Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

My aunt-in-law originally wanted to explain, but when she saw her children scolding them as if they were her grandchildren, she suddenly didn't want to say a word. She secretly decided to buy it after the New Year and spend the money without giving them a penny.

As for Ye Fan, she asked the villagers whether they should sell it to her at the live pig price or ask her to take a 15% cut. She would pay for the car rental and she guaranteed that the pork belly could be sold at one yuan per pound.

The old man who knows how to butcher pigs calculated that the price of live pigs given by the meat processing plant is 50 cents per pound, and a 200-pound pig costs 100 yuan. If you kill the pigs and sell them yourself, the meat can be sold for 130 or 140 yuan. Even if you take away Ye Fan's commission, there will still be 110 or 120 yuan. The pig's offal, pig fat, pig blood, etc. can also be sold for some money.

The villagers decided that they would clean up the pigs and Ye Fan would take a cut.

Ye Fan brought six pigs to the city, and also two baskets of fish. Geng Zhiye sold the fish, collected the money separately, and returned directly to Yujia Village. The villagers cut the meat and weighed it, and Ye Fan collected the money for the meat.

For those who bought ten catties of meat, Ye Fan gave two cleaned bones. Ye Fan asked the villagers who sold pork to sponsor some pickled cabbage, pickled radish and spring onions, and for those who bought one catty of pork belly, he gave a quarter of a pickled cabbage. However, since it was the New Year, no one bought one catty, and the minimum was three catties.

If you don't want bones, give a piece of pig blood or half a pig liver or a pig's trotter.

No matter how much or how little they bought, Ye Fan would always give them something. Perhaps she was too easy to talk to, and the villagers followed her to cut pork, which indirectly proved that Ye Fan was helping poor relatives. The uncles and aunts especially liked her, and when they saw passers-by, they would greet her and ask if they wanted pork, and whether there was no purchase limit.

At around 1:00 p.m., all six pigs were sold out.

When he arrived in the village, Ye Fan distributed the money, which was much more than the villagers had expected. The villagers were very happy and took the initiative to tell Ye Fan that there were a few big fat pigs in the village.

That time, Ye Fan and Geng Zhiqin were not wandering around the village aimlessly. She guessed that there were more than six pigs in the village based on the number of pig pens. So when she was selling Spring Festival couplets, she told the uncles and aunts in the park and Qin Yunzhi that she would sell pork at the end of the year, but there was a prerequisite: if someone came to drive her away, the uncles and aunts had to help her.

The old men and women all agreed to help as if they were protecting their own people.

Ye Fan said at this time that there were two other places that also needed pork. Since she didn't know how many pigs there were in the village, she didn't dare tell those people when she would go there.

One of the six pigs that Ye Fan took away belonged to the village chief, who was also there, so he said, "We can still get eleven more."

"Then kill five in the morning, six in the morning, and sell them all tomorrow."

Geng Zhiye was shocked: "Ye Fanfan, these many pigs are no joke."

"You can go to more places. Come here at 9 o'clock tomorrow and go to the park at 10 o'clock. Come here at 1 o'clock in the afternoon and go to the park at 2 o'clock. If the park doesn't sell well in the afternoon, go to my aunt's place." Ye Fan said, "There is a big shortage of pork."

Geng Zhiye: "Have you done market research?"

Ye Fan shook his head, "No need to investigate. Apart from state-owned enterprises, I am the only one in the city who sells pork openly. I also sell pork on the black market, but pork on the black market is 1.5 yuan, so people will definitely prefer to buy from me. But next year, there will definitely be more. So -" He glanced at the uncles of the Yu family and the villagers of Yujia Village, "I will only sell pork this year. Vegetables, chickens, ducks, fish and eggs will only be sold until next summer vacation."

Geng Zhiye recalled what he had talked about with Ye Fan before: "In fact, by the end of next year, you can pool your money together to buy a three-wheeled vehicle."

Ye Fan nodded: "I'm a student, and I have to take care of Dabao and Erbao. Even if I want to make money, I can't come out every day. If you want to try the city after the spring, ask your uncle to send me a message. I won't come over on weekends."

The village chief calculated that it was not cost-effective for them to pick their own vegetables and take a bus to the city to sell them. The village chief had a 28-bar bicycle, but it was too painful to ride the bicycle to sell vegetables, and it also delayed his weeding in the fields.

The village chief wanted to give it back to Ye Fan, but he didn't know what the market would be like next year, so he said, "This happened too suddenly. I'll talk to everyone later."

Ye Fan: "Then shall we go back first?"

Geng Zhiye said to Wen Tao's eldest brother: "Keep the money. The city is in chaos recently. I'm worried about them going to the countryside."

The village chief also heard people talking about the increase in thieves when he went to town for a meeting: "There are people on night watch in the village."

Geng Zhiye drove Ye Fan back to the city with peace of mind.

It was still light when they arrived in the city. Geng Zhiye and Ye Fan returned the car and strolled on the road for a while before taking the bus home.

Yu Wentao was preparing to cook when she saw Geng Zhiye carrying half a pig's head. She blurted out, "Is this for dinner?"

Geng Zhiye paused and said, "My uncle gave it to me."

"Is it not selling well?" Geng Zhiqin came out of the house.

Geng Zhiye: "I didn't sell them. It's hard to get a price for pig heads and pig intestines, so it's better to keep them for the New Year than to sell them cheaply. My uncle wanted to give me some pig intestines, but I was afraid you wouldn't be used to them, so I didn't take them. If you want to eat some, go buy some from the villagers tomorrow."

Young and old shook their heads together.

Ye Fan suddenly found it funny: "Then buy half a rib, ten pounds of pork belly, and a pig leg?"

Geng Huihui gave a thumbs up: "My aunt is generous when she makes money! I have decided to spend the New Year with you this year."

Ye Fan felt a little uncomfortable in his throat, so he waved his hand and ignored her jokes, going back to the room to drink some Pangdahai.

At eight o'clock the next morning, Geng Zhiye drove the car to the intersection and took Ye Fan into the village. At around nine o'clock, Ye Fan arrived at the park gate. At first, there were only a few passers-by. Perhaps the passer-by was so surprised to see a piece of meat that people asked where he bought it. By around ten o'clock, more and more people came to the park.

By 12 o'clock, everything was sold out. Seeing that business was so good, Ye Fan expected that sales would also be good at his aunt's place, so he told those who didn't buy to go to Dongcheng in the afternoon because their relatives were there and they had to go.

When Ye Fan had dinner in the village, she asked the villagers to save the meat she wanted.

Yu Wentao's nephew asked: "Your family eats so much? Did my aunt ask you to buy it?"

Ye Fanxin said, I have a very good character and no one has ever doubted me.

"Your brother Geng's uncle's family hasn't bought meat yet. My mother and her whole family only have two or three pounds of meat. Huihui and Benben will also celebrate the New Year with us this year." Ye Fan said.

Yu Wentao's sister-in-law counted and said, "With so many people, this amount of meat is not much."

Ye Fan added: "My mother-in-law will come over tomorrow to burn paper for the elderly and get some more."

Yu Wentao's sister-in-law immediately said, "Leave it for you to eat."

Ye Fan smiled and nodded.

When they got to the city, Ye Fan unloaded his own meat first. Unfortunately, his neighbors saw him and bought a pig. However, Ye Fan did not send them side dishes because they were not his target customers.

When they arrived at the entrance of the alley where Qin Yunzhi lived, Geng Zhiye first delivered the meat that Ye Fan had left for his aunt.

Qin Yunzhi and her sister-in-law came out and asked the neighbors to go to the intersection to buy meat.

With the help of two aunts, people came faster in the afternoon than in the morning, and there were also people who did not buy meat in the morning waiting, so that by around three o'clock in the afternoon, the whole truck of meat was sold out, and the sauerkraut and other items were also delivered out.

Some people who didn't buy it asked if there was any more. Ye Fan asked them to take a bus to Yujia Village to check. If Yujia Village didn't have it, they could ask the village chief to accompany them to the next village. More than ten people bought a live pig and asked the villagers to kill it - the pork, pig feet and pig offal were given to the villagers, which was more cost-effective than buying it from her.

The city dwellers had never heard of Yujia Village, and they didn't want to go out of the city in the freezing weather, so they asked, "Can you pull a few more tomorrow?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "Today is the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month. Many families have already bought some. Who can I sell them to? Besides, we don't have any relatives in the village next to Yujia Village, and I don't know them."

The man who was discussing this with Ye Fan pointed at a few villagers in the car and said, "They must know each other. It's still early in the day, so we can still go over and ask them today."

Ye Fan looked at Geng Zhiye, wondering what to do.

Geng Zhiye raised his eyebrows and said, I'll listen to you!

The citizen who wanted to buy meat thought that Geng Zhiye was the head of the Ye Fan family, and immediately said, "Your wife is not afraid of hard work, so what are you afraid of as a grown man?"

Geng Zhiye thought, I am afraid my wife will suffer! But before he could say anything, the man said, "I can't sell my bag anymore!"

Ye Fan was happy: "Since you said that, should I pull four tomorrow?"

"Sure! But you have to go to the entrance of my alley."

Ye Fan was surprised: "You are not from here?"

Qin Yunzhi shook her head: "I have never seen this comrade."

The comrade pointed to the southeast and said, "My home is three miles away from here."

Ye Fan was shocked: "Then how do you know I sell pork here?"

"I heard it from someone. I took a special leave to come here."

Ye Fan said, "Since you said so, I'll give it a try. I'll go to the entrance of the alley near your home around 10 a.m. and ask your parents to wait there."

The comrade waved his hand and rode back to the factory to work.

Ye Fan winked at Geng Zhiye, and Geng Zhiye said goodbye to his uncle and aunt. When driving past the village next to Yujia Village, the villagers asked Geng Zhiye to stop. Geng Zhiye turned off the engine and asked, "Can you guys go?"

The villagers nodded and said, "We have all seen this when we work in the fields. The village chief doesn't need to intervene in such a small matter. If they think we are making money in the middle and it's a lot of trouble, they won't buy from them. I will go to my relatives' house in the evening and ask them to kill the pig."

Ye Fan said: "If your relative has a pig, then go to his house."

The villagers were honest and couldn't help but say: "Aren't you with that comrade——"

"He doesn't know what village is next to Yujia Village. Besides, there's nothing wrong with the pigs. It doesn't matter who you buy them from," Ye Fan said.

There were three villagers in total who helped. When the other two heard this, they said that their relatives were also raising pigs this year.

Geng Zhiye looked at his watch and said, "We should go back and return the car. Why don't you go to the relatives who live closer to Yujia Village and inform them to slaughter the pig tomorrow morning. Then you can inform the relatives who live farther away to slaughter the pig tomorrow morning."

Several villagers looked at each other, and the oldest villager asked doubtfully, "Didn't Fanfan say that the New Year is just a few days away, have you all bought meat?"

Geng Zhiye nodded: "Half a pound per person, just enough to make dumplings. Don't worry, there are so many people in the capital, we can sell ten more."

Ye Fan said: "Yes. It's not easy to sell in Dongcheng, we can go to other districts."

Geng Zhiye added: "Before, Fanfan pretended not to want to sell because, first, he was worried about not having big fat pigs, second, my family also needed to prepare things for the New Year, and lastly, he didn't want them to think we made a lot of money and then they would lower the price when we brought the pigs over tomorrow."

Ye Fan asked: "Whose relative is on the road we are going back? Can I take you there?"

There really was one. The other two villagers asked that person to get in the car. Ye Fan noticed someone at the intersection of Yujia Village. Ye Fan waved over there. About five minutes later, a teenager came running over, followed by Yu Wentao's nephew.

Ye Fan had used the few minutes in between to calculate the money. She kept her share and gave the bag and the money to her cheap cousin. "Go back and give it to the village chief, and ask him to distribute the money."

The little cousin asked: "Why don't the three of them go home?"

Ye Fan: "Go to a relative's house."

The villagers who were planning to visit their relatives couldn't help but say, "I can go alone."

Ye Fan said, "It will be dark when you come back. It's not safe to be alone." He reminded his little cousin, "Go back and give it to the village chief directly. Don't play around!"

"I'm eighteen years old, how can I still be so ignorant?" The little cousin muttered, and pulled the boy who came with him to run to the village, jumping around and not looking like an adult at all.

Geng Zhiye was a good person to the end. He sent the person to the villager's relative's home at the entrance of the village before returning with Ye Fan.

It was dark when they arrived in the city, but the factory where the transport truck was located was still working. Geng Zhiye returned the truck smoothly, gave the guard a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes that he bought for 30 cents, and then rode back with Ye Fan.

The bike that Geng Zhiye rode belonged to Geng Zhiqin. She had to take the bus to go to school. This bike was what Ye Fan rode to go to school, or Yu Wentao rode to buy groceries.

Geng Zhiye was worried that there would be no bus if he came back late, so he left his car at the factory where they rented their transport vehicles and asked the guard to look after it. Those who came back early would take the bus, and those who came back late would ride a bike. Then he rode his bike the next day, and Ye Fan waited for him at the intersection leading out of the city.

Geng Zhiye worked the hardest, driving, carrying pork, etc. Ye Fan just collected money and chatted with the warm-hearted uncles and aunts.

Geng Zhiye felt that this was easier than his previous training in the wind and waves, so he had some time to play with the children when he got home.

But the atmosphere was not right today. Dabao's face was puffy, and when Geng Zhiye pinched it, he stretched out his hand to block it, complaining that his father was making a fuss.

Geng Zhiye laughed angrily: "Who messed with our young master? Look how angry he is. His mouth is full of oil."

Dabao came to his mother and stared at her, his face full of "I'm angry, comfort me!" Ye Fan put down the water cup and pulled his son closer, "Did grandma scold you? That shouldn't be the case. Or did Chen Xiaohui come here to piss you off?"

The first time Chen Xiaohui came was the afternoon before the National Day. She came home from school by bus. Seeing that it was still early, she turned to Ye Fan's house. At that time, Ye Fan's house was well-kept. Chen Xiaohui thought it was good. She just went to Dabao's room and said that the furniture was not good. Dabao was so angry that he said, "Your things are good, why don't you give me two?"

Chen Xiaohui was reluctant to part with her antiques and was speechless, so she didn't come for several days.

She came here a few days ago, with Tao Chunlan and Liangliang. She saw Ye Fan selling Spring Festival couplets and said that Ye Fan didn't help her make money. Chen Xiaohui had been to Ye Fan's house before and tried to write, but her handwriting was not as good as Dabao's. Dabao criticized her, "Do you know how to use a brush?"

Chen Xiaohui was so angry that she ate half a bowl less of rice at noon.

Since moving here, the only two times that Dabao got really angry were both caused by her. No wonder Ye Fan thought of her first.

Geng Huihui poured a glass of water for her uncle and sat down next to her aunt. "We went to the park with grandma and aunt this afternoon and saw a few people selling Spring Festival couplets. They didn't write as well as we did, but they still sold them for one yuan a pair."

"Is that all?" Ye Fan hugged his son. "It's normal. Any profitable business will have people following suit."

Dabao: "But they said they also have a kid from Beijing University. And those aunties believed their lies. How could it be such a coincidence?"

Ye Fan said: "Uncle and aunt know that they are talking nonsense."

"Then why buy it?" The young boy didn't understand.

Ye Fan: "It's like when a neighbor bought our Spring Festival couplets, but his neighbor's neighbor didn't buy any, so he asked his neighbor's neighbor why they didn't buy any. Look how good mine is, written by a Beijing university student. His neighbor's neighbor didn't want to be outdone, so he went to the park to buy a pair."

Dabao was getting more and more confused: "Aren't you afraid of being exposed?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "You can blame it on the people who sell the Spring Festival couplets and say that you were cheated. The neighbors will find the cheaters hateful and help their neighbors to fight against the cheaters. In this way, the neighbors will not be able to ridicule their neighbors for not being willing to buy good Spring Festival couplets, and they will not be embarrassed to show off their Spring Festival couplets to them."

Dabao understood: "You want to save face?"

Ye Fan: "Most people care about face. People who don't care about face are either very clear-headed or thick-skinned. Dabao, you are someone who cares about face. People will see this and set traps for you. They will always succeed."

"No way!" Dabao rested his little head against his mother's shoulder, stopping her from saying anything else, and was obviously embarrassed.

Geng Zhiye slapped his son on the butt: "Stop messing with your mom! Your mom is tired!"

Dabao jumped up: "Captain Geng, I'm warning you, don't spank me!"

"I hit you on the head? If you get stupid, I'll take care of you?" Geng Zhiye rolled his eyes at him and asked his niece, "How many dishes does your grandma plan to prepare?"

Geng Zhiqin poked his head out of the kitchen: "It's almost done. Third brother, sister-in-law, wash your hands."

Ye Fan pulled his son to get some hot water: "Dabao, do you want to steal their business?"

Dabao looked up suddenly, looking like he was asking his mother to keep him in suspense.

Ye Fan: "Find a clean cloth and spread it on the ground. Put up a sign next to it - Writing Spring Festival couplets for you, 50 cents a pair. The pen and ink are yours, and they can prepare the red paper themselves. But they must wear thick gloves. Otherwise, if you get frostbite, it won't be worthwhile to buy frostbite cream if you don't have enough money for the Spring Festival couplets."

Dabao couldn't help but say, "I can write even with gloves on."

Ye Fan: "Then practice after dinner?"

Dabao suddenly became happy again.

After dinner, he put on thick cotton gloves, took out the paper for writing calligraphy, spread it on the ground and practiced calligraphy. Geng Benben thought it was interesting and also put on gloves to practice calligraphy.

A few days ago, Geng Huihui's hands were cramping while writing Spring Festival couplets, and she didn't want to touch the brush. But seeing her brother and cousin so enthusiastic, she couldn't help but be moved.

Dabao wrote a sentence, "The birds are singing and the flowers are blooming, heralding the arrival of spring," and couldn't help but say, "Mom, even when I wear gloves, I write better than those people."

Ye Fan patted his little head and explained, "It's normal. People who have Tongzi Gong either have a good family background or their ancestors have a good family background. Except for your mother, no one else would bother to do this business."

Geng Huihui nodded: "My mother said that my grandparents' calligraphy is worth collecting. They don't care about selling couplets. If they knew that they taught me to practice calligraphy and I used it to write Spring Festival couplets, I would wake up in my dreams."

Ye Fan was happy: "Then are you going?"

"Go ahead. I'll write until the twenty-nine!" said Geng Huihui.

Ye Fan looked at her mother-in-law and said, "You go with them."

Yu Wentao: "I know. Otherwise, seeing that they are young, those people selling couplets would definitely bully them."

Ye Fan: "Dabao, don't work too hard. You are a student, you can't wear your hands out just for fighting."

Dabao nodded obediently.

Geng Zhiye said, "You have to get up early tomorrow, so go take a shower and go to bed."

Ye Fan gave her mother-in-law twenty yuan.

Yu Wentao pushed it away and said she had money.

Ye Fan stuffed the money into her hand and said, "Twenty yuan a month is not much money to buy groceries. By the way, I told a few uncles that you should go back to the village to burn paper for the elderly tomorrow. Dabao will go to the park, so you won't be able to go, right?"

Geng Zhiqin: "Let's go on the 29th."

Ye Fan wanted to laugh: "Why are you so impulsive?"

Geng Zhiqin shook his head: "No. As soon as you left this morning, we received a telegram from my eldest brother, saying that my eldest sister-in-law, Leilei and Sensen would be back in the next two days. My eldest brother couldn't come, so he said that my eldest sister-in-law would come to visit Dad's grave on his behalf."

Ye Fan became serious and asked, "You didn't say the specific time?"

Geng Zhiqin: "It's cold and snowy so the train is likely to be late. They themselves don't know when it will arrive. I will be waiting at home tomorrow and the day after tomorrow."

Ye Fan looked at Geng Zhiye and asked where he would live after returning.

Geng Zhiye asked: "Aunt Yu, is sister-in-law coming back to live in the old house?"

Yu Wentao: "In the back. We have their quilts at home, and I brought them here when we moved. We made the beds this morning. Your second brother and his wife can come back for the New Year and live in the back, too."

Geng Zhiqin nodded: "We also bought a stove and put a basket of coal briquettes in the back so they can keep warm during the day. Fortunately, my second sister-in-law didn't agree to rent it out, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do if she suddenly came over."

Yu Wentao couldn't help but add: "We can't stay in a guesthouse during the Chinese New Year."

Ye Fan: "Then let's go to the grave on the afternoon of the 28th. I'll clean the car at noon and drive you there in the afternoon."

The next morning, Ye Fan had just gotten up when Yu Wentao came in from outside in a hurry. Ye Fan couldn't help but ask, "Why did you get up so early?"

"Can't sleep."

Yu Wentao went to bed before nine last night and woke up at three or four in the morning. At five or six o'clock, she heard some noise in the yard next door, so she got up to go to the toilet, emptied the spittoon, washed up, and went out to chat with someone.

Yu Wentao added: "The neighbor said that the third child should help her write the couplets, and then she would give the folding table and folding stool to Dabao."

Ye Fan sighed: "How did she know that Dabao was going to the park to write couplets today? Did you tell her?"

"Isn't this just a casual conversation?"

Ye Fanxin said, you are showing off again.

What's so great about making money writing Spring Festival couplets? Ye Fan couldn't understand. The New Year was coming, everyone was happy, and she didn't want to criticize her mother-in-law. "Where did she buy the folding table?"

The neighbor came in and smiled sheepishly, probably feeling that he was taking advantage of someone: "In the vegetable market. I said that because I thought writing Spring Festival couplets for a few days was not worth buying a folding table and folding chairs."

Ye Fan: "Then you can bring it over to Dabao's father to write it later?"

"Thank you for your help." The neighbor thought Ye Fan would refuse outright, and was very happy to hear that. He asked with concern, "Are you not putting up Spring Festival couplets at home today?"

Ye Fan nodded: "I won't post it in the first year after Dabao's grandfather passed away." He said to grandma, "Please find time to buy a folding table and six folding stools later."

Yu Wentao couldn't help but frown: "Still buying?"

Geng Zhiye came out of the house and said, "My eldest sister-in-law is coming this year, and my second brother and his wife are coming back too. The small dining table can't accommodate them all. There aren't enough high chairs for eating at the big square table."

Yu Wentao suddenly realized: "I forgot all about it." She shouted into the house, "Huihui, get up and follow me to the vegetable market. Xiaoqin, get up and cook."

Ye Fan sighed: "It's not even seven o'clock yet, let them sleep a little longer."

Geng Huihui came out of her grandmother's room and said, "Grandma woke me up and called me, but I ignored her." She looked helpless and said, "Wait for me to wash my face."

Geng Zhiqin led Erbao out of his bedroom and said helplessly, "Erbao was sleeping soundly and was woken up by you."

Erbao looked up at her aunt and said, "I woke up a long time ago, but you didn't want to wake up because it was too cold."

Geng Zhiqin gently pushed her and said, "Go find your mother!"

Erbao ran to Ye Fan, and Ye Fan took her to the public toilet. When the mother and daughter went outside, they heard Geng Zhiye asking the neighbors to get red paper. Geng Huihui said, "My aunt said before that since the Spring Festival couplets couldn't be sold, we could put them up ourselves. It turns out that we couldn't put up Spring Festival couplets in the first year after grandpa passed away. Was she saying that to trick us?"

Ye Fan wanted to hear what Geng Zhiye said, but unfortunately she and Erbao were too far away to hear it.

After dinner, Geng Zhiye went to the factory to rent a car. It was almost the New Year and the factory's transport truck was idle. Also, because Ye Fan was a student of Beijing University, the factory director trusted her. Otherwise, even if she only paid 100 yuan a day, the factory director would not dare to give her the transport truck.

Ye Fan could go to the intersection later, so he helped the children deliver the folding table to the park. Before leaving, Ye Fan reminded Dabao: "Don't be stubborn. You can write for a while and then let your brothers and sisters write."

"Mom, let's go." Dabao waved his little hand. Before Ye Fan walked a little further, he heard his son ask the old man and woman who came out to bask in the sun, "Do you want me to write Spring Festival couplets? It's 50 cents for one pair."

Ye Fan felt relieved to see how bold he was.

Geng Zhiye drove Ye Fan to the entrance of Yujia Village's relatives' village and saw Yu Wentao's two brothers. Ye Fan opened the car window and asked, "Uncle, uncle, why are you here too?"

Yu Wentao's elder brother raised his hand and asked her and Geng Zhiye to go into the village first.

When the two of them arrived at the village, the villagers spread clean grain bags on the cart and put the pig, which had been headed, tailed and hooved, on it without letting Geng Zhiye do anything. Geng Zhiye handed a few cheap uncles a few cigarettes and asked them why they were there.

Uncle Yu said, "There's not much to do in the countryside in winter, so we came here to take a look. Fanfan, there are fish in this village, too. What do you think we should do?"

Ye Fanxin said, I knew something was wrong with you.

"It's the same as before. Zhiye sells fish, and all the money they make belongs to them. We only take the commission for pork." As soon as Ye Fan said this, the familiar villager asked, "Do you want some vegetables?"

Ye Fan: "Do you have vegetables in winter?"

"I covered it with wheat straw. There was no heavy snow this year, so the plants grew well," said the villager.

Ye Fan nodded: "If it's more, it's fine. If it's just a few pounds, forget it. Give me some pickled cabbage and pickled radish, and I'll say they're from your village. In the future, if people from your village and Yujia Village want to start their own business, they can go to the places where we sell pork now. For the sake of pork, they should be very polite to you."

Uncle Yu couldn't help but say, "I always thought you were worried that pork wouldn't sell well, so you bought a few pounds of pork and gave away some side dishes."

Ye Fan said: "Pork is easy to sell, but it is one or two cents more expensive than the vegetable market. If we don't give something away, who will remember us after the meat is sold out?"

Geng Zhiye showed off to his cheap uncle: "Fanfan knows how to do business, right?"

My uncle couldn't help but nodded.

The villagers prepared five pigs, and the owners of the pigs were asked to make pickled cabbage or dried radish. Ye Fan reminded them to cut a large cabbage into six halves and a small one into four halves. He also said that if there were shallots or garlic sprouts, a handful of shallot and garlic sprouts would be fine, as the gift was small but the sentiment was great.

Yesterday, the villagers came to talk to his relatives about buying meat and giving away vegetables, because cabbage and radishes are cheap, and the villagers and relatives have no objection. As soon as Ye Fan finished speaking, they put the prepared vegetables on the car.

Including the eight buckets of fish they caught that morning, the entire transport truck was filled to the brim, and the three villagers who were selling meat on the truck had to squat in the corner.

When Ye Fan got to the passenger seat, he reminded Geng Zhiye to drive slower.

At half past ten, Ye Fan finally arrived at the place where they had agreed to meet yesterday. As soon as he got off the car, he apologized, saying that he was delayed because he had transported a few extra buckets of fish.

Yu Wentao went to the market to buy fish, and Ye Fan asked her about the price. The fish she bought was cheaper than those in the market.

An old man thought the fish looked very fresh, but he was a little hesitant because he had not eaten the fish he bought at the market a few days ago.

Seeing this, Ye Fan said, "For every fish, give two heads of Laba garlic."

The old man immediately said one.

When the old man came home with the fish in one hand and the meat in the other, his wife scolded him. He said, "I know nothing." Then he took the basin and bowl and left.

Ye Fan cut a piece of pig blood for the old man and put two cloves of garlic in the bowl. When the old man went to the alley, his neighbor asked, "Are you still buying pig blood?"

"It's a gift from the girl who sells pork. I bought fish and got Laba garlic. I saw there were pickled carrots, but I don't like them." The old man showed off to his wife when he got home. His wife couldn't help but go to the intersection to see Ye Fan selling pork, and found a basket of vegetables in the corner. The old woman asked, "Daughter, are you giving away these vegetables too?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "They worked so hard to grow them. Auntie, would you like some? It's cheaper than the vegetable market."

"I'll go home to get something." The aunt also planted it, but unfortunately she neglected to cover it, and when she woke up, the leaves were damaged by frost. She could only wait until the next spring to grow again.

The aunt often goes to the vegetable market, and Geng Zhiye praises the vegetables. The aunt calculated and found that they are really cheaper than the vegetable market. She was in a good mood and took the initiative to promote Geng Zhiye - the fish, meat and vegetables they sell are all good.

The children watched the fun, and Ye Fan was not stingy, pinching a dried radish or breaking a few Laba garlic and handing them to the children. The shy children were too embarrassed to reach out, so the elders at home asked them to take it, and then asked: "How does it taste?"

The kids said it tastes the same as home made ones.

When adults hear this, they automatically translate it into "as clean as the ones at home." Someone likes to eat dried radish, so he asks Ye Fan, "Do you sell dried radish?"

The villagers prepared a lot of things, and Ye Fan estimated that he could not give away all of them: "I don't plan to sell them, and I don't know the price at the vegetable market. How about I give you one ounce of dried radish for every pound you buy at the vegetable market?"

Many people lined up to buy pork, and those who wanted to buy dried radish were embarrassed to talk nonsense in public, so they gave a real price. Geng Zhiye asked her to go home and get a basin, and then weighed one catty and one tael for the other party. The weight was high, so it was not too much to give him two taels.

Even though he didn't give a penny when giving money, the citizens were very happy to see Geng Zhiye being so generous.

It was almost twelve o'clock, and there were only a few pig lungs, some pickled cabbages, and a handful of green vegetables left by the old men and women. Ye Fan felt there was no need to wait any longer, so he asked Geng Zhiye to drive.

Geng Zhiye had just opened the car door when the comrade who had discussed selling meat with Ye Fan yesterday came back from get off work. Before he even got to him, he asked, "Comrade Ye, has my dad bought meat?"

Ye Fan asked Geng Zhiye to wait a moment: "I don't know your father."

"This old man!" The comrade asked Ye Fan to wait a moment. When he got home by bike, he asked, "There's a pork seller at the intersection. Did you buy any?"

Comrade's father: "I bought it. It's my first one. I even packed it with pork fat, but it's a little expensive."

The comrade's mother couldn't help but say, "It's not expensive. They gave us two big bones, weighing one or two kilograms, and they helped us split them. I said their Laba garlic looked delicious, and the girl who collected the money even gave me two ends."

The comrade felt relieved and turned the car around to look for Ye Fan.

When Ye Fan saw him, he asked, "Did you buy it?"

"I bought it." The comrade asked, "Do you have any more?"

Ye Fan didn't react for a moment: "——Does your family still want it?"

"No, no, my colleague in the southwest of the Imperial City said that his family hasn't bought it yet. Do you want to go there and try it tomorrow?"

Ye Fan: "Tell me the address. I'll ask the villagers to kill the pigs when I get back, and try to get there by 3pm."

The comrade gave the address and then said, "Then I'll call him right now?"

Ye Fan nodded.

After Ye Fan walked away, this comrade used a public phone to inform his colleagues that Ye Fan would be there in the afternoon.

When we arrived at the village, the villagers had already prepared the meal - sauerkraut, homemade sweet potato noodles, and pig intestines and ears stewed together for the pig-killing dish.

Ye Fan went to the villagers' house and said, "The people from Yujia Village have told everyone before, right? The car fare is mine, and the gas money is also mine. I'll take 15%?"

The villagers all said they had no objection.

Ye Fan opened her bag and said, "This is all money from selling meat." She pointed to her trouser pocket and said, "The extra money is from selling fish." She took out her pocket and said, "This is money from selling vegetables." She gave the money for vegetables to the villagers and the money for fish to the village chief. Then she counted how much she got from selling the meat.

The villagers who received the money for the vegetables exclaimed, "Twenty yuan?"

Ye Fan nodded: "Green vegetables are expensive in winter, two yuan per catty. Even this is still cheaper than the vegetable market. By the way, there are still one or two catties left in the car, you can take it back later."

The village chief was shocked: "The fish sold for more than 300 yuan? Did I count correctly?"

The villagers who were waiting to get paid for the pork were so shocked that they were speechless.

"Everything is expensive as the New Year is coming soon." Ye Fanxin said, otherwise the cheap seafood from Hengshan Island wouldn't be selling so well. "I told him that pork lard was 1.5 yuan, and an old man bought all of it without hesitation."

The village chief was upset: "If I had known, I would not have sold it to the meat processing factory."

Ye Fan comforted him, "It's easier to sell it to the meat processing factory than to kill it yourself."

The village chief couldn't help but say, "There's no work in the winter, so it's better to just sit there doing nothing."

Ye Fan: "There will be another chance next year. You can make more money by selling it yourself. Let me count the money first. I have to go to another village in the afternoon."

The village chief's pigs had been sold long ago, and when he heard what Ye Fan said, he went out to distribute the money from the fish to everyone to make everyone happy. When Ye Fan distributed the money from the meat, the villagers saw that it was 20 or 30 more than what they sold to the meat processing plant. They still had pig trotters, pig heads and pig intestines that they hadn't sold yet, and there was still some left in the car, so everyone couldn't help but smile.

Ye Fan and Geng Zhiye had a quick bite in the village, picked up two villagers from Yujia Village, went to their relatives' village to get six pigs, then picked up two more villagers, and the six of them headed straight for Xicheng.

When the comrade said the address in the morning, Ye Fan felt it sounded familiar. After getting off the car and seeing the surroundings clearly, Ye Fan was surprised. Geng Zhiye asked, "What's wrong?"

Ye Fan pointed to a school not far away and said, "I used to study there. Maybe I can run into my high school teacher there later."

Geng Zhiye: "Excuse me? Then please sit in the car and I will collect the money."

(End of this chapter)