Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

A wise son is better than his father!
Dabao saw his parents heading north at the gate of Liao's house, and guessing they wouldn't be back for a while, he asked Liao if he wanted to go to the beach.

Liao Lele looked at the little Erbao and shook his head: "Go catch fish by the ditch?"

Dabao shook his head: "The fish in the ditch are not tasty. Shall we fly a kite? Mom won't let me, saying I can't do it."

"But I don't have a kite at home. Do you have one?"

Dabao: "No. I let it go when I was a kid."

Liao Dadi thought, you must have been three or four years old when you were little, let alone Aunt Ye, I wouldn’t dare to ask you to let go: “I’ll ask my sister, she’s been learning a lot of random things recently, maybe she can do it.”

Liao Miaomiao knew how to make a kite. When Ye Fan and Geng Zhiye got home, she had already made one. Geng Dabao pulled the string and asked Liao Dadi to put the kite up.

Ye Fan saw this scene at his doorstep and said: "Geng Dabao really knows how to order people around."

Geng Zhiye: "Your son is smart."

Ye Fan couldn't help but roll his eyes at his sarcastic tone: "Not busy today?"

Geng Zhiye shook his head: "This is the good thing about being here. If I don't hold a meeting, no one will ask me to hold one. We only have patrol missions. It's not our turn to reorganize the civilian staff."

Ye Fan: "Another reduction in military strength?"

Geng Zhiye nodded: "Were they not asked to raise pigs and grow vegetables before? They were not happy about it. When the news of the reorganization came, they became more and more honest. If they retire and go back now, they can only rely on their parents at home."

Ye Fan: "Can't enter the Public Security Bureau?"

Geng Zhiye: "I have never been to the battlefield, nor have I been a scout. After a few years in the army, my physical fitness is only slightly better than that of ordinary police officers, and I don't have their experience." Thinking of how well-behaved those people are these days, he wants to laugh, "At a time when everything is waiting to be rebuilt, all walks of life are undergoing changes. Even if you have connections at home, it's not easy to get involved."

"Help me plant flowers. Miaomiao gave me a lot of chrysanthemums and seeds. Members of the Shanxi Brigade also gave me a few packets of seeds. I feel like I can plant from Miaomiao's doorstep to the Shanxi Brigade."

Geng Zhiye: "Do you want to water it?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "It will definitely rain the day after tomorrow, Qingming Festival."

Geng Zhiye took the shovel and said, "I'll go over and dig the hole first."

Zhuang Qiuyue saw Geng Zhiye in the yard and couldn't help asking, "Captain Geng, what are you digging for?"

Geng Zhiye lied, "Fanfan said that people from the Shanghai Garment Factory might come this year. When they arrived, the flowers on the roadside were blooming, which left a deep impression on them. If they need duck and goose feathers in the future, they will definitely think of us first."

Zhuang Qiuyue was very skeptical: "Will it work?"

Geng Zhiye: "If there is nothing attractive on the island, we can only build it ourselves. Besides, it doesn't require watering and is not troublesome."

Ye Fan first planted chrysanthemums, then the roses she had cut off, and finally the seeds. When she reached the intersection of the Shanxi Brigade, she met two members who asked her what she was planting. Ye Fan said she would plant flowers along the road until she reached the martyrs' tomb.

A few days ago, the troops repaired the tomb every day and used cement to build the steps. They seemed to take it very seriously. The members believed it and said that someone had seeds and asked Ye Fan if he wanted any. The members who were traveling with him thought he was not sensible and asked him to go home and get two shovels to help Captain Geng dig.

The two men came over again, followed by several people. Some held shovels, some held a few seedlings, and another held a handful of seeds and asked Ye Fan if wild flowers were okay.

Ye Fan said that as long as they were flowers, they would be fine, and asked the members not to graze sheep here.

The members laughed and said no. Some members were more cunning and said to plant flowers with thorns.

Ye Fan did not dare to agree, fearing that the sheep would be injured and the captain would come after her.

When the seeds were first planted, they were bumpy and looked ugly. After the Qingming Festival, the seeds sprouted and the bare gravel road was green on both sides. The members were in a good mood walking on this road and couldn't help but sigh to their family that Accountant Ye knew how to live.

Ye Fan had several "enemies" and was worried that the seeds would be pulled out by them if he planted them in the vegetable market, so he gave the remaining seeds to Su Yuanhang and the director of the vegetable market. They found some more seeds and dug up many wild flowers from the mountains, planting them from the doorstep of Wan Siqin's house to the food factory.

In May of the Gregorian calendar, the baby's breath and peonies on the ground, the locust flowers and pomegranate flowers on the trees are in full bloom, and butterflies and bees can be seen everywhere in front of Ye Fan's house. Once, a member of the Shanxi Brigade came back from fishing and brought some seafood to Ye Fan. Ye Fan asked him if he raised bees - it would be a pity not to raise bees with so many flowers.

Raising bees is like raising chickens and ducks. The production team has no problem raising as many bees as possible, as long as they do not delay the work of the team and do not waste the crops. This member thought that if the honey can be sold, it will be sold. If it cannot be sold, it will be kept for the elderly and children. Beekeeping does not require food, and you can just make a box yourself. It is a no-cost business.

He didn't dare touch the bees himself, so he told others about it.

Perhaps Ye Fan could always sell what everyone made, and when people who knew how to keep bees heard about this, they did not hesitate and immediately asked carpenters to make beehives and find native bees. In early June, a beehive appeared in front of the martyrs' tomb.

Bees sting badly, lazy people dare not steal honey, naughty children dare not get close, so there is no need to watch over them. After half a month, they opened the box and found that there was very little honey, but the number of bees doubled, and no one knew where they came from. The beekeeper estimated that it would not take long to divide the boxes, so he asked a carpenter to make a few more beehives.

On that day, people from the garment factory came to the food factory. The fisherman who brought them to the island saw that there was no one at the food factory, so he said, "Rest here for a while, I'll go find Accountant Ye."

The people from the garment factory went with him because they saw a lot of flowers when they got to the intersection leading to the food factory. They thought there were only a few plants, but when they got to the roadside, they saw flowers on both sides of half the road. They were very curious. One of them asked, "There were no flowers when I came last year. When were they planted?"

The fisherman paused, thinking that Captain Geng had not lied to us. Last year, the two men came and left, ignoring everyone except the people from the food factory. This year, they took the initiative to talk to him: "We planted them a few days ago. When the seeds are harvested in autumn, they will be planted on both sides of these roads. We like the sight of them, and we can also raise bees."

The person questioning then asked, "Do you also sell honey?"

The fisherman shook his head, "Not this year. This year we mainly raise bees in separate boxes. The honey in the boxes has to be kept by the bees over the winter. We may have it this time next year."

The two looked at each other, and the one asking the question asked again: "Are you selling it?"

Fisherman: "Of course we will sell it. Honey is such a good thing, we can't bear to eat it." Thinking that private transactions might cause the food factory to close down, "But you have to ask Accountant Ye. We don't understand. We will listen to Accountant Ye."

The cashier of the garment factory couldn't help but say: "It's right to listen to her--" A woman not far away looked left and right, and looked forward, wondering what she was looking at. The woman stomped her feet on the flowers and walked away as if nothing had happened. The cashier was furious: "Stop! That woman, stop! Why are you stepping on the flowers?"

The lesbian, who had her back to the three men, stopped subconsciously.

The three of them ran over immediately.

The cashier pointed at the ruined flowers and asked: "What happened to you?"

"Originally it was a road—"

The fisherman pointed to the intersection three steps south and said, "Isn't that the road? Will you be tired to death if you walk a few more steps?"

Woman: "Didn't you see me carrying a bucket and a shoulder pole? You're used to doing rough work and you don't feel tired carrying more weight. How can I compete with you?"

The fisherman was so angry that he had a headache: "You are not from our team? What's your name? I will tell the political commissar!"

The woman rolled her eyes at him and went to fetch water.

The fisherman was so angry that he couldn't help but chase after him.

Two comrades from the garment factory stopped him and said, "It's business at hand!"

The fisherman stopped and waited for a moment when he saw someone coming. When the person approached him, he asked, "Comrade, do you know the comrade just now?"

Visitor: “Who are you?”

The cashier of the garment factory wanted to speak, but the fisherman spoke first: "I came to see the political commissar. Is she the political commissar's lover?"

"No. I got the wrong person. That's Captain Gao's lover Liu Qing."

The fisherman couldn't help but ask: "She is Liu Qing? This woman is really not a good person."

The visitor was very unhappy: "How did Liu Qing offend you?"

The fisherman pointed to the ground and said, "Look for yourself!"

"Isn't it just a few flowers?"

The fisherman was so angry that his face turned red. The comrades from the garment factory were worried that the fishermen did not fight with Liu Qing, but fought with the female comrade: "Comrade, find Accountant Ye first."

Female comrade: "Aren't you looking for Political Commissar Liao?"

The three of them treated her as air and went straight to Ye Fan's house.

Accountant Ye closed the fence door and prepared to go to the food factory. Seeing that the visitor had already arrived at the door of Wan Siqin's house next door, he couldn't help but stop: "Didn't you say Qiu?"

The comrade at the garment factory smiled and said, "You are not mistaken. If it is transported to the factory at this time, it can be aired and cleaned, and it can be used in the fall. Otherwise, it will have to be kept until next year."

Ye Fan said to the fishermen who were accompanying them, "Go find the team leader, and ask your team leader to notify the other teams. Ask the teams with hand tractors to take the trouble to help the members transport it over." Finally, he said to the two comrades, "Shall we go to the food factory?"

The two men nodded as they walked and said they hoped to load the truck before dark.

Ye Fan: "After you two have checked, will you weigh and board the ship directly? But when we get to the shore——"

The cashier in charge of the money said, "We found a few transport trucks."

Ye Fanxin said, with such enthusiasm, it seems that the price asked last year was too low: "What about the fare?"

The two knew that the food factory was not profitable, and Ye Fan was just kind enough to help the members supplement their household expenses: "We will give it. By the way, we said we would wait at the dock at 4 pm."

Ye Fan nodded: "It's not even two o'clock now? We can still make it."

The two felt that it was a bit unreasonable, but they didn't want to spend the night on the island, and they had agreed on a time with the driver, so they suppressed their embarrassment. However, before they had even sat down at the food factory, they heard someone shouting, "Accountant Ye, the duck and goose feather collectors are here again?"

The two were shocked. Was it so fast?

Ye Fan smiled and asked, "Want to go out and take a look?"

The two of them went out first, and there were already several people outside the door, each carrying a sack or a cloth bag. The two of them were completely unprepared, and for a moment they didn't know what to do, so they could only look at Ye Fan and ask.

Ye Fan said calmly, "Queue up, don't panic, don't mess around. Just like last year, you get what you pay for!"

Last year, many people kept duck and goose feathers to save face for Ye Fan, without expecting to sell them for money. A fisherman went ashore to deliver goods and asked people about it. He heard that there were street vendors who used to exchange chicken, duck and goose feathers for sugar. The fisherman thought that it would be good to exchange them for a few handfuls of sugar, so he continued to collect duck and goose feathers.

As a result, Liu Guihua sold half a bag of duck feathers and half a bag of goose feathers for 80 yuan. In the 1950s and 1960s, 80 yuan could support a college student, but now it is enough to build houses for two sons and marry them off. The whole island was shocked. So much so that there was no unclean feathers this year.

Last year, the two people from the garment factory repeatedly mentioned that you get what you pay for, and they expected that the wool would be good this year, so they brought more money. After all the duck and goose feathers were on board, they settled the accounts with Ye Fan and found that the money they brought was just enough.

The cashier at the garment factory asked, "How many people are there on the island? Why are there so many ducks and geese?"

Ye Fan: "There are many mountains and water on the island, so no matter how many geese we raise, we don't have to worry about it. How come we have so many in just half a year? The workers on the shore are busy and have no time to deal with the ducks and geese. The fishermen helped them to clean up in order to sell the ducks and geese, but they didn't expect that the duck feathers and goose feathers could be sold. If we had known that we would not throw away the duck feathers and goose feathers, the feathers from our island alone would be enough for your factory to use for three years."

The cashier asked, "How did Accountant Ye come up with the idea that duck and goose feathers could be sold for money?"

Ye Fan: "It can't be someone else?"

The cashier smiled and said, "If it were someone else, they wouldn't have contacted us until the second half of the year before last."

Ye Fan nodded: "I heard about it. Didn't your factory try to make down jackets for the mountaineering team? If it succeeds, we will definitely need down. If it doesn't, we can keep it and it won't take up space."

Su Yuanhang on the side was surprised. He had never heard of making down jackets for mountaineering teams.

Su Yuanhang sent the two of them aboard, and when he came back he asked Ye Fan who told him that. Ye Fan singled out the amount of money that belonged to the food factory: "I read it in the newspaper."

"Newspaper?" Su Yuanhang looked towards the market manager's office.

Ye Fan nodded: "It wasn't a special report. There was a sentence mentioned in the article reporting the mountaineering team."

Su Yuanhang couldn't believe it: "You remembered just one sentence?"

Ye Fan: "A lot of information comes from this. Some people make money by being bold and talented, I make money by being well-informed. Okay, go out and let the members line up, you take the slips and tell them the price, and I'll count the money."

Su Yuanhang came to the door and said, "Everyone line up, go home immediately after getting the money, don't block the door."

"Director Xiao Su, this is mine." Liu Guihua was the first one.

Su Yuanhang took the note he had written: "Eighteen? That's rare this year."

"Everyone knows that duck feathers and goose feathers can be sold for money, so who would be willing to give them to me?" Liu Guihua was actually very satisfied, as she had the money to buy oil and salt for the next few months.

Ye Fan gave her the money: "Don't buy me fish anymore."

Liu Guihua shook her head: "No."

On the day of high tide this month, I went to the sea with Zhuang Qiuyue and gave half of the small seafood I caught to Ye Fan. But that's a story for later.

When Dabao and Erbao came home from school and saw that the door was locked, they went to the food factory. Ye Fan gave the key to Dabao, and the brother and sister went home obediently. On the way, they met children pinching flowers and making wreaths, but they did not join in the fun. They were afraid that their mother would be tired and in a bad mood, and slap them twice when they saw them being naughty.

When Geng Zhiye got home and saw his daughter and son reading and doing homework, he couldn't help but look westward outside the door: "They are still doing homework when the final exam is almost over?"

Dabao glanced at his father calmly, finished the last math problem, and closed the notebook: "Erbao, are you still hungry?"

Erbao ate the melon and drank some water: "I'm not hungry."

Dabao put away the comic book in front of her: "Let's go play. Dad, cook!" Geng Zhiye patted him on the head: "Where's your mom?"

Dabao: "Selling duck and goose feathers."

Geng Zhiye nodded: "No wonder he hasn't come back yet after six o'clock. He must be busy handing out money to everyone until dark."

Dabao didn't understand: "Can't Mommy give the money to the captain?"

Geng Zhiye: "Duck feathers and goose feathers are extra income, and the brigade does not share the money. When the members sell duck feathers and goose feathers, they do not sell them one by one. If your mother wants to give the money to the brigade leader, she must first divide the money among the ten brigade members and then calculate the total account for each brigade. It is more troublesome than distributing it to everyone one by one."

"Mom, why didn't Liu Qing sell her duck and goose feathers?"

Liao Miaomiao's voice came from outside. Geng Zhiye winked at his son and went out to ask what was going on.

Dabao glanced at him helplessly, then went to the eaves and called out, "Sister Miaomiao, Aunt Zhuang."

The mother and daughter who were already at their doorstep came over. Zhuang Qiuyue arrived at Ye Fan's yard and said, "Your mother will be here for a while. Dabao, come to our house for dinner tonight?"

The duck and goose feathers that Ye Fan's family had eaten in the past six months were all given to Zhuang Qiuyue. Once, Zhuang Qiuyue helped Ye Fan pluck goose feathers, and Wan Siqin came to press water. Zhuang Qiuyue asked her if she wanted some, and if so, the two families would split it equally. Wan Siqin was embarrassed to save face, but Zhuang Qiuyue was embarrassed and kept it for herself.

When Ye Fan sent money to Zhuang Qiuyue, he reminded her not to buy fish. Zhuang Qiuyue felt embarrassed when she received the money, and wanted to buy some candy on the way, so she asked Dabao and Erbao to go to her house to eat candy.

Geng Zhiye came out of the house: "No need. I'll cook later. Sister-in-law, what's wrong with Liu Qing? My Ye Fanfan is not that petty."

Zhuang Qiuyue was speechless and wanted to laugh: "Who said Accountant Ye is narrow-minded? I don't know. She didn't even go inside. She went back on the way to the food factory gate. I don't know if it's because Accountant Ye is inside. But she can give the duck and goose feathers to others and let them help her sell them. It's a convenient thing. For Captain Gao's sake, I will lend a hand if she asks me."

Geng Zhiye: "She's not stupid. If you can think of it, she can think of it too. Maybe she thinks it's too little, so she'll store more and sell it later."

Zhuang Qiuyue shook her head: "She is too smart. It is inconvenient for us to get in and out of the island, and they are in Shencheng. There are so many places to choose from between Shencheng and Yongcheng. Even if business is better next year, they may not come."

Geng Zhiye couldn't figure it out either: "She didn't see Ye Fan, so she shouldn't blame Ye Fan."

It wasn't that Ye Fan had nothing better to do than to plant flowers, and Su Yuanhang and the market manager didn't think of planting flowers on the roadside. If there were no flowers on the roadside, Liu Qing wouldn't have stepped on them, and she wouldn't have been caught by the two comrades who were collecting goods from the garment factory.

So it’s all Ye Fan’s fault!
Liu Qing scolded Ye Fan as soon as she got home.

Someone close to Liu Qing asked her how much she sold it for. Liu Qing said she didn't want to see Ye Fan. Her friend said she could give it to her and she would help Liu Qing sell it. Liu Qing woke up from her dream and said "I was confused because of Ye Fan."

It’s all Ye Fan’s fault!
It caused her to sell for ten dollars less!

Ye Fan's ears felt hot. When she got home in the evening, her ears were red. Geng Zhiye touched her ears and asked, "Was it stung by a bee?"

"Just wait for me to order." Ye Fan pushed his hand away, "Don't touch me. What do you want to eat?"

Dabao moved his small bowl in front of his mother: "Mom, drink soup!"

Geng Zhiye put it back for him: "Do you want me to be attentive? I won't help your mother serve?" He glared at his son and said, "Erbao, eat some food."

Erbao frowned: "Dad, can you please stop talking while we are eating?"

Geng Zhiye choked: "——I shouldn't cook for you two!"

Ye Fan pulled him to sit down: "Let's eat first. The two of them are underage together, is it meaningful to argue with them?"

Dabao nodded: "Dad, is it interesting?"

Ye Fan glared at his son: "You didn't say it was you, did you?"

Dabao concentrated on drinking the soup.

Geng Zhiye held back his laughter as he served Ye Fan a bowl of fish head and tofu soup and picked up a piece of cucumber for Erbao.

Erbao was disgusted: "Dad, the cucumber is raw."

Ye Fan: "If you don't want to eat it, give it back to dad."

Geng Zhiye: "Eating some vegetables will provide a balanced diet."

Erbao didn't dare to take it back after hearing this. Ye Fan took one and stuffed it into his mouth: "They eat fruits every day, so they have enough vitamins." He asked Geng Zhiye, "Did you forget?"

Geng Zhiye wondered if fruits and vegetables were the same. Suddenly he realized that they were the same, because the fruits and vegetables for the two children included cucumbers and tomatoes. When they were thirsty or tired playing outside, they picked cucumbers and tomatoes, washed them at the water pump and ate them.

Dabao shook his head and sighed: "Dad, you should focus on training your troops to defend the island."

Erbao wanted to nod, but when she saw her father raise his hand to hit her brother on the forehead, she picked up a piece of fish and said, "Mom, eat meat."

Geng Zhiye looked over subconsciously and saw Erbao catching a "June Yellow" to honor his father. Seeing this, Ye Fan couldn't help but ask: "Isn't it a sea crab?"

Geng Zhiye shook his head. "We found a lot of crabs when we were clearing the river and digging out the silt this morning. I passed by there and asked you to tie a bunch for me."

Ye Fan wanted to know if the silt was used for farming. On the weekend, Dabao and Erbao went to the mountain with a group of children to enjoy the cool air. Ye Fan followed them to rest for a while and then quietly walked to the river at the end of the field. The river became narrower, but the water became clearer.

The female comrade who was herding sheep for the brigade asked, "Accountant Ye, what are you looking at?"

Ye Fan: "How deep is the water? I'm worried that the child might fall in."

The female comrade wanted to say it was okay, but every summer something went wrong: "There's one as deep as mine. I'll talk to the team leader some other day and get some rattan to stop it."

Ye Fan: "Let's plant some. It will prevent soil erosion. Oh, and you can plant sweet potatoes by the river. The kind that you harvest in autumn."

The female comrade was not very old, about 20 years old, and seemed to have never heard of it before. She asked in confusion: "Don't you need to dry it before planting it?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "No need."

Ye Fan had never farmed before, and he didn't know anything about it before coming to Hengshan Island. In the past two years, he heard Su Yuanhang say several times: "Didn't someone cut the sweet potato vines while the ground was wet and plant them, so that they would grow when the sun came out? It's not too late now. This circle of riverbank can harvest 2,000 kilograms in autumn."

The young comrade exclaimed, "So many? Accountant Ye, please help me take a look, and I'll go find the team leader."

Before Ye Fan could even utter the word "OK", the young comrade ran away.

The next day, Ye Fan told Su Yuanhang about this matter. Su Yuanhang said that the Five Star Brigade dug a lot of silt in the mud, some of which was piled up by the river and some in the river. Today, he passed by there and it seemed that no crops were planted.

Ye Fan: "What else can sweet potato vines be used for besides feeding pigs?"

Su Yuanhang: "Cooking. But there are so many vegetables at this time of year, and no one eats sweet potato vines."

Ye Fan: "Pigs and sheep can be fed with vegetable leaves. Sweet potato vines can also be fed to livestock if they are not cut and dried. Let's talk to the captain of the Five-Star Brigade and try it by the river. Everyone has had enough of sweet potatoes, and no one will steal them if we plant them by the river."

Su Yuanhang nodded: "Sweet potatoes are even less filling than fish. Except for the children who dig a few roasted sweet potatoes, no one steals them during the autumn harvest. Take a look at my application report. If approved, I will ask Captain Geng to blast the mountain in a few days, and I will lead the people to level the land. After the dog days of summer, we can build the factory."

Ye Fan read it through and said, "No! Don't mention yourself or me, just talk about considering the islanders. Just talk about the money to repair the factory. We can use the old ovens and canning machines. Oh, and when they sold the duck and goose feathers, they didn't ask us to pay for the car fare. There is some money left. I will divide it into two parts, half for the food factory for emergency, and the other half to hand over."

Su Yuanhang personally went there for a few dozen dollars, looking serious and pitiful. The city leaders were embarrassed to perfunctorily deal with him. The city leaders did not expect the food factory to make money, but the food factory has made a lot of money in the past two years. If it had its own factory, wouldn't it make more money?

Su Yuanhang received the approval document and money for repairing the factory on the same day.

There was an expert on the island who used to be a consultant for a large state-owned factory. Su Yuanhang asked him to draw a plan. However, he first built a few offices and warehouses, and then built a few standard workshops. Because Ye Fan reminded Su Yuanhang that he had to be tactful when dealing with the superiors, and he had to pluck the hairs little by little. No one could bear it if they were plucked all at once.

At the end of June, it was hot and the food factory was not shipping. Su Yuanhang was leading temporary workers in the Five-Star Brigade to level the land. Ye Fan had some free time, and Dabao and Erbao happened to be on holiday, so he took them to the mountainside to enjoy the cool air.

I heard the members weaving bamboo baskets at the foot of the mountain say that the sweet potatoes they planted a few days ago have grown, so we can no longer go to the river to graze sheep, but have to go to the mountains. But if we are not careful, the sheep will step on the martyrs' graves, so we have to keep an eye on them all the time. What a hassle. Ye Fan couldn't help laughing.

Several members who were chatting hurriedly explained that they did not blame Captain Geng for repairing the martyrs' tomb.

Ye Fan: "I am laughing at you. Judging from your ages, you were all born before the founding of the People's Republic of China? They died to protect you, and they could deliberately scare you? Maybe they are happy to see you disturbing them every day. It means that their sacrifice is worth it. You don't have to be afraid of this or that just because the Martyrs' Tomb was built by Geng Zhiye and his troops."

Several people thought about it again and again, isn't it? Besides, whether there is a ghost or not is still uncertain.

A member handed Ye Fan a small bamboo basket and said, "Accountant Ye, just tie two ropes and you can use it."

Ye Fan: "You put it on your chest to pick tea, right? Keep it for yourself."

The member explained that there was more at home. Ye Fan took it and waved to the distance. Erbao ran over: "Mom!"

Ye Fan gave her: "Pick the flowers and pack the fruits. Mom will tie two ropes for you later and you can carry them on your shoulders."

The small bamboo basket is very light and can hold a lot of things. Erbao is very happy: "Thank you, Mom!"

Ye Fan: "It was made by several uncles and aunts."

Erbao turned to face the others and said, "Thank you, uncle and auntie." Then she ran to her brother, "Dabao——" Dabao turned and glared at her. The little girl immediately changed her words, "Brother, this is the little basket that mom gave me. You don't have it!"

Dabao rolled his eyes at her and muttered, "Childish!"

Erbao didn't get angry with her stupid brother who didn't know how to appreciate flowers. She squatted on the roadside and plucked a bunch of flowers and put them in a small bamboo basket. There were red, yellow, and white flowers, big, small, tall, and short, with green leaves as a backdrop. Not to mention, they were pretty.

Erbao gave it to his mother. Ye Fan said "thank you" and then said, "Take it home and hang it under the eaves of the corridor. Will you look at it every day?"

Erbao looked at the member again. The member had just finished making one and asked, "Do you want one?"

"Mom, do you want it?"

Ye Fan: "Okay. What do you want to say?"

"Thank you, Auntie." Erbao said before reaching out to take it.

When he got home, Ye Fan pointed to the vegetable garden and said, "Erbao, pick some fruits and vegetables to send to your uncle and aunt this afternoon."

Erbao nodded: "But I can't carry it. Won't mommy come with me?"

Ye Fan: "Together. It's hot in the room. Let's go out after dinner."

Dabao took advantage of his mother's inattention and drank two sips of cold water from the pressurized water well before washing his face with pressurized water: "Mom, when are we going back to the capital?"

"The capital is hotter than the island at this time. We'll go back in mid-August, just like last year. Don't worry about any last-minute changes. Your father has made all the arrangements."

Dabao doesn't trust his father in matters of the family, but when it comes to the army, Dabao absolutely trusts his father, because even his eldest apprentice, Comrade Niu Dayong, admires Commander Geng.

Little did they know that at this time, Deputy Regiment Commander Niu was with Geng Zhiye. In the past, Regiment Commander Niu relied on strength and experience to compete with the battalion commander and company commander. Recently, he has become more agile after stretching his muscles.

Deputy Regiment Commander Niu was able to become deputy regiment commander not only because he was not afraid of death, but also because he could summarize his experience. Then he went to Geng Zhiye and suggested that he practice Tai Chi for 20 minutes every day.

Although Geng Zhiye had a lot of autonomy, he was still a little worried about the regiment's extra training, which had never been done before. Geng Zhiye asked Deputy Regimental Commander Niu to find the political commissar - the chief of staff had gone back to his hometown on vacation.

Political Commissar Liao objected, saying that Deputy Commander Niu was looking for trouble.

Deputy Captain Niu said he was a nerd and lazy.

Political Commissar Liao was not stupid enough to survive the battlefield, so he retorted.

Geng Zhiye had a headache: "Stop for a moment. Okay!"

Political Commissar Liao screamed: "Captain!"

Geng Zhiye added in his mind - you are confused. Geng Zhiye sighed: "I haven't finished yet. Remember when I was in school, the State Sports Commission compiled a set of Tai Chi? Just use that set. Lao Niu, ask someone to find out if it is the same as what you and Dabao learned."

When Political Commissar Liao heard that the country had recognized it, he reluctantly nodded and said, "Let's try it first. If there's no effect by the end of the year, we'll cancel it."

By the end of the year, others would be more flexible, but for Political Commissar Liao, he would not be seasick. Captain Niu wanted to separate from him. Geng Zhiye felt that Captain Niu was not as irritable as before and would not start fighting as soon as he encountered the bald man's ship, so he said that Political Commissar Liao should get used to it first, and then they could patrol separately after the Spring Festival.

Geng Zhiye himself was not idle either. When he got home in the evening, he asked Ye Fan who he learned Tai Chi from.

Ye Fan was stunned for a moment, and thought carefully: "There is a physical education teacher behind my house. He said that he learned martial arts before the founding of the People's Republic of China. I learned it from him. What's wrong?"

Geng Zhiye: "Is it the same as what the government compiled?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "I don't know."

Geng Zhiye: "Write a letter to my mother-in-law and ask her. Tell her that you want to teach Erbao, but you're afraid that this set of Tai Chi is only suitable for you. Don't tell her when we'll be back. Otherwise, if you go back a day late, my mother-in-law will keep nagging you."

Erbao climbed onto her father's lap and pointed at the flower basket on the coffee table: "Dad, mine, is it pretty?"

Geng Zhiye nodded perfunctorily.

Erbao was so angry that he said, "Brother, let's go!"

(End of this chapter)