Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

Ye Fan smiled and handed the bag over. Geng Zhiye took it naturally and took her hand back to the dormitory: "Didn't Dabao and Erbao come?"

"I have classes today." Ye Fan was curious, "Don't you have Sundays?"

Geng Zhiye only has vacations, no days off, and indeed forgot what day it was today. Upon hearing this, he said, "Yes. Am I tired?"

Again? Ye Fanka rolled his eyes in his heart, with a distressed look on his face: "It's so hard."

"What should we do then?" Geng Zhiye asked pitifully.

Ye Fan stroked his face with his free hand: "I can only love you more."

"puff!"

The two were startled and turned to see the young officer who had returned. Geng Zhiye kicked him without saying a word. The young officer jumped back and quickly handed over the information in his hand: "The political commissar asked me to give it to you."

Geng Zhiye pulled his legs back, took the information and slapped him on the forehead. The young officer was stunned for a moment, unable to believe how his reaction speed could be compared to his father's. Geng Zhiye asked unhappily, "Anything else?"

"Waiting for your approval." The young officer touched his head pitifully, "Sister-in-law, Commander——"

Geng Zhiye handed it over.

The young officer swallowed the words on his lips and said: "Okay?"

It's not a big deal, the political commissar can make the decision. Geng Zhiye nodded, and the young officer went upstairs with the documents.

Ye Fan glanced at the big words "exercise" and immediately looked away, thinking that they were going to do some kind of exercise. After National Day, it was Mid-Autumn Festival, and if it was finalized before National Day, all the officers could celebrate with peace of mind.

Ye Fan asked: "Should I go to the dormitory or wait for you in the office?"

"Not busy. Go to the dormitory." Geng Zhiye didn't say his wife was coming today, but the last time Ye Fan came, the young officer asked "whether sister-in-law wants to celebrate the holiday together", and Ye Fan replied that if nothing unexpected happened, she would come before the 11th. The political commissar, the chief of staff and others thought she would come, so they would not disturb Geng Zhiye for trivial matters in the next two days.

The young officer could have gone upstairs directly, but seeing the division commander acting pretentiously, he deliberately went over to make trouble.

Geng Zhiye knew that nothing important had happened recently, so he suspected that he had ulterior motives and kicked him.
Seeing that the entire military camp did not seem to be celebrating, Ye Fan was very puzzled: "Shouldn't we be setting up the decorations yet?"

"What?" Geng Zhiye looked up and saw her looking around. "No hurry. National Day is the day after tomorrow."

There was a wake-up whistle in the military camp in the morning, and after the whistle it was morning exercises. Ye Fan was woken up by the wake-up whistle and wanted to take a nap, but was woken up again by the sound of running and shouting slogans. She simply got up and tidied the room to kill time.

It was finally daybreak and she was about to go out when Geng Zhiye came over with two lunch boxes and an enamel pot.

Ye Fan subconsciously asked: "Aren't you going to the cafeteria?"

"There are too many people in the cafeteria!" Geng Zhiye opened the enamel pot, "Hot and spicy soup, no tofu pudding." He opened the lunch boxes again, one contained a few dishes, and the other contained steamed buns, steamed buns and eggs.

This breakfast can be considered rich in this day and age, but Ye Fan was speechless: "Last time I came here, no one stared at me. Do you need to do that?"

"That's because they don't stare at you directly." Geng Zhiye was annoyed when he mentioned this. "It's like they have never seen a lesbian before."

Ye Fan sat down helplessly: "Who said anything?"

Geng Zhiye raised his eyebrows: "You know? You met him?"

"Who is it?"

Geng Zhiye saw that she was wearing slippers and thought it was impossible for her to go out like this. The possibility of meeting outsiders was very low: "No one."

"Is it exciting or not?"

Geng Zhiye confessed: "Who else could it be? The chief of staff said that he noticed that you never wore the same clothes the same time you came here. Do you think he was just idle?"

"That's all?" Ye Fan took a sip of the spicy soup and felt like there was more than one bowl in it. "Have you eaten it?"

Geng Zhiye shook his head.

Ye Fan pushed the spicy soup over to him: "You drink first."

Geng Zhiye asked: "What about you?"

Ye Fan broke off a piece of steamed bun and said, "Eat some vegetables."

Geng Zhiye complained as he drank: "How could he know that your clothes were different if he wasn't watching you?"

"Didn't you say anything else?"

Geng Zhiye didn't want to say it, but seeing her curiosity, he continued helplessly: "He asked where you bought your clothes. He has never seen them in the city. He also asked if they were expensive. Do you think he is alone and has nothing better to do?"

Ye Fan was very surprised and couldn't help but put down his chopsticks: "He has no children?"

"He has two daughters but no son. When they divorced, he wanted a child, but his ex-wife asked him how he would take care of it, so he didn't dare to have one. He kept half of his monthly salary for himself, and gave the other half to his mother as a small portion and to his ex-wife as a large portion."

Ye Fan was curious why he got divorced.

As soon as Geng Zhiye looked up, he knew what she wanted to ask: "There is no big conflict. Because of the separation, his relationship with his ex-wife has faded, and his ex-wife has suffered from being a widow." He paused, "I guess he took care of his parents. After the divorce, his life went on as usual, and he didn't lose much money, and he didn't have to take care of the elderly."

"He said that?"

Geng Zhiye shook his head: "He said his ex-wife moved out as soon as she got the divorce certificate and didn't want to stay any longer. I guess she wouldn't be so impatient if she didn't have any conflicts with her in-laws."

"possible."

Geng Zhiye asked casually, "Why do you care about him so much?" After saying this, he thought of a possibility, "Are you trying to introduce him to Chen Xiaohui?"

Ye Fan rolled his eyes at him. What are you talking about?

"Then why are you asking so many questions?" Geng Zhiye snorted, "You should pay more attention to me."

Ye Fan tore off a piece of steamed bun and stuffed it into his mouth: "I care about you!"

Geng Zhiye was speechless. After finally swallowing the steamed bun, he complained: "You want to choke me to death? Are you as cool as the chief of staff?"

Ye Fan stepped on his foot, and Geng Zhiye hurriedly said, "Eat, eat." Ye Fan stopped, and Geng Zhiye started to talk again, "The man is unmarried and the woman is unmarried, you can't blame me for thinking too much."

"He looks ten years older than Chen Xiaohui, and he's married with children. Do you think they're a good match?"

Geng Zhiye: "They both talk a lot of nonsense. Apart from professional knowledge, they also have a little knowledge of other things. I think they are a good match."

Ye Fan was too lazy to argue with him, so he pulled the jar over and drank a few sips of the spicy soup.

Geng Zhiye said, "Actually, I have a candidate here, but I'm afraid you'll think I'm just messing around with you."

"Tell me."

Geng Zhiye thought about it to avoid being scolded for saying it wrong: "I've been married!"

Ye Fan couldn't help but stare.

Geng Zhiye sighed: "How many outstanding people in their thirties have never been married these days? Even if they are not married yet, they have a fiancée."

“Maybe.”

Geng Zhiye: "The world is so big that there are all kinds of things. There must be scientific researchers who are tall, good-looking, and have good personalities. But where can I find them?"

Ye Fan was stumped by the question: "Then you continue?"

"He is about the same age as Chen Xiaohui, and is an expert in military equipment repair. His education level is not as high as Chen Xiaohui's, but he also graduated from university."

Ye Fan asked directly: "Why the divorce?"

"No children." Geng Zhiye said, "I heard he can't have children."

Ye Fan: "I guessed it. If she is his wife, he is unlikely to divorce her."

Geng Zhiye shook his head: "You guessed wrong. I dared to mention this man to you because I knew he was going to divorce and I didn't want to delay his wife."

"That won't work either. It means he has his ex-wife in his heart."

"Their children are all gone." Ye Fan was surprised: "He left and got married right after, so his relationship with his ex-wife is not that good?"

"It was good at first. His mother was fierce and unreasonable. She probably blamed his ex-wife for not laying eggs and taking up space, which led to the couple's separation. It seemed that he was convinced that he was not capable of doing this until his ex-wife had a child."

Ye Fan shook his head.

"Do you think the man's mother is a bitch?"

Ye Fan: "Everyone knows that he is a coward, so he must be mentally twisted. Maybe he appears to be a gentleman on the surface, but beats his wife behind closed doors."

Geng Zhiye was speechless and took a bite of the bun to vent his anger.

Ye Fan said seriously: "If it were you, could you bear that everyone knows you are not capable?"

Geng Zhiye imagined it and nodded: "It's not like I'm a deserter. It's just that I don't have a child. I can say that I was accidentally injured during training."

Ye Fan sighed: "But I'm not you."

"So no?"

Ye Fan nodded: "His parents are busy, and he himself has things to do. Even if no one wants Chen Xiaohui, she can't make do with him. It's better to find Chang Guangrong's nephew than to make do with him. It's a pity that he is too young. If he is a few years older, even if he is only thirty years old, I dare to ask them to look everywhere."

Geng Zhiye said quickly, "Stop it! Even if he is the same age as Chen Xiaohui, it won't work. That family is even more troublesome than the one I mentioned. My family only has my mother-in-law. Now that she knows her son is not good enough, she will probably stop. That family, grandparents, uncles, aunts, uncles, aunts, cousins, wow, it's even more chaotic than the Northeast hodgepodge."

What kind of words are you talking about? Ye Fan wanted to kick him again.

Geng Zhiye handed her an egg: "We don't have tea eggs, so we'll make do with this."

Ye Fan stuffed the egg white into his mouth, and the egg yolk into his mouth. Geng Zhiye almost choked, and quickly grabbed the enamel pot to drink two mouthfuls of Hu La Tang.

Ye Fan took a bite of food and couldn't help but sigh.

Geng Zhiye: "Look how worried you are."

"My parents are worried too. Even though my dad says he'll just let things take their own course, he actually cares about it."

Geng Zhiye nodded. "He lives in a cadre compound, and most of the people there are retired cadres. When they talk about their daughters and grandchildren, they ask your dad if his daughter is still married. Your dad must feel bad when he thinks that Chen Xiaohui will be all alone after he and your mom die."

Ye Fan looked at him in surprise.

Geng Zhiye snorted, "I'm not a fool like Chen Xiaohui. How can you not understand such a simple truth?"

Ye Fan couldn't help but smack his lips: "I finally figured it out. Dabao inherited that mouth from you."

"It's normal for a son to look like his father." Geng Zhiye stuffed the remaining half of the bun into his mouth and pointed at the egg with his eyes. Ye Fan shook his head, and Geng Zhiye peeled it and ate it himself. Finally, he finished the half of the bun that Ye Fan broke off, and ate it up completely.

Ye Fan felt that he had not eaten much: "Are you full?"

Geng Zhiye wiped his hands and poured a glass of water: "Just drink some water and it will be enough."

"Your appetite really opens my eyes." Ye Fan said, "No wonder we haven't had any leftovers in these years."

Geng Zhiye handed her the cup and went to the bathroom to wash the lunch box and enamel pot.

Ye Fan drank two sips of water and heard someone talking outside. He changed into flat shoes and went to the corridor, where he saw several people holding the national flag and using a ladder to figure out how to hang it next to a street lamp.

Geng Zhiye wiped his hands and came out, and several people were still studying.

Ye Fan wanted to laugh: "Why don't your soldiers look like you? They are all like slow doctors."

Geng Zhiye: "I'm worried that if I hang it up today, it will be blown away by the wind tomorrow morning."

The people below looked up and saw two people on the fourth-floor balcony. They shuddered with fear and urged their comrades to hurry up.

Seeing this, Ye Fan was worried that they would fall off the ladder out of nervousness, so he pulled Geng Zhiye back to the house and asked, "You've never been killed before?"

Geng Zhiye shook his head: "I didn't want to make so many national flags to hang all over the army before. We had extra money last year, but I transferred some people to the battlefield in the south, and they will not be back until the end of the year. During the National Day, no one on my side was in the mood to organize it."

"Isn't it not intense?" Ye Fan had seen related reports on TV.

Geng Zhiye: "There is no war without bloodshed. Even if the enemy can't touch them, they may be injured by shrapnel."

"Does that mean this is the first time they put up the lights and decorations?"

Geng Zhiye nodded: "Once raw and twice cooked, once this side is done the others will be ready soon."

It was windy outside, and Ye Fan didn't want to go out. After Geng Zhiye left, Ye Fan washed his clothes and shoes. After more than an hour of work, he took them to the balcony to dry. Everywhere Ye Fan looked, the five-star red flag fluttered in the wind.

Ye Fan couldn't help but smile, leaning on the balcony to watch for a while, planning to go back to the house for a nap. However, as soon as Ye Fan turned around, he heard a voice of "sister-in-law". Ye Fan looked back and saw a car parked downstairs. He thought it was the brave young officer, but after a closer look, it was Geng Zhiye's guard.

Ye Fan asked him loudly what was the matter.

The guard came out of the car and asked her if she wanted to go out for a walk.

Ye Fan felt that Geng Zhiye had told him to do it, so he waved his hand and told him to go and rest. The guard drove to the office area, and Ye Fan looked at his watch. It was almost eleven o'clock. He hadn't found the lunch box when he cleaned the room before, so he probably took it away and saved it for lunch. Ye Fan went back to his room to lie down for a while, waiting for lunch.

The next day, Ye Fan didn't hear the wake-up call, but was awakened by the national anthem. Ye Fan got up, it was still light outside, and she went out wearing Geng Zhiye's coat. The whole dormitory area felt empty to her, and the national anthem floated from afar.

Ye Fan opened his mouth instinctively, but stopped before he could sing. Ye Fan realized belatedly that the flag-raising ceremony was over. Ye Fan rubbed his eyes, wondering what time it was now.

It was a rare opportunity that he didn’t have to worry about company matters and take care of his children, so Ye Fan went back to sleep.

Geng Zhiye came back and opened the curtains, and Ye Fan woke up. Geng Zhiye pulled her up: "It's past seven o'clock and you're still sleeping. Hurry up and wash your face and eat."

Ye Fan sat up in a daze: "Did you eat?"

"No. If you don't get up soon, the food will get cold."

In his previous life, Ye Fan often suffered from stomachaches due to his busy work, so he quickly got up after hearing this.

Geng Zhiye saw that she was bare-faced, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Are you going to put on makeup today?"

"What?" Ye Fan got angry when she heard this. That time, she returned to the dormitory to brush her teeth and looked in the mirror to find that her lipstick had been wiped off by the petty man.

Geng Zhiye: "Today is not suitable for heavy makeup."

"You still know how to wear heavy makeup?" Ye Fan sneered, "It's National Day, the whole country is celebrating, what kind of makeup is not suitable for red?"

Geng Zhiye opened his mouth: "But, but——"

"Help me pick out a dress. If you're satisfied, I'll listen to you."

Geng Zhiye ate immediately. After a few minutes, he took out all the clothes in Ye Fan's bag. Seeing a single package, Geng Zhiye's eyes lit up, and he carefully opened the package. It was a cheongsam with a small jacket. The jacket was cream-colored, and the cheongsam was also simple and elegant, so it had to be lightly made up. Geng Zhiye took it immediately: "This is it."

Ye Fan nodded.

Geng Zhiye had a bad feeling, but he really didn't know what was wrong.

Ye Fan went back to the bathroom to wash her face, brush her teeth, apply a facial mask and put on makeup.

Geng Zhiye sat on a chair in the living room and waited.

Ye Fan asked: "Are you not busy?"

"I have the least time today." Geng Zhiye pushed all the tasks to the political commissar and chief of staff early in the morning.

Ye Fan put her hair up, and put on a cheongsam, which was a bit cold, so she put on a small jacket and white high heels and walked to Geng Zhiye. He felt his eyes light up again, and a sentence flashed in his mind: "Water lilies emerge from clear water."

Geng Zhiye stood up suddenly.

Ye Fan went out with a small white bag. Geng Zhiye followed her out with big strides: "Fan Fan, Ye Fan Fan, this dress doesn't match the National Day, you should change into the red dress you wore before."

(End of this chapter)