Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

On the morning of May Day, Ye Fan went to the army with food and supplies.

In the afternoon, Ye Fan came back with a lot of bags, and there was one more person in the car, it was Geng Zhiye.

Ye Fan wanted to curse when talking about this. He called him last night and Geng Zhiye said that she could come over, but he would be in the capital and not going anywhere.

He arrived at the army at around eleven o'clock, had lunch at twelve o'clock, woke up from a nap, packed his luggage, and left before three o'clock. He stayed for less than four hours in total.

Ye Fan was confused.

After getting in the car, he was asked where he was going. Geng Zhiye held back his laughter and answered, "Home." Then he added that it was finally his turn to take a vacation.

If he wasn't driving, Ye Fan would have to beat him up.

After a long while, Ye Fan remembered something that Chang Guangrong had mentioned first: "Can you retire now?"

Geng Zhiye looked regretful: "My level can last up to 63."

Ye Fan was shocked: "He's not even a military-level official, so why does he have to wait so long?!"

"The regular job is sixty-five!" Geng Zhiye said.

Ye Fan looked at his mental state and asked, "You don't want to do this for another ten years, do you?"

"Now that I'm retired and have nothing to do at home, I have to pick you up and drop you off at get off work every day? Why should I do that if you work?" Geng Zhiye didn't wait for her to answer, "Men should also have their own careers!"

Ye Fan thought he would work for five more years at most, but he didn't expect that he really planned to work for ten years: "How can we not be poor?"

"No, just drive well." Geng Zhiye confessed honestly, "In fact, the leaders were surprised to see my age. I'm over 50. Between letting me retire and working for a few more years, they chose the latter without hesitation. At first I really thought I looked young."

Ye Fan: "Is it because you are in such good health?"

"More than that, because I'm good at foreign languages. Speaking of this, I have to thank Erbao. If she hadn't memorized vocabulary every day and asked me to ask her questions and she would have forgotten it long ago." There are some tasks that Geng Zhiye needs to personally analyze and verify. In addition, his department had an exercise a few days ago, and there was also a joint military exercise between the navy, army, and air force. It seems that they have to prepare for major events and it is not suitable for changes. Therefore, it is impossible to ask Geng Zhiye to retire at this time. But this cannot be told to Ye Fan. Geng Zhiye stopped at the red light and asked Ye Fan, "Hey, do you think I should go to the military academy for a few years? If I retire at the age of 60 and can be re-employed with an extra salary, I will have something to do. Otherwise, after a few years of retirement, I can only eat and wait to die!"

Ye Fanxin said, you obviously don’t want to retire, why are you talking nonsense.

"That day won't come." Ye Fan said, "If you retire in the next two years, you can go to get off work with me. I'll go to the company, and you'll go to the sales office to contact your soldiers and ask them if they want computers."

Geng Zhiye opened his mouth in disbelief: "You, you, you want me to be a salesperson for you?"

Ye Fan nodded: "It's definitely higher than your salary in the army!"

Geng Zhiye didn't want to pay attention to her.

"There is no high or low in professions." Ye Fan said leisurely.

Geng Zhiye is deaf.

Ye Fan laughed: "What if I retire in a few years? I'll be on a business trip and you'll be traveling there?"

"That's good enough!" Geng Zhiye was barely satisfied, "Get me a bodyguard."

Ye Fan said without hesitation: "Of course, I'll carry your bag and book a hotel for you."

"Then the year after next."

"why?"

"There will be a general election at the end of next year and many positions will be shaken up. I'm sure many people will be eager for me to step down. It will be easier to get my application approved then."

Ye Fan didn't want to complain, but he was just wishful thinking. For Geng Zhihua's sake, the higher-ups wouldn't ask his brother to retire early. Geng Zhiye had embezzled money, received warnings, penalties, or his health didn't allow him to do so, but that was another story.

Because of the agreement to allow the army to do business, some messy things have happened in recent years. It's rare to find someone with a good image who doesn't fight or compete. It would be strange if the higher-ups don't squeeze him dry.

Ye Fan smiled and nodded: "Okay, I'll wait for you for two years."

Geng Zhiye calculated: "One year and ten months."

A sentence suddenly popped up in Ye Fan’s mind - plans cannot keep up with changes.

Since it is a change, it is unpredictable. There is no point in saying more now. Ye Fan swallowed it back and asked, "Where are we going to play?"

"Going on a trip?" Geng Zhiye asked.

Ye Fan: "No need for a physical examination? Have you not had a physical examination this year?"

"Then let's have a physical examination first." Geng Zhiye wanted to go out early, so he went to the hospital with Ye Fan early the next morning. Ye Fan did not have a physical examination last year, so he had to make up for it this year.

Yu Wentao was with them. Yu Wentao was old and worried that something might be found out, so she was very resistant and complained from the beginning to the end. Seeing that the doctor who was doing the physical examination looked okay, she calmed down on the way back.

The situation at the Ye family was similar. Chen Xiaohui had to persuade her parents to have a physical examination more than to give her daughter an injection. Chen Xiaohui wanted to yell several times. Every time this happened, she admired Ye Fan. She had never lost her temper over the years. Her core must be very stable.

There were many viruses in the hospital, so Ye Fan did not go to the hospital to get the results of the physical examination. On the day when Sun Laifu was off duty, he called home before leaving get off work and went straight to Ye Fan's house with the physical examination results.

Ye Fan's house had his and Geng Zhiqin's rooms, so Sun Laifu ate something and went to sleep. Geng Zhiqin brought his daughter over after class, and the family of three had lunch at Ye Fan's house before going back.

Yu Wentao only has some minor ailments. She just needs to take care of herself and does not need to take medicine or be hospitalized. Yu Wentao was very happy and personally made a sweet and sour pot-fried pork dish for her granddaughter.

However, half of the dish went into Sun Lai Fu's stomach.

If it were someone else's family, they would definitely think that Sun Laifu's prospective son-in-law was immature.

In the first few years of Sun Laifu and Geng Zhiqin's marriage, Ye Fan and Yu Wentao treated him very well, and he didn't dare to act like he was at home. Dabao called him "Laifu" without any respect, and almost put his arm around his shoulders and called him brother, but Ye Fan pretended not to see it. Such a relaxed atmosphere made Sun Laifu let down his guard, and when he heard Yu Wentao say "eat more if you like it", he ate more.

At first, Sun Laifu was afraid of Geng Zhiye, because he heard from his brother-in-law that Geng Zhiye had been a border guard for more than ten years and might have had his hands in some criminal activities. Later, he found that Geng Zhiye was serious and didn't talk much to him, but talked a lot with Ye Fan. Sun Laifu was amazed but didn't find him scary.

After dinner, Sun Laifu took the steamed buns and dumplings given by his mother-in-law back home, while Ye Fan and Geng Zhiye went to the company.

Less than ten minutes after arriving at the company, the director knocked on the door.

The director and Ye Fan were college classmates, but Ye Fan was ten years older than him. The director had no psychological burden to call her sister, so when he saw Geng Zhiye, he blurted out, "Is my brother-in-law here too?"

Those who don't know the truth will think that Fanhua Company is a family workshop when hearing this name. In fact, there is only one sister in the company, Ye Fan.

Geng Zhiye stood up: "What's up? I'll go upstairs and take a look."

Ye Fan gave his card to Geng Zhiye. Geng Zhiye was surprised: "You need to swipe the card again?"

"In the past, the technology was not good enough to swipe cards. Now you have to swipe cards to get in." Ye Fan asked the director, "Can we set up a few passages like the ones for entering the subway at the elevator entrance on the first floor?"

The director asked, "Do I need to swipe my card to get to the elevator? Yes. There are so many companies upstairs and downstairs, and the staff is too mixed."

Geng Zhiye was about to close the door when he heard this and said, "If someone didn't know, they would think you were from the National Security Bureau."

The director was stunned, and when he came to his senses, he looked at Ye Fan in confusion. Ye Fan chuckled, "Maybe in two years, the National Security Bureau will need our help."

The director opened his eyes wide in shock, looking like he didn't know that.

Geng Zhiye closed the door upon seeing this and asked, "Is this what you are looking for Ye Fan for?"

On the contrary, Ye Fan didn't understand and asked, "What's the matter?"

The director whispered, "Doesn't our company have a lot of experience in resisting intrusions? The Capital City Bureau wants us to pick a few people to share our experience and provide some technical support."

Ye Fan understood now, but she couldn't figure it out. The capital wasn't a remote town. "No, why didn't they look for the higher-ups?"

"It seems that there is not enough manpower up there, and I don't have time to stay there for a few days."

Ye Fan: "You can find a college."

Geng Zhiye said: "I didn't hear him say that. Experience! Who has nothing better to do than to attack university office computers?"

Ye Fan suddenly realized: "Right! Then you arrange it. You know everyone better than me."

Director: "I thought this was the first time the city wanted to cooperate with us, so we hoped that the software team leader would lead the team and select three employees. But once he left, we were leaderless."

Ye Fan raised his hand: "The software team currently does not need a team leader. From what I know, each one is more diligent than the other. If you don't have time to spend with your girlfriend, just bring your girlfriend to the company to work overtime with them."

The director's face changed drastically: "When did this happen? How can you let outsiders into the office?"

Ye Fan was careless: "Shouldn't we make such a low-level mistake?"

The director thought about the employees, all of whom graduated from key universities and there were no fools among them. They had all signed confidentiality contracts and they probably wouldn't bring anyone up there.

But what if?

"I'll go up and ask." said the director.

Ye Fan: "Wait a minute. Team Leader Liang wants to transfer to another position. I have no objection to him leading the team, but you should ask him if he wants to go. It won't work if he goes on strike passively when he gets there."

The director had a complicated expression, and seemed to want to say "You know", but after hesitating for a moment, he said nothing.

Geng Zhiye was confused: "What happened to him?"

"I guess I could tell that Team Leader Liang wanted to change his position, but I didn't expect him to actually give up the project dividends and talk to me about this."

Geng Zhiye was surprised: "There are still people who hate money? Are your employees so conscious?"

"Don't be sarcastic." Ye Fan said, "Team members go home from get off work every day, and he is embarrassed to play at home. Maybe his partner will not be happy with working three days a week, and he can only take a step back for the sake of family harmony. But this is not a small amount of money. In the future, when the children or the elderly get sick, or want to buy a good car, or change the building to a villa, he can't afford so much money. He will be angry, and his wife will complain about his low salary again, and she will definitely divorce him. A few days ago, he told me to change his job, and I advised him to divorce, but he thought I was provoking him."

Geng Zhiye thought to himself, isn’t that so?

"Newly married?"

Ye Fan couldn't remember clearly. The gift money was prepared by the secretary, who asked Geng Sensen to reimburse. Geng Sensen had Ye Fan's private account, and she happened to be away from the capital. If there was something that couldn't be done with the company's account, such as someone from a scientific research unit getting married or someone in the municipal government holding a wedding, Geng Sensen would take the money and go on behalf of Ye Fan.

There are so many people in the company that Ye Fan can barely remember who is getting married.

Ye Fan said: "I haven't heard that he has any children. The old man is not old enough to need them to take care of him. He has a house, money and savings. He lives a comfortable life. It's like a newlywed couple every day."

Geng Zhiye couldn't understand: "At such a young age, you don't want to struggle but want to enjoy yourself?" "Everyone has his own way of living." Ye Fan opened the phone and asked, "Are you still going up?"

Geng Zhiye sat down next to her: "He has said everything he wanted to say. There is no need for me to avoid him."

After staring at the computer for a few minutes, Geng Zhiye felt dizzy. He stood up, picked up a book, and lay on the sofa to kill time.

The director came in again and saw one lying down and the other sitting down. He felt an indescribable sense of disharmony. He sat down opposite Ye Fan and suddenly remembered that on TV, men were working and women were playing. This side was just the opposite. No wonder he felt it was strange.

When he thought about the heroines on TV who were fair-skinned, beautiful and virtuous, and who could make money by using any of their specialties and did not need to rely on the male protagonist, he understood why he did not like this kind of urban drama, because he did not like to watch useless protagonists with no ambition.

Ye Fan asked: "Have you found out?"

The director nodded. "The family members of the employees have never been up there. They are all at the reception on the first floor. Some of them are busy reading books and working, while others are chatting with the front desk. There are refreshments at the reception, and they are quite happy on the first floor. We leave together when we get off work."

Ye Fan felt relieved: "Where is Team Leader Liang?"

"Lao Liang is willing to go." The director frowned slightly, a little worried, "but he can't contact the outside world these days. If he needs to be busy for a week, his wife will be anxious and will most likely come to the company to ask you for him."

Ye Fan: "I'm not a neighborhood committee lady, you can come to me for anything."

The director asked, "I will lead the team myself?"

"Need not."

Ye Fan has two receptionists, one is smart, careful and thoughtful, and the other is very beautiful, which makes many customers who just pass by here go to the rest area on the first floor to stay for a while. But her temper is just like her original messy hair, and she becomes prickly before she finishes three sentences.

Ye Fan heard from Han Dawei's wife that other employees in the company didn't know she had a boyfriend and wanted to pursue her. She said she had a boyfriend, and when the other party heard that he was a salesperson, he told her to break up with her boyfriend and be with him. The girl first called him shameless and then slapped him. Fortunately, the security guard was quick to stop him, otherwise Ye Fan would have to go to the police station to rescue him.

Ye Fan said, "Go tell the front desk that the company has arranged for Team Leader Liang to go on a business trip. His wife knows about this. If she thinks Team Leader Liang has been gone for too long, she can ask the company to send him away."

The director couldn't help but clap his hands: "How could I forget about them. Lao Liang's wife is not an employee of the company. She can't get past the security guards without a work permit."

Ye Fan: "If she acts like a shrew, call the police."

"That's not necessary, right?"

Ye Fan was not joking, she was serious: "Without rules, there will be no order!"

In the past, the company only had a dozen people, and the director could look at everything at a glance. Now he can't even recognize all the software teams, and if there is no rule to restrain him, something bad will happen sooner or later.

Director: "I will remind Lao Liang to comfort the family members."

Geng Zhiye sat up and said, "You two are talking as if you have nothing to do." He put down the book and said, "Who is free—" Seeing the director's expression of "how do you know", Geng Zhiye was surprised, "Really no job? How can a top student who graduated from a prestigious university tolerate his wife being an unemployed vagrant?"

"He had a job before." The director and team leader Liang were classmates. They talked about each other's affairs when they had dinner together. "Isn't he busy? His wife has to take care of the family matters. His wife's annual salary is not as much as his project bonus, and she also has to look at the boss's face, so--" He gave Geng Zhiye a look, letting him understand.

Ye Fan asked, "You quit this year, right? No wonder you have time to cause trouble. You have nothing to do!"

The director also felt free, "Then shall I ask the front desk to come up?"

Ye Fan nodded slightly: "You arrange it. I will be away for a few days. If you are too busy, please ask Accountant Geng."

"If Lao Liang wants to change his job after he comes back, should we really let him do it?" asked the director.

Ye Fan sneered, "Just hold on for a few days." Then he remembered something, "Has no one in the company ever been divorced? Even if the divorce rate is low these days, it's impossible that there won't be one."

The director was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and after closing the door, he couldn't help shaking his head and laughing.

Seeing this, the secretary asked quietly, "What are you talking about?"

Director: "The boss said that no one in our company has ever been divorced. I wonder who will be the first one to do so."

The secretary blurted out: "Team Leader Liang!"

The director choked and said, "——Don't talk nonsense. With Lao Liang's conditions, his wife must have been crazy to divorce him."

The secretary shrugged, "If you don't believe me, forget it!" He couldn't help but add, "His wife looks like the receptionist, so it's possible that Team Leader Liang doesn't want to let her go. She's not very pretty, she's not considerate or gentle, and she doesn't have much money, so why would Team Leader Liang want to keep her? He's missing out on her."

The director couldn't help but think of his girlfriend, who was not as good as the two receptionists in terms of figure, appearance, and patience. But she was diligent, loved cooking and doing housework, had a boring personality but was knowledgeable, was a teacher with winter and summer vacations, and didn't mind living with her in-laws, so she must be very filial.

On the day of the blind date, the director asked her where she was going on vacation, and it turned out that she went hiking, visiting parks, libraries, or museums. The director wanted to stay away, but this was a group organized by Ye Fan, so he had to give face to the boss. During the meal, she complained that the dishes were flashy and tasted average, and the director agreed with her, making her mistakenly think that she had met a confidant and talked freely, and then the director discovered her other advantages.

Liang's wife can cook and do housework, but she can do it, not be good at it or like it. She is not outstanding in other aspects. Overall, she is just an ordinary office worker.

Team leader Liang is from another city, and his partner is from the capital. Unfortunately, his wife is not an only child, and his father-in-law's house and savings have nothing to do with him.

Team leader Liang settled in the capital early, so he didn't need to marry someone from the capital to stay here. And without the burden of children, divorce was as simple as getting a marriage certificate.

The more the director thought about it, the more he felt that what the secretary said made sense. "It is better to destroy ten temples than to break up a marriage!"

The secretary laughed: "How pedantic!"

The director waved his hand to indicate that he had nothing to say to her.

Ye Fan's office had good sound insulation and she could not hear any noise from outside. She kept silent and the office was very quiet. Before long, Geng Zhiye fell asleep.

Ye Fan wanted to wake him up, worried that he would not be sleepy at night. But when he thought about how exhausted he was in the army and how he would not get enough sleep even if he slept every day at home, he let him sleep until he woke up naturally.

Geng Zhiye got up, the setting sun shone in, and he asked, "Is it dawn?"

Ye Fan laughed: "Are you confused in your sleep? You can't confuse the morning and evening just because the sunset and sunrise are almost the same."

Geng Zhiye stood up and looked at the afterglow of the setting sun: "Why did I sleep for so long?"

Ye Fan looked at his watch: "How many hours have you slept? Are you still sleepy at night?"

"I still feel sleepy." Geng Zhiye actually wanted to take a nap, "I'll go wash my face."

Ye Fan: "Then I'll turn off the computer."

While cooking in the evening, Ye Fan asked her mother-in-law if she wanted to go out for a trip.

"You two go." Yu Wentao said without hesitation.

Ye Fan: "Ask Xiao Wang to accompany you. We'll be gone for five days, from Monday to Friday. Dabao and Erbao are at work, so there won't be many people at home."

"Is Sen Sen not a human being?" Yu Wentao said unhappily.

Ye Fan laughed and said, "Let him go back to the compound. It's boring for my sister-in-law to be alone at home, so let him take this opportunity to accompany her."

Yu Wentao: "Where are you going?"

"What about going to the grassland?" Ye Fan asked, "You don't seem to have been there before?"

Yu Wentao was very curious and asked Xiao Wang if he wanted to go.

Xiao Wang nodded subconsciously, and suddenly remembered something, "I don't know my partner yet."

Ye Fan: "Tell him about it later. Bring him a few pounds of beef jerky. He will definitely be very happy."

"Yes. I can bring him a gift." Xiao Wang decided to go, "Grandma, let's go together. If you don't go, I will stay and take care of you."

Yu Wentao wanted to say, you don't need to take care of him. But the nanny was originally hired for her. Ye Fan was usually easy to talk to, but sometimes he was stubborn. Besides, even if Ye Fan agreed to take Xiao Wang with him, Geng Zhiye would not agree. Yu Wentao understood Geng Zhiye and said, "Then let's go together."

"It may be colder over there than here, so bring two sets of thick clothes." Ye Fan gave instructions and asked Geng Zhiye to find the thick clothes that had been put away.

On the weekend, when all the children came back, Ye Fan took the opportunity to tell Dabao and Erbao that she was going out.

Ye Fan used to be very busy, and Dabao and Erbao saw it and didn't want their mother to work so hard all the time. They said "um" to show that they knew about it, and reminded her not to forget to bring them gifts.

The next morning, Erbao handed her Polaroid to Ye Fan again: "Take more photos of the scenery and the cattle, sheep and horses. Don't just take photos of you and Dad."

Geng Zhiye gave her a slap on the face.

Erbao drives her own car to work.

Geng Sensen now has a car, which is a birthday gift from Ye Fan. Geng Sensen drove to the company, and Ye Fan and his party also set off.

Since we were not in a hurry and did not plan to cross the whole grassland, we stopped to rest when we were tired and stayed in a hotel in the city at night. We were not tired after a few days, ate a lot of local specialties, and even tried horseback riding. Yu Wentao was very satisfied with the trip. On the way back, she could not help but tell Ye Fan that Huihui was not as good at planning as she was.

Ye Fan laughed: "Huihui was pregnant at that time, so she couldn't go to many places and couldn't eat many things."

"Yes. I forgot." Yu Wentao said, "Don't blame her."

Ye Fan: "Go to sleep. You'll be home when you wake up."

After a while, there was no movement from behind. Geng Zhiye looked back and saw that both of them were asleep. He whispered, "That's good. Neither of them is carsick."

Ye Fan: "I drive steadily."

Geng Zhiye admitted this, and the traffic jam caused by irregularities did not make Ye Fan brake urgently. The car was so comfortable that Geng Zhiye fell asleep before leaving the city.

Ye Fan asked: "Isn't it interesting?"

"This trip?" Geng Zhiye liked it very much, especially when he was riding a horse, it was more fun than flying a helicopter. "It's interesting. When I retire, we will come here once a year."

Ye Fanxin said, what a good plan.

"Okay." Ye Fan agreed readily. Geng Zhiye was very happy and smiled all the way.

After being away from home for a few days, the house was covered with a layer of dust. The next day, Geng Zhiye helped clean it while Ye Fan went to the company.

Seeing the man lying on the table in a daze, Ye Fan walked over. The receptionist hurriedly stood up and explained: "I'm not lazy, I just sat down."

(End of this chapter)