Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

A few days after Ye Fan went north, Chang Guangrong went to Ye Fan's house, but naturally found nothing.

Yu Wentao was the only one at home. Chang Guangrong thought of her daily rehearsal when she was young, so he gave the script to Yu Wentao and asked for her opinion. Yu Wentao disliked it after reading a few pages: "It's just a child playing house."

Chang Guangrong thought to himself, Sister Ye didn’t lie to me, grandpa and auntie just love to gossip about family matters.

Just as I was about to leave, Dabao came in on his bike.

Chang Guangrong couldn't help but stop when he saw the car, and then circled Dabao three times to the left and three times to the right. Dabao was frightened by his gaze: "What are you looking at?"

"Dabao, is this the legendary mountain bike?" Chang Guangrong suddenly had an idea, "Lend it to me later."

Dabao: "No! My school is big and it's inconvenient without a car."

"Not now, during summer vacation." Chang Guangrong looked up, his eyes flashed when he saw Dabao's appearance, and he pinched the back of his head and stared at his face, looking up and down and left and right.

Dabao pushed his hand away: "If you are sick, take medicine!"

Chang Guangrong smiled.

Dabao suspected that he was seriously ill: "What do you want to do?"

"I'll talk to your mom some other day." Chang Guangrong wanted to find the director at this moment. "By the way, Dabao, have you taken any photos recently?"

Dabao was confused: "Are you really not sick?"

Yu Wentao walked closer: "Dabao, don't be rude."

"He's like a lunatic." Dabao couldn't help but stay away from him.

Chang Guangrong turned to Yu Wentao and said, "Aunt Yu, where is your family photo album? Let me see it."

What's so good about the photo album? Yu Wentao also suspected that he was seriously ill: "Who in our family have you not seen?" She complained like this, but still went back to her room to get the photo album.

Yu Wentao's photo album includes family photos and individual photos. Chang Guangrong only has one photo, which includes a group photo of Chu Guangming, Geng Leilei, Geng Huihui and others.

Yu Wentao was curious: "What are you doing with the photos?"

"Why is Guangming here too?" Chang Guangrong thought to himself, I almost forgot about him.

Yu Wentao: "One year, Benben came back just in time for Erbao's birthday. I don't know who suggested taking photos. Guangming was waiting at our house to celebrate Erbao's birthday, so we asked him to come along."

"Okay." Chang Guangrong nodded with satisfaction.

Seeing this, Yu Wentao couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing? If you don't tell me, I'll call the third brother later."

"Nothing!" Chang Guangrong put the photo inside the script.

Yu Wentao couldn't help but say, "I understand."

"Understand what?"

Yu Wentao glanced at the script.

Chang Guangrong was stunned, then he smiled: "Aunt Yu, you have worked in the art troupe, you must know about positioning, lighting and makeup. I will ask you to be my consultant tomorrow."

"How much does it cost per day?"

Chang Guangrong: "What's the relationship between Sister Fan and me? How can you take my money? Besides, the company belongs to Sister Fan and me, so just think of it as supporting Sister Fan. I'm leaving first!" Fearing that he would be stopped and "settled the bill clearly", he ran away quickly after saying this.

Dabao understood: "My mom said before that she wanted to film a TV series. She doesn't want me to be an extra, does she?"

Yu Wentao recalled Chang Guangrong looking at his grandson's face: "Maybe he is the leading actor."

"I don't have the time to argue with him." Dabao frowned slightly.

Yu Wentao: "Ten episodes, just one dog days is enough."

Dabao couldn't believe it: "Filming a TV series in the dog days of summer? Whose life does he want?!"

Yu Wentao thought seriously: "At my age, being a consultant is like wanting to kill me."

Dabao was speechless: "Grandma, I am serious."

Yu Wentao was also very serious: "Ignore him, he has no say in this matter."

Dabao thought about it and agreed: "My mother would definitely not want me to be an extra in the dog days of summer. Besides, Guangming is not available either."

Ye Fan’s second quarter shipment was in early July—it was just the summer vacation at university, and Chu Guangming wanted to go out and broaden his horizons.

Erbao half-seriously told Ye Fan that as a future diplomat, how could she not have been abroad at the age of 18? She then said that she hoped her birthday gift this year would be a trip to the Soviet Union.

When Ye Fan heard her mention the gift, he took out the birthday gift he had prepared in advance - a colored stone bracelet. Erbao complained that his mother's gift was not thoughtful.

Ye Fan went out to make money, and it was worth the hard work. Er Bao did nothing, and it was just too hard to endure such hot weather. Ye Fan told her that it was hot in the car and it was very hard along the way. Er Bao said, "Only those who endure the most hardships can become the best."

Having said that, Ye Fan had no choice but to take her with him.

Halfway through the journey, Erbao had lost a lot of weight. Ye Fan asked, "Is it fun?"

Erbao regretted following him, but he didn't want to admit his mistake, so he hugged Ye Fan and said, "Mom, you've worked so hard."

Ye Fan laughed: "It's not hard."

"Mom, my brother and I will do the laundry and cook for you from now on. Just take a good rest at home."

Seeing that she was serious, Ye Fan also answered seriously: "Mom didn't lie to you. It's really okay now. Because it was much harder before."

In his previous life, Ye Fan got up at five o'clock to attend morning self-study and went home at eight o'clock in the evening. This situation lasted for six years. During his third year of junior high school and third year of high school, he went home at half past nine. He took extra classes on weekends and could only rest for one or two days a month, but he also had to write test papers during these one or two days.

Now I just stay on the train for a few more days, which is much easier than it was back then.

Erbao didn't know the truth and asked, "When you were a child, your grandparents both had jobs, so they still let you do work?"

Ye Fan: "It's a bit harder now. In the past, we had money but couldn't buy food. Your mother had two meals a day and often woke up hungry in the middle of the night. At that time, the heartburn from hunger was more uncomfortable than being on the train."

Ye Fan was not talking nonsense. In her distant memory, there was little oil in the food for three years around the 1960s, and no sugar was seen all year round. Although the Ye family was well-off, she and her brother were starving.

Ye's father had extensive connections and was able to get sugar and oil, but he gave them to the pillars of the country who needed them more.

So Zhang Xiaoming asked Ye Fan if he was tired. If Ye Fan said he was okay, he probably wouldn't believe him, so he asked Zhang Xiaoming in return whether it was harder to go to the south to pick up goods or to do farm work.

That requires farm work.

There were no harvesters where Zhang Xiaoming went to the countryside, and the wheat harvest was abundant. Zhang Xiaoming got up at two or three in the morning to rush to harvest the wheat - the sun came out and dried up the dew, and the wheat ears fell off at the slightest touch, making them impossible to harvest.

It's not all done after the wheat is harvested. You have to dry it in the sun for a whole afternoon, then use a stone roller to thresh it in the afternoon, winnow it in the evening when the wind blows, and then collect it. This situation lasts for a week. It's not all done after the wheat is harvested. There are also sweet potatoes on the barren land, cotton planted by the river and roadside, and in autumn there may be cotton, sesame, corn, soybeans, sorghum, etc.

You cannot rest during the harvest period, because if you rest for one day and it rains, the wheat will turn into malt, and people will most likely starve to death.

Zhang Xiaoming was not sure what to say and said, "Now you don't have to work so hard."

Ye Fan asked, "Why don't you go out and stay at home?"

Zhang Xiaoming imagined that he and his father were staring at each other every day, or he and Dong Ying were staring at each other in bewilderment, and he also felt that life was boring.

For a moment, Zhang Xiaoming thought about going clubbing at night, sleeping during the day, shopping in the afternoon, and going out at night. But is that still a life for people? Zhang Xiaoming felt that he still had to find something to do. Since he was going to do something, he would naturally find something that made a lot of money. Otherwise, what would it be like to earn money from selling cabbages while worrying about selling drugs?

From then on, Zhang Xiaoming never talked to Ye Fan about whether it was hard work or not.

Ye Fan saw his daughter's eyes turn red, and pinched her little face and asked, "Erbao, is it hard to learn so many languages?"

"I like it." Erbao blurted out.

Ye Fan: "Is it possible that mom likes to make money?"

Erbao was stunned, obviously he had never thought about this.

Ye Fan: "You communicate with people in Russian and are praised for your good Russian. You feel satisfied and have a sense of accomplishment. Mom feels the same way when she sees the money."

Erbao opened his mouth, buried his little head in his mother's arms, and said in a muffled voice: "Mom, your hobby is so special."

"Your hobbies are also niche." Ye Fan touched his daughter's head, "You think I'm having a hard time, and you think dad is having a hard time, but you don't know that we are all willing to do it, and we even enjoy it. Grandma often helps your aunt take care of the children, and you think she has a hard time, but you don't know that she thinks it's worth it when she sees the little ones are doing well."

"But I don't want my mother to work so hard."

Ye Fan: "You make it sound like Mom is away all year round. This time when I go back, Mom can rest for a month."

Erbao looked up: "Aren't you going to make a computer, Mom?"

"I've already given the order, and we're making the mold now. Mom just needs to get the samples out to check the results, and then find an injection molding factory to produce them." Ye Fan said, "Besides, as for the construction site, Mom pays a lot, so there's no need for Mom to keep an eye on it all the time. The same goes for the company. Mom will take out a portion of the dividends, and the team leader will be responsible like the deputy director of a state-owned unit. Otherwise, even if Mom is an iron man, she won't be able to handle it."

Erbao was confused: "Mom likes to make money, but she gives the money to others. Don't you feel bad?"

Ye Fan: "The money is in my hands, and I work myself to the point of being sick. I am able to earn but not spend. Some people may think that I am stupid and rich, but in fact, my mother did not give them much, because my mother's colleagues are stingy, and I rely on them to make up for the loss. Besides, my mother has money, and an extra 100,000 or 200,000 is not too much. A loss of 100,000 or 200,000 will not affect the development of the company, and my mother does not need to tighten her belt. But when it comes to the employees, my mother is a good leader. Erbao, if you are reluctant to give 100,000 or 200,000 in dividends, the employees will leave, and the loss to the company may be 1 or 2 million."

Erbao asked, "Don't you understand?"

Ye Fan: "I understand. They think that our country has a large population, and if you don't do it, someone else will. They are calculating for a few hundred dollars, so if mom has that time, she might as well go to the army to find your dad. They don't mind the trouble of recruiting people every year, but mom does."

"Aren't you worried about whetting your employees' appetites?"

Ye Fan nodded: "But they dare not, because they are not irreplaceable."

“So, does anyone want to start their own business?”

Ye Fan: "Maybe in the future, but it doesn't matter. First, the market is huge. Second, if they don't exist, there will be others. Just like when we sold clothes before, so many people followed suit. Have they caught up with their mother?"

Erbao shook his head: "Mom, you are so awesome."

"My second child is amazing. He knows five foreign languages ​​before he even reaches adulthood, while my mom only knows one and a half in her entire life."

Erbao opened his eyes wide in shock: "One and a half?"

"One English and half Russian."

Erbao was happy.

Ye Fan was tired of standing by the door: "Erbao, come back to your seat and sit for a while?"

"Mom, how many days will it take?"

Ye Fan did not answer directly: "The train will stop in a while. You can go down and help Guangming and the others sell the goods. Sell them out early and wait until there is no more goods in the Soviet capital. Mom and Jianshe will deliver the goods. You can go out and play around. Just treat it as a trip?"

"Who would take a train for several days to travel?" Erbao still couldn't help feeling emotional.

Ye Fan: "It takes this long for your aunt to come back."

Erbao stopped, his face filled with shock.

Ye Fan said: "We don't need to change trains, but your aunt has to change trains, which is much more difficult than mom."

"Then that auntie's school will start on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, so she won't be able to make it back in time on the fifth day." Ye Fan: "You can ask other teachers to take her place and make up for it when she arrives."

"No wonder mom doesn't want to come back during such a long summer vacation."

Ye Fan said: "In the past, you and your brother took a train for several days to travel to the southwest."

Erbao remembered that it was not much better than it is now. At that time, I didn’t realize how hard it was, probably because my grandma, my brothers and sisters were all there, and there were people to talk and play with along the way.

"Mom, don't worry about me, I'm fine."

Ye Fan returned to his seat and closed his eyes to rest.

Erbao asked Wei Jianshe, who was sitting across from her, if he had any cards. Wei Jianshe had some in his bag, so Erbao took them and went to find Chu Guangming, his friends, and their childhood friends, and the four of them happened to be playing poker.

With someone playing with the second baby, the second half of the journey went by very quickly.

Erbao used what she learned to help several people of her age, and their net profit increased by seven times. But it was also dangerous, and they were almost robbed twice. When they arrived in the Soviet capital, they were targeted again. Fortunately, they made an appointment with Ye Fan for lunch, and before those people found a suitable opportunity, the locals drove Ye Fan to the agreed location.

When those people with ulterior motives saw that Ye Fan and his group had friends in the local area and were rich people, they immediately dared not to provoke these fat sheep.

Chu Guangming also realized that they were being targeted. Only after getting on the return train did Chu Guangming relax and said, "It's really scary!"

Wei Jianshe said, "So your Aunt Ye said that she would stop working after she had built up the company in two years."

Chu Guangming said to his childhood friend: "I originally planned to come again with Aunt Ye in late August. Now I think about it and forget it."

Wei Jianshe bought tickets for Chu Guangming and others, so their seats were either together or next to each other. Wei Jianshe could hear his uneasiness from his close distance, and said, "It's okay to find a few people to go with you."

Chu Guangming: "Do it again, and work honestly in the future."

The people sitting behind Chu Guangming turned around, and one of them asked, "Are you about to graduate?"

Half of the carriage was occupied by Ye Fan’s people, some of whom were childhood friends of Chu Guangming, so there was no need to hide it: “Yes. I feel that the school will arrange internships for us in the Gregorian calendar year.”

"Then you should just go to work. We have no knowledge or skills, so no one wants us to do this kind of business. But if Sister Ye quits, we can just set up a stall and do some small business."

Wei Jianshe was surprised: "Are you willing to spend that? It costs several thousand dollars per trip."

"You have to spend what you earn. If Sister Ye doesn't come, we don't know who to turn to if something goes wrong. If Sister Ye continues to work, we can ask her business partners to help."

However, some people do not take it seriously, thinking that as long as they are careful nothing will happen.

The capital is hot in summer, but it is not hot in the north. Half of the people on this trip planned to go back and rest for a few days before coming back. But they didn't want to hear Ye Fan pouring cold water on them, so they all closed their eyes and listened to the cowards talking and praising Ye Fan.

The day after Ye Fan arrived in the capital, Chang Guangrong came and saw that Erbao did not get tanned, but instead had lost weight, which was exactly what the director meant by being photogenic. He immediately asked Erbao if she wanted to act in a TV series, and he asked Erbao to be the female lead.

Erbao was confused and looked like "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Dabao rolled his eyes helplessly.

Ye Fan asked Chang Guangrong: "Are you planning to find Dabao and Erbao to film a TV series?"

Chang Guangrong nodded: "I have thought about it. Dabao will play a young talent who graduated from a prestigious university and returns to school to encourage his juniors before the college entrance examination. Erbao will play the poor student class in the third year of high school--"

"Wait a minute!" Erbao came back to his senses and pointed at himself: "I am playing the bad student?"

Chang Guangrong: "Good students spend their daily lives studying. They are their parents' treasures at home and their teachers' treasures at school. Poor students don't even dare to play with you. What's the point of filming it? Besides, your mother specifically reminded me to study hard and be motivated. Only when poor students become better can it be called motivational. It's normal for good students to get into college."

Erbao: "You can take a picture of a good student failing the exam."

Chang Guangrong glared at her, "Are you deliberately arguing with your uncle? Which parent or student wants to see good students fail the entrance exam? Isn't this deliberately annoying the audience? Maybe the audience will boycott my sportswear. Besides, when it comes to sports, everyone's first reaction is the scene of blood boiling. Erbao, think about how the neighbors will react when you and your brother get into college. When Guangming's students get into college, how will his relatives and neighbors react? Will the former just say 'oh' to show that they know, while the latter will sigh with admiration when they think about it?"

Erbao thought about it carefully and said, "It seems so."

“So you must be a poor student.”

Erbao: "There must be a heroine if there is a heroine, right? You can set me as a good student, and the hero is a poor student, and I will help him."

Chang Guangrong shook his head: "I talked to my niece, and most girls like to watch this kind of children's drama. Female students like boys who are good at studying. The male protagonist must be a good student to keep you little girls."

Erbao snorted, "You really understand."

"Don't be so sarcastic with your uncle. I asked at least ten people, and only two girls your age like to hang out with gangsters. But the poor class has no shortage of poor students, so your uncle has some for them."

Erbao: "But that doesn't make sense. How can there be good students in a bad class?"

Chang Guangrong: "Because this good student has a strong character, he said in class that the teacher couldn't read. The teacher was so angry that he asked him to stand outside as punishment. He didn't give up and put away his books and went to the next class."

Ye Fan: "You might as well set up a problem class."

"What do you mean?"

Ye Fan said: "Every class has a weirder temper than the other."

"That's too..." Chang Guangrong thought, "What did the director say? Yes, it's floating. Without a sense of immersion, no one will watch or talk about it. I've filmed it in vain. I've also asked my nephew, and there is indeed a teacher who is a bit illiterate. He asked a student to use the word "日" (day) and "木" (wood). The student said "遥" (yao means "no news"), and he said the correct answer is "果". He also scolded the student for not talking too much if he didn't understand. The student was confused by the teacher's tone, and he went home to check the dictionary to make sure he was right, but he didn't dare to look for the teacher again. It's been several years since he graduated from high school, and he still feels bad when he thinks of this."

Ye Fan said: "Then listen to the director."

Erbao: "Wait a minute, can't the male and female protagonists both be good students?"

Chang Guangrong: "Then tell me why you went to the wrong class. You can't be like the male lead."

Erbao couldn’t figure it out.

Ye Fan asked: "From what you said, the male lead has been chosen?"

Chang Guangrong nodded: "Bright!"

Ye Fan was stunned.

Erbao couldn't help but ask: "Does Chu Guangming still not know?"

"I'll tell him later and he'll know." Chang Guangrong said without hesitation.

Erbao was convinced: "What can my mom act?"

"Your mother plays the role of a student's parent. Chu Guangming has no parents and a miserable life. He only has an old grandmother." Chang Guangrong glanced at Yu Wentao, "He will definitely attract many young girls to feel sorry for him."

Erbao was speechless and had a bad feeling: "Then I don't know the other students, do I?"

Chang Guangrong nodded: "I told their parents, each person will get 10 yuan a day, not including food and drink. You and Guangming are the main characters, 30 yuan a day. The other actors will get 15 to 25 yuan a day."

Erbao was amused by his careful calculation: "Who would give you ten yuan a day in the dog days of summer? You can earn more than that by selling popsicles."

Chang Guangrong nodded, "There were fewer people selling popsicles before, and they could earn 10 or 20 yuan. Now there are more, and many families have refrigerators, and there are small shops everywhere. You can only make 20 yuan at most after working hard. But filming is different, you can take a break after filming. And selling popsicles by yourself is not as fun as selling popsicles with dozens of people. By the way, Dabao, there is a kid from a rich family in this class, lend him your car for a few days." He turned to Ye Fan, "Sister Ye, when are we going to buy a car?"

Ye Fan also laughed angrily: "I bought it for you as a prop?"

Chang Guangrong planned to do this: "Open it for Huihui. Huihui is the head teacher, and Sensen will be the guest math teacher. By the way, Erbao, when will your brother Benben take a vacation? He can be the guest PE teacher."

Erbao was shocked: "——You didn't even let Brother Benben go?"

"I'll give you money."

Erbao asked unhappily, "My uncle has no money?"

"Well, who would complain about having too much money?" Chang Guangrong asked Ye Fan, "Can Brother Geng call and ask?"

Erbao said unceremoniously: "My dad is busy!"

Chang Guangrong: "Then let my dad beat him? If people think he is my dad's nephew, don't blame my family for snatching him from yours."

Dabao nodded: "Okay. No one in the army will bully Brother Benben anymore in the future."

Chang Guangrong didn't dare to bother his father for such a small matter. He looked strange when he heard this. Dabao sneered. Erbao asked, "When will it start?"

Dabao: "It's already started. Unexpected? Filming at our alma mater. Shooting the exterior first."

Erbao opened his eyes wide in shock: "Aren't you afraid that we won't be able to come back?"

Chang Guangrong was not afraid: "With your mother here, this kind of situation will not happen. If the businessmen who cooperate with your mother have checked your mother's background, they will not dare to let your mother get into trouble. By the way, Erbao, find your cheapest clothes. Guangming can wear his old clothes. Dabao, your current clothes will be fine."

Erbao didn't want to say anything for a moment.

Ye Fan asked: "You only want to save money and trouble, is your clothing suitable for your status?"

Chang Guangrong shook his head: "Not necessarily. But it doesn't matter, we have a fashion teacher, Erbao can bring the clothes over and ask the teacher to help her match them."

Erbao couldn't help but complain: "This is the first time I heard that someone asked actors to bring their own clothes for a film. Shouldn't you give me some extra money for clothing?"

There is no money for clothes, absolutely not! Chang Guangrong said: "I will ask the makeup artist to make you beautiful, and ask the lighting artist to light you up."

Erbao rolled his eyes angrily: "I'm a student, why should I wear makeup? You're fooling people without any care!"

Chang Guangrong smiled nonchalantly: "It's settled. If your mother goes north again, you are not allowed to follow her. I have to shoot this drama until the end of August."

Erbao pretended not to hear.

Chang Guangrong took out a small notebook and wrote down the names of Ye Fan's entire family, followed by the corresponding roles such as grandmother and mother.

Yu Wentao waited for him to finish writing and then asked, "Xiao Chang, how much money can you save by being so frugal?"

"It's almost the same as hiring a big star to shoot an advertisement." Chang Guangrong said, "To shoot an advertisement, you have to pay a TV station to air it. I pay the TV station and the TV station pays me. All in all, I can save one or two million."

Yu Wentao took a breath.

Chang Guangrong asked: "Is it worth it for me to risk my reputation to ask Dabao to borrow the car for so much money?"

Yu Wentao nodded repeatedly.

Chang Guangrong asked: "Sister Ye, didn't you expect that?"

Ye Fan: "Money is the best driving force!"

"Don't forget your car." Chang Guangrong said, "It doesn't have to be very good, a Santana will do."

Ye Fan said: "I plan to buy an off-road vehicle."

Chang Guangrong opened his mouth, wanting to say that an off-road vehicle didn't fit in with a campus drama, but when he saw Dabao, he remembered that he had borrowed his car: "That's fine. I'll ask Dabao to drive back to school, and it will be considered a return home in glory!"

Ye Fan thought of a practical problem: "We have never filmed a play before, so we don't know how to shoot it."

Chang Guangrong: "The director said that three days of training is enough for new actors. The key is that Erbao and Guangming are students, and the audience can understand their poor acting skills by looking at their temperament. If they were experienced actors, the audience would think they were old cucumbers painted green, and no matter how well they acted, the show would be out of place. Besides, Erbao knows Guangming and Huihui, so the filming was natural, just like in real life, which can make up for the lack of acting skills."

Ye Fan was convinced: "Don't call me sister anymore, I don't deserve it!"

(End of this chapter)