Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

Without saying anything, Ye Fan went into the room and pulled open Liao Miaomiao's quilt, but only half of it. Ye Fan was angry and wanted to slap her twice, but the most urgent thing was not to scold her or hit her. Ye Fan wrapped her in the quilt and carried her up. Liao Miaomiao struggled instinctively, and Ye Fan yelled angrily: "Liao Miaomiao, I don't owe you anything!"

Liao Miaomiao stopped struggling.

Zhuang Qiuyue came in and saw this scene, and hurriedly persuaded: "Accountant Ye, if you have anything to say, please talk to her nicely. She is a teenager and doesn't know much. Don't worry about it. I will deal with her later."

Two children ran out of the kitchen. They were Liao Dadi and Liao Xiaomei. They couldn't help but stretch out their hands, as if waiting to catch Liao Miaomiao who was thrown to the ground by Ye Fan. Ye Fan tried to be nice to them: "You two stay at home. Your mother, your sister and I will go out to talk. Sister-in-law, come out!"

Zhuang Qiuyue had been a neighbor of Ye Fan for several years, but she had never seen her so angry. She didn't dare to confront her and hurriedly followed her out. Ye Fan whispered, "The sweet potato you poisoned the rat is in her stomach." Then he ran and walked, "Let's go to the military infirmary."

Zhuang Qiuyue nodded subconsciously, wanting to say I know. When she realized what Ye Fan meant, she hurried and was at a loss: "I - Accountant Ye, wait for me -" She caught up with Ye Fan and threw the quilt: "You damn girl -"

Ye Fan lost his balance due to her strength and yelled angrily, "Enough!"

Liu Guihua, who was going to the Ye family to fetch water, was so frightened that she stopped and looked over. She dropped the bucket and carrying pole and chased after him: "Accountant Ye, what are you doing?"

Ye Fan was very tired, so he raised his hand and put Miao Miao in her arms: "Sister-in-law, the infirmary!"

Liu Guihua obeyed and ran with Miaomiao in her arms. After running a few steps, she came to her senses and asked, "Is Miaomiao sick?"

Ye Fan: "I accidentally ate the sweet potato that was poisoned by rats."

Liu Guihua wanted to complain as usual, but suddenly she remembered something: "It wasn't given by me, was it?"

Ye Fan nodded, and Liu Guihua immediately ran two miles in one breath, just like when she was a child hiding from the Japanese raids, and stuffed Liao Miaomiao into the doctor's hands, then collapsed on the ground due to exhaustion.

The doctor was confused: "Why, what happened?"

Ye Fan leaned against the door frame and gasped, "Wash-wash the stomach! Wash the stomach quickly. She has eaten rat poison by mistake."

The nurse hurriedly went to prepare the soapy water. The doctor put Liao Miaomiao on the bed and unwrapped her blanket. Liao Miaomiao stood up and ran. Ye Fan stopped her: "Go back!"

"Aunt Ye, I'm not Erbao. Life and death have nothing to do with you!" Liao Miaomiao pushed her away.

Zhuang Qiuyue's face was full of frost: "I am your mother, can I control you? Go back!"

Liao Miaomiao nodded: "I'll go back. I won't open my mouth, just wait and see how you guys pour it in!"

Zhuang Qiuyue was so angry that she slapped her in the face.

Ye Fan wanted to stop it, but as soon as he raised his hand, his slap landed on Miao Miao's face. Ye Fan sighed, "Sister-in-law, what are you doing?"

"Does she have a brain? She eats everything!" Zhuang Qiuyue pointed at her daughter, feeling a headache and chest pain.

Liu Guihua came in with trembling legs: "We can talk nicely."

Ye Fan also had a headache: "Do you really believe me when I say it was an accidental ingestion? She doesn't want to live anymore!"

Zhuang Qiuyue looked like she was talking nonsense. Liu Guihua blinked her eyes hard, suspecting that she was too tired to speak.

Seeing that Zhuang Qiuyue really thought Miaomiao was greedy, Ye Fan knew that he couldn't count on her: "Miaomiao, you just didn't pass the exam, but compared to the educated youth who have been on the island for ten years, what's that?"

Liao Miaomiao looked calm: "The educated youth had hope and friends, but I have no friends, no future, and I don't know what the meaning of my life is. Aunt Ye, I respect you and don't want you to be embarrassed. Please go home."

Ye Fan: "Don't you have a few good friends? Miaomiao——"

"No." Liao Miaomiao shook her head. "It's long gone. Because they gave me flowers, my mom said I didn't have this bad habit before, I learned it from them. Every time they asked me to play, my mom said I couldn't go out, I had to stay at home to take care of my younger brothers and sisters. I haven't visited them in the past few months because I was studying, and I won't have the face to visit them in the future."

Ye Fan thought for a moment: "But, my elder brother is so sensible, and my younger sister is still so young——"

"They can grow up without me."

Ye Fan: "But——"

Zhuang Qiuyue grabbed Ye Fan and said, "Tell her to die!"

Liu Guihua was so angry that she said, "What are you talking about? Miaomiao, be obedient." She winked at Ye Fan, who pushed Zhuang Qiuyue and pulled her out. Ye Fan grabbed Miaomiao and said, "Miaomiao, you have your own opinions. Not only do I think so, but your uncle Geng also said that you are more sensible than Erbao."

Liao Miaomiao couldn't help but look at Ye Fan.

Seeing that this trick worked, Ye Fan continued, "Geng Zhiye seldom praises people. People say that children with bad tempers, strong opinions and strong personalities are difficult to manage, and they will be disobedient when they grow up and will not be filial in the future. Geng Zhiye is just the opposite. He believes that smart children with good tempers have a promising future. Not being admitted to university does not mean that she is stupid, it only means that she is not good at studying. Miaomiao, look, there is still more than half a month before school starts. Not receiving the admission letter now does not mean that you did not pass the exam-"

The strong Liao Miaomiao burst into tears.

Ye Fan was so frightened that he dared not speak.

The doctor gestured to Ye Fan that the soapy water would soon be healed, so he should continue to persuade her.

Ye Fan: "Miao Miao, I'll persuade your mom and ask your uncle Geng to persuade your dad to continue next year. If it doesn't work out next year, you can go to high school in the fall, and it won't be too late to take the exam again in two years. Aunt Dabao said you can still take the exam in July. Aunt Dabao didn't pass. She passed the admission score line for the Normal University. Because there were too many applicants, she was not accepted, but she didn't say she was dead-"

"No, Aunt Ye, no, we are different."

Ye Fan didn't want to persuade them anymore, and couldn't help but speak stiffly: "Why is it different?" Liao Miaomiao: "Aunt Dabao didn't pass the exam because her score was not high enough. I didn't pass the exam even though my score was high enough because my mother secretly changed my choice!"

Ye Fan was so shocked that he was speechless.

The nurse was amazed, how could this be possible?

The doctor was speechless. This was a difficult situation.

Ye Fanxin said, I should have thought of it earlier, how could such a strong child be so anxious to die.

"Miao Miao..." Ye Fan helped her sit down: "Listen to Aunt Ye's words, and then I won't stop you whether you live or die, okay?"

Liao Miaomiao stared at Ye Fan. Ye Fan pulled the doctor's chair over and sat opposite her, whispering, "Your mom and dad will be very sad if you die. But they will only be sad for a few days at most. Because they still have a son and a daughter. They will think that you are disobedient and are seeking death. You deserve it! If you move away in two years, will they still remember who you are?"

The doctor was beside Liao Miaomiao, ready to take action if all else failed. Upon hearing this, he glared at Ye Fan, saying, "How can you advise me like this?"

Liao Miaomiao didn't struggle or interrupt, which showed that what she said was useful. Ye Fan continued: "Your mother wants you to be successful, right? Then you should be successful to show her - don't worry, listen to me, you urge your sister and brother to take exams far away. One goes to a military school, one serves the people and needs to be on duty during festivals, and one works as a doctor in a big hospital. Your mother calls and writes to ask you to come back, saying that the unit won't let you go. If they get sick, they have to bear it themselves, and if they die, you come back to collect the bodies. Relatives and neighbors can't say anything. Isn't this good? If you are alive, she can't see you every year, and the neighbors ask her if her daughter has come back. Since your mother cares so much about face, how can she feel good? If she doesn't feel good, won't your goal be achieved?"

Liao Miaomiao's expression relaxed. Seeing this, Ye Fan continued: "Next time your mother scolds you, just mention changing your choice. If she wants to talk about the past, don't mention it. Don't bother, just say whatever she wants. If she hits you, just smash the pot and bowl. If your father also wants to hit you, just run away and tell him about changing your choice. Your mother will definitely feel ashamed to face others.
"You died quietly, and when others asked about it, your mother said you were greedy. We didn't know the truth, so we also thought you were greedy. In the future, fishermen on the island will teach their children not to be greedy. There was a person named Liao Miaomiao on the island before, who was poisoned to death by rat poison because of her greed."

The nurse came over with water and said, "Miaomiao, my mother is almost the same as yours. I served in the army here and never went home every year. I also didn't give her money, so she didn't dare to treat me the way she used to."

Ye Fan: "Should we lie down and vomit out what we ate?"

Liao Miaomiao nodded.

The doctor immediately performed a gastric lavage on her.

However, the gastric lavage was uncomfortable, and Liao Miaomiao regretted it again. Ye Fan hurriedly shouted, "Sister Liu!"

Zhuang Qiuyue came over, and Liu Guihua pulled her back, "Don't provoke her." Liu Guihua closed the door and wanted to ask what happened to Ye Fan, but she saw Liao Miaomiao's legs struggling. She hurried over to help hold Ye Fan down, the doctor held her hands, and the nurse gave her gastric lavage.

After an unknown amount of time, Liu Guihua felt so weak that she was about to collapse on the ground. She heard the doctor say, "It's almost done."

Liu Guihua didn't care about the dirt on the ground and slid down to the ground against the bed.

When Ye Fan and his companions came, they were seen by the sentry, who notified the patrol officer, who reported to Geng Zhiye. Geng Zhiye ran over and saw Ye Fan lying motionless on the ground. He staggered. The doctor hurriedly supported him: "Be careful!"

Ye Fan turned around and saw Geng Zhiye: "Why are you here?"

When Geng Zhiye saw that Ye Fan was alive, he was suddenly filled with mixed feelings of sadness and joy: "I thought you - I hope you're okay, I hope you're okay."

Liu Guihua wanted to laugh: "Look how scared Captain Geng is."

Ye Fan handed her hand to Geng Zhiye, who pulled her up and asked, "Sister-in-law, what's wrong with you?"

Liu Guihua stood up with the help of his arm: "By the way, you are the only one?"

Geng Zhiye looked at Ye Fan: "I thought——"

Ye Fan: "Set the house on fire? Am I that stupid? Who's on duty when you come?"

Geng Zhiye: "Political Commissar Liao and the Chief of Staff are here. I'll be fine for a while."

Ye Fan remembered something and asked, "Is Sister Zhuang at the door?"

Geng Zhiye didn't notice: "Let me see--" He turned his head and noticed the person on the bed, "Miaomiao is sick?"

The doctor thought to himself, you finally saw her.

Ye Fan said to the doctor and nurse, "Please take care of him. We have children at home, so we have to go back."

The nurse nodded: "Don't worry, Accountant Ye, everything will be fine with me here."

Ye Fan winked at Liu Guihua and pulled Geng Zhiye: "Let's talk outside." Outside, Zhuang Qiuyue was sitting against the wall, not knowing what she was thinking. She was just in a daze: "Sister-in-law, Miaomiao is fine. Let's go back first."

Zhuang Qiuyue stood up and forced a smile.

Even though Geng Zhiye only had Ye Fan in his heart, he realized that something was wrong with her. After leaving the clinic, Geng Zhiye asked, "What happened to Sister Zhuang?"

Liu Guihua: "Miao Miao, you have a bad temper. My sister-in-law said something rude, which made her so angry that she ate——"

Ye Fan interrupted: "Sister-in-law, didn't you hear that Miaomiao's choice of major was secretly changed by her mother?"

Liu Guihua stumbled, and Ye Fan hurriedly supported her. Liu Guihua held Ye Fan's hand tightly: "Didn't Miaomiao eat rat poison because she failed the exam and was scolded by her mother?"

Ye Fan: "You asked Xiaoshan to apply for agriculture, and Miaomiao might also apply for agriculture to be on the safe side. If Miaomiao told her mother that she did better than Xiaoshan, sister-in-law might help her change to normal school, or better majors such as accounting - which her mother thinks are better."

(End of this chapter)