trumpet shape, and shouted towards the kitchen, "Shen——"

"Stop, stop, stop!" Da Wa choked and quickly changed the subject, "Stepmother..."

Ning Tang raised his eyebrows. That was more like it. "Tell me what you want."

The eldest child pulled the corner of his clothes uncomfortably and said, "I'll just call you."

Problem!

Ning Tang remained silent and continued to pack her luggage.

This time, Da Wa didn't call her. After Ning Tang packed her luggage, Shen Lie finished washing the dishes.

Shen Lie glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nine o'clock, so he called the three children, "Big one, second girl, third child, go take a bath."

The eldest, second, and third children went into the bathroom to take showers. Shen Lie explained to Ning Tang, "We can shower after they finish. The houses in the military compound are all connected by water pipes. We don't have to heat water for showers like we did in Shangang Village, and showers are quicker."

Ning Tang nodded, it was quite convenient.

After the three children finished bathing, they went to Ningtang to take a shower. While Ningtang was on the train, she could only simply wash herself in the bathroom. After a few days, she could smell the sour smell on her body.

Now she could finally take a shower. She scrubbed herself all over and it took her nearly an hour.

The last one to take a shower was Shen Lie. Maybe it was due to his military style, he showered the fastest, a combat shower that probably took less than five minutes.

After taking a shower, Shen Lie rushed all three children into their rooms.

The bedrooms are all on the second floor. The eldest and third child live in one room, and the second daughter lives in one room by herself. Perhaps because they lost their mother at a young age, the three children are relatively precocious. Even the youngest, the third child, never cries or makes a fuss.

Shen Lie told them to go to bed, and the three children went into the house and went to bed under the covers.

While Shen Lie was settling the three children, Ning Tang looked around the children's rooms.

The rooms are relatively spacious, each about 20 square meters. Erniu sleeps alone in a room, so her room only has a small wooden bed. Da Wa and San Wa sleep in a room, so their rooms have two small wooden beds facing each other.

Only after the children fell asleep did Shen Lie tiptoe out of the room.

Ning Tang noticed that the doors of the two children's rooms were not closed, and estimated that Shen Lie would have to get up a few more times at night to check.

Shen Lie led Ning Tang back to their room, which was the master bedroom. It was slightly bigger than the children's room, but not much, only about 30 square meters.

There was a big bed in the middle of their room, with two bedside tables at the head of the bed, a dressing table next to the window sill, and a mahogany wardrobe on one side of the bed.

Ning Tang sat down on the bed, and Shen Lie took out a brand new set of bedding from the mahogany wardrobe, "Cover yourself with this at night."

Although the two were nominally husband and wife and had obtained a marriage certificate, they had never consummated their marriage.

It seemed that Shen Lie didn't have that intention for the time being, and Ning Tang was relieved.

To be honest, the two had only known each other for less than two months, and they met through a blind date. They didn't know much about each other, and she would feel uncomfortable if she really had to do that with Shen Lie.

Besides, there were three children just across the wall, which was extremely awkward.

Shen Lie's arrangement is actually the best.

So Ning Tang took the quilt without hesitation and said, "Okay."

The two of them slept in one bed, each covered with a quilt.

After such a long journey, Ning Tang was finally able to lie down on the bed. He fell asleep almost the moment he closed his eyes.

However, because she was used to her bed, Ning Tang woke up several times in a daze. Twice, she felt empty beside her. She guessed that Shen Lie went to the next room to see the child.

He is a competent father, Ning Tang thought dazedly.

The next day, Ning Tang got up, stretched his body, and looked out the window with sleepy eyes. It should be getting late.

When I looked to my side again, it was empty. The quilt was folded into a neat block and placed on the pillow.

Ning Tang went downstairs in her slippers, washed up in the yard, and walked around but didn't see Shen Lie.

There were only three children in the living room. The eldest was sitting on the floor playing with a small wooden toy car. The toy car had a box-like carriage on four wheels. It was extremely simple and I didn't know how he was enjoying it so much.

Erniu was busy braiding her hair. She divided her hair into two and braided one on the left and the other on the right. After she finished braiding, she touched the left braid and found it was crooked, so she undid the right braid and tied it again. When the right braid was done, she found the left braid was crooked again. She kept doing this over and over again.

The third child was sitting on a stool. He was short, and his feet could not reach the floor. His legs were swinging. He looked at the eldest and second children and laughed foolishly. From time to time, he clapped his hands to cheer his older brothers and sisters.

Ning Tang glanced at the three children and asked Da Wa, "Da Wa, where is your dad?"

The eldest child paused while holding the wooden toy car, looked at Ning Tang, and said with a pursed mouth, "My dad has joined the army."

"Oh." Ning Tang responded.

In order to get married, Shen Lie went to Shangang Village twice. It is estimated that a lot of work was piled up, and he had to report to the army as soon as he came back.

Ning Tang glanced at the wall clock. It was already eleven o'clock. She touched her stomach, which growled as expected.

She asked the eldest child, "Well, what are we having for lunch today?"

The eldest son was speechless. This stepmother was obviously an adult, so why did she ask him what he wanted to eat for lunch?

But Da Wa thought of Shen Lie's instructions and agreed obediently, "Dad prepared lunch for us before he left. He said he would cook for us when he came back in the evening."

Ning Tang nodded with satisfaction, "Thank you for your hard work, Captain Shen."

Ning Tang walked into the kitchen, searched around, and finally found a pot of noodle soup cooked by Shen Lie on the stove.

Shen Lie had to go to the army at seven in the morning. He had prepared this pot of noodle soup at around six o'clock, and it had become a little lumpy by now.

Ning Tang frowned and swallowed the noodle soup. How should she describe the taste? Neither good nor bad.

Ning Tang is not picky, as long as she can fill her stomach, it's fine. She doesn't cook, and people who don't cook have no right to be picky.

After dinner, Ningtang washed his own dishes.

Ning Tang came out of the kitchen after washing the dishes. Da Wa, Er Niu and San Wa were sitting at the dining table, all looking at her.

Ning Tang put down his sleeves that were lifted up while washing dishes and asked, "Why are you looking at me?"

The eldest boy frowned, picked up a pair of chopsticks and tapped the bowl, "Where's our rice?"

Ning Tang put his hands on his chest, leaned against the door frame, and pointed in the direction of the kitchen. "It's in the pot, go get it yourself."

Ning Tang thought for a moment and added, "Remember to wash the dishes after dinner. It's hot and the dishes will get smelly if left for too long."

Erniu opened her mouth in disbelief. Her mouth was so small that it could hold a quail egg. She asked in surprise, "Aren't you going to help us serve the rice?"

Ning Tang was even more surprised than her, "Why should I help you serve the rice?"

The eldest child pursed his lips and said, "When Dad was here, he would serve us the food and bring it to the table for us to eat."

Ning Tang thought about it carefully. During the meal yesterday, Shen Lie did make thin noodles for the three children. Even the plate of steamed rattan pot rice was made by him peeling the meat from the rattan pot and putting it in bowls to share with the three children.

Ning Tang: "That's because he is your biological father."

Erniu responded, "You are still our stepmother. Dad told me before he left that he would tell you if there was anything."

Ning Tang was amused. "What are you talking about? You said it yourself. I am your stepmother, not your biological mother. Why should I serve you food?"

She walked to the rocking chair next to the window sill and lay down on it, bathing in the sunlight shining in from the window and rocking in enjoyment. "Also, your dad doesn't have the final say. Don't come to me if you have any problems."