Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

Ye Fan used his own example, and Tao Chunlan was speechless, because twenty years ago she would never have dreamed that Ye Fan could be admitted to Peking University and do business.

Tao Chunlan asked her husband to look through the phone book to see who was free and to bring the second child over in a couple of days.

Ye Fan: "I still have a few boxes of tea at home—"

Her father raised his hand to refuse: "My old friends don't like to drink tea. There are a few bottles of Moutai at home. I will bring a bottle of Moutai over some other day."

Ye Fan was worried and reminded her again: "Geng Zhiye and I have said everything that needs to be said. You two should stop trying to persuade her."

Tao Chunlan reluctantly agreed, but couldn't help complaining: "It's so good for girls to be teachers. They are not exposed to the wind or rain, the work is easy, and there are winter and summer vacations. Why doesn't Erbao learn from her cousin?"

Dabao smiled.

Tao Chunlan was in a bad mood and asked unhappily, "Is what grandma said ridiculous?"

"No, no, it's not grandma who is funny. If you knew what Sister Huihui is doing, you wouldn't say that." Dabao then said that his cousin is now an editor at a publishing house and stays up late every day to proofread manuscripts.

Tao Chunlan froze as if struck by lightning: "She went to school for so many years, and now she's an editor?"

Ye Fan: "Intern editor."

Tao Chunlan could no longer sit still and hastily grabbed the armrest of the sofa. In an instant, words like "ridiculous, are you sick?" and so on flashed through her mind. Because there were too many words, she opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.

Seeing her mother was frightened, Ye Fan quickly confessed: "Huihui said that being an editor is interesting, so she should be an editor. It's boring to be a teacher in school."

Tao Chunlan blurted out: "Isn't it a hassle?"

Dabao: “Life lies in movement.”

Tao Chunlan glared at him: "I think Erbao learned this from you! Erbao used to be so well behaved, never crying, making a fuss, fighting or competing. Tell me, did you say that the Foreign Affairs College is good in this or that?"

Dabao fell on his mother speechlessly: "Do you care about your mother?"

Ye Fan hugged her son's neck and touched his head: "Mom, please don't criticize anyone. Dabao really doesn't want to be separated from Erbao, so I persuaded her to apply to Aviation University."

"My mom is smart!" Dabao sat up. "Erbao has had his own ideas since he was young. Grandma can't blame me for not understanding Erbao. I still have my dad and mom ahead of me. People say that parents are the best teachers for their children."

Ye Fan's hand was still on his son's neck. He raised his hand and slapped him on the back of the head. Dabao touched the back of his head nonchalantly and jumped up, "Do you have popsicles at grandma's house?"

Father Ye: "Your mother asked Xiao Ming to send us half a box. There is still a lot in it."

Dabao ran to the kitchen to get popsicles.

Tao Chunlan asked in a low voice: "Fanfan, wasn't it Dabao who instigated this?"

Ye Fan smiled bitterly: "When Dabao first heard that she wanted to go to the Foreign Affairs College, he was stunned. A few days ago, Erbao was learning Arabic with an old translator, and they happened to meet a group of fashionable uncles and aunts having afternoon tea. One of the aunts suggested it."

Tao Chunlan has always admired intellectuals, and she felt embarrassed to scold them for worrying about other people's affairs: "But our country——"

Ye Fan: "It's getting better every year, isn't it? Maybe by the time Erbao is a diplomat abroad, the country will be strong enough to compete with the United States."

Tao Chunlan worked hard for national construction before and after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and she also hopes that the country will prosper. Hearing this, she still wanted to pour cold water: "It is not as easy as you say for a country to go from poverty to prosperity."

Ye Fan: "Erbao is fifteen years old now. It will take at least thirty years for her to be a diplomat. Isn't thirty years enough?"

With guns and cannons, you can be strong! Father Ye calculated the time it took to make the mushroom eggs, and then calculated the time it took to make some weapons: "Thirty years is enough!"

Ye Fan looked at her mother: You heard it, right?

When Tao Chunlan saw the old man compromise, she could only sigh helplessly.

Dabao gave her a red bean paste popsicle, but Tao Chunlan pushed his hand away. Dabao sat next to his mother and said, "I gave it to you."

Ye Fan took it with a smile.

Tao Chunlan was so angry that she almost didn't go back to Buddha's hometown.

Father Ye didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Dabao, don't deliberately make your grandma angry."

Dabao: "Being more angry can invigorate blood circulation and relieve depression, which can prevent Alzheimer's disease!"

Tao Chunlan took off her slippers and tried to hit him, but Dabao pulled his mother's hand to cover his face. Ye Fan was furious: "You are such a filial son!"

Dabao laughed and let go of his mother.

Ye Fan changed his topic to Chen Xiaohui. When Tao Chunlan heard that she was introducing a date to Chen Xiaohui, she immediately put aside Erbao's matter. After all, there was still a year before Erbao took the college entrance examination, and she could slowly lobby during this period.

Tao Chunlan heard Ye Fan say that she asked Chang Guangrong to pay attention: "Will he think you are too much trouble? It's troublesome for him to do such a thing."

"No!" Ye Fan was sure, "Friends should help each other. But you should also persuade Xiaohui to have a correct attitude when going on a blind date."

Tao Chunlan: "Sometimes it's not that she has no patience, it's mainly because she's busy with work."

Ye Fanxin said that all mothers in the world are the same, they can only complain to themselves and not let others despise them: "Since you have put down your work to come out for a blind date, you should handle it well. This is basic courtesy for adults. Unless the other party doesn't speak human language from the beginning."

Dabao crossed his legs and leaned on the sofa: "No unless, you can't introduce her to someone like this."

Ye Fan smiled and nodded: "Chang Guangrong knows how to deal with things. Although he said that he can't guarantee the character of the person, his willingness to introduce him means that the other party is qualified in all aspects."

"Then I'll try to persuade her." Tao Chunlan hesitated, "But can she bear to see him go to the grave every other day?"

Dabao's eyes lit up: "Mom, introduce a doctor to her."

Ye Fan: "Doctors in their thirties and forties are in great demand, there's no need for them to go out on blind dates."

Tao Chunlan thought of Geng Zhiqin when she heard this: "Your sister-in-law's partner is pretty good."

Ye Fan had a headache: "Mom, Xiaohui is nine years older than him. Even if he is willing to marry her, Xiaohui doesn't dare to marry him. But those who are a few years older than him either have a beautiful and talented fiancée or are married."

Ye's father advised his wife not to embarrass his daughter, and then told Ye Fan that if there was a suitable person, he could meet her, and if not, he could just let nature take its course. Maybe Chen Xiaohui's true love would come after she turned 40.

Dabao was happy: "Mom, learn from grandpa."

Ye Fan: "You'll get married when you're forty?"

"Can't you?"

Ye Fan nodded: "I don't care if I stay at home as a son for my whole life."

"My mother is the wisest mother in the world!" Dabao swore while hugging his mother's shoulders.

Ye Fan was both angry and amused. He was angry that he just said nice things without any sincerity, and he was amused that he would coax himself, "Throw away the garbage."

Dabao took the popsicle stick and threw it into the trash can, preparing to go to the toilet. Hearing the sound of ding-dong, he instinctively looked outside, and Chen Xiaohui came in with a dusty face. Dabao sighed, "Grandma, Aunt Xiaohui is the same age as my mom, right?"

Tao Chunlan hummed, not understanding what he meant.

Chen Xiaohui went into the house to change into slippers. Her shoes were covered in dirt. Her clothes looked like they were from ten years ago, dirtier than those of farm workers. Looking at Ye Fan again, she was wearing low-heeled leather shoes, a dress, a necklace around her neck and a watch on her hand. She was completely different from Chen Xiaohui.

Tao Chunlan felt a pain in her eyes and head: "Aren't we at work? How did it become like this?"

Chen Xiaohui: "It only took half a day to finish the small tomb of a country gentleman in the late Qing Dynasty."

"Then your leader called you over in a hurry?" Tao Chunlan asked, "There's no one in the unit?"

Chen Xiaohui nodded: "Most of my colleagues are out of town. The tomb is not big, but there are a lot of things. The locals and county leaders thought they had come across a big tomb and came directly to our unit."

Tao Chunlan couldn't bear to watch it for even a second: "Wash quickly. Oh, and change into the skirt Fanfan gave you."

"understood."

Half an hour later, Chen Xiaohui came out wearing a vest and shorts.

Tao Chunlan was so angry that she was speechless.

Seeing this, Dabao leaned over and whispered in his mother's ear: "Look at my grandma, she's so energetic, she will definitely live a hundred years." "What if she gets so angry that her blood vessels burst?" Ye Fan asked.

Dabao shook his head: "No. Aunt Xiaohui is not you, she is not that bold."

Ye Fan wanted to slap him again.

Tao Chunlan was worried that Chen Xiaohui would not listen, so she advised her to take the blind date seriously in front of Ye Fan. Chen Xiaohui nodded perfunctorily. Ye Fan said, "If you dare to wear this, or dress so casually, don't even think about me talking to you in the future."

Chen Xiaohui hurriedly put down her legs that were resting on the coffee table.

Tao Chunlan wanted to be angry and laugh when she saw Ye Fan's words were effective. Who is the mother after all? However, seeing her like this, she dared not fool around. Tao Chunlan felt relieved and asked her husband to help her in the kitchen.

Chen Xiaohui watched the old couple go into the kitchen and plopped down next to Ye Fan: "Have you heard? The jade has increased again."

Ye Fan paused for a moment, "...are you still thinking about me?"

"Can't I just look at it without buying it?"

Ye Fan rolled his eyes at her and asked, "Do you think I believe it?"

Dabao: "You should save some money to renovate the house."

"What house are you going to decorate?" Chen Xiaohui looked as if she didn't understand what he was saying.

Ye Fan explained that she had known that Chen Xiaohui had a house. Chen Xiaohui subconsciously looked towards the kitchen, thinking that her mother was nagging. Dabao rolled his eyes and said leisurely: "Grandma asked my mother for her opinion before buying you a house. Otherwise, how would grandma bargain?"

Chen Xiaohui blushed and said hesitantly, "You...already knew it."

Ye Fan rolled his eyes at her again: "Toilets and heating are expensive. You are so old, and you still need your parents to pay for decorating the house?"

Tao Chunlan offered money, and Chen Xiaohui was now embarrassed to accept it. But when Ye Fan pointed it out, Chen Xiaohui was embarrassed to save face: "I, of course I know I need to install a heater and a toilet, but it seems that there are no toilets for sale in the capital?"

Ye Fan: "Get the money ready, I'll go south and bring it back for you."

At this point, Chen Xiaohui had no choice but to prepare: "Okay, let me know when you're going."

Ye Fan's company was short of some computer components. When the school leaders learned that she had invested in a trading company under the name of a technology company, they asked her to bring some things with her. She planned to take a few employees to the port city in a few days to broaden her horizons, so as to avoid the temptation to go out and try her luck because of the "going abroad fever" and hearing that some alumni had gone abroad.

Ye Fan: "Next month?"

"Just a few days?" Chen Xiaohui was surprised.

Ye Fan nodded: "No money?"

"Well, then, maybe next time." Chen Xiaohui felt guilty and ashamed because of the house, so she didn't dare to talk back to Ye Fan.

Ye Fan had money in his hands and didn't care who his parents gave their money to, so he didn't deliberately make trouble. Noticing Chen Xiaohui's rough skin, Ye Fan asked her what skin care products she usually used.

Chen Xiaohui raised her hand and pointed at the window sill outside: "Pechoin."

Ye Fan: "Only Pechoin?"

Chen Xiaohui blinked, obviously not understanding, thinking that Ye Fan was referring to the facial mask. Is Ye Fan so fashionable? Which of them was reborn? Chen Xiaohui asked tentatively: "You, you don't mean the facial mask, do you?"

Ye Fan asked: "You have never bought it?"

Not to mention this life, Chen Xiaohui had never used it in her previous life.

Compared with the high-ranking women who were fashionable and chic every night, Chen Xiaohui was like a worker's child in her previous life. She is not a worker's child in this life, because she has never thought of using facial masks because of the habits brought by her previous life.

Ye Fan said: "Go to my house and get a box later."

Chen Xiaohui looked at Ye Fan hesitantly, wanting to say something.

Ye Fan raised an eyebrow: "Can't speak?"

Chen Xiaohui looked at Dabao subconsciously.

Dabao rolled his eyes and went upstairs to find his sister.

Chen Xiaohui waited until he walked away before asking, "Are you really not angry that Mom bought me a house?" She even gave her a facial mask as a gift.

Ye Fan: "Why should I be angry when I didn't spend 20,000 yuan in total? Do you think I'm only worth this much?"

What a big tone! Chen Xiaohui immediately stopped worrying about the house and asked curiously, "Did you make a lot of money?"

"Want to know?"

Chen Xiaohui nodded repeatedly.

Ye Fan: "Then you think about it."

Chen Xiaohui immediately wanted to curse.

Ye Fan explained: "Geng Zhiye doesn't know, do you think I will tell you?"

"He can't know. Men have their own little thoughts when they have money. Who knows what he will do if he knows." Chen Xiaohui said confidently, as if she was sure that Geng Zhiye would definitely let her down.

Ye Fanxin said, he is worthy of being my mother’s biological child.

"Dabao and Erbao are both upstairs. After hearing you doubt Geng Zhiye so much, do you think they will still be nice to you in the future?"

Dabao's mouth is like a knife, and every slash is deadly. Chen Xiaohui was really afraid that he would hear her, so she asked Ye Fan to go to the storage room to look at the small things she had recently found at the flea market.

At night, Geng Zhiye hugged Ye Fanni and refused to let her sleep.

Ye Fan told him to get out. Geng Zhiye held Ye Fan's face and asked, "Are you busy recently?"

"It's ten o'clock. Aren't you tired?" Ye Fan was so sleepy that he couldn't open his eyes.

Geng Zhiye: "Tell me the truth and I'll let you sleep."

Ye Fan yawned and said, "I originally planned to go to the south on the 25th or 26th of this month to get some autumn clothes and wholesale stationery. Xiao Ming and Jianshe have been helping me for these years, and I haven't given them much benefit, so I want to let them go of the stationery business. Anyone who wants to buy stationery at the school gate before school starts can find them. They will take your cousin's husband with them, and bring me some clothes by the way."

"So it's all right?"

Ye Fan said, "Let's go to the company tomorrow and draw lots to decide who will go to Hong Kong City with me. Then I will take them to handle the formalities. We will go to Hong Kong City in the middle of next month."

Geng Zhiye saw that she couldn't open her eyes and felt that her mind was not very clear: "Then go to the army and stay with me for a few days?"

Ye Fan nodded unconsciously.

Geng Zhiye hugged her with a smile in his eyes: "Go to sleep."

Ye Fan's head fell heavily on his arm.

The next morning, Geng Zhiye reminded before leaving: "Don't forget."

"What?" Ye Fan asked subconsciously.

Geng Zhiye: "Go to the army."

Ye Fan frowned and wanted to ask him to explain clearly. The guard opened the car door and Geng Zhiye got in. Ye Fan swallowed his words back.

Dabao asked: "What did Dad say?"

Ye Fan thought about it carefully: "Last night your father seemed to ask me to stay in the army for a few days. But can family members go in?"

Yu Wentao was also a family member of a soldier and had been to the troops before: "The third rank has single dormitories, and family members can go there, but they can't move around."

Dabao: "My dad must find it troublesome to drive back every day. He hasn't reached a high level yet, but he's already putting on airs. Mom, ignore him!"

(End of this chapter)