Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

Geng Zhiye immediately leaned forward and put his arm around her shoulders: "Fanfan, Accountant Ye, my wife——"

"Dad and brother are not allowed to drink at work, brother is not allowed to smoke at work, dad's health does not allow him to smoke anymore, you can separate them to see who drinks and who smokes."

Geng Zhiye: "You can't buy me anything for children to drink."

"Coke refreshes you."

Geng Zhiye choked up. His son Fanfan was extraordinary. This was the first time he heard that Coke could be used to refresh people: "How about a box of coffee?"

Ye Fan: "...How do I rush on the train?"

“There’s also hot water on the train.”

Ye Fan immediately said to the salesperson: "Then get a box of coffee."

"Forget it, five bottles of Coke." Geng Zhiye said, "I can't finish one box by myself, so I can't let those two get away with it for nothing."

Ye Fan rolled his eyes: "You don't want to drink after coming back?"

"I don't have to be so alert to deal with those two villains when I come back." Geng Zhiye looked around and wanted to buy everything, but he held back.

Ye Fan: "Enough?"

Geng Zhiye nodded: "Didn't we buy two boxes of biscuits? And some candied sugar and tuckahoe sandwiches. How much can five people eat?"

Ye Fan removed the hand on his shoulder, stuffed five bottles of Coke into his arms, and asked the salesperson to get a few more packs of biscuits, "Don't touch those things, they're for the kids."

Geng Zhiye frowned slightly: "Her nephews and nieces? Chen Kuanren is such a person, he even bought food for his grandchildren? Are you confused?"

Ye Fan is not confused, nor is he a fool with a lot of money. Chen Xiaohui does not want to sever ties with the Chen family, but she is not a minor. Tao Chunlan cannot make the decision for her, and neither can Ye Fan. He can only be polite.

Otherwise, when we get to Shencheng, Chen Kuanren's daughter-in-law asks, "Xiaohui, did you come back empty-handed?" Where will Chen Xiaohui put her face?

Ye Fan: "Just this once."

"I'm not afraid that my father-in-law and mother-in-law will be disappointed."

Ye Fan paid the money and took the things: "Your father-in-law and mother-in-law are not so petty. Give these things to Chen Xiaohui before getting off the car. Do I still need to go to the street office to get a visiting permit?"

"Let's take it tomorrow. When we're done, we'll go to the train station." Shencheng was not far from where Geng Zhiye served in the army. Geng Zhiye had passed by Shencheng when he came here. When he thought about having to take it again tomorrow, he wanted to sigh, "The express train takes twenty hours. My old bones can't stand it."

Ye Fan was used to leaving in the morning in his previous life, so he didn’t miss lunch. “The express train takes this long? I have to eat two or three meals on the train, and these won’t be enough.”

"Didn't you buy rice and flour?" Two salesmen from the supply and marketing cooperative helped her put them in the car. After putting in Coke and biscuits, the back seat was full.

Ye Fan asked: "Do you want me to make you a few scallion pancakes tomorrow?"

"I haven't eaten pancakes for a long time." Geng Zhiye got on the car and suddenly smelled a fragrance. "You only ate a few mouthfuls of noodles. You must be hungry. Eat something before going back."

Ye Fan was a little hungry: "But it's past five o'clock."

"It's still early." Geng Zhiye pointed to the southeast, "The fragrance is coming from that direction."

Ye Fan rolled his eyes at him.

"Listen to me, that's right!"

Ye Fan drove over and saw the big pot with fragrant aroma. His eyes widened immediately: "You - are you born in the year of the dog?"

"I am a dragon." As soon as Geng Zhiye got out of the car, he asked the hotel staff for two bowls of braised pork and four steamed buns.

Ye Fan paid, but she only wanted half a steamed bun, and Geng Zhiye took the half that was broken off. Comrade Geng Zhiye was not polite at all, ate it all, and then got into the car and began to doze off comfortably.

Ye Fan slowed down and bought a braised pork elbow halfway.

When he reached the alley near his home, Ye Fan stopped and separated the things he bought for the children from the food he had eaten on the way before driving in.

Geng Zhiye heard Zhao Ruping's voice, opened one eye and saw his elder brother-in-law and elder sister-in-law coming over. The Chen family members had not yet arrived, so he adjusted himself to a comfortable position and continued to stare blankly.

Ye Jin took the food and said, "Zhiye, get up and eat before going to sleep."

Ye Fan whispered, "I ate a little on the way, ignore him. What did my sister-in-law cook?"

Usually, the Ye family would either make dough balls or cook noodles at night. Ye Fan's sister-in-law Li Mingyue was worried that Chen Xiaohui would not be used to eating noodles three times a day, and the steel pot could hold two sieves, so she heated one sieve of steamed buns and steamed another pot of rice.

Ye Fan was a loose-handed person, and her parents-in-law knew it. She would not drive to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy only noodles, but also vegetables. So after the rice was steamed, Li Mingyue went to the main hall and told her parents-in-law to wait for Fan Fan to come back and cook.

Li Mingyue took the pork elbow in sauce and said, "I'll open this up, put some vegetables in it and we can eat."

The late lunch of a bowl of noodles not only left Geng Zhiye hungry, but Li Mingyue and Ye Jin were also hungry. Li Mingyue heated up the lunch dishes and brought them to the restaurant, including the pork elbow in soy sauce.

Chen Kuanren and Zhao Ruping picked up the chopsticks and started picking up the pork elbows without any hesitation, as if they had been hungry for eight hundred years.

Ye Fan was afraid to be polite, worried that if she was slow, it would be gone. She picked up her chopsticks, first her parents, brother and sister-in-law, then Geng Zhiye, then Chen Xiaohui, and finally herself. As a result, Chen Kuanren and Zhao Ruping didn't get to take the third time, and Ye Fan finished the whole elbow.

Chen Xiaohui lowered her head and ate her pork elbow while trying to hold back her laughter. It seemed good that Ye Fan was a bit more powerful.

But there was nothing else but pork elbow, and Chen Kuanren couldn't help burping while eating, but he still couldn't bear to put down his chopsticks. Chen Xiaohui's face suddenly turned red, and she didn't dare to look up to see the expressions of the crowd.

Ye Fan was not afraid of Chen Kuanren, and said frankly, "Eat slowly, I'll go pack some clothes for Geng Zhiye."

Geng Zhiye followed her and said, "Sister-in-law, Fanfan bought some food and drinks. I'll go clean up."

When Father Ye heard that everything was ready for the afternoon trip, he nodded with satisfaction and said, "Pack up and go to bed early."

With her father's words, Ye Fan washed up and went back to her room.

He went to the bedroom and took out the things in Geng Zhiye's bag, put two sets of clothes in and then put the boxed and canned things in, then wrapped the snacks and candies in newspaper. Finally, he found a military green shoulder bag and stuffed the food for the trip and Geng Zhiye's officer ID into it.

"How much money do you have?"

Geng Zhiye was exhausted after sending his brother-in-law back. He leaned against the headboard and felt sleepy: "I don't know."

"Where?"

Geng Zhiye was silent for a moment: "It seems to be in the kelp and dried fish."

Ye Fan was shocked. He opened the kelp wrapped in newspaper and took out a roll of paper. He opened the paper and found it was full of ten-yuan bills: "You didn't save it?"

Geng Zhiye pinched his eyes and sat up straight: "There is no place to save money on the island. I'm too lazy to go to the city." "No post office?"

"There's a mailbox on the island. Don't clean it up, go to bed early." He reached out and pulled the person.

Ye Fan was caught off guard and fell into his arms, startled, "Go to sleep first if you're tired."

Geng Zhiye hugged her waist and wouldn't let her leave.

Ye Fan helplessly pushed him on the back and said, "Let go, I'll take off my coat."

Geng Zhiye immediately let go and moved to the side.

Ye Fanzhen was not sleepy. He waited until he fell asleep and then got up and stuffed the money into the closet. He cut the seafood he brought into two and wrapped it in newspaper again.

The next morning, Ye's father didn't like the Chen family and continued to remain silent. Geng Zhiye closed his eyes to rest. Ye Fan drove her mother and sister-in-law to the street and unit to get certificates. No one paid attention to the Chen family, and Chen Xiaohui felt that she was out of place again.

Chen Xiaohui was not familiar with Ye's father and Geng Zhiye in this life. She had met Geng Zhiye in her previous life but never spoke to him. She had not had a good conversation with Ye's father and mother for many years before her death, so she didn't know where to start if she wanted to ease the relationship in this life.

Zhao Ruping didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. She was still savoring the pickles she had just eaten with her porridge. She didn't know how the Ye family made them, but they tasted better than those made by her neighbor who was the best at making pickles.

Tao Chunlan is the only one in the Ye family who knows how to make pickles, but she usually has to pick up Dabao and take care of Erbao. Ye Fan doesn't want her to work hard. When the pickles at home are almost gone, she buys some from Liubiju. Even the simplest pickled garlic is not asked to be made by Comrade Tao Chunlan.

Tao Chunlan was afraid of being gossiped about using a washing machine, so Ye Fan got one for her. Usually, when there were few people at home, they would use an electric rice cooker to cook porridge. However, Ye's father and his brother and sister-in-law were not at home, so Tao Chunlan almost never made breakfast, so Ye Fan asked her to buy it.

When the neighbors saw Tao Chunlan, they asked her if she was buying food again. Tao Chunlan was embarrassed, so Ye Fan came out of the yard and said, "If you don't buy, I won't buy. The state-owned restaurant will be closed and all the employees will be laid off."

The angle is novel, but it is not without reason. Tao Chunlan no longer feels like a thief when she buys breakfast, but sometimes she feels embarrassed and thinks she is going to fall.

Ye Fan asked her why she kept the money after escaping death countless times and working hard for half her life and finally getting a pension, if she didn't enjoy herself for a few days while she could eat and drink well.

Tao Chunlan said she wanted to find a wife for Dabao and prepare a dowry for Erbao. Ye Fan said her father had a high salary and she would use his money.

From then on, Tao Chunlan felt much more at ease when she went to a restaurant to buy roast duck.

Compared with light porridge and side dishes, Chen Kuanren prefers smoking, one cigarette after another, puffing out clouds of smoke.

Ye's father used to smoke too much cigarettes, and the doctor did not recommend him to smoke anymore. Geng Zhiye's father retired early, and Ye's father was tempted by the smell of cigarettes but dared not touch them. Geng Zhiye was on duty in the office during the holidays, and he would smoke a few times when the time was unbearable, but he was annoyed by the thick smoke.

The father-in-law and son-in-law looked at each other and then glanced at Chen Kuanren, wondering why he was even craving for a cigarette.

It’s because Chen Kuanren has never smoked Huazi in his life.

Fortunately, Ye Fan drove there and came back in less than an hour. Geng Zhiye went out immediately after hearing the car horn: "Aunt, Xiaohui, pack your luggage, let's go to the train station."

Zhao Ruping subconsciously said, "So early?"

Geng Zhiye: "One car can't hold so many people. Let's take the bus. It's better to go early than late."

Before Chen Xiaohui came, she was not so eager to change her household registration because she thought the Ye family did not want her to come back.

In the past, she hated Ye Fan and the Ye family with a vengeance, but she could do nothing about it, because the latter were her blood relatives, the former were more capable than her, and the latter protected her. She complained about the Ye family's partiality, but she had no basis to complain - the Ye family treated everyone equally, for example, when giving New Year's gifts, they gave 2,000 to Ye Fan's children and 2,000 to her children.

Now that she knows the truth, she can no longer hate her loved ones. Ye Fan pointed out in the hospital that the Chen family had wronged her. Although he seemed to be provoking, he finally said what she dared not say. Chen Xiaohui had no reason to hate Ye Fan, but the resentment in her previous life and the suffering she had endured in the countryside in this life were driving Chen Xiaohui crazy. Chen Xiaohui could not help but blame Chen Kuanren and Zhao Ruping, so much so that she felt tortured to stay with Chen Kuanren and Zhao Ruping for a moment longer.

Chen Xiaohui said, "Mom, let's go. We haven't bought the tickets yet."

Zhao Ruping: "Ye Fan didn't buy it?"

"..." Chen Xiaohui said helplessly that Ye Fan went to her sister-in-law's unit to get a certificate.

On the way back from the hospital yesterday, Chen Kuanren felt that giving Chen Xiaohui to the Ye family was too cheap. Although Zhao Ruping had a way to deal with Chen Xiaohui, she had raised her daughter for many years and treated her like her own daughter, so she was unwilling to give her to the Ye family for nothing.

The egg noodles in the afternoon and the braised pork elbow in the evening made the couple feel that although they didn't gain anything this time, they lost a daughter, which was not a loss in the long run.

Chen Kuanren stood up and asked, "Have you packed your things?"

Chen Xiaohui: "I have packed it up a long time ago."

Chen Kuanren glanced at the cigarette box on the table and subconsciously reached out for it. He inadvertently saw Ye's father and froze again, "Brother Ye, do you still smoke?"

Father Ye was stunned for a moment before he reacted. He was speechless. How could he be even less particular than the least particular relative in his hometown? Fortunately, Fanfan told them that they would not owe each other anything from now on: "I don't smoke. This is something Fanfan brought back from Xiaohui. He doesn't smoke either. It was given to him during the Chinese New Year."

"Then I'll stay here to refresh myself while I'm in the car?"

Father Ye asked casually: "Is it enough?"

"enough--"

Zhao Ruping rushed to ask: "Anything else?"

Chen Xiaohui's face suddenly became hot: "Mom, what are you doing?"

Zhao Ruping glared at her. Why was she being polite to her own father? What a hapless person who didn't know how to live: "Didn't you hear me? Your dad said that if no one smokes it, it will just get moldy if left there."

Father Ye moved his mouth and thought to himself, "I can't keep it for guests." The respectable man dared not be polite anymore: "It seems there is another pack. Mingyue, Mingyue——"

Li Mingyue came in: "Let me look for it." She went to her and Ye Jin's bedroom and took out two packs of cigarettes, one pack of Peony and one pack of Xiangshan. "Dad, there are only two packs left."

The products of the Ye family must be top-notch. Zhao Ruping smiled and said, "That's enough, that's enough." She took it and stuffed it into her bag, just enough for each of her two sons.

Chen Xiaohui wanted to find a hole to crawl into. Li Mingyue was surprised to see this, she actually knew shame. That's right, Chen Xiaohui was in her early twenties and thin-skinned. Fortunately, she was thin-skinned. If she was like Zhao Ruping, she would not tolerate two packs of cigarettes. I dare not let her get close to the bedroom in the future.

"Aunt, uncle, although the train station is close, the bus stops at every station. It takes at least an hour to get there during rush hour." Li Mingyue pointed at the grandfather clock. "The bus is at 11 o'clock, and it's almost 9 o'clock."

Zhao Ruping's son is an ordinary worker, and her daughter-in-law is a temporary worker. They dare not ask for leave, and there is no one to take care of the child. She is also worried about her eldest grandson: "Let's go. By the way, Xiaohui, did you get the fruit and snacks?"

Chen Xiaohui nodded: "I took it."

"It's good to take it, otherwise I can't stand it for a whole day and night." Zhao Ruping said as she walked outside. Seeing Ye Fan leaning against the pillar waiting bored, she couldn't help but think of what happened in the past two days. "I'm not like Ye Fan who doesn't have to go back."

What kind of person is so nagging? Ye Fanqi smiled, "Yes. My parents brought me back home. Now I'm grown up and can't be carried anymore. How can I go back? Don't you think so? Comrade Zhao Ruping."

"You——" Zhao Ruping almost vomited a mouthful of old blood. How did the Ye family teach her? How could she be so good at interrupting others? Zhao Ruping pointed at her angrily, "Do you have any manners at all? I originally thought that my elder brother and his wife were too busy to teach you. Now it seems that you are not like anyone, you are just an outsider!"

(End of this chapter)