Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

The next morning, Ye Fan came back from the vegetable market and found that the roses planted by Liao Miaomiao were doing well. An idea popped into his mind. Maybe they would be useless for the next ten or twenty years, but there is a saying that goes "Those who plant trees will enjoy the shade".

When Ye Fan entered the house and saw Dabao and Erbao lying on the bench and whispering to each other, he asked Geng Zhiye to light a fire.

Geng Zhiye had just finished washing clothes. Dabao looked up: "Mom, Dad is tired."

"Good son!" Geng Zhiye touched his son's head happily. "To make a fire is to sit down and stare at the fire. Daddy is not tired. Go and play."

Dabao asked his sister to teach him Russian, and he taught his sister Tai Chi.

Three minutes later, the brother and sister decided to shake hands and make peace without making things difficult for each other.

Ye Fan heard the noise and glanced towards the living room. He was speechless but wanted to laugh: "They really know their own limitations."

Geng Zhiye saw porridge cooking on the stove: "Cooking vegetables so early in the morning?"

"No, but some pickles. I didn't buy any eggs, so I cooked a pound of shrimp." She put water in the pot and asked Geng Zhiye to start boiling it. She washed the green onions and ginger, then took a bowl to get some pickles and sprinkled sesame oil on them. "Now we don't need everyone to be on high alert, so what are those who are not on patrol duty doing?"

Geng Zhiye: "We? Training."

Ye Fan asked again: "What should we do with the discarded guns and other items?"

Geng Zhiye frowned slightly: "Are you trying to spy on military intelligence?"

Ye Fan: "Can't tell?"

Geng Zhiye nodded: "That's fine. I can't say more. It depends on the situation. For example, if it is dangerous when used, then destroy it. If it is just old, give it to the relevant department."

Ye Fan asked curiously: "Are there no certain areas?"

Geng Zhiye shook his head: "They look down on our things. They think we are backward and look like they have just been unearthed."

Seeing that he was uncomfortable when he mentioned the firepower issue, Ye Fan got down to business, "What about blasting the mountain and quarrying stones to help the fishermen pave the road?" He then said something to prove that he was not just thinking on a whim, "It doesn't have to be like a national highway. Just fill in the potholes with stones. In the future, it will be convenient for you to buy fruits, vegetables, chickens, fish, meat and eggs, and the fishermen won't be unable to move when it rains like they are now."

Geng Zhiye hesitated for a moment. He could file a report, and the higher-ups would not object. The problem was that he was as annoyed with the commune secretary as Ye Fan was. Besides, it was not a good deal to rush to help. Moreover, the commune secretary was the parent official of Hengshan Island, and the leadership of Hengshan Commune should seek his cooperation in this matter.

Geng Zhiye said: "The people's soldiers should help the people. But suddenly coming to cooperate with others, don't you think it's like trying to please others?"

Ye Fan: "Did the driver ever complain about the difficulty of driving on the mountain road?"

Geng Zhiye didn't know. He was busy arranging patrols and training before the New Year, and he didn't have time to relax after the New Year. Baldy died, and Geng Zhiye only dared to come back for lunch at noon, and he slept in the duty room at night and wished he could open his eyes.

Geng Zhiye asked: "And then?"

Ye Fan: "When the driver goes to the village to pick up bayberries or other things, you can go with him and take a look. If the road is bumpy, you can take the opportunity to ask the captain if he wants to fix it."

Geng Zhiye: "Who told you anything?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "The higher-ups told you to guard the island, and you just stare at the sea all day long?"

Compared with his comrades at the headquarters, life on the island was quiet and comfortable. Geng Zhiye was not used to it. Even though he was on duty and training frequently, he felt like he was wasting his time. If he stayed on the island for a few years and did nothing during that time, Geng Zhiye was sure that he would be out of touch with the main force.

But Geng Zhiye never told anyone how boring the island was. Sometimes he even envied other comrades who were self-sufficient - growing vegetables and raising pigs.

"It's rare to have a few years of peace and quiet, it's nice." Geng Zhiye said this deliberately.

Ye Fan was surprised: "Do you really think so?"

Geng Zhiye deliberately said, "We have been living apart for several years since we got married. Do you know what I think?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "My intuition tells me that you are not satisfied with the current situation."

Geng Zhiye finally couldn't help but smile.

Ye Fan stepped on his foot: "Are you teasing me for fun?"

Geng Zhiye jumped up and down: "Murdering my husband!"

"Does it hurt?" Ye Fan asked. "Of course it hurts. Don't tease me anymore next time. But by the way, do you think Political Commissar Liao and Captain Niu Fu would agree to this?"

Geng Zhiye thought for a while: "Lao Niu is fine. When he heard that Baldy had died a few days ago, he was very excited. He asked me how many guys I had and whether I could adapt to the situation. If I hadn't stopped him, he would have dared to drive a ship to the island to pay his respects that day. But at that time, Baldy's son must have been on guard against us--" Suddenly he understood why it was so quiet over there. It turned out that they were afraid that the other side would take the opportunity to cause trouble these days.

Seeing him suddenly stop talking, Ye Fan couldn't help but ask, "So, is this feasible?"

Geng Zhiye: “It should be possible, but not so fast.”

Ye Fan: "I know. How can you say that wind is rain?"

Geng Zhiye nodded: "Then I'll talk to the driver some other day."

That being said, after lunch, when Geng Zhiye arrived at the army, he moved a few steps towards the kitchen squad and saw two transport vehicles. He paused for a few dozen seconds, looking at something from a distance as if he was thinking about it, and then walked towards the transport vehicles.

He walked to the rear of the car, and the cooks who were busy unloading vegetables and seafood stood at attention and saluted. Geng Zhiye saluted back, signaling them to continue, and then asked the driver: "I heard that the mountain road is difficult to drive on, and it is possible to overturn if you are not careful?"

The driver was stunned for a moment before he realized that the leader cared about him. However, the driver thought that he should not cause trouble to the leader, saying that his skills were good enough and crossing mountains and hills was no problem.

Geng Zhiye immediately thought that the military drivers were all very good, and it would be a waste of talent to transfer them to local factories. Geng Zhiye asked what happened to the rainy day.

The driver immediately thought of the saying "every household has rain during the plum rain season", and the regiment commander must be worried that the kitchen staff will run out of food if it rains for a few days. The regiment commander is the regiment commander, and he is far-sighted. The driver believed that such weather would not be a problem for him, but he was worried that the food would be wasted due to the bumpy ride, so he said that there were two sections of the road that were a bit troublesome.

Geng Zhiye took the opportunity to say that he would go back with him to take a look, and reminded him to get enough rest before going to the training ground.

Before he could even walk away, the driver couldn't help but say to the cook, "The commander is so nice."

The cook said: "The regiment commander is only 34 years old this year. The leader must have something extraordinary to allow him to come here."

The driver nodded: "I used to think that he was able to outshine Captain Niu because of his high education and his parents being veteran revolutionaries."

The cook: "Did you hear what those old ladies said? Is it really because of these things that Captain Niu's temper will make him follow his lead?"

The driver suddenly realized: "I think it was the day before yesterday or the day before yesterday that I saw Captain Niu driving a three-wheeled motorcycle to take the captain and the political commissar home."

Cook: "No chief of staff?"

Seeing that several people were chatting outside, the old squad leader couldn't help but come out and yell, "Move your stuff!"

The driver hurriedly said, "He's on vacation. It was just a few days ago. I went into the village to get vegetables and heard a fisherman say that the chief of staff left on his boat." After saying that, he handed the basket of vegetables to the cook.

The old squad leader was carrying a basket of vegetables: "Don't talk about the army outside. Just because strangers can't come in doesn't mean that everyone on the island is good."

Several people quickly assured that they had not said that, as they knew that there were people with bad intentions everywhere.

Geng Zhiye returned to the office and saw Deputy Regiment Commander Niu. He deliberately asked the political commissar. When Deputy Regiment Commander Niu heard this, he knew that the regiment commander had something to ask the political commissar. He was very curious and asked what it was and asked him to tell him.

Captain Niu was a very traditional man who believed that women should stay at home to do laundry, cook and take care of children, and should not get involved in men's affairs. Geng Zhiye knew him well, so of course he couldn't mention Ye Fan. He said that he heard from the driver that some sections of the road were difficult to travel, so he discussed with the political commissar to ask for instructions from above, and the military and civilians should cooperate to build the road, which would benefit both the people and themselves.

Captain Niu said without hesitation: "Good! I will go find the political commissar."

Political Commissar Liao thought that Geng Zhiye was just acting on his own accord. But this matter was indeed convenient for both himself and others. Political Commissar Liao had no objection, so Geng Zhiye immediately wrote a report. After it was finished, he asked the political commissar with the best writing skills to help him polish it before submitting it.

It rained a few days later, and Geng Zhiye followed the driver who was transporting vegetables. There was a section of the road that was particularly difficult to drive, just like encountering big waves on the sea. After passing that section of the road, even though Geng Zhiye was mentally prepared, he still felt scared.

Geng Zhiye asked the driver if he had ever worried about the tire getting stuck. The driver had experienced this once, saying that after a typhoon last year, there was a lot of water on the road. Fortunately, the car was empty at the time, and he met fishermen who were going to the sea. The fishermen moved stones and helped push the car out.

Geng Zhiye nodded thoughtfully, but said nothing.

When they arrived at the village, the team leader weighed the land and the members who worked on the farm helped to load the land onto the truck. Geng Zhiye complained to the team leader that the road was too narrow and difficult to drive on. The team leader smiled bitterly and said that there were no transport trucks on the island before, and the widest vehicles were hand tractors, so they had never thought of widening the road. It just so happened that the members who worked on the farm had been free recently, so he asked everyone to repair the road.

Geng Zhiye pondered for a moment and asked which mountain could be blown up. The army would provide explosives and could also select a company to help the team transport rocks and stones.

Where can I find such a good thing? It's like pie in the sky! The captain held Geng Zhiye's hand with both hands to express his gratitude. Geng Zhiye shook his head slightly: "It's convenient for others, and it's convenient for myself." The captain stubbornly said thank you a few more times before letting go.

On the way back, the driver asked, "Captain, before you came here, did you want to ask the villagers to help us build the road if it was difficult to travel?"

Geng Zhiye nodded: "But we can't say it directly. Even if they walk every day and we walk every few days, and it was us who proposed to build the road, there are still many people who think that the road was built for us."

The driver didn't understand, but when he thought about how excited the captain was, he believed Geng Zhiye's words without a doubt.

Less than five days after the incident, the commune leadership team approached the army and asked them to provide more explosives. There were still several places where the roads were blocked. These days, seafood was transported to the food factory by people or bicycles. But bicycles were expensive, and each brigade had only one or two, which was not affordable.

Geng Zhiye did not show up, but asked Political Commissar Liao to practice Tai Chi with them. It was estimated that after five years of the road being repaired, everyone on Hengshan Island would be grateful to the troops, and Political Commissar Liao finally relented. After seeing off the leadership of Hengshan Commune, Political Commissar Liao went to his office and asked Geng Zhiye why he deliberately made things difficult for them.

Geng Zhiye: "If something is too easy to obtain, people will not know how to cherish it. If it is completed today, they may claim it as their own achievement tomorrow. This is still good. I am afraid they will turn around and say that we conscripted men to build the road."

Political Commissar Liao thought about the simple clothes of the people and said, "Not really, right?"

Geng Zhiye glanced at him and said, "A little bit of rice is a favor, a big bit of rice is a grudge. Do you think what the ancestors said is a joke? I'm telling you, if it were someone else today, I wouldn't ask you to come out. As the commune secretary, I have no choice but to do this."

Political Commissar Liao: "Because Accountant Ye was kind enough to ask him to set up a factory, he still thinks Accountant Ye is a young man messing around?"

Geng Zhiye was shocked: "How did you know?"

Political Commissar Liao sat down and took a sip of water. "There are no secrets on the island. Your sister-in-law heard it from the workers at the vegetable market. She also said that Su Yuanhang and his father almost had a fight because of this. Isn't it just a rumor?"

Geng Zhiye shook his head, "That's true. Secretary Su is old enough to be my father or uncle. If it weren't for the fact that this matter is difficult to handle, he would really dare to use us as Su Yuanhang's servants. You can reason with them, but they insist on being right. Then it will be like a soldier meeting a scholar, and it will be difficult to explain even if you are right." After that, he stood up and said, "Ask Lao Niu to make arrangements."

Captain Niu pushed the door open and it hit the wall with a loud bang. Geng Zhiye was so frightened that he almost lost his balance. He yelled at him angrily, "You fix it if it's broken?"

Deputy Regiment Commander Niu felt guilty and walked around to Political Commissar Liao to drink water from his enamel pot. Political Commissar Liao said disdainfully: "Do you have any regard for hygiene?"

"What a fuss!" When Deputy Captain Niu saw that Geng Zhiye had no intention of shooting him or punching him, he laughed and said that he forgot that the door was made of wood.

Geng Zhiye sat down: "What's the matter?"

Captain Niu: "We have finished counting the things that can be used. When will we start?"

Geng Zhiye was speechless: "We are just blowing up a mountain, not a bunker!" He glanced at him and asked Political Commissar Liao to lead the team, "Be sure to notify every member. When the children are sent to school, a cordon must be set up. Before the bombing, go up the mountain to check again to make sure all members are at the foot of the mountain."

Deputy Head Niu couldn't help but say: "It's just a small matter——"

Geng Zhiye looked at him, and Captain Niu immediately said, "I will obey orders and follow instructions!"

The next day, Dabao took out a pen to do his homework. He didn't have to do it after school. There was a rumble, and Dabao dropped his pen on the ground in fear. The teacher hurriedly told the students to hide under the table. She also squatted down with her head in her hands. However, there was no earthquake, no house collapse, and no sound of planes dropping bombs. The teacher realized something and was very embarrassed: "It's okay, sit down."

Dabao remembered that his father told his mother not to go up the mountain in the next few days, because there might be rocks falling down: "Teacher, are there rocks being blasted on the mountain?"

The teacher nodded and said, "Teacher forgot that there is a regiment on our island and the enemy can't come up. Don't be afraid, just read the book. I'll go out and take a look."

My deskmate waited for the teacher to leave and then asked quietly, "Geng Yanyan, was it your dad who fried it?"

Dabao shook his head: "My dad didn't go up the mountain. My dad went home at noon." In fact, he felt uncertain and uneasy.

When he ran home and saw his father was at home, Dabao breathed a sigh of relief, smiled and shouted, "Dad!"

Geng Zhiye picked up his son and asked, "Do you miss your dad after not seeing him for a while?"

Dabao hugged his neck and pointed at the distant mountains: "Dad, are you still bombing?"

Geng Zhiye nodded: "There will be more in the afternoon. But not here." He pointed to the west, "It's seven or eight miles away from here. We will bomb again tomorrow."

Ye Fan came in carrying vegetables and holding Erbao just in time to hear the last sentence: "Still frying tomorrow?"

Geng Zhiye: "In some places, only people can walk on the road, and wooden carts cannot pass through. We should take this opportunity to widen the road."

Ye Fan: "Will there be rocks falling down?"

Geng Zhiye nodded: "They have a way, it seems to be fixed with a rattan net. When we have money in the future, we can use cement to build it." He put Dabao down and took the dishes, "Why are you later than me today?"

Erbao went to show off and play with her dad.

Dabao was envious, Geng Zhiye was puzzled, and the father and son looked at Ye Fan and asked him if he was not at the food factory.

Ye Fan walked towards the house and said, "Doesn't the Lotus Brigade grow lotus roots? This year they decided to set aside a piece of land to grow lotus seeds. I have nothing to do these few days, so they asked me to go over and take a look."

Dabao was no longer envious.

Geng Zhiye: "You don't know how to grow crops."

Ye Fan: "Tell me to appreciate the endless green lotus leaves. Maybe it's telling me with practical actions that they are very obedient. I must help them sell the lotus seeds."

Geng Zhiye: "I don't remember my family ever making lotus seeds. Does anyone want some?"

Ye Fan nodded: "Not many. I'm sure. They are worried because they think that people can't even get enough food to eat, so who will buy lotus seeds?"

Dabao couldn't help but say, "Mom is so awesome."

Geng Zhiye subconsciously looked at his son, and Dabao immediately said, "Dad is amazing too."

Geng Zhiye was speechless and amused: "You. Play with your sister in the living room. We are cooking."

After dinner, Geng Zhiye went next door to find Political Commissar Liao and went with him to take a look at the place where the mountain was blasted before returning to the army.

Geng Zhiye didn't ask any company to repair the road every day. He would ask whichever company didn't need to be on duty for patrol. Thousands of people took turns to do it, and they didn't feel tired even after two months of hard work.

The main road that was often used was repaired, but there were still a lot of mountain stones. Geng Zhiye lent the transport trucks to each brigade, and each brigade pulled a few trucks of gravel to pave the low-lying areas in the village. The family compound originally belonged to the Shanxi Brigade. The road was a gravel road, but it was not flat - it was pressed by people's carts when it rained every year. The Shanxi Brigade had never known how to thank Ye Fan, so they took this opportunity to pull two trucks of gravel to pave the places where water easily accumulated. It looked ugly when it was first paved, but after the typhoon in August of the Gregorian calendar, the road was clean after being washed by rain a few times. When the sun came out, Liao Miaomiao could play shuttlecock at the door.

Ye Fan folded a few paper airplanes, and Dabao and Erbao were playing with the airplanes at the door.

When Political Commissar Liao's wife Zhuang Qiuyue saw Ye Fan watching the child on the roadside, she came over with some wool and said while knitting: "Old Liao said that Commander Geng said anything to trick him into building the road. I said he was not as thoughtful as Commander Geng. He also said that Commander Geng was just bored. Isn't that good?"

The air is fresh after the rain, and people are in a very good mood. Liao Miaomiao came over and said, "Mom, it would be better if we planted more flowers. Look—" pointing to Ye Fan's yard, "Look how beautiful it is. It's a pity that they were all destroyed by the typhoon."

Ye Fan: "There are still flower buds, they will bloom in a few days."

Liao Miaomiao was happy again: "Mom, can you plant some more?"

The heavy rain for several days in a row brought the temperature down. The air outside the house was fresh. The chief of staff's wife also came out of the house and walked towards Ye Fan: "I didn't feel it a few months ago. It's nice to be able to see flowers when I go out recently."

Ye Fan: "Will you plant some next year? It won't be a problem if you plant it outside the yard."

Liu Guihua came from the alley and told Ye Fan that her family also planted some crops, then pointed at the alley and said, "It's so clean after the rain. A few days ago, my daughter said that the stone road was hard to walk on. If it weren't for these stones, I wouldn't dare to go out today. I would step into the mud if I wasn't careful."

Ye Fan nodded and said he would leave flower seeds for her next year.

Liu Guihua asked: "My husband Niu will be on vacation in a few days. When will Captain Geng take vacation this year?"

Zhuang Qiuyue couldn't help but say, "After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lao Liao will take a vacation. If Captain Geng doesn't take a vacation, he won't have time this year."

Dabao was immediately anxious: "Mom, Dad is on vacation, what should I do? Am I not going to school anymore?"

Ye Fan: "You can ask for leave."

Dabao shook his head and refused: "No. I have winter and summer vacations, I can't take leave!"

Ye Fanxin said that you are only in the first grade: "You are right to think so. But your father was too busy these days and he really needs a rest. But we are not going back to the capital, grandma will come over."

(End of this chapter)