Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

Geng Dabao was so scared that he shook his head vigorously - Geng Dabao was not tired, not tired anywhere!
Aunt Ye Fan felt distressed: "Why scare him? Our Dabao is just talking. Dabao, do you want to eat watermelon? Grandma will cut a watermelon for you."

In the past, Tao Chunlan often brought Dabao and Erbao back to her parents' home. Dabao was more familiar with his uncle, so he dared to shout and yell at his uncle Ye Fan's house.

Geng Dabao was very polite: "You can have two pieces!"

Aunt Ye Fan smiled. She loved listening to Dabao talking like a little adult: "Would you like some soda? Grandma will buy you some."

Dabao looked at his mother out of habit, and almost said, "I want to drink!"

Ye Fan: "Pick one."

Aunt Ye Fan smiled and said, "It's a rare opportunity for me to come out, don't be so strict, Fan Fan."

Dabao nodded: "Mom, let me drink soda, I will accompany you to visit relatives every day."

Ye Fan wanted to be angry but also wanted to laugh: "Who has the money to buy you soda every day? You're just daydreaming!"

Dabao immediately asked: "Is it okay now that there is something good going on?"

Ye Fan nodded helplessly. Dabao cheered happily and took his great aunt's hand to go out and buy soda.

Geng Zhiye asked Erbao if she wanted to go. Erbao felt hot and pointed to the main room to go in. Ye Fan carried her to the grape trellis in the yard: "It's cool here."

Uncle Ye Fan's house faces north and east, just like Uncle Geng Zhiye's. However, Uncle Ye Fan's house has five main rooms and a spacious yard with two grape trees. There is also a stone table under the grape trees. When Ye Fan was young, he often did his summer homework under the grape trellis.

Although her uncle's house is big and is a house in the capital, her uncle's ancestral home is not in the capital. In his early years, Grandpa Ye Fan couldn't make a living in his hometown, so he begged all the way to the capital to make a living. Later, the Qing Dynasty fell, and many people fled to Shengjing at that time, and houses were sold at a low price. Grandpa Ye Fan wanted a home after wandering for many years, so he used all his wealth to buy this house.

It is said that originally there was an annex at both ends of the three main rooms. Later, her grandfather saved some money and demolished the annex and rebuilt it to the same height as the three main rooms. However, because it is an annex, the room is not as spacious as the main room. In the past, when Ye Fan came to her uncle's house, she lived in the renovated annex with her cousins. Now her uncle's grandchildren come back to live here during the winter and summer vacations.

Ye Fan had just sat down with Erbao in her arms when the doors at both ends of the three main rooms opened and several teenage girls and boys came out. Ye Fan turned around when she heard footsteps and saw her uncle's grandchildren: "Would you like some soda? Grandma is going to buy some soda for Dabao."

Several children couldn't help but come out when they heard the word "soda". After they confirmed that they didn't hear anything, they said hello to Ye Fan and Geng Zhiye and ran out. Erbao was also a person who liked to come out. When she saw her brothers and sisters running out, she got off her mother's lap and shouted, "Wait for me!"

My little cousin is not as important as soda.

So no one heard it.

Geng Zhiye smiled and stretched out his hand: "Daddy will carry you?"

Erbao stretched out his little hand and said, "Daddy, hurry up!"

Geng Zhiye carried her and "flew" out, and Erbao giggled with joy. Uncle Ye Fan came out of the house carrying a teapot and teacups, "How old is Zhiye? You're still playing with the child."

Ye Fan laughed: "He's always like this. When I first got together with him, I said he was steady, but he was just pretending. Please sit down and stop busying yourself."

Her uncle poured a cup of hot tea: "Drink something hot. How can your body stand eating cold food every day? Just your aunt, she likes to buy melons herself. She's been better recently. She eats two melons a day in the dog days of summer, and I don't even want to say anything to her."

Ye Fanxin said, you are talking about my aunt, she also has something to say, you don’t have such a good appetite as her.

"Tea leaves, huh?"

Her uncle nodded: "Your brother gave it to me. By the way, I heard from your aunt that your sister-in-law is planning to have a child. Is there any progress?"

Ye Fan almost threw the cup away - didn't my sister-in-law want to have children? What had happened?

When her uncle saw her lose her composure, he was very surprised: "You don't know?"

Ye Fan shook her head: "My mother didn't say anything, and neither did Chen Xiaohui." She thought of a possibility, "Is my mother superstitious again?" Seeing her uncle's puzzled face, "Isn't there a saying that if the baby doesn't form in the first three months, the fewer people who know about it, the better, otherwise it won't stay. Have you forgotten how I changed my name?"

Her uncle nodded in agreement: "I think so. Your mother has been a revolutionary all her life, but she is still superstitious. Did dogs eat up the education the Party gave her?"

Ye Fan laughed and choked: "Don't say it, don't say it so harshly. My mother is the same, just for psychological comfort. Let's pretend we don't know and don't ask. We can't hide it in the future." She said this, and when she saw her sister-in-law when she got home, Ye Fan couldn't help but secretly look at her. Her sister-in-law walked and washed vegetables as before. Ye Fan guessed that her stomach was not moving.

At night, Ye Fan was sitting by the bed sorting out clothes for the family of four when he saw Geng Zhiye flipping through photos: "How many times have you looked at them? Haven't you seen enough?"

The day after Geng Zhiye and Ye Fan returned to Geng's house from Qin Yunzhi's house, Geng Zhiye's family of four, Geng Huihui's siblings, Geng's father, Yu Wentao and Geng Zhiqin went to the photo studio to take pictures.

It was second brother Geng who brought this up. He seldom took photos, but when he asked to take his father to take photos, his father couldn't help wondering if he should keep it as a posthumous photo for me. Second brother Geng planned this because his father's appetite was smaller than before, and he didn't eat as much as Dabao.

People are iron rice is steel.

If you can't eat, you're done.

Qin Yunzhi scolded Yu Wentao for being stupid and going back to her parents' home in such hot weather. Besides being worried about Dabao and Erbao, she was also worried that Geng's father would not be able to cope with the situation.

Geng Zhiye and Ye Fan often took photos with Dabao and Erbao. When Ye Fan told him about it, Geng's father really didn't think much about it. After the photos were developed, Geng's father was in a good mood to appreciate them. However, Geng Zhiye didn't keep any photos of his father alone. Geng Zhiye only had six photos, a group photo of everyone who went to take photos that day, and a group photo of his family of four and a photo of himself.

In order to deceive his father, Geng Zhiye asked his nephews, nieces and sister to take individual photos. Geng Zhiye paid for the photos, more than a dozen photos, and he felt bad.

Geng Zhiye looked at the photo and then at Ye Fan: "You are different from the photo."

Ye Fan: "I am still different from the me in the mirror. Can you move?"

Dabao turned over and knelt on the bed: "Dad, can you move a little?"

Geng Zhiye glared at his son and said, "Go to sleep!"

Dabao rolled over onto his and his sister's bed. They used to live next door to Ye Fan. Now Chen Xiaohui lived there, so they moved their beds over and put them together with Ye Fan's. It was quite spacious for four people to sleep on two beds, but their married life was gone.

Geng Zhiye has recently become annoyed when he sees his eldest son because he talks too much and doesn't go to sleep. The second child goes to bed to play by himself and falls asleep while playing. For example, now, it's past eight o'clock, the second child has fallen asleep early, but the eldest child is still tossing and turning like a night owl.

Ye Fan put down his clothes and stared at Geng Zhiye. Geng Zhiye immediately put down the photo and took the bag. Dabao smiled secretly with his hands covering his mouth when he saw his father was so sensible. Geng Zhiye stuffed clothes into the bag while staring at his son: "I will sell you when we get on the bus tomorrow."

Dabao shook his head: "Mom tied my hands with a rope, and you can't sell it. Mom, I'll let you tie it tomorrow."

Ye Fan: "When did you not let me tie you up? Geng Dabao, aren't you tired after playing at Uncle Grandpa's house for half a day today?"

Dabao is not tired, because when he is tired, he sits down to rest for a while. It is not like when he went to his nanny's house a few days ago, he was tired and couldn't rest halfway because the ground was too hot and his butt would burn if he sat down.

Dabao could tell that his mother had reached her limit of patience: "Mom, I don't want to sleep with my sister. Erbao is not well-behaved when sleeping."

Ye Fan: "You two are the same, don't look down on each other. She sleeps sideways in the morning, so you should turn your head in the morning. Also, the bed is so wide, you two can sleep sideways, why can't one of you sleep at the foot of the bed and the other at the head of the bed?"

Dabao nodded: "Sure. But I will touch Daddy's stinky feet at the end of the bed. How many days has Daddy not washed his feet?"

Geng Zhiye had just taken a shower: "Geng Dabao, how many days have I not beaten you?" He waved at Ye Fan, "Give me the belt."

Dabao looked at his father with wide eyes, thinking, "Are you serious?"

Ye Fan gave the belt to Geng Zhiye. Dabao was sure his mother was serious: "Mom, I was wrong." He knelt on the bed and kowtowed to his mother: "I will go to sleep immediately." He turned over, lay down and closed his eyes.

It has been 20 days since the beginning of autumn. Although there is still the autumn heat, it only affects the daytime and not the night. It is already cool at night. Ye Fan said, "Cover with a towel blanket."

Dabao stood up and folded the towel blanket into a long strip, placed it on his and his sister's stomach, then turned to his mother and waited for instructions. Ye Fan nodded slightly, and Geng Dabao lay down obediently.

Geng Zhiye wanted to laugh when he saw this. Ye Fan coughed, and Geng Zhiye instinctively looked up and asked, "Does your throat hurt?"

Ye Fan mouthed, "Don't laugh."

Geng Zhiye nodded, and he was also obedient, listening to his wife and not provoking Geng Dabao.

Considering that he had to get up early to catch the train tomorrow morning, Geng Zhiye packed his luggage and turned on the light.

The next day, Ye Fan heard a rustling sound while he was half asleep. Suspecting there was a mouse, he opened his eyes and closed them again subconsciously - the room was too bright and dazzling: "What time is it?"

Geng Zhiye: "It's not five o'clock yet."

Ye Fan sat up and yawned: "Why are you up so early?"

Geng Zhiye was very relaxed when he got home, but the habit he had developed over the years made him subconsciously alert. When his mother-in-law got up and opened the door, Geng Zhiye woke up instantly: "Your mother is up. I'll go out and take a look. The old lady can rest her eyes if she doesn't sleep much. Why are you getting up so early?" He tied his shoelaces and went out.

Ye Fan yawned again: "What else can we do? Make us some pancakes. Go out and tell mom to make enough for lunch and dinner. It's hot on the train, and it will go bad tomorrow."

Geng Zhiye nodded: "You sleep a little longer." Afraid of waking up Dabao and Erbao, he closed the door gently.

Ye Fan usually wakes up around five o'clock, and today he is only half an hour earlier than usual, so it's almost time to get up. Ye Fan put on his clothes, looked around the house, and made sure that he had brought everything except toiletries and food for the trip, then went out to wash his face and brush his teeth.

When Tao Chunlan saw Ye Fan coming out, she exclaimed, "Why are you up so early?"

Ye Fan was helpless and wondered if he should take a look at himself.

Chen Xiaohui was woken up and came out of the room: "Aren't you here earlier?"

Ye Fan raised an eyebrow. How could Chen Xiaohui talk to her mother like that? It seemed that she would soon dare to deal with Chen Kuanren and Zhao Ruping.

Tao Chunlan blurted out: "I am older but I don't feel young."

Geng Zhiye couldn't help but say, "Keep your voices down. You've woken up the neighbors."

The neighbors were not woken up, and Li Mingyue came out of the room as soon as he finished speaking. Tao Chunlan saw that she had woken up all the family members except the two children, and finally felt a little embarrassed: "You wash your faces and brush your teeth, I'll knead the dough."

Ye Fan couldn't help but say, "Just make pancakes. You really have the time to make pancakes so early in the morning!"

Chen Xiaohui and Li Mingyue couldn't help but nod. Seeing this, Tao Chunlan said, "Don't you like to eat?"

Ye Fan: "Even if I just like to eat pancakes, I can't ask my 70-year-old mother to get up in the middle of the night to make them for me."

"Who is seventy years old?" Tao Chunlan was very unhappy. "I am sixty-two. Don't make me sound like your father-in-law."

Ye Fan had a headache. Why did they bring up her father-in-law again? What did they have to do with each other? "I was wrong. Let's go make pancakes."

Tao Chunlan: "Come over here and give me a hand."

Li Mingyue was speechless. How could she help with making pancakes? One person was pouring batter into the pan, and the other was holding a spatula waiting to flip the pancakes. How could she order people around! Li Mingyue turned to Ye Fan, and when she saw that she had obediently gone over, she swallowed the words on her lips - well, it's a matter of one willing to fight and the other willing to be beaten, why should she get involved?

It's no wonder Geng Zhiye likes to complain about how annoying the old lady is. She can't stand her own mother being like this. Fortunately, her mother-in-law only likes to torment the daughter she raised.

Chen Xiaohui doesn’t have the ability to read minds, otherwise she would have given Li Mingyue a thumbs up.

Fortunately, in her previous life, she saw Tao Chunlan calling Ye Fan for everything, and thought Tao Chunlan was partial. Ye Fan responded to everything because he wanted to steal her mother.

I must have been possessed by a ghost in my previous life! Chen Xiaohui sighed and went to wash her face and brush her teeth.

Geng Zhiye rolled his eyes towards the kitchen and went to the public toilet.

But even though Ye Fan said he would just cook something casual, Tao Chunlan still cooked porridge in the rice cooker. After the pancakes were ready, she cooked a few salted duck eggs and made some side dishes, and the family had a proper breakfast.

Because it was still early, Chen Xiaohui and Li Mingyue also went to the station to see Ye Fan off.

Yu Wentao and Geng Zhiqin did not show up this time, because Ye Fan asked Geng Zhiqin to review well at home and asked her mother-in-law to do the logistics work and not to visit other people's houses all day long.

It was still early at the station, so Li Mingyue and Chen Xiaohui waited with Ye Fan's family for a while. Ye Fan wanted to talk to Chen Xiaohui, but Dabao and Erbao were very energetic in the morning and couldn't sit still, so Ye Fan asked her sister-in-law to look after Erbao.

Tao Chunlan thought Ye Fan was telling Chen Xiaohui not to sell things recklessly, so she said, "The three of us can keep an eye on them."

Ye Fan took a few steps back, thinking that Geng Zhiye couldn't hear him: "Chen Xiaohui, remember you said that Geng Zhiye has someone in his heart? I think I saw that person."

Chen Xiaohui was so shocked that she was speechless for a moment, and it took her a while to react: "When? Where? Who is it?"

Ye Fanxin asked, "Why are you more anxious than me?" "The daughter of Geng Zhiye's uncle's neighbor is called Qin Shuyi. I met her when I went to his uncle's house."

Chen Xiaohui frowned. Were they childhood sweethearts? No wonder she couldn't stop thinking about him. "So what are you going to do?"

Ye Fan was immediately certain that Chen Xiaohui knew about this person, but she didn't know who he was. Most likely, Comrade Qin Shuyi told others that she relied on her family background to force Geng Zhiye to marry her, or that Geng Zhiye was forced to marry her by his father and stepmother. The rumors spread, and Chen Xiaohui heard that Geng Zhiye had someone in his heart.

Ye Fan: "Actually, you misunderstood. Qin Shuyi and Geng Zhiye have known each other since childhood. If there is something wrong, she would not go on a blind date with me. This is just Qin Shuyi's wishful thinking." Chen Xiaohui frowned slightly: "But, it's not, are you sure it's Qin Shuyi?"

Ye Fan: "Geng Zhiye went to military school at the age of seventeen, and has been on the frontier ever since, with only male comrades around him. Even if we take a step back, there are many female classmates in his alma mater, but is there anything in the military school that can be spread to the local areas?"

Chen Xiaohui shook her head subconsciously. Unless Geng Zhiye said it himself. With Geng Zhiye's temper, it seems that he would not take the initiative to bring up such a thing as being lovable but not being loved. Otherwise, there must be a classmate in the military academy who happened to be from the capital and happened to know that Geng Zhiye had someone in his heart, and told his family or friends when he went home to visit. But it was too coincidental.

Ye Fan: "Qin Shuyi is only three years younger than Geng Zhiye. Now you can get a marriage certificate at the age of 18. Qin Shuyi went to a technical secondary school and started working at the post office at the age of 18. Geng Zhiye graduated from university at the age of 21. There is something between them, and Geng Zhiye can marry her as soon as he graduates. She is the daughter of his uncle's neighbor, and he knows her inside and out. There is no reason for his family to object. My father-in-law had not retired at that time, and my mother-in-law had not thought of finding him a daughter-in-law from a high-class family, for fear that the daughter-in-law would bully her."

Yu Wentao was afraid of Ye Fan. Chen Xiaohui saw it with her own eyes and also heard from Comrade Tao Chunlan. If it wasn't for Geng Zhiqin's future, Yu Wentao would not have asked Geng Zhiye to go on a blind date with Ye Fan.

Chen Xiaohui thought to herself, could it be something that happened later?

Geng Zhiye was 26 years old when he went on a blind date with Ye Fan, and the person he liked was someone he met when he was 27 or 28 years old. But is it possible? Chen Xiaohui thought about it again and it was possible. The border guards had no contact with the outside world for many years, and a soldier in his 27s or 28s might not have seen as many women as a 20-year-old working class person.

So because she chose to go to the countryside, Ye Fan got married early, and she indirectly cut off Geng Zhiye's peach blossoms in his previous life? Then Geng Zhiye should thank her - he was lonely for half his life in his previous life, but he has a son and a daughter in this life.

Seeing Chen Xiaohui frowning and smiling, Ye Fan thought that Geng Zhiye was right. She was mumbling, "What are you thinking about?"

Chen Xiaohui smiled: "Nothing. Just laugh at me for believing everything I hear."

"Then don't be so rude when you see him next time. You talk about him in front of me, and he complains to me because of your attitude. I'm like a sandwich." Ye Fanduo said this because she was afraid that one day when she was not in the middle, the two people who hated each other would start fighting.

Chen Xiaohui frowned: "He's still complaining? A grown man is so petty."

Ye Fan immediately wanted to ask, is it right for a man to be generous? Even if he is generous, it doesn't matter what. You are going to tear down his family. Besides, one is the father of her child and her husband, and the other is only related to her through the Ye family. No matter from which aspect, she should side with Geng Zhiye.

Does Chen Xiaohui understand what is close and distant?

Ye Fan: "Don't interfere in other people's affairs in the future. I'm afraid you'll get beaten."

When something happened to Chen Xiaohui, her father and brother were unable to show up, and her sister-in-law was pregnant, so her mother had to run around.

Ye Fan imagined that an old lady in her sixties or seventies was running around for such a troublesome thing, and she felt unhappy: "Aren't you going to take the college entrance examination? Don't hang around everywhere. I heard from mom that you hardly stayed at home for a whole day on weekends this year."

Chen Xiaohui wanted to show off how many gadgets she got, but when she saw Ye Fan's serious expression, she said, "I'll read books sooner or later."

Ye Fan: "Don't be careless. There has been more than ten years between us. No one knows what the mindset of the person who set the questions is. It may be simple at the beginning but tricky at the end. The questions are simple, but the answers are profound."

Chen Xiaohui wanted to say that she had heard Ye Fan say in her previous life that the test paper was not difficult. But it was not difficult for Ye Fan's brain, but not necessarily for her. "I will not go anywhere on weekends in the future."

Ye Fan had another question: "I heard that sister-in-law is planning to have a child? Didn't she say she didn't want to have one?"

Chen Xiaohui could have answered this question in her previous life: "There was a revolution every day before, and my sister-in-law didn't want her child to suffer from birth. Now the college entrance examination is about to be resumed, and the higher authorities have clearly stated that 'the revolution is over'. The world is peaceful, and my sister-in-law is not very old. She said that the first and second babies are smart and fun, so she wants to have one."

Ye Fan rubbed his forehead, "Having a child is like hunting for antiques. Whether they are smart or not depends on luck. Dabao and Erbao look sensible, but that's because my sister-in-law doesn't know that Dabao wanted to climb trees when he was five or six years old, and now he wants to go to the sea every day. Also, before, my mother-in-law took them back to her parents' home. Didn't I tell you? Erbao is only five years old, and he dared to hide it from me."

"Then why do you want to have two children?" Chen Xiaohui had wanted to ask this for a long time, because Ye Fan only had one child in his previous life.

Ye Fan: "First of all, Dabao was sensible when he was young, and I didn't suffer when I was pregnant and gave birth to him. Secondly, my mother took care of him after he was born and fed him with milk powder. My father-in-law took him away on weekends. I didn't take care of the children much. Now on the island, they go to school during the day, and Geng Zhiye helps them in the morning and evening. Can sister-in-law have the heart to throw the child to my mother?"

Chen Xiaohui felt that Li Mingyue was reluctant to let her go.

Ye Fan: "Go back and try to persuade her. I'm afraid that after the baby is born, it will be different from what she imagined and she will collapse."

Chen Xiaohui nodded and noticed Li Mingyue coming towards her: "We should go to work."

Ye Fan looked at her watch and saw that the train was still half an hour away from departure. After the two of them left, Ye Fan went to her mother and asked her to go home.

Tao Chunlan had nothing to do at home, so she said she would wait a little longer until Ye Fan got on the train, and then she slowly left the station. When Tao Chunlan arrived outside the station, the train had already started. Geng Zhiye lay on the berth with his arm as a pillow, looking at Ye Fan across from him and said, "Your mother is really a nagging person."

Dabao nodded: "It's the same as the Eighteen Farewells."

Ye Fan didn't hear clearly: "Same as what?"

Dabao covered his mouth and squeezed into his father's arms.

Geng Zhiye quickly reached out and grabbed his eldest son who was sitting on his stomach: "You squeezed out my breakfast!"

Ye Fan took off her coat and lay on the sleeper bunk, letting Erbao sleep on her coat. She asked Geng Zhiye, "What did he say?"

Geng Zhiye: "Geng Dabao, did your grandmother sing 'Eighteen Farewells'?"

Yu Wentao was able to join the art troupe not only because of her height and appearance, but also because of her good voice. Unfortunately, the art troupe was not short of talented people, and after she joined, she went from being a talented person to an ordinary person. After giving birth to Geng Zhiqin, she moved to the backstage.

Yu Wentao joined the art troupe not for the flowers and applause, but for food and clothing. So going from the front stage to behind the scenes did not change much for her.

Yu Wentao didn't dare to hum in the past ten years, but in the past two years, the policy has been relaxed, so she can sing whatever comes to her mind. She hums while cooking and washing clothes. Geng Zhiye heard it several times when he stayed at home for a few days.

Ye Fan was surprised: "She also knows Yue Opera?"

Geng Zhiye: "She knows the lyrics and uses whatever comes to her mind. As a musical actor, she used to sing Henan opera at home every day. My eldest brother privately said that she was not doing her job properly and would not last long. Sure enough, she was transferred behind the scenes after a few years."

Ye Fan: "...The leader is annoyed with her, right?"

Geng Zhiye thought about it carefully: "I haven't heard her mention it. But seeing that she retired immediately at the age of 50, she probably didn't like that job very much."

Ye Fan: "Maybe I don't want to work."

Geng Zhiye: "Perhaps the subdistrict office is her battlefield."

Ye Fan suddenly wanted to laugh.

Dabao couldn't help but ask: "Why?"

Ye Fan: "The street aunties handle family matters, which is the best for you."

Dabao nodded: "My grandma is good at mediating fights."

Ye Fan opened his mouth and thought to himself, I didn't praise your grandma. "Do you want to go up there and sleep for a while? Don't sit on your dad's belly. You've flattened his belly."

Dabao doesn’t want to be alone: ​​“Dad, your legs are shorter, I’ll sit over there.”

Don't you mind my smelly feet? Geng Zhiye reluctantly put his legs down. Dabao went to the other side and pushed his father's legs again: "Please put them down."

Geng Zhiye wanted to kick him: "My legs are long!"

Dabao didn't believe it, so he knelt up and looked, and it seemed to be true. "Dad, can I be as tall as you in the future?"

"Just shut up and rest."

Dabao snorted and saw his sister on the bed opposite him: "Mom, pick me up."

Ye Fan carried him over, and Dabao finally didn't have to curl up his legs when he was sleeping in the same berth with his sister: "Mom, you stay with Dad."

Ye Fan opened the window and turned around to see Dabao whispering something in Erbao's ear. Ye Fan shook his head helplessly and lay down on the upper berth.

Fortunately, there were not many people traveling at this time, and there were only four of them in one sleeper car - they could sleep in whichever of the six berths they wanted.

Even though there were only four people in the carriage and they could lie down at night, Ye Fan and Geng Zhiye were still tired. Firstly, they did not dare to sleep too deeply for fear that people getting off the train would take their luggage. Secondly, the berths were narrow and they could not turn over. Also, the train smelled bad, stopped and started, was noisy, and falling asleep and waking up again and again was as uncomfortable as trying to stay awake.

The train arrived at the station and they had to change trains. Ye Fan held the second baby in his arms, while Geng Zhiye carried the luggage and watched the first baby. The first baby was tired from walking, so Geng Zhiye wanted to hold him in his arms. As a result, when the family of four arrived home, the two children were very energetic, but the parents were exhausted.

Dabao and Erbao, two clever kids, saw that their parents looked unhappy, so they drank some water and hid away.

Ye Fan and Geng Zhiye forced themselves to muster up some energy, boiled some water to take a bath, changed into clean clothes, and then the couple leaned on the bench to rest.

Zhuang Qiuyue came to the door carrying a basket of vegetables and saw the two men, one with his head facing south and the other facing north, looking listless, as if they were seriously ill: "Are you feeling unwell?"

Ye Fan felt better after a while: "No. Dabao and Erbao are grown up, and I was almost exhausted carrying them to change trains. I won't go back next year no matter what my mom says."

Zhuang Qiuyue: "No wonder they don't seem tired at all."

Ye Fan: "On the boat -" He looked at Geng Zhiye, "He wet a towel with seawater and wiped their arms and faces. I was worried that the seawater was so salty that Dabao and Erbao would feel uncomfortable. But they turned out to be more energetic."

Zhuang Qiuyue put the basket of vegetables on the coffee table: "The water on my body doesn't have much salt. It's more comfortable than wrapping sweat around my body. Do you have any rice at home?"

Ye Fan: "There are bread and biscuits in the bag. And the tomatoes and cucumbers you gave me, I'll be full after just a few bites." Remembering something, Ye Fan kicked Geng Zhiye.

Geng Zhiye didn't understand. Ye Fan looked at Zhuang Qiuyue and said, "Miaomiao."

Zhuang Qiuyue asked curiously: "What happened to Miaomiao?"

Geng Zhiye remembered: "It's a small matter. I'll tell the political commissar later and ask him to tell you."

But Geng Zhiye still has to stay at home for a few more days. When school starts, he will enroll his first and second children, and the vacation will end.

Many people in the capital had heard the news. People on the island still knew nothing. So when Geng Zhiye went to the army to talk about the college entrance examination with Captain Niu, Political Commissar Liao and others, they all looked shocked.

Geng Zhiye ignored them and continued, "You can tell others about this. If someone complains that you, as a soldier, didn't know the exact time and made irresponsible remarks, don't use me as a scapegoat."

Political Commissar Liao pondered for a moment and said, "I have an old leader whose son seems to be in the education system. I will send a telegram to ask him."

The telegram was very fast, taking only a week to get back and forth.

After Political Commissar Liao confirmed the matter, he revealed it to his comrades.

Geng Zhiye returned home and told Ye Fan that the college entrance examination was decided. Ye Fan asked Su Yuanhang to notify the leaders of the ten production teams to hold a meeting and talk about the "restoration of the college entrance examination". At the end of the meeting, Ye Fan asked Su Yuanhang whether he wanted to take the college entrance examination.

Su Yuanhang smiled bitterly: "Forget it, my child is already in elementary school."

Ye Fan: "In recent years, those who graduated from junior high school and went to the countryside, aren't they all your class and the two high school classes after you who can go to college? You have children, and they must have started a family. If you don't want to be far away from home, you can go to college in Hangzhou. If you don't have time to come back, your wife can go over to see you."

The captain of the Lotus Brigade was the first to nod: "Yes. If you pass the exam, you will be the first college student on our island since the founding of the People's Republic of China. You will bring honor to your family, and we can also benefit from it."

Ye Fan: "Anyway, I've said it. It's up to you to decide. But you can't delay your work. Mid-Autumn Festival is coming, and the goods that have been stored for several months are waiting for this day." After a pause, "I'm here to talk to you about this matter today, so adjourn!"

Everyone subconsciously went out. When they got outside, Su Yuanhang remembered that he still had work to do, so he stepped back and said, "Accountant Ye, the factory has been under construction for half a month. Do you want to go and take a look?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "I'll collect the goods here, and you'll be responsible for the other side. By the way, you don't need to ask your family for their opinions on the college entrance examination. Your wife definitely doesn't want to be separated from you. Your mother listens to your father. Your father is old and has not gained much experience. His mind is getting more and more stubborn every day, just like iron that has not been used for many years."

Su Yuanhang laughed and nodded to indicate that he would remember it. But he had to tell his father about it when he got home. Otherwise, his father would scold him for not doing his job when he saw him holding a book.

As expected, his father did not support him, arguing that he would not be able to pass the exam after being out of school for so many years. His wife's first words were that if he passed the exam, he must go to another university.

Su Yuanhang said that Su Yuncheng had to take the exam even if he graduated from junior high school. If he passed the exam and he didn't, wouldn't it be embarrassing?

The word "face" hit Su's father hard. Even though he thought Su Yuncheng was not good enough, he went out to ask around and found that those who had attended junior high school were willing to try. Su's father could not sit still, so he made the decision the next day and asked Su Yuanhang to prepare for the exam. He would go over to watch the factory work whenever he had time.

Like Su Yuanhang's father, Zhuang Qiuyue also thinks that her child is not good enough. The reason is that Liao Miaomiao graduated from junior high school and cannot pass the entrance exam to high school students, so it is useless to prepare for her child.

Liao Miaomiao went to Ye Fan's house to wipe her tears and asked Ye Fan to help her with some advice.

Ye Fan sighed, and Liao Miaomiao burst into tears. Ye Fan was speechless but wanted to laugh: "I didn't say anything, why are you so anxious? It's useless for me to persuade your mother. Because in your mother's eyes, it's easy for me to go to college. To put it bluntly, no matter what I say, it will be regarded as 'easy talk'."

Liao Miaomiao: "Then will you take the test? Forget it if you take the test on me."

Ye Fan: "I don't plan to be a scientist, nor do I plan to serve the people. The job I'll be assigned after passing the exam will be similar to what I have now." He added in his mind, I have learned enough in my previous life.

Liao Miaomiao: "Then what should I do? After my mom said that, my dad also thought that my preparation for the exam was just wishful thinking and it would be embarrassing if I failed."

Ye Fan wanted to ask her to find her dad, but she didn't expect her mom to be so awesome. "Your mom is not smart." Why didn't I see it before? "Well, I'll tell you who to find."

(End of this chapter)