Chapter 164

In the summer, it was a rare day on Rainbow Island

The sun hides behind dark clouds and the sea breeze is cool

In the evening after work, the beach was bustling with activity

Soldiers were surfing or playing volleyball

Children chasing and playing on the beach

Sister-in-laws sitting on beach lounge chairs doing handwork

Everyone was laughing and chatting, and from time to time their eyes would fall towards the children in the distance

At times like these, it’s only natural that Xu Wen is there

As a matter of fact, she was the c-suite

Xu Wen was half lying on one of the beach chairs, with three sisters-in-law sitting on each side of the chair

Some were knitting shoe soles, some were sewing baby clothes or shoes, and some were crocheting woolen things

Another sister-in-law was processing cucumbers and bean curd for pickles

“This weather is really comfortable on this island”

“It is, isn’t it? If only it were like this every day! I wish I could live here for the rest of my life”

“That’s easy When your old Liu is discharged from the army, why don’t you just stop going back to your hometown and settle here?”

“If I didn’t miss my in-laws at home, I’d really like to How nice to be here? There’s none of that crap at home”

“What’s good about it? The only thing that makes you happy here is that your family’s Da Liu gets a monthly allowance of a few dozen dollars, you get a ten-dollar subsidy, and you can do some handicrafts to earn some daily pocket money Your children go to school free of charge, and you’re fed and housed, so of course you’re comfortable When Da Liu is discharged from the army, the allowance is gone, the subsidy is gone, so how can you stay here?”

The sister-in-law who said she wanted to stay here for a long time was instantly dissuaded, “If you say so, I really don’t want to stay After all, even if you’re good looking, you still need to fill your stomach! This place can at most provide for your needs”

“Seriously If it’s going to be like Pengcheng here, if I can work part-time, I’d like to stay”

Everyone chattered about the good and bad things on the island, and Xu Wen quietly listened

“Ask sister-in-law”

Xu Man, who was named, opened her eyes and looked blankly at the sister-in-law who called her

It was the sister-in-law who had just spoken soberly to dissuade people

Xu Man pondered for a few seconds, and pulled her name from memory, which seemed to be Jiao Mulan

It should be the sister-in-law who came to Rainbow Island with the army for the first time this year

These were the only sister-in-laws that Xu Man had little contact with and wasn’t very familiar with

Jiao Mulan was as her name suggested, and in one word, she was valiant

It was said that she came from a martial arts family

Whether she knew martial arts or not Xu Man didn’t know, but she had an excellent hand at embroidery

She would join her sisters-in-law’s money-making team not because of lack of money, but simply to fit in

It was the idea that if everyone else did it, I would do it too

But she does not know what else to do only embroidery a little simple pattern, thought for half a day, thought of a tricky way

In Pengcheng wholesale some blue border of the four sides of the white handkerchief back, with colored thread to the corner of the embroidered words

Each corner only embroidered a word, such as the hundred surnames, or these days the children’s popular name

For example, Zhao Qian, Sun and Li, or Peng, Long, Kai, Hong, Cui and Juan

There’s a saying, “If you want to plant a tree, it won’t live, but if you don’t want to, it will become a shade”

The handkerchief sales are surprisingly good for such a muddled matter

Xu Wen thought that in the eighties, although it was already possible to buy toilet paper and other disposable items, it was not that popular among the people

At least when the Xu family went to the toilet, most of them used old newspapers or the workbooks that Xu Che and Xu Wen had used before

Most of them used handkerchiefs to wipe their mouths and hands during meals, or to wipe Chunsheng’s drool and his dirty face after eating

On the market, there were basically only a few styles of handkerchiefs commonly used by the common people, and it was easy to confuse them

With a simple label like this you can tell them apart

That’s why it’s so popular, right?

Xu Wen let out a “hmm” and looked at Jiao Mulan

“Sister-in-law, what do you think? Will you also return to your hometown when you’re discharged from the Nenglu Battalion in the future?”

Xu Wen thought about it and shook her head, “Lu Yuanzheng is an officer, so there’s no such thing as a discharge under normal circumstances On the contrary, it is possible to change careers, but in accordance with his love for this profession, unless his body does not allow it, it is unlikely”

Jiao Mulan let out an ah, “So an officer is different from a soldier?”

It was the first time she knew that, thinking that they were all the same

Xu Wen nodded, “Officers who don’t serve anymore are transferred without a discharge The soldiers, in general, will only be discharged when they reach their seniority ”

These at first Xu Man also do not understand, in with the army for a long time natural slowly understand

In the beginning, it seemed that Sister Li and the others had popularized them for her

Jiao Mulan listened, pondered for a while, summarized: “Officers are those who eat public food, and soldiers are temporary workers?”

Xu asked, “”

That being said, she surprisingly couldn’t refute it for a moment

After thinking about it, Xu Wen corrected her, “It’s not temporary labor, it’s contract labor”

Jiao Mulan certainly didn’t understand what a contract laborer was

“Contract labor is not a lifetime employment system, but an agreed-upon employment system for a number of years For example, signing for three or five years at a time During this period the treatment is that of an employee, with no shortage of allowances and vacations and everything But when the contract expires, the labor relationship is automatically terminated if the contract is not renewed”

“Not bad for a college student!” Jiao Mulan gave a thumbs up towards Xu Man, “That’s a really knowledgeable thing to say”

Xu asked, “”

Chatting about this, Xu Man suddenly remembered that in another three or four years, the 85-style uniforms would be out, and the ranks would be reintroduced again at that time

That sister-in-law who said she wanted to live long was called Li Yulan

She pressed Xu: “Ask sister-in-law, do you think we can still stay on the island when this contract, not, after discharge? Can we still support ourselves by staying on the island?”

“Of course” Xu Man affirmed, “Everyone is so hardworking, with our own hands we can eat wherever we are”

Li Yulan frowned, “But like sister-in-law Mulan said, there’s nothing here, how can we support ourselves?”

She really liked the beach

“How is there nothing? It’s just not developed yet You guys should have gotten the idea from reading the newspaper that many places have begun to subcontract land to households Slowly a lot of places will start leasing land as well

When the time comes, you can rent a piece of land on the island to plant You can also make a living by fishing in the fishing grounds”

“Wow! Ask sister-in-law how you know everything?”

Xu asked, “”

Can’t live two lifetimes in vain, can you?

Of course, the truth can’t be told sometimes

Xu Wen smiled, “I couldn’t do anything when I was pregnant, so I just read newspapers and books”

“No wonder!” Li Yulan lamented, “I wish our Rainbow Island would develop sooner Our Comrade Wang Bin should be discharged from the army this year I like it here too much and don’t want to go back home”

“It will get better and better” Xu Wen laughed

Another idea suddenly came to his mind

The few sisters-in-law chatted blindly for a while longer, nothing more than some eastern and western family matters

Xu Man closed her eyes, and while her left ear went in and her right ear went out, she was mentally calculating her Rainbow Island’s business plan

Not long after, it suddenly started to rain

The beach was a mess

The soldiers were fine, getting wet was a small scene, and they packed up their things and headed back without any panic

The military families were not so calm

Sister-in-laws were busy packing their own things, eyes darting on the beach, anxiously calling out their children’s names

The children were like headless flies looking for their parents

Although Xu Wen didn’t yell, she also stood up and searched for Dongsheng’s figure in the crowd

At the same time, Dongsheng was also looking for her

Mother and son’s eyes soon met in the air, Dongsheng ran to Xu Man, and crowded with her under Xu Man’s newly opened umbrella

The lounge chairs and umbrellas on the beach were all made by the officers and soldiers on the island themselves, and were thankfully waterproof

The other sisters-in-law, like Xu Man, called their children under the umbrella as soon as they found them

But there are too many people and not enough umbrellas

There was a family of three who came out, the man took off his shirt and put it on his wife and child’s head, and the family rushed over to the family area

But for those like Xu Man, mother and son, there was nothing they could do

Men are fine with bare arms, but women are not

Besides, many of the sisters-in-law came out with work, and the things in their baskets couldn’t get wet

Xu Man didn’t work, it was just her and Dongsheng

Xu Man looked down and discussed with Dongsheng, “We didn’t take anything, so we can run back Are you afraid of getting wet?”

Dongsheng shook his head and nodded, “I’m not afraid of getting wet, but you can’t get wet Before we left the house, Dad said that if it rained, he would come to pick us up Dad also said that you’ve just gotten out of the womb and your body isn’t too good yet, so it’s easy to catch a cold in the rain”

Xu Man: “”

With such good intentions, Xu Man was moved and couldn’t bear to refuse, reaching out to rub a hand on top of Dongsheng’s head, “Thank you”

It was only after this comparison that he realized that Dongsheng had grown taller again

When they first met, Dongsheng’s height only reached Xu Man’s waist

But after two or three years, Dongsheng had grown so much that he was directly on Xu Man’s chest

Xu Man gestured again, lamented: “In two years you’ll be taller than me!”

Dongsheng looked up at Xu Man and nodded, “By then, I’ll be able to protect you like a father!” After saying that, he corrected himself, “Dad protects you, I protect my sister!”

Xu Man: “”

She contained a smile, “We’ll protect each other together Dad and I will protect you, and when you grow up, you’ll protect us as well”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Xu Man saw the retrograde in the crowd, her family’s Lu Camp

Lu Yuanzheng was holding a raincoat and rain shoes, an umbrella in his hand as he moved quickly this way

Jiao Mulan, who practiced martial arts and had better than average eyesight, also saw it and tsked, ”I didn’t expect Lu Ying to be so heartfelt My old Wang doesn’t have this realization”

As she spoke, she half-heartedly put the handkerchief she had just embroidered on top of her head and lamented, “It’s better to rely on a man than to rely on yourself!” And rushed out

Xu asked, “”

Lu Yuanzheng quickly arrived, handed Xu Man his raincoat and shoes, and then gave Dongsheng a folded snakeskin bag

Dongsheng took the snakeskin bag, looked it over and over, and asked Lu Yuanzheng, “Dad, why does mom have a raincoat and rain shoes, and I only have the bag as a raincoat?”

“Mom is a lesbian, she only gave birth to her sister not long ago, her body hasn’t recuperated yet, so it’s easy to get sick in the rain You are a little man, afraid of such a little rain?”

Dongsheng: “”

Under the large umbrella, the others laughed out loud

Xu Wen handed Dongsheng his raincoat, “I can do it Do you want to wear it? It might be a bit big?”

Dongsheng sighed like a small adult, “Forget it! Who let it not be a girl!” After saying that, he rushed into the rain with his little woven bag raincoat on top

Lu Yuanzheng hesitated, but did not chase after her, holding the umbrella for Xu Man, with his other arm wrapped around her waist to prevent her from falling

At this time, more “retrograde” to this direction, are to pick up their wives and children

Xu Wen also saw Wang Bin among them

Although he didn’t know why, it was obvious that he had missed Jiao Mulan

Xu Wen told Lu Yuanzheng, who called out to Wang Bin and told him to go back

Later, once chatting, Xu asked Jiao Mulan: “Is it a fact that your old Wang still can be relied on? People still went to pick you up”

Jiao Mulan does not agree with this point of view, “He did not receive me again, proving that still can not be relied upon”

Xu asked, “”

Can only say, just so a road, two people can go fork split, is also a kind of fate

Back home, Lu Yuanzheng cooked brown sugar and ginger water for Xu Man and Dongsheng

Xu Man wanted to say he was fine, but he sneezed twice before he could speak

Dongsheng held the bowl and shook his head, “Dad really didn’t lie to me You’re wearing a raincoat, rain shoes, and an umbrella, and you still caught a cold! Both of us came back in the rain and were fine”

As the rain poured down, Dongsheng’s simple woven bag raincoat was of no help at all, covering his head at most

Lu Yuanzheng, in order to take care of Xu Man, most of his body came back wet

Xu Man: “”

Lu Yuanzheng pointed at Dongsheng: “Drink your brown sugar water and don’t talk too much” Turning his face, he instructed Xu Man, “Go take a hot bath after drinking it, I’ll go check on my daughter”

In order to let Xu Man rest for a while, he was the one who brought up the child at home just now

Seeing that it was raining, he left little Xiachu at home and rushed out to give Xu Man an umbrella

Xu Man held the steaming hot brown sugar and ginger water, thinking about the possibility of hiring a nanny

This is not a question of money, it is a question of nature

Especially with the status of Lu Yuanzheng’s position here, hiring a nanny is a bit sensitive

Xu Wen can only give up, honestly go upstairs to take a hot bath, and by the way, greeted Dongsheng quickly drink, drink also have to take a hot bath

When Xu Man came out, Lu Yuanzheng had just finished serving his little lover, washed his hands, and took a towel to wipe his big lover’s hair

Xu asked to sit in front of the window, let him toss his hair, looking out the window curtains of rain, open: “Lu Yuanzheng, we also engage in investment, right?”

Lu Yuanzheng said, “Huh?” He made a sound, “Didn’t we discuss this issue?” It’s not realistic, what can we use to attract capital into the area?

“That was before I was chatting with my sisters-in-law today, and a sister-in-law named Li Yulan gave me inspiration She said that her lover is going to be discharged from the army this year, but she likes Rainbow Island very much and doesn’t want to go back home for the time being”

Lu Yuanzheng reacted quickly and instantly understood what Xu Man meant, “You mean, encouraging veterans to stay on the island?”

“Right” Xu Man nodded, “They are all excellent laborers! Each of them can bear hardships and stand hard work not to mention that there is absolutely no problem with the political examination If they drag their families as the first batch of islanders, at the very least, it will save you a lot of work”

Lu Yuanzheng thought about it, agreeing with Xu Man’s point of view, it just wasn’t very realistic

“Those who want to stay are a minority after all Our place is a poor mountain in the eyes of outsiders The most important thing is having to leave your home town During the time you were in the military, you couldn’t help it, but now that you’ve been discharged, how many of you don’t want to return to your parents to fulfill your filial duties?”

“What about picking up your parents?”

“Most of us are different from you in your last life, most of us are not only children There must be other siblings in the family Unless it’s like you got the Xu family over, moving the family”

Xu Man stopped talking

It wasn’t realistic

Most of the soldiers were commoners, depending on that one acre of land to survive

Moreover, most people’s ancestors and relatives were close to home, so how could they abandon so many friends and relatives to relocate their families to such a faraway place?

After a while Xu Man reluctantly said: “There are always people who like it here and are willing to stay For example, sister-in-law Li Yulan Besides, if a month here can earn as much as a year in the old country, I don’t believe that no one will want to stay”

This was something that Lu Yuanzheng did not object to, “Then you’ll have to work hard to make them realize such a monthly income”

Xu Man rolled his eyes, “Why is it my job? Shouldn’t it be yours and Shi Lei’s?”

Lu Yuanzheng didn’t refuse, “I’ll work hard! But we still need your wife’s help!”

Xu asked, “”

The two didn’t continue this topic, and after Lu Yuanzheng wiped Xu Man’s hair clean, he still had to go get Dongsheng out of the bathroom and wipe him clean

After getting Dongsheng clean, he still had to take a shower himself and then cook

Compared to solving the problem of where to go and stay after the others were discharged from the army, he had to solve the problem of feeding his own family first

Xu Wen rested her cheeks and already had an idea

Her first target was Luo Zemin

Just in time, tomorrow, Saturday, go talk to Luo Zemin