Before telling the children the news, Lin Wei first mentioned this matter to Deng Xiangyun.
Deng Xiangyun started working at the hospital last Monday. She was a little nervous at first because she was not a professional and was afraid that she would make mistakes with the medicinal materials.
But in fact, this job is not as complicated as she imagined. She works in a Chinese medicine pharmacy. The prescriptions written by the doctor are all written in Chinese, and the name of the medicinal material is labeled on each medicine drawer. If you are careful in your work, you will generally not make mistakes. Moreover, in a pharmacy, generally no one will rush you, so just take your time and weigh the items, as accuracy is the most important thing.
Comrade Hu who was in charge of her also taught her in a very detailed and thorough manner. Every time he took a medicinal herb, he would explain the characteristics to her in detail. While she was recording, she would also draw the appearance of the herb. She has studied art for several years, and although her painting skills may not be very advanced, at least she can draw the necessary features.
When she had nothing to do every day, she would look through the medicine drawers one by one. She had some talent in this area, and after half a month, she was able to dispense medicine independently.
Deng Xiangyun's work is back on track and she looks much more cheerful than before.
Because of her background, she had been treated coldly a lot. Although the situation on the island was not as bad as that outside, the difference was in the subtleties. For example, the Military Family Settlement Office would not arrange the job of sweeping the toilet for other military wives. Even if it was arranged, other military wives would refuse with just a few words if they didn't want to do it, but she couldn't. She came from a capitalist family, and if she refused without giving a suitable reason, it would mean that she couldn't endure hardship and had a crooked mindset.
It was the same with her interactions with other military wives. When the situation was serious a few years ago, none of the other wives in the family quarters wanted to talk to her.
The situation has been slightly better in the past two years, but not many people are willing to interact with her. She can't find anyone to talk to, and even the most cheerful person will become silent.
Fortunately, she has a husband and children, otherwise she is not sure if she can survive such a life.
Going to work at the hospital was like a signal of unblocking. In the eyes of the military wives in the family quarters, although she came from a poor family, since her superiors had arranged a job for her, it meant that she had changed for the better. The invisible rejection of the past naturally gradually dissipated.
Deng Xiangyun met more people in the pharmacy, and her depression gradually dissipated, and she smiled more often.
When Deng Xiangyun learned that Lin Wei was planning to teach the children to read, she hesitated: "Will this delay your work too much?"
"What's the point of delaying this? I just wanted to find something to do," Lin Wei said with a smile, "Even if Xiao Shitou doesn't have class, I will still teach Mingming and Ruirui. It's just that the three of them always play together, and if I only teach Mingming and Ruirui, Xiao Shitou might be bored sitting alone. So I asked you, if you don't object, I will teach them together."
Deng Xiangyun was of course happy that Xiao Shitou could learn to read.
But she thought that Lin Wei was already helping her take care of her child for free, and if she continued to teach Xiao Shitou for free, she always felt that she was getting too much of a bargain, so she offered to pay the tuition.
But Lin Wei refused to take the money. Firstly, her main purpose was to teach Mingming and Ruirui, and Xiao Shitou was just a by-product. She did not plan to teach the children all day. She would let them go out to play in the morning when it was cool, and arrange two classes in the afternoon when the sun was strong. Each class was 40 minutes, and with a break in between, it would be at most an hour and a half.
Secondly, she had never taught before. As a novice, she didn’t know if she could do it well and stick to it. And if there was a suitable job, she might go to work. At that time, not to mention teaching the children, she might have to ask someone to help take care of the two brothers. If she took the money now, she might have to return it after a while, which was troublesome.
Lin Wei insisted, and Deng Xiangyun didn't know what to say. But when she talked about it with her husband at night, she still felt that they couldn't take advantage of this with a clear conscience.
Zhou Jianhai pondered and said, "That's what I said, but what if they refuse to accept the money?"
Deng Xiangyun was a little worried when she heard this, but then she thought, if Lin Wei refused to take the money, then she could just exchange the money for something!
She thought so and told Zhou Jianhai so.
After hearing this, Zhou Jianhai thought it was feasible, but the problem was that Lin Wei and the others refused to accept money. Would they accept it if he gave them something? Also, what would be a suitable gift?
Deng Xiangyun thought about it again, and after a long while she asked, "What do you think about me making a hat for her?"
The sun was strong on the island, and the wives of soldiers in the family quarters were used to wearing hats when they went out, but she had never seen Lin Wei wearing one. She didn't know if she was not used to wearing one or she felt it was useless. But as for a hat, even if you don’t use it for the time being, it will always come in handy, and it won’t go bad if you keep it like that.
Moreover, since she made it by hand, it showed her sincerity, so Lin Wei would not be embarrassed to buy it because she thought it was too expensive.
Zhou Jianhai thought about it and said, "That's fine."
…
Lin Wei was talking to Zong Shao about the classes during the day. Overall, the process went smoothly.
Because it was the first day of class, she didn't cover anything too difficult. She started with the basics. She only covered three vowels in Chinese and only taught how to write numbers from 1 to 5 in math.
The content was not difficult and the children learned it easily, especially Ruirui. He basically remembered everything Lin Wei said after one time, but his hands did not have much strength and his handwriting was not very beautiful.
But it’s nothing. Writing can be mastered with practice slowly.
I remember that Xiao Shitou was a little slower than Ruirui, but he still worked hard and mastered everything that was taught after two classes.
The one who made the slowest progress was Mingming. Although the little guy who was reluctant to go to class sat down obediently under Lin Wei's suppression, his attention was not focused enough. When Lin Wei was not paying attention, he would be distracted.
After the two classes, Lin Wei asked the three children to read what she taught one by one. Numbers were okay as they were often used in life. When he was in Shicheng, Mingming often took a few cents to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy snacks. He was very familiar with it and read without pause.
But when it came to the finals, he was clearly stuck, barely recognizing a and o, and not knowing the others without being reminded. Once reminded, he suddenly understood, and even dared to say shamelessly: "I know how to read this, but I just forgot it."
It's both infuriating and funny.
Lin Wei couldn't help but say, "I really don't know whose personality he resembles!"
Lin Wei has always been a good child in the eyes of her elders. She is obedient, sensible, and more stable than her peers. Not to mention Zong Shao, he is a serious person and only shows some warmth in front of his family.
Ruirui, who was born ten minutes later than Mingming, is also quieter, silent and not very talkative, but more mature than his peers and always pays attention to many details. Just like when they were on the boat, Ruirui noticed that Lin Wei had a poor appetite, but Mingming only realized it after his brother mentioned it.
It can be said that Ruirui’s personality is full of the shadows of Lin Wei and Zong Shao.
Obviously he is different. He is sunny and cheerful, but also careless. He loves to run and jump and simply cannot stop for a moment. He is also very good at quibbling and shows instability in every way.
He is still young now, and such a lively personality is very likable, but as he grows up, Lin Wei can't help but worry from time to time. She wonders if he remains so unstable, what will happen when he grows up?
Of course, the above were Lin Wei’s past thoughts.
In the original novel, he is still quite steady when he grows up, and the male protagonist also said that he is a replica of Zong Shao and has great potential when he grows up.
But after being sure that Mingming would have a bright future, Lin Wei became a little worried. As a wife, she felt that Zong Shao was quite good because he was mature, stable, family-oriented, and not a philanderer. But as a mother, she hopes Mingming can maintain his current sunshine.
No matter what, she always has something to worry about.
Zong Shao said without blinking, "They say nephews resemble their uncles. Maybe his personality is like your second brother's."
Lin Wei thought about it and realized that it was true. Her second brother also had an eccentric personality. He was smart, but he didn't study hard and was inconsistent. But even so, he can always rank among the top ten in his grade in every exam. If he continues his studies smoothly, he will have no problem getting a high school diploma, not to mention passing the technical secondary school entrance exam and going to university.
But he was playful and before the high school entrance exam, he skipped classes with his classmates and went swimming in the river. It happened that the school was cracking down on this strictly and sent teachers to the river to catch people, and they caught them.
Others who were caught were required to apologize and write self-criticisms, but he was stubborn and refused to admit his mistakes. In the end, it was Lin Wei’s father who used his connections to avoid him being expelled from school. But after that, he refused to go to school, and beatings with bamboo sticks were of no use.
Finally, Lin Wei's father had no choice but to ask for a long vacation for him to stay at home, and forced him to take the junior high school entrance examination and get a junior high school diploma.
After graduating, Lin Wei's second brother returned home and worked on the farm for two years. Because he was smart, he made many useful suggestions. Lin Wei's father gradually began to like him and began to think that it was a pity for him to stay in the countryside because he was so smart, so he tried to find a job for him in a state-owned factory in the commune.
At first, Lin Wei's mother was worried that her son would not obey discipline and would be kicked out before long. But perhaps because he had grown up, Lin Wei's second brother did a very good job in the commune's state-owned factory. Within two years, he was transferred from the front line to the factory committee and became an officer, bringing honor to the family.
Therefore, in recent years, when outsiders talk about Lin Wei's second brother, they all sigh that he has a promising future, saying that he has matured and become capable.
Lin Wei did not comment on the latter, but as for the former, in her eyes, her second brother had just learned to pretend, but his character had not changed much, which always made the family worry.
In comparison, Lin Wei still thinks it's better to be like Zong Shao, at least it's less troublesome.
After talking about the children's learning situation, Lin Wei talked about the issue of teaching hardware. The blackboard can be done away with, but stools suitable for children to sit on must be built.
Because there are no desks and stools of suitable height at home, the children today sat cross-legged on the ground around the coffee table to listen to the class.
There is no problem in listening to the class like this, but the coffee table is a bit high for writing. They either have to write with their chins against the coffee table, or they can only write while half-squatting or kneeling.
Because of this, Lin Wei didn't let them write a few words today. She would rather not let them write than let them develop wrong writing habits.
But even if they don't write, tables and chairs of suitable height are also important. Lin Wei has never thought of getting them a set of tables and chairs. Firstly, it is troublesome, and secondly, it is a waste. When they grow up a little bit, the tables and chairs may not be needed anymore.
She wanted to use the existing benches at home as tables, and then ask Zong Shao to make a few smaller stools. She gestured and said, "The stools for them to sit on don't need to be too high, just enough for them to stand up straight when writing."
Zong Shao thought for a moment and said, "Okay, it just so happens that the wood I asked someone to buy has all been collected, and the carpenter has also been found. I'll go over there tomorrow and ask them to do it together."
Originally, Zong Shao wanted to drag the wood back and make tables and cabinets himself, but then he thought better of it.
Firstly, he only has one day off a week, and he has to go out to sea in two days, so he won't be back for at least ten days. If he is left alone to make furniture, there is no telling when the work can be completed. Moreover, if he really wants to do it, he must first equip himself with tools such as saws and planes. After all, even if other people have these tools at home, it would be ok for him to borrow them for ten days or half a month. It would be too much to pay them back after three or five months.
Secondly, although he could make furniture, his work was not as fine as that of a professional carpenter. Moreover, the carpenter he hired did not charge high fees and only earned the labor fee, which was quite cost-effective. That was why Lin Wei, who held the financial power, agreed so readily.
After talking about the children's studies, Zong Shao's arm around Lin Wei became less honest.
Zong Shao looks quite abstinent... Oh, abstinence is a word Lin Wei learned from the original novel, and it is often used to describe the male protagonist. Lin Wei has no idea what the male protagonist looks like, but she thinks Zong Shao is quite suitable for this word.
Of course, the one that suits him is the former Zong Shao.
When they first got married, Lin Wei never thought that Zong Shao was so keen on things in bed. On the wedding night, they slept in separate quilts, and it was not until the third day that they had their first time.
Because the process was not smooth, that was the only time that happened that night.
Until Zong Shao returned to the army, the two had only had sex a few times, so many that they could be counted on one hand.
And until Lin Wei came to join the army, the two of them only met a few times. So when a colleague she knew got married and shyly asked her how to reject her husband at night, she was unable to react at first.
However, after realizing it, Lin Wei was unable to give any useful suggestions because she had no such experience.
But she has it now.
After Ruirui got used to the new room, he woke up less and less frequently at night. Even if he woke up occasionally, it was usually because he had to hold his urine, which would happen in the second half of the night.
Since they wouldn't be disturbed, the two of them could be intimate more often.
As for that matter, Lin Wei didn't hate it. Although she felt a little uncomfortable the first time after arriving on the island, and Zong Shao's movements were a little unfamiliar, he improved quickly, and she gradually got to know the feeling.
But no matter how delicious the food is, people will get tired of it eventually. Moreover, he was very energetic and always had to stay up late at night before going to bed, which caused Lin Wei to yawn every morning.
When she went shopping for groceries a few days ago, someone asked her why she looked so listless lately.
Lin Wei: “…”
It's very embarrassing anyway.
But that night Lin Wei still failed to persuade Zong Shao, because he said that he would go out to sea in two days and would not be back for more than ten days.
Lin Wei was soft-hearted and let him succeed, for three days in a row.
…
The benches were ready the day before Zong Shao went out to sea, but he brought back more than just three small stools, there was also one for Lin Wei.
The bench given to Lin Wei is a little lower than the one used at home, but a little higher than the children's, so she doesn't have to bend down with great effort and won't be too tired when sitting on it.
Due to the rush to finish the work, the four benches were not painted, but the surfaces were polished very smoothly and are not prickly to the touch.
He was obviously quite satisfied with the small stool. He had long wanted to stop squatting next to the coffee table to listen to the class. Moreover, his mother said that the small stools were numbered, and the one numbered 1 was his, and no one else could sit on it.
In order to show his love for the small stool, Mingming decided to eat dinner sitting on it.
Because the stool was too low and he couldn't reach the tabletop, he asked Lin Wei to serve him a dish. He also said, "Mom's steamed crabs are delicious. I want lots of crab meat!"
Lin Wei had just received this month's supplies yesterday and had been planning to eat better today, but other military wives might have had the same idea, as there were twice as many people in the supply station today as usual.
When Lin Wei went there, all the sea fish, lobsters, clams, etc. were sold out. The former are all meat, and the latter, although they have shells, have a lot of meat as well, and they are small in size, so it is considered a good deal. What was left in the supply station were large crabs with more shells than meat.
Lin Wei didn't mind. She bought four crabs of moderate size, steamed two and fried two, and also bought all the remaining oysters, but not much, just two per person.
The number of oysters was fixed, but it was not clearly stated. They deliberately only mentioned crabs because it was difficult for him to pick up the food while sitting on a small stool.
After figuring out what was going on in her son's mind, Lin Wei said unhappily, "I've spoiled you!"
Lin Wei finally gave in to Mingming and took a separate plate, put the dishes on it as he requested, and put it on the high stool: "That's all you have for dinner. Eat slowly, or there will be no more after you finish."
He agreed immediately, but didn't take it to heart at all. He sat down with his bowl and picked up an oyster, ate it in two bites, and then licked the foam on the edges.
After eating the garlic paste, he ate crabs. The first time he ate crabs, he pretended he didn’t know how to peel them and asked his father to peel them for him. After eating them a few times, he got used to it and his teeth could chew them with a click.
After a while, the crabs were eaten.
After finishing the seafood, Mingming looked up at the dining table and found that his parents and brother still had seafood to eat. He licked his lips and said, "Mom, I'm done."
Lin Wei glanced sideways and pretended not to understand: "How can you finish eating? Isn't there still so much rice in the bowl? Let me tell you, the rice is prepared according to your request. If you don't finish it, watch out for your butt."
Mingming pursed his lips, looked down at the rice in the bowl, scooped two mouthfuls of rice into his mouth with a spoon, and while eating, he looked up and saw his brother picked up another oyster.
The minced garlic on the oysters is fried and looks golden and attractive.
Mingming swallowed his saliva and said in a pinched voice: "Mom, I want to eat oysters too."
Lin Wei didn't buy his trick and said, "Didn't I give you two? Have you eaten them all? Oh, then you have nothing left."
"Okay." Mingming sighed in disappointment and continued to ask coquettishly, "Then mom, I don't want to sit on the stool anymore. Can I go back to the table to eat?"
Lin Wei is his biological mother, how could she not know what he meant? He turned around and smiled and said, "No."
The little guy was about to cry: "Mom!"
"You can eat at the table if you want," Lin Wei continued, seeing her son's eyes light up, "but you have to finish the dishes and rice I serve you first," she continued, seeing her son's face fall, "otherwise there is no room for negotiation!"
"But I have finished eating, what if you have finished eating the crabs?" This is very important!
Lin Wei turned to look at the dishes on the table. They ate evenly. Like the stir-fried vegetables and mixed cold dishes, the seafood was almost half left. She said, "If we finish before you, I can leave a crab leg for you. If you finish before we finish the seafood, you can come to the table and eat with us."
As soon as Lin Wei finished speaking, Mingming buried his head in eating.
But Lin Wei was determined to teach him a lesson. She winked at Zong Shao, then peeled open a crab shell and handed the one with crab roe to Ruirui. The three of them ate the seafood slowly and leisurely before Mingming.
Of course, Lin Wei kept her word and left a crab leg for Mingming.
It’s just that the crab legs are not even as thick as fingers. The hiccuping little kid is about to cry while holding the crab legs.
But Lin Wei asked knowingly: "Why don't you eat? Are you tired of it and don't like it anymore? If you don't like it, just give it to me."
"eat!"
Mingming shouted and bit the flat crab leg hard.
After Mingming finished eating the few pieces of meat in the crab legs, Lin Wei asked, "Will you sit on a high stool or a low stool for dinner tomorrow? If you still want to sit on a low stool, I'll wash a lunch box and fill it with rice and--"
Before Lin Wei could finish, the little guy shouted, "Dinner table, I want to sit at the dinner table!"
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Second update
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