If he doesn’t get anything then, he’ll come out and make fun of everyone.

When Ning Shu got home, she didn’t see Lin Guodong, but the door was closed, not locked.

She stopped her bike in the yard and took out the things from the basket.

It was a bit heavy for her to take off the basket with things inside, so she put them on the ground.

“Mom, show us the bananas quickly,” Erbao urged.

Being a food lover, he was enthusiastic about trying new foods.

Ning Shu opened the sack and took out the bananas.

Even though there were a lot of bananas in 5 kilograms, each banana was heavy, about 4 per pound. So, with 5 kilograms, there were only about 20 bananas.

But with a big family like theirs, they would finish them in just three or four days.

“Wow, the bananas are long,” Erbao stared at them.

Yibao also asked, “Mom, how do we eat these?”

Haicai licked his lips but didn’t say anything.

Sanbao squatted down and reached for one directly. “I’ll eat.”

Ning Shu chuckled and patted Sanbao’s hand. “Two of you share one. Come to the kitchen.”

1With that, she picked up the things and headed to the kitchen.

The three kids and Hai followed right behind.

Ning Shu used a knife to split two bananas and gave one each to Yibao, Erbao, and Hai. Then she explained, “Just peel the banana like this to eat it.” She demonstrated, “But Sanbao is young, so he needs his banana mashed.”

Saying so, she put half of a banana into Sanbao’s wooden bowl and mashed it with a wooden spoon. Then she asked Yibao, “Yibao, Mom needs to tidy up. Can you please help feed your little brother?”

Yibao flashed a sweet smile. “Mom, I’m not tired.”

The four kids loved sitting under the eaves. They sat in a row, eating bananas and basking in the sun.

At the door, a few kids were looking in, but with all the pushing and shoving, nobody came into the yard.

Finally, another child couldn’t resist anymore. He shouted at the yard’s entrance, “Erbao…”

Erbao looked up and saw the kid who had once teased them about their clothes while licking fruit candy.

Despite that, Erbao, being good-natured, didn’t get angry just because it was him. He asked politely, “What’s up?”

The child gathered courage and walked in. He asked, “Erbao, what are you guys eating? Is it yummy?”

Erbao replied, “My mom says it’s called a banana, and it’s really tasty. Do you need something from me?”

The child hesitated before asking, “Um… I was thinking, if I say your clothes are nice, could I have a lick of your White Rabbit milk candy?”

Erbao blinked his innocent eyes. “But I don’t have any White Rabbit milk candy.”

The child, feeling tricked, retorted, “But didn’t your mom say she bought you some White Rabbit milk candy?”

Erbao licked his banana and replied, “My mom gave us bananas, not White Rabbit milk candy.”

The child suggested, “Well, when your mom gives you White Rabbit milk candy, can you let me have a lick? If Zhaung Xiaopang picks a fight with you guys again, I’ll definitely have your back.”

Erbao’s eyes flickered. “But what if you’re lying to us?”

The child immediately argued back, “I’m not a kid, how could I lie? I’m a man, and a man’s word is his bond.”

Yibao child said, “You help us first, then I’ll believe you. You used to play with Zhuang Xiaopang.”

The other child followed up, “If you keep your promise, I’ll help you, and then you’ll give me White Rabbit milk candies.”

“Okay,” Yibao nodded “I’m not a child anymore, and I definitely keep my promises.”

Ning Shu was inside packing up things. Hearing a bunch of kids outside discussing manly matters without having grown a single hair, she couldn’t help but laugh.

When Ning Shu went out carrying a wooden basin, she saw seven or eight kids sitting under the eaves, all waiting in line to lick White Rabbit milk candies.

The temptation of White Rabbit milk candies in this era was too great.

It could be said that in the hearts of these kids, there wasn’t a problem that couldn’t be solved with a White Rabbit milk candy.

Ning Shu looked at the kids sitting under the eaves and deliberately asked, “Yi Bao, are these all your good friends?”

Yi Bao pursed his lips, wanting to say no. These people used to play with Zhuang Xiaopang, not his good friends.

But in front of his mother, he didn’t want to say that.

Just as Yi Bao was hesitating, Erbao spoke up, “Mom, they said they would play with us and help us argue with Zhuang Xiaopang, and we’ll give them White Rabbit milk candy.”

Ning Shu: “…As far as being talkative goes, it has to be Er Bao.”

Those kids blushed a bit at what Er Bao said. But they still nodded, “Auntie, we’ll be good friends with Yi Bao and Erbao from now on.”

Ning Shu smiled and said, “Thank you for becoming friends with Yibao and the others. You can come to play often in the future.”

Then, she turned to Yibao and said, “Yibao, they want to be friends with you all. If you’re willing, you can invite them to the study area to read books and play with blocks together. But if you don’t want to, I won’t force you.”

Ning Shu hoped they would have many good friends.

This way, when they argued with other kids next time, they would have more friends to support them. She’d rather see her own children doing well than being bullied.

Erbao didn’t have much of an opinion on big matters, so he looked to his older brother.

Haicai, on the other hand, was even more clueless, simply munching on a banana, oblivious to everything around him.

Sanbao found the banana fed by Yibao too slow, so he held his own wooden bowl and ate.

Yibao thought for a moment, then said, “Let’s go to the study area and play.”

He was a tolerant and forward-thinking kid. He decided to take them to the study area to play.

After looking at their books and playing with their blocks, they’d be even more ready to stand up for them in a fight.

Instead of just licking a Big White Rabbit candy, it’s better for them to read a bit.

If they have one more candy, he’d have one less, but if they read a bit, it won’t decrease his reading time.

So, seven or eight kids went to the study room.

Soon, the room was filled with the chattering of children.

Ning Shu had just finished washing three big yellow croakers when Lin Guodong came back with a hoe on his back.

The pockets of his coat seemed heavy, as if they held something. Seeing Ning Shu washing fish, he quickly put down the hoe and said, “I’ll wash them. The well water is cold.”

Ning Shu replied, “I’ve already finished. Are you going to dig winter bamboo shoots?”

She noticed the bamboo shoot tips poking out of his pocket.

This type of bamboo shoot grows underground and is only available in winter. They’re very tender and sweet, but if not cooked properly, they won’t taste good.

Lin Guodong lifted the wooden basin and said, “I went to check our private plot, then I went to the bamboo grove to dig up a few winter bamboo shoots.”

When he mentioned the private plot, he asked puzzled, “Why is it all planted with spinach?”

One acre of spinach, what’s her plan? His parents wouldn’t decide to plant a whole acre of spinach.

Ning Shu replied, “We have rice at home, and I don’t like to eat sweet potatoes often, so I planted spinach. Spinach is very nutritious.”

Lin Guodong was still puzzled, “But isn’t that too much?”

Ning Shu explained, “We can exchange it for other vegetables with others later. My friends from the cooperative and the post office also want to eat vegetables. We can exchange them for something else then.”

Lin Guodong just casually asked, and since she explained it like that, he didn’t say anything more.

Ding ling ling… There was a sound at the yard gate, which stopped the two who were about to enter the kitchen.

“Comrade Ning, your mail.”

It was Ning Shu’s acquaintance, the mailman.

“My mail?” She glanced at Lin Guodong.

“Not mine,” Lin Guodong said.

Ning Shu took the mail and exclaimed happily, “It’s from He Ling.”

She signed on the receipt form. As she recalled, she remembered He Ling naturally.

He Ling grew up being pampered by her family.

She and He Ling became friends because she helped He Ling with homework, and He Ling shared food with her.

She had a hard time in the Ning family. Having a meal that was even halfway satisfying was considered good.

The Ning family was afraid of being blamed if she starved to death, so they only made sure she didn’t starve to death.

As a result, she was very thin at that time, so thin she looked like a skeleton. After she started going to school, she supported herself by doing classmates’ homework.

He Ling was one of those classmates. But later on, they gradually became good friends.

“Who is He Ling?” Lin Guodong asked casually.

“My good friend from before I went to the countryside. The Ning family has five children. The first two are twins, and the last two are also twins. I’m in the middle and not favored. If it wasn’t for He Ling often giving me things to eat, I probably would have starved to death,” Ning Shu explained while opening the letter.

Seeing this, Lin Guodong went into the kitchen to heat up some water.

After Ning Shu finished reading the letter, she couldn’t help but frown.

Ning Qin didn’t step on her corpse, but instead, as described in the plot, married Zhang Xian.

In the letter, He Ling wrote that because Ning’s mother wasn’t feeling well, Ning Qi went home to visit, replacing Ning’s mother’s duties during the visit.

In September, Ning Qin also went home to visit, and then, through an introduction, she went on a blind date with Zhang Xian, a widower with a daughter, who turned out to be a military officer.

In October, after getting married, Ning Qin and her husband joined the military together.

He Ling and Ning Shu were classmates from elementary school to high school. Even though they didn’t live in the same workers’ residential area, they lived nearby.

Plus, they had a good relationship, so He Ling often kept an eye on Ning’s family affairs.

At the same time, because of Ning’s mother’s big mouth, she exaggerated about her military officer son-in-law, making him seem like a godsend.

So He Ling found it hard not to know about it.

Ning Shu looked at the letter, silent for a moment, thinking about this matter.

He Ling didn’t know Ning Qin’s military address, but since she still married Zhang Xian, it should be the same unit as Lin Guodong’s, right?

So she sat down next to Lin Guodong and asked, “Comrade Lin Guodong, I want to ask you something.”

Lin Guodong raised an eyebrow, “What’s the matter?”

Ning Shu asked, “Is your unit the only one stationed in the area where your unit is located?”

“Other places might have two military bases because of the different levels of military units, which can have many garrisons under their command. But in our area, we only have our regiment stationed there.” Since this wasn’t classified military information, Lin Guodong could answer. “Why are you asking about this? Did the letter mention something?”

Ning Shu nodded and explained, “He Ling wrote to me, telling me that my eldest sister, Ning Qin, married a military officer and joined the army. His first wife passed away two years ago, leaving behind a daughter. And the place where they’re stationed is in the same city as your unit, so I was curious.”

“What a coincidence?” Lin Guodong also found it surprising. “What’s her husband’s name?”

“His name is Zhang Xian.”

Lin Guodong paused, “…” It really was a coincidence. “I know Lieutenant Zhang… Do you remember when I mentioned to you about the military families? I applied for the residential area next to theirs. I just didn’t pay attention to what Lieutenant Zhang’s wife’s name was.”

So, it was indeed quite a coincidence, just like in the plot.

Upon hearing this answer, Ning Shu’s mood wasn’t very pleasant.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Guodong keenly noticed her unhappiness.

Ning Shu almost hesitated before she recounted her experience in the Ning family, “So, after I was notified about going to the countryside, I listed the names of my entire family to go together. Because of this, my relationship with Ning Qin must be very bad… Do you think I’m bad? Am I malicious?”

Lin Guodong unexpectedly stood up and walked over to Ning Shu. He reached out and gently patted her head, surprising Ning Shu. “No, I think you’re amazing. To learn to protect yourself at such a young age takes courage and determination that many people don’t have. So, you’re amazing.” At the same time, he felt a twinge of sadness.

Lin Guodong was a principled person. From the first day he entered the military academy, he knew he had to be principled.

But his principles didn’t include turning the other cheek or refraining from retaliation.

Instead, he genuinely admired Ning Shu. Even when she was just a little kid, she bravely stood up against her unloving parents.

What does it mean to be filial? If parents aren’t loving, then why should children be expected to be filial?

Ning Shu looked up at him, his tall figure almost enveloping her. Feeling his comforting hand on her head, she suddenly felt her eyes welling up with tears.

Then, she hugged his waist tightly, burying her head in his abdomen. “Lin Guodong, you’re so kind. Marrying you is probably the accumulation of all my luck from the past ten years.”

Lin Guodong stiffened as she suddenly hugged him.

He didn’t know what to do with his whole body. And when he heard her praise him like that, his heart raced.

His hand, which was on her head, slowly slid down her back and gently patted her. “I… you have me, and you have Yibao, Erbao and Sanbao.” He couldn’t express himself as eloquently as she did.

Ning Shu just wanted someone to rely on for a moment, but once she hugged him, she didn’t want to let go.

This feeling of being able to rely on someone was new to her.

“Mom…” Just then, Sanbao’s voice came from the door. Then, Yibao and Erbao followed.

Sanbao stumbled into the room, not paying attention to the situation, and ran towards Ning Shu. “Mom, I’m thirsty…”

“Mom, can we eat now?” Erbao came to the stove, eager to see what delicious food his mother had prepared.

Yibao obediently went to the back of the stove to start the fire.

Lin Guodong hurriedly went to catch Sanbao. “Dad will pour you some water to drink.”

As he held Sanbao, he breathed a deep sigh of relief.

His heart had been racing just a moment ago, and now it hadn’t settled down yet. It felt like he had been caught doing something wrong by his son.

“Almost done, have the little friends gone home?” Ning Shu put the letter back into its envelope and started preparing dinner.

Yibao chimed in, “They’ve all left. I told them to go home for dinner.”

For dinner, they had salted vegetable yellow croaker soup, tofu stewed with eggs, roasted bamboo shoots, and stir-fried shredded potatoes.

During dinner, Lin Guodong asked, “Should I reapply for the residential area? But if I reapply, I don’t know when we’ll get it, and you won’t be able to join the military after the New Year.”

Ning Shu hadn’t planned on joining the military right after the New Year.

When she heard Lin Guodong’s words, she replied directly, “There’s no need to reapply. It’s all the same residential area, so no matter where we get assigned, we’ll be able to see each other. But I’m not planning on joining the military after the New Year.”

“Why?” Lin Guodong was surprised. He thought they were doing well now, and she would join the military.

Of course, it was all because of the spinach. But Ning Shu didn’t say that. She made up an excuse, “I have a contract with the garment factory. I have to provide them with designs for four outfits every year, one for each season. I want to wait until this year’s spring designs are done before going.”

“And, I also want to buy a house in the county. I won’t work in the village, so I won’t be able to earn a living. If I buy a house in the county, we’ll be able to eat rationed food.”

Lin Guodong didn’t agree, “There’s no problem with moving to the county, but if all three kids move there, they might have to go to the countryside in the future.”

How could they go to the countryside? The college entrance exam will be restored in a few years.

But Ning Shu couldn’t say that to Lin Guodong.

She could only say, “Well think about it.”

“I’ll go to the county tomorrow and ask Meng Jie about buying a house,” Lin Guodong said.

“Okay,” Ning Shu agreed.

After dinner, the three kids took their baths and obediently went to their mother’s room.

Ning Shu finished bathing and was about to go wash clothes when Lin Guodong said, “You go rest, I’ll finish bathing and join you.”