Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

Ye Fan was fearless and could say anything she wanted, but the cashier didn't have a powerful father or a military husband to rely on, and anyone in the garment factory management dared to criticize her, so the cashier still hoped to raise the price next time, so she pretended to be pitiful: "I will definitely be scolded when I go back."

Ye Fan didn't want to embarrass the cashier, but she sympathized with the cashier. Who sympathized with the islanders? "I was waiting for you to raise the price last year."

The cashier opened his eyes wide: "Last year?"

Ye Fan nodded: "It's a pity that you didn't mention it when you came, and you didn't mention it when you left. This time you came and treated us as scapegoats. I admit that your clothing factory is the only one within a radius of 500 miles that collects down. But you have never thought that there are many people vying for profitable businesses. There has only been one in the past two years, what about in two years?"

The cashier never thought about it, never thought about it.

Ye Fan was speechless: "No, there are so many garment factories in the country, and you don't have any sense of crisis?"

"Now I have it." The cashier didn't want to thank him, "Thanks for the reminder!"

Seeing that she was not sincere, Ye Fan was too lazy to talk nonsense and poured her a glass of water: "Wait a little longer."

The cashier asked, "How about telling me what to do just in case?"

Ye Fan raised his eyebrows: "I'm just an accountant, and an accountant at a food factory."

The cashier wanted to sneer. Which accountant would dare to threaten the client like you did? "Tell me about it, so I can report to the factory manager when I get back. Maybe I can raise the price by a few cents?"

Ye Fanxin said, "I don't expect you to raise the price on your own initiative unless it rains red." Since only this clothing factory wants down, he can't offend them to death: "Tell me?"

The cashier nodded repeatedly and listened attentively.

Ye Fan: "In fact, it's just two words, innovation!"

The cashier choked and pondered for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "Can you elaborate?"

Did Ye Fan nod? "I don't understand clothing design, nor do I know the situation in clothing factories. Let me give you an example. You look a few years older than me. Do you still remember what happened around the 1960s? At that time, did you think it was worth dying for just to have a bowl of white rice? Later, when you could eat white rice, did you think it would be perfect if you had a few side dishes? Now that you can afford side dishes, do you want to eat grass-head dumplings? After you've had enough of grass-head dumplings, Nanxiang soup dumplings, and pan-fried steamed buns, do you want the dishes to be more refined?

"In fact, it's the same for customers who buy down jackets. Even if your factory is the only one making down jackets in the future, if you keep doing the same thing, you will slowly lose customers. Because down jackets are not a must. You can wear a nice cashmere coat, a skirt, a sweater, or a cheongsam."

Cashier: "Is the style innovative?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "There are also craftsmanship. For example, it doesn't lose down, it's light and warm. I've seen your down jackets in the newspaper, I wouldn't wear them even if you gave them to me."

If the cashier didn't know that Ye Fan's family was rich, she couldn't help but ask, "Can you afford it?" Because she knew, she believed what Ye Fan said was true, "Is it ugly?"

Ye Fan nodded, "You asked me to say that. At first glance, there is no difference between the women's and men's versions, and they are too loose and ugly! Who do you think can afford down jackets? They work in offices. They don't work in factories or in the fields, so why do they need down jackets that are so loose and convenient for work? Down jackets are also difficult to wash. I get a headache just thinking about throwing such heavy clothes into the basin. I would rather make sweaters and cotton-padded jackets for my children."

"The cotton-padded jacket also needs to be taken apart and washed."

Ye Fan's cotton-padded jackets don't need to be taken apart and washed. "My children don't need to be washed. Do you want to know why? We'll talk next time."

The cashier was speechless and choked: "——Are you serious?"

Ye Fan was very serious and handed her two newspapers: "Wait a moment."

The cashier put down the newspaper and called her sister. Ye Fan was speechless but wanted to laugh: "Don't call me that, I don't have a sister as old as you."

"You are my real sister!"

Ye Fan shook his head: "I am immune to this trick. I'd better read the newspaper."

Seeing this, the cashier was sure that he would have to wait until next time, and couldn't help but complain in his heart - what a thief!
One day later, when the cashier came to the factory and said that the money was not enough, the leader looked at her with suspicion. The cashier honestly confessed that Ye Fan wanted to persuade Yongcheng to make down jackets and also planned to persuade the leaders of Yongcheng to send people to their factory to learn.

The factory director thought it was funny, Yongcheng didn’t belong to Ye Fan. The cashier said that Ye Fan’s father was a big shot, and the Yongcheng leaders didn’t dare to take her words as fart. Then he said that Ye Fan thought she had no sense of crisis. People nowadays have never seen down jackets, and they are rare in down jackets. In the future, there will be more choices and they will not be rare. Finally, he said that Ye Fan’s children’s cotton jackets didn’t need to be taken apart, washed, and then sewn. Her intuition told her that there was a lot of stuff in the cotton jackets.

The factory manager suspected that Ye Fan was deliberately being mysterious, but was it necessary for the young lady to lie to them? The factory manager asked the cashier to go back and rest for two days before going to Hengshan Island with the deputy factory manager.

—

The deputy director saw the passenger ship on the shore and couldn't help asking the cashier, "Didn't they say that we need to take a fishing boat to go in and out?"

The cashier nodded and said, "The food factory borrowed this boat from the production team."

"Do we have to pay for the boat?"

The cashier nodded again: "We have to pay for the round-trip fare ourselves."

"This is the first time we bought down from her, and she's still so stubborn?"

The cashier shook his head: "She seems to be really confident this time. Is she really planning to persuade the clothing factories in Yongcheng to make down jackets?"

"It's possible." The deputy factory manager saw the crew coming out of the cabin and said hurriedly, "Someone is coming. Let's go back and talk."

As soon as he finished speaking, the temporary worker who was driving the boat came out and asked: "Are you from the garment factory?"

The cashier couldn't help asking, "Have you seen us?"

"I haven't seen it. But I know you came here these few days." The temporary worker saw the two people puzzled and said, "Don't you still owe us money? Come in. Be careful!" This dock has been around for many years, and it is shaky to walk on it. The temporary worker reached out to help the two people.

When the cashier heard the word "money", he couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you afraid that we will default on the debt?"

The temporary worker said without thinking: "Didn't you write an IOU to Accountant Ye?"

The cashier wanted to say, we can deny it. Suddenly she remembered that Ye Fan had a great background, and she knew that the islanders must know it, and she immediately understood why Ye Fan was not worried about the islanders who didn't get the money and quarreled with her.

It seems like they are really fearless!
The cashier couldn't help but envy Ye Fan for his good family background, and how he could "run rampant" even after coming to Hengshan Island, thousands of miles away from home. But she suddenly remembered something: "Last year, Accountant Ye told me that your island produces honey? If I want to buy some, do I have to find Accountant Ye as well?"

The crew nodded and said, "You came at the right time. Our honey is harvested twice a year, once at this time and once in late summer. This time it was harvested the day before yesterday, and yesterday the temporary workers went to the production workshop to pack it. They said that it will be sold in the vegetable market after it is packed. You should go there as soon as you get off the ship. If you are late, it may be sold out."

The deputy factory manager couldn't help but ask, "Is it so popular?"

Crew member: "Five bottles per family."

The cashier exclaimed, "So many? Each household in our place can only buy one bottle per month. By the way, how much is a bottle here?"

The crew thought for a moment and said, "One pound is three pieces, and half a pound is one piece and eighteen cents."

The deputy factory manager couldn't help but ask, "So expensive? The most expensive one over there is two yuan per pound."

The crew member smiled and asked, "Will you two still buy from us?"

The deputy factory manager couldn't laugh because he had to buy it even though it was expensive!

It is not common to limit the purchase of honey in the city. His family has been without sugar for three months. For the people of Shanghai to be without sugar is more painful than for them to be without food.

The deputy director could actually use his connections to get the honey, but he would have to worry about favors. He could also buy it on the black market, but the honey on the black market costs four or five yuan per pound, and it is not clear whether it is pure honey.

So when the two of them arrived on the island, the deputy director asked the cashier to take him to the vegetable market. The vegetable market was right next to the office, but they still bought honey first. After they got six bottles of honey, they went to the food factory office, for fear that if they talked to Ye Fan for a few more words, the honey would be sold out.

Ye Fan looked at the honey they were carrying and asked, "Buying so much?"

"I come from the deputy director's family and I do." The cashier went into the room, put the honey on the desk, and introduced her boss: "This is Accountant Ye Fanye from the food factory."

On the way here, the cashier told the factory director how tall Ye Fan was and what she looked like. When he saw her in person, the deputy factory director was still surprised, because Ye Fan was not noticeable when she was sitting, but she had a stunning aura when she stood up. It might be related to her height. The deputy factory director immediately felt like he was meeting a superior. The deputy factory director couldn't help but be humble: "Hello, Accountant Ye, I have heard of your name for a long time. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Ye Fan smiled and nodded: "I didn't expect you to come here in person. Please sit down." Then he poured a glass of water for the two of them: "Have you eaten?"

Cashier: "I ate a little while transferring to the bus. Accountant Ye, this is the money I owe you from last time." He took out a stack of ten-yuan bills from his bag.

Ye Fan took it and counted it three times.

The deputy factory director couldn't help but say, "It will definitely be no problem."

"This is all the islanders' hard-earned money. I must count it clearly." After making sure that not a cent was missing, Ye Fan returned the IOU to the cashier, then handed the clothes behind him to the deputy factory director, "You definitely didn't come here to negotiate the price with me, did you?"

The deputy factory manager took over and said, "You suddenly raised the price by two yuan per pound. Isn't it worth it for me to come here in person?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "I have already made it very clear last time. There is no need to make another trip just for this matter. Let's take a look."

The deputy factory director opened what was obviously a little boy's cotton jacket and looked at it over and over again, but couldn't make out anything special.

Ye Fan sighed, took the clothes and unbuttoned the buttons inside. The cotton coat suddenly became a coat and an inner lining.

The deputy factory manager and the cashier looked at each other, wondering if clothes could be made like this.

Seeing this, Ye Fan smiled and asked, "Why, is it not possible?"

Yes, why not? It just costs labor and fabric. But it saves down. Down is much more expensive than fabric. Besides, it is more cost-effective to buy two than one, because when it is hot, you can remove the lining and use the outer layer as a jacket, which will definitely be more popular than it is now.

Ye Fan asked: "You can also remove the two sleeves and turn the lining into a waistcoat."

Their eyes lit up.

Ye Fan couldn't help but ask, "Is it worth doing business with me?"

Seeing her look of "you guys made a fortune", the cashier couldn't help but say stubbornly: "We just didn't expect it."

Ye Fan nodded: "This is not a high-end technology, anyone can think of it. But it is hard to say when it will be thought of. Maybe five years, maybe ten years, maybe twenty years, or even thirty years——"

"You might as well talk about my next life." The cashier interrupted.

Ye Fan nodded in agreement: "It's possible."

The teller choked.

The deputy factory manager laughed. He knew he couldn't win the argument, but he kept talking. What was he trying to achieve? "Accountant Ye, can you let me take another look?"

Ye Fan handed Dabao's clothes over.

The deputy factory manager took a closer look and said, "It's a good idea indeed. The weather here isn't as hot as Guangzhou, so we have to wear thick clothes in winter. It's not as cold as the capital, so we don't need to wear too thick clothes. This is just right. When it's cold in the morning and evening, put on the liner, and when it's hot at noon, put down the sleeves, just like wearing a waistcoat. It's not appropriate to wear a cotton waistcoat at work, but our down jackets have outer jackets that can cover the waistcoat. In the spring, the liner can be dried and put away, and the outer jacket can continue to be worn. It's like wearing the same piece of clothing for half a year." Ye Fan: "If I'm at home on weekends, I can just wear a liner. I don't even have to buy a waistcoat."

The deputy factory director nodded and said, "Accountant Ye, have you ever thought about developing in Shanghai?"

Ye Fan was stunned.

The cashier coughed quickly and said, "Have you forgotten why Accountant Ye came to Hengshan Island?"

The deputy director wanted to ask if she was transferred here. Suddenly, he remembered that she came here with the army, and he felt a little embarrassed. "Accountant Ye, I'll leave you a phone number and address. Your wife can't always be guarding the island, right? If there is a chance to be transferred to Shencheng, we warmly welcome you."

Ye Fan took it and put it in his pocket: "Are you going back now?"

The deputy factory manager nodded: "There is another bus at 10 pm, so we can get off there tomorrow morning."

"Then I won't see you off. The fishermen have been asking about it every day these days, and they must be getting impatient." Ye Fan looked at the money on the table.

The deputy factory director thought that the fishermen only earned this little extra income, so he nodded to show his understanding.

In fact, the fishermen were not in a hurry at all, because they trusted Accountant Ye. However, they felt uneasy until the money came to them, so when the temporary workers on the boat said that someone from the garment factory had come, the members informed each other.

By the time the deputy director and the cashier got on board, the fishermen who had not received their payment last time had already arrived at the office.

Ye Fan reminded them to line up, and as soon as she finished speaking, the members stood in line.

The first member to receive the money couldn't help but ask, "Accountant Ye, will it be the same price next time?"

Ye Fan couldn't guarantee it, because the market is constantly changing: "It's hard to say. There have been new developments recently. What will happen next year? Not only me, but my father doesn't know either."

When it comes to policies, the fishermen did not expect that the grand revolution would suddenly end one day. No one can predict what will happen tomorrow, and the fishermen no longer hesitate: "Then let's do it the same as before, kill the ducks and geese and store them first, sell them if we can, and burn them if we can't?"

Ye Fan: "Keep it. Just because no one wants it this year doesn't mean no one will want it next year. A few pounds of down doesn't take up much space."

The members thought about it and felt that this made sense - maybe no one would want it next year, but they would buy it at a high price the year after.

After Ye Fan distributed the money, she went to find the employee at the vegetable market who was selling honey. The employee gave her the money and said, "I didn't expect it to be so popular."

"Scarcity makes things valuable. In the future, there will be no purchase limit on sugar. There are so many kinds of candies on the market. Who still wants to drink honey?" Ye Fan took the money and counted it.

The employee asked: "How many more years can it be sold?"

Ye Fan laughed: "How would I know? But when you don't crave sweets anymore, you can reduce the production. Or you can just keep them for visiting relatives, or for the elderly to nourish their bodies. After all, some bees produce royal jelly, which is a good thing."

"Don't the bees raised by the Shanxi Brigade produce anything?"

Ye Fan hadn't studied it in detail: "I'm not sure. I haven't heard the beekeeper mention it. It shouldn't produce. Even if there is, it's only enough for the queen bee. Okay, you go ahead and get busy. I should also--"

"Accountant Ye, is the honey gone?"

Ye Fan turned around and almost bumped into someone. He was startled and looked up to see Zhuang Qiuyue. "You, buying honey?"

Zhuang Qiuyue nodded: "They said they were selling it here." She looked at the market worker, who only had vegetables in front of him, "Why are they selling so fast?"

Ye Fan: "It's less than 60 kilograms in total. The people from the garment factory just came over to return the money, and they bought six bottles at once. Sister Guihua bought five bottles, Sister Wan bought three bottles, and some bought some specifically for visiting relatives--"

"How much did Liu Guihua buy?" Zhuang Qiuyue couldn't help but interrupt.

Ye Fan: "Five bottles. Captain Niu doesn't like honey. Three bottles for her and her mother, and two bottles for visiting relatives. I also bought five bottles. One bottle for ourselves, four bottles to take back home, two bottles for my mother-in-law, and two bottles for my mother-in-law."

"It's not sold in the capital?" Zhuang Qiuyue didn't believe it.

Ye Fan nodded: "Yes. Who knows if it is clean or not, and whether there is sugar water mixed in it. It is safer to watch the bees collect honey with your own eyes." Suddenly she remembered that Zhuang Qiuyue came to her house to press water this morning. She mentioned to Zhuang Qiuyue that there was honey in the vegetable market. "Why are you here so late?"

Zhuang Qiuyue thought that honey outside was one or two yuan a bottle, and Ye Fan sold it for three yuan, so not many people would buy it, so she slowly cleaned the house inside and out before coming over.

I didn't expect that people are so frugal in normal times, but when they see good things, they grab them like there is no tomorrow.

Zhuang Qiuyue asked: "Are there any more recently?"

"Maybe in a month or two. The lotus flowers in Lianhua Brigade are in bloom, and we can take out some of the bees after they have eaten their fill. There are no more fields of rapeseed flowers in Shanxi Brigade, and the next time may be around the beginning of autumn."

Zhuang Qiuyue frowned: "So long?"

"There is still a flowering period after autumn here, and bees can still collect honey. If it were in the north, it would snow in September of the lunar calendar, and the flowering period would be extremely short, so bees could only collect honey once a year."

Zhuang Qiuyue heard the hidden meaning in her words and couldn't help but regret not coming earlier. But she felt that she couldn't blame herself, because she didn't know that honey was so difficult to make. "Why did Liu Guihua buy so much? I'll go find her."

Ye Fan wanted to say that Liu Guihua was planning to go to Hangzhou in a few days, but before he could finish his words, she walked away.

"This guy!" Ye Fan sighed helplessly. He went home and counted out the money from the beekeeper. He put the remaining money in a bag, locked the bag in the cabinet, and then went to the production team.

When Ye Fan arrived at the intersection of the Shanxi Production Team, someone chatting at the intersection asked, "Are you looking for the team leader?"

"Give money to the beekeepers." Ye Fan said.

The member asked hurriedly, "I heard you bought it at one yuan per pound?"

Ye Fan was afraid that they would get jealous and do something bad: "You want to raise bees too?"

"I'm afraid of that thing. It stings really badly."

Ye Fan felt that he didn't dare to get close to the beehive, and felt relieved: "Yes. I thought the domesticated ones wouldn't sting him. I didn't expect that when they go crazy, they will sting anyone."

Several members nodded together. One of them couldn't help but ask how much it was sold for.

Ye Fan: "About fifty yuan. I can't compare with you guys. Duck down and goose down sell for dozens of yuan, and you can also sell duck meat, goose meat, duck eggs, and goose eggs."

Several members couldn't help laughing. Then one of them said, "It's all thanks to Accountant Ye. We all heard from Su Duofu that the garment factory initially charged last year's price, and you talked to them for a long time before they agreed to raise the price by two yuan per kilogram."

Ye Fan: "It is unlikely to increase in price in the future. Because more and more people know that duck down and goose down can make money, and everyone is storing it, so the price will naturally be low."

Although several members did not think of the saying "scarcity makes things valuable" at the moment, they also realized that no matter what it is, if there are too many of it, it will become worthless.

"Accountant Ye is right. We will sell as much as we can now."

Ye Fan nodded. This was a good idea. Even if he couldn't make a lot of money in the future, he wouldn't lose everything. "I'll go over there."

"Accountant Ye, he is not at home. He seemed to have gone to the Martyrs' Forest just now." A member reminded.

Ye Fan went to the Martyrs Forest to find the beekeeper and gave him the money. He was embarrassed and wanted to give Ye Fan a reward for his hard work. Ye Fan was helpless and amused: "Why do I need your money? Keep it. It's time to cook at home."

It was a rare day today, Geng Zhiye came back at noon. When Ye Fan got home and saw him washing vegetables in the yard, he couldn't help but look up at the sky: "Captain Geng, what day is it today?"

"It's a normal day." Geng Zhiye said, "Today's training mission is light." Then he added, "It's hard to train every day. I heard from Xiaoqin that you are very busy these days?"

Ye Fan squatted down: "It's over. The next time will be before the Dragon Boat Festival." Seeing that there were cherries next to him, "I didn't buy any?"

Geng Zhiye: "It was given to her by a member of the production team. Maybe because the price of down is high this time, you helped her out of her urgent need. It tastes good, want to try it?"

Ye Fan pinched one to taste, it was sweet and sour and delicious, and stuffed one into his mouth: "Did Dabao and Erbao eat it?"

Geng Zhiye nodded: "Eating with Miaomiao in Xiaoqin's room. By the way, I just saw Zhuang Qiuyue rushing to the back. What happened?"

Ye Fan didn't want to complain, but she couldn't help but say a few words, saying that Zhuang Qiuyue's last bottle of honey was almost reaching the other side when she arrived at the vegetable market.

Geng Zhiye shook his head: "From this point, we can see that she has poor vision."

Ye Fan: "Let's not talk about her. I was just chatting with the members of the Shanxi Brigade, and suddenly I thought of something. Do the troops eat geese and ducks?"

"Occasionally. Need to pluck the hair, the kitchen staff is too busy. What's the matter?"

Ye Fan: "How do we deal with duck and goose feathers?"

Geng Zhiye: "Next time when we buy duck eggs or geese, we will return the feathers and we will buy things from them again and they will give us a discount."

Ye Fan was surprised: "You are quite flexible."

"Don't you even look at who my wife is? Birds of a feather flock together!" Geng Zhiye raised his chin, and Ye Fan smiled and supported his shoulders to press the water.

Ye Fan was just giving out some money today, so she wasn't very busy. She went to the kitchen and asked Geng Zhiye to sit down and light the fire while she cut vegetables and cooked.

After dinner, Ye Fan was not idle either. She knew that Su Duofu was at home today, and as there was nothing to do at the factory, she went to the director's office of the vegetable market and called the commune to ask Su Duofu to come over.

The Su Duofu people came, and the captain of the Lotus Brigade also came, and there was a small pot of cherries in the car.

Ye Fan was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "I have this thing at home. It was given to me by the Shanxi Brigade."

The captain put it on the desk and said, "Your sister-in-law has worked hard in reviewing, give it to her."

Su Duofu nodded: "It's not easy to sell such a small amount. If you eat too much, you'll be hungry. If you don't pick them, they'll be cheap."

Ye Fan: "Only this once."

The captain nodded in agreement. But Ye Fan always felt that there would be a next time. "I was just going to talk to Duofu about this." Pointing at the cherries, "Selling them away won't cover the round-trip gas costs. But we can ask people to come to the island to buy them. Duofu, go back and find grandpa and grandma, and a few men and women of your age to go to the city park, carrying ready-to-eat dried fish or cherries in your hands. When people ask where you bought them, just say we have a passenger ship here. Although there is a boat fare, there is no purchase limit on many things."

The captain immediately thought this was a good idea.

Su Duofu said first: "There are troops stationed on the island. What if they sneak over there out of curiosity and something happens?"

Ye Fan: "I've thought about building a fence gate in the family quarters. The Shanxi Brigade will set up a roadblock on the side where the troops are going. Let the adults and children on the island be smart and tell the crew not to sail if they find anyone sneaking around. You arrange this. By the way, tell the grandpa and grandma that they will get a day's salary for taking a walk."

(End of this chapter)