After arranging "tasks" for the two children who were about to start a long vacation, the family began to take turns taking a bath.

Normally, when the two children were given a bath, they would always take a while. But today, after being punished, they were very well behaved. After taking a bath one by one, they did not stay in the living room after coming out, but went back to their room to lie down.

After the two children finished taking a bath, Su Ting and He Dongchuan also entered the bathroom one after another. This is the convenience of taking a bath in summer. The amount of hot water used is small, and one pot of hot water is enough for several people to take a bath.

The bathing time is also short, seven or eight minutes for those who take a quick bath, and about ten minutes for those who take a slow bath. Usually, after taking a slow bath, I would sit in the bathtub and play for a while. But today, I was punished, and I feel a little listless and have no interest in playing.

He Dongchuan is a quick showerer, but he has to clean the bathroom and do laundry, so he spends longer in the bathroom than anyone else in the family.

When He Dongchuan finished his shower and started to get busy, Su Ting had already applied lotion and was lying on the bed thinking about something.

She always felt that she had missed something important, but she just couldn't remember it. It wasn't until He Dongchuan hung up the clothes and returned to the master bedroom that she suddenly asked, "Did you not tell me something?"

"What?"

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, He Dongchuan suddenly remembered and said, "You asked me why I said those words to the children?"

Su Ting nodded: "Yes."

He Dongchuan lay down next to Su Ting, put his arm around her shoulders and said, "I think he's too straight."

Su Ting thought for a moment and said, "Integrity and straight-forwardness are usually used to compliment people."

"Being honest is a good thing, but being straightforward is not necessarily a good thing," He Dongchuan said thoughtfully. "People who are too straightforward are usually impulsive and don't use their brains. They are prone to getting into trouble. I hope that my children will think twice before doing anything in the future and think clearly about the consequences."

Su Ting squinted at him and said, "So you taught them to do this secretly?"

He Dongchuan raised his eyebrows in surprise: "Did I teach them this?"

Su Ting laughed: "When an argument breaks out, leading the other party to curse first, putting yourself on a moral high ground, isn't that sinister?"

"Yes, I'm on a moral high ground. Why didn't I think of this at the time?" He Dongchuan said, as if he had suddenly realized something, and raised his thumb and said, "My wife is indeed a creator. She speaks with culture."

"Stop giving me poverty!" Su Ting rolled her eyes at him.

He Dongchuan became serious and said, "I did teach him to guide people to start cursing first, but the premise is that after the quarrel has occurred, do you think they can always remain rational? If they can't, is it wrong to take the moral high ground?"

It sounds like there is nothing wrong with it, but... Su Ting asked: "If you tell your children this now, will it lead them astray?"

"How far can it go?" He Dongchuan asked.

Su Ting was stunned and couldn't speak.

And although the content of He Dongchuan’s teachings is not so positive, it actually makes some sense.

If others did not take the initiative to provoke him, and he went to plot against others for no reason, then of course he was wrong. But others provoked him first, and there is nothing wrong with plotting against others to put himself on a moral high ground.

Although Su Ting felt that what happened today was not a deliberate provocation by the other party, it would be fine to deal with it this way if she encountered similar situations in the future.

It’s just that parents always think that their children are innocent and fragile, and they don’t want them to be exposed to the dark side of society, let alone teach them to scheme against others, even if it is just a means of counterattack when encountering problems.

Generally speaking, Su Ting's educational philosophy is conservative.

He Dongchuan was born into a military family and grew up in a world of hardships, so when he was raising his children, he didn't think that his children were fragile.

When educating his children, he would not be as cautious as Su Ting, saying one thing for fear that the child would get hurt, and saying another for fear that the child would be led astray.

He is very direct.

As for whether what he is teaching now will lead the children astray...

In the original novel, He Yan lost his parents at a young age, and was abused by his stepmother. He also did not receive much education, so when he grew up, he became a bit stubborn, and his methods of doing things were very drastic, even unscrupulous.

But no matter what, he has never done anything illegal and has always adhered to the bottom line of being a human being.

Where can a person who has experienced so much hardship and injustice and has always been able to stick to his bottom line go astray in his life?

Su Ting thought for a moment and said, "You're right."

"Now that we've talked, shall we get down to business?"

Su Ting was startled, looked up and asked, "What's the matter?"

He Dongchuan turned over, pressed Su Ting under him, bent down and kissed her lips and said, "This is a serious matter."

"you……"

The corners of Su Ting's lips twitched. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, her mouth was invaded. She was forced to talk to He Dongchuan about serious matters for half the night.

…

As expected, Su Ting got up late again the next day.

However, because the brother and sister were punished, the training of the two children had not been completed when she got up. When she walked out of the room, she saw one of them doing horse stance with sweat all over his body, and the other one standing straight and grinning at her.

The one who was sweating profusely was He Yan. Although his physical strength was much better than when he first started practicing martial arts, the training time that suddenly doubled was a bit too much for him.

After running for an hour and then doing horse stance for more than 40 minutes, He Yan's legs were sore and large beads of sweat were emerging from his forehead and sliding down the contours of his face. His originally loose sweat shirt was also soaked and stuck to his body uncomfortably. He was only relying on willpower to persevere.

Although she didn't have to do the horse stance, she had stood straight for more than half an hour and began to feel tired. Before Su Ting came out, she was quietly moving her feet and her eyes couldn't help but glance at the empty sofa, hesitating whether to sit down and rest for a while.

But just as she was about to take action, she noticed the door of the master bedroom being pushed open from the inside. Afraid of being caught, she quickly stood up straight and used a silly smile to hide her guilt.

Su Ting didn't pay much attention to the slow movements and asked He Yan: "How long are you going to stand there?"

He Yan looked up at the alarm clock hanging on the wall and calculated with his dizzy head. After nearly a minute, he gave the answer: "Ten more minutes."

Su Ting nodded, walked to the cupboard and found a glass, went into the kitchen to find salt, added a little salt into the glass, then returned to the living room to pour boiling water, put it on the tea table and said, "Xiao Yan, after you finish your horse stance, remember to drink this glass of water."

"Yeah!" He Yan responded slowly.

Gradually, he became very good at finding a sense of existence for himself, and asked softly, "Mom, don't I have any?"

Su Ting glanced at the young lady who didn't even sweat much and asked, "Do you want to drink too?"

"Hmm!" She wants to drink anything delicious!

"OK."

Su Ting agreed immediately, and went to make another cup of salt water, put it next to the previous cup of water, and specifically reminded: "Drink it all."

Slowly: "No problem!"

Ten minutes later, Su Ting was sitting in front of the dressing table in her room, applying perfume, when she heard a cry from the living room: "Mom!"

She curled her lips, patted her face, rubbed her hands, walked out slowly and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Mom, what kind of water is this?" Manman said with a bitter face, "It's so salty!"

He Yan added: "It's still bitter."

Su Ting calmly replied: "Of course salt water is salty."

"Why do we drink this?" the brother and sister asked in unison.

"Because you sweated a lot during training today, a lot of water and inorganic salts in your body have been lost, so you need to drink salt water to replenish water."

I gradually began to wonder: "Isn't salt something we eat? How can it be in our bodies?"

He Yan didn't understand either, and looked up at Su Ting in confusion.

If this question were to be explained from a scientific perspective, Su Ting would not be able to answer it. After all, she had not been exposed to physics, chemistry, and biology since the division into arts and sciences in her previous life in the second year of high school, and she had long forgotten all the knowledge she had learned.

But the two children obviously didn't understand this, so Su Ting said without any pressure: "There are various trace elements in our bodies, and salt is one of them. Think about it, if there is no salt, how can your sweat be salty?"

Although the two children didn't know what trace elements were, when it came to the fact that sweat was salty, they... well, it was He Yan who understood. He slowly stretched out his finger out of curiosity, wiped it on his forehead, and then licked his finger with his tongue.

"Pooh!"

She slowly wrinkled her face and pouted twice, then suddenly came to her senses and shouted in surprise: "Sweat is really salty!"

Su Ting, He Yan: "..."

Su Ting concluded: "Large loss of salt in the body will lead to dehydration, which can seriously affect your health, so you must finish this glass of light salt water."

Looking at the full cup of light salt water in front of them, the brother and sister both fell in despair, but they were both frightened by Su Ting's words, so even though they didn't want to drink it, they still picked up the glass obediently.

"Shh..." It tastes so bad.

The total amount was less than 200 milliliters, and the brother and sister drank it slowly for nearly ten minutes.

After drinking a glass of salt water, He Yan, who was already too tired to even lift his legs, became even more lazy. He leaned on the sofa and asked weakly, "Mom, my mouth is so salty. Can I have a cookie to relieve it?"

"Can."

As soon as Su Ting finished speaking, He Yan jumped up and ran to the cabinet to look for snacks. Man Man saw this and quickly jumped up and ran to his brother and said, "Brother, I want some cookies too!"

He Yan took two biscuits for himself and gave two more to Man Man. He stuffed a biscuit into his mouth without waiting to close the drawer of the chest of drawers.

He Yan took a bite of the sweet and crispy biscuit and felt that he was healed. He remembered Su Ting and asked, "Mom, do you want to eat biscuits? There are still a lot of them."

“I’m not eating now.”

"Oh," He Yan's eyes rolled, "Can we eat a few more pieces?"

Su Ting said: "After you practice martial arts in the evening, you can eat two more pieces."

Although he couldn't eat it now, it would be a few hours before dinner. He Yan agreed with a smile, but his eyes inadvertently glanced at the cup on the tea table, and he hesitated and asked, "Should I not drink salt water at night?"

"The training time at night is not that long, so I shouldn't sweat that much, so I don't need to drink."

He Yan breathed a sigh of relief, but was only happy for a few seconds. He remembered that he still had to train for two hours tomorrow morning. He licked his lips and continued to ask: "What about tomorrow morning? Can I not drink salt water?"

Su Ting shook her head grudgingly: "Of course not. Not only tomorrow morning, but every morning after training, you all have to drink a glass of light salt water."

After hearing this, the brother and sister suddenly felt that the biscuits in their hands were not so delicious anymore.

Oh oh oh ~

…

As Su Ting and He Dongchuan took their two children to the Xinhua Bookstore in the city to buy a large number of children's books on Sunday, He Yan and Man Man officially entered the difficult summer vacation.

In the morning, He Yan would run and do horse stance, then slowly stand, and then drink salt water together.

In the morning and afternoon, they have to read books. He Yan reads by himself and writes his review. Then he reads under the guidance of his mother, remembers the story and retells it. In addition, he also has the task of spot-checking his knowledge of words.

There was nothing to do in the evening, but He Yan had to practice martial arts with his father. It was okay when he didn't sweat much, so he was served with more light salt water.

When the siblings' holidays were clearly arranged, the first high school entrance examination after the end of the Great Movement quietly arrived.

Although the number of children taking the high school entrance examination in the compound is not as many as those taking the small exams, in the eyes of the vast majority of people, the high school entrance examination is more important than the small exams.

In order to create a good environment for the candidates, during the exam days, everyone in the compound spoke more quietly than usual and went to bed earlier than usual.

And when the junior high school entrance examination is over, the college entrance examination will be coming soon.

Although there are several more senior high school graduates this year, on the one hand, several passed the exam last year, and on the other hand, several military wives who failed last year chose to give up. So after adding and subtracting, the number of people taking the college entrance examination in the compound this year is not as many as last year.

But the college entrance examination is much more important than the high school entrance examination. After all, the college entrance examination determines the university, and in this era, whether you can go to university and what kind of university you go to can basically determine a person's future.

So the atmosphere in the compound was tense for a while.

When all the exams were over, not only the parents of the candidates, but also those like Meng Xiuzhen who had no children taking the entrance exams breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, she was puzzled: "I didn't find July so difficult in previous years. Why are there so many exams one after another this year?"

Su Ting said: "In previous years, you certainly didn't find July difficult. The notice to resume the college entrance examination was not released until October last year."

"If there is no college entrance examination, then there are still small exams and high school entrance exams."

"In the past, junior high schools were divided into districts. The number of places for junior high school students to enter high school depended on the number of students available. For university students, the recommendation was considered instead of the academic performance. What's the point of being nervous about the exam?"

Meng Xiuzhen thought for a moment and said, "That's true. Do you think the atmosphere in our compound will be this tense every July?"

"We're just getting started. The results haven't even come out yet."

Thinking of the anxiety and irritation of her daughter at the beginning of the year when she didn't receive her admission letter, Meng Xiuzhen sighed, "Those families with candidates are going to have a hard time."

Su Ting did not think this was a bad thing, saying, "It is better to have a hard time than to have nothing to endure. In the past few years, we did not have to endure this torture, but when the children reached the age, they had to go to the countryside to join the production team. It is better to fight for it in the midst of the torture like we are doing now."

Meng Xiuzhen pondered it for a while, nodded and said, "That's true." She was willing to endure this kind of torment a few more times, and she only hoped that her second and third children would work harder and successfully pass the entrance exam and finish high school.

…

A few days after the college entrance examination, the results of the quiz came out.

This time He Yan did not miscalculate the scores, he actually scored 100 in math, and his Chinese score was also higher than expected, he scored 98 points, ranking first in the county.

Because the difficulty of this quiz was slightly higher than usual, even though the scores were about the same, He Yan actually performed better than usual.

Sun Lin also did better than usual, scoring 85 in math and 70 in Chinese. His ranking in the grade was not high, but compared with his past performance, it was an exceptional performance.

It would be difficult for him to get into the best junior high school in the county with his grades, but the schools he could get into wouldn't be too bad. If he was lucky, he might even be able to get into a key class.

Therefore, although Sun Lin did not perform as well as He Yan, after getting the results, He Cuixia was much more excited than Su Ting, and she walked with a breeze for several days.

Sun Lin's treatment at home also improved. He Cuixia agreed to give him whatever he wanted to eat, and she smiled every day when she saw him. He was so happy that he felt uncomfortable. He murmured to his good friend, "Their parents are so fickle. If he does well in the exam, he is their precious son, and if he does not, he is that bastard!"

Zhu Binbin nodded frantically in agreement: "That's right!"

He Yan got to the point: "Are you a precious son now, or a bastard?"

Sun Lin touched his head, smiled and said, "My precious son."

After hearing this, Zhu Binbin and He Yan immediately didn't want to pay any attention to him.

Although He Yan, Zhu Binbin and Sun Lin get along very well, Zhu and Sun's grades are not very good. Zhu Binbin is slightly better, but his performance fluctuates greatly. If he does well, he can be in the top ten in the class, but if he does not do well, he can fall to the bottom ten in the class.

Zhu Binbin's performance in the quiz was not very bad. His total score was 7 or 8 points higher than Sun Lin's. However, it was not comparable to his best result. So after the results came out, he was still considered a bastard by his parents.

He Yan's grades have always been very good. He has never been called a precious son by his parents, nor has he been disliked and called a bastard. After the results of the midterm exam came out, he was not treated as well as Sun Lin at home.

No, it should be said that he is not even half as good as Sun Lin.

Sun Lin can eat whatever he wants now, and because he has just graduated from elementary school, he has no summer homework, so he can play as much as he wants every day.

Because he had an argument with someone right after the exam, he was punished to double the training, three hours a day, morning and night. He was so tired that his legs cramped, and he had to drink salty water afterward.

That would have been fine, but what was even worse was that after the physical training every day, he had to do mental training. He had to read books and write book reviews. All these things piled up together were a double torture to his spirit and body.

So He Yan and Zhu Binbin both felt that Sun Lin was being too arrogant.

Well, He Yan learned the word Versailles from his mother. It roughly means that it appears to be complaining, but is actually showing off.

He didn't quite understand what this meant before, but now he deeply understands the meaning of this sentence.

As a listener, he was very jealous.

…

In fact, Su Ting and He Dongchuan were not completely indifferent to He Yan's good grades. They planned to take some time to take the two children out to play for a day.

But the two of them didn't agree on where to go.

He Dongchuan thought that it was nice to watch a movie on a boat, but Su Ting thought that the two children might prefer to go to Xijiao Park.

Xijiao Park is actually the predecessor of Shanghai Zoo. It was built in the 1950s. Today, there are hundreds of animals in the park, including giant pandas, elephants, kangaroos and other uncommon animals.

During holidays, many parents bring their children to Xijiao Park to play.

Su Ting and He Dongchuan also took their two children there. The siblings were very excited at the time, and they couldn't stop thinking about the animals in the zoo for a long time after they came back.

But they were all very busy in the first two years. He Dongchuan needed to achieve good grades, and Su Ting was busy preparing for the college entrance examination. After being admitted, the university schedule was so full, and she also had to find time to draw comics, so she really had no time to take the children out to play.

Therefore, although they had promised the siblings that they would take them to Xijiao Park again when they had time, it has not happened yet.

This is also the main reason why Su Ting suggested going to Xijiao Park.

He Dongchuan was not very insistent on where to go, so after listening to Su Ting's idea, he said, "Then let's go to Xijiao Park."

He agreed readily, but Su Ting hesitated, thinking that they had thought so much, but it was not certain whether the two children thought the same way. After all, it was a reward for He Yan, so of course his wishes should be the main thing. So she asked the children's opinions during breakfast the next day.

After explaining her plan, Su Ting specifically said to He Yan: "If you want other rewards, such as toys, that's fine too."

He Yan's eyes lit up and he asked, "Can I ask to reduce the daily training tasks?"

"As for training, only your father has the final say, so I'm afraid that's not possible."

"Okay," He Yan lowered his head and thought for a moment, then asked, "Then can I stop drinking salt water in the future?"

Su Ting smiled and said, "If you don't want a reward, we can stay at home on Sunday."

He Yan was anxious and said quickly: "No! I think going to the zoo is fine!"

Although he would rather be lazy and stop drinking salt water, if neither of these is possible, he would still be happy to go to the Western Suburbs Park.

As for toys, he didn't think much about it. First, he was already a big kid, and wasn't as interested in games like marbles and movies as he was when he was a kid. Second, he had no shortage of toys, as there were a bunch of them in the drawers in his room. Third, he had plenty of pocket money, so if he wanted toys, he could just buy them himself.

In comparison, it would be better to go to Xijiao Park. Although he could afford the transportation and tickets, his parents would definitely not let him go alone to see the animals.

Man Man also assisted: "I want to see the cats, too!"

"What cat? That's a panda." Su Ting corrected him. Seeing that the brother and sister were both eager, she said, "Then let's go to Xijiao Park. You all need to get up early on Sunday. If you're slow, your father and I won't wait for you."

The brother and sister nodded in agreement. He Yan's brain turned faster and he quickly figured out what Su Ting meant. He rubbed his hands and asked, "Mom, if we go to the park on Sunday, does that mean we don't have to train?"

Su Ting and He Dongchuan did think so. It was tiring to visit the park and see the animals. It might take a whole day. And training would definitely consume their energy. They might run out of energy after a while and cry for someone to hold them.

He Dongchuan certainly couldn't hold two children by herself, and she herself might not have the energy to walk around all day, let alone hold the children, so it was necessary for the children to conserve their energy.

But seeing the expectant expression on He Yan's face, Su Ting deliberately kept it a secret and said, "Well, let me discuss this with your father and see what he thinks. I'm not sure right now."

He Yan dejected: "Okay."

Although they were not sure whether they would have training on Sunday, the brother and sister were very excited for the next two days at the thought of going to the park to see the animals. They even got up before dawn that day and knocked on the master bedroom door.

Su Ting was sleeping soundly and was startled when she heard a knock on the door.

He Dongchuan woke up quickly, patted her shoulder gently and said, "You sleep a little longer, I'll go out and take a look." Then he got out of bed, put on his shoes, walked around the bed and opened the door.

When he opened the door and looked down, He Dongchuan saw the neatly dressed brother and sister standing at the door with bright smiles, calling out in clear voices: "Dad!"

He Dongchuan quickly closed the door, led the two children to the restaurant, and asked in a low voice: "Why did you get up so early?"

"Mom told us to get up early." He Yan replied.

"Then you got up too early." He Dongchuan looked up at the alarm clock hanging on the living room wall. It was just past five o'clock, and he couldn't help rubbing his brows.

Manman looked confused: "Is it not possible to get up so early?"

"It's okay."

However, the park only opens at around 8 o'clock. If they drive there now, they will have to wait at least one or two hours. He Dongchuan asked, "Are you guys sleepy now? Do you want to go back and sleep for a while?"

Slowly he shook his head and said, "I'm not sleepy. We went to bed early last night!"

He Yan touched his stomach and said, "But we are hungry."

"Have you brushed your teeth?"

"Not yet. We went straight to call you and mom after we got up."

"Then go brush your teeth first."

The brother and sister said "oh" twice and went into the bathroom obediently, while He Dongchuan went back to the master bedroom to get dressed.

Although Su Ting was still lying on the bed in the room, her mind was clearer than before. When she heard the voice, she closed her eyes and asked, "Are the children awake?"

"Yeah, everyone is very excited." He Dongchuan picked up the trousers he found last night and hung at the end of the bed, took off his loose shorts and put them on, "They said they were hungry, I'll go see if there's anything to eat in the kitchen."

"You didn't turn off the coal stove last night, so we have to light a new fire to cook. There are peach cakes and maltose in the cupboard. Make a cup for each of them to fill their stomachs while waiting for the cafeteria to open..." Su Ting suddenly paused, sat up and said, "Forget it, I'll get up too."

"It's still early, why don't you go back to sleep for a while?"

"I can't sleep." Su Ting rubbed her cheeks and reached out to turn on the light.

He Dongchuan had already put on his pants and was putting on his shirt. Today was a day off and he was going out to play, so he didn't plan to wear his military uniform. Instead, he took out a white shirt and matched it with loose black trousers.

He often wears this when he is on vacation, because Su Ting's aesthetic taste remains unchanged over the years and she has always loved white shirts.

In fact, this is a misunderstanding. Su Ting's aesthetic taste is not that single. She can appreciate black shirts, floral shirts, and purple shirts. She can also appreciate wearing a suit, a windbreaker, or even being naked.

But in this era, if a man's clothes are too colorful, he will easily be mistaken for a street urchin, and suits are easily associated with capitalism. Not to mention wearing nothing, you can be arrested for hooliganism before you can walk ten meters. If you are lucky, you will spend the rest of your life in prison, but if you are unlucky, you will have to eat peanuts.

So there is not much that men can do to dress up at this time, and white shirts are a rare type of clothing that looks conservative, but refreshing, handsome and can enhance one's appearance.

Meeting Su Ting's admiring and enthusiastic gaze, He Dongchuan's mind moved slightly. He walked along the end of the bed to her side, bent down and lowered his head. Just as he was about to do something inappropriate for children, there was another knock on the door.

He Dongchuan paused slightly, but quickly chose to continue.

But before he could kiss his wife, there was a loud knock on the door, accompanied by the two children's shouts: "Dad! Dad! Dad!"

He Dongchuan gritted his teeth, stood up, went to open the door amid Su Ting's muffled laughter, and asked with a dark face, "What's wrong?"

The brother and sister standing at the door had no idea that they had disturbed their father's good time, nor did they notice the displeasure behind He Dongchuan's expressionless face. They looked up and said, "Dad, we are so hungry!"

He Dongchuan took a deep breath, walked through the living room, opened the cupboard, took out two pieces of peach cake and gave each of them two pieces. Then he made each of them a cup of maltose, put it on the coffee table and said, "Fill your stomachs first. We'll go eat at 6:30 and leave around 7 o'clock. Don't knock on the door to look for me during this time. Got it?"

"Know!"

The brother and sister answered in unison, but just as they finished speaking, they slowly remembered and asked, "But my brother and I had a meal this morning..."

He Yan hurriedly put the peach cake on the coffee table, rushed over to cover his sister's mouth, raised his head and said with a dry smile: "Don't worry, Dad, my sister and I will definitely be good. Before half past six, we will definitely not knock on the door to disturb you and mom's sleep!"

Seeing the brother and sister, one trying to cover her mouth, and the other trying to pull her brother's hand off, He Dongchuan smiled and said, "Okay, Xiaoyan, don't keep covering your sister's mouth."

After saying that, He Dongchuan turned around and went back to the master bedroom, and He Yan also relaxed the strength in his hands, and slowly tried to pull his brother's hand away, wanting to continue what he had just said.

But before she could say anything, she heard her brother say, "Dad has forgotten everything. Do you want to continue training by reminding him?"

I was stunned for a moment, and then I remembered that my father had not mentioned training. Then I gradually realized, "That's right."

"If I hadn't covered your mouth just now, we would have had to drink salt water again today." He Yan said, looking at his sister and snorted, "Stupid!"

Slowly pouting her lips: "I'm still young. When I grow up to be as old as my brother, I will be very smart!"

He Yan calculated in his mind and thought, it’s over, my sister will be stupid for several more years!