Lazy Stepmother of the 70s Island

Chapter 41: Stark Contrast

Ning Tang said, "Listen, it's already late. If we keep playing, Dahu's mom will come looking for him."

Surprisingly, even Dahu wasn't eager to leave. He smiled shyly and said, "It's alright, Aunt Ning. My mom won't come back from work so soon. Let's listen to Dawa and play a little longer before going back."

Not only Dawa and Dahu, but even Erniu and Sanwa didn't want to leave. They clung to Ning Tang's legs and pleaded, "Just a little longer, please."

Ning Tang chuckled and had to scare them a bit. "No, we have to go home because Commander Shen will be back. If he comes home and finds out we didn't study but were playing outside, he might think that as soon as he leaves, we sneak out to play. Then, me and Erniu and Sanwa will be fine, but Dawa's bottom will get a spanking."

After thinking for a moment, Dawa realized there was a possibility of that happening and quickly said, "Let's go home so Dad won't catch up with us."

Hearing that Dawa might get punished, Dahu hurriedly said, "Let's go back quickly then."

Sanwa became unhappy. His kite had taken off later than his siblings', and he was having a great time playing. Suddenly, they told him to go home, so he sat on the sand and protested, "I'm not going home."

Dawa shouted loudly, "You just want to see me get punished."

Sanwa grinned and replied, "It's alright, it's your bottom, not mine."

Dawa chuckled and sighed, "Alright, stop teasing. You truly are my little brother."

"Enough, no more bantering," Ning Tang said. "Let's first take Dahu home and then return to our own house."

Upon hearing that they would be taking Dahu home, Dawa and Sanwa stopped making a fuss.

They dropped off Dahu at his house, and as he had said, Zeng Xinlan hadn't returned yet, but Captain Qi was home.

Ning Tang handed Dahu over to Captain Qi, briefed him about their kite-flying trip to the seaside in the afternoon, and then took Dawa, Erniu, and Sanwa back home.

Upon returning to their house, Dawa was very nervous. He cautiously peered into the yard as if he were a thief.

The second floor of the small building was dark, indicating that Shen Lie hadn't come home yet.

Dawa let out a sigh of relief.

Ning Tang found his anxious behavior quite amusing and said, "Don't worry, Commander Shen told me that he won't be back home until at least 8 o'clock in the evening."

Dawa patted his chest and said, "Mom, why didn't you tell us earlier?" Then he realized something was off and added, "When did Dad tell you that he would be back home at 8 o'clock?"

Erniu chimed in, "Yeah, we didn't hear anything."

"He told me last night before we went to bed," Ning Tang replied.

Dawa continued, "If Dad is coming back at 8 o'clock, why didn't we fly kites a little later?"

"Because," Ning Tang emphasized, "it's getting dark. If we don't go home, do you want to fly kites in the dark? Neither you nor I would enjoy that. It's too dark to see anything."

Just as they were talking, Ning Tang suddenly heard footsteps behind her.

She turned around and saw a fatigued-looking Ning Xue.

Ning Xue's tired eyes scanned Ning Tang and the three children, and she quickly noticed the kites they were holding.

It was evident that they had just returned from playing outside.