Chapter 31

Sewing Machine

"It's delicious. Come and eat it quickly," Nie Bozhao said to his sons.

Erdan eats like a guinea pig. This little guy was born with a tadpole-like body. Recently, not only has his butt become rounder, but his belly has also become bulging.

After dinner, Erdan, who had cried and yelled for a new mother today, felt guilty and started to carry the dishes to the kitchen unconsciously.

When Chen Lina saw that Nie Bozhao had a scratch on his hand, she asked, "How could you be so careless to have such a big scratch?"

"We imported a batch of kowtow machines. I was helping to install and debug them, and I broke them."

"You are a researcher. Debugging the nodding machine is the job of the installation team. What does it have to do with you?"

"It's not that we don't allow foreign engineers to come in. The base is full of rough guys, not many of whom speak English, so we have to figure it out on our own."

Chen Lina turned around and rummaged around in the small storeroom for a long time before finding some iodine to wipe Nie Bozhao's body and disinfect it. She then said, "It's just a minor injury, so don't leave the front line. Go wash the dishes."

"Comrade Xiao Chen, didn't you say that you loved me very much in your previous life?"

Nie Bozhao was sitting at the dining table. He was about 1.80 meters tall, with a bronze face, black-framed glasses, gentle and elegant, with deep eyes, and the serious look of an old cadre.

"If you love me, how could you let me do a job like washing dishes when I was injured?" He was really heartbroken. The so-called prince and princess she was was a complete lie.

Chen Lina directly pressed a large piece of gauze on him. "How shameless do you have to be to mistakenly believe that I love you? The one I loved was that old Nie in my last life. He was handsome, rich, gentle and considerate. Look at you now. You are not even one thousandth as good as him."

Although he said this, he was really handsome when he was young, with a pair of deep eyes, big European double eyelids, a high nose bridge, and black-framed glasses, he looked very gentle and refined.

"So, you can only do it with him, but not me?" Nie Bozhao asked softly when he saw the three children running to the warm big bedroom and leaving them there temporarily.

Chen Lina couldn't help laughing. "Yes, only with him. After all, I only love him."

You little brat, without love, what's the point of talking about married life?

He must have punched the long dining table, causing it to clang loudly.

Nie Weimin was used to hearing his parents fighting since he was a child, especially his mother, who had the habit of smashing things. She would smash anything that was available in the house.

As for Dad, he would not fight back most of the time, but he would pound the table. As the eldest child, whenever Nie Weimin heard the pounding sound, he would think that his parents were fighting again.

So he came over almost in a flash, and looked at me eagerly at the door. "You can't quarrel."

"Who said we had a fight? We're fine. Go have some fun." Chen Lina said, "Mom will wash oranges and apples for you guys later. I still have the salad dressing I got from the Kazakh businessman the day before yesterday. I'll make you a fruit salad. Sandan has been pooping like a goat these past few days. I think you guys are a little constipated because you ate too much goat meat."

After hearing this, little Nie Weimin left, thinking that he would have the legendary fruit salad to eat soon.

Nie Bozhao felt that he could try harder, so he washed the dishes and went back to the bedroom. After all, he had set a fire yesterday, and the room was still not cool.

"Xiao Chen, come here for a moment." Then he said again.

After all, they had been married for fifteen years. Chen Lina couldn't understand how this serious workaholic in his youth, a man with both the attributes of a middle school student and an old cadre, could become so gentle, considerate, humorous and talkative fifteen years later.

Of course, because of her experience in her previous life, she could see that he was trying his best to give her a surprise.

Chen Lina went in happily.

At night, it was hot at home, so she wore little, just a tweed floral nightgown, which she had knitted herself after learning knitting from Mama Ham.

Her figure is so graceful and beautiful. Well, Chen Lina is very satisfied with her current appearance.

"Come to think of it, I was a little too hasty back then. Now I formally propose to you and ask you to marry me. What do you think?" the man said in a gentle and magnetic voice.

Chen Lina's heart was howling, thinking, ring, ring, it's time for him to hand over the ring.

Look, this man's romantic cells have not died yet.

Who knew he flashed to the side and said, "Here's a surprise for you."

A shiny Feiduo brand sewing machine was placed in the corner of the wall. No one knew when he moved it in.

This is the oldest type of sewing machine, a pedal-operated one, but the paint is really bright, shining brightly. When you pull open the side, you can see that it is a wooden board that can be used to iron clothes.

Chen Lina moved her slightly curly long hair, and under the warm yellow light, her smile looked like a very fine oil painting.

She has an oval face and naturally curly hair, which is in line with the aesthetics of the people in the border areas. So now the foreign workers in the entire base have given her a nickname, Awarguli.

Pull open the drawer under the sewing machine, and inside are the standard items, a box of paper-wrapped needles, a thread reel, and a thimble.

Chen Lina took out a glittering silver thimble that came with her sewing machine and put it on her ring finger. She said, "It's really beautiful, but I can't accept your proposal. Because I think your heart is not sincere enough."

The woman looked down from above, admiring the thimble in her hand with her orchid-shaped fingers, and coldly refused.

It felt so good. She had rejected him eight times in her previous life, and this was the ninth time.

Chen Lina felt that she had to reject him eight more times.

"As the old saying goes, 'rushing is not buying'. Today I finally understand the meaning of this saying." Nie Bozhao was heartbroken again.

"What do you mean, Lao Nie, there is something else behind your words!"

"When you were in a hurry to get married, I thought I should think about it and raise my status. After all, Sun Gong had just died. According to the ancient law, I had to wait at least a year. Who knew you would rush to marry me? This is actually a crescent moon."

"What is a bright moon?" Chen Lina turned around and saw a crescent moon outside the glass window.

"It only has clear brilliance, but does not warm people." Well, as expected of a graduate of an industrial university, these seven words not only highlight the theme, but are also quite poetic.

Chen Lina raised the thimble, turned around and went back to the master bedroom. "We'll talk about it when you understand what love is."

Love, that is her lifelong pursuit.

Nie Bozhao worked day and night. Even a sewing machine failed to win Chen Lina's favor. He was confused and buried his head in writing his thesis.

Chen Lina returned to the master bedroom and Nie Weimin was still awake.

The young man was covered with a large quilt, his eyes were bright and round. "I know, you must have gone to bite your mouth."

After saying that, he was quite shy and bit his lip.

Chen Lina was originally very angry at Nie Bozhao's lack of understanding of romance, but she was immediately amused by the child. "Comrade Nie, I find that your thinking is very problematic. You are a child, you should be like Erdan and Sandan, eat at dawn, sleep at night, and worry less about adults. Also, did you not brush your teeth again? Why do I smell a stinky mouth?"

Nie Weimin laughed, and Chen Lina clapped her hands and said, "You must brush your teeth before going to bed. Go and brush my teeth for me."

"My dad always tells us to brush our teeth before going to bed, but my grandma won't let us. She said that it's a gene from their grandson's family, so they definitely won't have cavities." After thinking for a while, he added, "So you are a Yao woman. Only Yao women let their children brush their teeth."

In fact, it is probably the conflict between two concepts.

My grandmother was born in the poorest rural area of ​​Zhang County. When she was a child, she probably didn’t even know what toothpaste was, and of course she didn’t have the habit of brushing her teeth.

However, she didn't have so many candies and sweets to eat when she was a child, so even if she doesn't brush her teeth, her teeth are not easily damaged.

But it’s different for the Nie Weimin brothers. Chen Lina will guarantee to give them at least one candy every day, as well as cheese, canned food, and so on. Aren’t all these things good weapons for causing tooth decay?

"Comrade Xiao Nie, do you remember Harbin Institute of Technology?" Chen Lina asked.

Nie Weimin exclaimed subconsciously, "It's black, dirty, and smelly."

"Then tell me, are Chen Tiantian's teeth white?"

"It's white and smells good." Little Nie Weimin felt embarrassed, and suddenly the quilt covered his head.

Chen Lina thought to herself, this child is so cautious, how come he is so precocious? "That's because Chen Tiantian always brushes her teeth. Whenever Harbin Institute of Technology sees her and wants to kiss her, she cries for a long time. If you never brush your teeth, you will want to bite her mouth when you grow up, so just wait for her to cry."

Nie Weimin snorted, "I won't bite my lips, it's so dirty." What a little brat, he doesn't understand anything.

She got on the kang and slept at the edge. When she was half asleep, she heard Nie Bozhao fetching water and washing his feet.

Well, she came in a little while later and sat on the edge of the kang for a while. Just when I was about to lift the quilt, Chen Lina immediately said, "Go to sleep over there."

"Didn't I propose to you?"

“But I haven’t agreed yet.”

"So we are not husband and wife?"

"Before I agree, we are just husband and wife. To put it bluntly, I don't want to go any further with you."

Well, Nie Bozhao sat for a while and said, "You said I treated you like a princess in my previous life, Chen Lina. I really admire myself in my previous life."

The only Red Flag car in the entire mining area was borrowed from the secretary of the mining area and given to her.

Just because she wanted a car.

She wanted a sewing machine, so he worked overtime to write his thesis and earned the royalties to buy it for her.

Nie Bozhao thought to himself, this princess must have very pure blood to be able to do this.

It was amazing that Chen Lina got up in the cold winter night, ran to the backyard wall, looked around, and waited according to the time. In the end, the two people who were running around quietly did not show up.

After the eighth day of the eighth month, it is the Chinese New Year. Although the New Year atmosphere is not that strong in the mining area because there are no elderly people, but because there are many family members, every household starts preparing New Year goods from the beginning of the eighth month.

Of course the base started distributing benefits at this time.

Eggs, mutton and flour, rice and cooking oil, these are necessary.

All of them were transported from the mining area by large trucks and distributed directly to each household by the staff of Mulan Farm.

As for candies, sausages, firecrackers, and fruits, which are the favorites of children and of course Chen Lina's favorite, they can be picked up at the supply and marketing cooperative in the Umayyad mining area with tickets.

Sister Wang and her family members are

It happened to be the weekend, and Chen Lina was making breakfast when she saw Sandan running in from outside with his two short legs, like a little rabbit.

"Mom, eat, Mom, eat." The child said while pulling Chen Lina's trouser legs.

Chen Lina lowered her head, and the boy stuffed a longan into her mouth and said, "Mom, peel it and eat it."

In this frontier, there is plenty of everything except fruit.

And now, it is a time of great development. People always say that in addition to grapes, there are also cantaloupes in the frontier.

But in fact, nowadays, various fruits and vegetables have not been grafted and improved, so of course there are not as abundant fruits as there will be 20 or 30 years later.

A longan, not only the children think it is fresh, but even Chen Lina herself, the moment she peeled it open and smelled the sweet fragrance, she couldn't resist. "Dan'er, can I give this to mom?"

The child tilted his head and thought, and when he saw his mother open her mouth, his two big eyes immediately drooped. "Okay."

Chen Lina peeled it, took half for herself and gave the other half to the child.

Sandan tasted it and found it was delicious. Although the child was young, he was selfish by nature. While holding the core in his mouth, the child thought, it would be great if I could eat the whole thing by myself.

With a cry, he started crying.

"It's just a longan. Just give it to the child. We have fruit coupons. You can drive to Umay and pick ours up later."

"This is called sharing. It means not letting children eat alone." Chen Lina waited until Sandan went to play next door before she said, "Adults always like to save the best things for children, and children feel at ease and think that all the good and most precious things should belong to them. Old Nie, I have to tell you that this is not good. You will spoil your children. No matter what it is, it is meant to be shared by the whole family, at least that's how it is with me."

When Sandan grew up, he was a very selfish child because he was always bedridden.

For example, he always told Chen Lina that Nie Bozhao did not love her.

At that time, Chen Lina did not understand the child's possessiveness towards her father, and she actually thought that her husband did not love her.

But gradually, when he was on the verge of death, he arranged his funeral affairs one by one, including her.

From big issues like shareholdings and possible disputes between her and her children to small issues like where the flashlight on the bedside table should there be a power outage.

In case the flashlight ran out of battery, he arranged everything clearly, and where the candles were. Only then did Chen Lina realize that he really loved her.

Therefore, the most important thing for Sandan was to teach him to share instead of monopolizing love.

Although Nie Bozhao did an excellent job in research, he had no experience in educating children. He just felt that she was too childish.

It's strange too.

After a while, Sandan ran out again. This time, he was holding a frozen popsicle when he left, and when he came back, he was holding three longans in his hand.

After picking and choosing, he gave the biggest one to Chen Lina, took one of the same size for himself, and gave the smallest one to his father.

"Thank you, Comrade Sandan, Dad thinks longan is very delicious." said Nie Bozhao.

The longans my son gave me still tasted very sweet.

Sandan tilted his head and waited for Chen Lina to pinch the longan for him. He put it in his mouth, but did not eat it, just savoring the sweet taste.

He kept silent, picked two vegetables, and ran to feed the rabbits.

It was a blind little rabbit when it came, but now its eyes are healed and it has gained a lot of weight.

"Sister." The little guy rubbed the rabbit's fur. The three brothers discussed and came up with a name for the little white rabbit. The name was Sister.

When the weekend came, Nie Bozhao's biggest task was to clear the ashes from the fire wall to the door, and then find a way to find time to take it to the Gobi Beach and dump it.

And Chen Lina was making breakfast for the children.

As for Laba, of course she cooked Laba porridge. The Laba porridge in frontier areas must contain walnut kernels, raisins and various nuts.

A pot of thick soup is enough for breakfast for the whole family.

"The supporting facilities in your residential area are too incomplete. For example, there should be someone specially assigned to clean up the dust and garbage. There should also be a special property management company to clean up the dust, instead of like now, where the biggest task of every household on weekends is to take out the garbage." Chen Lina was very dissatisfied with this. Not only is the whole residential area filled with dust and ashes at weekends, some families keep it clean while others don't, and they make the streets dirty.

"So what do you think we should do?"

"Set up a property management company and let it be responsible for the cleanup. Your oil field is so profitable, can't you afford to hire a few garbage collectors? I get a headache when I see all this dust." Chen Lina curled her lips and couldn't help but hold her forehead. After all, Nie Bozhao was going on a business trip, and taking out the dust was her job.

Nie Bozhao smiled and said, "If you are willing to follow me into the small bedroom, no matter how busy I am, even if I am on a business trip, I will rush back to help you empty the ashes." Well, you still have to bow your head when you should.

Chen Lina still pouted her lips. As a princess, she should act like a princess. She would never agree.

After a while, Xiao Chen, who hadn't been seen for a long time, came to visit.

"Sister-in-law is cooking again?" He still looked like he wanted to eat for free, and as a grown man, he rushed straight into the kitchen.

When he saw Chen Lina using a frying pan to spread spring cakes in boiling water, he rubbed his hands and swallowed subconsciously, "I haven't eaten this kind of thing for a long time. I didn't expect Xiao Chen to be able to make this."