Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

Geng Zhiye had been training outside for two months and just wanted to rest when he got home. When he saw Ye Fan was getting serious, he immediately said, "We've already divided the points. There's no need for us to argue about this. Let's go to sleep!" He stretched out his hand and pulled her onto the bed.

Ye Fan was startled and whispered, "Be gentle."

"What are you afraid of?" Ye Fan lives next door to Aunt Li, but there are two walls between them, so the sound insulation is excellent. There is a kitchen next to it, so there is no need to worry about Dabao hearing it.

Geng Zhiye let down the bed curtains. Ye Fan quickly turned off the light outside the curtains and punched him helplessly.

……

The next morning, just after Ye Fan's family finished cooking, a green jeep drove to the door. Ye Fan asked Dabao to bring him a cup of soy milk. The guard shook his head to indicate no, so Dabao opened the door, put the soy milk on his lap and ran away.

When Dabao got into the house, he reported: "That uncle is still embarrassed."

Ye Fan asked Geng Zhiye: "The army doesn't allow you to drive back by yourself?"

Geng Zhiye: "I was too tired to drive yesterday."

Ye Fan glanced at him strangely. He didn't look tired at all last night.

Geng Zhiye smiled when he saw this, took four buns, and poured soy milk into a cup: "Let's go."

Ye Fan: "Wait until they finish drinking before leaving."

"Let's drink it when we get home." Geng Zhiye took the cup lid that Dabao handed over and asked the guard to cover it when he got in the car.

The guard was neither hungry nor thirsty, so he covered the cup, put it on the passenger seat and drove back to the army.

As soon as Geng Zhiye left, someone delivered an invitation. Yu Wentao sent the person who delivered the invitation away, and when he came back, he asked when the wedding would be held. Ye Fan opened it: "December 11th of the Gregorian calendar. Dabao, check the calendar to see if it's the weekend."

Dabao took down the calendar on the wall, and Ye Fan flipped back: "It's the weekend."

Yu Wentao: "You go ahead. I'm too lazy to deal with those wives of officials."

You're talking as if you're not an official's wife. Ye Fan was about to put the invitation away, but when he saw the bride's name, his eyes widened. Er Bao was curious: "What's the matter?"

Ye Fan blinked his eyes to make sure he was not mistaken, and asked Yu Wentao: "The bride is Jiang Ping, and the groom is not getting married for the first time, right?"

Yu Wentao subconsciously asked: "What happened to Jiang Ping?"

When Ye Fan said the name "Zhang Xiaoming", Yu Wentao instantly thought of Jiang Ping, who was only one year younger than Ye Fan and over 30 years old. Jiang Ping didn't even like Zhang Xiaoming, so the guy she liked must be better than Zhang Xiaoming, but it was impossible for someone better than Zhang Xiaoming to be over 30 and still unmarried.

If the man was in his twenties and had good conditions, there would be no reason for him to choose Jiang Ping. If the man wanted to marry her for the Jiang family connections, Jiang Ping would never marry him.

So it is possible that Jiang Ping’s partner has been married.

Holding a wedding for the second time, the eating manners are really ugly. Yu Wentao asked: "What is the man's name?"

Ye Fan was surprised: "You don't know him?"

"Your father-in-law used to go, and I'm not familiar with them. The groom himself wasn't the one who sent the invitation. He just said his brother was getting married. How would I know the groom's name?"

Ye Fan: "Do you know how much money to give?"

Yu Wentao went back to get the account book, but the man's name was not on it. "Could it be that the first marriage was not done?"

Ye Fan: "If you are about my age, it was normal to just get the certificate but not do the work in that era. How much do others give?"

Yu Wentao saw "Cheng Zhenhua" and said, "When Cheng Shitou got married, your father-in-law gave him two yuan, and so did everyone else. Maybe everyone agreed to give two yuan. Bring a ten-yuan note and a five-yuan note, and see how much others give."

Ye Fan looked at his son and daughter: "Are you two going?"

Dabao shook his head: "I don't want to visit relatives."

Ye Fan: "Then do you want to go to grandma's house?"

"Grandma is different from her relatives." Dabao said seriously.

Ye Fan: "Going to grandma's house with Erbao on the weekend?"

Dabao shook his head: "Erbao will be taken away by bad guys. Let's go together on New Year's Day when mom is off."

Ye Fan looked at the watch on his wrist. It was getting late. After dinner, he accompanied Dabao to school and took the bus from the school gate.

Yu Wentao was worried that Erbao would be hit by the bicycle on the way to work in the morning, so she sent her to school as usual.

Before the wedding, Ye Fan wrote a letter to the clothing factory, suggesting that they prepare clothing for the New Year.

Before, Ye Fan went to the south to select products and left the contact information of the sales directors of major clothing factories, so he didn't have to bother Su Yuanhang anymore.

On the morning of the eighth day of the eleventh lunar month, Ye Fan took out her clothes and chose the least conspicuous one to put on.

Erbao looked at her mother wearing blue cotton shoes, black pants and a blue jacket. Although it was slim-fitting, no one wore it like that nowadays, so she looked disgusted: "Aren't you going to a wedding? Why are you dressed like this?"

Ye Fan: "Today is the wedding day. If she knew me, she might hate me when she saw that I was dressed better than her. It's not worth it to make an enemy at my own expense."

Erbao pouted and said, "Small-minded."

"Wash your underwear yourself and don't ask your sister to wash it." Ye Fan said.

Erbao nodded: "I'll take a shower when the hot water is ready."

Ye Fan turned to Dabao, who said, "I'm reading in the yard, I won't run around."

Ye Fan felt relieved. He looked at the money in his pocket, made sure to take it with him, and went out to take the bus.

In the past few years, Ye Fan had attended several weddings for Geng Zhiye, and the banquets all started at 12 o'clock. Ye Fan didn't want to go too early, but also couldn't go too late, so she went there at the right time, and arrived at the entrance of the Capital Hotel at exactly 11:10, which was neither too early nor too late.

Ye Fan didn't expect that someone would be like her. Mrs. Cheng Zhenhua stared at her and frowned: "I thought I was seeing things. Why are you, why are you dressed like this?" She looked indescribable, "Like an educated youth who just came back from the countryside."

Ye Fan felt uncomfortable: "Isn't it that the bride is a little special?"

"Isn't it just Jiang Ping? Are you still afraid of her?" This is not the Ye Fan she knew.

Ye Fan: "What I'm doing now can easily be labeled as 'speculation and profiteering'. If she doesn't know me, everything will be fine. But if she finds out that I'm Xiao Ming's neighbor and dislikes me, and thinks I'm stealing her limelight, she will secretly write a letter of denunciation."

Jiang Ping loves to analyze and think. She recognized that Ye Fan might think that she is not a good person. She reported Ye Fan for "speculation and profiteering" and might even think that she is the embodiment of justice.

Thinking of this, Mrs. Cheng said, "But everyone else is wearing leather cotton shoes, but you are wearing cloth cotton shoes. Others are wearing leather jackets and down coats, but you are wearing work blue. You are also conspicuous."

Ye Fan: "I will sit at the same table with the old man and his wife so that I won't stand out."

Mrs. Cheng wanted to say something, but suddenly thought of a possibility: "Are you here for your mother-in-law?"

Ye Fan nodded: "I've seen my mother-in-law's account book. He didn't go to my wedding with Geng Zhiye, but his father did. When the money is recorded later, it will be in my mother-in-law's name."

"Then you should sit at the same table with your parents." Mrs. Cheng thought of the fact that she brought two portions of money, one for her parents-in-law and one for her own family, "I can also sit at the same table with you."

It was quite cold outside, Ye Fan asked: "Go in?"

"Go in." Mrs. Cheng felt that the time was about right.

The two went in and paid their share of the money, and someone arranged for them to sit down. Cheng Zhenhua's wife said that they didn't need to be polite to each other, and then dragged Ye Fan to a familiar elder and asked if they could stay.

A few aunties in their sixties asked them to sit down. One of them stared at Ye Fan and asked, "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

Cheng Zhenhua’s wife introduced to the aunties that she was the daughter of Air Force General Ye, and now the third daughter-in-law of the Geng family.

Today is a happy event in the Army circle, although it is separated from the Air Force by a level. When Mrs. Cheng mentioned Geng Zhiye's father, someone remembered that she had attended the wedding of Ye Fan and Geng Zhiye.

Seeing that he was not a stranger, the aunt became enthusiastic and asked Ye Fan where he worked.

Ye Fan saw that Cheng Zhenhua's lover wanted to talk, so he shut up and let her speak. Mrs. Cheng thought it was great to be admitted to Beijing University, and immediately boasted to everyone that she was a college student, pausing before saying "Beijing University".

People from other places think that it is difficult to get into Beijing University, and locals in the capital also think that "Beijing University" is out of reach. Unless they risk their reputation and use their privileges to arrange for their children to get in. Most high-ranking officials are embarrassed to do so these days, so when they hear that Ye Fan has taken the exam, they are as excited as seeing a giant panda, asking her what major she studied, which unit she has thought of going to, how her mother-in-law is doing recently, how old her children are, etc.

The enthusiastic aunties didn't let Ye Fan go until the waiter served the food.

Ye Fan often interacted with the elderly and never felt annoyed by them. The elderly thought Ye Fan had a good temper because they never felt impatient with her. When they saw a dish they liked, they would ask Ye Fan to try it.

Even though Cheng Zhenhua's wife knew that she would be looked up to by the knowledgeable aunts when she said Ye Fan was studying at Peking University, she did not expect them to be so enthusiastic.

These aunties are not ordinary workers or housewives like Auntie Li and Auntie Zhang. Each of them has fought in the battlefield and participated in the revolution. Some of them are now the top leaders of certain units.

When Mrs. Cheng heard someone asking her to eat more, she thought to herself, I'm thankful for Ye Fan's help today.

There is no never-ending feast.

After the banquet, Ye Fan and Cheng Zhenhua's wife were stopped at the door of the hotel. Ye Fan turned around and saw a man in his thirties running over: "Sister-in-law!"

Ye Fan subconsciously looked at Madam Cheng, but Madam Cheng had never seen this person before, so she asked, "Are you calling me or Ye Fan?"

"You two." The man was of medium build, with a much better-looking face than Zhang Xiaoming, and his eyes were shrewd, not as honest as Zhang Xiaoming. He then said, "I want to talk to Sister Ye Fan about something."

Mrs. Cheng signaled to Ye Fan with her eyes, "I'll go back first?"

Ye Fan nodded, and Madam Cheng said, "You guys chat."

"Come this way." Ye Fan stepped aside a few steps to avoid blocking other people's way.

The man walked over and introduced himself.

When Ye Fan heard his name was Chang Guangrong, and heard him talk about where his father was promoted, what unit his mother worked in, etc., Ye Fan had no impression at all. He guessed that after the Cultural Revolution, various departments underwent a major reorganization, resulting in a shortage of staff, and the Chang family was transferred here from other places only a few years ago. Otherwise, they were in the same circle. It was impossible for Mrs. Cheng, who had been in Beijing for many years, not to know him.

Ye Fan: "Since you know my name is Ye Fan and you know me, you must have asked about me and know something about me. Why don't you just speak frankly?"

Chang Guangrong's eyes flickered, and he thought to himself that she was as straightforward as the rumors said: "I heard that my sister-in-law has to go to school and take care of the children, and she also has to take leave to go to the south to get goods. She is often too busy to do anything?"

Ye Fan chuckled: "Want to help me share the burden?"

Chang Guangrong was a little embarrassed: "Not all of them."

Ye Fan: "If you want to get into this business, you can come with me. If you don't have enough capital, I can lend you 10,000 yuan, but you don't need to cooperate."

But Chang Guangrong's goal is to cooperate with Ye Fan.

A few days ago, Chang Guangrong took a few friends and also brought his brother-in-law who was on summer vacation to Yangcheng to choose a bunch of things. He made half of the profit and sold the other half at a discount. After all the things were sold out and all the expenses for food and drinks were deducted, each person got nine yuan.

Later, no matter how Chang Guangrong tempted them, they remained unmoved.

Chang Guangrong also heard from his friends how someone had used their father's connections to trade state-owned assets to make a lot of money. Chang Guangrong was tempted but didn't dare to act, fearing that his father would shoot him.

Chang Guangrong also knew that serious business required real skills. He didn't believe that Ye Fan could do it but he couldn't. Recently, he looked at Ye Fan's goods for inspiration, and then went to Yangcheng to get a batch of clothing. He still only sold half of it, and the other half was rejected and couldn't be worn out in winter.

Chang Guangrong asked his wife to buy clothes from Ye Fan's people and ask who bought the clothes. Except for the six people from Yujia Village who went to the south with Ye Fan, no one knew who bought Ye Fan's things from. The people from Yujia Village would definitely not tell the truth, so the answer he got was "the south".

Jiangnan is also south, Lingnan is also south, and southwest is also south. There are so many cities that Chang Guangrong can't ask about them one by one. His wife asked him to ask Ye Fan.

Chang Guangrong thought it was shameful for a man to bow to a woman. But when he opened his eyes and saw the goods piled up at home, he felt overwhelmed. Today, he happened to hear someone call "Ye Fan". Chang Guangrong looked at her and wondered why the clothes chosen by such a simple lady were so popular.

Is it really that he has a unique vision?

Chang Guangrong has poor vision, and his wife is naturally well-behaved and can outdo Ye Fan, but her vision is even worse than Chang Guangrong's.

The other members of the Chang family might have better vision, but no one would accompany him in his efforts.

Although the recent crackdown is aimed at "fighting crime and eliminating evil", Chang Guangrong's father was also worried that his son would go to jail, so he gave him an ultimatum, telling him to go back to his hometown in the countryside and farm if he didn't find a proper job.

Chang Guangrong, who was born at the wrong time, had to train in the countryside for three years before being allowed to return to the city. He didn't want to spend his whole life working hard in the fields.

Chang Guangrong comforted himself that one cannot catch a wolf without sacrificing a lamb, and that only by giving up face can one make money. "It's useless for you to join me. I don't have good vision." He felt a lot more relieved after saying this.

Ye Fan: "Can I help you choose the goods?"

"How can I have the nerve to trouble my sister-in-law?" Chang Guangrong thought to himself.

Ye Fan: "It's not that I can't help you choose. The capital's market is too big for me to take over. If you don't do it, there will be others. It's better to give it to our own people than to give it to outsiders."

Chang Guangrong's eyes lit up. No way? Is Ye Fan so righteous?
Ye Fan: "But I don't plan to continue doing this business forever. You'll have to think of other ways later."

"Why not? Isn't it very profitable?"

Ye Fan suddenly had an idea.

Classmates didn't believe that Chinese people could make their own computers, and they might rush to the embrace of capitalism one day, so Ye Fan didn't dare to partner with them. But making computers involves many industries, including research and development, production, assembly, sales, etc. She would definitely not be able to handle it all by herself.

If we can get someone with a strong background to join us, our classmates will see that Ye Fan is not the only one who is optimistic about this business, and perhaps we can work on it steadily.

Ye Fan nodded: "I make money not because I'm smart, but because there are not many people doing this now. If you want to join this year, there will definitely be someone else next year. Looking back, this street is full of clothing stores. The market is saturated. I think I can't sell it even if I sell at a low profit."

"You've thought about doing something else?"

Ye Fan: "You can do that for a lifetime. If you succeed, you can make money in three years, from 10,000 to 1 million, net profit in one year."

Chang Guangrong was almost stunned by the numbers Ye Fan said.

Ye Fan: "Twenty years from now, you will most likely be both famous and wealthy, and a very important figure in the industry."

Chang Guangrong's heart trembled: "If it reaches the level you said, he is no longer a businessman, right?"

Ye Fan pondered for a moment: "National entrepreneur?"

"You want to set up a factory in the special economic zone?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "Just because private factories are not allowed in the capital now doesn't mean they won't be allowed in the future."

"Can I ask what you're going to do?"

Ye Fan: "Produce computers."

Chang Guangrong clearly felt his breathing pause.

Seeing his shocked expression, Ye Fan said, "It's definitely impossible to achieve everything in one go. I can produce small things first, accumulate funds, and then expand." "No wonder you said you can do it for a lifetime."

Ye Fan: "If you want to work with me for two years, you can come with me to get the goods. Don't complain if I don't have time to take you with me in two or three years."

Chang Guangrong: "I should be able to do it in two or three years."

Ye Fan didn't want to pour cold water on him. In order to avoid making more enemies in the future, she decided to be mean first and gentle later: "Fashion is constantly changing. Just because bell-bottoms are popular this year doesn't mean they will be popular next year. If you wait until you know what's popular before buying them, you can only make a little money. If you're satisfied with making a little money, then just ignore what I said."

Chang Guangrong is satisfied with making a little money and has even gone to find Ye Fan to form a partnership with him.

Chang Guangrong thought that he was running out of time, so he decided to work with Ye Fan first, and then talk about the matter two or three years later: "Then could you please take care of me for a year or two?"

Ye Fan: "Then go to my house and wait for me on Saturday afternoon. No need to bring a change of clothes, just bring toiletries, we'll leave right after I get out of class."

"How much money do you have?"

Ye Fan: "Clothes are expensive in winter. If you have money, bring 10,000 yuan. If you don't have money, 2,000 yuan will be fine. Bring your passbook and withdraw money when you get there."

Chang Guangrong decided to listen to her. It would not be too late to ask her if he encountered something he did not understand in the future: "Sister-in-law, going home? I'll take you there."

Ye Fan followed his gaze and saw the car not far away, so he asked him to take him back.

After Chang Guangrong left, Yu Wentao came out of the courtyard and asked, "Who is it? They are so kind to send you off."

"It's not free." Ye Fan then told her mother-in-law that Chang Guangrong wanted to form a partnership with her.

Yu Wentao frowned: "If I had known earlier, I would have gone. These people are really good at hitchhiking."

Ye Fan smiled and said, "It's not without benefits. My family is the only one in power now, which is very eye-catching. Maybe someone is ready to make trouble for me. If the Chang family comes in, they will see that getting rid of me is just to help others, so they might stop. Besides, if it's not Chang Guangrong, there will be someone else. I am not familiar with the Chang family, so I can be honest. If it's Geng Zhiye's friends, they will think I am shrewd. If I help them, it will be bad news."

"Hearing what you said, I think Chang Guangrong is the best one." Yu Wentao said.

Ye Fan: "If Chang Guangrong feels that it's good to cooperate with me, I can look for him if I want to do something else in the future. Xiao Ming is honest and can watch over the warehouse. Wei Jianshe is smart, but it's a pity that he can't do anything when someone is causing trouble for me. Overall, Chang Guangrong is more suitable."

"Just think it through. How was the wedding banquet today?" Yu Wentao asked, "Did Jiang Ping recognize you?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "Originally he wanted to toast to our side, but Cheng's sister-in-law said no one wanted to drink, so the groom said a few polite words and went to another table."

Yu Wentao was very curious about the groom's family: "Is this a second marriage?"

Ye Fan nodded: "I heard from several aunts at the same table that the groom has two children. The older one is as old as Erbao, and the younger one is not small either. The couple has a bad relationship and has been separated for two or three years. Both children are with him."

Yu Wentao took a breath: "What's the point?"

Ye Fan: "The groom's family has no ordinary people. The groom is half a head taller than Zhang Xiaoming. His appearance is average, but he works in a government agency. In the future, he will at least be a leader of a municipal bureau. His social status cannot be compared to Zhang Xiaoming, who is worth millions."

Yu Wentao snorted and laughed: "I have more say than you about being a stepmother."

"Let's go back to the house and talk." When Ye Fan saw Aunt Li coming out, he went back to the house first.

Yu Wentao followed him in, saying as she walked: "The two children's mother is gone, and if the stepmother is good enough, they will stick with her. If their biological mother is still alive, they will feel that the stepmother is not as good as their biological mother no matter how good she is."

Ye Fan nodded: "That's right. If you are far away, you will smell good. If your biological mother visits them once in a while and gives them some money, the children will think that their mother is good. If their stepmother serves them every day, they will think that her nagging is annoying."

"You know?" Yu Wentao was surprised.

Ye Fan: "Just look at our family. Every time Geng Zhiye comes home, Dabao and Erbao rush over to him and call him dad. I've been back for so long, have they ever called him mom?"

Dabao poked his little head out from the side room and said, "Mom, we kiss dad because we miss him. Don't take the opportunity to say nonsense."

"Look, you dislike me now." Ye Fan said.

Dabao laughed angrily: "Please be reasonable."

Ye Fan asked: "What are you doing in the house?"

Dabao: "Writing Spring Festival couplets. If you don't sell them, we, Huihui, Benben and Leilei will do it."

Ye Fan reminded him that it might be cheaper this year.

Dabao nodded: "When my aunt helped us approve red paper, she asked the paper mill and they said that many people approve red paper. We don't need to sell a lot, just ten pairs per person a day and make two dollars a day."

Seeing that he was prepared, Ye Fan felt relieved: "Sell as much as others sell. You will be beaten if you lower the price."

"I know, I know." Dabao raised his hand, "Go back - Mom, buy me another piggy bank."

Ye Fan was surprised: "It's full again? Son, isn't it more interesting to just keep it?"

"I don't need to use your money." Dabao said.

Ye Fan rolled his eyes at him, and went to the opposite side to see that no one was in Erbao's room, so he guessed that the little girl was in Dabao's room. Yu Wentao glanced at Dabao's room, and Ye Fan was sure that Erbao was indeed in his room.

Ye Fan went back to the house to rest.

On Saturday afternoon, Ye Fan led seven people south.

Chang Guangrong was shocked when he got his ticket: "Not going to Guangzhou?"

Ye Fan: "We can't go to Yangcheng at this time. Because transportation is inconvenient, the clothes produced in Yangcheng are supplied to the surrounding areas, and the coldest temperature in Yangcheng is more than ten degrees, so the thickest clothes can only be used as autumn clothes when they are transported to the capital."

Chang Guangrong was speechless, and wanted to say, "Didn't you say the clothes are from Yangcheng?" Suddenly, he remembered that the clothes sold in summer are from Yangcheng. The clothes sold after the beginning of winter are said to be from the south.

Chang Guangrong thought to himself, I am so stupid!
"Hangzhou isn't as cold as the capital, right?" Chang Guangrong asked.

A brother from Yujia Village said, "It's warmer than the capital, but colder. You'll know when you get there."

Chang Guangrong didn't feel cold when he got off the train in Hangzhou, but woke up in the middle of the night and had to get up and put on thick socks. The next day he asked Ye Fan listlessly if he felt cold at night.

Ye Fan: "Are you not used to the damp and cold weather here? We have to stay here for another night. Go find a salt water bottle and fill it with hot water, so you won't feel cold in bed at night."

After breakfast, Ye Fan took a few people to the cotton clothing factory and the sweater factory to agree on the delivery time. Ye Fan left Chang Guangrong and the three brothers of the Yu family in Hangzhou to follow the car, and she took the three of them to Ningbo to look at pants, suits and jackets.

Worried that the goods would not be sold out before the New Year and would be difficult to sell after the New Year, Ye Fan only bought four truckloads of goods, including Chang Guangrong's.

When they arrived in the capital, Ye Fan sent his goods home first. Chang Guangrong had never thought of renting a transport truck, but it would be convenient to transport the goods back with one truck, so Chang Guangrong borrowed the car rented by Ye Fan, and he also paid for Ye Fan's car rental.

Zhang Xiaoming, Wei Jianshe and others heard that Chang Guangrong was a prominent figure, so they did not object to his joining, because they were also a little worried that a big tree would attract wind, and Ye Fan would not be able to handle it alone.

Ye Fan bought a lot of festive items. These clothes are not easy to sell at ordinary times, but they are very popular at the end of the year. He also sold some of the suits and sweaters.

On the night of the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, Ye Fan settled accounts. The next day, Ye Fan took his children to the department store, then to the supply and marketing cooperative, bought a lot of things and brought them back to his mother's house.

Arriving at the door of the Ye family, Dabao took out the small box from his bag, and Erbao grabbed one and ran into the house: "Grandma?"

"Here it is."

Tao Chunlan's voice came from the south. Ye Fan arrived at the yard and saw her mother coming out of the south room: "What are you doing?"

"Cleaning the furniture. Xiaohui doesn't allow me to use a rag." Tao Chunlan took off her sleeves and threw them into the laundry basin.

Ye Fan: "Those things she bought before? Let her pack them up herself. Oh, where is she?"

"Jingjing wants to go out and play. Neither of us can take care of her at home, so Xiaohui will take her to the park." Tao Chunlan asked Dabao and Erbao to go back to the house.

Erbao stuffed the small box into grandma’s hands.

Tao Chunlan subconsciously took it and asked, "What is it?"

Erbao: "Grandma, you'll know after you take a look."

Tao Chunlan smiled and opened it, but when she saw what was inside, her smile froze and she looked frightened. Erbao looked up and asked, "Grandma, don't you like it?"

Tao Chunlan wanted to cry and laugh at the same time: "Why buy me a gold bracelet? I'm already this old."

Ye Fan: "I have money this year. Dabao, what about the other one?"

Dabao handed over the box in his hand: "This is for Grandpa. Mom said thank you for supporting her. Grandma, you go to the bank with my mom this afternoon, and I will return the money to Grandpa."

Tao Chunlan opened her husband's gift box, and inside was a large gold chain. "Your dad can't wear it either."

Ye Fan: "Leave it at home. You can't take it out. I'm worried that hooligans will chop off your hands."

Tao Chunlan closed the box and asked, "Did you buy it yourself?"

Ye Fan nodded: "If you buy a lot, they will give you a discount."

When Tao Chunlan saw that her daughter didn't let her down, she said, "Then I'll take it. Dabao, Erbao, what do you want to eat? Grandma will go and cook."

In winter, the days are short and the nights are long. Ye Fan went out after dinner at 8:30 and came out of the supply and marketing cooperative at 10:00. It is almost 12 o'clock now. Hearing this, Ye Fan took the vegetables to the kitchen and said, "Let me cook."

Tao Chunlan put her things in the room, but felt it was unsafe, so she stuffed them into a locked drawer next to the bed.

After lunch, Ye Fan went to the bank with her mother. At about three o'clock, Ye Fan took the two children home. When they got home, Dabao opened his bag again, and the brother and sister each took a small box to look for Yu Wentao in the wing room.

It was cold, so Yu Wentao didn't go out, and was making shoes on the bed. Geng Huihui and Geng Zhiqin were also on the bed. Geng Huihui saw Erbao running in excitedly, "What good stuff?"

"My mother bought it." Erbao opened it and said, "Grandma, is it nice?"

Dabao opened the box: "There's another one!"

Yu Wentao's bracelet was lighter than Tao Chunlan's, but Ye Fan also bought her a necklace with a small jade pendant, and the total price was not much less than that of Ye Fan's parents.

Yu Wentao nodded: "Your mother has good taste."

Erbao laughed out loud.

Yu Wentao was confused: "What are you laughing at?"

Geng Huihui saw it and said: "I bought it for you."

"Me?" Yu Wentao pointed at herself.

Geng Huihui nodded.

Erbao said, "Mom said grandma worked hard to cook and wash clothes for me and send me to school. She made money this year, and you all have it."

"Who else but me?"

Dabao: "And grandma and grandpa. Mom said that without the support of grandma and grandpa, she can only do small things."

Yu Wentao asked Ye Fan where he got so much money to buy the goods, and Ye Fan said that her mother gave her her father's coffin book. Yu Wentao was reluctant to take out the coffin book, and was embarrassed to be jealous when she heard it, "Didn't your mother buy it herself?"

Erbao: "My mom bought one, and she also bought one for me. Brother, show it to grandma."

Dabao took out Erbao's small bracelet.

Yu Wentao took it and weighed it.

Geng Huihui said first: "If you think it's too little, buy a real one for Erbao. Buy one for me? And for my aunt."

Yu Wentao glared at her and said, "Go buy it yourself. It's not like you don't have money!" Then she gave it back to Erbao, "Where's Dabao's?"

Dabao’s is a small jade pendant with good texture, and the price is about the same as Erbao’s gold bracelet.

Yu Wentao asked them to put it away, saying that they were too playful and might lose it at any time.

Dabao and Erbao curled their lips at her and took their things back to the house.

Geng Huihui tried her grandmother's bracelet: "Grandma, look at me——"

Yu Wentao reached out and pulled it down.

Geng Huihui was speechless with anger: "You are so stingy."

"I'm not as stingy as your mother. I've raised you and BenBen to this age. What has your mother ever bought for me?"

Geng Huihui rolled her eyes at her: "My mom gave you money. Can't you buy it yourself? You're reluctant to spend it and you say others are stingy. I don't think anyone is as stingy as you."

Geng Zhihui gave Yu Wentao either 100 or 200 yuan every time he came back. He gave her 600 or 700 yuan when he came back four or five times a year, which was more than what Ye Fan gave her. Yu Wentao had no way to refute him, and she got angry and told her to get out.

Geng Huihui stood up and said, "Aunt, let's go."

Geng Zhiqin didn't move: "The money we made from selling couplets recently should be enough to buy a thin bracelet or a gold necklace. Let's go to the store tomorrow to have a look?

Geng Huihui asked her grandmother if she was going.

Yu Wentao felt like she was bleeding if she went with her: "No. I'm going back to the village tomorrow to visit my parents' graves. I'll visit your grandfather's grave the day after tomorrow morning."

Geng Zhiqin was worried about her mother going back alone, so she accompanied her mother to the station the next day.

Ye Fan was preparing steamed buns at home. Geng Huihui was embarrassed to go out shopping, but if she stayed to help, she wouldn't be able to buy a necklace.

Ye Fan heard her muttering, "It's boring to buy after the New Year," so he asked, "Will your mother come back this year?"

Geng Huihui: "My mom might have a holiday. I can't say for sure about my dad."

Ye Fan: "Ask your mother to buy it. Let Erbao wear it on New Year's Eve tomorrow. Then she will say that Erbao has it at such a young age, but you don't have a single decent piece of jewelry at your age."

Geng Benben happened to hear this when he passed by the kitchen on his way to the main house. He went back to Dabao's room and asked Dabao to put on the pendant.

The next morning, Chu Fenghe came back alone. In the afternoon, Ye Fan and her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law were chatting in the main room. Geng Benben dragged Dabao over and asked him to sit opposite his mother.

When Chu Fenghe saw the thing on Dabao's neck, he asked why he had never seen it before.

Geng Benben immediately said, "My aunt bought it for Dabao. Mom, doesn't it look good?"

(End of this chapter)