Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

Ye Fan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Who asked you to care?

Liao Miaomiao couldn't help but burst into laughter when she saw Dabao's angry look. Dabao was so angry that he sat up and said, "Sister Miaomiao, are you laughing at me?"

Geng Zhiye: "Miao Miao laughed at how she knew less than you even though she was about to go to college. It was ridiculous!"

Liao Miaomiao nodded: "Yes, I laugh at myself."

Dabao was a little embarrassed: "Miaomiao sister, it's not your fault. My mother said that Aunt Xiaohui was like that because no one taught her. You must have been raised by someone but no one taught you." Then she added, "Wait until you go to college, and the teacher will teach you."

Liao Miaomiao wanted to cry again when she heard this. Seeing this, Ye Fan quickly asked about the test results to divert her attention. When Liao Miaomiao heard Ye Fan asking her how she did on the test, the sadness in her heart dissipated a lot, and she didn't cry. "I think it's very good. I left half of the math questions blank last year, and I only left a few questions this year. If I answer all the questions correctly, I will definitely get into Hangzhou Normal University."

Ye Fan: "That's good. Is there anyone else in your hometown?"

Liao Miaomiao nodded: "My grandma is still alive."

Ye Fan: "Su Yuanhang said that the school subsidy is enough for him. He eats a lot, you definitely can't use it all, then you can buy your own ticket back home. But forget it this year, you are a little girl and it's easy to be cheated when you go on the road."

Liao Miaomiao wanted to laugh: "Aunt Ye, I'm not stupid."

Geng Zhiye couldn't help but say, "You don't understand how evil people are. If an old lady says my home is not far ahead, you help me get there. Once you give in and follow her, you may not be able to get out."

Liao Miaomiao was surprised how he knew that.

After Geng Zhiye got engaged to Ye Fan, he hoped that Ye Fan would visit him in the army, and he specifically inquired about the situation on the train.

Ye Fan added: "Being locked up and bearing children for a man is like crying out to heaven and earth for help but no one can help."

Liao Miaomiao couldn't imagine it, so she looked a little confused.

Geng Zhiye: "I didn't mean to scare you. This situation is not common, but it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. After a year or two, you will know more in school and you won't look like a middle school student. If you don't want to spend the New Year here, go back to your hometown. In the past two years, I went to the train station with my classmates. It will be fine once we get to Ningbo."

Dabao's attention was drawn to "locked up": "Won't I be locked up in Yongcheng?"

Ye Fan: "As the saying goes, live by the mountain, eat by the mountain; live by the water, eat by the water. This place has mountains and water, a land of fish and rice, and we are not so poor that we would take such a risk."

Geng Zhiye nodded: "Erbao, are you asleep?"

Erbao raised his little hand: "Dad, I heard you. Dad, teach me military boxing tomorrow. The Tai Chi that mom teaches is so gentle and won't kill anyone."

Geng Zhiye was speechless but wanted to laugh: "Okay, I'll teach you military boxing tomorrow."

The speaker has no intention, the listener has the heart.

The next morning, Liao Miaomiao woke up Liao Xiaomei, who shared the same room with her, as soon as she opened her eyes. Then she went to wash up and played in the yard. Hearing Erbao's voice, Liao Miaomiao dragged Liao Xiaomei to the door of Ye Fan's house. The two sisters went in only after Geng Zhiye said that they could start.

Ye Fan went to buy groceries, while Geng Zhiye washed rice and cooked porridge, watching the two children wash their faces and brush their teeth. He didn't pay attention to anything else, and because of the bean-covered fence, he didn't notice anyone outside. The two of them suddenly came in, and Geng Zhiye was startled and asked hurriedly: "Miao Miao, what's wrong?" Didn't he comfort her with a joke yesterday?

Liao Miaomiao was a little embarrassed: "Uncle Geng, are you going to teach Erbao military boxing?"

Geng Zhiye nodded: "You want to learn too? You——" He swallowed the word "Dad". Based on Zhuang Qiuyue's personality, she must think Liao Miaomiao is bored, otherwise why would a female student who is not going to join the army learn military boxing. If Liao Miaomiao talks about self-defense, Zhuang Qiuyue might even say that men are stronger than women, and it is useless to learn it, because men can subdue women as soon as they get close.

"Is it not possible?" Seeing his hesitation, Liao Miaomiao couldn't help but ask cautiously.

Geng Zhiye smiled and said, "Sure. But I have a request. Don't talk about this when we get home."

Liao Miaomiao didn't get along with her parents, so she patted her younger sister.

The younger sister thought of many things in an instant. The most important point was that she was not going to college for her mother, nor was she studying for her mother. If her mother dared to secretly change her major, she would knock her mother down with one punch if she learned military boxing. Liao Xiaomei smiled and nodded: "Uncle Geng, I won't tell you."

Liao Miaomiao was psychologically fragile, and Geng Zhiye did this out of necessity because he was worried that the two sisters would talk about this matter when they got home and cause another disturbance, and something else might happen: "Then warm up with me first."

The whole set of military boxing didn't have many moves, so Ye Fan finished it when he came back from buying groceries. However, Liao Miaomiao and Liao Xiaomei hadn't gone home yet. Ye Fan asked, "Have you cooked at home?"

Liao Miaomiao shook her head: "Not yet."

Ye Fan: "Let's go back and take a look. You two are both here, and my eldest brother needs to wash the vegetables and light the fire."

When Liao Miaomiao heard that her brother had to do a lot of work, she dragged her sister home. Dabao went into the house with her mother and asked, "Mom, didn't you see that Sister Miaomiao didn't want to go home?"

"That's her home. She has to go back eventually." Ye Fan put the seafood in the basin. "If Miaomiao doesn't go home, Zhuang Qiuyue can complain to my eldest brother alone. My eldest brother is upset but doesn't dare to resist his mother. After a while, he will blame Miaomiao for being disobedient and cause him to get scolded."

Geng Zhiye patted his son's head and said, "If her parents are unreliable and her brothers and sisters don't care about her anymore, she won't know who to turn to if she encounters any problems in the future."

Dabao seemed to understand: "What a hassle."

Geng Zhiye: "Don't worry, our family won't be like this."

Dabao asked his mother: "You want me to take the military academy entrance exam, but I don't, will you become Zhuang Qiuyue?"

Ye Fan: "It's no use trying to turn into her. You need a physical examination to enter the military academy. If you don't go, I dare to tie you up and let you go?"

"you dare!"

Ye Fanqi laughed: "The admissions teacher is an officer. How dare I mess with an officer?"

Dabao nodded again: "You dare! Maybe he is Dad's soldier."

Geng Zhiye was amused: "If that's the case, your mother would dare to do it."

Dabao looked at his mother very proudly, nothing to say.

Ye Fan pinched his face and walked out with the shrimp.

Dabao didn't care about the pain and trotted after her: "Mom, please cook two salted duck eggs."

"Don't want shrimp?"

Dabao nodded: "It's getting less and less delicious."

How can it not taste good? Ye Fanxin said that if his stomach was empty, even the freshest seafood would taste bitter.

When buying groceries, I heard from the staff that the purchase limit for slaughtering pigs on July 30th was ten kilograms. Now it was only a few days away from July 30th, and the rapeseed oil I just bought would be enough to last until then. Ye Fan decided to make braised prawns.

Ye Fan asked: "You don't want to eat the braised prawns either?"

Dabao's eyes lit up: "Eat!"

Ye Fan smiled and went out to clean the shrimps while Geng Zhiye prepared the side dishes. Since the rice cooker came with a small sieve, Geng Zhiye washed the side dishes and found that the porridge was boiling and needed to lift the lid a little, so he simply put the sieve on it to heat the steamed buns and left the lid off.

Seeing this, Dabao went over and covered the pot.

Ye Fan was carrying the shrimps through the living room, and when he saw the rice cooker on the dining table, he opened the lid.

Dabao sighed: "Where are the hot buns?"

Geng Zhiye came out of the kitchen: "I bought the steamed buns yesterday afternoon. They are still soft after just one night. They can be heated through even without the lid on the pot."

"Okay." Dabao took the lid off the pot.

Geng Zhiye said: "When it's hot, it's quick to cook and heat up steamed buns. But in winter, you need to cover them."

“Oh, I see.” Dabao understood and stopped worrying about why he didn’t need to cover the pot. He went to the yard to play with his sister.

Erbao tied one end of the skipping rope to a tree and asked her brother to hold the other end open while she skipped. Dabao discussed with her sister: "I'll hold the rope for you, and you can help me make paper bags?"

Erbao nodded: "Can I play for fifteen minutes?"

"Sure!" Dabao shouted into the house, "Mom, what time is it?"

Ye Fan came out and said, "It's not seven o'clock yet. Are you hungry?"

"Call me at 7:10." Dabao waved his hand, "Go cook."

Ye Fan reluctantly went back to the house to cook prawns.

The food was brought to the living room. It was exactly 7:10 and Ye Fan called him to eat.

Dabao was holding a stack of paper bags and preparing to go to the yard to play, thinking that he would play for a while before eating. He turned his head towards the house and saw the shiny prawns. He threw the paper bags on the coffee table and went to wash his hands.

After dinner, Dabao asked his sister to play with him. Erbao shook his head and said, "I'm full and don't want to go."

"If you sit down after eating, you'll turn into a fat pig." Dabao pulled his sister up, "Shall we go play outside?"

Erbao had been away for many days and missed the flowers and plants on the island. He stood up immediately when he heard this.

Since he had to stay at home for a few more days this time and Geng Zhiye was going to the army after the vacation, Ye Fan had to wash his clothes by himself.

After hanging the clothes, Ye Fan was about to brush Dabao and Erbao's sandals when she heard her daughter say proudly, "Do you know who my brother is? Ask my brother to beat you up!"

Ye Fanxin said, who are you fighting with again?

After wiping his hands, Ye Fan ran out. He didn't see Geng Erbao. Ye Fan thought she was at Liao's house, so he walked towards Liao's house. When he passed by the alley, he saw a group of children playing in the alley. Ye Fan walked over a few steps and asked, "What are you doing?"

Erbao ran towards her mother and pointed at the little girl who was half a head taller than her: "She doesn't allow us to skip rope here."

The little girl, about ten years old, shouted, "This is a road, not a place for skipping rope. How can I get through if the road is blocked?"

Ye Fan: "Is the rope for skipping placed horizontally?"

Erbao shook his head: "No. Put it like this." He drew a line with his hand.

Little girl: "But they put it in the middle. The road outside is so wide, why don't we play on the road?"

Erbao: "There is sunshine on the road and there is shade here, aren't you stupid?"

"You are stupid!" the little girl yelled, "You are the stupidest!"

Erbao ran over and said, "Say that again? I won't hit you, and my name is not Geng Erbao!"

The little girl looked at Ye Fan subconsciously.

Erbao: "Don't look at my mom. If she can't beat you, you still have my brother. There's no need for mom to help. Mom, go wash the clothes!"

Ye Fan put one hand in his pocket and looked at Liu Qing's daughter. Oh, yes, the girl who thought Erbao was blocking the way was Liu Qing's eldest daughter, and she was in the same class as Dabao. "Did you forget that this is an alley, not a road?"

Liu Qing's daughter subconsciously asked: "What do you mean?"

Erbao wrinkled his nose in disdain: "You don't understand what I mean, and you still say you're not stupid. What my mother meant is that this is not the way."

Ye Fan nodded: "Why don't you take the main road, but go through the alley?"

The little girl said without hesitation: "It's closer from here."

Ye Fan: "You want to take a shortcut, but you blame others for blocking the way. Don't you think that's unreasonable? Besides, this is the alley between my home and the Liao family's. Erbao should blame you for preventing her from skipping rope."

Erbao nodded: "It's unreasonable to blame someone else!"

The little girl pointed at Ye Fan and said, "Adults are bullying children. I'm going to tell my mom!"

Ye Fan: "Then don't forget to tell your mom that you are several years older than Erbao, and it's normal for older kids to bully younger kids."

The little girl who was about to run home paused, her face flushed, and after a moment's hesitation, she ran north. Erbao was very worried when he saw this: "Mom, did I get into trouble?"

"It's okay. She doesn't dare tell her mother." Ye Fan told the children, "Don't quarrel. If you have any dissatisfaction, talk it over."

Six little boys and girls who were about the same age as Erbao nodded together.

Ye Fan asked: "Where is your brother? Erbao."

Erbao pointed to the next door.

Ye Fan came out of the alley, hesitated for a moment at the entrance of the alley, and decided to go home - Dabao knew his limits and would definitely not quarrel with Zhuang Qiuyue.

Dabao doesn't quarrel with Zhuang Qiuyue. Dabao is polite and speaks nicely.

Originally, Dabao and his sister went outside, and Erbao was being naughty and wanted to jump rope, and then play paper bags with his brother after he finished jumping rope. Dabao thought, you said the same thing before breakfast. Dabao didn't believe Erbao, so he told Erbao to go wherever it was cool, and he went to play with Liao Dadi next door.

When they arrived at the door of Liao's living room, Dabao was embarrassed to go in directly, because Ye Fan had taught him that if the courtyard door was closed, he had to ask outside the door if there was anyone there. He could go in if the courtyard door was open, but he had to knock on the door and ask outside the room, and then go in after being allowed.

Dabao was about to ask: "Can I go in?" However, before he could say anything, he heard Zhuang Qiuyue scolding his younger sister for being tactless and scolding his older brother for not knowing how to sweep the floor when his older brother was wiping the table with a rag. She also scolded Liao Miaomiao for sitting down after eating.

Dabao was stunned when he heard this, and scolded the three people in a few words, even more harsh than his mother.

Zhuang Qiuyue turned around to sweep the floor with a broom, and when she saw Dabao, she called him in. Dabao came back to his senses and said with a smile, "Aunt Zhuang, you are so busy."

"Yes. Serving three ancestors." Zhuang Qiuyue replied.

Dabao: "Aunt Zhuang, what are you going to do after sweeping the floor?"

"Carry water to wash clothes." Dabao asked again: "Will it take half a day to wash?"

"No, the clothes are thin in summer, they will be fine in a while."

Dabao: "Then prepare lunch after you're done?"

"It's early for lunch."

Dabao asked again: "Can we take a rest after we are done?"

"Yes. What happened to Dabao?" Zhuang Qiuyue was surprised.

Dabao looked confused: "You are in such a hurry, I thought you were going to work after washing the clothes."

Zhuang Qiuyue never thought that a tiny kid would want to bully her. Not understanding what he said, she asked Dabao what he meant.

Dabao pointed at Dadi and said, "He works slowly. You scolded him, so I thought there would be a lot of work to do later. It turns out that there is not much work to do at your house."

Zhuang Qiuyue understood vaguely. Perhaps her stereotype of men made her think that Dabao didn't understand yin and yang: "Finish the work early and rest early."

Dabao: "You want to finish the work early and rest early, but can't we kids finish the work slowly? Why do we have to be like you adults?"

Zhuang Qiuyue understood this time. Since they usually saw each other, she didn't want to make things awkward. Dabao was also the son of Captain Geng, so she didn't want to be unpleasant: "Have you finished your summer homework?"

Dabao nodded: "I've finished writing. Aunt Zhuang, don't worry about me, I will definitely be admitted to university. But I won't apply to Hangzhou Normal University, I want to go to a key university in Hangzhou, the same school as Uncle Su Yuanhang."

Zhuang Qiuyue was suddenly speechless with anger.

Just then, Liao Dadi had just wiped the table clean. He quickly threw down the rag and dragged Dabao into his room.

Zhuang Qiuyue was choking on her breath, feeling aggrieved, and went to the next door to get water. Seeing Ye Fan brushing shoes, she said, "Your Dabao is amazing. He's so young, but he's so sharp-tongued."

Ye Fan was stunned. Seeing her unhappy expression, he thought, has she ever quarreled with Dabao? Even if she hadn't quarreled before, Ye Fan didn't intend to scold her son for being ignorant and quarreling with the elders. Ye Fan asked, "Did you quarrel with Dadi? Or did you bully Xiaomei? Don't be angry, I'll beat him up when he comes back."

Zhuang Qiuyue was immediately afraid that Ye Fan would ask Dabao what happened. She didn't want Ye Fan to think that she, an adult, was arguing with a little brat, but she couldn't take back what she had said. She looked a little embarrassed and said, "Nothing. I just heard him talking to someone, and he was quite powerful. It will be hard to control him in the future if he's that powerful."

Ye Fan smiled and said, "He probably learned it from my grandma. My grandma is a nagging person. But he is still young, he will be sensible when he grows up."

"If you don't discipline him when he's young, he'll be even worse when he grows up."

Ye Fan shook his head: "No. Didn't Miao Miao think Agricultural University was good last year? I heard that she applied to Teachers College this year? It's only been half a year, right? She's grown up."

Zhuang Qiuyue opened her mouth, wanting to ask if your family always talks to people like this. But she didn't dare to ask, for fear that Ye Fan would ask her what Dabao said. "That's right, I forgot." Zhuang Qiuyue walked away with two buckets of water. After walking two steps, she stopped and thought of something, "How did you know that Miaomiao enrolled in the Teachers College?"

Based on what Miaomiao said, her mother would nag about her choice of major, Ye Fan guessed that Zhuang Qiuyue must have been unable to resist showing off to others. Miaomiao tried to commit suicide last year, but she still followed her and applied to the Teachers College this year. Ye Fan asked, "I heard from several people that it was you who said it. Are they lying?"

"This - no." Zhuang Qiuyue shook her head: "I said it. Tell me about her. What did she do last year? Didn't she apply to the Teachers College again this year? I said she is ignorant and unhappy."

Ye Fan: "Undergraduate degree from Agricultural University, three years of junior college at Normal University, a little lower than Agricultural University."

"Then why didn't she apply to Agricultural University this year?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "I just came back yesterday, how can I know what she is thinking. Maybe she is afraid that you will eat rat poison."

Zhuang Qiuyue said unhappily: "I'm not her."

"Miaomiao is not you, I don't know what you are thinking." Ye Fanhe analyzed with her in a friendly manner, "If you hadn't told Miaomiao that she would continue to apply to Agricultural University this year, you wouldn't be so angry that you would drink rat poison?"

Zhuang Qiuyue wanted to say, why am I telling her this, I haven't lived enough. But when she thought of Ye Fan saying that Miao Miao didn't know what she was thinking, she couldn't refute it, "She has such strong opinions, she won't believe me even if I tell her." She shook her head, "Don't talk about her, I get angry when I talk about her."

Ye Fanxin said, you will be angry in the future. But she was worried that she would make him angry and throw water into the bucket, so Ye Fan said nothing, smiled silently and continued to brush shoes.

It was hot in the house, and there was no fan in Liao Dadi's room. Dabao played in his bedroom for a while and then ran out. He saw Zhuang Qiuyue washing clothes in the living room: "Aunt Zhuang, are you washing clothes?"

Zhuang Qiuyue nodded subconsciously.

Dabao turned around and said to his eldest brother behind him: "Hurry up and help Aunt Zhuang wash clothes." Seeing the little sister squatting on the ground playing with stones, he said, "Little sister, you have no tact!" After saying that, Dabao jumped out of the door with a bang. Zhuang Qiuyue was startled. Just as she was about to scold the naughty child, the child ran out.

Zhuang Qiuyue was so angry that she scolded her son: "Don't play with Dabao anymore. He has spoiled you all - his grandmother!"

Liao Dadi originally wanted to grab Geng Dabao and ask, "How can you talk to me like that? You are so disrespectful!" Seeing his mother's angry look, Dadi realized that Dabao did it on purpose. Dadi thought to himself, Dabao is really a smart guy.

The eldest brother suppressed his laughter and nodded: "Mom, do you want me to help you?"

"What can you wash? Go do your summer homework." Zhuang Qiuyue was upset when she heard the stones falling to the ground, "Little sister, go read a book! Playing with stones every day, can the stones feed you or help you study?"

The younger sister took the stone back to the house. Zhuang Qiuyue couldn't help but yell, "Come out and wash your hands!"

Ye Fan heard everything clearly in his own yard. When he saw Dabao coming in with a smile, he asked, "Are you angry?"

Dabao: "I didn't. She just wanted to be angry."

Seeing a lot of sweat on his forehead, Ye Fan said, "Come here and wash your face."

Dabao found that the basin was clean and tidy: "Mom, do we still need the basin?"

Ye Fan said no. Dabao was carrying a basin of water, which he couldn't lift by himself, so he asked his mother to take it to the vegetable garden to dry it and leave it for him to take a bath in the afternoon. He didn't see his sister in the house, so he ran out and asked, "Where's Erbao?"

Ye Fan looked towards the next alley.

Dabao went over to call Erbao back. Erbao had been playing for more than half an hour and was sweating all over. He wanted to drink some water and eat some melon, but he didn't want to be separated from his friends, so he asked his friends to go to her house.

Seeing a bunch of kids coming in, Ye Fan picked a few more tomatoes and cucumbers, washed a full plate and brought it to the living room: "Erbao, have you washed your hands?"

Erbao stood up and waved his hand like a little boss: "Go wash your hands."

The children followed him out immediately. If their parents saw them, they would be very puzzled. Why did they not wash their hands before eating and listen to Erbao so much?

Seeing this, Dabao said, "Mom, Erbao is the big sister."

“You’re the big brother!”

Dabao shook his head: "I am someone's younger brother."

Ye Fan was speechless but wanted to laugh: "Little brother of Liao Dadi?"

Dabao nodded: "He doesn't know as much as I do. He relies on the fact that he is much taller than me. I can't beat him, so he wants to be my big brother every day. But he loves to play tricks, it's wishful thinking!"

Ye Fan gave him half a tomato: "What did you do, big brother?"

"We made a bet, the loser calls the winner dad, and he lost, so he called me brother." Dabao got angry when he thought about this, "He is such a traitor!"

Ye Fan was choked by a tomato. Dabao quickly handed her the handkerchief in his pocket: "What's wrong, Mom?"

"You——" Ye Fan stretched out his hand, Dabao handed him the cup of water, and Ye Fan took two sips to smooth his throat. "If he calls you, do you dare to answer?"

Dabao: "Why should I be afraid? Just don't let Zhuang Qiuyue and Liao Sanyang hear it."

"You still know that." Ye Fan rolled his eyes at him, "Zhuang Qiuyue just came to tell me that you are amazing."

Dabao shook his head: "No one is as good as her, a murderer!"

Ye Fan couldn't help but glare at him: "Don't talk nonsense!"

"I'm telling you." Dabao muttered, and when he saw Erbao and her friends coming in, he blocked his mouth with a tomato.

Ye Fan was worried, so he waited for Erbao's friends to come home for dinner, and then he reminded Dabao not to talk nonsense.

Dabao waved his hand: "I know. Let's go cook."

"Come here and I'll teach you how to cook noodles."

Dabao skipped to the kitchen and watched his mother turn on the stove, watched his mother fan the stove, and waited for the fire to come on. Ye Fan poured a lot of hot water into the pot, and the water soon boiled. Ye Fan put the noodles in, then took them out and rinsed them with cold water.

Dabao asked: "Eating cold noodles?"

Ye Fan nodded: "There will be a pig slaughter in the market in a few days, mom, buy some more."

On the morning of July 30, Ye Fan was awakened by the screams of pigs. He immediately got up, washed his face and brushed his teeth, and then went to the vegetable market to wait.

Ye Fan bought five pounds of pork belly, two pounds of pork leg meat and two pounds of ribs.

After returning home, Ye Fan prepared the side dishes, cooked the porridge, stewed the spare ribs on the stove, and then cut a pound of pork belly for stir-frying.

It was cool in the morning and comfortable to sleep. Dabao and Erbao didn't want to get up when they woke up, but the fragrance was so tempting that they couldn't lie down. Knowing that their mother was making delicious food in the kitchen, the brother and sister went to the public toilet by themselves, and came back to brush their teeth and wash their faces obediently.

Since the ribs needed to be stewed for a while longer and it was not so easy to eat, the brother and sister practiced Tai Chi in the living room.

As soon as Ye Fan mentioned eating, the brother and sister pulled the table and took the bowls and chopsticks, even more enthusiastically than during Chinese New Year.

Even though they were prepared, they didn't expect two meat dishes. Dabao and Erbao took a piece of meat and a mouthful of spareribs. Seeing them wolfing down their food, Ye Fan said, "Eat slowly. No one is going to snatch it from you. There's still plenty in the kitchen. Mom will make braised pork rice for lunch and dumplings for dinner."

The brother and sister slowed down. Dabao even picked up a piece of pork ribs for his mother: "Mom, is our family rich?"

"Three pigs were slaughtered at the market today. If it weren't for the hot weather, the meat would have gone bad if not eaten in one day, and the braised meat couldn't be kept for many days, so my mother would have bought another set of pig offal to braise for dinner."

Dabao: "It would be nice if we could kill pigs more often."

Ye Fan asked the market staff how many pigs there were on the island. The market said there were still 60 to 70 black pigs on the island. Ye Fan calculated that there were 7 pigs a month, enough to kill until the end of the year. "It will get better and better in the future. Erbao, have some porridge."

Erbao drank a mouthful of porridge and ate a piece of meat and a piece of pork ribs.

Seeing that her mouth was full of oil, Ye Fan took out a handkerchief and said, "Don't rub it on your clothes."

Erbao didn't even bother to look up, he nodded and took the handkerchief.

Not surprisingly, the brother and sister ate too much.

Lying down to digest the food, the brother and sister ran outside and then came back, as if they had discovered a spy. They came to Ye Fan and whispered, "Mom, there are so many outsiders. Let's go and take a look!"

"I'm here to buy vegetables at the market." Ye Fan said, "You two don't come near, just play here."

The first time they saw a group of grandpas and grandmas going to the vegetable market, Dabao and Erbao were curious. While their mother wasn’t paying attention, they called a few friends and sneaked to the bamboo gate at the intersection leading to the vegetable market to take a look.

Liao Dadi saw a grandpa carrying a shoulder pole and asked: "Can you eat all this food?"

“I can finish it!”

A familiar voice came from behind. The eldest brother turned around and said subconsciously: "His family--" Seeing that the person who spoke was Liu Guihua, "Aunt Liu? Are you going too?"

Liu Guihua shook her head: "I saw you all here, I thought someone was fighting so I came to see." She glanced in the direction of the vegetable market, "The family only eats meat once a month, and each person gets a little. The stomach can't take it. The seafood outside is cheaper than meat but more expensive than here. I can't bear to eat it, but I don't eat pork or seafood. I eat stinky turnips every day, and I feel stinky and weak."

Dabao: "My mother said they don't eat rice, they only drink porridge."

The eldest brother asked, “No rice?”

Dabao nodded.

The eldest brother imagined that he had green vegetables and rice soup every day, and he couldn't help but shudder, "No wonder he bought so much. The vegetable market is rich!"

Liu Guihua: "No. It's much cheaper than in the city, but I just make some hard-earned money."

Even though it was hard-earned money, the islanders were happy because they could not sell all the small seafood and had to smash it to feed the chickens, ducks and geese. Although large fish can be made into dried fish, not every type of fish is suitable. For example, hairtail, if it is not canned, it must be fried and crisped. No matter what kind of processing, it requires a lot of oil. Ye Fan has no connections in this area, and the cost of canned fish is high, and the makeshift team does not have that much money at this stage.

Ye Fan calculated carefully that at most two years, someone would come out to set up a stall. It is more cost-effective to buy soybean oil squeezed by farmers than to use connections to buy oil produced by public institutions. When the market economy becomes active, food factories will not have to look at the mood of relevant units when they find them to make custom cans. If you don't do it, there are plenty of people who will do it.

Ye Fan did not wait for two years.

Four months later, Ye Fan read about the "Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee" in the newspaper, and then read about the government's decision to implement internal reform and external opening-up policies. Ye Fan thought it would take several months for the news to reach the commune, but unexpectedly, on the last day of December, which happened to be a Sunday, Ye Fan went to the vegetable market early in the morning to wait for the pigs to be slaughtered. The market manager held up a newspaper and asked, "What does this mean by adapting measures to local conditions and giving full play to their enthusiasm for production?"

Ye Fan was surprised that he was so active, and asked deliberately: "You don't know?"

The director shook his head: "I don't know."

As soon as he finished speaking, the leader of the Shanxi Brigade came over. It was not his production team's pig that was being slaughtered today. He wanted to buy some spare ribs to stew with old tofu. Seeing the newspaper, he couldn't help but ask, "Accountant Ye, the distribution of land to each household, each responsible for its own profits and losses, is this going back to the old days of eating from the same big pot after the founding of the People's Republic of China?"

Ye Fan: "Yeah. Isn't it good?

The team leader nodded and said, "I think it's good. But Secretary Su said that the higher-ups didn't ask us to assign land to households. They just said that we can give this policy a try. Who will be held responsible if it fails?"

Ye Fan frowned. Let's not talk about the fact that it won't fail, because this is not an unprecedented new policy. Even if he takes a step back, as the secretary of the commune, he doesn't think about how to be prepared for any eventuality, but actually thinks about failure first. Is he worthy of the salary the country pays him every month?

Ye Fan: "Just tell them what I said later. If you fail, hand him over to the higher-ups for prosecution!"

(End of this chapter)