Sister Lou wiped the dirt off her hands with her clothes, went to the kitchen, and brought out four jars of sweet and sour radish. "Here you go, Xiao Ning. Let me apologize on behalf of Qingqing as well. She's young and doesn't know any better."

Ning Tang took the sweet and sour radish. "It's really alright, Sister."

Sister Lou paused for a moment. "Sister wants to ask you a question. Why did you marry Captain Shen?"

Not to mention that Zhao Qing didn't understand, Sister Lou herself was also puzzled by Ning Tang's decision to marry Captain Shen.

During their time together, Sister Lou discovered that Ning Tang was not only beautiful but also a very intelligent and opinionated young lady.

For a girl like her to marry a widowed military man and become a stepmother, to be honest, Sister Lou felt that Captain Shen was reaching above his station.

Ning Tang said, "There's nothing special, actually. It's mainly for two reasons. Firstly, I saw that Captain Shen had good conditions and a high salary. By marrying him, I wouldn't have to work in the fields anymore. Secondly, I don't want to have children. Captain Shen already has three, and they are a mix of boys and girls. He won't ask me to have more."

Sister Lou nodded. "I understand. I'll talk to that girl, Qingqing. If she dares to say anything disrespectful to you again, I promise I'll give her a good beating."

Ning Tang waved her hand. "It's up to you, Sister. But let me make it clear in advance, if Zhao Qing disrespects me again, I won't be polite."

She was someone who never let others walk all over her.

If it weren't for Sister Lou's sake, she would have made Zhao Qing cry with her words.

Back at home, Shen Lie had also finished cooking the meal.

He had finely chopped vegetables and lean meat cooked into a pot of vegetable and lean meat porridge, emitting a fragrant aroma.

The smell of the porridge awakened the three children. Dawa rubbed his eyes and stumbled downstairs, half-asleep. "Dad, what delicious food are you cooking? It smells so good."

Shen Lie placed the porridge on the table. "We have vegetable and lean meat porridge."

Dawa's eyes lit up. "Wait for me, I'll wash my face and come."

Ning Tang placed the four jars in the kitchen corner. Shen Lie asked, "What's this?"

"It's the sweet and sour radish that Sister Lou gave us. I'll take some out on a plate. It goes well with the porridge." Ning Tang explained.

Ning Tang put the sweet and sour radish on the table. It was made of white radish cut into small square pieces, garnished with red chili peppers. It looked appetizing.

Shen Lie took a sip of the porridge, picked up a piece of sweet and sour radish, and put it in his mouth. The combination of sourness, sweetness, spiciness, and crispness made it very delicious. "Hmm, it's tasty."

While having breakfast, he chatted casually. "I've cleared the grass in the yard. What do you think about planting something? Maybe we can grow some fruits and vegetables in the yard, just like Sister Lou."

Ning Tang replied, "No, I don't have the energy to tend to them."

If they were to grow fruits and vegetables, it would be like farming in disguise. They had simply changed their location from Shangan Village to Hailang Island.

Shen Lie pursed his lips. "You're so lazy."

Ning Tang glanced at him sideways. "If you're not lazy, then you can do it. You can take care of the entire plot."

Shen Lie didn't have the time for that either. "Then tell me what to plant."

Ning Tang pondered for a moment. "Let's plant mint. It's that wild grass that smells refreshing. Dawa told me it grows in the back mountains. We can plant a clump in the yard and under the windowsill. It can repel mosquitoes in the summer, and the mint leaves can be used to make tea, which helps cool down and relieve heat."

Shen Lie responded, "It's almost winter, who needs mosquito repellent? But well, when you two go to the back mountains, dig up a few plants and bring them back."

Dawa swallowed the porridge and nodded. "Dad, you should make sugar pancakes for us."

"Sugar pancakes?" Shen Lie looked at Ning Tang for confirmation.

"It's when you wrap sugar syrup in a dough, roll it into a pancake shape, and fry it in oil until both sides turn golden brown. When you take a bite, you first taste the crispy pancake and then the hot and sweet sugar syrup." Ning Tang explained.

Shen Lie licked his lips. "Sounds good. Alright, Dawa, when you bring back the mint, I'll make sugar pancakes for you."

Two days later, Dawa and Erniu dug up the mint from the back mountains, and Shen Lie planted them in the yard.

With a gentle breeze, the lush green mint swayed in the wind, emitting a refreshing fragrance.

Shen Lie leaned on the handle of the hoe with one hand, looked at the mint he had planted, and then glanced at the onions, ginger, and garlic sprouts planted in the Su family's yard across the street. He suddenly felt that what he grew himself had more style.

He raised an eyebrow. Why was it so quiet over there? Normally, at this time, Ning Xue would be tending to her small plot in the yard. "I haven't seen your cousin these past couple of days. What happened? Is she sick or not leaving the house?"

Ning Tang had no idea. She didn't care about Ning Xue at all.

Dawa swallowed the sugar pancake made by Shen Lie, raised his hand, and said, "I know."

Shen Lie smiled. "Then tell me."

"We're having our end-of-year exams in first grade. Auntie is helping Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu with their studies. Not to mention that Ning Xue rarely leaves the house either." Dawa said.

Shen Lie recalled for a moment, realizing it was indeed the case. He glanced at Dawa and lowered his head. "If it's the end-of-year exams, why don't you study hard like them?"

There's nothing fun about studying. Dawa rolled his eyes and exclaimed, "I'm hungry. I'm going back to my room to get some sugar pancakes."

Shen Lie sneered. "He's itching for trouble again, bringing back a red lantern. Let me show him how I'll teach him a lesson."

"What can you do? Just stir-fry bamboo shoots with pork (hit/beat)," Ning Tang said. "Captain Shen, what are we having for dinner?"

Shen Lie put the hoe back inside the house. "We're having crispy fried chicken legs and silver pin noodles in old duck soup."

Ning Tang was taken aback. "What holiday is it today that we're having so many meat dishes?"

"No holiday, I'm just in a good mood," Shen Lie replied, indirectly teasing Ning Xue for provoking Dawa.

Ning Tang shouted inside the house, "Dawa, don't eat too many sugar pancakes. Leave some space in your stomach. Your dad is going to cook chicken and duck for us."

Cook chicken and duck?

Dawa's ears perked up. He put down the half-eaten sugar pancake and ran out of the house. "Is it true, stepmom? Are you trying to trick me so that I'll leave the pancakes for you to eat?"

Ning Tang scoffed. "You have so little trust. Ask your dad if you don't believe me."

Dawa looked at Shen Lie, who said, "It's true. Look, it's just crispy fried chicken legs. We have them at home too, and I'll make duck soup with silver pin noodles for you."

Dawa's mouth almost stretched to her ears. "Dad, you're really great." She thought for a moment and added, "As a biological dad, you're better than the stepmom next door."

Comparing him to Ning Xue? Shen Lie puffed up his mustache and glared.

Seeing that Shen Lie was about to get angry, Dawa quickly said, "Dad, I'll start the fire for you."

Shen Lie snorted through his nose. "That's more like it."

Crispy fried chicken legs and duck soup with silver pin noodles were brought out. Ning Tang picked up a few strands of silver pin noodles with her chopsticks, dipped them in the sauce, and ate them. She raised her thumb and said, "Captain Shen, your cooking skills are impressive."

Dawa took a bite of the crispy fried chicken leg. The crispy skin came first, followed by the tender and smooth chicken meat. She couldn't help but exclaim, "So this is how crispy fried chicken legs taste! It's delicious!"

Erniu said, "I still think the sugar pancakes are tasty." She preferred the sweet sugar pancakes. "What do you think, Sanwa?"

Sanwa also preferred the sugar pancakes and nodded vigorously.

Shen Lie chuckled. "If you like it, I'll make them for you again another day. It's just sugar pancakes, not worth much effort."

Dawa looked around. "Dad, I also like the crispy fried chicken legs."

Shen Lie, with a sly smile, said, "Dawa, say it again."

Dawa felt like crying without tears. "I, I like the sugar pancakes."

Ning Xue was inside the house tutoring Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu.

Having graduated from high school, she found it more than enough to tutor two first-grade kids.

Su Guangzong leaned on the table, his small hand holding the pencil, revealing a large piece at the end. He sniffed and said, "It smells so good, like the taste of fried chicken legs."

Restless, Su Yaozu twisted his buttocks and coquettishly said, "Mom—"

Ning Xue rubbed their heads. "Be good, study hard, and I'll cook for you at noon."

"Cooking crispy fried chicken legs?" Su Yaozu asked.

Of course not. Last time, in order to avoid any suspicion with Ning Tang, Ning Xue bought chicken meat for several days, which cost quite a bit of money. She didn't escape Su Junyan's criticism, and they had to tighten their belts and save money for a while.

"No, we'll make it another time. Today, we'll have seafood," Ning Xue said.

Su Yaozu frowned and said, "No, I want to eat crispy fried chicken legs."

Ning Xue had an unconditional love for her twins. "Alright, alright. When your dad comes back this afternoon, I'll talk to him and see if we can make crispy fried chicken legs, okay?"

Su Yaozu was satisfied with this and sweetly said, "Mom, you're really nice."

Su Guangzong added, "Even better than our biological mom."

When the twins said she was better than their biological mom, Ning Xue felt as if she had just consumed a packet of honey.

"You two study well and strive to get top marks this time. If your dad is happy, I'll make crispy fried chicken legs for you every day," Ning Xue said.

The twins enthusiastically agreed, "Okay, we'll study hard and aim for the first place."

Ning Xue smiled and nodded.

She also understood that competing through food was not a long-term solution.

Developing both children into talented individuals was the real deal, and then Ning Tang would envy them.

Thinking about this, Ning Xue asked the twins, "Have you been playing with Dawa recently?"

Su Guangzong shook his head and said, "No."

Ning Xue said, "Final exams are coming up soon. I wonder if my cousin has been helping him study."

Dawa, with his intelligent look, didn't want to surpass the twins by a large margin in the exams. That would definitely make Ning Tang extremely frustrated.

Su Yaozu said, "Well, Mom, don't worry. Dawa is always playing outside and not paying attention in class. Besides, his stepmother doesn't seem to be interested in pushing him to study like you do with me and Big Brother. He definitely won't perform better than us."

Ning Xue also thought the same way and nodded. "You're right." Then she continued tutoring, "Okay, this question is solved like this..."

By the end of December, the entire Hailang Island had put on its autumn and winter attire, and Dawa was about to take his end-of-year exams in the first grade.

On the morning of the exam, Shen Lie woke up early and prepared breakfast.

As he watched Dawa eat his fill and sent him off to school, he couldn't help but remind him, "Study well for the exam, don't be careless or make mistakes. Check your answers at least twice before submitting." Afterward, he added, "When you come back tonight, I'll make you something delicious."

Dawa swallowed his saliva and asked, "What delicious food?"

"If you do well, we'll have a feast. If you don't, we'll have bamboo shoot stir-fry," Ning Tang interjected.

Upon hearing the words "bamboo shoot stir-fry," Dawa suddenly shivered and waved his hand. "I'm off then!" he said and quickly ran away.

Shen Lie watched his departing figure, feeling a mix of emotions.

Ning Tang was puzzled. "It's just an exam," she said. "It's only the final exam for the first grade. Why are you so nervous?"

Shen Lie replied, "You don't understand. It's a matter of face."

"A matter of face?" Ning Tang asked. "Whether he does well or not, it's Dawa's own business. If he loses face, it's his own, so why does it concern you?"

Shen Lie glanced at her and said, "You don't understand. If Dawa comes back with two red lanterns hanging (zeros), and when I go to the military, people ask me, 'Hey, Captain Shen, I heard your Dawa is in the first grade this year. How did he do in the exams? What should I say? Should I say he failed? Where would that leave my face?"

He paused for a moment and continued, "I am a battalion commander, and below me are company commanders and platoon leaders... If the soldiers under my command, their sons and daughters, perform better than Dawa in the exams, it would be a huge embarrassment for me. People would say, 'Oh, the sons and daughters of the company commanders and platoon leaders scored 80 or 90 points, but how did Dawa only score this much?'"

Ning Tang laughed. She didn't expect Shen Lie to have this side to him. She tiptoed and patted Shen Lie's shoulder. "Okay then, you can stay at home and pray that Dawa comes back with perfect scores."

The next day, Ning Tang went to visit Sister Luo's house. "Sister, the sweet and sour radish you gave me last time was delicious. Can you teach me how to make it?"

Sister Luo's eyes were fixed straight ahead, holding a shoe in her left hand and a needle in her right hand. She pricked herself and exclaimed, "Ouch!"

Ning Tang waved her hand in front of her. "Sister?"

Sister Luo snapped back to reality. "Sorry, I was lost in thought. Xiao Ning, what did you say just now?"

"I said your sweet and sour radish is delicious, and I want you to teach me how to make it," Ning Tang said.

Sister Luo said, "Oh, oh, oh, sure. It's very simple. Cut the white radish into strips or cubes, sprinkle salt to remove the water, then add two spoons of sugar, chili, half a bowl of white vinegar, and two bowls of cold water. Let it marinate for two days, and it's done."

Ning Tang nodded and made a note of the recipe. "Got it. By the way, Sister-in-law, what were you thinking about earlier? Why were you lost in thought?"

Sister Luo pinched her index finger that was just pricked by the needle. "Qingqing is taking her final exams these days, and I was thinking about her exams. She'll graduate next year, but I don't know what to do next."

Ning Tang recalled that it was the year 1976, and the college entrance examination would be reinstated in 1977. Zhao Qingqing was only seventeen years old, so even if she studied for two more years, it wouldn't be too late.

Ning Tang said, "She can study for another year, solidify her knowledge. There's no need to worry about the rumors. Next year, the college entrance examination might be reinstated, and she might even pass and become a university student."

Sister Luo waved her hand dismissively. "I know my own child. This girl has always been at the bottom of the class. During Chinese New Year this year, she'll probably bring back two red lanterns again. Let alone studying for another year, even if she studies for ten more years, she'll still be the same."

She sighed, "Old Zhao has been advising me, saying that for a girl, academic performance isn't important. After high school graduation, he'll find her a job at the Jiang City Textile Factory through his connections."

Ning Tang replied, "That's not bad either. Being a regular worker at a textile factory is a stable job, and she can earn a good income each year."

After a bit more idle chat, Ning Tang noticed that Sister Luo's attention was elsewhere and took her leave to go home.

When she arrived home, it was already six o'clock, and Shen Lie hadn't returned yet.

It was the end of the year, and he had many tasks, so he was usually busy and often came home late.

Ning Tang didn't mind and asked the three children, "What do you want to eat?"

Dawa didn't hesitate and said, "I want to eat meat."

Ning Tang chuckled and said, "How about hot and sour cabbage hot pot? We can use sour cabbage as the base, add some beef and lamb, and fish balls cooked in fish broth."

Erniu was listening and started salivating from what she's hearing. With a slurp, they said, "Let's eat that!"

When the hot and sour cabbage hot pot was ready, the soup base had a light green color with white fish balls floating on top, along with alternating slices of red meat. It looked appetizing.

While waiting for the food to cook, Dawa asked, "Stepmother, if Dad doesn't come home tonight, can we still have such a nice meal?"

When his biological mother was alive, they wouldn't prepare such fancy dishes when his father wasn't home. At most, they would have pickled vegetables with steamed buns.

Unlike Ning Tang, who had fish and meat together.

Ning Tang said, "Of course, Captain Shen has a big appetite. If he's home to eat, there won't be any leftovers for us. So while he's away, we should eat more delicious food and treat ourselves."

Ning Tang scooped a bowl of sour cabbage soup and added a few fish balls to the soup. She handed it to Sanwa and said, "Let it cool down a bit before you eat."

Sanwa nodded and held the bowl with both hands, blowing on it in small sips.

The two older children didn't need Ning Tang to watch over them. They helped themselves to the food in the pot.

Seeing the three children enjoying their meal, Ning Tang couldn't help but eat a little more herself, finishing nearly half a bowl.

Shen Lie returned home at 9 o'clock in the evening.

As soon as he arrived, he exclaimed, "Is there anything to eat? I'm starving."

Ning Tang glanced at him and said, "What's wrong? Weren't you fed enough at the military cafeteria?"

Shen Lie waved his hand and said, "After a night of meetings, I digested all the food from dinner."

Ning Tang went into the kitchen and prepared a bowl of noodles for him. The soup base was made from the leftover sour cabbage soup from the hot pot. The white, thin noodles were garnished with a few fish balls, accompanied by a handful of greens and a poached egg, with a drizzle of sesame oil.

Shen Lie didn't mind and picked up the bowl. He quickly finished the noodles and wiped his mouth, saying, "Ah, that hit the spot."

He glanced at his Dawa beside him and asked, "I've been busy these days and didn't have a chance to ask you. How did you do in your exams?"

In recent days, the schools on the island had been gradually completing their end-of-term exams. Everyone would ask each other how their children performed, and Shen Lie couldn't escape from those inquiries either.

Dawa pouted and said, "Dad, as soon as you're full, you come looking for me. I don't even know how I did in the exams. I'll go to school in a couple of days to get the report card."

Ning Tang also chuckled and patted Shen Lie's shoulder, saying with emotion, "Ah, Captain Shen, always hoping for your son to excel."

Shen Lie glanced at her and said, "You're hoping for your son to excel too. What if our Dawa comes back with two red lanterns? If someone asks you, how can you face it?"

"Why wouldn't I be able to face it?" Ning Tang pointed at herself and continued, "I'm the stepmother. Whether Dawa does well or poorly in exams has nothing to do with me. People would only say, 'Oh, look at how dumb Captain Shen's child from his previous marriage is. How did he score so low?'"

She added, "Besides, this exam is not for us. It's Dawa's exam. Whether he does well or poorly is his own responsibility. If he doesn't take it seriously and doesn't study well, and comes back with red lanterns, then he deserves the criticism. Likewise, if he scores a perfect score, he should be praised and envied. Captain Shen, the truth is, Dawa's exam has nothing to do with you."

Shen Lie pouted and said, "You always have a point." He looked at Dawa and said, "If you do well in your exams, it will make me proud. I'll give you double the red envelope during the Chinese New Year."

Upon hearing this, Dawa wished to return to the exam room and re-evaluate the test papers three times.

Chinese New Year was approaching, and Ning Xue was at home sewing the Chinese New Year clothes for Su Junyan, Su Guangzong, and Su Yaozu.

The clothes were made of bright red fabric with embroidered white clouds, looking beautiful and stylish.

Ning Xue displayed the finished clothes and nodded with satisfaction.

Li Yun looked at the exquisite garments and exclaimed with envy, "You're so skilled. It looks just like the real thing when you embroider."

Ning Xue slightly curved her lips and said, "You're being too kind. Your embroidery is good too."

Li Yun looked at the clothes she was sewing in her hands and pouted in disdain, saying, "You're just comforting me. Look, I can't even sew the stitches evenly. If I take clothes like this home, my youngest child will definitely throw a tantrum."

Ning Xue reassured her, saying, "It's okay. I'll help you sew them again later."

Li Yun cunningly rolled her eyes and said, "Alright, it's a deal. Oh, by the way, my youngest child also liked the little tiger you sewed for your twins last time. Can you sew one for him too?"

She gestured and said, "It should be a bit bigger. It's best if it's the size of two palms. If it's too small, my youngest child will throw a tantrum again."

Tiger head?

Ning Xue remembered. It was when the twins' pants had a hole, and she thought patching it up wouldn't look good. So she creatively sewed a lifelike tiger head on it, which made the twins extremely happy.

Li Yun's son, Liu Xiaoliu, was in the same class as Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu. It was probably when they wore it to school that Liu Xiaoliu saw it and wanted one as well, so he persistently asked Li Yun.

Ning Xue hesitated and didn't immediately agree because sewing this tiger head required a lot of effort.

It needed five different colored threads: red, white, blue, yellow, and black. She also needed materials like peach-red, wheat-green, eggplant-purple, silver pieces, and colored silk for embellishments. It took her a whole week of hard work to sew it perfectly.

Moreover, the tiger head she sewed was the size of a fist, but this time Li Yun specifically asked for two palm-sized tiger heads. If she took on this task, she wouldn't be able to sleep for the next few weeks!

Li Yun noticed her hesitation and pretended to sigh, saying, "Oh well, if you don't want to, forget it. I thought we were good friends, but it seems like I was expecting too much."

Upon hearing this, Ning Xue gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, I'll sew it for you. I promise to have your youngest child's clothes ready by the end of the month."

Li Yun smiled with satisfaction, holding her hand with one hand and stuffing the clothes into her hand with the other, saying, "Thank you so much for your help."

As soon as Li Yun left, Ning Xue began working overtime to sew Liu Xiaoliu's clothes.

As she sewed, her mind was absent-mindedly looking outside because today was the day when the Su twins brought home their first-grade final exam results.

For the past two days, Ning Xue hadn't been sleeping well. Now she could take three glances outside with each stitch.

At 4:30, Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu's loud laughter could be heard outside the house.

A gleam flashed in Ning Xue's eyes. She put down the work in her hand and greeted them, "Guangzong, Yaozu, you're back."

Su Yaozu tightened the small bag slung across his shoulder and proudly said, "Mom, we're back."

Without hesitation, Ning Xue asked, "So, how did you do? How many points did you get in the final exams this time?"

Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu looked at each other, their little faces lighting up with smiles. They said in unison, "We both got full marks in the exams! We're ranked first in the whole class!"

"How many?" Upon hearing such good news, Ning Xue almost fainted on the spot.

Su Yaozu approached and shook Ning Xue's arm. "Both me and my brother got a perfect score in Chinese and math. Mom, you have to make us delicious food and buy us rewards."

Su Guangzong was a bit more composed than his younger brother but also spoke up, "Only my brother and I got full marks in the class this time. Even the teacher praised us for being smart."

"Okay, okay, okay!" Ning Xue repeated, "Tell me what delicious food you want to eat and what fun things you want to play with. Mom will buy them for you!"

"Hooray!" Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu cheered happily.

"Wait a minute, you said only the two of you got full marks in your class." A mysterious gleam appeared in Ning Xue's eyes.

Su Guangzong tilted his head and asked, "Yeah, Mom, what's the matter?"

Ning Xue beamed with joy, "You and your brother are in the same class as Dawa, right? You said only the two of you got full marks in the whole class. That means Dawa performed worse than you, right?"

Su Yaozu scornfully curled his lips, "Shen Dawa, he not only performed worse than us, but this time he also..."

The more she heard, the happier Ning Xue became. She slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Great, great! I bet this time the Shen family will be turned upside down!"