Every time Ning Shu took something out, they licked their lips and couldn’t help but think, why couldn’t Yi Bao’s mother be their mother?

Ning Shu didn’t know what the children were thinking, but she knew that the children must be craving for snacks.

She had been a child herself. When she was young and saw other children eating snacks, she would also crave them.

So after taking those things into the kitchen, Ning Shu cut two apples, put them in a wooden bowl, and said, “Yi Bao, share the apples in the bowl with your good friends. Mother has to go out for a while to pick up your little aunt on the way and will be back soon.”

“Okay,” Yi Bao took the bowl and asked with confusion, “Has little aunt come back too?”

“Little aunt came back with us, but she couldn’t fit on the back, so she walked back. Mother will drop me off at home first, then go pick up little aunt. Brother, give me a slice of apple.” Er Bao hadn’t eaten for a long time, so he had been thinking about it all the way.

“Yi Bao, do we have some too?” Other children also asked, as they heard Aunt mention that they could have some.

Yi Bao gave a slice to Er Bao first, and then distributed them to the other children, saying, “Each of you gets a piece. Hai Cai, Yang Youfu, Lv Guangzong…” After they were all distributed, Yi Bao found it was just enough.

With the apples, the children stopped playing and sat in a row under the eaves, starting to eat the apples in small bites.

Even San Bao, who was almost 16 months old, could hold and gnaw on his own.

“Yi Bao, your mother is so nice, buying you so much food, and even apples,” the children praised as they ate.

Yi Bao nodded in agreement, “Yes, my mother is the best.”

Er Bao felt that one “most” was not enough to describe how good his mother was, “My mother is the very, very best.”

San Bao confidently said, “Mother is good, Bao is good,” like a confident little one.

Hai Cai added, “Aunt San’s cooking is also the best.”                                              

“My mother said that Yi Bao’s mother is lucky, Yi Bao’s father is a good man. She said my father is not promising, he only knows how to work like an ox,” the child laughed, “But I think my father is also very good. When he goes to town, he will buy me candy.”

Er Bao also boasted about his father, “My father is also very good, he tells us stories.”

Yi Bao agreed, “Yes, my father tells stories very well.”

Er Bao continued, “My father also gives money to our mother, so she can buy meat.”

At this point, Yang Youfu said, “My father has no money, he gives all the money to my mother. My mother said she wants to save money for me to get married and to save dowry for my sister, so we have to save money.” The four-year-old spoke very well.

Er Bao was curious, “What is getting married for?”

This question was directed at Yang Youfu, after all, he was only four years old, and he only knew what he had heard from adults.

“I know this,” a slightly older child, about seven years old, said, “Getting married is to have babies.” He had a brother at home, and his mother always talked about saving money for his brother to get married.

“I don’t want to have babies,” Er Bao thought that with San Bao at home, if there was another baby, he and his brother would have to take care of them, and then they wouldn’t have time to play.

“But if your wife doesn’t have babies, your mother will scold her,” another child said.

Er Bao asked, “Why? Babies are so troublesome, you have to feed them, change their diapers, and they stink.”

San Bao, who was eating his apple seriously, didn’t know he was being teased.

“I don’t know either. My grandma scolds my aunt, saying that she’s been married for years and still hasn’t had a baby, so useless. Ai…” The child remembered how his grandma scolded his aunt and felt a little scared.

Ning Shu had no idea that after she left, the children in her house started talking about big life events.

Maybe when she got home later, Er Bao would not only have arranged a wife for her, but also grandchildren.

When Ning Shu saw Lin Xiaojing riding her bicycle, she hadn’t even reached the town. Walking was much slower than riding a bicycle.

“Xiao Jing…” she shouted.

Lin Xiaojing saw someone riding a bicycle from afar and didn’t expect it to be Ning Shu coming to pick her up.

She thought Ning Shu was just being polite before. “Thank… Thank you, Third Sister-in-law,” the ease from before was gone, and now she was awkward again.

“No need to be polite, get on the bike, let’s go,” Ning Shu stood on her left foot, waiting for her to sit down before she started pedaling.

“When you go back, talk to your parents about work. After lunch, come find us, and we’ll go to the brigade leader’s office together to get your identification and introduction letter. Then I’ll take you to the clothing factory to report for duty.”

Lin Xiaojing was an adult, so Ning Shu didn’t wrap her up in the windbreaker, and she could hear her when she spoke.

“Is that all?” Lin Xiaojing didn’t expect it to be so simple. “How much does this job pay? And what will I be doing there?”

Ning Shu said, “As for what you’ll be doing, we’ll arrange that when you get there. Everyone has different skills, so the positions will be different. As for the pay, before the implementation of the policy to send people to the countryside, a permanent position at the clothing factory could be sold for 600 yuan. With the current situation, it could be sold for 700 to 800 yuan, but I’ll take 650 yuan from you.” She had thought about the money issue earlier.

Selling for 600 was too little, and selling for 700 would be fine for strangers or other relatives, but since she was her own sister-in-law, she wanted to give her a discount, so she settled on 650 yuan.

Even with this 650 yuan, she didn’t know if the old house could come up with it.

There would probably be a “big fuss” later. But she didn’t care about that.

Lin Xiaojing naturally understood the job.

She had gone to recruit workers herself, so how could she not understand this? She also knew that buying a permanent position at the clothing factory for 650 yuan was a good deal for her.

“Thank you,” she sincerely thanked Ning Shu.

She knew that if it weren’t for Third Brother’s face, she wouldn’t have gotten this job.

So Lin Xiaojing was very grateful. At the same time, she was also happy. She and Third Brother were really living a good life.

“Okay,” Ning Shu didn’t say much.

She had done a good deed, and she deserved the thanks she received.

Some people did good deeds quietly, but Ning Shu didn’t think so.

Why not speak up about the good things you’ve done? If you don’t speak up, no one will know, and that loses a lot of direct meaning.

She felt that within her ability, good deeds could be done, but people should also know about them.

Just like in her past life, before she was an adult, she would ask her parents for money.

At that time, if she didn’t ask for more from them, would she expect to ask for more when she grew up?

Forget it.

When the bicycle arrived in the village, it once again attracted attention.

Just now, the people at the village entrance were curious about why Ning Shu had gone out again.

Now that they saw Ning Shu bringing Lin Xiaojing back, everyone knew that she had gone to pick someone up.

“Xiao Jing, don’t you have classes today? Why are you back?” a woman who was on good terms with Lin’s mother asked.

“Auntie…” Lin Xiaojing called out, “I had something to do today, so I asked for leave to come back.” She was already past the village entrance when she spoke.

When it comes to finding a partner, the smart ones are the educated youth.

Not to mention, even the Lin family’s three cousins, who are the cream of the crop, all married educated youth.

Lin Zhenzhong, the eldest son of the team leader, married Chen Na, an educated youth.

Chen Na and Ning Shu went to the countryside together, and now their first child is three years old.

Lin Zhenxing, the youngest son of the team leader, married Qin Ya, an educated youth who went to the countryside this year.

They got married on November 8th, and it’s already been two months, but there’s no news of her being pregnant.

So, the best men in the brigade have all been taken by the educated youth.

Actually, it’s normal for families with some means to marry educated youth, after all, educated youth are cultured.

Who wouldn’t want their grandchildren to be born into a cultured family? Especially since cultured people have a bright future.

“So the girls in our village have to work harder. If they don’t, there won’t be any men left.”

“You’re kidding. Who would fancy the leftovers in our village?”

“Hahaha…”

“By the way, hasn’t Zhuang Daming come back yet?”

“I haven’t seen him. Maybe he hasn’t come back yet?”

“Could something have happened to him?”

“Who knows?”

“Zhuang’s family hasn’t reported to the police either.”

On the topic of Zhuang Daming, everyone started chatting again.

Ning Shu rode her bicycle directly to her doorstep.

A group of children had already finished their apples and were playing in the yard. When they saw Ning Shu return, they praised her non-stop.

“Auntie, you’re back.”

“The apples you gave us were so sweet.”

“Thank you for the apples, Auntie.”

All these kids with their sweet mouths.

Ning Shu smiled and said, “From now on, you guys should make friends with our Yibao , Erbao and Sanbao. Good friends play together, and no one should bully or fight each other, okay?”

“Don’t worry, Auntie. We’re good friends with Yibao and Erbao, and we won’t fight.” As for Sanbao, the little radish head just ignored him.

“Yeah, if Zhuang Xiaopang bullies Yibao and Erbao, we’ll help too.”

Ning Shu, of course, was generous with her praise, “You’re all good kids.”

Lin Xiaojing looked at the lively scene here, so different from the quietness before, and couldn’t help but smile.

“Third Sister-in-law, I’m going home first. I’ll tell my parents.”

Watching the children playing and laughing, her mood lightened.

Ning Shu nodded, “Go ahead.” She also had to prepare lunch.

Today, with the app’s vegetable bonus, lunch could be a bit more elaborate.

In the past, it was just pork rib soup, but today she made sweet and sour pork ribs. She also took out two servings of sauce duck.

A pound of sauce duck was just one plate. Stir-fried spinach, a bowl of shredded potatoes, and a bowl of seaweed egg drop soup would be enough for the family of five.

But Lin Guodong had a big appetite, so the portions couldn’t be too small.

Old House

When Lin Mu saw Lin Xiaojing come back, she was surprised, “Why are you back? Isn’t today Saturday? Are you on break? In previous years, the break wasn’t this early!”