Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

Chen Xiaohui didn't know what to do, so Ye Fan asked her to go back and think about it carefully.

It was useless to think about it alone. Chen Xiaohui went back to work in the afternoon and talked about it with her colleagues while sorting out the materials. She just replaced her name with Ye Fan and referred to her as "friend". So her colleagues did not suspect that she was making up a story, but helped her analyze it seriously.

The result was similar to what Ye Fan said, "How can you know the joy of a fish if you are not a fish?" Chen Xiaohui thought that it was not easy for the other person to raise two children alone, and perhaps the other person was very satisfied with the current situation.

Chen Xiaohui did not dare to be self-righteous, but when she thought about how her ex-husband's life was depressed because of her stubbornness in her previous life, she wanted to make up for it in this life, so she decided to listen to Ye Fan and send Jingjing to interest classes from time to time, become friends with her "ex-husband", and take the opportunity to help him when he needed her in the future.

Chen Xiaohui was afraid that Ye Fan would be distracted by his own affairs and would not be able to rest, so she called Ye Fan to tell him about it.

Yu Wentao was in the room at the time, and Ye Fan couldn't help but say to her mother-in-law, "You've grown up."

Yu Wentao was speechless: "How old are you?"

"Some people never make any progress in the ways of the world until they get old," Ye Fan said.

Yu Wentao suspected that she was referring to Huihui's grandparents, but she didn't want to talk about the Chu family, so she asked her when she would go north again.

Erbao and Liangliang's interest class was over, Ye Fan made two sales, and during that time Dabao took an advertisement.

Ye Fan rested at home for two days. Dabao wore a watch and walked around in front of Ye Fan, like a hand model. Ye Fan didn't notice his watch and asked, "Did you eat too much this morning?"

"What is it, Mom?" Dabao pulled a chair and sat down in front of her, holding out his hand. "Did you see it?"

Ye Fan nodded: "I saw it."

"Did you really see it?"

Ye Fan was confused: "What's wrong?"

"New watch!" Dabao couldn't help but raise his voice.

Ye Fan sighed: "Your mother is not blind!"

Erbao, who was sitting at one end of the sofa, rolled his eyes at the ceiling and said leisurely, "Mom, it wasn't my brother who bought it."

"Who bought it?" Ye Fan asked subconsciously.

Dabao propped his legs up with his elbows and asked worriedly, "Is mom tired and stupid?"

Ye Fan thought about it and said unhappily, "You are stupid! Someone asked you to shoot a watch commercial and then gave you a watch as a gift?"

"Can't you tell what kind of watch this is?" Dabao was surprised. "Mom, you know all about foreign jewelry, bags, and skin care products, but you don't know a famous watch?"

Ye Fan: "Your mother is not a god. She has limited energy. How can she possibly understand everything?"

"But the watch on your wrist is not cheap either." Dabao pointed at the watch his mother bought in Hong Kong last year.

Ye Fan nodded: "Is it possible that your mother doesn't look at the brand when buying a watch, but only at the style?"

Dabao opened his mouth but didn't know what to say, because he thought his mother knew a lot about watches, just like she knew about her skin care products.

Seeing this, Ye Fan laughed: "No wonder you were swinging your arms around in front of me just now. I thought you had fleas."

"You——" Dabao swallowed back his disrespectful words, "How can you not understand watches?"

Ye Fan: "Why do you need to understand?"

"We can study it together."

Ye Fan asked: "I'll pick one up for you when I buy it."

Dabao smiled, but he looked a little embarrassed. Ye Fan was speechless: "You and Pixiu are from the same family."

"I'm just teasing you, Mom." Dabao said, "I have money and can buy it myself. Mom, look at this watch face, look at the watch strap, and then look at it——"

Ye Fan interrupted: "Stop! It's not like I haven't bought you a watch before. Why do you act like you're seeing a watch for the first time?"

Erbao: "Because it was a coincidence. He was planning to buy himself a watch on the day he prepared a birthday present for me, but just after breakfast, the film and television company called him back. When he signed the contract at the company, they gave him two watches, one of which was the one he liked."

No wonder he likes them so much. Ye Fan asked, "Should I give you both or lend them to you for two years?"

Dabao: "It will belong to me after you wear it for a year."

"You usually go to school and don't have time to film TV series, so they won't know even if you don't wear it, right?" Ye Fan asked.

Dabao nodded. "That's what I said at the time. They said it's okay to let reporters take pictures a few times. Besides, even if no reporters take pictures of me, I won't not wear it even if I don't have to attend any events. If the sales of this watch go up because of me endorsing it, there will definitely be people who will ask me to take pictures of other watches."

Erbao asked curiously, "Are you shooting perfume? I've seen men's perfume in the mall."

"We'll see when the time comes. If the money is high, I'll take it. If the endorsement fee is the same as giving me charity, and there are a lot of problems, they can find whoever they want." Dabao stood up, "Mom, wait a minute."

He ran to the back bedroom, took out another watch and gave it to Ye Fan.

Ye Fan: "What are you doing for me?"

"Are you going to dad's place in a few days? Let dad play for a few days."

Ye Fan didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "It seems that you really like this brand of watch. You don't even want to give it to your dad."

Erbao suspected that his mother didn't know how expensive these two watches were. "Mom, one of his watches can buy a whole house."

Ye Fan exclaimed: "How much?" She hadn't looked at the dial carefully just now. She took her son's hand and saw the letters on the watch. As she thought, it was a foreign luxury watch. "This, shouldn't they find successful people or big stars to endorse it? Why did they find you? This watch is targeted at middle-aged people, right?"

"They say mainland male stars are not fashionable enough."

Ye Fan: "You can find a Hong Kong celebrity."

"They said the effect in the mainland is average. Maybe people who like Hong Kong stars are about my age and can't afford such an expensive watch. People who can afford it won't buy it just because a star endorses it. They also said that it's better for this group to find me than a star. I don't know who they asked to check." Dabao said, "When I saw this watch, I thought it was a mistake and asked why they asked me. They said that young people who want to get involved will wear this kind of watch."

Erbao said, "Don't worry, Mom. It's not like Dad is holding a gun to force them to cooperate with Brother."

Dabao: "Even if they said they wanted me to be their spokesperson just to test the effect, it's worth it. Not to mention they gave me so many excuses."

Ye Fan asked directly: "How much?"

"One million in two years." Erbao said.

Yu Wentao almost fell in from outside, Erbao rushed over to support her: "Grandma, slow down!"

"I'm fine." Yu Wentao saw that Erbao was frightened by her, so she held on to the door frame with her other hand to steady herself.

Erbao helped her in: "You have to be careful. Grandma, how about I go to the store to buy you a walking stick tomorrow?"

Yu Wentao shook her hand off: "I'm not old! Why buy a cane?" She glared at Erbao, sat down on the sofa, and asked after she was firmly seated: "Dabao, how much for two years?"

Dabao smiled and held up a finger.

Yu Wentao was sure she heard it correctly and exclaimed: "Why is it so much? It's more profitable than your mother's business? You are not a big star."

Ye Fan: "Aunt Yu, if a celebrity endorses a watch like the one Dabao is wearing, the customer base may not necessarily buy it. On the contrary, if Dabao wears it, people will easily follow suit. For example, the grandson of his grandfather's comrade-in-arms. For example, Cheng Zhenhua's son, if he thinks Dabao's watch is nice, he will definitely want to get one."

Yu Wentao: "I can't afford the old stone."

Dabao wanted to laugh: "Grandma, anyone who wants to ask Uncle Cheng for help can pay for his son."

"Is this corruption?" Yu Wentao asked.

Ye Fan: "There is more than one. If my last name was Chen and Geng Zhiye's last name was not Geng, and our parents and relatives were all ordinary people, and someone coveted my company, I would ask Dabao to get close to the younger generation of the Cheng family, and lend them my watch and pager to play with. When the people who covet my company see that I am close to the Cheng family, will they still dare to think about my company?"

"This..." Yu Wentao still felt like corruption, "This is not good either."

Ye Fan said, "Then let's not talk about that. Dabao has a good image outside. No matter what age group people buy watches endorsed by him, they will not think he looks like a nouveau riche. Because he is not a nouveau riche. Dabao would earn hundreds of thousands to endorse domestic brands, and one million for two years to endorse top foreign luxury brands is not much."

Dabao: “So he gave me two more watches.”

Yu Wentao had a toothache in disbelief: "One million, if you say it's gold yuan coupons, I believe it!"

Dabao laughed: "What ancient calendar is this?"

Ye Fan said: "There is not even one million left in Dabao's hands."

"What's wrong?" Yu Wentao was anxious, "Such a wealthy company still pays in installments?"

Ye Fan was surprised: "You also know about installment payment?"

Yu Wentao rolled her eyes at her and said, "I've never done business before, how could I not have heard you say that?"

Ye Fan smiled and said, "Forgot, forgot. I meant to pay taxes. You might feel more distressed if you knew how much tax you have to pay."

"Don't say anything. Let me take my time." Yu Wentao stopped her from saying anything else. "Dabao, can you show grandma your watch?"

Ye Fan handed the watch in her hand to him. "Why do you have one too?" Yu Wentao asked as she took it.

Ye Fan: "Dabao asked me to put it away and let his father wear it for two days. Geng Dabao, aren't you afraid of being photographed by military reporters and having a talk with your father?"

Dabao nodded: "I'm afraid. So I let him play for a few days. If he can be photographed for a few days, it means that Dad has bad luck this year."

Yu Wentao has never seen such an expensive thing in her life. She took it in her hand and looked around. The strap was so shiny that it could be used as a mirror. She couldn't help but sigh, "You get what you pay for." After a pause, she added, "Expensive things are good. At first glance, it's more upscale than the one your mother wears."

Ye Fan pretended not to hear.

When the old lady had had enough of the watch, Ye Fan stuffed it into her handbag.

After staying at home for another two days, Dabao and Erbao went to school, and then Ye Fan went to the army.

The night he arrived at the army, Ye Fan took out his watch.

Geng Zhiye fell in love with it at first sight and didn't want to take it off after putting it on. Seeing this, Ye Fan didn't mention Dabao, but just reminded him: "You can only wear it for a few days."

"I know." Geng Zhiye raised his wrist and looked at it in the light. "It's expensive, right?"

Ye Fan: "According to the current housing prices, one watch costs one house."

Geng Zhiye suddenly felt his wrist was heavy: "——Are you sure?"

"No." Ye Fan said, "I think you should wear it indoors. If your subordinates and comrades see it, they will envy you and lose their minds and go astray, and you will be guilty of a great sin."

Geng Zhiye nodded: "I can wear it every day when I'm on vacation, right?"

"Sure." Ye Fan has been married to Geng Zhiye for many years, and he has never seen him particularly like anything. A watch is the only thing that excites him.

On the day Geng Zhiye came back from the army, he was reluctant to part with Ye Fan, and even more reluctant to part with the watch she brought with her. Ye Fan coaxed him into saying that she still had a few watches at home.

When she got home, she wanted to make a phone call. There was someone in the living room. Ye Fan was about to ask who he was when the man sitting cross-legged on the sofa digging a watermelon looked up. Ye Fan was shocked: "Ben Ben? When did you come back? Why is he wearing a hat in the house?"

Geng Benben smiled embarrassedly and took off his baseball cap.

Ye Fan clearly saw a scar on his forehead where his hair was. It seemed that he was injured not long ago. There was a bandage wrapped around his head. "How could this be so serious?"

"It looks serious, but it's actually just skin trauma and a mild concussion." Geng Benben put on his hat again.

Ye Fan: "There's no one here, are you afraid of me seeing it?"

Geng Benben took off his hat and said, "Don't worry, auntie. I didn't go to the battlefield. I had a nighttime exercise a few days ago. I was only thinking about the mission and didn't pay much attention to the surroundings. I got poked by a tree branch."

Ye Fan's heart, which had been raised to his throat for a moment, fell back to its original place, "Why do your troops like to conduct night exercises? One time, your uncle was in the ice and snow for a few days, and when he came back, his hands were like braised pig's trotters. I've been married to him for so many years, and this is the first time I've seen frostbite on his hands."

Geng Benben smiled and said, "Because the enemy may choose to enter at night."

Ye Fan sighed: "Fortunately, Dabao stays in the house every day."

Geng Benben: "I can't stay here. Asking me to study data every day is not as good as asking me to train outside every day."

"By the way, you came back by yourself?"

Geng Benben shook his head: "I'm with my little brother."

"The chief wants you two to take a vacation together? Do the other people whose families live in the same place have no objection?"

"I didn't agree at first, saying it would have a bad impact. I'm injured, and I haven't taken my annual leave this year. The commander was worried that I would have a concussion and vomit in the car, so he approved me to come back with me. But my sick leave is gone. I have to go back to the army with him."

Ye Fan: "It's safer to have a companion on the road. Going back a few days earlier will save us from worrying. Have you seen Dabao?"

"I've only seen my grandma, my aunt's family, and my sister." Benben said, "Grandma said that Dabao is busy for a while and then idle for a while. If he is busy for ten days in a row, the tutor will let him come back to rest, and he can go home every day for the next few days."

Ye Fan nodded: "That's right. Is there an airport near your unit?"

The topic jumped around so much that Geng Benben was stunned for a moment and said uncertainly, "It seems so. It's in the provincial capital."

Ye Fan: "If we take the train, we have to pass through the provincial capital, right?"

Geng Benben nodded.

Ye Fan: "Then let's take a plane. Auntie will buy tickets for you and me."

Geng Benben's nose felt sore and he wanted to say "thank you", but tears came out before he could say it.

Ye Fan took a piece of toilet paper and said, "Look at you, why are you crying? Air tickets used to be very expensive, but they have become much cheaper in recent years. Besides, we all went to Hong Kong before, but you didn't go, which saved me a lot of money. I'll just consider it as buying air tickets for you two this time."

Geng Benben nodded vigorously.

Ye Fan quickly held him down: "Don't get excited. Are you dizzy?"

The wound felt a little itchy and painful, and Geng Benben didn't dare to move, for fear of vomiting out the watermelon in his stomach.

Just at this moment Yu Wentao came in from outside. Ye Fan asked them to talk while she went to take a shower.

The next morning, Ye Fan called the film and television company and asked the boss to give her the phone number of the mainland person in charge of the watch that Dabao endorsed.

In the evening, several people brought a suitcase to Ye Fan's house and took out a small password box from the suitcase. When the password box was opened, it was full of watches of that brand.

Geng Benben exclaimed softly: "So many!"

Ye Fan smiled and said, "Pick one and it will be my birthday present to you."

Geng Benben suspected that he had heard it wrong.

Ye Fan: "Choose."

Geng Benben likes all of them, but as an active-duty soldier, he can't wear any of them every day. Geng Benben asked quietly, "Which one is the cheapest?"

Ye Fan didn't know either, so he asked the person in charge of the famous watch to introduce them. Before the introduction was finished, Geng Huihui, Dabao and Erbao all came back. The person in charge realized that Ye Fan was his mother when he saw Dabao. The film and television company forgot to tell the person in charge that the house he was going to was Geng Dabao's house.

After Dabao exchanged pleasantries with a few people, he asked, "Mom, what are you doing?"

Ye Fan: "Pick four for your dad that he likes, and each of you can get one."

"Really?" Dabao asked hurriedly.

Ye Fan nodded and said meaningfully, "I gave your piece to your father. I'll give you another piece, so choose carefully."

Dabao understood and picked the cheapest one with his brothers and sisters. Just when he finished, Geng Sensen came in and Ye Fan asked him to pick two. Geng Sensen and his brother's two were also cheap. Ye Fan picked the more expensive one for Geng Zhiye. So when it came time to pay, Ye Fan could only write a check.

In fact, Ye Fan had hundreds of thousands of dollars in the safe in her study, but that was for emergencies. Ye Fan didn't want others to know that her family had so much money, so when she paid, she said she had no money.

Ye Fan bought a lot, and the person in charge realized that she was a big customer. Before she left, he kept saying that he would let her choose first when new models were released.

Because her son was the spokesperson, Ye was embarrassed to say that she didn't like watches very much. She could only smile and say that he was too polite.

The next day, Huihui and Erbao left the watch at home, while Dabao and Sen Sen wore the watch out.

When people who are interested in watches ask them what brand their watches are, they tell the truth. Dabao's classmates all know that he comes from a well-off family, and when they hear that a watch costs several thousand yuan, they don't think it's expensive, and even tease him that he makes a lot of money by shooting commercials, but he can't afford to buy an expensive one.

Geng Sensen's colleagues asked him where the money came from. Geng Sensen said he saved it in the past few years. The lady at work exclaimed: "You can't make ends meet?" Geng Sensen said he was still young and didn't need to buy a house, and he could save slowly before getting married.

From then on, no one introduced him to a girl. From the leaders to the security guards, they all thought he didn't know how to live. However, some leaders thought that since he was just an accountant, he wore such a good watch. As a leader, he couldn't be outdone by his subordinates. So they all decided to go to the watch shop to have a look at it on the weekend.

Chu Guangming liked Dabao's watches very much and asked Dabao to accompany him to choose two models over the weekend.

In the evening, Dabao came home and said to his mother: "Guangming knows how to spend money when he has it."

Ye Fan: "He was busy during the winter and summer vacations, and he didn't miss out on getting scholarships. He's the only one in the family, so he earns so much money, so who should he leave it to?"

Erbao said, "He said that he would sponsor a few needy students after he graduates and gets a stable job next year. He also said that the sponsorship would be anonymous and would only last until the sophomore year. He didn't expect them to repay him, but would consider it as a blessing for himself."

Dabao: "His family is so wicked, he needs to accumulate some virtue for himself."

Ye Fan couldn't help but frown and sigh.

"He said that himself." Dabao was afraid of getting slapped on the head, "If you don't believe me, ask Erbao."

Erbao nodded and moved the wooden box from under the coffee table.

Geng Benben was curious: "What's in it? I wanted to take it out and have a look several times, but every time I had something in my hands and was too lazy to take it out."

Erbao: "Several kinds of instant coffee. Brother Benben, do you want to try?"

Geng Benben moved away from her: "Try again tomorrow morning. I seldom drink this stuff. If I drink it suddenly, I will definitely not be able to sleep." Seeing the watch on her wrist, "Aunt, why did you think of buying a watch for my uncle? I haven't heard that he likes watches."

(End of this chapter)