Chapter 21

"Director Yu, Teacher Xiao Ling is pregnant and at home. Our school is in need of a teacher. Jin Wei is a substitute teacher in City C. She can fill the vacancy. I am not being partial. I recommended Jin Wei because she meets the requirements for teaching in our school."

Jin Xiufeng came to the school to find Principal Chen early in the morning. When she and Jin Wei arrived, Ye Jiang had not arrived yet. She thought that she had guessed right. Mu Liancheng really did not agree to her coming to the school to substitute teach. Maybe the couple had a big fight last night and she was crying at home out of anger.

Principal Chen was not there either. There were only the Director of Studies Yu Wanliang and several other teachers in the Academic Affairs Office. Jin Xiufeng told Yu Wanliang her purpose of coming.

As long as we convince Yu Wanliang and he agrees, we can go to Principal Chen and talk about it, and it will be 100% successful.

Yu Wanliang carefully read Jin Wei's letter of introduction and information sheet, nodded and said, "Jin Wei meets the requirements, so there won't be any problems."

Jin Xiufeng and Jin Wei smiled at each other. Jin Wei was quite confident in herself. She smiled and said, "Director Yu, when do you think I should report in?"

"Not urgent."

Yu Wanliang said: "Principal Chen and several other leaders need to hold another meeting to discuss this."

"What else are you discussing?"

Jin Xiufeng said: "There is no one more suitable than Jin Wei."

Yu Wanliang said, "If it was just Jin Wei, it would definitely be her. But Director Li came to me last night and recommended Ye Jiang to me. He said she had taught before and had a good personality. She could take care of her husband's three children from his ex-wife as if they were her own children. Her character must be right. If she were a teacher, the children would definitely like her."

Jin Xiufeng's face changed and she cursed Li Chunqin several times in her heart. This Li Chunqin was so despicable that she actually went through the back door last night!

Seeing that Jin Xiufeng looked unhappy, Yu Wanliang smiled and said, "Nothing is certain yet, don't worry, but what's the matter with Ye Jiang? Why hasn't she come yet?

Let me wait for her."

"Ye Jiang is young, and in terms of respecting the elderly and loving the young, he is not as good as our Jin Wei."

Jin Xiufeng took advantage of the opportunity to step on Ye Jiang.

"You think about it, she has three children at home, how can she have time to substitute for the class? Captain Mu married her to take care of the children. Maybe she had a fight last night and won't come today."

Yu Wanliang thought, Ye Jiang has many children, can she do a good job if she substitutes for the class?

I felt more partial to Jin Wei.

Jin Wei is a few years older and more steady and polite. He was waiting at the school gate early in the morning, which was better than Ye Jiang.

...

Ye Jiang took Mu Xiangnan to find Li Chunqin, and the three of them met Principal Chen at the school gate.

On the way to the principal's office, Ye Jiang told him the purpose of his visit, "Principal Chen, the school is preparing to reopen high school, and I want to get an application form for our Xiaonan so that he can participate in the county's unified entrance examination.

She had given Mu Xiangnan a lot of exam papers in the past few years, and she showed them all to Principal Chen. "I have tutored Xiaonan in junior high and high school. Although Xiaonan is young, I believe he can pass the exam based on his ability. I hope you can give him a chance to register."

"Kid, it's not that hard to get a registration form. You didn't even mention it when you were teaching me how to cook fish yesterday. You came to school eagerly to tell me about it."

Principal Chen said angrily.

Chen Hua is Xia Xiaoling's mother. After her daughter became pregnant, her son-in-law happened to be out on a mission, so Chen Hua moved to her daughter and son-in-law's home to take care of the pregnant Xia Xiaoling.

Ye Jiang smiled and said, "This is official business, so of course it's respectful to come to school to talk about it. Look at these materials. Does our Xiaonan meet the registration requirements?"

The high school has been closed for several years. The age range of those who registered for the entrance examination this time is very different. The oldest is in his twenties, and there are a few who are as young as Xiaonan.

It's not that difficult to just register. It's not like she can get admitted directly through the back door.

Chen Hua has been teaching for his entire life, and genius teenagers are rare. However, judging from the test paper, Mu Xiangnan can indeed be called a genius at this age.

What surprised her was not the test paper Mu Xiangnan had done, but the person who made the test paper.

Chen Hua asked in disbelief: "Xiao Ye, did you write all these papers?"

Ye Jiang nodded, "Yes, Teacher Chen, in Shanshui Village, I can only write the test questions by hand, but the difficulty is based on the test papers of the city in previous years."

In the previous life, Ye's father and mother took Ye Jiang back to City C. Ye Jiang took the college entrance examination that year. After graduating from university, she stayed in City C. She first taught in junior high school and later in high school. She had not forgotten any of the knowledge she had learned that was engraved in her memory.

Logically speaking, there is nothing wrong with this test paper.

Ye Jiang asked carefully: "Teacher Chen, is there something wrong with this test paper?"

"That's why I'm surprised that there's no problem."

Chen Hua said: "You just graduated from high school, right?

I can understand you making a junior high school test paper, but here is a high school test paper. The level is so different from the junior high school test paper that it can be used as our admissions test paper. "

Ye Jiang was shocked. Oh no! These junior high school papers were given to Xiaonan before she was reborn.

She took that high school test paper on the train coming to Licheng. The level was certainly different, and she forgot to conceal it, so Teacher Chen saw through it at a glance.

Ye Jiang said hurriedly, "Before I came here, I heard from Mu Liancheng that Licheng would resume enrollment in the high school department, so I deliberately made the test a little more difficult to test Xiaonan's true level."

"My parents used to be university professors. They loved to give me extra lessons in advance. When I was in junior high school, they gave me extra lessons for high school, and when I was in high school, they gave me extra lessons for college. Although I only graduated from high school, I actually mastered all the college courses, so it's not surprising that I could do high school exams."

"Who are your parents?"

"My mother's name is Xu Zhixing and my father's name is Ye Wenhua."

"Zhi Xing... Zhi Xing?"

Teacher Chen slapped his thigh and spoke excitedly, "Did your mother go to university at Z University?"

Ye Jiang was confused, "Yeah, do you know my mother?"

Ye Jiang's mother gave birth to a child at the age of 40, which is about the same age as Teacher Chen. Ye Jiang thought, could it be such a coincidence that they knew each other?

"Your mother and I were classmates. Later, she went abroad to study, and we had less contact. She wrote me a letter that year, saying that she had married a foreign student named Ye Wenhua. Later, I got married and moved to another city, and we lost contact."

Chen Hua carefully looked at Ye Jiang again, then smiled and said, "You look like your father, right?

I was wondering why I couldn't recognize him at all these days."

Ye Jiang also laughed, "My mom always said that if my dad wasn't so handsome, she wouldn't have liked him."

Li Chunqin listened for a long time and thought to herself that Ye Jiang's parents were both professors, no wonder Ye could help his child with his studies so well. She thought of the bet she made with Jin Xiufeng and asked hurriedly.

"Teacher Chen, do you think Xiaoye is qualified to be a substitute teacher in the junior high school?"

If she can set examination papers for high school, she must be capable enough to be a substitute teacher in junior high school, Li Chunqin thought to herself, let's see what Jin Xiufeng can compare with now.

Teacher Chen handed the registration form to Ye Jiang, "Xiao Ye, your ability is no problem for you to substitute for the junior high school, but our high school has resumed enrollment and there is a shortage of teachers. The school wants me to be the vice principal of the high school. Are you willing to substitute for the high school?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chunqin was even more excited than Ye Jiang. If Ye Jiang went to the high school department, it would be a slap in Jin Xiufeng's face. She would be a substitute teacher wherever she went anyway, so she would definitely go to the high school department.

Li Chunqin said: "Xiaoye will definitely agree."

Mu Xiangnan also wanted his stepmother to go to the high school department. He turned around and said, "Teacher Ye, Grandma Chen has invited you, so just agree."

The boy thought, Teacher Ye is his stepmother, her parents are his grandparents, and Teacher Chen and his grandmother are classmates, so he should call her Grandma, right?

He didn't want to be impolite.

Ye Jiang said to Mu Xiangnan: "Call her Teacher Chen at school, and call her Grandma Chen when we get home."

"Yes, I understand."

Ye Jiang hesitated for a moment. She was worried that with her current qualifications, some people would be dissatisfied if she taught in the high school department. "Teacher Chen, if you think I am capable enough, I am willing to give it a try."

Chen Hua carefully looked over the neatly written test paper again. If Ye Jiang was not qualified, then who was?

"Then let's make a deal. Let Xiaonan take the exam first. We'll go find Director Yu and talk to him. Then you can hurry up and complete the employment procedures."

In the big office, the teachers had all gone to their classes. Yu Wanliang was drinking tea while Jin Xiufeng stood beside him and flattered him. She made Yu Wanliang very happy. Yu Wanliang had already decided to let Jin Wei take over the class.

Seeing Ye Jiang bringing her eldest child in behind Chen Hua, they were probably bringing their child to join the class.

Jin Xiufeng sneered in her heart. Did Ye Jiang have an argument with Mu Liancheng yesterday?

Did she think that she could come to school to substitute for the class by asking Chen Hua?

After all, she is young and doesn't know the relationship involved. Chen Hua is about to be transferred to the high school department as vice principal. It would be more useful to find Yu Wanliang than to find her at this time.

"Teacher Yu, I want to tell you that after my inspection, I am very impressed with Comrade Ye Jiang's substitute teaching ability and plan to hire her as a substitute teacher in our school."

Teacher Chen said directly.

Yu Wanliang thought to himself, Jin Xiufeng had guessed it right. Ye Jiang and Chen Hua were neighbors, so Chen Hua would definitely speak for Ye Jiang. He had just promised Jin Wei, so he felt a little embarrassed now.

Since Chen Hua wants to mention Ye Jiang, why can't he mention Jin Wei?

"But Teacher Chen, I just checked Jin Wei. I think Jin Wei is more suitable than Ye Jiang. Even if they have the same abilities, Jin Wei has no children and can devote more energy to teaching. Don't you think so?"

"I do not think so."

Chen Hua has seen all kinds of people, so how could he be choked by a few words from him?

"Teacher Yu, according to what you said, if female teachers have children, it will affect their work, so does that mean they should not have children?

Jin Wei doesn't have any children now, so she won't get married in the future?

No children?

It's unfair of you to say that."

"How can this be the same?

Now the facts are in front of us. Comrade Xiao Jin is a few years older than Comrade Ye and is obviously more suitable. I hope Teacher Chen can carefully consider the candidate for the junior high school substitute teacher. "

Yu Wanliang refused to give in at all because he knew that Chen Hua would soon be transferred to the high school department as vice principal.

Originally, Yu Wanliang recommended himself to go to the high school department, but after discussion by the school party committee, it was decided to transfer Chen Hua, who had more teaching experience, to the high school department.

Although Yu Wanliang didn't say anything, he was very depressed for a while.

So he didn't want to follow Chen Hua's opinion on the selection of the substitute teacher for the junior high school.

Yu Wanliang turned to Ye Jiang and said, "Comrade Xiao Ye, I know that you young people all hope to make achievements in your work, but you can't come here to use the back door just because you are neighbors with Teacher Chen. Teacher Chen is an old teacher with many years of experience. You are making it very difficult for Teacher Chen by doing this."

"Director Yu, I think you misunderstood. I came to school today to get the high school enrollment application form for our eldest son. I did not mention coming to school to substitute for a class."

Ye Jiang said neither humbly nor arrogantly that it seemed that Yu Wanliang was not easy to get along with as he put a stigma on her right away.

Ye Jiang didn't want to make things difficult for Chen Hua, as long as the eldest son could successfully get into high school.

Yu Wanliang took two steps forward and looked at the half-grown boy next to her. He was quite tall.

He asked, "How old are you?"

The enrollment registration deadline is approaching, and the county will hold a unified examination in three days. It's not that he can't take the exam, but Yu Wanliang feels embarrassed.

He had thought Ye Jiang was here to compete for the position of substitute teacher, but it turned out that she was just here to get the registration form for her stepson?

Then why did Teacher Chen just suggest that Ye Jiang be a substitute teacher?

He was a little confused.

Mu Xiangnan spoke eloquently, "Hello, Teacher Yu. I am twelve this year, thirteen in lunar age. Teacher Ye has made up one-third of my high school courses. I have done a lot of test papers, you can test me."

Mu Xiangnan is also a smart boy. Teacher Ye said that if he went straight to high school without attending junior high school, people might misunderstand him as not having enough ability, so he directly showed that the knowledge he has now is enough for him to skip junior high school and go directly to high school.

He gave all the papers that he had shown to Chen Hua to Yu Wanliang and asked him to review them.

Yu Wanliang first looked at the junior high school test paper. He had the same feeling as Chen Hua and admired the person who made the test paper.

When I saw that high school test paper, I was completely impressed.

It's all handwritten. The handwriting on the test paper is beautiful and neat, and obviously different from the handwriting on the answers. This child was from a small village before. How could he find such a talented teacher there?

This is a high school level test.

"Who gave you these papers?"

"It was my teacher Ye who wrote the test. This high school test paper was written on the day I arrived. I was sitting on the train and I answered the questions on the train. I definitely did not cheat. My father Mu Liancheng can testify to this."

Yu Wanliang didn't know what to say now. He had seen these papers with his own eyes, and in terms of strength, Ye Jiang was naturally more qualified.

He hesitated.

Jin Xiufeng knew something was wrong. Ye Jiang was very scheming. She used her son's application to indirectly emphasize her own abilities, catching Jin Wei off guard.

How did she convince Mu Liancheng?

Yes, when she was young, as long as she acted coquettishly and made a scene, Mu Liancheng had to agree.

Seeing that Jin Wei's job was about to be snatched away by Ye Jiang, Jin Xiufeng refused to work hard.

Ye Jiang, don't you want your stepson to take the high school entrance exam?

Then I won't let you have your wish.

"Principal Chen, Director Yu, I heard that Mu Xiangnan hasn't even graduated from Shanshui Village Primary School yet. It's probably okay to ask him to join the first grade of junior high school. How can someone who hasn't graduated from primary school be qualified to take the high school entrance examination? If you tell others about it, people will laugh to death, and it will also question the rigor of our school's admissions. You must not let him off."

When Jin Xiufeng wanted to marry Jin Wei to Mu Liancheng, she made inquiries from many sources and knew everything about Mu Liancheng's family and children.

She knew that Mu Liancheng's stepmother was not good to her children. The eldest one started elementary school late and had to work in the fields every day, so he has not graduated from elementary school yet.

How can someone who hasn't even graduated from elementary school have the nerve to take the county's high school entrance examination?

Jin Xiufeng leaned over and pretended to look at the dozen or so test papers. She couldn't understand them, but she knew that they included several subjects such as Chinese, mathematics, political science and geography.

She curled her lips, not believing that these papers were made by Ye Jiang. She must be bragging, how could she possibly make up so many courses by herself? Even if she was very good, could a twelve or thirteen year old child learn it?

Jin Xiufeng said disdainfully: "Isn't this paper fake?

"It's not okay to cheat on your studies. Xiaoye, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you're so anxious to get your eldest son to take the high school entrance exam, isn't it just so you can get a substitute teacher job?"

"Without evidence, how can you slander others' learning achievements at will?"

Chen Hua was angry. "Director Jin, this is our school's business. Please don't interrupt."

Then he said to Yu Wanliang, "Teacher Yu, Comrade Ye is not here to compete with Jin Wei for the position of a substitute teacher in the junior high school. She is here today to get the registration form for Mu Xiangnan. I appreciate her talent and saw that Comrade Ye could complete the entire set of examination papers for the first grade of high school by herself, so I took the initiative to suggest that she go to the high school department as a substitute teacher."

Substitute teaching in high school?

Director Yu became even more unhappy. It was not easy to be a high school teacher. He hadn't even been transferred to the high school department yet. How could this little girl be more capable than him?

Isn't that a slap in his face?

Yu Wanliang felt complicated. "Teacher Chen, I think the question raised by Director Jin is worthy of our vigilance. Mu Xiangnan's father is the deputy head of the group. If we let his son skip the grade and take the college entrance examination and let his wife teach in the high school department, others will say that we are partial. I hope you can be more cautious. You don't want to be criticized before you retire, and your reputation will be ruined, right?"

Jin Xiufeng also said, "Yes, yes, Teacher Chen, you can't believe Ye Jiang just because she took out a few papers. Such a young girl can't possibly be able to teach in high school. She wants to go to the high school department because she knows she can't compete with Jin Wei. Don't be fooled."

Teacher Chen glanced at Jin Xiufeng and said calmly, "Director Jin, I've just said that you don't need to interfere in our school's affairs. I understand Teacher Yu's concerns. So, let Mu Xiangnan take the entrance exam in three days."

"If he is admitted, then Comrade Ye can train a child who has not graduated from elementary school to be a student who can enter high school. This is enough to prove that he is capable enough. At that time, no one should object to Comrade Ye joining the high school department as a substitute teacher, right?"

Yu Wanliang couldn't refute this, "Being admitted doesn't mean anything. There are 120 students enrolled this time, so the chances of passing are still very high."

How could the chances be high? The high school had been closed for several years, and there were so many students taking the exam that the registration forms had to be reprinted several times.

He still doesn't want to do this.

"If Mu Xiangnan can get into the top ten, Comrade Ye will teach in the high school department. If he is outside the top ten..." Chen Hua pointed at the stack of papers and said, "That means my old eyesight is blurry and I can't select talents for the school well. I will propose to the school party committee that you, Teacher Yu, be the vice principal of the high school department."

When Chen Hua said this, everyone was stunned.

Ye Jiang observed the expressions of the others. Yu Wanliang seemed very willing to agree. It seemed that he was sure that Mu Xiangnan would not be able to make it into the top ten, and the position of vice-principal of the high school department was too attractive to him.

Now that Chen Hua has taken the initiative to propose it, Yu Wanliang really wants to take a gamble. If Mu Xiangnan doesn't make it into the top ten, he can go to the high school department as the vice principal. If he does, he won't suffer any loss as he does now.

Looking at Jin Xiufeng's face full of sarcasm, if Jin Wei hadn't pinched her arm, she would probably have jumped up again.

Director Li wanted to mediate, but this was someone else's school's business, and Teacher Chen had just talked about Jin Xiufeng twice, so she couldn't interrupt now and could only worry.

Without waiting for Teacher Yu to express his opinion, Ye Jiang quickly said, "Teacher Chen, just let Xiaonan submit the application form to take the entrance exam. It's okay for the school to lack a teacher like me, but it can't lack an experienced vice principal like you. I can't make things difficult for you because of my affairs."

Teacher Yu thought it was a pity. Comrade Ye was a self-aware man, and he lost the opportunity to become the vice-principal of the high school department.

Unexpectedly, Chen Hua said very firmly: "Teacher Yu also knows that the high school department is in urgent need of qualified substitute teachers. I am willing to be the guarantor. If Teacher Yu has no objection, let's do it this way."

Of course Yu Wanliang was willing. Why would he refuse the opportunity that Chen Hua offered to him?

"Okay, it's settled then."

Director Jin became anxious when he saw that both school leaders were about to leave. Ye Jiang's matter had been settled, but Jin Wei's job had not yet been decided.

"Principal Chen, Director Yu, you have already made this bet, shouldn't you consider Jin Wei coming to the school to substitute for the class?"

Director Yu was in a good mood and said, "Don't worry, let's decide after the examination papers are marked.

If he can successfully become the vice principal of the high school department, he will not care who between Ye Jiang and Jin Wei will substitute for the junior high school. He will just do whatever Teacher Chen decides.

Jin Xiufeng's face turned pale with anger.

When leaving the school, Jin Xiufeng angrily scolded Ye Jiang, "What a scheming little girl, she is secretly trying to trip you up. No, I'm going to talk to her about it."

"Aunt, don't be impulsive."

Jin Wei asked her aunt to calm down. "Think about it, there are more than a thousand candidates registered in the county this year. It's already difficult to get admitted, let alone get into the top ten. You must not argue with that woman at this time."

Jin Xiufeng was still worried, "What if he gets in? What if her eldest son really gets into the top ten?"

Jin Wei sneered, "How could a child who is twelve or thirteen years old and hasn't even graduated from primary school possibly get into the top ten? He really thinks he is the god of literature. He is a genius if he can get to the end of the admission score."

"If Mu Xiangnan doesn't make the top ten, Ye Jiang won't be able to substitute for the high school, and won't have the face to go to the junior high school. I'll definitely get the substitute teacher position, just wait and see."

Chapter 22

"Ye Jiang, I can't understand the test paper you gave me. Do you think Xiaonan is confident that he can get into the top ten?"

Li Chunqin didn't want to ask in front of the child, for fear of adding pressure to Mu Xiangnan.

But Teacher Chen used his own position to guarantee it, which made Li Chunqin worried. If the eldest son of the Ye Jiang family could not get into the top ten, it would be a pity for Teacher Chen to give up the position of vice-principal.

And there is Jin Xiufeng, she can talk for half a year in the family compound.

They are all in the same family compound, and they will see each other every day. How uncomfortable Ye Jiang will feel then.

Li Chunqin felt that Teacher Chen's decision was a bit hasty.

Ye Jiang knew that Mu Xiangnan could definitely do it, so she smiled and asked, "Xiaonan, are you confident?"

The boy thought for a moment and asked, "Teacher Ye, is the admissions test more difficult, or is the test you gave me more difficult?"

Ye Jiang said: "I have always been very strict with your studies, so of course the papers I set are difficult."

Mu Xiangnan asked again: "If I score above 95 points in both Chinese and math, can I get into the top ten?"

According to Ye Jiang's experience as a high school teacher in his previous life, if a student scores 95 points in all the main subjects, it is almost certain that he will be in the top ten.

"Can."

After hearing Ye Jiang's affirmative answer, the boy said confidently: "Then I will definitely be in the top ten and will not embarrass you and Grandma Chen."

Li Chunqin felt a little more at ease when she saw Mu Xiangnan being so confident.

"Teacher Chen has seen your test paper and is willing to guarantee it. You are so confident, so I will wait for your good news."

When they came in the morning, Ye Jiang left Xiaoxi and Xiaobei at the service center. Several young girls were very surprised to see the beautiful twins.

The two children were fed with snacks and drinks throughout the morning. Ye Jiang thanked them, picked up the twins, took the three children to buy groceries, and hurried home to cook for dinner.

Chen Hua also rushes back to cook lunch for her daughter every day. Yesterday, Xia Xiaoling was clamoring to eat grilled eel and meat, so she went to buy the meat and eel early in the morning, but she had never cooked it before.

The eels she bought this time were processed by the fish chef. When Ye Jiang was washing vegetables in the kitchen, she saw Chen Hua cutting pork belly and hurried over to help prepare the seasoning.

"Teacher Chen, thank you so much for Xiaonan's application. I'm just worried that if he doesn't make it into the top ten, your good position will be given to someone else. How can I feel good about it?"

Chen Hua didn't take it seriously and said with a smile: "Your mother was very smart back then. You are the daughter she taught, so you won't be any different."

"And I saw the test paper you gave Xiaonan. As long as your eldest son performs normally, it won't be a problem for him to get into the top three in Licheng."

Chen Hua has been teaching in Licheng for her entire life. After looking at the papers Mu Xiangnan had done, she knew that this child was extremely smart.

It is rare for a child of such young age to have a stepmother like Ye Jiang, who raises him like her own son. This child has a bright future.

"In fact, I also have confidence in my eldest brother."

Ye Jiang smiled and said, "He has never taken a serious exam before. This time it is a unified entrance exam for the county. I am really worried that he will be stage frightened and perform poorly."

"So, don't put too much pressure on Xiaonan these days. Don't stay up late to review these two days. Let the child relax."

Teacher Chen said jokingly, "Don't feel burdened. If you are nervous, the children will be even more nervous. I am about to retire, so it doesn't matter whether you go to the high school as principal or not. I just think that you are so capable and we are short of teachers. It would be a pity if you don't teach in the high school."

She sighed and said, "It's hard to say when the college entrance examination will be resumed. We need a good teacher to teach us."

It is so difficult to leave the city that most children can only pass the college entrance examination. In those years, children still had hope and were motivated to study. Later, universities stopped recruiting students, and finally even high schools in the city stopped recruiting students.

It was she who, against all odds, proposed resuming high school teaching, which led to this year's unified entrance examination.

Chen Hua smiled and said, "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. You should teach me how to cook this eel barbecue. Xiao Ling, this greedy little cat, tasted the eel barbecue you made and quarreled with me all night last night. She insisted that I go buy eels today. Now that I have bought the eels, I still don't know how to cook it."

"You, if you plan to cook any new dishes in the future, buy some for my family. I'll give you money and tickets when I get back, and I'll learn how to cook from you, so that Xiao Ling won't bother me."

Ye Jiangle laughed happily, "Okay, next time I see fish and shrimp that pregnant women can eat, I'll buy an extra portion."

Ye Jiang admired Chen Hua's foresight. Two years later, the college entrance examination was resumed and three college students were admitted from outside the city. One of them was very young and ranked very high in the exam. He was even interviewed by reporters.

The newspapers at that time reported for many days that when the national college entrance examination was resumed that year, there were millions of candidates and the admission rate was less than 5%.

Therefore, a candidate who is young and performs well in the exam will naturally attract the most attention.

Ye Jiang's attention to him was not during the year of his college entrance examination.

A few years later, her eldest son committed manslaughter, and the witness and the person who reported the case was the candidate.

At that time, the candidate had already graduated and started working.

Her daughter Xiaonan was sentenced to life imprisonment for manslaughter because of that man's testimony, and she never saw her eldest son again when she died.

...

"Teacher Ye, you are more generous than me. I have an exam the day after tomorrow, but you are still in the mood to bring me and my younger brother and sister to the beach today."

Although Mu Xiangnan said this, he was still very happy in his heart. As a child who grew up in the inland, he had never been to the seaside and had long wanted to visit the seaside.

After coming to Licheng, I have been eating delicious seafood made by my stepmother for a few days. Last night, I heard her say that when the tide goes out at the beach, you can dig up the same shellfish that I ate last time, such as conchs, clams, crabs, etc.

If you are lucky, you can even pick up sea fish from the big rock pit on the beach.

Teacher Ye said that we should go fishing early in the morning, so Mu Xiangnan got up before daybreak and dressed his brother. Both of them wore black rubber shoes and carried a net bag and a small wooden bucket with a few short-handled shovels in it.

Looking forward to it.

After getting up, Ye Jiang made breakfast and braided Xiaoxi's hair. Mu Xiangnan was waiting anxiously, but he didn't know what to say, so he hurriedly took a few bites of breakfast and said he was done.

Ye Jiang fed the twins and said, "I have taught you everything I should have taught you. What's the point of you reviewing for two days before the exam? Now, I just want you to have a good day and relax. Don't be nervous during the exam."

Mu Xiangnan felt more relaxed after hearing what Ye Jiang said. "Okay, my dad is coming back today, let's pick up some more conchs and crabs, and make a seafood hotpot in the evening."

"Okay, let's go, if we go too late there will be too many people fishing and we won't be able to pick up anything."

When we arrived at the beach, the tide had already receded. There were many fishermen nearby, including elderly people and their half-grown children, digging for shellfish in the sandbags.

The three children were already stunned. They had never seen the sea, and even though it was low tide, they still felt it was magnificent.

The sea breeze in the early morning made people feel relaxed and refreshed. Mu Xiangnan excitedly ran towards the shallows, "Teacher Ye, the sea is so beautiful!"

The boy's long-suppressed heart was released at this moment.

He couldn't help but shout loudly a few times towards the distant sea, causing the people nearby who were fishing to bend over and laugh.

Poor child who has never seen the sea.

Ye Jiang called Mu Xiangnan back: "Xiaonan, keep an eye on your brother and watch him closely. Pick up those small sandbags and dig them up. There will be surprises."

Mu Xiangnan agreed immediately. As early as when he was in Shanshui Village, he knew to keep an eye on his younger brother and not let him go to the pond. This was the sea, and he certainly would not let his younger brother run around alone.

Ye Jiang took Xiaoxi and started digging on the beach after the tide receded. Xiaoxi was very well behaved and didn't run around. Ye Jiang's thoughts quickly became confused.

Her mind was not on digging for shells at all.

After the eldest brother's accident that year, Ye Jiang went to the library to find newspapers from around the time of the college entrance examination.

At that time, the reporter interviewed the young candidate and asked him what was the most memorable thing before the college entrance examination.

The candidate, who later accused her eldest son of murder, said that what he could not forget most was the time when he rushed from the countryside to the city to take the high school entrance examination.

That was the most important moment in his life. He sat by the sea for a long time, forgetting the time of high tide, and was swept into the sea by the waves.

The boy also described in detail the rocky beach where he fell into the water, which was not far from Ye Jiang.

Ye Jiang looked over, and there was no one there.

"Teacher Ye, look what my brother and I caught?"

Mu Xiangnan led his brother and ran over quickly with a small wooden bucket, showing it to Ye Jiang like a treasure. "These are two sea crabs. Can we have seafood porridge tonight?"

The sea crabs were much smaller than the flower crabs he bought last time, but they were caught by him and his brother themselves, and the boy's face was full of happiness.

Ye Jiang smiled and said, "Okay, two are not enough, go dig some more."

The young boy was in high spirits and full of ambition. He led his younger brother to dig small sandbags one after another, saying that he would bring back half a bucket.

Ye Jiang was in a state of deep worry. It seemed as if the candidate who left the city had a deep hatred with Mu Xiangnan. This was not right.

He didn't say how he was rescued, so Ye Jiang could only estimate the approximate time and go to the rocky beach during high tide.

No matter what, she had to save the candidate. She wanted to know what he had gone through in the following years that made him hate her eldest brother so much.

Xiaoxi dug up a big conch in a daze, and smiled like a flower, and showed it to Ye Jiang.

Ye Jiang took out a small handkerchief and helped her wipe off the dirt on her face. "Xiao Xi, you are awesome. This is a conch. I will cook the meat tonight and leave the shell to Xiao Xi to keep, okay?

This is the first conch that our little Xi has ever caught."

Xiaoxi nodded happily.

Ye Jiang's heart ached. Xiaoxi could already speak normally that year, but when he suddenly saw his brothers injured and bleeding, he was deeply shocked and closed his heart and was willing to speak again.

The children played on the beach for several hours. An experienced old man came over and told Ye Jiang that the tide was about to rise and she should hurry and take the children back.

Ye Jiang nodded. She brought her three children to a safe area and said to Mu Xiangnan beside a fishing boat waiting to be repaired:

"Xiao Nan, I'm going to the rocky beach now to see if there are any trapped fish that can be caught. Teacher Ye wants to give you a task. You stay here to look after your brothers and sisters. You must not leave them for a moment. Can you do it?"

Mu Xiangnan looked at the junction of the sea and the sky in the distance. He could see that the sea water was rising. Why did Teacher Ye still want to go to the rocky beach?

He was a little worried. "Teacher Ye, I heard from several old ladies that the tide is about to rise. You should not go. It's too dangerous."

Ye Jiang looked at the watch on his wrist and it was almost the time that the candidate had said he would fall into the water.

She said, "I'll go over and take a look. If there's no fish, I'll be back right away. Remember, your brother and sister's safety comes first. You must not bring them over to look for me. Just stay here."

Mu Xiangnan always felt a little uneasy, "Then come back soon. If anything happens to you, my dad won't forgive me."

Ye Jiang smiled and patted his shoulder, "Don't worry, Teacher Ye is an adult and can be responsible for his own actions."

She wanted to go to the rocky beach immediately, but someone wouldn't let her go.

Ye Jiang wondered how unlucky she was that she could meet Jin Wei even when she was out at sea. This woman was really here to bring bad luck to their family.

"Ye Jiang, the tide is about to rise. Why are you running around without taking the children home? It's too dangerous."

Jin Wei just arrived. She doesn't go to the sea to catch seafood. She comes on time to pick out some good-looking seafood from the harvests of the fishermen who go to the sea to take home. She doesn't need a ticket and the price is cheap.

I happened to see Ye Jiang throwing the three children to the dilapidated fishing boat on the beach and then running away to play.

After all, she is young and playful, and only cares about herself and not her children. She is still playing in the water at this time. She probably doesn't know how serious the high tide is.

Mu Liancheng was really unlucky to find her.

Jin Wei felt sorry for Mu Liancheng. There would be no jealousy without comparison. Two years ago, she didn't think Mu Liancheng was that good, but now she felt that this man's advantages could make up for his disadvantage of having three burdens.

He has a high salary, a high position, and helps his wife with housework when he gets home. He is not the kind of boss who just sits back and does not care about what he does. Moreover, he hands over all his salary and does not care how his wife spends it.

Oh my god, why hadn't she noticed these bright spots before.

Jin Wei was a little angry, and he didn't know whether he was angry at Ye Jiang or at himself for being blind before.

"If something happens to the children, how will you explain to Captain Mu?"

Jin Wei questioned angrily.

Ye Jiang saw that the tide had already started to rise, so he had no time to chat with her.

"You curse my child with your crow's mouth?

The terrain here is so high that the tide can't reach here. Go to the South Tower twice. My man ignored you and you came close to us. Do you have any shame?"

Jin Wei hated being called shameless the most. "Ye Jiang! You are so rude. We are talking about the safety of the child. If you don't take the child away, I will!"

She has such a big face!

Ye Jiang sneered, "Since you can't take my man away, you change your strategy and take my child away?

Try it and see if the child will follow you."

Jin Wei felt ashamed and angry. It was clearly Ye Jiang's fault, but once the words came out of her mouth, it became the other person's shamelessness?

She means well, too.

Jin Wei turned around and said to the three children with a serious face, "Your stepmother is too irresponsible. Aunt Jin will take you back, okay? When your father comes home, we really need to have a good talk. How can you leave your children in the hands of such an irresponsible person? Captain Mu is too careless."

"If you don't give it to me, should I give it to you?

Jin Wei, have you forgotten?

Two years ago, when you came to Licheng and fell in love with Mu Liancheng, you concealed your blind date in C City. How could you be so confident that Mu Liancheng would abandon his three children for you?

Think about the conditions you proposed. Do you have the nerve to talk to my child now?"

"Let's put things in perspective. We are talking about the safety of our children. My aunt is right. You are such a scheming person."

Jin Wei forced herself to hold the twins, "Aunt Jin will take you away."

Ye Jiang didn't even need to intervene. The three little troublemakers backed away in disgust when they saw Jin Wei extending his hand.

Xiaobei has seen this woman before. The last time she went to see his father, his mother got angry, so he had no choice but to let his father take a bath. He also wanted to let his mother help him take a bath like his sister did.

"You are a bad woman, I don't want you to hug me!"

Jin Wei suddenly withdrew her hand. She saw that the eyes of the three children were filled with deep disgust towards her.

Ye Jiang must have said a lot of bad things about Mu Liancheng in front of the children behind her back, so the children were so hostile when they saw her.

She underestimated Ye Jiang.

Mu Xiangnan heard from his father that this woman not only wanted to snatch his father away, but also wanted his father to abandon the three siblings. Now she came to anger Teacher Ye.

How come this woman has no self-awareness at all?

"Don't even think about stealing my dad."

Mu Xiangnan said viciously, like a little wolf cub with fangs bared, "My brothers and sisters and I don't want to see you, and we will never go with you. Are you annoying?"

Ye Jiang couldn't wait any longer, she didn't want Jin Wei to be around and watch what happened, "Jin Wei, you put your hot face close to me and got slapped back by my kid, doesn't it hurt?

I admire you for still being here."

Jin Wei: ...

She was so angry that she needed to calm down. Jin Wei didn't even buy the seafood and turned away.

Ye Jiang watched Jin Wei walk away, and said to Mu Xiangnan: "Boss, take good care of the younger brothers and sisters, Teacher Ye will be back soon."

Mu Xiangnan looked at the rising tide and panicked, "Teacher Ye, please come back soon, you can't swim..."

When in Shanshui Village, Teacher Ye slipped and fell into the river. If his father had not come by and rescued him, Teacher Ye would have died. He and his younger brothers and sisters would not have had the chance to leave their grandmother's house and follow their father to leave the city.

"It's okay. I won't die."

Ye Jiang didn't know how to swim before, but she learned it later. Otherwise, she wouldn't have the courage to go to the rocky beach during high tide.

After passing the rocky beach, Ye Jiang raised his wrist to check the time. It was now this time, so why was there no one there?

Was it swept away by the waves?

She looked carefully at the nearby sea, then suddenly dived down, swam more than ten meters away, and dragged a struggling boy in a white shirt in the waves.

It was truly a matter of life and death. She swam to the shallows before she became exhausted. When she stood up from the waist-deep water, Mu Xiangnan carried his brother and sister into the cabin of the broken boat and warned them seriously:

"Stay in the boat and don't come out!"

Xiaobei had never seen his brother so serious before, and he nodded repeatedly out of fear.

Mu Xiangnan ran quickly to the beach. He was a good swimmer and was not afraid of water. Together with Ye Jiang, he dragged the drowning boy ashore.

"Teacher Ye, is he dead?

Why isn't it moving? "

The first time Mu Xiangnan saw a drowning person, he was a little flustered, fearing that he was dead.

"I can't die."

Ye Jiang panted, "Go find someone to help."

Mu Xiangnan did not delay and turned around and ran towards the groups of people in the distance, shouting as he ran.

"Help, someone fell into the water, help!"

The fishermen on the coast all know some folk first aid methods. When they hear someone shouting that someone has fallen into the water, they will rush over to rescue the person.

They were holding their abdomen and performing artificial respiration. With the help of everyone, the drowning boy vomited out the seawater in his stomach.

"Wake up, wake up."

Everyone was overjoyed. "This child is lucky. The tide has risen now. If it's any later, he would have died. Who saved him?"

"Child, whose family are you from?

Looks strange, doesn't it? "

Ye Jiang quietly left the crowd and ran back to the small broken boat. She also went into the cabin and took out a small oilcloth bag from the empty barrel she brought with her.

There was a piece of curtain cloth and a set of clean clothes in the bag.

Ye Jiang hung up the curtains and changed his wet clothes in the cabin.

Mu Xiangnan had not yet recovered from the shock of saving someone. He stood by the boat with his younger brother and sister and asked Ye Jiang in the cabin.

"Teacher Ye, you bring clothes with you when you go fishing?

How did you know someone would fall into the water today?"

"How would I know? I just thought about how I would get back if my clothes got wet while fishing, so I brought one set with me."

Although this reason was reasonable, Mu Xiangnan still felt it was a bit strange that Teacher Ye was so mysterious. But he discovered that Teacher Ye was better at swimming than him...

"You are such a good swimmer, why didn't you swim out by yourself when you fell into the water in Shanshui Village? Have you been eyeing my dad for a long time?

Waiting for him to rescue you so you can marry him?"

Ye Jiang: ...

Why are kids nowadays so cunning? She hadn't thought about this yet, but Mu Xiangnan reminded her.

Ye Jiang said: "Don't tell your dad that I can swim. If he knew, I really wouldn't know how to explain it to him."

After changing her clothes, she put away the small curtains and said to Xiaobei with a smile: "Xiaobei, don't you say anything?

If Dad knew Mom could swim, he would chase her away."

Mom can't leave. Mu Xiangbei nodded repeatedly, "I won't tell you, and I won't let my brother tell you either."

As he said that, he nervously hugged his brother's thigh and said, "Brother, you can't tell me either."

Mu Xiangnan snorted disdainfully, "I'm too lazy to say it."

"Xiaobei, Xiaoxi, stay away from your brother."

Ye Jiang wrung the sea water off the wet clothes into an empty wooden barrel. Then, she lifted the barrel and poured the sea water in the barrel onto the boss.

Mu Xiangnan: ...

He never expected that his stepmother would throw water on him. What did he say to make her angry?

"Teacher Ye, why are you splashing water on me?"

The boy asked in confusion.

"you forgot?

I can't swim. You were the one who rescued this person. How could your clothes not be wet?

Don't you think so?

Mu Xiangnan: "You are right, you are right. When you go home, tell my dad that I saved the person?"

"of course."

Ye Jiang jumped down from the cabin, holding Xiaoxi and holding Xiaobei, and said to Mu Xiangnan: "It seems that the person has been rescued. Let's go and take a look. Everyone is looking for the little hero who saved people."

...

"My dear young wife, was this drowning child rescued by your eldest son?"

"Yes, he said he wanted to go to the rocky beach to see if there were any stranded fish. He didn't catch any fish, but he saved the child instead."

Seeing that the villagers watching could not believe that she could have such a big son, Ye Jiang hurriedly said, "I am his stepmother."

The fellow villagers suddenly realized that it was no wonder. How could such a young wife give birth to such a big son? It turned out to be a stepson.

"The waves are big today. These two kids are lucky. If they were unlucky, they would have been swept away by the waves."

This was the sea, with strong winds and rough waves. The young man was rescued in a daze, with some aftereffects of drowning. He kept shivering and his fever began to build.

Ye Jiang pleaded with his fellow villagers, "Please send this child to the hospital. I will pay for the medical expenses first."

The villagers were not well off that year, and everyone wanted to save the person. However, when they thought of the hard days at home when they had to save on food, no one dared to mention sending the person to the hospital. No family was willing to pay for the medical expenses for a stranger.

When everyone heard Ye Jiang take the initiative to propose it, the burden in their hearts was put down. Two people worked together to carry the drowning boy and sent him to the hospital.

This place is close to the sea, and the doctors who receive patients encounter drowning people several times a year. After examination and treatment, they write a prescription and come out to ask questions to the villagers who are gathered around.

"What's the child's name?

Who are his family members?

Go and pay your fee."

When they heard about the payment, the villagers took a few steps back. Ye Jiang, holding the three children, stood out in the middle. The doctor handed the bill to her and asked, "Are you a family member of the children?"

Ye Jiang first took the bill and explained, "Doctor, we are not the child's family. The child was saved by my eldest son. I will pay for the medical expenses first. I will ask my eldest son to go home and get the money."

The middle-aged doctor looked at Ye Jiang. The girl looked very kind and had three children with her. The older one was soaking wet and must be the boy who saved people.

This family was nice. They saved the child and were willing to pay for the medical expenses. The doctor said, "The medical expenses are not urgent. Wait until the child's condition stabilizes. I will ask him where he lives and wait for his family to pay for the medical expenses."

The condition of the drowned teenager is stable, and the villagers are rushing home to make lunch and dispersing one after another.

Ye Jiang took out the house key from his pocket and said, "Xiao Nan, go home and change your clothes. There is money in the drawer under the bedside table in my room. Change your clothes and bring some money over."

Mu Xiangnan held the key and asked, "Teacher Ye, how much money should I bring?"

Ye Jiang looked at the bill. The registration fee was 1.5 cents, the observation bed fee was 50 cents, the treatment fee was 80 cents, and the examination fee was 20 cents. The child had inhaled some foreign matter into his throat and was breathing with a hissing sound. The foreign body removal fee and medicine fee were 2 yuan, totaling 3.65 yuan.

Ye Jiang said, "Bring five dollars with you, and bring your grandmother Chen with you. She's a teacher at the school, and she'll know the child as long as he goes to school."

Mu Xiangnan ran all the way home without saying a word, but was stopped by Chen Hua at the door.

Chen Hua had just finished her meal and was washing dishes at the sink. Because her pregnant daughter was at home, she did not eat in the school cafeteria at noon every day, but went home to cook.

Seeing that Mu Xiangnan went home alone without Ye Jiang and the two twins, Chen Hua asked, "Xiaonan, why are your clothes wet after playing in the sea?

Where are your brothers and sisters and your stepmother?"

Mu Xiangnan was just about to look for Chen Hua. "Grandma Chen, we rescued a boy about my age at the beach today and sent him to the hospital. Teacher Ye and my brother and sister are all there watching. They told me to go home to change clothes and get money to pay the fees. We can't find his family now. Please come with me. Teacher Ye said you would know him if he went to school outside the city."

"Then change your clothes quickly."

Upon hearing that something might have happened to a student at school, Chen Hua hurriedly sent the bowl home, explained something to Xia Xiaoling, and ran to Ye Jiang's house to wait for Mu Xiangnan.

Mu Xiangnan took off his wet clothes and threw them into the washing basin. He didn't even bother to go to the bathroom to take a shower. He just took a towel and wiped them roughly.

Sea water and fresh water are different. If you don't rinse yourself after getting wet by sea water, there will always be a fishy smell on your body, which is sticky and very uncomfortable. He didn't bother to wipe himself off, so he changed his clothes and ran to the small bedroom.

In the drawer under the bedside table, there was a book of grain and oil coupons and a few dozen dollars in change. Mu Xiangnan took some coupons and five dollars, and took two empty lunch boxes from the kitchen and packed them in a cloth bag for shopping.

"Xiao Nan, what is the name of the child who was rescued?"

"I don't know. He had something stuck in his throat. He was still receiving treatment when I left."

Mu Xiangnan put the small cloth bag containing the lunch box and money on his shoulder, ran downstairs and said quickly, "Grandma Chen, Teacher Ye and my brother and sister haven't had lunch yet. I'm going to the hospital to deliver the money and money first."

"Let's go by bus."

Chen Hua shouted behind him: "The bus is only one stop away."

Mu Xiangnan turned around and said, "The time I spent waiting for the bus was enough for me to run to the hospital. Please go slowly. I'll leave first."

When they arrived at the hospital, Mu Xiangnan gave the money to Ye Jiang, took some change and tickets, and took his younger brother and sister to the hospital cafeteria to get food.

Ye Jiang queued up at the window to pay the fee, and returned to the ward with the change and receipt, where he was seen by the doctor.

"Huh?

How did you pay the fee?

Didn't I ask you to wait for his family to come and hand him over? The child is fine now. You have several children, big and small, so go back quickly."

Seeing that the young man on the hospital bed had fallen asleep due to exhaustion, Ye Jiang smiled and said, "It's okay, I'll take care of him first. If he has family, it's the same if they come and give me money."

"Okay, there's a cafeteria in the hospital, go get some food."

"Thank you, doctor. My eldest child is going to take his younger brothers and sisters to get food."

Ye Jiang sat in the corridor of the hospital and sighed in his heart. The child was an orphan and had no family. No one would come to pay his medical bills.

He can't be said to be an orphan, because his mother abandoned him when he was born, and he was later adopted by a family in Xiaojia Town.

If Xiaonan's childhood was unhappy, the drowned boy was not much better.

Xiaonan has a mean step-grandmother, and the boy has a bastard uncle who orders him around all the time and never calls him by his name.

Ye Jiang learned about all this after the boss got into trouble and made inquiries from many sources.

Chen Hua took the bus very quickly. She arrived at the hospital before her eldest brother and his younger siblings returned from the cafeteria.

"Xiaoye, how is the child?"

Chen Hua asked anxiously.

The child's parents may not know yet, fortunately Ye Jiang is here to take care of him. Seeing the payment slip in Ye Jiang's hand, Chen Hua sighed that Ye Jiang is a kind-hearted person who even paid for the medical expenses.

"Don't worry, the doctor said there's no danger now, the foreign body in the throat has been removed, and the child has fallen asleep. Go in and see if you recognize the child."

The thin boy lying on the hospital bed had his eyes closed, his brows furrowed even when he was asleep. He looked about the same age as Xiaonan. Ye Jiang knew that the boy was one year older than Xiaonan.

When Chen Hua saw the weak appearance of the boy after drowning, he felt pain and regret. He pulled Ye Jiang outside to talk, for fear of waking the child.

"This kid's name is Xiao Nan. He's a student at a township middle school. Yesterday, he came to school to see me with a letter of introduction from the township. He came right after you left and asked me for an application form. He wanted to take part in this entrance exam."

"He brought all the necessary documents, including letters of introduction from the school and the township, as well as a letter of recommendation from the teacher, so I enrolled the child."

"When I saw that the child came to Licheng to register alone and didn't even have money to stay in a guest house, I asked Mr. Yu from the school to arrange a bed for the child in the school dormitory. I went to the school this morning but didn't find him. When I asked Mr. Yu, he said that he was busy yesterday and forgot about it and didn't arrange a bed for the child."

Chen Hua got angry at the time and criticized Yu Wanliang severely without considering the face among colleagues.

The child had no money or ticket, so he had to sleep on the street. Somehow he walked to the pier. The boy didn't know how strong the tide was and was swept into the sea. Fortunately, Ye Jiang took the child to the sea and rescued him.

"This child is an orphan after all. After his adoptive parents passed away, his cheap uncle didn't treat him as a human being. Xiaoye, you and this child are destined to be together. When he has a promising future, he will repay you well."

"It was our eldest brother who saved him."

Ye Jiang lowered her head. Later, she found out that Xiao Nan was the son born out of wedlock to Mu Liancheng's ex-wife before she went to the countryside.

In those days, having a child out of wedlock would be criticized by the whole village. Xiao Rou hid in a remote village, gave birth to the child, and then went back to the countryside. She soon married Mu Liancheng who came home to visit his relatives.

That year, Mu Liancheng was 22 years old and still a small company commander. He earned 95 yuan a month and sent 90 yuan back to Xiao Rou to raise her child.

Later he was promoted to battalion commander and his salary increased, but he still only kept a little for himself and sent the rest back home.

Ye Jiang thought that Xiao Rou named her second son Mu Xiangnan, and she must have some guilt and affection for the eldest son whom she abandoned.

But this woman puts feelings above all else. Her beloved Bai Yueguang is more important than anything else in her eyes. When she divorced Mu Liancheng five years ago, she didn't want any children. She neither recognized nor wanted Xiao Nan, the child born out of marriage, and just ran away with Bai Yueguang.

Xiao Nan has been looked down upon since he was a child. His cheap uncle called him a bastard and he even forgot his own name.

Mu Xiangnan didn't know that the young man he rescued today was his half-brother.

Ye Jiang thought, Mu Liancheng has four half-brothers, so Xiaonan shouldn't be opposed to him having a half-brother, right?

The two brothers should maintain a good relationship now so that they won't fight to the death when they know the truth in the future.

Ye Jiang said, "Teacher Chen, when Xiao Nan wakes up, you can take him to school and arrange a place for him to live. I will give him some money. Don't let him go hungry before the exam."

Chen Hua refused to take the money she handed over. "When Xiao Nan wakes up, I will take him back to school to live in the dormitory. I will arrange food and accommodation for him. It is not easy for you to take care of three children. You don't have to worry about these. Go to the cafeteria to find the children and have lunch quickly."

Chapter 23

It was past mealtime and there were not many people in the cafeteria. Mu Xiangnan ordered two dishes and three bowls of rice. The twins had small appetites, so one bowl of rice was enough for the two of them.

He saw Ye Jiang coming in from outside and called out, "Teacher Ye, this way."

Four people squeezed together at the small dining table to eat.

Xiaobei chewed the food in the cafeteria and felt that it was not as delicious as his mother's cooking. After taking two bites, he didn't want to eat anymore.

"Mom, how is the little brother I rescued from the water today?"

He held up the small bowl and prepared to pour the rice into his brother's bowl.

Mu Xiangnan didn't want to spoil his brother, so he said to Xiaobei with a fierce face: "What?

Don't you want to eat the food in the cafeteria?

Think about the days at your step-grandmother's house. Now that you have rice to eat, are you still not satisfied?"

A five-year-old child already knows how to roll around with his mother to seek comfort. Xiao Bei pouted and acted like a spoiled child to Ye Jiang: "Mom, my brother is mean to me."

"Your brother is right. We should eat whatever is available. We can't be picky."

Ye Jiang picked up a piece of eggplant for him, and pointed at Xiaoxi who was concentrating on eating and said, "Look how well behaved your sister is, and how delicious her food is. You are picky about food, so mom won't make delicious food for you anymore."

Xiaobei saw that his sister was eating very seriously, not even a grain of rice fell on the table. He felt ashamed and buried his head in eating. However, he still secretly looked up several times. Fortunately, his mother was not angry, so there should be something delicious in the evening.

Mu Xiangnan ate the rice in his bowl and asked, "Teacher Ye, is the person we rescued today a student from Grandma Chen's school?"

"No, they are candidates from the towns and villages below who came to the city to register for the exam."

Ye Jiang said, "He's from Xiaojia Town, his name is Xiao Nan, he's an abandoned orphan, he was adopted for a few years but couldn't stand the abuse, so his primary school teacher took him to the township middle school for two years. Your grandmother Chen will take him back to the school to live in the dormitory."

"It's so miserable. I thought I was miserable enough."

Thinking that he was also abandoned by his biological mother, Mu Xiangnan felt a little depressed, "Why didn't his parents want him after giving birth to him?"

Ye Jiang thought, I can't tell you now, the one who abandoned him was your biological mother. Your biological mother didn't even want you three brothers. She was only thinking about living together with her first love. How could she want the eldest son born when she was unmarried?

Can't say.

"I don't know. If he passes the exam, you two will be alumni. If you are assigned to the same class, don't mention the fact that he is an orphan to his face."

Mu Xiangnan nodded. After his biological mother passed away, his step-granny had called him a bastard who didn't even want his own mother. He would never forget that feeling of anger and despair.

Fortunately, Dad brought them to Licheng.

"Of course I know that. I won't speak of other people's pain."

The few clams and crabs we picked up in the morning were not enough for dinner, so Ye Jiang said, "Xiao Nan, take your brothers and sisters home. I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some vegetables and make you delicious food in the evening."

Xiaoxi was unwilling to go back and held Ye Jiang's arm tightly, so Ye Jiang had no choice but to take Xiaoxi with him, "Then you two brothers should go back first."

After Mu Xiangnan brought his younger brother home, he settled him down, let him sit on the small desk in the bedroom, and took out paper and pen to draw for him.

He fetched hot water to the bathroom to take a shower. The sea water and river water are really different. In the past, I would swim in the river in my hometown in the summer evenings and didn't need to take a shower at night.

Seawater won't work...

Mu Liancheng came back early and went upstairs to see his youngest son drawing a crab on the desk. It was so crooked that it was almost impossible to tell it was a crab. Xiaobei happily jumped up to his father whom he hadn't seen for two days.

"Dad, you're back. Today, Mom took us to the beach. It was fun there. There were so many little crabs and shells. My brother and I caught a lot. Mom even caught a little brother from the sea..."

Oh no, I was so happy to see Dad back that I forgot what Mom told me and said it accidentally.

Mom said that if Dad knew that she could swim, she would leave. It was all her fault for being too careless.

Mu Xiangbei immediately shut up and turned back to the small desk to continue drawing the crab. After drawing for a long time, he still felt uneasy and regretted it so much that he couldn't help but say to his father: "Dad, I was talking nonsense just now. The little brother in the sea was rescued by my brother. Yes, it was my brother who rescued him."

He even insisted on hearing his father's personal assurance, "Dad, will you believe what I say?

You must believe it, or your mother will run away."

Mu Liancheng: "..."

I'm confused, what's wrong?

Mu Liancheng was both angry and amused. His five-year-old son had become more and more clever after coming to Licheng. It would be nice if he could share some of his liveliness with his younger sister.

These two sons are more cunning than the other. When Xiaobei grows up, he will probably be even more difficult to control than his brother.

I need to have a good talk with Ye Jiang and ask her to be stricter with the children. They have been spoiled too much.

"I can't tell you clearly even if I ask you. Where are your mother and your brother and sister?"

Xiaobei said, "Mom took my sister to buy groceries, and said Dad would make something delicious when he comes back. My brother is taking a shower, and he stinks."

"Mu Xiangbei, I knew you were unreliable!"

Mu Xiangnan had just finished his shower and stood at the door, looking very much like his father who had scolded his younger brothers. "I'm punishing you by not allowing you to eat tonight. You'll remember this lesson."

Mu Xiangbei lowered his head. He was still very afraid of his brother who was several years older than him. His brother was much more difficult to get along with than his father. Besides, he was the one who said the wrong thing today, so he didn't dare to talk back to his brother.

It is a very good thing that the older one can control the younger one, but these two brothers are obviously working together to hide something from him.

Mu Liancheng had a headache. These two brothers thought that their father didn't exist?

He felt worried for Ye Jiang when he thought about her taking care of three children who were not her own all day long.

Mu Liancheng asked: "Xiao Nan, tell Dad, what did your brother just say about saving people?

Doesn't Teacher Ye know how to swim?

You are a kid who grew up inland, yet you dare to go to the sea to rescue people. You are really brave."

Mu Xiangnan saw that his younger brother had told the story of the rescue, and that several people had also seen that the person was fished out of the sea by his stepmother.

Moreover, when the stepmother was changing clothes in the cabin, he saw that woman Jin Wei. He stood at the dock from a distance and watched for a while, so maybe he saw her too.

He couldn't hide it from his father anyway. Mu Xiangnan was afraid that Jin Wei, that woman, had bad intentions and would say things behind his back in front of his father, so he felt anxious.

"Dad, come out and let's talk."

Mu Liancheng looked at his eldest son. This kid was brave enough to talk to him.

He had never taken care of them since they were young, and didn't want to discipline the children the way Old Man Mu did back then, beating them if they didn't obey. Beating children is not popular now, and it's better to talk to them. He also wanted to know what his eldest son wanted to talk to him about.

"We need to have a good talk. Since you guys came to Licheng, your personalities have become more and more unrestrained. I don't think your teacher Ye can control you."

"Dad, you made a conclusion without understanding the situation. Today, Teacher Ye took us to the sea, and later we rescued a person from the sea and sent him to the hospital. Our family paid for the medical expenses."

Seeing that his son was only talking about the boy who fell into the water, Mu Liancheng couldn't help but interrupt him, "Saving people is a good thing, don't evade the important point. Teacher Ye can't swim, what did your brother mean by that?

That she went into the sea to save people?

You should have a good talk with Dad."

Seeing that his father was questioning him closely, Mu Xiangnan knew that he had to tell the truth. At that time, he thought it was unnecessary for his stepmother to ask them to hide the truth from his father. But now, looking at his father's serious face, he felt that Mu Xiangbei was more of a hindrance than a help.

He didn't want his father to quarrel with Teacher Ye.

"Actually, this is just a small, white lie. It's not a big deal at all. Teacher Ye is your wife. Don't criticize her for making a big deal out of it."

"If you don't get to the point, I'll beat you up."

Mu Liancheng frowned and said, "Don't talk nonsense. I can judge for myself."

"You adults are such a hassle."

Mu Xiangnan sighed, "My stepmother didn't want you to know that she could swim, so she told us that I was the one who rescued the person. It was that idiot Xiaobei who let it slip."

"I guess. At that time in Shanshui Village, Teacher Ye could have swam out by herself after falling into the water. But when she saw you jump in to save her, she liked you, so she let you save her."

Mu Liancheng was speechless. Ye Jiang can swim?

This girl was really trying too hard. She almost drowned.

How could she have liked him at that time?

It should be just a coincidence, or Ye Jiang was being entangled by the Guo family at that time and couldn't get over it for a while?

Mu Liancheng thought of several possibilities, but he didn't dare to think that the girl had fallen in love with him at that time.

Seeing his father silent, Mu Xiangnan thought he was angry. He felt anxious and scared. What if his father and Teacher Ye quarreled about this matter, and Teacher Ye ran to find his grandparents in anger? Would he and his brothers and sisters have to go back to their hometown?

He didn't want to see his step-grandmother again. The young stepmother was much better than his step-grandmother. The twelve-year-old boy was very smart. He could see that the young stepmother still liked his father very much, but his father was lukewarm towards the young stepmother. Why?

"Dad, I promised Teacher Ye that I wouldn't tell you that she can swim, but someone else saw it today. I was afraid that someone would spread rumors in front of you, so I told you this. Think about it, apart from your salary, there is nothing else in our family that people would want, but Teacher Ye really didn't do it for the money."

He ran to the small bedroom and took out a small account book and passbook. He saw this by accident when he came back to get money at noon. When he saw this small account book, the boy's heart was warmed. The young stepmother was really planning for this family.

"Look, my stepmother has recorded every expense. She even saved the few hundred dollars that my grandparents gave her to keep. Look at the following pages. She has recorded how much money my brother and sister and I need to go to college, our monthly expenses, and how much you need to save from your monthly salary. My stepmother has calculated it all clearly."

Mu Xiangnan lowered his head and said, "Don't think I don't know whether you and Teacher Ye have reached any agreement?

She helps you take care of the children, and you help her send her grandparents to City C so they don't have to be sent down to dig rocks and live in a cowshed?"

"What makes you think that?"

Mu Liancheng didn't know how to tell his son, but wasn't the current situation just as the child said?

Dad and stepmother sleep in separate rooms, and the children actually realize that this is abnormal?

He always thought that the eldest brother was still a child, but he was twelve years old, which was the age when he was sensitive and suspicious.

"That's not the case. Your grandparents were supposed to go to City C anyway. It was a job transfer that had been planned long ago. It has nothing to do with Dad."

"Why don't you guys share a room?"

"Our house is small..."

Mu Xiangnan said angrily, "I don't care about what's going on between you adults. Anyway, I can represent my younger brothers and sisters. The three of us will never accept someone else as our stepmother. If you and Teacher Ye really can't get along, you should just be single forever."

Mu Liancheng: ...

He is in such a bad situation now that he can't control his wife, and he's almost unable to control his son.

If time passes quickly, he might become the stepfather and Ye Jiang would become the biological mother of the child.

"If your teacher Ye doesn't mention that she can swim, I'll just pretend I don't know, okay?"

After hearing his father's assurance, Mu Xiangnan's tense heart finally relaxed. He took out his textbook to review, "Dad, you are smart. That's your wife. If she runs away in anger, you still have to coax her back by yourself."

Mu Liancheng: "Boy, if I had your grandfather's temper, I would have beaten you up long ago if you dared to speak like that."

Although he said this, seeing so many books and review materials on the table, he patted his son's shoulder with heartache and said, "Don't be stressed. If you don't pass the exam, you can study in junior high school for another year and take the exam again."

"I will definitely pass the exam."

The boy said stubbornly: "They look down on me, but I want to do well in the exam and not bring shame to Teacher Ye and Grandma Chen."

He looked up at his father and said, "My brother and I don't need you to stay home to look after us. Teacher Ye is taking Xiaoxi to buy groceries. Aren't you going to the supply and marketing cooperative to pick them up?"

Ye Jiang knew that Mu Liancheng would go home in the afternoon, so she bought a piece of old tofu, a piece of tender tofu, and a red snapper at the supply and marketing cooperative. They were delicious whether steamed or braised.

Thinking of the man who was helping her with the stove with his head down and not saying a word, a smile appeared on Ye Jiang's lips. Why did she miss him so much? She was so glad that she was reborn early in this life so that the whole family could be reunited at the best time.

I also bought two taels of orange candy for Xiaoxi. We also had some crabs and shellfish that we picked up at the sea in the morning. I made a pot of seafood stew and added a few pieces of tofu to it. It was so delicious.

After dinner, she could go out for a walk with Mu Liancheng. They had only been apart for two days, but she already had a lot to say to the man.

Xiaoxi beside her bit a piece of orange candy and pulled her sleeve. Ye Jiang turned her head and asked, "What else do you want to eat, Xiaoxi?"

Mu Xiaoxi pointed with her skinny little hand, motioning Ye Jiang to look to the side.

somebody is coming.

...

"Aren't we going to the pier to buy seafood?

Why did you come back so angry?

Didn't buy it today? "

Seeing Jin Wei coming back empty-handed, Jin Xiufeng, who was preparing to make lunch, saw that she was so angry that her brows were furrowed. She smiled and said, "You are so narrow-minded. It's not worth getting angry if you didn't buy it. I told you that we still have fish tickets. You can go to the fish stall in the supply and marketing cooperative and buy a big and good one later."

"Aunt, buying fish or not is a small matter. When I went there, I saw Ye Jiang taking her three children to the beach. She was only concerned with playing by herself. When the tide came in, she left the children on the beach. I was worried about the children, so I said a few words to her, but she mocked me and I was so angry that I didn't buy any fish."

"She can take care of her child however she wants. Why are you worrying about it? I think you are just meddling in other people's business. You deserve to be scolded."

"Aunt, how can you say that to me? If Ye Jiang can't take care of the child herself, don't blame others for saying that. If it were me, I would definitely be better than her."

"Forget it. Give up your little tricks. Even if Mu Liancheng and Ye Jiang are divorced, I will not allow you to be the stepmother of those three children. I tell you, those three children are a burden and a nuisance. They are money-losing goods that even their own mothers don't want. It's a hassle to bring them along."

Jin Xiufeng was angry. She thought her niece was meddling in other people's business. Why didn't she just ignore it? Why did she have to make things uncomfortable? She was afraid that after Jin Wei's marriage became unhappy, she would compare Mu Liancheng with her good-for-nothing husband, and then she would regret doing something stupid.

Her husband Qi Dahai had reminded her to keep an eye on Jin Wei and not let her have any problems with her work style. What happened to Jin Wei this time? She always meddled in Mu Liancheng's family affairs, endlessly.

Did you listen to what your aunt said?

Jin Xiufeng thought that she had to ask Jin Wei to go back and get a divorce as soon as possible, and then introduce her to a partner to put an end to her unpresentable thoughts.

Jin Wei always only listens to what he wants to hear. From what his aunt means, she doesn't think highly of Mu Liancheng and Ye Jiang's marriage?

There must be a reason, right?

Maybe this reason is her chance to start over.

The fact that she missed out on a man who could provide her with food and clothing two years ago has always been a thorn in Jin Wei's heart. Think about Mu Liancheng's ex-wife, an educated youth who went to the countryside. She was supposed to do heavy work in the fields every day to earn work points, but what was the result?

Just because she married Mu Liancheng, she had endless money just by lying at home, and even had some surplus to subsidize her parents' home.

This is a day that many women envy.

In the past, Jin Wei didn't think there was anything good about it, but after experiencing a short and unhappy marriage, her thinking changed drastically. She realized how rare it was to have enough food and clothing without having to worry about money.

She has always despised marriages that involve material and financial transactions, like Mu Liancheng's ex-wife and Ye Jiang, who did not marry Mu Liancheng purely out of love.

Jin Wei despised these two women. They obviously didn't like Captain Mu, so why were they occupying him? They should give him to someone who needed him.

"Why is it troublesome?

Aunt, just tell me what you want to say. I won't go around saying anything."

Jin Wei begged.

Jin Xiufeng sighed.

"Okay, okay, you won't give up until I tell you, but you absolutely cannot go out and tell anyone. Only Teacher Chen Hua, Li Chunqin and I know about this. If even a little bit of news gets out, those two will definitely know that it was me who told the truth, and then Li Chunqin will scold me to death, and I won't even be able to be the deputy director anymore."

Is it that serious?

Jin Wei nodded and assured, "Don't worry, Auntie, I will keep my mouth shut and will never tell anyone."

Jin Xiufeng said, "Mu Liancheng is in the army, it's not that easy to divorce him. How could his ex-wife divorce him just because she asked for a divorce? When his ex-wife came to Licheng to ask for a divorce, it was Li Chunqin and I who did the ideological work for her."

"We were very confused at the time. Xiao Mu had a high salary and a high position. He was tall and handsome. He had three children. Why did he want to divorce? Li Chunqin and I persuaded the woman to bring her children to the army and help her find a job. We also found Chen Hua and asked him to help her find a substitute teacher job at the school."

"Even so, the woman refused to bring the child and insisted on divorce. After a stalemate for several days, Mu Liancheng asked her what he had done wrong.

Why do we have to get a divorce? What will happen to our three children after the divorce?"

Jin Wei thought, a woman who insists on divorce when her husband is so well-off and they have a child together, it simply means she has someone else in her heart.

Her aunt's generation had their marriages arranged by their families, and some of them had never even met each other before getting married. They had no idea of ​​the determination and commitment between young people in free love, which they would remember for the rest of their lives even after they got married.

The same must be true for Captain Mu's ex-wife. These are just her guesses, and they are probably pretty close.

"Aunt, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me now."

"We didn't understand it at the time. Xiao Mu had no problems with his work style or character. He handed over his monthly salary. What else did you want from this man?

The woman said that this had nothing to do with money or Mu Liancheng's character. Mu Liancheng was a good person, but it was a pity that there was no love between her and Mu Liancheng. "

Thinking of what Mu Liancheng's ex-wife said in order to get a divorce, Jin Xiufeng found it unbelievable. That woman just had too many good days and didn't know how to cherish them.

"I asked her back at the time, you married someone without any feelings, and now you have a child. You can't divorce just because you said you had no feelings. Feelings can be cultivated. You came to Licheng with the army, so you will have feelings after a while. Isn't what I said reasonable and correct?"

In her heart, Jin Wei really didn't agree with Jin Xiufeng's words. Why couldn't they get a divorce if there was no love between them? She and Qin Wei didn't have any love between them, so couldn't they get a divorce?

But she didn't dare say it. If she said it, would Jin Xiufeng ask her to go back and continue to develop her relationship with Qin Wei?

She won't do that.

Given the current situation of the Qin family, there is absolutely no need to continue wasting time. She really doesn't like Qin Wei and it is impossible for her to develop any feelings for him. She likes a heroic and steady man like Mu Liancheng, who has a high rank and a high salary, and will never have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of his life.

It's a pity that Ye Jiang got the advantage.

"Aunt, you are right. Then why did Captain Mu finally agree to divorce?"

Is it okay to disagree?

Jin Xiufeng thought that only Mu Liancheng was stupid enough to let his ex-wife go find her first love.

"The woman was silent for a long time before she started crying and said she was sorry to Mu Liancheng. She had been with her first love without telling her family before she went to the countryside. Later, her first love's family fell into trouble and she was sent to the mountains to mine, so they separated.

She hid in the countryside and gave birth to the child and left it at the doorstep of a farmer's house. Not long after she went to the countryside, Mu Liancheng's eldest sister introduced her to her. After thinking about it and seeing that there was no better choice, she agreed to marry Xiao Mu. "

"Later, her first love found her address in the countryside and wrote her a few letters. This immediately aroused the woman's heart. She came to leave the city and insisted on getting a divorce to find her first love."

"That woman said that she loves children, too, but the three children still have Mu Liancheng, their father, to love and take care of them. Her first love's family has all died, and she is the only spiritual support. She must go and accompany him. When her first love can return to the city, she will come back with her first love to reunite with their eldest son. This will only make Mu Liancheng and the three children feel sorry for her."

Jin Xiufeng was filled with indignation when she spoke. Although she had many complaints against Mu Liancheng because of her niece's affairs, it did not affect her contempt for that woman.

Not only did she hide the fact that she had given birth to a child from Mu Liancheng, but she also stabbed him in the face in order to get a smooth divorce without caring about other people's feelings. Her eyes were shining when she talked about the good times she had with her first love, as if those were sacred and could not be betrayed, which really made Jin Xiufeng unable to understand.

Jin Xiufeng could not sympathize with a woman who abandoned four children for a man.

Jin Wei felt differently from her. In her heart, she felt a little sympathy for that woman. She was so similar to Jin Wei two years ago. It was because she fantasized about a pure and beautiful love that she proposed not to allow Mu Liancheng's three children to come.

She hoped to have a sweet world of two after marriage and have some children of their own. As for his ex-wife's children, she could just use the money to raise them in her hometown as long as they didn't get in her way.

Now she realized how stupid she was and how she missed out on such a stable life.

Jin Xiufeng sighed for a long time before she said, "Now you know, Xiao Mu is really introverted and reserved in terms of emotions, especially after another divorce. A young girl like Ye Jiang will not be able to stand him in two years, not to mention that she has to help him take care of three children. It's so annoying. So I'm sure Ye Jiang won't be able to live with him for long. If it were you, you wouldn't be able to live with him either."

Jin Wei counted the grains of rice while eating absentmindedly. She now had a good impression of Mu Liancheng, a tolerant man.

Such a man is not bad to the woman beside him. He is most suitable for living at home. It would be best if Ye Jiang is like her ex-wife and they can't live together anymore and file for divorce as soon as possible.

After dinner, Jin Xiufeng cleared the bowls and chopsticks and said to Jin Wei, "Go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy some taro, and some red dates, red beans and grains. Your uncle loves to drink taro and eight-treasure porridge. Start cooking it when you get it back. He will be home for dinner tonight."

"Okay, I'll go now."

...

"Mom, you're so tight-lipped. You didn't even tell me the reason why Captain Mu got divorced. Her ex-wife is so romantic. She must have been very much in love with her first love."

"Romantic what?

No matter how good a relationship is, in the end, it will only be the daily necessities of life. Xiao Mu's ex-wife didn't suffer enough. The money to support the family came too easily, so she started to think about all sorts of things. She will regret it one day."

Teacher Chen gave Xia Xiaoling a slap on the forehead and said, "Live a good life with Xiao Lu, and don't make trouble for me."

"How could that be possible? Lu Ping and I are in a free relationship based on our feelings, so there won't be any conflicts."

Xia Xiaoling covered her forehead and acted coquettishly, "Mom, did you really tell Ye Jiang about this?

If she finds out, she will be furious. When Captain Mu comes back tonight, her family will probably have a huge fight."

"I have to tell you. When Xiao Mu got divorced, his ex-wife said that the child she gave birth to out of wedlock was named Xiao Nan. The family that adopted him moved to Xiaojia Town, which is less than a hundred miles away from Licheng. I guess Xiao Mu's ex-wife didn't want to come to Licheng to join the army because she was afraid that she would not be able to help but see the child and that people would find out that she had a child out of wedlock. Later, she told us about it in order to get a divorce. Only then did we know that the child's name was Xiao Nan, but we didn't know that the child was in a town near Licheng."

When Xiao Nan took his letter of introduction and information to the school to get the registration form, Chen Hua was shocked to see his name. After carefully inquiring about the situation of his adoptive parents, he was sure that Xiao Nan was the child that Xiao Mu's ex-wife had mentioned.

If Xiao Nan and Xiang Nan were admitted to high school at the same time, Chen Hua was afraid that Ye Jiang would hear rumors from others, so after thinking it over again and again in the hospital, he decided to tell her the whole story.

Xia Xiaoling thought, she just ran into Captain Mu going downstairs to the supply and marketing cooperative to pick up Ye Jiang. Could it be that her sister-in-law had a quarrel with him outside?

That would be gossip all over the city. These two kids are about to take exams. If things get out of hand, how can they be in the mood to take the exams?

Mu Xiangnan failed the exam, and her mother had to give up her job to that annoying Yu Wanliang, which was a huge loss.

Yu Wanliang was always picky about young new teachers like her at school. Xia Xiaoling had been scolded many times by Yu Wanliang in front of teachers and students, and she had never had a good impression of Yu Wanliang.

No, she has to go and persuade Ye Jiang.

Chen Hua stopped his daughter and asked, "What do you want to do?

Ye Jiang knew what was going on. She refused to take the medical expenses I handed over. She also said that Mu Liancheng underestimated her, Ye Jiang. She would not argue with him about the biological mother of the three children. After all, the children were Xiaonan's brothers. She told me to relax and she could handle it. "

"My sister-in-law is so generous."

Xia Xiaoling sighed, his sister-in-law is very broad-minded. Such a generous woman, either she likes Captain Mu too much and loves him so much, or she doesn't like him at all, so she is not angry.

I don't know which type Ye Jiang belongs to. Young girls always have more divergent thinking than the older generation, and there is no limit to her gossip.

"Mom, where is Captain Mu's ex-wife now?

Xiao Nan came to register alone, which means that the woman never looked for him. She hasn't come back with her first love to look for the child in the past five years. Does she not want a son this old anymore?"

"Xiao Mu's ex-wife is dead."

"What?"

Xia Xiaoling asked in disbelief: "Didn't you go to find your first love?

How did he die? "

Chen Hua also sighed. Xiao Mu's three children missed their mother. Once, Mu Liancheng went home to visit his relatives. When he left, the children cried heartbreakingly, which made Mu Liancheng feel very sad.

Later, Mu Liancheng asked someone to find his ex-wife, hoping that she would go home to see the children. The person who came back said that the woman and her first love were mining in a mine. They were digging stones together. When they were returning to the shed, they encountered a landslide. The woman was buried in mud and sand, and it took several days to dig her out.

Her first love fainted from crying several times and held the corpse tightly, but what could she do since the person was already gone? The children still don't know that their biological mother is dead.

Mu Liancheng kept it a secret and only Chen Hua knew about it, because the person who went to inquire about the news was Chen Hua's distant nephew.

Chen Hua did not feel sorry for the woman. There must be something hateful about a pitiful person. If she had not insisted on abandoning her children and getting divorced, she would not have ended up dying tragically in a foreign land.

"This is probably retribution."

Chen Hua warned her daughter, "You should have less contact with Jin Wei. I can see through her little tricks. She is thinking about Xiao Mu's high military rank and high salary, and she wants to replace Ye Jiang."

...

Ye Jiang followed the direction of Xiaoxi's finger and saw Jin Wei picking beans in the grocery store and ran into this troublesome woman again.

There's no way. The urban area away from the city is so small, and every family has to cook and buy groceries, so it's normal to meet each other on the street three or five times a day.

Well, then, just pretend you didn't see it.

Ye Jiang asked the owner of the fish stall to help kill the fish. She waited with Xiaoxi in her arms. Jin Wei was thick-skinned enough. Whenever she saw Mu Liancheng, the three children, and Ye Jiang, she would come over to make her presence felt every time.

This woman seems to enjoy this, what is she trying to achieve?

Do you feel sour and happy when your picture is criticized?

Jin Wei picked the beans and came to the fish stall to buy fish with a cloth bag. When he saw the pink and tender Mu Xiaoxi, he smiled like an aunt.

Ye Jiang moved Xiaoxi behind him. What's wrong with this woman?

Why is it that when I look at her little Xi, I see such kindness on her face and the light of the Madonna in her eyes?

What? Are you really planning to snatch the child?

She must be sick.

"If you want a child, go find a man to have it yourself. Don't stare at my Xiaoxi. It's creepy."

Jin Wei's expression was no longer good when he looked at Ye Jiang again. With such a rosy face, Ye Jiang didn't look like a peaceful person.

It is pitiful enough that three children were abandoned by their own mother. Captain Mu was badly hurt in his last marriage and wasted ten years of that man's time. How could Ye Jiang be worthy of taking care of his children?

Really, it's better to find a nanny than Ye Jiang.

In just one day, Jin Wei's hatred for Ye Jiang reached its peak. If this woman hadn't intervened and married Captain Mu first, she would have been the best candidate to be the child's stepmother when she came back this time.

Jin Wei said calmly, "How dare you say that? You used shameless means to force Captain Mu to marry you. Are you going to divorce Captain Mu once your parents' jobs are stable?"

She found out everything. Ye Jiang fell into the water in Shanshui Village and it was Captain Mu who passed by and saved her.

But when they were at the beach, she saw that Ye Jiang was a good swimmer and could save people in the sea. There was no way he would be drowned in the river. Only an honest man like Captain Mu would be deceived.

Ye Jiang smiled. It seemed that he was seen by this woman while rescuing someone at the beach. What bad luck!

"If you're still dreaming about waiting to take over my man and children, then just wait. In the end, you'll be the one who gets pissed off to death anyway."

Ye Jiang kissed the cute Xiaoxi and said, "Don't worry, Xiaoxi, mommy won't divorce daddy and let this bad woman be your stepmother."

Jin Wei was about to be pissed off. Ye Jiang was just shameless! She couldn't even speak properly in public. Was she worthy of being someone's mother?

The fishmonger had only one fish left to sell and was in a hurry to go home. "Do you want to buy one more?"

If you don't want to buy, don't block here. If you want to argue, go home and argue."

These women, if they don't get along with each other, they will fight each other when they meet. The man they are talking about is quite capable. He is married for the second time and he can still make his young wife nervous. His young wife is so beautiful. It's really infuriating.

The master chef is so annoyed that he just wants to finish work as soon as possible and go home to see his wife. She complains about the fishy smell on him every day. She must not have a lover behind his back. He has to go home to see her as soon as possible.

"I bought it."

Ye Jiang said, "Please help me with this one as well."

Jin Wei was anxious because she hadn't eaten fish for several days and she loved fish the most.

"Ye Jiang, you've already bought one, why are you trying to snatch it from me? You're so annoying."

Ye Jiang was the first to give the money and fish tickets quickly.

"You got anxious and unhappy because I stole your fish?

You just started scolding me. If you want to steal my man and my child, you should be ready to be scolded by me until you can't even lift your head. "

Chapter 24

How could Ye Jiang say that she wanted to steal her man?

Which eye saw her robbing? How can you just say something that has no evidence?

She still had to maintain her dignity outside, but the sales clerks at the supply and marketing cooperative looked at her with contempt and told her how she would go out to buy groceries in the future. When the rumors reached her aunt's ears, she was scolded again.

I heard that Mu Liancheng and she slept in separate rooms, so what is she so proud of?

"Ye Jiang, don't be so prickly. You look at everyone as if they want to steal your man and your child. I'm a few years older than you, and I'm just kindly reminding you. You can't forbid him to talk to women just because you married Mu Liancheng. You're too overbearing and make the man lose face outside."

Jin Wei tried her best to make her voice calmer. She couldn't let Ye Jiang ruin her reputation. She hadn't officially joined the school as a substitute teacher yet.

She knew how important it was for her to have a decent and respected job, and she couldn't argue with Ye Jiang in public yet.

"We are all neighbors. You slandered me in front of so many people. I want you to apologize to me."

Ye Jiang found it funny. Why should she apologize? Jin Wei was a complete egoist. She thought that whatever was good for her was right and everyone else was wrong. What kind of logic was that?

In his previous life, Ye Jiang had never been to Licheng and had never seen this woman in person. Later, he met her in-laws once in C City and heard some rumors about her.

It was someone else who tore Jin Wei apart at that time, but not at this time. If Jin Wei still makes trouble, Ye Jiang doesn't mind notifying that person in advance.

Ye Jiang said, "Jin Wei, I'm really annoyed by you. My husband and children are also annoyed by you. I believe you can see it. Don't make trouble for yourself. Don't use various excuses to approach anyone in my family. If you happen to meet on the street, just walk away."

"What if I don't leave?"

Jin Wei asked through gritted teeth.

"It's not difficult to find out the address of your husband's family."

Ye Jiang smiled and said, "You don't want your in-laws to come to Licheng to bother you, right?

Anyway, if you bother me again, I will bother your in-laws. Just give it a try and see if I can do it."

Jin Wei was horrified. Did Ye Jiang know that she was not divorced yet?

That's terrible. It's all Qin Wei's fault. Why can't they just get a divorce?

These men are really interesting. They obviously can't make ends meet, but they keep asking why. Of course, it's because the Qin family is in trouble. Qin Wei doesn't even have a job, so she lost her job in City C. The house she was allocated was also taken back, and she had to stay in a leaky house in the countryside, where even eating became a problem.

Do you want her, a city dweller, to work in the fields and earn work points?

How can it be!

Why can't you just let her go? Why do you have to drag her to rot in that shabby house?

Jin Wei's eyes turned red. She had no one to talk to, not even her aunt. Ye Jiang still had some tricks up his sleeve. He actually found out about her situation in City C and used it to threaten her. She hated Ye Jiang to death.

Jin Wei couldn't win the argument with Ye Jiang and left angrily. She couldn't understand how a young girl who had just gotten married could be so thick-skinned as a city wall and so scheming as deep as the sea.

There was only one main street from the supply and marketing cooperative to the family compound without turning, so Jin Wei met Mu Liancheng halfway.

She was delighted that Captain Mu was back. She must have a good talk with Captain Mu and tell him how Ye Jiang was so self-indulgent that he abandoned his three children on the beach. It was so dangerous.

But Mu Liancheng didn't even look at her. Jin Wei thought of Jin Xiufeng's warning and asked her to stay away from Mu Liancheng.

Further......

"Captain Mu, what a coincidence."

The sidewalk was so wide that if Jin Wei stood in the middle, Mu Liancheng wouldn't be able to pass.

It was indeed impossible to get through, and Mu Liancheng didn't plan to stop to talk to her. He turned around and took a small road to the supply and marketing cooperative. Anyway, he walked fast, so even if he missed Ye Jiang at the supply and marketing cooperative, he would be able to catch up with her.

The permanent residents in the small town are all familiar faces, and everyone knows each other. Someone who came back from the supply and marketing cooperative witnessed Jin Wei being choked speechless by Mu Liancheng's young wife at the door of the supply and marketing cooperative, and now he actually has the nerve to go up and seduce the other man.

A normal person would lower his head, quicken his pace and just walk away.

The man who was buying salt was not satisfied with just watching the fun. Seeing Mu Liancheng turn around and walk away, he said enviously, "This man is handsome, but it's easy for him to attract young girls. Look, Captain Mu has three children and can still marry a beautiful young wife. Even so, there are still people who don't care and are willing to pay for him. It's really enviable."

Jin Wei was not bad looking. In the eyes of these middle-aged men, she was much prettier than their wives who had given birth to several children. At least her waist was very thin. The man who bought salt couldn't help but look at Jin Wei twice more.

His wife picked up a rolling pin and hit him, "You are jealous, aren't you? Look at how cowardly you look, and you have the nerve to look at other women in front of your wife. Aren't you ashamed? Why don't you learn from Captain Mu? He never says a word to other wives and sisters-in-law except his own wife."

He hit the man several times, each time harder than the last. The man who bought salt begged for mercy again and again. His wife twisted the man's ear and went home. Before leaving, she spat in Jin Wei's direction and walked away with a look of disdain on her face.

She is so shameless. The young wife's words were so obvious, but she still had the nerve to block Mu Liancheng when she met him. This niece really made Captain Qi and Director Jin lose all their face.

Jin Wei was so angry that tears came to her eyes. The people in Licheng were too backward and feudal in their thinking. Married men couldn't talk to women?

Look how pitiful her man is. He didn't dare to say a word even when he was beaten in the street. What a coward.

People in small places are so ignorant and ignorant, while people in big cities are much more open-minded.

Before she even had the time to say what she wanted to say, Captain Mu left. Jin Wei thought, since Mu Liancheng refused to talk to her, she would just write a letter, write down all about Ye Jiang's carelessness and willfulness in the letter, and ask someone to take it to him.

...

Mu Liancheng took a detour and caught up with Ye Jiang who was returning home from the direction of the supply and marketing cooperative.

Ye Jiang was startled by the footsteps of the man behind him. He hugged Xiaoxi tightly in his arms, thinking that there couldn't be any rogue gangsters in Licheng in broad daylight.

When he turned around and saw that it was Mu Liancheng, a smile appeared on his face, "You came back so early today. Did you come to pick me up specially?"

Mu Liancheng pursed his lips tightly and nodded slightly, "Xiao Nan said that you were going to buy groceries with the children, so he asked me to pick you up."

Ye Jiang handed Xiaoxi in her arms to the man, and held his arm, feeling as sweet as honey in her heart.

"If your son didn't ask you to come, you wouldn't come to pick him up?"

"No, then I have to ask him where you have been."

In just a few days, most of the neighbors knew that Ye Jiang was Mu Liancheng's new wife. Whenever the woman came to buy vegetables, Captain Mu would eagerly come over to pick her up. The two of them had a really good relationship.

Neighbors passing by also joked as they greeted each other. Ye Jiang was generous. Mu Liancheng took advantage of the fact that there were no people around and whispered, "There are too many people on the street. How about you let go of my hand first?"

"I do not want."

Ye Jiang pretended to be wronged and pinched his arm through his clothes. "I just ran into Jin Wei when I was buying groceries. He was talking about some moral principles and wanted to teach me how to behave. I hate him so much. Now you won't let me hold your arm. The neighbors think we are not on good terms. We are already a laughing stock when we sleep in separate rooms. Do you think I am not laughed at enough?"

Ye Jiang's grievance left Mu Liancheng speechless. This girl hasn't had a few days of peace and quiet since she married him. She thought that coming to Licheng would be a little hard, but she didn't expect that there would be another Jin Wei. Thinking about how Jin Wei blocked him on the road just now, and not knowing what was going on with that woman, he had to talk to Qi Dahai.

"I'll take care of Jin Wei's matter. I'll find Qi Dahai and ask him to send my niece back."

"As a group leader, you don't need to deal with these family matters, lest we give people a reason to accuse us of bullying her."

Ye Jiang said, "Really, you don't have to worry about it. Jin Wei shouldn't come to bother our family again during this period of time."

"You're so awesome?

How did you do it?"

Mu Liancheng looked down at his omnipotent young wife. He asked Ye Jiang to deal with the family conflict that he and Wu Zhilan had not been able to resolve for years in just a few days. She was happy living in the crowded life of the family of five in Licheng. And as for Jin Wei, he just didn't want Jin Wei to bother Ye Jiang again.

But Ye Jiang handled it himself, and Mu Liancheng felt that he was about to lose his role as a man.

"I have leverage over Jin Wei. As long as she doesn't push me too far, I won't tear her apart to the point of embarrassment."

But Ye Jiang has a bottom line. No matter what you do to her, Jin Wei cannot have any ideas about her child.

Xia Xiaoling leaned on the window and saw Mu Liancheng holding the child. Ye Jiang held Mu Liancheng's arm with one hand and carried a basket of vegetables with the other. The two of them walked into the family compound, talking and laughing.

She sighed, "Mom, my sister-in-law came back hand in hand with Captain Mu, and she really wasn't angry."

Chen Hua took the money and leaned out to take a look. He just happened to see Ye Jiang walking up the stairs. When no one was around, she stood on tiptoe and kissed Mu Liancheng on the cheek. Mu Liancheng blushed, tripped and almost dropped the child. Fortunately, Ye Jiang was quick to help her.

Chen Hua smiled with relief, "Ye Jiang is a reasonable person. He is not angry about what happened to Xiao Mu's ex-wife before they got married. He said that Xiao Mu kept it a secret, so how could he be blamed? I am relieved. You take a good rest at home. I will go to the hospital to pick up Xiao Nan and take him to the school dormitory."

Ye Jiang and Mu Liancheng held hands until they got home. Mu Xiangnan looked up at his father and stepmother, who didn't seem to be arguing. He then looked at his stepmother's hand on his father's arm, then lowered her head to read a book.

Xiaobei ran over from the room, looked through Ye Jiang's basket, and asked, "Mom, what are we going to eat tonight?"

"I bought two fish today. One is for steaming and the other is for making sweet and sour fish fillet."

Ye Jiang had just put down the basket when Chen Hua came over and asked, "Xiao Ye, I just went to the supply and marketing cooperative and couldn't find any clothes suitable for Xiao Nan. He is about the same height as your Xiao Nan. Does Xiao Nan have any clothes that he doesn't wear?

I'll bring a set over for the kid to change."

Originally, Chen Hua was reluctant to ask Ye Jiang about this, but he didn't buy any suitable ready-made clothes at the supply and marketing cooperative. Xiao Nan came to Licheng with only the same white shirt on, and he didn't even have a change of clothes to wash. After asking, he found out that the boy washed his clothes at night and wore them again during the day. Chen Hua felt sad to hear this.

Ye Jiang entered the room. She knew that life here was difficult before she came to Licheng. When she was in City A, she tried to exchange cloth coupons with others to buy cloth and clothes for her children. Ye Jiang took out a new set of clothes that Mu Xiangnan had bought in City A and had not worn yet.

"Xiangnan, let Grandma Chen take this new set of clothes to the hospital for Xiaonan. We still have some cloth at home. I'll take you to make another set of clothes tomorrow. Is that okay?"

Since I bought it for Xiaonan, I had to ask for his consent before giving it away. Cloth coupons were in short supply that year, and children treasured their new clothes like nothing, so how could I bear to give them away? I bought two sets of new clothes for Xiaonan, but he was reluctant to wear both and insisted on keeping one, saying that he would wear it during the Chinese New Year.

Now I want to give away the new clothes he saved for the New Year, but I don't know if the child would be willing to do so.

Mu Xiangnan looked up, nodded and said, "Okay."

After getting Mu Xiangnan's consent, Ye Jiang wrapped the new clothes in an oilcloth bag and handed them to Chen Hua. "Teacher Chen, I think Xiao Nan can wear this set. You can take it over. Tell Xiao Nan that this is new and has not been worn by anyone else."

Chen Hua said quickly: "Why do we need new ones? Just look around and see if there are any old clothes that Xiaonan doesn't want."

A new set of clothes is not only a matter of money, but also cloth coupons. In those days, each person only had 22 feet of cloth coupons per year. Ye Jiang's family has so many children, and she doesn't know how long she has saved up. How could she have the nerve to ask for new clothes from her family?

Ye Jiang explained, "Old clothes are not suitable. Children aged twelve or thirteen have strong self-esteem. If these two children are admitted to high school, they will become classmates. If you let Xiao Nan wear Xiangnan's old clothes, he will definitely feel sad."

It's sad but you have to wear it, because if you don't you'll be shirtless, and that's the saddest thing.

We can't let a rift between these two brothers arise just because of a piece of clothing.

Chen Hua thought about it and realized that this made sense, so he took it and said, "Xiao Ling can't make new clothes since she's pregnant. I've saved up some cloth coupons, and I'll give you the money coupons later."

"Really."

Ye Jiang took out the cloth she had saved from the cupboard and showed it to Chen Hua. "I brought it from City A. It's enough to make several new sets of clothes for the children. You don't have to pay me. My family can still afford one set of clothes."

"Okay then, I won't be polite with you anymore."

Chen Hua, who knew the inside story, was completely impressed by Ye Jiang's magnanimity. Ye Jiang was really insightful and clear-headed. Now she had started to make plans for Mu Xiangnan. This pair of half-brothers would have to recognize each other sooner or later. Mu Liancheng was so lucky to marry Ye Jiang.

Chen Hua hurried to the hospital to pick up Xiao Nan with new clothes and money.

When Ye Jiang brought new clothes to Chen Hua, Mu Liancheng was dumbfounded the whole time. He knew Xiao Nan's background. When Mu Xiangnan told him that the boy he rescued was called Xiao Nan, he guessed it.

He didn't know how to explain to Ye Jiang that there were three children at home.

Mu Liancheng said to Mu Xiangnan, "Big Boss, take your brothers and sisters downstairs to play for a while. Dad has something to say to Teacher Ye."

Mu Xiangnan thought his father was going to criticize Teacher Ye for giving away things at home. He put down his pen and said, "Dad, you are too stingy. The clothes were bought for me to wear. I didn't say anything. Why are you so anxious? Do you have to criticize Teacher Ye for such a small matter?"

Mu Liancheng was speechless. In his son's mind, was he a stingy person?

"It is your teacher Ye who is in charge of our family. How dare I say anything to her? Please make room quickly. I have something important to tell your teacher Ye."

Mu Xiangnan stood up slowly, "That means you can't let me hear it, keep it secret."

Ye Jiang smiled and handed Xiaoxi and Xiaobei to him. "I think your father has made some mistakes again and wants to confess and ask for my forgiveness. You are too embarrassed to tell him. Xiaonan, please give your father some face and come back in half an hour."

"You should have said so earlier."

Mu Xiangnan picked up his sister and took his brother downstairs to play.

As soon as the children left, the house became quiet. Ye Jiang closed the door, turned around and leaned against the door, looking at Mu Liancheng and smiling, "Go ahead."

The girl looked at him with a smile, a hint of cunning on her pretty face, as if she knew what he was going to say next.

Ever since Chen Hua came into the room to ask for Mu Xiangnan's clothes, Ye Jiang explained everything and gave her the new clothes. I wonder what this girl would think if she knew that Xiao Nan was the eldest brother's half-brother.

When he first learned about this that year, he was disheartened.

Not only does my ex-wife have someone in her heart, she also has a child.

After the divorce, he took care of everything by himself without even telling Sister Mu. He didn't tell Ye Jiang before getting married because he thought he would never meet that child again in this life.

After his ex-wife died, no one knew where Xiao Nan was. Who would have thought that the child was less than a hundred miles away from the city and now came to the city.

Mu Liancheng walked to Ye Jiang's side, knuckles curled tightly, suppressed voice with hoarseness, "Ye Jiang, I have hidden something from you, you...you can do whatever you want to me if you get angry after hearing it, can we not quarrel in front of the children?"

Ye Jiang felt amused. It was such a small matter but it was not worth being so cautious. She was not that petty.

Just tease him.

"Do you have another woman outside?"

Mu Liancheng blushed, "No, how is that possible."

Ye Jiang said: "As long as it's not about this, I won't be angry about anything else. Just tell me."

Mu Liancheng opened his mouth and said with difficulty, "Xiao Nan is the son my ex-wife gave birth to when she was unmarried. I only found out about it when we divorced. I didn't mean to hide it from you."

He thought that Ye Jiang would definitely go crazy and ask him why he told him so only now, as she had just given Xiaonan's new clothes to the child.

This family is already a mess enough, and now there is another child. Doesn't this have anything to do with Mu Liancheng?

There is no blood relationship, but there is a relationship with his three children.

These four children were born to the same mother and were all abandoned by their biological mother. During the days when his ex-wife came to file for divorce, he had been living in a guesthouse. One day, he suddenly disappeared and could not be found no matter how hard they tried.

Later, when she came back, her eyes were swollen from crying. When Li Chunqin asked her where she had been, she refused to tell her.

Now that I think about it, the day my ex-wife disappeared, she must have gone to look for our eldest son, Xiao Nan.

What would she tell the child?

That she had to abandon him?

That she would come to pick him up in a few years?

Xiao Nan doesn't know yet that his biological mother is dead and will never come back, but he definitely knows that his mother has three other children and that he and Xiao Nan are brothers.

"Teacher Chen told me about this, and I know about it. Otherwise, how could I give Xiaonan new clothes to him?"

Ye Jiang smoothed the man's frown, feeling sorry for him having to shoulder so much on his own.

"This is not your fault, nor is it the fault of the children. I'm being frank. This is all your ex-wife's fault. Since it's already wrong, we can't just throw it away."

"Xiao Nan is smart. I heard from Teacher Chen that Xiao Nan's grades are also good. It is likely that both of them will be admitted to high school this time. After two years of bumping around in school, I can't let these two children become enemies. If they get along well, our family will be more peaceful in the future, don't you think?"

Mu Liancheng felt relieved. Ye Jiang still made such arrangements even though he knew about it?

She really cared about Xiaonan.

Even Xiaonan said that apart from his salary, there was nothing else for others to gain in this family, but Ye Jiang didn't want money.

However, when he found out that he had nothing to offer Ye Jiang, Mu Liancheng actually felt a little frustrated.

"So what do we do next?

Do you want to tell Xiaonan the truth? "

"No, let's see if these two kids can get along peacefully. If they can, having more brothers is not a bad thing. Look at your three brothers at home. Although Wu Zhilan is unreasonable, your three brothers are still good people. If they hadn't gone to make trouble with Wu Zhilan in the end, we wouldn't have been able to get along so smoothly."

Mu Liancheng also agreed with this point. The adults' mistakes should not be blamed on the children. He was just a little worried that if Xiaonan knew what kind of person his biological mother was, he would have a mental breakdown. When it comes to raising children, he is really not as good as Ye Jiang, so he will listen to her.

"Okay, when you think it's appropriate, you can talk to Xiaonan."

Ye Jiang thought that he had to wait until Xiaonan finished his two years of high school and took the college entrance examination. Now he had to spend some time watching out for the two brothers and prevent them from making trouble and becoming enemies.

In the previous life, when Xiao Nan testified against the boss, she was frightened by his cold look. There must have been some unsolvable misunderstanding between them.

Fortunately, both of them are still teenagers with pure minds. There is no knot between teenagers that Ye Jiang cannot untie.

After saying everything that needed to be said, Ye Jiang asked him with a smile: "Mu Liancheng, didn't you just say that as long as we don't quarrel, I can do whatever I want to you..."

Mu Liancheng suddenly felt embarrassed. He did say this, and what he meant was that as long as Ye Jiang didn't quarrel in front of the children, he would be willing to endure any quarrels he might have with him.

But this girl obviously doesn't mean this when she says this now.

Mu Liancheng said: "Ye Jiang, it's daytime now."

Ye Jiang laughed out loud. The man blushed like a big boy, which made her unable to bear to tease him anymore.

She opened the door and said, "It's not easy to come back. Come downstairs and stay with your son."

...

Taking advantage of some time in the afternoon, Ye Jiang asked Mu Liancheng to play with the twins. She took the cloth and took Mu Xiangnan to the tailor shop to make clothes. The tailor shop was in the small flat behind the service center. To go to the tailor shop, one had to go through the gate of the service center.

As soon as he entered the door, he was stopped by an old lady and refused to leave. Ye Jiang looked and found that it seemed to be a neighbor whom he had met and nodded to when buying vegetables at the supply and marketing cooperative but did not recognize.

This can't be blamed on her. She has only been in the city for a few days. How can she remember all the neighbors?

Ye Jiang was held back by her and wouldn't leave, so she had to let Li Chunqin take Xiaonan to the back to measure the size of the clothes.

"Sister, what on earth do you want to do with me?"

Yao Cuihua was arguing with Jin Xiufeng, and when she saw Ye Jiang coming, her eyes lit up and she grabbed her and wouldn't let her leave.

She is the tough girl who beat up a young wife who liked to glance at other people's wives with a rolling pin on the street today.

"Jin Xiufeng, you have to control your niece. How can she pull a married man on the street? She chased after him even though he ignored her. She has ruined the atmosphere of our city. She even flirted with my husband with her eyes. If she does this again, I will hit her with my rolling pin."

Jin Xiufeng was not a pushover either. "Yao Cuihua, you are not chosen for the job at the tofu processing factory. What's the point of making a fuss with me? Your husband is such a coward. He is in his thirties and almost forty. How could we, Jin Wei, be interested in him? You are lying with your eyes open. I will tear your mouth off."

Yao Cuihua was also furious. She could talk about her own man, but she couldn't talk about others. "You don't like men in their thirties, but your niece does. There were rumors before that Jin Wei likes married men and went to see Captain Mu again and again. I saw it with my own eyes today. Jin Wei blocked the road so that Captain Mu couldn't even go. Today, his wife is here, let's make things clear."

"I can't explain it to you clearly. Let's talk about work now. Stop talking about our Jin Wei."

Jin Xiufeng was snorting angrily. Unfortunately, Ye Jiang was here, making her laugh. "Yao Cuihua, I won't allow you to make up rumors about Jin Wei outside."

Rumors are scary. If the news gets spread in a bad way, Jin Wei's job might even be ruined.

Yao Cuihua sneered, as if Ye Jiang in her hand was her trump card, which could blow up Jin Xiufeng. "Comrade Xiao Ye, you don't know, I left after buying vegetables, and happened to run into Jin Wei blocking the way of Captain Mu."

She gestured with her hands, "The sidewalk is only this wide. Jin Wei stood in the middle. I wanted to stretch out my arms to stop her. But Comrade Xiaoye, don't worry. Your man didn't even look at the woman. He just turned around and walked away. There are not many men who are so self-conscious nowadays."

Ye Jiang roughly understood that when Mu Liancheng came to pick her up, he happened to meet Jin Wei again. Ye Jiang also admired Jin Wei very much. She warned Jin Wei that if he bothered anyone from her family again, she would contact Jin Wei's in-laws.

Did Jin Wei think that she didn't dare?

Ye Jiang said, "I trust my husband, but Jin Wei is really annoying. Sister, you don't know, I told her very clearly when we were buying groceries that our family has to save face, and we hope that everyone will avoid each other when they meet. But Jin Wei actually taught me how to be a human being, saying that I control my husband too much and make him lose face outside."

"I just don't understand, how can my man feel proud if he is entangled with a woman who he doesn't know whether she is divorced or not?

Sister Cuihua, don't you agree?

Yao Cuihua's eyes were full of excitement. Could there be some gossip here? Ye Jiang must have heard something about it when he said that.

She saw that Jin Xiufeng's face turned red and her neck became thick with anger because of Ye Jiang's words, but she didn't even say anything in rebuttal. It was really rare.

"Comrade Xiaoye, is Jin Wei still divorced?

Ahahaha, this really makes me laugh to death. I have never seen such a shameless person in my life."

"Sister Cuihua, please don't speculate. I really don't know whether they are divorced or not, but I think Director Jin must know. Why don't you ask her? I'm going to make clothes for my eldest son, and after I finish making the clothes, I have to go home and cook."

"Sorry for taking up your time."

Yao Cuihua let go of Ye Jiang, and the depression in her heart disappeared. Captain Mu's young wife was really a smart and insightful person. She and Jin Xiufeng argued about the work of the tofu processing factory for the whole afternoon and they were evenly matched. Ye Jiang made Jin Xiufeng's face turn green with just a few words.

Hahaha, so refreshing.

Jin Xiufeng really didn't dare to argue with Ye Jiang at this time, because she had no confidence. Her niece Jin Wei had not divorced yet, and Yao Cuihua was a person who wanted to stir up trouble in the world, and she could make anything false become true.

Her own man was staring at Jin Wei indecently, and instead of taking care of her own man, she came over to scold Jin Wei. Why? Wasn't it because Yao Cuihua wanted to work in the tofu processing factory but failed?

Ye Jiang entered the tailor shop and saw the master tailor measuring Mu Xiangnan. Li Chunqin asked him about the incident of saving someone at the beach that morning. Mu Xiangnan answered all the questions, but he did not mention the part where his stepmother went into the sea to save someone.

The place outside the city is small, and any little thing is enough for people to talk about for several days. Li Chunqin had already heard part of it from others, and then she found out the whole story from Mu Xiangnan. She thought Ye Jiang was very generous and was willing to give her a set of new clothes directly, so she brought Xiaonan to make clothes.

The cloth she brought didn't look like the ones from the supply and marketing cooperatives outside the city. The color and material were good. She must have carried it all the way from her hometown when she came.

Even though it's not a festival, I'm willing to take it out to make clothes for my children.

Ye Jiang walked over and pulled Li Chunqin under the eaves and asked, "Sister Li, why did Director Jin quarrel with someone?"

"It's all about work at the tofu processing factory. I'm too lazy to care after all the arguments. Neither of them is a good person. Don't mess with either of them."

Li Chunqin said: "Yao Cuihua's man is really not very decent. He likes to stare at young girls and wives. In the daytime, he praised Jin Wei in front of Yao Cuihua. After being beaten up by Yao Cuihua, he was still not satisfied and found an excuse to come to the service center to make indirect accusations."

"Next time you see her, stay away from men."

"But I don't know what her husband looks like."

Li Chunqin said: "Anyway, if you look at those with greasy faces and vulgar eyes, stay away from them."

Ye Jiang: "I understand."

...

Jin Xiufeng came home angrily after work. Her husband came home early today and was reading a newspaper under the light bulb in the living room. Jin Wei was cooking taro and eight-treasure porridge in the kitchen. When he saw Jin Xiufeng coming back, he smiled and said through the kitchen window, "Aunt is back. We can eat soon."

Qi Dahai got closer and saw that Jin Xiufeng looked unhappy, so he asked, "What's wrong with you? The child was talking to you and you didn't even respond."

Jin Xiufeng forced a smile, "What else could it be? It's the service center's business. I'm so tired of dealing with disputes between neighbors every day. How can I be in a good mood?"

Qi Dahai was puzzled. Doesn't his wife like to deal with these trivial disputes the most?

As soon as I got home, I would tell him about it with relish, which made him so annoyed that he would always make the excuse of buying salt and soy sauce to hide away so that he could have some peace and quiet.

"I'm going to the food station to buy some groceries. I'll be back soon."

Qi Dahai said this and was about to go out.

This time, Jin Xiufeng did not scold him for running out at dinner time. She just told him to come back early because a typhoon was about to blow outside.

Jin Wei also noticed that her aunt was in a bad mood. After serving the taro eight-treasure porridge, she didn't even stir-fry the vegetables. She ran out and asked, "Aunt, who pissed you off?"

Jin Xiufeng saw from the window that her husband had walked out of the family compound, and turned around to close the door before questioning Jin Wei, "Who else can make me angry except you? Didn't you promise my aunt not to look for Mu Liancheng?

Why are you blocking people on the road again? I have no place to put my face. Since you are so disobedient, I can't control you. Fine, I will send you home tomorrow, and I won't care anymore."

Jin Wei was horrified. It was the first time that her aunt had said such harsh words. And who was going to gossip about her again?

"Aunt, I was out for only half an hour today. I bought taro and beans at the supply and marketing cooperative and came back. How could I be so shameless as to block a man? Don't listen to other people's nonsense."

"Am I talking nonsense?

Yao Cuihua saw it with her own eyes. You blocked Mu Liancheng's way and didn't let him pass. You talked to him but he ignored you and just turned around and walked away. Don't you have any sense of shame?"

"I'm going to talk to Yao Cuihua!"

Jin Wei cried angrily, "I was already disgusted by her husband's malicious look at me, and now she's spreading rumors. Yao Cuihua was originally jealous of my aunt's good marriage and good job, and she's using my divorce to hurt my aunt's heart."

Jin Wei cried on the table for a long time. Seeing that her aunt still didn't let go, she ran over and hugged Jin Xiufeng, "Aunt, I swear to you that next time I meet Mu Liancheng, I will turn around and leave. You must believe me again."

Jin Xiufeng felt upset. "Silly child, do you know that Ye Jiang may have known that you are not divorced yet? Today at the service center, she pretended to tell Yao Cuihua about it. But who is Yao Cuihua? She likes to pry into other people's privacy. If she has the chance, she will definitely ask someone to go to Ccheng to ask about your family."

"So, the most important thing now is that you must go back and divorce Qin Wei immediately. I will take a leave tomorrow and accompany you back to City C. If the Qin family refuses, I will ask your uncle to step in and get the divorce before you come back."

Jin Wei's heart trembled. She couldn't let her aunt go back to City C with her. Wouldn't that expose what she had said before?

She wiped away her tears and said, "Aunt, you don't have to accompany me back. I'll go back by myself after I've settled my school work. The situation at home is really messy. Please save some face for me."

"That Qin Wei is a bad guy who can beat people up. I must go back with you."

Jin Xiufeng said with concern: "With the old aunt here, the Qin family dare not act recklessly."

Jin Wei was anxious. "It's because of the Qin family's bastards that you can't go. What if you go there and the Qin family comes to Licheng to make trouble, affecting my uncle's career? Wouldn't that be more disadvantageous?"

Jin Xiufeng has always been worried about Qi Dahai not being able to be promoted to the head of the regiment. She is also afraid that her niece Jin Wei's problematic behavior will affect her husband's career. After hesitating for a moment, she felt in a dilemma.

"Then can you handle it by yourself?"

"I can do it, Aunt, trust me. I will go back as soon as this typhoon is over and I will definitely get a divorce."

...

Ye Jiang leaned against the window and watched the big trees outside swaying wildly in the strong wind. She turned around and said to the man who was cleaning the table, "Mu Liancheng, it's windy."

"Well, there's going to be a typhoon."

Mu Liancheng walked behind her and closed the window. "You haven't seen a typhoon yet, right? It's okay. This typhoon is not strong and will pass in a day or two."

Ye Jiang's heart was pounding. One year, a typhoon hit the city and a big incident happened. She had heard a man mention it once in her previous life.

Is it this year?

How come she couldn't remember it all of a sudden?

Chapter 25

After dinner every day, the big kitchen in the south building is the busiest place. Neighbors gather around the sink, each family has a faucet, some are washing dishes, some are washing clothes, their hands are neither hurried nor slow, and they share with each other what they have seen and heard that day.

The strong wind and heavy rain outside did not affect everyone's interest in chatting at all. Even the pregnant Xia Xiaoling brought out a small stool and sat in the aisle, joining the chatting group.

Ye Jiang was the only one who was worried about the typhoon.

As soon as Mu Liancheng got home, he took care of all the housework, so Ye Jiang didn't have to wash the dishes today.

The man was wearing a military green shirt and pants, with a black belt around his waist that showed off his lean waist. His sleeves were rolled up above his elbows, and he was washing dishes in front of the sink conscientiously.

Amidst a bunch of women, he, a grown man, stood out. The aunt next to him joked, "In our family building, Xiao Mu is the only one who helps his wife wash the dishes. He is not like us grown men. After dinner, they push the bowls aside and either read the newspaper or go downstairs for a walk. We envy him. How did Comrade Xiao Ye discipline his men so obediently?

Speak out so we can learn from you."

There was a suspicious blush on Mu Liancheng's face. He felt embarrassed by what the aunt said, so he pursed his lips and said nothing. Ye Jiang looked at the man's stern profile and liked him more and more.

Xia Xiaoling was jealous, "Aunt Qi, why do you only praise Captain Mu? Our Lu Ping has also washed dishes and he has also washed my clothes."

When Xia Xiaoling thought of her husband whom she hadn't seen for two months, she felt both sad and sweet.

Aunt Qi joked, "Xiao Ling, don't be jealous. Everyone knows that your Lu Ping is a good man. Wait until your man comes back, then you can show off."

Xia Xiaoling smiled sweetly. It was her turn to love her daughter-in-law. Her family member Lu Ping was not bad either.

She turned around and saw that Ye Jiang's eyes were fixed on Mu Liancheng, and said sourly: "Sister-in-law, stop staring at Captain Mu and talk to me."

Ye Jiang then turned around and looked at Xia Xiaoling, "Do you remember how to make the sweet and sour fish fillet today?

If you want to eat it tomorrow, make it yourself. If I hadn't seen that you were pregnant and greedy, I really wouldn't want to give you a single piece. You are so embarrassed to eat half a plate of my fish fillet by yourself."

Xia Xiaoling: "It's so delicious. The more I eat, the more I want to eat. I can't stop. You can't blame me for this. If you want to blame someone, blame your cooking for being so delicious."

Ye Jiang didn't really blame her. She bought two fish today, one of which was originally intended for Chen Hua's family. She didn't know how to cook it, so Ye Jiang taught her and she was able to make the whole dish.

"When will this strong wind stop?

It seems to be raining outside."

Ye Jiang was still worried about the typhoon. The typhoon that Mu Liancheng told her about in her previous life was probably not a big deal, so she forgot about it after hearing it, and couldn't remember it at all now.

But my heart was always pounding and I felt very bad.

Chen Hua has lived in Licheng for most of her life and has experience with what kind of wind blows in different seasons every year. She said, "This is a small typhoon. The wind and rain will stop by tomorrow morning. It's okay. Xiaoye, don't panic."

She thought Ye Jiang came from inland and was scared when she saw a typhoon for the first time.

The neighbor in the south building, who has lived outside the city for several years, also said, "I see that the clouds during the day are white, not black. There won't be a big typhoon, so there's nothing to worry about."

Ye Jiang was not worried about this, she just couldn't remember what Mu Liancheng told her about what happened after the typhoon that year.

I didn't think it was a big deal at the time, but now it suddenly came to my mind. There must be a connection.

Her brain just can't remember anything at this moment.

Mu Liancheng sent the washed dishes back, turned around and came back to get hot water, and said to Ye Jiang: "The eldest brother is playing with his younger brothers and sisters in the corridor. I will run you a bath. You can go back and take a bath."

His voice was not loud, but Xia Xiaoling still heard it. Her envy was obvious. "I will teach Lu Ping a lesson when he comes back. He has never even prepared a bath for me."

Everyone around laughed, "Our husband has never prepared a bath for his wife, you can't envy him."

Ye Jiang was worried and didn't chat with everyone. She went back and took a quick shower. It was windy and rainy and she couldn't go out, so she took Xiaoxi to bed early.

The wind and rain became stronger in the middle of the night. Ye Jiang sat up. The man in her previous life once mentioned to her that there was a typhoon one year that blew down several dormitories in the school. Fortunately, before the typhoon came every year, the school would let the boarding students go home, so there were no casualties.

But Xiao Nan was still in the dormitory.

In his previous life, Xiao Nan was rescued late and choked on a lot of water. He spent that night in the hospital ward and did not go to the school dormitory.

This time Ye Jiang saved him, and on the night when the typhoon came, he was taken to the school dormitory by Chen Hua.

Ye Jiang couldn't sit still anymore. Had Xiao Nan been arranged to work in those dormitories that were about to collapse by mistake?

Isn't it such a coincidence?

The more Ye Jiang thought about it, the more he couldn't lie still. He quickly got up and went to another bedroom to find Mu Liancheng.

When she came in, Mu Liancheng woke up and asked in a low voice: "Are you scared of the wind?"

Ye Jiang whispered, "Xiao Nan is still in the school dormitory. I'm worried about him in this stormy weather. All the other kids have gone home or stayed with relatives, and he's the only one in the dormitory. Let's go check on him."

Mu Xiangnan opened his eyes and asked dazedly, "Teacher Ye, were you calling me just now?"

Xiao Nan and Xiao Nan sound the same. The boy was getting ready to get up, and Mu Liancheng said, "I'll go check on Xiao Nan with you, Mr. Ye. I'll bring my sister over, and you can go back to sleep."

"oh."

Mu Xiangnan turned over and said, "From now on, you can call me Xiangnan, not Xiaonan. It's hard to tell the difference."

They carried Xiaoxi to the lower bunk where Xiaobei slept, letting the twins sleep together. Then they took their raincoats and knocked on Chen Hua's door.

Mu Liancheng asked: "Are you afraid that the dormitory will collapse due to rain?

Logically speaking, it shouldn't happen."

Ye Jiang was now very sure that the accident after the typhoon that the man told her about that year was about the school dormitory. The rain had destroyed the foundation of the dormitory, and the strong wind had blown all night, causing three rooms to collapse. Later, the army sent an engineering company to carry out emergency repairs, and the students were able to move into the dormitory soon after the rest and reinforcement.

There were no student casualties in the previous life because the dormitory was empty, but Xiao Nan still lives there now.

Chen Hua came out wearing a coat and opened the door. Seeing Ye Jiang and Mu Liancheng standing at her door wearing raincoats, she asked in confusion, "Where are you two going in the middle of the night? The rain will stop in a few hours. Wait until it stops before going out."

Ye Jiang said, "Teacher Chen, Xiao Nan is still in the school dormitory. Every year, typhoons blow down several houses. Mu Liancheng and I went to take a look, but we were afraid that the school security would not let us in. Please write a certificate for me to take with me."

Chen Hua was very clear about the condition of the school dormitories. They were far less solid than the teaching buildings and had not been renovated for several years. They were old and dilapidated and there had been no money allocated for their reinforcement.

In the past two years, whenever there was a typhoon, she would let the students go home, and those who had no relatives would go to stay with neighbors for a night. It was also her negligence, thinking that there was a small typhoon this time, so she was lucky and did not make any arrangements for Xiao Nan, leaving the child alone in the dormitory.

"I'll go with you. I'll be here as soon as I get dressed."

Ye Jiang said, "It's raining too hard, you should stay at home. Mu Liancheng and I will go over there."

Chen Hua was quick, having already put on her clothes and raincoat. She changed into a pair of knee-high black rubber shoes, picked up a flashlight and said, "I'm in good health. I'll be worried if I don't go over to check on him. Let's hurry up."

Xia Xiaoling was woken up by the noise of several people. She came out with her belly bulging and asked, "Mom, where are you going?"

Chen Hua said, "Xiao Ye and I will go to school to see Xiao Nan. You can go back to your room and sleep."

Xia Xiaoling was not sleepy at all. Every time there was a typhoon, her mother couldn't sleep because she was worried about the school dormitories. She always arranged in advance for some students to go home and some to stay somewhere else.

Nothing happened after the typhoon, but she was still ridiculed by Yu Wanliang. What does her mother want?

Xia Xiaoling was very curious. Why was her mother in such a hurry to pick Xiao Nan up from the school dormitory? Where was she going to arrange him?

Are you planning to arrange it to Ye Jiang's house?

Can Ye Jiang agree?

Her house was small to begin with, and Xiao Nan and Mu Xiangnan had that kind of relationship... Xia Xiaoling felt a headache just thinking about it, luckily Ye Jiang didn't care and was willing to go over and take a look.

Lao Liang in the security room was sleeping. He was startled when he saw Chen Hua coming with his men, and woke up from his doze.

"Principal Chen, it's so windy and rainy, why are you here?"

"I'm going to the dormitory to see the students."

As Lao Liang opened the iron gate, he asked, "Haven't all the students gone home?

The dormitories are empty."

Chen Hua explained: "There was a candidate from out of town who came to take the high school entrance exam and had nowhere to live, so I arranged for him to live in the school dormitory."

The wind was quite strong at the moment, making it almost impossible for some people to stand. Ye Jiang and Mu Liancheng supported Chen Hua on each side. Lao Liang was worried, so he took a flashlight and followed them.

"That was terrible. When I went to inspect the dormitory building after dinner, I found that the drainage ditch was blocked by debris and the water was up to my calves. I thought there was no one in the dormitory so I didn't go over to check."

Chen Hua's heart tightened. If those dormitories were soaked in sea water all night, coupled with such a strong wind, he didn't know if they could last until dawn.

She had thought that this typhoon was small, and that nothing had happened in previous years with such strong typhoons, but this year the foundation was flooded. Fortunately, Ye Jiang came to remind her and took the initiative to come and take a look. If something happened and the dormitory collapsed and hit Xiao Nan's child, she would never be at peace for the rest of her life. One should not rely on luck.

Several people waded through knee-deep muddy water and walked all the way to the low-rise dormitory building. The rain outside had already reached the adults' knees, so it was conceivable that the dormitory was also flooded.

Chen Hua walked to the innermost room and knocked on the door. "Xiao Nan, are you in there?"

After a while, the teenager waded through the water barefoot to open the door. Chen Hua shone a flashlight around and saw that the teenager was wearing long trousers with the legs rolled up above his knees. His shirt was hung on the bunk bed with an old clothes hanger.

It must have been washed and hung out to dry at night.

"Teacher Chen, why are you here?"

The young man hunched his shoulders. When he came, he was only wearing one piece of clothing, and he didn't have pajamas. At night, he washed his shirt and pants, and slept in a pair of large shorts. In the middle of the night, he found that the dormitory was flooded. He wanted to go out, but it was raining and windy outside and he couldn't go out. Besides, he had nowhere to go.

After waking up, he curled up in the corner of the bed, watching the water in the dormitory almost reaching the level of the lower bunk. Just now someone knocked on the door and he put on his half-dry trousers.

Mu Liancheng walked around the dormitory building with a flashlight, and came back and said, "The foundation has been softened. No one knows when the dormitory building will collapse. It's too dangerous. Anyway, it can't be lived in. Take the children back first. I will arrange for the engineering company to come and repair it tomorrow morning."

When Chen Hua heard Mu Liancheng say that the ground had softened, he panicked and said to the child, "Pack your things and come with us."

The boy was stunned, not knowing where to go. Chen Hua urged him again, and the boy turned around and put on his half-dry shirt, and took his schoolbag and cloth shoes from the upper bunk. There were some textbooks and books in the bag, as well as the new clothes.

Xiao Nan put on his schoolbag, held his cloth shoes in his arms, and walked out barefoot.

Ye Jiang asked: "Where are the new clothes given to you?

Why don't you wear it?"

The boy blushed and lowered his head and said, "It's raining outside and I'm afraid it will get wet. I want to save it for the day of the exam."

Ye Jiang felt sad. This child was just like Xiaonan when she first met him. He was inferior, vigilant and strong-willed. Xiaonan became cheerful and sunny only after coming to Licheng.

Xiao Nan's current state is the same as Mu Xiangnan's state in Shanshui Village.

Now there is one more little troublemaker, she is really worried about him.

Mu Liancheng took off his raincoat and gave it to the child, but the boy refused to take it.

Mu Liancheng is a man of few words and doesn't know how to talk to his ex-wife's children. He feels that his own Xiaonan is enough of a headache. This boy is one year older than Xiaonan and looks more stubborn.

Ye Jiang put it on him and said, "It's raining outside. You don't want to get your books and clothes wet. What if you catch a cold and it affects your exam the day after tomorrow?"

The boy then put on his raincoat and followed them out of the dormitory.

Lao Liang sent them to the school gate and said, "Teacher Chen, where are you going to take the children?

Why don't you stay in my reception room for one night?"

Ye Jiang said, "No need. We'll take him to the family building. Who can't stay overnight? Teacher Chen, don't you agree?"

Chen Hua also nodded, "Yes, yes, just live in my house, and make a bed for him on the floor in the living room."

The four of them braved the wind and rain. Mu Liancheng's raincoat was given to the child, and he was already soaked. Ye Jiang felt very distressed. As soon as she got home, she pushed him to the bathroom, ran some hot water, and asked him to wash himself and change his clothes.

Xiao Nan followed Chen Hua to her home. After entering the house, he saw a pregnant woman in her twenties looking at him. The child was a little restrained and didn't know where to put her feet.

It was the first time that Xia Xiaoling saw Xiao Nan and discovered that the child looked similar to the twins, mostly like their mother. Mu Xiangnan looked like his father.

Chen Hua gave the child a towel. Xiao Nan lowered his head and said thank you, then started to wipe the water drops off his schoolbag.

When Ye Jiang entered the room, Mu Xiangnan also got up and asked in the room: "Teacher Ye, you brought the person back. Do you want to stay at our house tonight?"

Ye Jiang nodded. Xia Xiaoling was five or six months pregnant, and she might not be used to having strangers at home. Mu Liancheng just came out of the bathroom after changing clothes. Ye Jiang said, "Why don't we let Xiao Nan stay at our house for one night and move back after the dormitory is reinforced?"

Mu Liancheng didn't have any objection. Seeing that the three children at home had already gotten up, he wondered what Ye Jiang was going to arrange.

"How do you sleep at night?"

Ye Jiang squatted down and said to Xiaoxi, "Baby, can you squeeze in with your brother Xiaobei tonight? Let daddy sleep in our bed, and let a little brother sleep in daddy's little bed, okay?"

Xiaoxi had a blank expression on her face and shook her head firmly. She liked sleeping with her mother and didn't want to give her mother to her father.

Ye Jiang hugged her little girl and continued, "Xiao Xi, take a look at that little brother first. If you like him, let him stay. If you don't like him, Mommy can make a bed for him on the floor in the living room, okay?"

Xiaoxi thought about it for a while, neither shaking her head nor nodding.

Ye Jiang thought to himself that although Xiaoxi didn't speak, he was actually the smartest of the three children. Maybe blood is thicker than water, because in his previous life, Xiaoxi was naturally close to this half-brother. It was really strange.

She stood up and said to Mu Xiangnan, "Xiao Nan, find some pajamas and come out. I'll go to your grandmother Chen's house to pick her up."

Mu Xiangnan curled his lips: "I told you to call me Xiangnan from now on, otherwise how would I know who you are calling."

Ye Jiang smiled: "Okay, I understand."

Chen Hua took out a blanket from the closet and planned to make a bed for Xiao Nan in the living room. After Ye Jiang came in, he said, "Teacher Chen, I have already talked to Lian Cheng and the kids at home. Let Xiao Nan stay at my house for one night."

Chen Hua hesitated for a moment, feeling that something was wrong. "Your family is crowded enough with three children. It's the same if you live with me."

"Xiao Ling is pregnant. I'm afraid she won't be used to having another person at home. I have many children at home, so it would be more comfortable for Xiao Nan to live there."

Chen Hua thought about it and it made sense. Ye Jiang didn't think it was a trouble. She was just overthinking it.

Xiao Nan walked nervously into the home that he had been looking forward to and envying. He knew in his heart that his three younger brothers and sisters were here. When his mother came to find him that year, he was so happy and thought that his mother was coming to take him away. However, his mother said a lot of things for a whole day, and finally abandoned him when she left.

He was still young that year, only eight years old, but he still remembered a few things his mother said. His mother got married, but not to his biological father. His mother was going to divorce, but she couldn't take him away. He had three younger brothers and sisters, and if one day his younger brothers and sisters came to leave the city, he could come and see them.

Today, he came.

But none of his brothers and sisters recognized him, and he was the only one who knew this secret.

Under the dim light, the three children looked at the boy in front of them with curiosity. Mu Xiangnan looked at the boy's shirt with the cuffs almost worn out, and thought that what his stepmother said was right, this boy of the same age as him probably had a worse life than he did in Shanshui Village.

Mu Xiangnan treated the young man normally and didn't know that his stepmother brought him back because he was his brother.

Ye Jiang pointed at Xiao Nan and asked Xiao Xi, "Baby, do you like this brother?

Should we let him sleep on the floor or in your dad's single bed?"

Mu Xiaoxi rolled her dark eyes twice, ran back to her room, took a small pillow and climbed onto the lower bunk where Xiaobei slept, and raised a finger to Ye Jiang, indicating that she should give her mother to her father for only one day.

Ye Jiang understood immediately, smiled and kissed her little face, "Okay, just one day."

As expected, although Xiaoxi knew nothing, she once again felt inexplicably close to her brother Xiao Nan.

Ye Jiang looked at her watch. It was still a few hours before dawn. She assigned the beds and said to the children, "Go to bed quickly."

After being busy until late at night, Ye Jiang felt a little sleepy. After returning to the room, she habitually took off her coat and prepared to change into pajamas.

There was the sound of a door closing behind him. Mu Liancheng coughed and said, "Ye Jiang, I'm still here."

Ye Jiang ignored him and continued to change clothes, not caring whether he looked or not, "Where are you going if you're not here?

At night you sleep inside and I sleep outside."

Mu Liancheng kept his head down the whole time, and waited until Ye Jiang changed into pajamas before sitting down beside the bed. "You sleep inside. The bed is narrow, and I'm afraid you'll fall to the ground."

Ye Jiang was afraid that if she turned over at night, she would push the man to the ground, so she said, "I like to sleep outside. What? Are you going to wait until I fall asleep so that you can turn over on top of me?"

After a long time, the man calmed down and lay down on the bed. Ye Jiang pulled the light cord, groped to the edge of the bed and lay down too.

This was the second time she slept in the same bed with Mu Liancheng. The last time was on the day of their wedding in Shanshui Village. At that time, the bed was big and the man was far away from her, not even close to her. Now, he had nowhere to hide even if he wanted to.

The two of them were leaning against each other, and Ye Jiang just barely avoided being hit on the back by the protruding edge of the bed. The man next to her was breathing evenly, and he sounded very calm.

Heh... calm down.

Ye Jiang turned over, and the man next to him stiffened and turned over as well, lying on his side and asking, "Are you squeezed?"

Ye Jiang's forehead touched Mu Liancheng's chin. Like in her previous life, she buried her face in the man's chest, listening to his suddenly panicked heartbeat.

"Mu Liancheng, don't push me away."

The man's hand froze, then slowly fell and hugged Ye Jiang.

This girl had a very hard time meeting him. Not only did she have three children to take care of, but now she has another one.

It would be okay to ignore Xiao Nan, after all, this was not his child. But when he thought of Xiao Nan's face that looked so similar to the twins, he couldn't bear to do it. His sisters and brothers also had the same father but different mothers. Deep down, Mu Liancheng sympathized with this child.

What did the child do wrong?

The child is not wrong, just make sure he doesn't make any mistakes.

This is what Old Man Mu often said to him when he was alive, asking him to take good care of his three younger brothers and not let Wu Zhilan lead them astray.

And Ye Jiang, who made preparations for the children in advance, so that when they meet each other in the future, there will be no rifts between them. If it weren't for Ye Jiang, his life would still be a cloud of gloom, including that of the children.

Ye Jiang felt safe in Mu Liancheng's arms. She closed her eyes and said, "Mu Liancheng, do you still remember the mother and son we met on the train?

It's Aunt Lu and her stepson."

Mu Liancheng said: "Remember, Xiaonan later made fun of me and said that I didn't have a good stepmother."

"Your fate is bad, but now you have met me, I will bring you good luck, and you and your child will get better and better."

Mu Liancheng felt relieved. This girl was behaving well today. If she moved around on such a small bed, he would not be able to handle it.

Ye Jiang sighed, not knowing if what she did was right. She was sowing good seeds for Xiao Nan now, but would Mu Xiangnan be able to reap good results in the future?

She asked Mu Liancheng: "Auntie Lu said that people are all made of flesh and blood. If we treat Xiao Nan well, the child will remember that Xiao Nan, Xiao Bei and Xiao Xi are his brothers and sisters, and will not harm them, right?"

Mu Liancheng knew Ye Jiang's good intentions. He hugged the woman tightly in his arms and said, "No, you are in charge of the children. They won't get bad. I am here for you."

After hearing Mu Liancheng's assurance, Ye Jiang's heart slowly settled down. She was no longer afraid no matter how strong the wind and rain outside were.

Then she began to sigh, several times.

Mu Liancheng couldn't help but ask: "What's wrong with you?"

Ye Jiang: "I can't sleep in front of such a beautiful woman, Mu Liancheng, aren't you torturing me?

I'm so angry."

Mu Liancheng: "..."

He should be the one who couldn't sleep and was suffering. He pretended to be calm and said, "Don't make a fuss. The children are in the next room. Don't wake them up."

Ye Jiang leaned over and touched his lips, not letting go for a long time. After a long while, she laughed and fell into the man's arms, "This level won't wake the child, right?"

Mu Liancheng wanted to tie her hands and feet. He just knew how to tease people. In front of her, he really didn't have that much self-control.

So Mu Liancheng wrapped her in a quilt and held her in his arms, "Go to sleep. If you make trouble again, I will tie you up."

...

Mu Xiangnan discovered that her stepmother was in a particularly good mood today and the breakfast was much richer, probably because the typhoon had passed and the sun was out.

His father went back to the army early in the morning. I heard that he had to report to arrange for the engineering company to come and repair the school dormitory. While eating breakfast, Mu Xiangnan asked the boy opposite him, "Xiao Nan, I heard from Grandma Chen that your academic performance is also good. Let Teacher Ye give us some questions. How about we compete with each other?"

The boy was eating silently, and sitting opposite him was his younger brother...

He didn't know what to say, and he didn't want to compete. He would be unhappy if he lost, and he would be unhappy if he won against his brother. He just wanted to have a good meal in peace and quiet. He had never eaten such delicious food before.

"Aren't you scared?

I tell you, although I didn't go to junior high school, my teacher Ye taught me very well, so I'm definitely not worse than you."

Mu Xiangnan wanted to compete with him, thinking that since Grandma Chen praised Xiao Nan for his good grades, how could his grades be better than hers?

I have to compare them.

The boy put down his chopsticks after eating his fill and said with a straight face, "Let's compete, but don't cry if you lose."

Mu Xiangnan put down the bowl and said, "Okay, whoever loses will wash the dishes."

Ye Jiang was really annoyed by these two elders. "The exam is tomorrow. There is only one day. How can I have the time to make a test paper for you? Why are you fooling around?"

"I have a blank test paper at home. Let them compare it."

Xia Xiaoling stood at the door with her belly bulging, and said cheerfully, "In order to prepare the high school entrance examination papers this time, my mother asked an old classmate to find the first-year high school examination papers from the provincial capital last year. They are at home. I'll bring them to you two."

Ye Jiang stared at her: "Xia Xiaoling, you still think my house is not lively enough, right?"

Xia Xiaoling chuckled and said, "Since we have nothing to do anyway, let them do a set of papers to practice. They will be able to perform better tomorrow."

After all, she had never seen Xiaonan in actual combat. Xia Xiaoling was more anxious than Ye Jiang. If Mu Xiangnan failed to make it into the top ten, her mother's position would go to Yu Wanliang. Only after she tested Xiaonan herself could Xia Xiaoling feel at ease.

The two teenagers put the dirty dishes in the vegetable basin and placed them in the sink. They said, "No one is allowed to move. We agreed that whoever loses will wash the dishes."

Ye Jiang said unhappily: "Even if there are ready-made papers, Teacher Chen and I will have to correct them after you finish them. Is a whole morning enough?

What to eat for lunch if you don't wash the dishes?

Stop talking nonsense, I'll wash the dishes, you two go to Grandma Chen's house to do your test papers.

Under the strict supervision of Teacher Chen, the two children completed the test papers of three main subjects, Chinese, mathematics and politics, within the specified time. By the time they finished the papers, Ye Jiang's lunch was already ready.

Teacher Chen was watching the two of them doing their papers and had no time to cook, so Ye Jiang cooked everything and the two families ate together at noon.

As soon as he finished lunch, Mu Xiangnan cleaned the table and urged Ye Jiang to correct the papers. He wanted to know who had better grades between him and Xiao Nan.

Mu Xiangnan was pulling foxtail grass in the open space of the South Building to make a wreath for Xiaoxi. Xiaoxi was disgusted and turned her head to Xiao Nan, reaching out for him to hug her.

Mu Xiangnan opened his mouth wide. Xiaoxi had never taken the initiative to let him hug her. Was it true that other people's brothers were more attractive?

Mad.

"Mu Xiaoxi, come back to me."

Mu Xiangnan put on the dignity of a brother and said, "Come here and let me hug you."

Xiaoxi ignored him. That brother always had a stern face and looked fierce at his father, but the new little brother looked very gentle. She accidentally spilled hot porridge on the new brother's legs in the morning, but he didn't even frown.

And he looks as handsome as me, didn't anyone notice that?

Xiaoxi took out an orange candy from her pocket and handed it to Xiao Nan's mouth, tilting her head to give him the candy. Xiao Nan was stunned, not knowing why this little sister would leave her own brother and try to get close to him.

Mu Xiangnan was even more jealous and almost exploded with anger. Mu Xiaoxi must be stupid. She never gave her candy to others. No, she only gave it to Teacher Ye. Then why was she so nice to Xiao Nan?

He was also given candy, even though his brother hadn't gotten any yet.

"Mu Xiaoxi, you idiot, don't give him candy."

Mu Xiangnan almost rushed over to snatch it away, and he felt deeply hurt. Why would his lovely little sister be better to others? This was unscientific.

Mu Xiaoxi blinked her eyes, and the tears fell smoothly. Xiaobei explained, "Brother Xiaonan, Xiaoxi gave you candy because she likes you. Eat it quickly or she will cry. She can't stop crying for a long time, which is so annoying."

Mu Xiaobei hates it most when her sister cries. Whenever she cries, her mother will go and hug her, which is so annoying.

Xiao Nan's face turned red. It was the first time someone gave him candy, and it was his sister. Looking at this little girl whose facial features were almost the same as his, he took the orange candy, put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly.

The orange candy has a light orange scent, which is sweet from the mouth to the heart. Xiao Nan will remember this taste for the rest of his life.

The first sweet taste in his life was given by his sister.

When Mu Xiaoxi saw that her new brother had eaten her candy, she sighed with satisfaction, sat down next to him, and lowered her head to eat the candy.

Mu Xiangnan was deeply frustrated, so he had to settle for the next best thing. At least his position in his sister's heart couldn't be worse than Xiao Nan's. "Mu Xiaoxi, give me an orange candy too, or I'll be angry."

Mu Xiaoxi looked up at her fierce brother and held up a delicious red orange candy. Mu Xiangnan hesitated for a moment, but still walked over and stretched out his hand, "Is it for me?"

Mu Xiaoxi shook her head indifferently and put it into her mouth.

"Mu Xiaoxi, I'm your brother, you little traitor, I don't like you."

Mu Xiangnan ran back angrily and sulked alone in the sun.

Xiaobei quickly ran to his brother and took out his favorite White Rabbit candy. "Brother, I'm nice to you. You can eat the White Rabbit candy."

Mu Xiangnan peeled off the White Rabbit candy wrapper with resentment and stuffed it into his mouth. He bit it hard, picked up Xiaobei and went upstairs to see if Teacher Chen and his stepmother had corrected the papers. His sister had already failed, and he must not lose again in the exam.

Xiaoxi also wanted to go home. She could walk up the stairs by herself, but Xiaobei always had someone to carry him, so she wanted to be carried too.

Mu Xiaoxi stretched out her hand for Xiao Nan to hug her. Xiao Nan hesitated for a moment, but still picked her up.

His sister is so well-behaved, sweet and warm, and she even gives him candies. The empty space in his heart suddenly feels sour. Is this the feeling of having a family?

Heavy.

After Chen Hua finished correcting the papers, he heard the noisy voices of several children downstairs and asked, "Are the children quarreling?"

"No, just normal teeth grinding."

Ye Jiang had good hearing, and she heard most of the noise downstairs. Plus Xia Xiaoling's gossip, she laughed like crazy after coming up, "Your Xiaoxi is so cute. Although she doesn't talk, I think she's very smart. She made Xiangnan so angry that he was stunned."

Xiaoxi is like this, she has always been the smartest among the three children.

Mu Xiangnan rushed upstairs and asked hurriedly, "Teacher Ye, Grandma Chen, have you graded the papers?"

It was almost sunset, and Chen Hua showed them the corrected test papers. "Each of the three main subjects scored 100 points. Xiangnan scored 289 points, and Xiaonan scored 281 points. Both are good results. Xiaonan, don't be discouraged. It's mainly because Teacher Ye taught so well."

Mu Xiangnan finally got back on track, "Grandma Chen, I'm obviously smarter."

That's great! He scored above 95 points in every subject and did not embarrass Teacher Ye.

Xiao Nan thought he would be depressed and disappointed, but this time when he heard that his grades were not as good as Mu Xiangnan's, he was not angry at all, because Mu Xiaoxi gave him another orange candy, which made Mu Xiangnan very angry.

The day of the exam came in a blink of an eye. Ye Jiang carefully checked the draft paper and pens that the two children were going to bring into the exam room, and told them not to panic and that they would get good grades if they performed normally.

More than a thousand candidates entered the examination room one after another. Ye Jiang went home to take care of the children and cook, but her heart was always on the examination room.

After several consecutive exams, other parents asked their children how they did, but Ye Jiang didn't ask or mention anything. Mu Xiangnan asked curiously, "Teacher Ye, you don't even ask me how I did?"

Ye Jiang smiled and said, "You didn't seem nervous at all after the test. I saw that you were so confident, so you must have done well. Do I need to ask?"

Within a few days, the school dormitories were reinforced and the results came out.

On the day when the papers were marked and the results were announced, Ye Jiang had packed up at home and was about to go to school to check her results when Xia Xiaoling ran over with a serious look on her face and hesitantly asked her to go to school right away.

Mu Xiangnan looked up and said, "Teacher Xia, are my results out?

Did you make the top ten?"

Xia Xiaoling's face froze, and she pretended to be calm and said, "He should be out, right?

I asked your stepmother to check at the school right now, don't worry."

Ye Jiang asked Mu Xiangnan to take care of his younger brother and sister at home. After she came out, she whispered, "You were hesitant and it was inconvenient to say it in the room. Now you can finally say it, right?"

Xia Xiaoling then rubbed her face, which was forced to smile, and looked worried.

"Hurry up and go to school. There's a commotion in the principal's office."

She said in a barely audible voice, "Xiao Nan is not in the top ten. He didn't even meet the admission score. He is not on the list of 120 admitted students. Go to the school and check what's going on. Check it out. Don't be polite to Yu Wanliang."

Mu Xiangnan didn't even rank 120th?

Ye Jiang sneered. She wanted to see who was behind this. She borrowed a bicycle from her neighbor and rode towards the school.