Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

Ye Fan arrived at the military camp in the morning. It was snowing in the afternoon. Geng Zhiye was worried that she was cold, so he ran back to the dormitory during working hours and asked Ye Fan to stay in bed.

Ye Fan checked the weather forecast before coming here. It was going to be cold and snowy in the next few days, so he brought a down vest and a pair of snow boots. He also wore gloves and a scarf when he came here. He was afraid that he would be cold.

When he found it was snowing, Ye Fan used all his equipment. Geng Zhiye saw Ye Fan with only his eyes exposed, and he immediately didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "It's a pity that I was worried that you would catch a cold."

"You're not a child, you don't know the difference between hot and cold." Ye Fan was originally sitting by the door leaning against the door frame to enjoy the snow, but when he noticed that his hands were red, he went back to the house to get leather gloves: "Put them on."

Geng Zhiye was very obedient. Seeing that she had something in her hand, he asked, "What are you holding?"

Of course, it was the delicious food that he hadn't had time to give to Geng Zhiye. Ye Fan suddenly had some free time, and the whole person calmed down. He felt a little flustered in boredom and loneliness, so he took out some snacks to kill time.

Ye Fan handed it over. Geng Zhiye looked at it carefully, but didn't recognize it. He looked at the words on the box again: "Plums? Isn't this stuff very sour?" He couldn't help but look at Ye Fan's abdomen.

Ye Fan raised his hand and hit him: "What are you thinking? How old am I?"

Geng Zhiye also felt that he was overthinking it. As Ye Fan got older in recent years, he was worried about getting infected and had been very careful: "Then why did you think of eating this?"

"Your two babies have eaten too many delicious foods, and they think this tastes just average." Ye Fan pinched one and stuffed it into his mouth, "Is it average?"

Geng Zhiye shook his head slightly: "It's just the right amount of sweet and sour."

Ye Fan handed it to him. Geng Zhiye smiled and refused: "You eat it. I have to go back."

"Wait a minute!" Ye Fan went back to the house and rummaged through the box, taking out a box of chocolates and a box of cookies.

Geng Zhiye didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Why give me so much? I'm not Dabao or Erbao."

"Madam, it's a rare occasion for you to come here, so you can't come empty-handed." Ye Fan asked, "Didn't your comrades ask you if I brought you anything delicious?" Suddenly remembering that there were still two bags, Ye Fan went back to the house, took one bag and stuffed it into his arms.

Geng Zhiye subconsciously asked, "What is this?" He looked down and was surprised, "Beef jerky?!"

Ye Fan nodded: "I bought ten packs of this beef jerky. Dabao and Erbao wanted half each when they saw it. I had a hard time getting two packs."

Geng Zhiye couldn't help but curse, "You two are heartless kids," and asked, "Do Huihui and Sensen know?"

Ye Fan nodded, "I know. Dabao said there wasn't enough for him and Sen Sen. Erbao said there wasn't enough for her and Huihui. I said I bought the beef jerky for you, and Dabao said you loved him, you definitely wouldn't bear to see him go hungry. He said it as if this was all we had at home. Aunt Yu scolded them for being ignorant, and they gave me all the plums, and stuffed me with a few boxes of chocolates and cookies." He suddenly remembered something, "Xiao Qin was there too. Dabao asked if the little one could eat it, and Aunt Yu said no. Dabao didn't ask her what she wanted to eat."

Geng Zhiye: "Don't think too much. Lai Fu has a high salary, and she also has a good salary. If she wants to eat, let her buy it herself."

Ye Fan nodded: "After she left with the little one, Aunt Yu said the same thing. She also said that now that you have money, no matter how much you give her, she will think you are stingy."

Geng Zhiye: "That won't happen. But why did Aunt Yu suddenly say that?"

Ye Fan: "Aunt Yu bought her a house and married her off, spending nearly 20,000 yuan. Now she helps take care of her children, but she still doesn't like to come back. Aunt Yu is heartbroken, but she doesn't want to argue with her, so she can't say this in front of her. So she can't help but complain a few words as soon as she leaves. Besides, Aunt Yu is always a chatterbox, so we just pretend we didn't hear what she said."

Geng Zhiye asked: "Didn't I give you the cold shoulder?"

"No! She doesn't dare. Dabao doesn't spoil her." Ye Fan pushed him and said, "Go back quickly."

As Geng Zhiye walked away, he turned back and reminded her: "Don't sit at the door for too long, it's windy!"

Ye Fan waved his hand to show that he understood, then went to brush his teeth and went back to his room to sleep.

She was so busy the past few days that although she had time to sleep, she couldn't sleep well because she was so preoccupied with things. When she came here and no one disturbed her, Ye Fan calmed down. Because she didn't take a nap, she fell asleep when Geng Zhiye arrived at the office.

When Geng Zhiye left, there was only the chief of staff in the office. When he came back, there were five more. Geng Zhiye frowned: "Are you having a tea party?"

The college student officer turned around and instinctively wanted to salute. When he saw what was in his arms, his eyes lit up. He took two steps forward to salute and reached out to take the two bags. "Commander, I have something else to do. I'll leave first."

Geng Zhiye was stunned. As the door closed, he finally reacted and couldn't help but yell, "Come back!"

The answer he got was the sound of footsteps getting farther and farther away.

A regiment commander was curious: "Commander, what did that kid take away?"

Geng Zhiye: "Chocolate and beef jerky."

The captain's eyes lit up. Beef jerky is a good thing. And the chocolate that boy liked must be imported. "It's not made in our country, right?"

"I didn't look closely, so it shouldn't be. It's all in foreign language."

As soon as Geng Zhiye finished speaking, several people suddenly stood up, saluted and left. In an instant, only Geng Zhiye, the political commissar and the logistics director who had something to ask the political commissar were left in the room.

Geng Zhiye was speechless and wanted to curse: "A bunch of bandits!"

The political commissar said: "We can't blame them."

"Blame my wife?"

The political commissar thought seriously for a moment: "Don't tell me. I guessed that my sister-in-law would have something good when she came. There's no way they didn't know. When they came to see you just now, I asked them what was going on, and they all said it was nothing. Before you came in, I was wondering why you were doing something else. It turns out they were waiting for your delicious food." Seeing that Geng Zhiye still had a few packets in his hand, "What else? Let us have a taste too."

Geng Zhiye threw it on the table helplessly.

The logistics director opened the paper bag and was a little disappointed: "Plums?" He opened the paper box again and couldn't help but say: "This is good stuff."

Geng Zhiye reached out to take a piece. The minister was startled, then he came to his senses and wanted to laugh: "Division Commander, do you think I'm one of those bandits?" He handed it to the political commissar, who took a piece. He then took a piece to taste. The strong milky flavor surprised him: "It tastes good."

The political commissar said, "I thought it was similar to cookies. It actually tastes like milk chocolate. Commander, my sister-in-law really knows how to eat!"

Geng Zhiye said, "She doesn't eat much. I bought it for the child. Those two bastards in my family ate too much good food. If they don't want to eat it, ask Ye Fan to bring it to me."

The minister pinched a plum and said, "I said this is not suitable for a teacher. But the little girl likes to eat this."

Geng Zhiye said: "It's good for refreshing and appetizing."

The minister suddenly remembered that the teacher was older than him: "Teacher, your eldest child is not young anymore, right? Is the older one a son or a daughter?"

"Really?" With Cheng Zhenhua in front of him, Geng Zhiye's heart skipped a beat when he heard this: "You want to introduce them to someone too? No! My eldest is only 19 this year, and the youngest is 26."

The minister was surprised: "So small?"

Political Commissar: "If you look closely at my sister-in-law, you will know that the child cannot be very big."

Geng Zhiye nodded: "Ye Fan is only thirty-nine this year. If it weren't for coincidence, he would get married at the beginning of the year and have an older child at the end of the year, and the older child is even younger."

The minister pretended that he had not mentioned it, and took the initiative, sharing cookies with the two of them with the cookie box.

The troops didn't have much supplies these days, so I didn't feel greasy after eating, and I couldn't help but savor the food. The political commissar asked Geng Zhiye if there was anything else delicious in the dormitory.

Geng Zhiye: "As soon as she arrived at noon, we went to the cafeteria to eat. I didn't have time to see what was available."

In the evening, the political commissar wanted to go to Geng Zhiye's dormitory, but he didn't feel comfortable going because Ye Fan was there. The next morning, Geng Zhiye came back from getting food and happened to meet the political commissar who was about to go to the cafeteria. The political commissar saw that the door was open and Ye Fan was dressed neatly, so he went in to say hello.

Ye Fan habitually wanted to pour tea, picked up the teacup and saw Geng Zhiye put the food on the table: "Political Commissar, have you eaten?"

Geng Zhiye: “I’ve eaten!” Without waiting for the political commissar to speak, he picked up a box of cookies and threw it over, then shooed him away with his eyes.

The political commissar smiled and waved at Ye Fan: "Sister-in-law, see you later."

Geng Zhiye raised his foot and closed the door.

Ye Fan realized something at this moment: "So he came with you to get food?"

Geng Zhiye: "By the way, I want to say hello to you."

"A political commissar is interested in a pack of biscuits?" Ye Fan was very surprised.

Geng Zhiye said: "His family is not well off, and his salary is used to support the whole family, so he dare not spend money recklessly. Besides, there is no village or store here, so even if you have money, you have nowhere to buy it. The logistics staff can go out from time to time to try new things. We can't stay outside for too long."

Ye Fan thought about it carefully, Geng Zhiye usually stayed at home when he got home, and would only stroll around the streets with her during his vacation.

"It's really a training ground here." Ye Fan sighed.

Geng Zhiye understood: "To temper one's will?"

Ye Fan nodded: "Most people can't stand the loneliness of the army. If I stay here for a year, I will go crazy!"

Geng Zhiye took the opportunity to say: "Now you know how hard I've worked."

Ye Fan stuffed the egg yolk into his mouth: "Eat."

Geng Zhiye smiled and took a mouthful of porridge and swallowed the egg yolk.

Ye Fan has not forgotten what he promised his son.

After returning to the capital and receiving the salary, it was almost the end of the Gregorian calendar year. After the Gregorian calendar year, it was also close to Dabao's birthday. Ye Fan stayed at home and the company for a few more days, selected a few employees, and asked Zhang Xiaoming and others to go south. Ye Fan stayed in Hangzhou for a few days to select the goods, and Zhang Xiaoming took them back. Ye Fan and his employees went to Pengcheng, and then crossed the border to the port city.

It was almost the New Year, and the port city was full of festivities. The few employees that Ye Fan had brought with him were obviously reluctant to leave. Ye Fan was ready to fly.

In addition to buying a computer for her son and some other things needed by the company, Ye Fan also paid the money for the computer to her partner. The partner invited Ye Fan to dinner to see her off.

Ye Fan didn't know how much her partner had earned before, but seeing how generous he was, it was at least twice as much as before. So Ye Fan readily agreed. However, it was during this meal that something went wrong.

Ye Fan was dressed brightly, and because she didn't say anything, the waiter thought she was a Hong Kong girl. Several employees were well-dressed, maybe with conservative hairstyles, or maybe with simple temperaments, so the waiter called them "mainland boys" as soon as they opened their mouths.

The waiter took the menu and left. Then several employees realized what was happening and asked Ye Fan, "Are we being looked down upon?"

Ye Fan’s partner advised them not to care, saying that the lower class people in Hong Kong looked down on everyone, and he also said that he was also a “grassroots” in their eyes because he was not from the upper class.

Seeing that Ye Fan was not surprised, the staff asked her if she had experienced this before. Ye Fan nodded: "The first time I came here, my clothes and shoes were not as fashionable as those of the people here. I could tell I was from another place. And because I was of the yellow race like them, they thought I was a mainland girl."

The employee asked: "Is it possible that they are from other Southeast Asian countries?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "They think that only the people in the surrounding areas and countries are the most unsophisticated."

"If we go abroad, won't the discrimination be more serious?"

Ye Fan: "No. The outside world is a world of capital. If you have money, you will encounter less discrimination. If you don't have money, it's better to stay in the mainland."

Ye Fan's partner nodded: "Foreign countries are a paradise for the rich, where they can do whatever they want. It's a hell for the poor. It's worse than the Hong Kong government."

As soon as he finished speaking, the rude waiter came out with the dishes.

After the meal, Ye Fan took out a Hong Kong dollar and threw it in the waitress's face, glancing at her coldly, with an expression of arrogance and contempt, as if to say, "What the hell are you?" Then she stood up leisurely with several employees and partners.

The male waiter stopped Ye Fan and asked her to pick up the money. Ye Fan raised her hand to push him away. The male waiter wanted to attack, but Ye Fan slapped him back.

The entire restaurant suddenly became quiet, and all the guests looked towards Ye Fan.

Ye Fan stared at the male waiter with an arrogant attitude of "I will hit you if you dare to come forward", scaring the other party so much that he forgot to fight back for a moment.

The restaurant manager hurriedly stepped forward to ask Ye Fan why he hit someone. Ye Fan looked at the waitress and said, "She called my people mainlanders and I gave her tips, but your employee thought I insulted her and wouldn't let me leave and even wanted to fight with me. Was it too much for me to slap her?"

The manager knew that his employees had these problems. He thought it was no big deal because nothing had happened before. He still thought it was no big deal now. But seeing Ye Fan was very arrogant, as if he had a big boss backing him up, "It's not too much, it's not too much, please."

The male employee started to yell in vernacular when he got anxious. Ye Fan didn't understand, but he definitely said she was insulting him. Ye Fan sneered, and the waiter suddenly fell silent. Ye Fan said to his partner, "Don't come to this restaurant again."

The partner had never been looked down upon by the waiter, and had never thought about this issue before bringing Ye Fan and his party here. Now, not only did he lose face, but he almost got into trouble. The partner nodded and said, "I will tell my friends that I will never come to this restaurant again."

Upon hearing this, the manager hurriedly chased after Ye Fan. Just when he was about to catch up with Ye Fan, Ye Fan slammed the car door.

The partner drove away, smiling and trying to persuade Ye Fan to calm down.

Ye Fan: "I have never been looked down upon in person by anyone in my entire life."

The partner knew that Ye Fan had an unusual family background, and that she had probably never been stopped by a waiter in her life, so he continued to persuade her to calm down: "Those people really despise and scold everyone. I don't know where their sense of superiority comes from. If people are divided into different classes, whether measured by academic qualifications or money, we are in the middle. If we really want to despise someone, we should despise them."

"Because they have no money, no education, and no skills, the only thing that makes them think they are better than others is their status as Hong Kong citizens, so they have to show off every chance they get." Ye Fan looked back at several employees, "Do you feel relieved?"

The three of them smiled and nodded. One of them said, "Especially when he saw the restaurant manager looking annoyed as our car left, I suspect he would fire those two waiters when he got back."

Ye Fan nodded, "Of course. Unless she's a relative of the manager or chef." He paused, "It's not easy for waiters to make money. If she talks about us in private, I won't bother with them if I accidentally hear it."

The partner smiled and said, "Sister Ye is right. If we don't bother with them today, they will bully others in the future. Hong Kong is very big and very small. Within a month, what happened in this restaurant will spread throughout the catering industry in Hong Kong. A smart boss will definitely treat all employees equally. We won't encounter such bad things when we go to restaurants in the future."

An employee sitting in the back row asked, "Are there any restaurant owners who think my sister is petty for picking on a small waiter?"

The partner nodded, "Yes. This kind of restaurant owner won't last long. Even if his food is the best in Hong Kong, I don't want to spend money to suffer. People like me are the majority, and a small number of diners can't support a restaurant, so he will have to close down in the future."

Ye Fan turned to his partner and said, "I always forgot to ask you. Your Mandarin doesn't have an accent at all. Where are you from?"

The partner smiled and asked, “Guess?”

Ye Fan: "If you say southerners, they have an accent. Ludi or the capital?"

The partner was startled for a moment, then asked, "It can't be somewhere else in the Central Plains?"

Ye Fan: "You are big and strong, and look like a northerner."

(End of this chapter)