Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

Liu Guihua did not throw away any of her duck and goose feathers, and she filled a whole sack with them.

Liu Guihua is not a selfish person. Even if she looks down on Liu Qing, she thinks that everyone has a hard life. When she heard Ye Fan say that duck and goose feathers can be sold, she told Liu Qing. Liu Guihua also kindly reminded her to keep duck and goose feathers separate.

Liu Qing said that even if Ye Fan farted, Liu Guihua would say it smelled good, which made Liu Guihua so angry that she wanted to scold her. But the two of them were neighbors, and if they fought, how would Captain Gao and Deputy Regiment Commander Niu get along with each other. Liu Guihua said, "Don't give me all of it."

Liu Qing not only gave the ducks and geese she ate to Liu Guihua, but also reminded several people who were on good terms with her not to throw away the ducks and geese she killed. Liu Guihua liked this.

Liu Guihua had a complicated expression because she had been holding back her anger for nearly a year. Liu Guihua let out a long sigh and said, "I didn't throw it away. Lao Niu wants to throw it away every day, and I can't bear it any longer."

Ye Fan: "It's pretty clean, right?"

Liu Guihua nodded: "It's very clean. There are no stray hairs or weeds. But it has a strong fishy smell. I'm afraid it will get dirty if I put it outside. I put it in the corner of my kitchen, and my two children are almost disgusted by it."

Ye Fan: "I won't mind it if I sell it for money."

Liu Guihua: "How much can it be sold for?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "It's hard to say, you get what you pay for."

Liu Guihua didn't really care how much she could sell it for. In her hometown, duck and goose feathers could only be thrown into the manure pit to ferment. In her opinion, she could earn a dime. She cared whether she could sell it or not. Seeing that Ye Fan looked confident, Liu Guihua stopped bothering her.

On the morning of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Liu Guihua killed another goose and carefully put away the feathers. Her son and daughter rolled their eyes and looked speechless. Liu Guihua slapped each of them: "Clean them up!"

Captain Niu was not at home, and no one protected him from being beaten. The two children had to take care of Mao even though they were reluctant.

After lunch, they went to play with Liao Miaomiao. As soon as they arrived at Liao's house, they complained that Comrade Guihua was collecting goose feathers again. Zhuang Qiuyue was also at home, comforting the two children and selling duck and goose feathers to buy them candy.

The children from the Niu and Liao families didn't take it seriously.

Three days later, in the evening, Liu Guihua received 80 yuan and Zhuang Qiuyue received 45 yuan, and the entire family quarters was in an uproar.

Zhuang Qiuyue's duck and goose feathers can be sold for so much money because of Ye Fan and Wan Siqin. Ye Fan doesn't care about this little money, and Wan Siqin doesn't believe that feathers can be sold for money, so she gives them all to Zhuang Qiuyue when she sees her asking for them.

When Wan Siqin heard that the buyers were coming to collect duck and goose feathers, she couldn't believe it and arrived at the food factory before Zhuang Qiuyue. She saw with her own eyes that the buyers took the duck and goose feathers away on the boat. It was like a dream. She grabbed Zhuang Qiuyue's arm and asked, "Is this really the money from selling duck and goose feathers?"

Zhuang Qiuyue immediately felt that the money was too hot to handle, and after a moment's hesitation, she gave Wan Siqin twenty. Wan Siqin refused: "You deserve it. Don't be like this. It's not like you and Accountant Ye didn't tell me at the time. I just can't understand why it's so expensive?"

Liu Guihua pushed aside the military wives who were asking her questions and came to Wan Siqin. "Not much. Accountant Ye said that my duck and goose feathers can make a two-meter by two-meter quilt, which can be sold for 180 yuan. If I add some to make two narrower ones, I can sell one for 150 yuan. But I can sell my duck and goose feathers for 80 yuan because they are clean."

Zhuang Qiuyue nodded: "Mine is also because it is clean."

Wan Siqin pinched her arm and said, "Then, won't the fishermen who sold ducks and geese to the Yongcheng Supply and Marketing Cooperative make money?"

Liu Guihua shook her head: "There was a member who had one more sack than me, but he only sold it for more than 30 yuan. No one wanted it because it was too dirty."

Wan Siqin pulled her arm again and asked, "Will you come to collect it again in the future?"

Liu Guihua: "Not sure. Accountant Ye said if the journey is too far, maybe he will just come once. Because it's too inconvenient on the island. But it's not a big deal to store it, just in case you can sell it."

Wan Siqin nodded: "That's right."

At the same time, the members who received the money also asked Ye Fan if the people from the garment factory would come. Ye Fan also said that he didn't know and that he should just treat it as a windfall. Worried that the members of each brigade would be blinded by the money and expand blindly, Ye Fan asked Su Yuanhang to distribute the money. She called the captains of the ten brigades to a meeting in the empty warehouse and said directly: "I have emphasized to the members that you should treat this as a windfall. You should also keep an eye on it when you go back. No one can guarantee whether people from the garment factory will come next year. The three trainloads of duck feathers and goose feathers sent to Shencheng cannot be concealed. It won't be long before the news spreads to the countryside of Shencheng. By then, people will have collected enough nearby, and it may not be easy for us to sell them at a discount."

The leader of the Lotus Brigade said: "Everyone thought it would only fetch one or two yuan, but it turned out to be ten times more. I went back and said that this was the money I earned from ten years of selling."

Ye Fan: "Aren't there people who often go ashore to deliver goods? You can ask them to ask the citizens if they know where they want duck and goose feathers. If someone wants them, just leave the address of the food factory. I'll talk to them."

The members did not dare to trade privately. If someone with jealous eyes found out and reported it to the Revolutionary Committee, it might also implicate the food factory. This principle was understood by everyone from the elderly with blurred vision to the ignorant children of three or five years old. This matter was easy for the team leader to handle. The ten people agreed without hesitation.

Ye Fan thought about it carefully and adjourned the meeting if there was nothing else to do.

Several team leaders muttered outside: "Young people are more efficient. They can get things done in just a few words. If it were the secretary today, he would not be able to come down for half an hour."

The leader of the Shanxi Brigade shouted behind them. They were startled by the thief's intention and turned around to see that it was an old man. They dragged him to the vegetable market and asked him to buy grouper and yellow croaker.

The leader of the Shanxi Brigade: "Closing up!"

The vegetable seller immediately said, "No. Today it's delayed to eight o'clock. Accountant Ye said that we will distribute the money today, and we can sell everything no matter what."

The captain of the Shanxi Brigade couldn't help but sigh: "Accountant Ye is really good at doing business. Let me see what he has."

Several brigade leaders asked him to pay five dollars.

Ever since Ye Fan sold the seafood, the Shanxi Brigade leader has blindly believed her. Ye Fan said duck and goose feathers can be sold for money, so he asked his wife to collect them. He ate little, so he got up in the middle of the night to kill ducks and geese, cleaned them up, and sent them to the shore. He sold more, but they were not very clean, and he sold them for 96 yuan. He simply took out all the six yuan in change, saying that he still had some old wine at home, and that everyone could go to his house to have a few drinks after buying them.

The average age of the team leaders was in their early forties, and they were shouting like children.

Liu Guihua and Zhuang Qiuyue came in and were startled. Seeing that they were very happy, Zhuang Qiuyue whispered, "Let's buy more to make the children happy."

Liu Guihua took out ten yuan, and Zhuang Qiuyue couldn't help asking, "Can you finish it?"

Liu Guihua laughed: "How can that be possible? Two or three dollars is enough. I have to buy a big yellow croaker for Accountant Ye. I don't know if there is any left. If not, I'll buy some small yellow croakers tomorrow morning."

Zhuang Qiuyue: "I'll buy two sea bass. I'll buy them the day after tomorrow. Accountant Ye went shopping for groceries this morning."

Liu Guihua nodded: "Then I'll buy it tomorrow." Then she walked inside and ordered everything she saw, except for the fruits and vegetables she had at home. In the end, the two of them couldn't take it all, so they borrowed a bamboo basket from the vegetable market to carry it back.

Geng Zhiye and the chief of staff were in the army, while Commander Niu and Political Commissar Liao were at home. When they saw the pile of things, they both exclaimed, "Not going to celebrate?"

Zhuang Qiuyue took out forty yuan: "Duck feathers and goose feathers."

Political Commissar Liao didn't believe it: "You are kidding me!"

Zhuang Qiuyue: "Osmanthus flowers are more than me. Almost catching up with Accountant Ye's three-month salary plus bonus."

Political Commissar Liao still didn't believe it.

After a night, Deputy Regiment Commander Niu was still unwilling to accept the reality. He went to the army and asked Geng Zhiye whether it was because he had been on the island for too long, or something else, that duck feathers and goose feathers could be sold for money.

A long time ago, duck and goose feathers could be exchanged for snacks, so they could probably be sold for money. But since the street vendors disappeared, Geng Zhiye had never heard of anyone selling duck and goose feathers. Besides, Geng Zhiye hadn't been home for a long time, so he didn't know if anyone had bought duck and goose feathers after lunch yesterday. How could he help him solve his problem? He told him to find Accountant Ye.

In the evening, Deputy Captain Niu really went to find Ye Fan and asked her if she had lied to the old woman in his family whom he had never met.

Ye Fanhao was speechless: "My sister-in-law is only in her early thirties. Secondly, the food factory also takes 2% commission. Because they have to pay the wages of temporary workers, and there are also car and boat rental fees."

Deputy Captain Niu slapped his head to sober up: "So you said there were originally more?"

Ye Fan nodded: "Don't look down on my sister-in-law in the future. Your family's oil and salt money for the end of the year has come out."

Deputy Captain Niu thought to himself, I will never look down on you again!

"Thank you!" Deputy Captain Niu clasped his fist and went home with peace of mind.

Dabao was very confused: "Mom, why don't Uncle Niu and Uncle Liao believe that duck and goose feathers can be sold for money?"

Ye Fan: "Because I don't understand. Different trades are like different mountains. It's like my mother can pluck the beads on the abacus, but she can't sail a warship. It's like you can learn Tai Chi after two times, but your sister needs two months to learn it."

Erbao nodded: "Brother can't flick his tongue."

Dabao patted his sister on the back and said, "Don't talk."

It didn't hurt, Erbao didn't slap him back, he just pushed his hand away: "Just say it!"

Ye Fan told them "no fighting" and went to cook fish, the yellow croaker that Liu Guihua sent.

The next day, Zhuang Qiuyue sent two sea bass. Ye Fan didn't want them, but Zhuang Qiuyue said Wan Siqin had some at home, and she bought some herself.

Ye Fan made one at noon and planned to make one in the evening.

In the evening, Ye Fan took the fish to the water well, and Geng Zhiye came back. When he saw the fish, he asked, "Did the lady from next door buy it?"

Ye Fan nodded: "You know?"

"Old Liao said so." Geng Zhiye rolled up his sleeves and said, "Let me do it."

Ye Fan handed him the scissors and said, "Will Political Commissar Liao and Deputy Regimental Commander Niu take over?"

Geng Zhiye subconsciously recalled whether he had mentioned the shift schedule: "How did you know?"

Ye Fan: "They are often together. I guessed."

Geng Zhiye nodded and skipped the topic: "How much did it sell for? Lao Niu is like Fan Jin who passed the imperial examination."

"My three months' salary."

Geng Zhiye almost cut his hand: "So - expensive?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "If it weren't on the island and so far away from Shencheng, Sister Guihua could sell it for ten more dollars, and the one next door could sell it for five more dollars. Maybe even more."

Geng Zhiye: "Why don't you bargain if you know the market conditions? That's not like Accountant Ye's style."

Ye Fan: "Aren't you afraid that people won't come in the future?"

Geng Zhiye nodded: "Thoughtful and comprehensive, this is the Ye Fanfan I know."

Ye Fan tickled his waist a few times. Geng Zhiye instinctively dodged: "I don't have any ticklish spots. Tickling here is useless." He winked meaningfully.

"Don't talk nonsense." Ye Fan handed him the small stool, "Dabao and Erbao are playing at the door and may come in at any time."

Geng Zhiye laughed: "Your thoughts are not pure! Ye Fanfan, you already have two children, what do you think about every day?"

Ye Fanfan grabbed his ears, and Captain Geng immediately stopped talking: "Let go, it's not nice for people to see us."

"You still feel embarrassed?"

Captain Geng held a fish in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other. Both of his hands smelled fishy and he couldn't reach out. He tilted his head and tried to push Ye Fan's hand away with his shoulder: "I'm the captain. Let's not look at the monk's face, but the Buddha's."

Ye Fan let go: "Miao Miao's three siblings, as well as Captain Niu's two children, are all afraid of Political Commissar Liao and Captain Niu. Guess why Dabao isn't afraid of you?"

Geng Zhiye: "I guess it's because Sister Zhuang and Sister Liu are afraid of Lao Liao and Lao Niu, but you are not afraid of me."

Ye Fan: "... Really amazing! You can always link everything to me."

Geng Zhiye smiled and signaled her to bring the trash can over. Ye Fan placed the trash can in front of him, and Geng Zhiye threw the fish scales and fish entrails into it: "In fact, Lao Liao and Lao Niu are both kind fathers and strict mothers. Miaomiao is afraid of her father not because Lao Liao is so powerful, but because she is not familiar with Lao Liao. Lao Liao got married earlier than us, and Miaomiao could not follow the army until she was eight years old, and she rarely saw her father. At that time, he was in another place, and it was inconvenient for him to go back. Just like I went back once every two or three years before I went on a blind date with you."

While pressing the water, Ye Fan asked, "Captain Niu too?"

Geng Zhiye: "Lao Niu has a straightforward temper. From what he said, Sister Liu used to be even more straightforward and could beat children better than him. But she became more restrained because she was afraid of embarrassing Lao Niu when she came here."

Ye Fan thought about it carefully: "I have never heard of quarreling with others."

Geng Zhiye: "Maybe he's afraid that Lao Niu will change his job because of her. Lao Niu's hometown is poor, and Sister Guihua will never go back if she can get out. But Lao Niu doesn't care. In his words, he didn't starve to death before, and now it's much better than before, and he can still eat."

Ye Fan: "In the past, it was either a big pot or a collective commune, or like on the island, you competed for work points and got food if you worked. It's hard to say about the future. You heard about it during the few days we went back. There were meetings every other day."

Geng Zhiye was also worried that if a new policy is implemented every day, the future would be even more chaotic than it is now: "We have limited capabilities, so we just need to protect this island. Accountant Ye, don't make yourself too tired. You are not the Guanyin on the opposite island. If you are not happy with your job, just quit and I will support you."

Ye Fan couldn't help but smile, "I know. On the day we met, you said that you couldn't guarantee that you would be with me every day, but you could ensure that I would have no worries about food and clothing. Hey, Captain Geng, I want to ask you, my mother's salary alone can support her and me, how dare you say that?"

Geng Zhiye: "I don't have much advantage over you. Besides, my mother-in-law didn't let you join the army or go to the countryside. Isn't it because she was afraid that you would be too tired and your body couldn't stand it? If you go back and tell her that you have no shortage of food and drink with me, my mother-in-law will definitely have no objection. The facts prove that I made the right bet. But now it seems that you have recovered a long time ago."

Ye Fan: "She is too nervous. It's because I used to be sick a lot. The immunity of a teenager is definitely different from that of a teenager. I have grown up, but her worries about me are still from more than ten years ago."

Geng Zhiye: "Since I have so much time to worry about you, why don't I pay more attention to Chen Xiaohui?"

Chen Xiaohui doesn't let her care. If Chen Xiaohui acts like a spoiled child to Comrade Tao Chunlan every day, "Mom, I want to eat this, I've never eaten it in Shanghai before." Or "Mom, I want to buy that, my colleague shows off to me every day." Tao Chunlan has to buy things for Chen Xiaohui just to show off.

Tao Chunlan was either busy going to the vegetable market or the department store, so she naturally had no time to care about Ye Fan. But Chen Xiaohui not only reported good news but not bad news, but also always felt that she was very smart and could handle everything. Tao Chunlan was free and naturally worried about Ye Fan, who she had raised with great effort.

Ye Fan didn't know about these things: "When Chen Xiaohui came to mom, she was already 25 years old, a little taller than mom. It seems that she is not needed."

Geng Zhiye looked at the clean fish and asked, "How do you eat it?"

Ye Fan shouted "Geng Dabao" to the outside.

Dabao was having fun playing with paper firecrackers, and he yelled in annoyance: "What are you doing?"

Ye Fan was startled and asked, "Is your son's skin itchy?"

Geng Zhiye: “Fight!”

Ye Fan hit him: "When we were together, Dabao asked you to hold him, but you were impatient. You have nothing to do but hit the child for such a small matter." She glared at him, supported his shoulders and stood up to go out, "Geng Dabao, what are we having for dinner?"

Dabao: “Whatever.”

Ye Fan asked in the distance: "Erbao, what about you?"

Erbao squatted on the ground playing with stones, not caring to get up, and waved his little hands: "I like everything that mom likes."

Ye Fan: “…”

Back in the courtyard, Ye Fan said helplessly: "Your daughter's mouth will kill people in the future!"

Geng Zhiye came over with a basin: "Cooking soup?"

Ye Fan: "I didn't buy old tofu. It doesn't taste good even if it's steamed."

Geng Zhiye: "Isn't it fresh enough? Then braised and steamed rice!"

"You had to steam rice before going on duty in the army. You didn't get to eat it last time, so you steamed it again this time. Is there no rice in the army?"

Geng Zhiye nodded: "There is rice, but no braised fish. It is too oily and troublesome. Some comrades from the north are not used to eating sea fish, and they don't know how to eat fish. They get stuck every time they eat it!"

Ye Fan had seen such a person before—the cashier of the Capital Haidian Supply and Marketing Cooperative. This year, when she and Geng Zhiye went home to visit relatives, Geng Zhiqin talked about the cashier at Geng's house. Every time, he would buy seaweed, kelp, or small shrimps to satisfy his cravings. Sometimes he would buy some ready-to-eat dried fish. He didn't dare to buy dried eels.

Geng Zhiqin told her that she wouldn't touch it even if it didn't hurt.

Ye Fan: "Can't you cook hairtail?"

Geng Zhiye nodded. "Sure. Steam it so you can see the small thorns clearly. Make soup and drink the soup. You just mentioned old tofu. Ask them to make some old tofu later."

Ye Fan couldn't help but ask, "You've never made it yourself? How much does it cost to buy everything?"

Geng Zhiye nodded: "I'll think of a way. Other troops raise pigs and can eat a few pieces of pork belly every ten days or half a month, but we can only have once a month at most, and that's just a little for each person." He gestured and felt sorry for himself.

The next day, when he arrived at the army, Geng Zhiye went to the kitchen squad to seek the squad leader's opinion.

Eating seafood every day sounds good, but the more you eat, the more you feel hungry. The old squad leader couldn't stand it anymore, so he agreed without hesitation, only to realize that there were not enough people, so he asked for more people.

There is no problem with manpower.

The headquarters standard regiment has 1,500 people, and some have 2,000 people. Geng Zhiye has more than 2,000 people. Geng Zhiye didn't know so many at first. When he got the list of driving squad, cooking squad, communication squad, etc. on the island, he realized that this was to strengthen the configuration of the independent regiment. Geng Zhiye was very happy, but the problem of supply followed. There are many mountains and little land on the island. He can't compete with the people for land, so he can only think of ways to save money. But there are patrol missions, and the thin soldiers can't fall down at the slightest breeze.

Geng Zhiye asked the squad leader: "Are ten people enough?"

Squad leader: "Blast the mountain to open up wasteland? Less."

Geng Zhiye wanted to say something, but forgot what he was saying. He raised his hand and said, "Let me think about it. By the way, can you grow vegetables on sandy land?"

The old squad leader is from the countryside and knows how to grow vegetables. He nodded subconsciously: "Okay. No - Captain, are you talking about the sand or the beach?"

Geng Zhiye: "Of course it's the beach!"

The old squad leader opened his mouth, wanting to say something. No wonder some people used to say you were a spoiled soldier: "Captain, the sea water is salty. Do you water your vegetables with salt water? Also, what do you do during high tide? Feed the Sea Dragon King?"

Geng Zhiye was a little embarrassed, but as the head of the group, he could not admit his ignorance: "If you don't understand, then you don't understand. And you still think it makes sense? Just wait! I'll find someone who knows." After saying that, he saw a transport truck idle, so he drove home.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is over and the duck and goose feathers have been sold. Accountant Ye doesn't have to go to the food factory for the time being, so she must be at home.

Sure enough, when Geng Zhiye got home, Ye Fan was tending the vegetable patch in the yard. Besides her, there were Liu Guihua, Zhuang Qiuyue, and Wan Siqin. Those who didn't know would think that Ye Fan had three mu of land. In fact, the entire yard of Ye Fan's family was less than two mu.

When Geng Zhiye entered the courtyard, Ye Fan asked, "What happened?"

Zhuang Qiuyue couldn't help but ask, "Why did you come back suddenly?"

Geng Zhiye: "It's not a big deal. Fanfan, do you think these things can be grown on sandy land?" Pointing to the vegetable field.

The four of them nodded together.

Wan Siqin was the first to react: "You mean the beach?"

Ye Fan: "How about the beach--" He suddenly thought of a report he had read in his previous life, "Okay."

The three clever women looked at her at the same time, wondering if the young lady knew what she was saying.

Geng Zhiye smiled. Ye Fanfan did not disappoint him.

Liu Guihua couldn't help asking, "How do you grow crops? Accountant Ye, when it comes to business, none of us, including Captain Geng, can do as well as you. When it comes to farm work, three of you are no match for me."

Ye Fan: "It's definitely not okay to plant directly." He asked Geng Zhiye, "Did you clean up a lot of rotten mud and leaves when you swept the tombs?" Pulling out a newly grown small green vegetable, "Look, the root is just this small. It can only grow to ten centimeters at most. Why don't you clean up the mud and leaves around the martyrs' tombs and pad twenty centimeters? If it's not enough, just pull the hillside. Although there are stones, you can be careful when planting and you won't damage the hoe. Calculate the time to sow, and you will have vegetables every month. If you plant a lot, you can even raise a few pigs."

Geng Zhiye was very sure that Ye Fan had never been to the fields to farm, so to be on the safe side he asked Zhuang, Liu and Wan what they thought.

Liu Guihua sighed: "Accountant Ye is really smart."

Ye Fan: "We can also build a swamp pond to improve and fertilize the soil. If you don't know how to do it, you can go to the city to ask experts. By the way, first ask the various brigades if they have experts in this field. I once heard the captain of the Shanxi Brigade say that several experts from the provincial capital were transferred to the next brigade. Would you like to go and have a look?"

Geng Zhiye nodded: "I'll go over and ask. If the solution works, I'll give you credit later."

Ye Fan rolled his eyes at him: "You're giving me an award?"

Geng Zhiye waved his hand: "We'll talk about it when the time comes."

Ye Fan muttered, "Another empty promise."

Liu Guihua didn't understand: "What do you mean?"

Ye Fan: "The painted cake looks good but cannot be eaten."

Liu Guihua was amused: "Didn't you ask him to raise pigs? Ask him to give you a piece of pork belly."

Ye Fan would not eat or covet public property: "Let's talk about it later. Sister-in-law, can we plant cabbage now?"

Several people immediately taught her how to grow vegetables.

Last year, when Ye Fan was tidying up the vegetable garden, the others were not so enthusiastic. But Ye Fan did not complain. They were not familiar with each other before, and they were not relatives. They did not expect Geng Zhiye to help their husbands get promoted and make money, so there was no reason to help her.

Geng Zhiye drove eight kilometers to the northern end of Hengshan Island, found the experts who had been sent down, and asked them to get on the bus without asking what they were doing. When the Shanxi Brigade reached the southeastern end of Hengshan Island, the transport truck was almost full.

Everyone in the car looked at each other, feeling very uneasy. The atmosphere was very depressing and no one dared to speak, for fear that new torture was waiting for them.

Geng Zhiye naturally couldn't bring anyone into the army. When they drove to the other side of the army, where there was a large area of ​​sandy beach and mountains, Geng Zhiye stopped the car and asked everyone to get off.

Geng Zhiye didn't yell at them, and he was the only one there, so everyone felt relieved. But when Geng Zhiye said he was going to grow vegetables and raise pigs here, everyone was dumbfounded.

Geng Zhiye frowned: "No? I'll put soil on it."

Everyone finally realized that they had brought them here with great fanfare not to criticize them, but to ask for their advice. Some of these people really didn't know how to farm. But some of them had been dealing with the farmers' fruit trees every day for the past few years and were agricultural experts. Those few people said yes.

Geng Zhiye asked if it was possible to build a swamp pool on the top. He was worried that if the pool was too low, a wave during a typhoon would send the Dragon King back to his hometown.

The expert who knows the business said tentatively: "I need to go up and take a look."

Geng Zhiye nodded: "I just had this idea. No rush."

Everyone used their feet as a ruler and their heads to record the traces of the high tide. They had a rough idea in their minds, which meant they could give Geng Zhiye a layout map tomorrow.

Geng Zhiye sent everyone back and asked the teams not to assign them any work in the next few days.

In the past two years, the army has often helped the team solve the problem of leftover chicken and duck eggs, as well as fruits and vegetables that are difficult to sell. All the teams gave him face and said they would give everyone half a month's supply.

When Geng Zhiye arrived at the army, he quickly ate his meal and then asked the political commissar to transfer twenty people.

The political commissar selected soldiers who had been recruited through connections, but who were not skilled and physically fit enough to fight in the battlefield. As a result, 30 people were transferred. Geng Zhiye said he wanted all of them. The next day, Geng Zhiye set up a planting and breeding team with these people. However, they had to dig soil, move stones, pave the ground, and build pig pens and swamp ponds first. The team leader of the cooking team would temporarily serve as the team leader, learn from the experts, and then become independent.

Geng Zhiye could spend an hour to finish a meal at home, but he could finish it in ten minutes in the army. This was because he went straight into combat mode when he arrived at the army, and he was resolute in everything he did.

Political Commissar Liao told Zhuang Qiuyue that the troops would grow vegetables in the future, and Zhuang Qiuyue told Ye Fan that only ten days had passed.

At the end of October, Geng Zhiye was not so busy and could have a good meal at home. Ye Fan chatted with him for a few days: "I heard that the vegetables have been planted?"

Geng Zhiye nodded: "We used several transport trucks, and we worked hard to build five acres of land. It cost a lot of money."

Ye Fan: "Gas money?"

Geng Zhiye shook his head. "There's also money for cement. I'm worried that the mud will be washed away when it rains, so I built an 80-centimeter stone wall downstream, half underground and half above ground. And there's also the swamp pond, which is the most expensive. If those experts hadn't said it could be used for several years, I wouldn't have dared approve it even if it was very useful."

Ye Fan: "We can ask the fishermen to help us build the swamp pond. We will leave enough for you to use, and they can take away the fertile land as they like."

Geng Zhiye: "We were able to plant the vegetables so quickly because of the help of the Shanxi Brigade members. When we were building the swamp pond, the brigade leader took a notebook and wrote down that he would build a manure pit based on the swamp pond in the future. When Political Commissar Liao saw that his drawings were messy, he gave him a book. I have read that book, and it is an encyclopedia for farmers. It covers everything from raising chickens and ducks, fruit trees, wheat, and rice, to repairing household machinery. It also teaches cooking. Oh, and it seems that there is also accounting."

Ye Fan couldn't help but ask: "What book is so all-powerful?"

"We should have it at home. Look for it." Geng Zhiye thought for a moment, "Inside those messy boxes of mine."

After dinner, Ye Fan searched through boxes and cabinets and found a briefcase with several books, Geng Zhiye's military medals, and bullet shells, which must have commemorative significance. Ye Fan put the other things back and took out the book. The next day, he took it to the office and asked Su Yuanhang to study with Su Yuncheng, Su Duofu, Liao Miaomiao, and Liu Guihua.

Zhuang Qiuyue and Wan Siqin heard about this from Liu Guihua and Liao Miaomiao, and they also took out notebooks and pens and studied it seriously as if they were taking notes at a meeting.

The office is not big, and it is very crowded with so many people inside. Su Yuanhang can receive the goods, and Ye Fan will stay at home to knit gloves for Dabao and Erbao.

Geng Zhiye came back and saw a half-finished pair of gloves on the bench. He went to the kitchen and asked, "Are you knitting them for me?"

Ye Fan: "You can wear it if you want."

Dabao nodded: "Dad can wear it if he wants." Before his father could speak, he asked, "Can it fit?"

Geng Zhiye pulled him up, and Dabao screamed in fear. Geng Zhiye patted him on the buttocks and said, "I won't hit you. Go out to the living room with your sister and wait. Daddy will light the fire."

Dabao: "Sister, let's wash our hands and wait for dinner."

Erbao jumped and skipped to catch up with his brother.

Geng Zhiye looked at Erbao and said, "He would fall down if he walked fast before. How dare he jump now? Erbao is growing up so fast."

Ye Fan lifted the lid of the pot, took out the fish and steamed buns, cracked a few eggs into the pot, and put a handful of green vegetables in. Geng Zhiye stood up to take a look, "Green vegetable and egg soup?"

Ye Fan nodded: "You can wash your hands now."

Geng Zhiye saw her drip a few drops of sesame oil into the pot and said, "I dare say my father-in-law doesn't live as well as we do."

(End of this chapter)