Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

Ye Fan knew the number, but he still pretended to be surprised after counting: "So many? Dabao, it's enough for you to go to junior high school and high school."

Dabao looked a little proud: "I'm awesome, right?"

Ye Fan touched his head and said, "Great. Did you soak your hands in hot water when you got home?"

Yu Wentao said she had, and then asked her what she wanted to eat in the evening.

Ye Fan asked his sister-in-law what she wanted to eat in the evening.

Yang Mengxia didn't expect that after her father passed away, she would have a better standard of living without a pensioner. She felt that everything she ate was better than what she ate at home, so she said that she had eaten too much at noon and would just cook something casually for dinner.

Ye Fan wasn't very hungry, but Geng Zhiye was hungry. Geng Huihui, Geng Benben and his two cousins ​​were growing up and must be hungry too. Dabao and Erbao digested food quickly and might have been hungry. Ye Fan planned to make more, so he said he would go to the kitchen first.

Geng Zhiqin and Yu Wentao went to help, and Yang Mengxia instinctively followed them. Geng Huihui grabbed her and said, "Auntie, the kitchen is full of things, and you have to stand at the door even if you go there."

Ye Fan only ate the ribs she bought for one meal. She divided the remaining ribs into three parts and said, "I'll send this one to my mother tomorrow, save this one for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, and save this one for these two days."

Yu Wentao looked at the two ribs that Ye Fan had cut off and asked quietly, "Are you going to stew ribs again tonight?"

Ye Fan nodded: "Xiao Qin, soak some black fungus and day lily in hot water, and cut a few pieces of lotus root. Do you have eggs at home?"

Yu Wentao opened the cupboard: "There are still dozens more."

Ye Fan bought these eggs from the people in Yujia Village. When he asked the villagers if they had any eggs, the villagers said a few more words, and Ye Fan realized that chickens don't like to lay eggs in winter.

Ye Fan cut a few taels of pork belly, cut it into shreds, put it in a pan and stir-fried it to release the oil, then used lard to fry eggs - one for each of the six kids.

Geng Zhiqin whispered, "Sister-in-law, fry one too, and then go to the village to buy some after the New Year."

Ye Fan nodded, and then fried one for each family member. Geng Zhiqin didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she saw this. When the spare ribs were cooked in the rice cooker and the steamed buns on the stove were heated, she thought her brother would be back soon, so she started to boil water.

After the water boiled for a while, Geng Zhiye came back and cooked some noodles with some cabbage leaves. When serving the noodles, he put the cold eggs at the bottom, poured the soup on top, and put the vegetables on top, and it would warm up in a moment.

Geng Zhiye's two nephews originally didn't want to come back, because the southwest where Geng Zhiye's eldest brother lived was warmer than the capital. It took several days to take a train from there to the capital, and even if it was a sleeper berth, it would make people sleepy.

After two big meals of meat, the two brothers were glad to be back with their mother, but it was a pity that their father didn’t have the chance to enjoy the meal.

After dinner, Geng Zhiqin carried a thermos of hot water, held a flashlight, and went with Geng Huihui to send the mother and her two children to the back.

It’s not far away, just two alleys away. Yang Mengxia couldn’t help but praise the house for being a good purchase.

When talking about houses, Geng Huihui complained: "Originally there was another one in the southeast corner, less than a kilometer away from here, but my mother was so kind that she gave it to my uncle."

Geng Leilei couldn't help but ask: "Doesn't Second Uncle's house have four rooms? Do you still need to buy a house?"

"My house can accommodate it, but people who are anxious to go abroad don't dare to ask for a high price. If you buy it, you will make a profit. My aunt said that if you put a few decent furniture in grandma's house and tidy up the walls, it can be sold for 15,000 yuan." Geng Huihui became more and more angry, and couldn't help but say that her mother didn't buy a house worth 8/9,000 yuan, but bought a house worth 12,000 yuan to the east of her school. Finally, she complained that her mother would rather listen to her brothers than her own son.

Seeing that Yang Mengxia did not object to her buying a house, Yu Wentao chatted with Yang Mengxia and Geng Huihui was writing couplets in the afternoon. Yu Wentao told her that the second son had bought two houses.

Yang Mengxia thought that his second brother and sister-in-law chose that place because it was close to the city, but he didn't expect that it was a second-best choice. Yang Mengxia didn't know how to respond, so he simply said, "There are many people here, and there must be more than two families going abroad. It's not too late to buy it when you have money."

It's not that easy to earn around 10,000 yuan. Geng Huihui complained in her heart, and suddenly her eyes lit up: "Aunt, you and uncle are both working, and you started working earlier than my parents, so you two have the money to buy it."

Yang Mengxia is not as rich as Chu Fenghe. Yang Mengxia's family was suppressed for several years and her salary was stopped. She often sent things to her family. Brother Geng sent things to his uncle. In the past two years, he took his cousin's children to his place to attend high school and sent them back before the college entrance examination. His grades could not compare with Geng Zhiqin, but he finally passed the exam.

This year, he didn't need to help his relatives, and Geng's father passed away. Geng thought that as the eldest son, he should pay the most for the funeral expenses. The funeral expenses from above were given to Yu Wentao, and he didn't take a penny.

Yang Mengxia said: "We are not here, so we don't have time to clean up after buying it."

Geng Huihui: "I'll help you clean it up. I also have to clean up Benben and I's house during the summer vacation. My uncle has seen it and said that if we don't clean it up, the wall will collapse after a few heavy rains."

Yang Mengxia didn't know whether to laugh or cry because of Geng Huihui's tone, as if she would never get the chance again. "Don't worry. Isn't there anyone selling a house?"

Geng Huihui thought about it carefully and said, "This is easy to do. Tomorrow morning, you help me write the Spring Festival couplets, and I will ask the grandparents and tell them that we have too many people to live in. Anyway, no one knows that we have an old house, so my mother will buy two houses east of my school."

Yang Mengxia nodded perfunctorily.

The next morning, she went to the lake in the park with Ye Fan to sell vegetables. The grandparents watched their grandchildren playing on the ice in the lake. Geng Huihui asked them in a familiar way if anyone nearby was selling a house. She half-truthfully said that her uncle's family was coming back and her cousin was getting married in two years, so her grandmother's house couldn't accommodate them.

Yang Mengxia speaks softly. The old men and women who watched her write couplets yesterday liked her very much and offered to ask for her.

Geng Huihui grabbed a handful of candies and gave a few to each person.

The candy was the milk candy that Ye Fan bought for the little ones.

On the day when the goods from Hengshan Island were delivered to the supply and marketing cooperative, temporary workers from Hengshan Island came to deliver fish and shrimp to Ye Fan. Ye Fan accompanied them back to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought some melon seeds, peanuts and candies as New Year's goods.

The gap between the rich and the poor was not that big these days. After ten years of revolution, there was no distinction between the noble and the humble, and people lived in harmony with each other. Geng Huihui was so polite, so the old man and the old woman went back to ask about her.

In the afternoon, just after Ye Fan's family had finished their meal, an old lady pushed open the gate and came in: "Xiao Yu——"

Ye Fan came out of the house, and the aunt stopped for a moment: "Is Ye Fan at home? I found out for you. There is a person in the southwest corner who wants to sell his house. He will be transferred to Shanghai after the New Year. Do you want to go and take a look after the New Year or tomorrow?"

Ye Fan was stunned: "Me?"

The aunt nodded and said, "Your Huihui said that there is not enough room for so many people. Didn't Huihui tell you?"

Everyone in the room, young and old, looked at Geng Huihui and asked silently, "When did it happen?"

Geng Huihui planned to confess after the New Year because she didn't expect the uncles and aunts to be so warm-hearted. "It happened this morning. Didn't Auntie agree?"

Everyone turned to Yang Mengxia again, waiting for her to explain.

Yang Mengxia felt like he was riding a tiger and couldn't get off. He was speechless: "I - I didn't expect it to be so soon. I thought it would be summer vacation, and I thought it wouldn't be too late to talk about it then."

Because husband and wife cannot work in the same department, Yang Mengxia was transferred to the school after she married Geng Zhiye. She is now a teacher and has winter and summer vacations. When she said it was summer vacation, everyone believed it, including Geng Huihui.

Geng Huihui whispered, "I didn't expect it to happen so soon. I'll go out and remind my aunt."

Geng Zhiye glared at his daring niece and said, "I'm going out!" As soon as he got outside, he called out, "Auntie, Fanfan has been busy these days and didn't tell her about this. Thank you for your hard work. Come in and have some tea?"

"No need." The aunt saw the firecrackers and paper money placed by the main door, "Are you going to visit your father's grave? Go ahead and do your work. Come back and tell me. I'm waiting over there."

Geng Zhiye and Ye Fan walked her out the door, and the aunt waved her hand: "No need to see me off. My home is at the entrance of the alley. Come to my house some other day."

Ye Fan turned to Geng Zhiye and stared at him unkindly: "You know?"

Geng Zhiye hugged her and said, "I know, how dare I hide it from Madam. Judging from the expression on my sister-in-law's face, it seems that little girl Huihui is responsible for this."

"Because I said you'll earn money if you buy it?"

Geng Huihui jumped to the two of them, startling the couple. Geng Huihui took a step back, fearing that her uncle would beat her: "Not entirely. My aunt said that she hopes our family can live together. It just so happens that Brother Lei and Brother Sen will need a house when they get married, so if we buy it, it won't be left idle forever."

Brother Geng was transferred every few years, so Geng Leilei had to repeat a grade because his textbooks were different. Although he is one year older than Geng Huihui, he will take the college entrance examination next year.

Ye Fan said: "Don't use this excuse to fool me. Even if Lei Lei passes the exam next year, he still has to stay in school for four years. Is it necessary to be so anxious?"

"Okay." Geng Huihui confessed, "My aunt also wants to buy a house. She's been looking for one recently. If I had money, I would buy all the empty houses here!"

Ye Fan sighed: "Why would I fight with her?"

"Just a quarrel!" Geng Huihui is not an impulsive person. And because she has been doing well in the Geng family over the years and has never been bullied, she can't stand her grandmother's family getting involved while despising the Geng family's troubles.

Geng Huihui knew that Chu Fenghe was not thoughtful about this matter, so she asked Huihui to ask the Chu family who was selling the house when she was free. Geng Huihui pretended to be a good daughter, but as soon as her mother went back to work, she forgot about this matter.

Ye Fan: "What did your aunt say?"

"Aunt said she doesn't have that much money. I don't believe it. I guess she has the same idea as my mom, thinking that we don't need to buy a new house since we already have one." Geng Huihui whispered, "Please help me persuade her. Otherwise, the house will be bought by my aunt again."

Ye Fan said: "Don't believe everything you hear. I haven't seen your aunt in the past few days."

Geng Benben came out and said, "She came here to ask yesterday, Sunday, when she didn't have work. Our neighbor told her. Luckily, we were not at home."

It seems that Geng Benben is also annoyed with his aunt? Ye Fan certainly would not criticize his nephews and nieces for the sake of outsiders: "If you can convince your aunt, I have no objection to this."

Geng Zhiye reminded his niece: "It's easy to persuade your aunt. It's not easy to persuade your uncle."

Geng Huihui thought to herself, that's because you don't know that uncle often praises young aunt for being smart to aunt. Aunt has said it several times in the past two days. If I say later that it was young aunt's idea, uncle will definitely agree.

"We have to give it a try." Geng Huihui skipped back to the house, "Grandma, Auntie will go and take a look tomorrow."

Ye Fan said unhappily, "Your niece is really good at telling lies with her eyes open."

"Your name is useful." Geng Zhiye put his arm around her shoulders, "It's time to set off."

Ye Fan asked Erbao to take out her scarf and hat at the gate. Dabao picked up the paper money on the ground and asked, "Dad, is it enough for Grandpa?"

Geng Zhiye: "Whether it is enough or not, this is all I can give."

"That won't work. We buy a stack for one dollar, but it will be hard for grandpa to buy more." Dabao stuffed the paper money to his eldest cousin and went back to his room to get five dollars. "Dad, I'll go buy some more."

Yu Wentao couldn't help but say, "I really love your grandfather!"

Dabao nodded: "Brother Benben, Brother Sensen, let's go together."

Geng Sensen felt cold and didn't want to run around: "You and Benben go."

Dabao pulled him and said, "We can buy a lot with five yuan. We can't take all of them. Dad, do you want to buy another plate of firecrackers?"

Geng Zhiye: "No need, your grandfather likes quietness, he finds it noisy if you play too much."

Dabao nodded seriously, as if his father was making sense. Seeing this, Yang Mengxia waited until the child walked away and asked, "Are you serious, Dabao?"

Speaking of this, Ye Fan wanted to laugh: "Our little one is superstitious! But he is very serious." He glanced at Erbao, "This is also a little superstitious. When Xiaoqin was about to fill in the application form, she and Dabao asked Xiaoqin to kneel down and pray to the ghosts and gods to ask for the blessing of the ancestors."

Erbao didn't think he was wrong and even nodded in acknowledgment, "Mom, did you take the money?"

Ye Fan took out a handful of change from his pocket: "Do you need money to buy your own ticket?"

"Yes." Erbao took half and gave the other half to her brother when he came back.

After getting on the bus, Erbao said generously: "Auntie, I'll help you."

Yang Mengxia was stunned.

Ye Fan laughed: "You are so filial!"

Geng Zhiye laughed and said, "I'll give you yours." He bought the tickets for him and Ye Fan.

Yu Wentao bought tickets for the remaining few people.

Yang Mengxia sat down and held Erbao on her lap: "Why is Erbao so well behaved?"

"You're Auntie." Erbao felt that since Auntie rarely came back, she should show some hospitality. "Auntie, do you want some popsicles?"

Ye Fan coughed lightly, and Erbao covered his mouth and pretended he had never said anything.

When we got off the bus and changed trains, there was a store not far away. Dabao dragged Benben to buy a bunch of candied haws, and each of his brothers and sisters got one. He didn't buy any for his parents, so Dabao passed his candied haws to his father's mouth. Geng Zhiye didn't like to eat sour things, "Eat it yourself."

"Mom, have one." Dabao handed it over, "I'm sure the one I chose isn't sour."

Ye Fan tasted one and found it very sour inside: "Mom will buy you a sweeter one later."

Yu Wentao muttered, "It's not as delicious as the one I made myself." When her daughter asked her to try it, Yu Wentao pushed it away with a look of disgust.

Ye Fan's eyes lit up and he turned to Geng Zhiye.

Geng Zhiye helped her pull the scarf over her mouth to prevent the cold wind from blowing in and catching a cold. "Let her rest," he whispered.

Ye Fan whispered, "I didn't ask her to sell candied haws. I asked the villagers to raise money to buy a three-wheeled vehicle before, but I thought selling vegetables wouldn't make money, and meat and fish weren't always available, so they might not be happy. When I saw the candied haws, I suddenly thought that I could grow them there, right?"

Geng Zhiye thought carefully about the terrain of Yujia Village: "There are a few small hills, which should be fine. Didn't they say there were wild walnuts and chestnuts on the hills?"

"Yes. You can sell roasted chestnuts. The three-wheeled motorcycle can carry iron pots and stones, and you can also put firewood in the car." Ye Fan said.

Geng Zhiye: "Then tell her later that she and Xiaoqin will return to the village to visit the graves tomorrow, and ask her to remind the villagers. If the villagers are willing, will you accompany them to the motorcycle factory?"

Ye Fan nodded: "I know, we need to call the director of the supply and marketing cooperative. Without the director's guarantee, even if the village chief says he will buy it for collective use, the motorcycle factory may not sell it."

"Mom, don't whisper to Dad, the car is coming." Dabao shouted.

Geng Zhiye pulled Ye Fan into the car.

After changing buses again and walking a short distance, Yu Wentao reached the cemetery gate and leaned against the wall, saying, "Take a rest."

Geng Zhiqin muttered: "I didn't ask you to bring firecrackers and paper money, but you're still so tired."

Yu Wentao felt uncomfortable with the car transfer and didn't want to talk. She took a break to breathe and said, "Okay."

Dabao and Erbao came skipping to the front. Geng Leilei asked quietly, "Why are they like they are strolling in a park?"

Ye Fan asked, "Is it possible that we are just visiting the park?" He looked around, "There are so many people here."

Geng Leilei subconsciously looked up and saw rows of tombstones. He suddenly felt creepy and couldn't help but move two steps towards his mother.

Seeing this, Geng Zhiye grabbed Ye Fan's wrist and shook his head slightly: "Don't scare him."

Ye Fan wanted to laugh but held it back. Seeing Dabao and Erbao stopped not far away, he took Geng Zhiye and strode over: "What's wrong?"

"Where is grandpa?" Dabao came on the day of the burial, but the atmosphere was solemn and Dabao didn't dare to look around. The tombstones all looked similar, so he had no impression of him at all.

Geng Leilei almost tripped over himself when he heard this. What does "Where's grandpa" mean? How can it be more creepy than what his aunt said?

Yang Mengxia supported him: "Be careful! Even a big man like you is not as brave as Dabao."

Geng Sensen was behind her, muttering, "Geng Dabao is ignorant and fearless."

Geng Dabao knew that his grandfather had turned into ashes and put them in a small box, but in his eyes, no matter what form his grandfather took, he was still his grandfather and would not scare him. "Doesn't mom remember either?"

Ye Fan can't remember clearly, but look at Geng Zhiye, you still remember it.

Geng Zhiye started counting from the first row. Yu Wentao was speechless but wanted to laugh: "I know." She walked past Dabao and went up two rows and then inside.

Ye Fan couldn't help but say, "Why don't I remember it was this side?"

Yu Wentao stopped, a little uncertain: "Xiaoqin, is this the way?"

The brother and sister-in-law didn't have time to visit the graves during the Qingming Festival, so Geng Zhiqin came with her mother. Because they had been searching for a while before finding the grave, Geng Zhiqin paid special attention before leaving: "Go to the front row, five people in."

Dabao ran over and shouted, "It's really Grandpa."

Suddenly, a child spoke in the quiet cemetery. The person squatting in front of the tombstone in the distance was so scared that he sat down on the ground. He raised his head with panic and weak legs, and saw a group of people. He was immediately relieved.

Geng Zhiye heard the sound of someone falling, and he came over and scolded his son: "Keep your voice down, don't disturb grandpa's neighbors."

Dabao nodded obediently, "Dad, should we burn the paper money first or set off the firecrackers first?"

"Wait a moment." Geng Zhiye took out a rag and wiped his father's tombstone clean. Then he sorted out the paper money with Ye Fan, Geng Zhiqin and Yang Mengxia, lit a stack, and asked his eldest nephew to set off firecrackers.

Dabao looked around and said, "Dad, do you want to give some to Grandpa's neighbors?"

Geng Zhiye asked: "Burn paper for them?"

"Yes. Mom said that distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. Grandpa must be lonely spending the New Year alone." Dabao squatted down and took a stack of paper and lit it and placed it in front of the neighbor's tomb. Seeing that the person's surname was Chen, he said, "Grandpa Chen, get up and get the money. Use the money to buy something delicious and eat with my grandpa." After that, he took another stack and placed it in front of the neighbor's tomb on the other side.

Erbao followed his brother's example and placed a stack of stones in front of and behind the tombstones.

Yang Mengxia looked at them seriously, as if they were chatting with grandpa and aunt in the park, and suddenly felt his scalp tingling and goose bumps all over his body: "Ye Fan, don't let Dabao and Erbao run around."

Geng Leilei glanced at his mother and said deliberately: "I think it's good. The more courtesy, the less blame."

Dabao nodded: "Yes." Seeing that there were still a lot of paper money left to burn, he took a few more stacks to burn for his neighbors, then squatted in front of his grandfather's grave: "Grandpa, if you are bored, just celebrate the New Year with everyone, it will be lively and lively." Erbao took out the candy in his pocket: "Grandpa, have some candy."

Dabao shook his head: "Erbao, grandpa likes to smoke and drink. Dad, did you bring cigarettes and alcohol?"

Geng's father had quit drinking and smoking for many years due to poor health, so Geng Zhiye didn't think of bringing any alcohol. He had a pack of Daqianmen in his pocket, which he kept for entertaining relatives from Yujia Village, the neighbors, and the factory security guards.

Geng Zhiye took it out and Dabao wanted to light it. Geng Zhiye didn't give it to him: "It won't light up if you light it directly." He took a puff and lit it before putting it in front of the tombstone.

Dabao stared at the smoke and said, "Grandpa, make do with this for now. I'll ask my dad to buy you a better one next year." As soon as he finished speaking, the smoke magically turned a corner. Dabao couldn't help but say, "Dad, Grandpa heard it."

Geng Zhiye really wanted to say, it’s not your grandfather, it’s the wind.

Dabao believed that his grandfather could hear him, so he took out a candy from his pocket and said, "Grandpa, just give me this." He felt that he had several more in his pocket, so he gave one to each of his grandfather's neighbors in front, behind, and on both sides.

Yang Mengxia felt his scalp tingling again.

Geng Huihui had some melon seeds in her pocket, so she took a handful and placed them in front of the tomb. Geng Benben had some peanuts in his pocket, so he took out a handful and shared them with them.

Yang Mengxia thought to herself, who did he learn this from?

I learned this from Geng Dabao.

Geng Dabao wiped the stone slab in front of the tomb with a rag and sat down. "Grandpa, do you like to eat candied haws? I will buy you some next year. If you like to eat anything else, tell grandma in your dream and ask her to prepare it for you."

Yu Wentao's face turned green, and she said hurriedly, "It's the same if you tell Dabao. Our Dabao has made a lot of money this year, and he can afford to buy you roast duck and roast chicken."

Dabao nodded: "You can tell me."

Erbao squatted beside his brother: "You can tell me. Grandpa, you're welcome. We can buy a lot with just a few dollars."

Dabao nodded: "Grandpa, you can take the money we burned and buy it yourself."

Yang Mengxia couldn't listen any longer: "Fanfan, is that enough?"

Ye Fan: "We have to wait until all the paper money is burned. There are dead grasses everywhere, and sparks will easily catch fire if they fly over."

Yang Mengxia could only suppress her anxiety and listen to the two children chattering.

After an unknown amount of time, Geng Zhiye said "OK", Yang Mengxia let out a long sigh and was the first to turn around and leave. Geng Leilei and Geng Sensen followed his mother - they couldn't stay any longer, it was too creepy!
Dabao was puzzled and pulled his mother's hand and asked, "Auntie, why are you walking so fast?"

Ye Fan said nonsense: "I want to go to the toilet. My two brothers like to look beautiful and wear thin clothes, so they feel cold."

Dabao believed it and turned around and waved: "Grandpa, we are leaving now. We will come to see you next year."

Yang Mengxia hadn't walked far yet, but when she heard this, she paused and almost tripped herself. Seeing this, Ye Fan wanted to laugh, "Dabao, it's windy here, wrap your scarf around you and don't talk."

Dabao kept talking for a long time and felt cold, but she didn't dare to show off. Erbao was tired and let her father drag her. Geng Zhiye wanted to hold her because it was too much trouble, but Erbao just shook her head.

Ye Fan let go of Dabao, picked up Erbao and put him on Geng Zhiye's back, and asked his daughter, "Is this okay?"

Erbao shook his little legs and said, "You can carry me on your back but not hug me, because I'm not a baby."

Ye Fan muttered "What a waste of time" and pulled Dabao to chase his sister-in-law and nephew.

Yu Wentao was a few steps behind the others. She thought Erbao couldn't hear her, so she muttered, "Two fools."

Geng Zhiqin thought that his nephew and niece were doing well: "Don't you think they are sensible?"

"You are so sensible." Yu Wentao couldn't help but complain: "You actually asked your dad to come to you in a dream. How could they think of that?"

Geng Zhiqin said: "We have Chinese New Year to celebrate, and my dad also has Chinese New Year to celebrate, so I don't have time to look for you, don't worry."

Yu Wentao became more worried after hearing this and prayed in her heart, "Old man, if you feel lonely, go find the mother of the eldest, second and third sons, don't come to me."

After leaving the cemetery, Yu Wentao remembered something and asked, "Old Third, when are you going to visit your mother's grave?"

Geng Zhiye's mother passed away early, and it was not certain that his father would stay in the capital, so his uncles decided to bury her with his grandparents. Geng Zhiye said, "I'll go to my uncle's house after the New Year and we'll talk about it." Then he asked, "Sister-in-law, how is my brother?"

Geng's biological mother is not in her hometown or here. She is buried where she died, together with some of her comrades-in-arms, not far from where Geng is now in charge. Yang Mengxia said: "We went there before we came here."

Dabao couldn't help but say, "I haven't been there."

Yang Mengxia didn't want to listen to him for the time being, because he said something shocking. "Go there to play during the summer vacation? It's cool over there in the summer, over 20 degrees in the dog days, just like autumn in the capital."

Dabao was surprised and delighted, and couldn't believe there was such a good place: "Mom, Mom——"

"Mom is busy, ask your brother to pick you up."

Dabao immediately let his mother go and went to bother his eldest cousin.

Geng Leilei was afraid of him, and he surrendered before Dabao could finish three sentences. Erbao looked over, and Geng Leilei immediately said, "Go!"

The days are short and the nights are long. The family did not delay on the journey, but it was dark when they got home.

I was very tired after walking around for several hours, so I took a shower and rested after dinner.

Geng Zhiye buried his head in Ye Fan's chest and sighed, "It's finally quiet."

Ye Fan laughed out loud.

Geng Zhiye looked up: "Funny?" and opened his mouth to bite her.

Ye Fan blocked his mouth: "Laugh at Dabao and Erbao."

Geng Zhiye turned over and lay flat, trying not to laugh and said, "It's no use scaring people to death with those two little ghosts."

"But they are not afraid." Ye Fan turned sideways to face him, "Are you afraid?"

Geng Zhiye had never seen anything like this before, including on a bloody battlefield. "I'm not afraid. Who said my calligraphy can exorcise ghosts and suppress evil? My calligraphy can do it, and I am sure I can do it even better."

A cool breeze came in from Ye Fan's side. Geng Zhiye felt it and turned over to tuck in the quilt: "Don't catch a cold."

"Don't move." Ye Fan held him down. "If you move, it'll be like an earthquake. I finally understand why my parents each have their own quilt."

Geng Zhiye leaned towards her and wrapped the quilt tightly around her: "Husband and wife get tired of each other after a while."

"Say that when you go to your mother-in-law's house on the second day of the New Year."

Even if Geng Zhiye had the courage of a bear or a leopard, he would not dare to say, "Sleep, sleep."

The next morning, Ye Fan and Geng Zhiqin cooked and asked Yu Wentao to accompany Yang Mengxia to look at houses. Geng Huihui jumped up and down and said she would bargain.

Geng Zhiye asked Geng Zhiqin to practice Tai Chi with Dabao and Erbao, while he accompanied Ye Fan to cook. After his sister left, Geng Zhiye whispered, "I suspect Huihui is worried that her sister-in-law will tell people over there that she won't buy it."

Ye Fan: "No. My sister-in-law wants to save face. Even if she really doesn't want to buy it, she will deliberately offer a low price and wait to be rejected."

"Do you think it will be sold at the same low price as the house behind it?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "The latter one is going out and not planning to come back, and this one is going to Shanghai. If you don't mind the trouble, you can wait for a while and rent it out. You don't have to sell it."

"Hearing you say that, it's hard to talk about it." Geng Zhiye put the steel pot on the stove. "When there are many people at home, we need a steel pot to cook porridge." Normally, an electric rice cooker will do.

Ye Fan asked, "Eat shredded potatoes and cabbage?"

Geng Zhiye said: "You cut the cabbage and I will peel the potatoes."

Ye Fan cut the cabbage and set it aside, and peeled the potatoes beside Geng Zhiye.

The potatoes were small and difficult to cut, so Ye Fan asked Geng Zhiye to cut them. There was nothing to do today, so Geng Zhiye cut them slowly, chatting with Ye Fan while cutting.

Yu Wentao came back at around eight o'clock after the dishes were cooked.

Ye Fan asked the children to serve the dishes. Geng Benben saw the slices of meat in the cabbage and said, "Aunt, are you eating meat in the morning?"

Ye Fan explained that cabbage tastes light and is delicious when stir-fried with pork belly. During the meal, Ye Fan asked her mother-in-law how the conversation went.

As expected, it was difficult to negotiate. The asking price was 11,000 yuan, and the house was about the same as the one Geng Huihui's aunt bought. Geng Huihui couldn't help but complain: "My aunt is getting a bargain."

Ye Fan asked: "Are you worried that we don't have enough money, sister-in-law? We still have a few thousand. You can borrow some from Aunt Yu."

Geng Zhiye's eldest brother is a man of integrity and good friends, so Yu Wentao doesn't worry that he won't pay back the money he owes her: "You can use mine. I live with Fanfan and the third brother, so I don't have to spend money on a regular basis."

Yang Mengxia didn't want to buy a house, but was too embarrassed to refuse: "I'll go back and ask Zhihua."

Geng Huihui blurted out, "How troublesome it would be to go back? Just send a telegram."

Yang Mengxia's breathing paused for a moment.

Ye Fanxin said, you are so tactless, "It's already the 29th today, who has the energy to help you send a telegram? Let's talk about it after the New Year. Let's eat first!"

"That's right." Geng Huihui realized later, "Even if someone is at work, the postman who delivers telegrams has to go home for the New Year."

After dinner, Ye Fan and Geng Zhiye took Dabao and Erbao to take a bath, Geng Huihui and Geng Benben took Yang Mengxia to the park, and Yu Wentao and Geng Zhiqin returned to the village to visit the graves.

It was freezing cold, and it was inconvenient to take a car. Yu Wentao didn't want to go again after the New Year, so she brought more things. Ye Fan asked her to take a pound of shrimp, a Spanish mackerel, and cut a pound or two of pork leg meat for her.

Yu Wentao meant to buy some candies and cakes, and keep the fish and meat for her family. Ye Fan said that she made a lot of money thanks to her uncles, and the fish, shrimp and meat were her way of honoring her elders.

Yu Wentao was very happy when Ye Fan said this. When she arrived at her eldest brother's house, she said, "I don't know whether the shrimps have been melted or not," and asked Geng Zhiqin to take them out quickly.

Geng Zhiqin was worried that the ice on the shrimp would wet the brown sugar, so she took out everything in the basket. Her aunt saw that there was still a big, hard fish and couldn't help saying, "The other day, the village pulled the net to catch fish, and every household got one or two. Didn't Fanfan tell you?"

Yu Wentao looked very troubled: "Fanfan insisted that sea fish are different from those raised in the river, so I asked you to try it too."

Yu Wentao's sister-in-law couldn't help but come to Geng Zhiqin and said, "No wonder it's so long, it turns out to be a sea fish. How do you eat it?"

Geng Zhiqin said that you can cut the fish in half, remove the bones, scoop out the fish meat with a spoon, chop it up and make dumplings, or fry it to make smoked fish.

The Chinese New Year is coming soon, and every household will make dumplings. Geng Zhiqin's aunt said, "Let's make dumplings."

While the fish were thawing in the warm water, Ye Fan and Geng Zhiye also took a bath. Their hair was wet, and Ye Fan was worried that the two children would run out and catch a cold, so she asked them to bask in the sun in the yard while she and Geng Zhiye washed clothes.

There is dirt everywhere in the countryside, and Ye Fan's feet are covered with dust after walking around, so he has to brush the shoes he wears these days.

Dabao saw his mother brushing shoes and took out all the shoes he had worn recently: "Mom, thank you for your hard work!"

Ye Fan gave him a slap on the head: "You are so good at lying that you can kill people!"

"I'm not lying!" Dabao sat back against the wall.

Geng Zhiye saw that the two children were bored, so he went to the house to get a stack of newspapers - ordered by Ye Fan, "Pay attention to the international situation."

Dabao took it subconsciously: "I'm not going abroad."

Ye Fan: "To prevent being cheated in the future."

"Then I'll have to take a look." Dabao opened it, "The foreigners are really bad!"

Erbao couldn't help but say, "Mom, the old lady who sold the house to grandma doesn't know as much as you and dad."

Ye Fan: "Being older doesn't mean you are more knowledgeable. Your grandmother is more than 20 years older than me. Does she know as much as I do?"

Erbao shook his head: "Brother, give me one, I also want to know more than grandma."

Dabao gave her one.

The brother and sister went to read the newspaper to broaden their horizons, so they didn't find the contents of the newspaper boring.

An old man passing by Ye Fan's house took a casual glance and saw Dabao and Erbao. He couldn't help but come in and ask, "Are Dabao and Erbao still reading the newspaper?"

The two children didn't hear it.

Ye Fan smiled and explained, "I was so fascinated by it. Have you prepared all the New Year's goods?"

The old man nodded: "Okay."

Geng Zhiye wiped his hands and gave him a cigarette. The old man waved his hand and said, "I'm old, and the doctor forbids me to smoke."

Hearing this, Geng Zhiye put the cigarette back and went to get a chair. The old man said "no thanks", but still took the chair and sat down, asking Ye Fan why he didn't go to sell pork today.

Ye Fan: "All the big pigs in the village have been sold. Didn't your family buy some meat?"

The old man nodded: "I bought it. Has anyone given you any trouble these days?"

Ye Fan told the truth: "There are a few. But they are not confident enough, so it's not a big deal." She didn't mention that she took action that day, but only said that she put the blame on the other party when they were making a big move. Finally, she added, "It's not easy for ordinary people to grow some food. If they bring the matter to the mayor, the mayor should speak for the people."

The old man asked again: "Does every household in the countryside raise pigs?"

Ye Fan: "Most families raise one or two. Some villagers raise sheep."

Geng Zhiye was wondering why the old man asked these questions, but since he didn't get to the point, he took the initiative to ask, "You always want to sell pork, right?"

The old man smiled and said, "I am old and can't do it anymore."

Geng Zhiye felt more and more puzzled. Could it be that they were just chatting and calculating how much money he and Ye Fan had earned in the past few days?

Seeing that the washing machine stopped, Geng Zhiye took out the clothes to dry first.

The old man envied: "It's still more convenient to use a washing machine."

Ye Fan: "Even very dirty clothes need to be washed by hand."

Even though she said this, the old man was still envious: "It's expensive, right?"

Ye Fan nodded: "My father-in-law bought it when he was alive. We can't afford it with the little money we earn."

The old man didn't believe that they had so little money. He calculated the price of pork. Ye Fan sold pork for one yuan per pound, and the market sold it for eight or nine cents. She made more than ten yuan per pig, and she split it 50-50 with the villagers. After deducting the car rental fee, she could make twenty or thirty yuan a day.

Three days of hard work is equivalent to a year's work for others, which is a huge profit.

But there is no way to envy her for this. First of all, most people cannot rent a transport truck. Secondly, if it were not for the Chinese New Year, she would not be able to sell ten pigs a day. And most importantly, her family has relatives in the countryside who can get pigs.

These three are indispensable.

The old man asked: "Are you still selling after the New Year?"

Ye Fan: "Maybe sell it for a day or two before the Lantern Festival."

Geng Zhiye deliberately asked, "You didn't ask Fanfan to order meat so early, did you?"

The old man shook his head and still didn't tell the truth. He sat for a while and then said he wanted to go for a walk in the park.

There are parks to the south and north of Ye Fan's home, the farthest of which is less than one kilometer away. It is normal for the old man to go to the park, and Ye Fan believes it. Geng Zhiye did not doubt the old man's words, but the old man's question about pork was obviously not a casual chat: "What does this old man want to do?"

"Dad is so stupid." Dabao didn't know when he put down the newspaper, and he didn't know how much he heard. Geng Zhiye said, "You are not stupid, so tell me what you think?"

Dabao: “What are the benefits?”

Geng Zhiye was speechless: "I'll buy you a bunch of small fireworks for you to set off tomorrow night?"

Dabao immediately said, "Uncle wants to sell pork to you and mom."

Erbao shook his head: "Brother is wrong, uncle said I can't do it!"

Dabao: "I can't do it alone, I can do it with mom and dad."

(End of this chapter)