Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

Chen Kuanren was so angry that he jumped up and down.

Geng Zhiye subconsciously hid Ye Fan behind him. The eldest brother of the Ye family held Chen Kuanren's arm and said, "Uncle, calm down. No matter how many faults Ye Fan has, he is still your biological son."

Chen Kuanren's arm hurt, but he dared not stop, but he still said stubbornly: "I dare not want such a powerful daughter!"

Ye Fan grabbed Geng Zhiye's shoulders, revealing half of his head, and said with an infuriating smile: "So you threw me away."

"You——" Chen Kuanren was so angry that his face turned red, his neck became thick, his chest felt stuffy and he felt short of breath.

Geng Zhiye pushed Ye Fan's head back and asked, "What should we do now?"

Mrs. Ye said that she would accompany her mother to Shanghai tomorrow to register Xiaohui's household registration.

Geng Zhiye frowned: "You and mom, the two of you?" He turned around and asked Ye Fan, "You're not going?"

"It's useless for me to go. I have a pure character and I don't look like them. There is no scientific basis for blood test. No one saw what they did except themselves. If I say my last name is Chen, will the police believe me?"

Zhao Ruping said angrily, "Don't start talking like that."

Ye Fan said sarcastically: "You threw me away, and you don't allow me to be angry?"

"If it weren't for us, would you have grown this big?" Zhao Ruping couldn't help but ask.

Ye Fan chuckled: "Finally told the truth."

Zhao Ruping wanted to ask her what she said, but when she thought about it, her face suddenly changed and she stammered, "I, I was mad at you!"

"Forget it. Just lie to yourself." Ye Fan asked Geng Zhiye: "How many days of vacation do you have left?"

Soldiers whose spouses are separated from each other can take more days off than unmarried soldiers or soldiers whose families can accompany them. But Geng Zhiye's situation is special. He is now the top leader on the island and cannot leave for too long. "Half a month."

"That's enough." Ye Fan patted his shoulder as if he was entrusted with an important task: "Don't let the organization down."

Geng Zhiye was amused by her. He stood at attention and saluted: "Madam, rest assured, I will complete the task!"

Tao Chunlan's eyebrows relaxed, and Ye's father's serious face smiled. He scolded, "Nonsense!" Without waiting for Geng Zhiye to say anything, "Have you eaten?"

The eldest sister-in-law of the Ye family said, "What can we eat on the train? I'll go cook some noodles." She wanted to ask Ye Fan if he was hungry, but she changed her mind and said, "Xiao Hui, you must be hungry, right? Uncle and Aunt haven't eaten either, right? I'll make some more."

Chen Xiaohui felt like an outsider, and just like in her previous life, she was out of tune with this family. Suddenly she heard her name, and was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses: "I, I'll help you."

"It doesn't take so many people to cook noodles." The eldest sister-in-law of the Ye family asked her husband to pick the vegetables.

The Ye family used to grow a lot of flowers in their yard, but when the country was in trouble and everyone was living frugally, Tao Chunlan pulled out the flowers and started growing vegetables. In the most difficult years, she also planted a field of sweet potatoes, spring sweet potatoes followed by autumn sweet potatoes, with a high yield, and both the stems and leaves could be eaten, which helped many relatives and neighbors.

Tao Chunlan asked Geng Zhiye to go back to the house to change clothes and wait for the noodles.

Geng Zhiye closed the door, threw his luggage onto a chair, and hugged his wife: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Ye Fan hugged his neck and said, "I'm not afraid. Those two wanted me to go back to Shanghai to meet relatives and friends. How shameless. But they abandoned me because they were afraid they couldn't support me. Fortunately, they are my parents. If they were a little poorer, I would have turned into a pile of dirt long ago."

"We're not going back."

Ye Fan nodded: "I said, I am the daughter-in-law of the Geng family."

"Change your surname to Geng?"

Ye Fan twisted his playful face and said, "I don't know what Chen Xiaohui is thinking. I told her clearly that Chen Kuanren switched us with bad intentions, causing her to suffer in the Chen family for so many years. But she still can't bear to leave the Chen family. Maybe both sides want to catch her, and she never mentioned changing her surname. There's no need to change it."

"Do you mean she still wants to continue the relationship?" Geng Zhiye frowned.

Ye Fan couldn't figure it out: "It seems like he is afraid of them, as if he has something on them."

"did not ask?"

Ye Fan rolled his eyes speechlessly: "How can I ask in such an awkward position? I don't know if it's an illusion, but I feel that she is a little confused. If I say one more word, she might suspect that I hate her and don't want to return my parents to her. But how is that possible? I wish I had more sisters, so that my parents can have someone to help them when they are sick and hospitalized."

"My daughter Fanfan is smart and clever, with a long-term vision. You ordinary people cannot compare to her." Geng Zhiye lowered his head and kissed her on the face.

Ye Fan twisted his face and pulled his head away: "Stop it. Change your clothes! You stink!"

"The stinky one is yours too." Geng Zhiye pecked the corner of her mouth and quickly dodged.

Ye Fan opened the closet to look for clothes: "What's in the bag? Didn't you say that there are clothes and shoes at home, so I don't need to bring anything?"

"A toiletry bag and some food for the two kids, as well as some seafood—" Geng Zhiye took the clothes that flew over, "Where are Dabao and Erbao?"

Ye Fan: "Finally I remembered them. At your dad's house."

Geng Zhiye slowed down his changing of clothes and asked, "If you can't take care of him, why don't you ask Xiaoqin to take care of him for a few days?"

Xiaoqin's real name is Geng Zhiqin. She is Ye Fan's sister-in-law, 20 years old, and Geng Zhiye's half-sister.

The situation of Geng's family is not complicated. Geng Zhiye has two older brothers, and his eldest brother is also a half-brother. After his mother died heroically, the organization introduced a female comrade to his father, who gave birth to Geng Zhiye and his second brother.

The three brothers were born in a time of war, and there was not much food stored in the base behind enemy lines. The female comrades of that era were very simple and impartial, and conditions did not allow them to favor the older ones over the younger ones, so the three brothers had a good relationship.

Geng Zhiye's mother died at dawn after working so hard that she became ill. The organization saw that all the people were men, young and old, and no one sewed their torn socks, so they introduced a female comrade to Geng's father, who was Geng Zhiqin's mother, Yu Wentao.

When Yu Wentao married into the Geng family, the eldest brother was already 18 years old. In front of his father, the eldest brother of the Geng family pointed out bluntly that you couldn't marry Geng because he was old. You wanted him to have a high salary and good benefits, but we wanted you to be young and take care of our father and two younger brothers. If you stay in your place and abide by the law, you will have no worries about food and drink in this life. You are making trouble out of nothing. It's easy for me to get you in, but it's hard for me to get you out.

Yu Wentao burst into tears on the spot. Geng's father told his eldest son to shut up and explained to his young wife earnestly that he was often not at home and had no time to look after the three children. He said he could beat up the three brothers now, but what would you do when he was gone?

Geng Zhiye was 11 years old at the time, still childish, and said that his elder brother was a villain first and a gentleman later. Geng Zhiye had a fair face and looked well-behaved. Yu Wentao thought that this child would not lie, and the knot in her heart disappeared instantly.

Two years later, Geng Zhiqin was born. The brown sugar and eggs in the family were all used by the new mother. Geng Zhiye's grandmother and aunt also came to visit her. Yu Wentao was happy in the Geng family. She had a good temper and was very devoted to her husband and children. Unfortunately, this situation only lasted for six or seven years.

That year, Geng's father had to retire due to health reasons. Although he was not completely forgotten, Yu Wentao clearly felt that she was not as popular as before.

Geng Zhiqin was 13 years old that year. Seeing that the college entrance examination had been suspended, when Geng Zhiqin was 16 or 17 years old, he would have to go to the countryside. Yu Wentao was reluctant to let him go and wanted to push Geng Zhiye out for marriage. It was possible that God would reward those who worked hard, or it was possible that Geng Zhiye and Ye Fan were destined to be together, so Yu Wentao bumped into Tao Chunlan. The four members of the Ye family all had jobs, and they were in different units. Yu Wentao felt that it would not be difficult to squeeze Geng Zhiqin in.

As the saying goes, you can't put all your eggs in one basket. Yu Wentao was afraid that someone more powerful than the Ye family would take her daughter's job away. Geng Zhiqin had just turned sixteen, and she was busy arranging a marriage for her daughter.

Geng's father and Geng's elder brother's mother are from the same hometown. The father and son have often helped their relatives in their hometown. A few years ago, Geng's father returned to his hometown to worship his ancestors. The villagers were so excited that they cried when they saw him. Geng's father and Geng Zhiye's elder brother both said that they could arrange for Geng Zhiqin to return to his hometown. Getting married at the age of 17 or 18 is a joke. Yu Wentao strongly opposed it and said without thinking, "If you don't feel sorry for me, I will. You don't need to worry about my daughter."

Perhaps the current situation has made her feel uneasy, and she has become more and more disgusted with the poor and in love with the rich in recent years.

The only thing to be thankful for is that Yu Wentao just retired this year and usually has no time to discipline her daughter. Geng Zhiqin lived with her eldest sister-in-law before she was ten years old. When her eldest sister-in-law and eldest brother were transferred to another place, she lived with her second brother and second sister-in-law. Ye Fan had money and was willing to buy food and daily necessities. Every time he went back, he would buy a big bag. Yu Wentao wanted her daughter to have a good relationship with Ye Fan. Under the subtle influence of several sisters-in-law, she did not get infected with her mother's shortcomings.

A few days before Ye Fan married Geng Zhiye, a distant cousin of Ye's wife said that the Ye family's supply and marketing cooperative in Xihaidian was short of an accountant. It had rained heavily a few days ago and the roads were slippery, so the old accountant fell and was injured. At best he would have to recuperate for half a year, or at worst he would have to retire.

Ye Fan learned Russian at school and was pretty good at counting beads on an abacus. She also taught Ye Fan a few words of English in the past two years, so he knew a lot. But Ye Fan was only 20 years old and had never worked as an accountant. Ye's eldest sister-in-law seriously doubted whether he could do it.

Mrs. Ye’s cousin said that if the other person was in a hurry, it would be like a blind cat catching a dead mouse, which would be what Ye Fan encountered.

The work at the supply and marketing cooperative was simple, and Ye Fan was able to do it when he was in college in his previous life, not to mention that he had been working in society for more than ten years. The director of the supply and marketing cooperative originally felt that the Ye family was "bullying others with their power", and tried to make things difficult for him personally, but was not able to make things difficult for him and was calmed down by Ye Fan. He agreed on the spot to keep Ye Fan, but he had to have a three-month internship period.

A month later, the director of the supply and marketing cooperative reported that Ye Fan was promoted to a regular employee. After being promoted, Ye Fan took advantage of a loophole in the regulations and drove a three-wheeled motorcycle to the agricultural and sideline products purchasing station to collect chickens, ducks, geese, fruits and vegetables.

The villagers had no problem selling their crops, and they grew vegetables in front of and behind their houses. The lazy people were no longer lazy, and went up the mountain to pick chestnuts, walnuts, and hawthorns. If there were too many hawthorns to sell, they would cut them up and dry them, and then sell them as dried hawthorns.

The supply and marketing cooperative never lacked peaches, pears, and apples when they were on the market. In winter, there were also sweet potatoes, dried mushrooms, and fungus. In the six months since Ye Fan took office, the supply and marketing cooperative was crowded with people every day except on rainy and snowy days. At the end of the year, the supply and marketing cooperative she worked for made twice as much money as other cooperatives.

Someone at the purchasing station had sued Ye Fan, but the things Ye Fan bought were the leftovers from the purchasing station. The purchasing station was raising a big banner, so Ye Fan asked, "As the successor of socialism, do you want the vegetables that the villagers have worked so hard to grow to rot in your hands?"

Ye Fan was not engaged in speculation or profiteering, and she did not embezzle a single penny from the public money. The people who sued her were a little scared of the Ye family because of their high status, and they really could not find any evidence, so they could only let her ride her three-wheeled motorcycle around in front of them every day.

The supply and marketing cooperative had a room set aside to sell agricultural and sideline products, but they were short of manpower. Ye Fan naturally pushed her sister-in-law in. Fearing that people would gossip about her, the girl couldn't stand it. Ye Fan also hoped that she would go to college in the future and find a more relaxed and decent job, so he asked her to be a temporary worker.

Yu Wentao, a temporary worker, was satisfied with the protection of her family. She was not in a hurry to marry her daughter off, and she started to be picky. Either the in-laws in this family were difficult to get along with, or there was a powerful sister-in-law in that family. She also said that she would not mention Lao Geng, and that those with less pension than her would not be allowed. She did not even need to mention those whose parents did not have pensions.

But it was not only Yu Wentao who was reluctant to let her daughter go to the countryside. Other families also considered employment and military service first, and then marriage. There were too many monks and too little porridge. There were not so many young talents waiting for Yu Wentao to choose.

Yu Wentao picked someone who was satisfactory in terms of family and work, but she complained that the person was ugly.

Geng's father had many shrapnel in his body and was in poor health so he didn't care about Yu Wentao. Yu Wentao felt that the old man supported her. Occasionally, Geng's father scolded her, and she cried that she only had one daughter and no one to rely on in her old age.

Yu Wentao was noisy, and Geng's father was worried that if he died first, his son and daughter-in-law would kick her out, so he could only let her continue to bully others.

Tao Chunlan was worried that her daughter would not be able to get used to living in her husband's home. This was also because she had come into contact with Yu Wentao several times before and after Ye Fan's marriage and discovered that she had many problems.

Geng Zhiye got out of the car and went straight to his father-in-law's house, because he didn't want to see his father who was pretending to be deaf and dumb and trying to smooth things over, and his stepmother who was getting more and more confused with age.

Ye Fan: "Xiao Qin has to go to work. Aunt Yu doesn't know about this yet, so she doesn't dare to say anything nonsense in front of Dabao and Erbao."

"The reason my father-in-law, my elder brother, and my sister-in-law asked for leave is because you and Chen Xiaohui had the wrong child, right? It will be all over the place in a week. When I come back from Shanghai and get her a hukou, reporters from second-rate newspapers will come to interview you."

"By the time it gets to the newspaper, I'll have gone to the island with you."

Geng Zhiye stopped buckling his belt and asked, "What are you going to do?"

"With the army." Ye Fan rolled his eyes at him, "Are you so shocked?"

Geng Zhiye hurriedly buckled his belt and pulled her into his arms: "Did my father-in-law agree?"

Ye Fan: "Dad never objected, but Mom felt that Erbao was too young and couldn't adapt to life on the island. If he got sick, we wouldn't be able to send him to a big hospital in time. My eldest brother and his wife weren't afraid that I would suffer over there. If I left, there would be no elderly people to take care of me at home, and Mom would have to urge my sister-in-law to have a baby every day when she's free. My sister-in-law is already thirty years old."

"It's time for your sister-in-law to give birth."

Ye Fan shook his head: "Sister-in-law said that she would live with us when she gets old so that we can take care of each other. If she gets sick and is hospitalized, she can hire a nurse. If she dies in front of us, we will help her cremate. If she dies behind us, we will leave the funeral arrangements to Dabao and Erbao. If things don't work out, she still has nephews and nieces."

"Your mother doesn't think so."

Ye Fan smiled: "Isn't Chen Xiaohui here?"

Geng Zhiye nodded in agreement: "Indeed, I think this person is enough to worry my mother-in-law."

"Stop making sarcastic remarks. Get up!" Ye Fan pushed his hand away, "You still smell like something?"

Geng Zhiye: "First I took a fishing boat to land, then took a fellow villager's tractor to the bus station, then took a bus to the train station. The train stopped and started for two days, and then I took the bus again when I came back. It would be strange if it didn't have any fun."

"Thank you for your hard work, Captain Geng." Ye Fan touched his face. "It's rough."

Geng Zhiye held her hand and said, "I think of you."

Ye Fan shrugged and shuddered: "I really should let your stepmother see what kind of person you are. Then she won't mention you when she's looking for a date for Xiaoqin."

"Didn't they say before that having regular facial features was enough?"

"Her good looks basically mean thick eyebrows, big eyes and a handsome appearance. The weekend I received your letter, I took Dabao and Erbao back home and told her and your dad that you would be on vacation in a few days. I happened to see her bringing Xiaoqin back from a blind date. Xiaoqin thought it was okay. Guess what she said?"

"Is she stingy and doesn't like cleanliness? She agreed to let Xiaoqin meet her, so her family and personal conditions must be acceptable."

Ye Fan nodded, "He started scolding Xiao Qin as soon as he came in. He's not as tall as your third brother, and has a worse temper than him. Saying a word to him is like begging him. He doesn't even take a basin of water to reflect on himself. He has no shame, no knowledge, and he still wants to find someone like your third sister-in-law. Dream on!"

Geng Zhiye could imagine his stepmother pointing at his sister's nose and pouting with disdain when she said this: "Ignore her. Xiaoqin is only twenty, not very old."

"Tell me the truth, you were already 26 when you went on a blind date with me. Was it because she was too troublesome?"

Geng Zhiye: "Not entirely. I was in Guangzhou at the time, and it took ten days to go back and forth. I didn't want to come back. I was 22 or 23 years old, so I wasn't in a hurry. I didn't feel anything. Suddenly I was 26."

"So you've never seen it before?"

(End of this chapter)