Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

After the consolation performance, Geng Zhiye cleaned up the mess and Ye Fan asked the guards to send her back.

Geng Zhiye carried his lunch box to the dormitory, which was pitch black. He turned on the light in the dark, put the lunch box on the table, and went to the next door to ask, "Have you seen your sister-in-law?"

The regiment instructor looked surprised: "Sister-in-law - didn't your sister-in-law leave?" Then he realized, "You didn't know?"

It's over! Geng Zhiye was disappointed.

Seeing this, the instructor asked, "I heard that someone saw someone from the art troupe going to your office to look for you. Did your sister-in-law see them?"

Geng Zhiye gave him a look and let him taste it himself.

The instructor didn't know how to comfort him: "Commander, it seems like there's still time for us to go back now."

Geng Zhiye felt wronged: "I didn't do anything."

"If you do it, I won't let you go back home, I will divorce you." The instructor said earnestly, "Teacher, I've been through this before, believe me, you have to go home."

Geng Zhiye was skeptical: "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure! I'll talk to the political commissar." The instructor asked, "Where's the driver? Should I ask someone to take you there?"

Geng Zhiye thought about the food he had just ordered, which was all Ye Fan’s favorite dishes.

The instructor asked, "You don't want to go, do you?"

"No, the food I prepared is still in the house."

The instructor was speechless: "...It's already this time."

He was tired today and didn't want to eat so he came back early. Hearing what she said, she went into the house and took it out: "Give it to me." She closed the door for him and said, "Hurry up."

Geng Zhiye was exhausted: "I thought your sister-in-law had explained the matter to them and it was over."

The instructor grabbed them and said, "We? More than one? Commander, you're on your own." Then he went back to the house and didn't get involved in the matter anymore.

When Geng Zhiye went downstairs, he happened to meet the guard, who said quickly: "Commander, I'm hungry. If you have anything to say, wait until I finish my meal." He usually wouldn't dare to be so bold, but today he had his sister-in-law to protect him.

Geng Zhiye was so angry that he wanted to kick the car. Just at this moment, the chief of staff and another comrade came over. The chief of staff asked, "Why are you here?"

Geng Zhiye: "Are you two okay?"

The chief of staff shook his head: "Do you have anything else to do? No, commander, what time is it?"

Geng Zhiye said, "It's okay, just take me back. You two will have a companion on the journey."

The chief of staff wanted to ask where she went back to, but suddenly realized something was wrong. Where is the wife of the wife slave? The chief of staff thought of a possibility and laughed, and asked while laughing: "Did the sister-in-law go back? Did she go back by herself?" He touched the car and felt a little hot. "The car that sent her back just came back? No, commander, that girl went to look for you and was caught by the sister-in-law. Isn't this a rumor?"

"Are you done?" Geng Zhiye asked coldly, "If you're done, get in the car!"

The chief of staff casually opened the cab and got in, then turned around and asked, "Today, my sister-in-law was dressed like a lady from a wealthy family. We thought we were wrong before, and that she was a virtuous woman by nature. It turns out that the red skirt and black boots that day were her true colors."

Geng Zhi yelled: "Are you going or not?!"

"Go, go, go." The chief of staff drove out and said, "Division Commander, as someone who has been through this, I want to remind you that this matter cannot be left overnight. If it is left overnight, you will be finished--" Damn it! He actually kicked his car seat. He deserved that his wife didn't want him.

It was true that Ye Fan was angry, but he left without saying goodbye because he wanted to teach Geng Zhiye a lesson, so that he would not be soft-hearted in the future.

Dabao and Erbao were both at home. When the brother and sister saw her coming back, one said, "The teacher's wife is back?" The other asked, "Mom, did you know that you not only have a husband, but also a daughter?"

Ye Fan gave them both a slap on the face: "How was your day?"

Today, the brother and sister played outside with their older brother and sister all day and did not come back at noon. Yu Wentao went to Geng Zhiqin's house and they went to eat.

The place we went to was too big to describe in detail, so Dabao just said, "We went out to play. But grandma wasn't home."

Yu Wentao: "I'm at Xiaoqin's house. What do you want to eat? I just washed the vegetables."

Geng Huihui came out of the kitchen: "Aunt, grandma wants to cook noodles, I want to eat rice."

You are good at eating rice late at night. Ye Fan Ge complained in his heart, "I steamed rice in the rice cooker, fried two dishes, and boiled noodles in the hot water of the wok."

Geng Huihui looked at her grandmother and said, "Did you hear that? Auntie wants to do this."

What do you mean she wants it? Ye Fanqi smiled: "I don't care how you cook it, just let me eat it. Otherwise, I will cook whatever I want in the future, and you will eat whatever I cook."

Ye Fan fried the lotus root until it was crispy, and Yu Wentao's teeth couldn't eat it. Ye Fan liked to cook ginger juice, brown sugar and egg soup, and Erbao and Dabao loved it, but Geng Huihui couldn't stand it. In order to negotiate with her later, the old and the young kept silent at the same time.

The rice had just been served when the door was pushed open. Geng Zhiye strode in and saw Ye Fan sitting in the main room. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Why didn't you wait for me?"

Ye Fan raised his eyebrows and looked at him with a smile: Are you sure you need me to explain?

Geng Zhiye spoke first because he was afraid that his children would ask, "Why didn't mom and dad come back together?" Seeing this, he didn't dare to let Ye Fan tell the truth: "What do you want to eat?"

Yu Wentao asked: "There is rice and noodles. Why didn't you two come back together?"

Geng Zhiye paused and said, "I'm busy." Then he went to the yard to get some water to wash his hands.

Dabao: "You're busy yet you still come back? How old is Dad? He still can't leave Mom."

Geng Zhiye asked, "How old are you and still want your mother to accompany you to register?"

Thinking back on it now, Dabao feels that he was very childish and just pretended not to hear what was said.

Erbao was worried that the fire would burn her, so she lowered her head and ate obediently.

Geng Huihui and Geng Sensen didn't dare to say anything more.

Ye Fan asked: "Where's Lei Lei? Is he still in class on Eleven?"

Geng Sensen shook his head: "He's not at school. His tutor isn't here either. You said he's a communications engineer—" Seeing his uncle come in, he remembered something, "Uncle, does the army have communications soldiers?"

"What do you think?" Geng Zhiye asked.

Geng Sensen: "But my brother won't graduate until next year. Even if it's his last year of internship, he doesn't have to go right after school starts, right?"

Ye Fan: "It's possible that some units lack talent in this area. Although some schools and some majors have not been interrupted in those ten years, they are not very good in this area."

Geng Zhiye said: "Perhaps the army needs his mentor to answer their questions, and your brother will go with him as an assistant."

"Will I be able to see him often in the future?" Geng Sen Sen asked.

Geng Zhiye: "It's fine in the capital. Your brother is not a top talent in this field, so no one will take action against him."

Geng Huihui couldn't help but ask: "My dad, right?"

"Your dad may be involved in a project that needs to be kept confidential." Geng Zhiye said, "If the project Leilei is involved in needs to be kept confidential, he won't tell you what he is busy with. Anyway, don't ask about their work in the future."

Ye Fan: "Can we eat first?"

Geng Zhiye shut up immediately.

Dabao looked at his mother and then at his father, and felt that something was wrong.

But he has a good appetite, so maybe he's overthinking it.

After dinner, the couple watched TV, washed up and went to bed as usual. Dabao was sure that he was overthinking.

Little did he know that as soon as the door was closed, Ye Fan threw Geng Zhiye's pillow at him.

Geng Zhiye shamelessly went to bed and hugged her: "Fanfan, my wife, Ye Fanfan, I was wrong."

"How could you be wrong if you didn't do anything?" Ye Fan couldn't help but say something sarcastic.

Geng Zhiye: "They came for me, so I was wrong based on that."

Ye Fan said "hmm" to show that he understood.

"I should put a severe stop to their heckling."

Ye Fan: "Aren't you afraid that they will say you can't take a joke?"

Geng Zhiye couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. As long as he was willing to join in the conversation, he would be fine. "Don't worry! We are comrades-in-arms and in the same unit. Even if he is unhappy, he won't dare to make things difficult for me."

"No more?" Geng Zhiye said quickly, "Of course there is! It's my fault, actually. I thought she was confused for a moment."

"Only her?"

Geng Zhiye: "There was indeed only one person before, the one wearing a yellow sweater. The other one should be waiting for her in the distance. Otherwise, that guy would not know that there is someone in her United Front Work Department."

"The young officer, who is in his early twenties, knows how to check. What about you?" Ye Fan pushed him away.

Geng Zhiye didn't dare to complain at this time: "This matter has nothing to do with him. No matter how we investigate, no one will make wild assumptions. I just asked anyone and they laughed at me. How can I investigate?"

"Why do you dare to tease you?"

Geng Zhiye: "I was too polite to them. I promise to have the guards stand in front of me in the future. If anyone says again, 'If you don't want me, I'll throw her away,' I'll say, 'Then throw her away. If anyone dares to get close to me, I'll have someone throw her out of the barracks."

"Her uncle is in logistics." Ye Fan said, "You have to think it through."

Geng Zhiye said: "At worst, I can appeal to the chief."

"What if the uncle accuses you of deceiving the little girl?"

Geng Zhiye had never thought about this situation and was stumped for a moment.

Ye Fan said: "There are only two possible outcomes. One is that we get divorced and she takes over, and the other is that we both get out of here together."

"Are you feeling upset?" Geng Zhiye could tell.

Ye Fan had never relied on her father's high position to plan anything for herself, nor did she expect that if she didn't provoke others, others would treat her as a soft persimmon: "I can't let those two families go. If they find out that I did it, and find the head of the army, and the head asks you about it, what are you going to do?"

Geng Zhiye didn't want to be stuck with bad people again in the future, and hoped to avoid future troubles: "I'll listen to you."

"you said?"

Geng Zhiye nodded.

Ye Fan: "So you have no complaints about changing careers?"

Geng Zhiye shook his head without hesitation: "Can you stop being angry?"

Ye was annoyed and bit his shoulder.

In autumn, pajamas are thin, Geng Zhiye couldn't help but take a breath, and Ye Fan twisted his waist. Geng Zhiye felt sorry for himself, why was he always the one who got hurt?

Geng Zhiye hugged her tightly: "Don't be angry, don't be angry, go to bed early, and think of a solution tomorrow."

Ye Fan let go.

Geng Zhiye breathed a sigh of relief.

The next morning, Ye Fan called Chang Guangrong and asked him to bring his childhood friend over.

Geng Zhiye waited until she hung up the phone and then asked, "What do you need me to do?"

"What can you do as an active-duty soldier? Go back to the army!"

Geng Zhiye nodded: "I'll leave. I'll go buy food first."

After dinner, the guard drove over and Geng Zhiye returned to the army. Chang Guangrong brought two childhood friends, the kind who could go to jail for each other. Ye Fan handed the list of positions given by the junior officer to the three people: "Are they your relatives?"

Chang Guangrong shook his head: "There is no one in my family's logistics, but there is someone in the military hospital."

The two childhood friends looked around and said that there were people in the Air Force and government agencies. There were people in the Army but they were at a lower position. The seniors with higher positions had been transferred two years ago. If they hadn't started a family in the capital, they would have gone there together.

Ye Fan: "Help me investigate these two people, focusing on whether they are taking empty salaries and reselling state assets."

Chang Guangrong asked hurriedly: "What happened to you?"

"These two youngsters were eager to be Geng Zhiye's mistresses. I caught them yesterday."

Chang Guangrong understood every word, but couldn't help but raise his hand: "Wait a minute, let me sort it out. Geng Zhiye? Dabao's father? My brother Geng? No way, my brother Geng——"

"He doesn't dare, and he hasn't thought about it. He can't resist the fact that she's so close to him that he can't be pulled away." Ye Fan got angry when he talked about this. "She cared about Geng Zhiye before, but Geng Zhiye ignored her. He probably thought that it's easy for a girl to pursue a boy, and if she went to him a few more times, Geng Zhiye would be moved. His comrades also thought he was attractive, and not only did they not stop him, they also stirred up trouble. I can't do anything to his comrades. If I don't teach those two a lesson, no matter how ugly they are, they will dare to get close to him in the future."

Chang Guangrong asked: "Is it because you two have been targeting Brother Geng that I've been going to the army every now and then recently?"

Ye Fan nodded.

Chang Guangrong once wrote in a novel: "I am not afraid of thieves stealing, but I am afraid of thieves thinking about it."

Another childhood friend nodded: "Now they are being courteous to each other openly. If you don't teach them a lesson, they will dare to use crooked tactics in the future. How can we prevent this?"

Chang Guangrong: "It's impossible to guard against it!"

Ye Fan: "You three stop arguing. Guangrong, are you going to school?"

Chang Guangrong pointed at his childhood friend and said, "If he goes, I won't be able to learn."

Ye Fan looked at his childhood friend and asked: "Are you going to open a clothing factory with him?"

His childhood friend had several stores. When Ye Fan asked them to buy stores, he immediately took out the money. But he was only in his thirties and had a long life ahead of him. He didn't want to rely on several stores to eat and wait for death. He wanted to do something else. Apart from trading goods, he didn't know how to do anything else. He was afraid that his family would be implicated if he did something wrong. When Chang Guangrong talked to them about opening a clothing factory again, they wanted to participate.

My childhood friend said, "He mentioned starting a garment factory before, but we were not optimistic. A few days ago, I saw him going to college for classes, and he seemed very serious. He also told us what you two discussed, and we thought we could give it a try. We each own 5%, so it shouldn't affect your cooperation, right?"

Ye Fan: "Another 5% won't make a difference."

Another childhood friend said, "My uncle works in the Education Bureau. I didn't tell him because he has nothing to do with us." Looking at Chang Guangrong, "He doesn't know either. I thought he was a teacher in a certain school. I talked about this with my uncle a few days ago, and said that if the college sports meeting needs sportswear, we can sponsor a few projects. My uncle said that if the quality can be guaranteed, then use ours."

Ye Fan: "Please ask the reporters to come over and take photos and interview. You can ask Huihui for this."

Chang Guangrong: "Isn't Huihui in the National People's Congress?"

Ye Fan: "I worked as an intern editor for three months, and although I didn't publish many decent articles, I got to know a lot of people."

Chang Guangrong was surprised: "We even have people in the press?"

His childhood friend: "We have sales, stores, journalists we know, and we are not short of funds. What we lack is clothes?"

Ye Fan nodded: "But you can't rush this business. Making clothes is different from wholesale. People who make their own clothes are either tailors themselves, or have someone to guide them, or have attended a fashion school. We are nothing."

A childhood friend nodded: "I used to think he was just doing whatever he wanted, because he knew that wholesale is different from producing by himself."

"The timing was not right before. It's not right now either." Ye Fan said, "The factory is not a big deal, the store can do it, the key is the designer." He paused, "I can take care of the fabrics."

Chang Guangrong asked: "Su Yuanhang from Hangzhou?"

Ye Fan: "Yes, he can get whatever kind of fabric you need."

Chang Guangrong and his childhood friend didn't expect that everything was ready. They looked at each other, and the one who didn't plan to go to school put the paper away and said, "Sister, I'll give you an answer in a few days."

Ye Fan was surprised: "So fast?"

"Nothing has happened in the past few years. Even if they are investigated, they just push their subordinates out. They are used to it and have never thought of concealing it. Sometimes when we go to a restaurant and run into people who eat at public expense, they invite us to have a few drinks together. Some even boast that public money is wasted." If their parents were not around, they would most likely get involved if others wanted to bully their elders but it would be too late to put out the fire.

Ye Fan: "Time, place, goods, or how much money was spent, just a rough figure will do."

Chang Guangrong: "How are you going to send it up?"

Ye Fan didn't answer directly: "If I can't handle it, there's still my dad."

When they thought of the Ye family behind her, they were no longer afraid that she would be bullied alone.

Chang Guangrong's childhood friend did not lie to Ye Fan. He called Ye Fan two days later and she was right - the top beam is not straight and the bottom beam is crooked. In late October, Chang Guangrong and his childhood friend sent a detailed record.

Ye Fan opened it and flipped through a few pages, and was immediately dumbfounded.

Chang Guangrong: "Don't you dare to believe it?"

Not counting the foreign wine, the meal cost several thousand yuan. Ye Fan couldn't help but sigh: "What a waste of money."

"There's more to come." Chang Guangrong said, "We've only heard about what they drink and eat. They also have female companions, all of whom are talented, beautiful and have good temperament. I don't know who they are targeting in the crackdown."

(End of this chapter)