Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

After buying a few packs of snacks at the supply and marketing cooperative, Ye Fan and Yu Wentao took the bus to the passenger transport center.

Yujia Village is located in the southwest of the imperial city, nearly twenty miles away from the bus transport center and twenty-six or seven miles away from Ye Fan's home. The city bus cannot reach there, so one can only go to the bus station to take a bus to the countryside.

As expected, when Ye Fan arrived in Yujia Village, the villagers were more enthusiastic towards her than before. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they asked Ye Fan when school would start and whether she would sell pork before school started. They also said that their family had prepared vegetables to go with the meat.

Ye Fan looked at Yu Wentao - I guess I was right.

Yu Wentao felt that her fellow villagers were bringing shame to her, and she could understand why they were so anxious. She didn't want to scold them, so she reminded her neighbors and fellow villagers to let Ye Fan go home and drink some water.

So everyone made way, and Yu Wentao took Ye Fan to his uncle Yu's house.

Before Yu Wentao's parents were still alive, Yu Wentao would go to her parents' home. After her parents passed away, Yu Wentao went to her eldest brother's home, because her eldest brother was the one who interacted with the Yu family's relatives. For example, Yu Wentao came to visit her parents' graves before the New Year, and after the New Year, Yu Wentao's brothers should also visit Geng Zhiye's father's grave, which means that Yu Dajiu bought some things and paper to go there. This year, Yu Dajiu went there on the fourth day of the New Year. When he learned that Ye Fan had returned to her parents' home, he felt sorry that he came at an untimely time. That day, he also asked Yu Wentao if Ye Fan still sold pork, and Yu Wentao told him the truth that he would sell it if he could rent a car.

When Uncle Yu came back from the city, the villagers asked him when Ye Fan would come. Uncle Yu said they would wait until Ye Fan rented a car. Everyone thought that with Ye Fan's ability, he would definitely be able to rent a car, so they went to their relatives' house the next day to get their relatives' pigs.

As soon as Ye Fan put down his cup of water, Yu's aunt said that there were seven more fat pigs in the village in the past few days.

Yu Wentao didn't understand: "What do you mean?"

Ye Fan often encountered this kind of thing in Hengshan Island. Hearing this, he asked: "Are you worried that I won't go to the villagers' relatives' homes to get the pigs, so why don't you just send the pigs to Yujia Village?"

My aunt nodded and said, "I don't know what to say. They are so anxious, it's like there's no tomorrow after today."

Ye Fan: "I understand. If you take away the offal and the pig head, you can sell a pig for an extra 10 or 20 yuan. If it were me, I would also send the pig here earlier."

Yu Wentao asked: "Where are our relatives' pigs?"

Aunt: "My relatives don't have any pigs left. They were sold to the meat processing plant a long time ago. If we didn't believe that Fanfan could be sold, we would have sold the few pigs at home as soon as the twelfth lunar month came."

Yu Wentao: "Your daughter, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law's family are gone too?"

My aunt nodded and said, "There was nothing to feed in the winter, so the pigs they raised were sold before they weighed 200 kilograms." Then she added, "They won't sell them this year. They'll be kept for Fanfan."

Ye Fan took the opportunity to say that she had formed a partnership with someone this year, and she would bring that person over some other day and ask her uncles and aunts to introduce him to her.

Uncle Yu asked: "Why would you want to form a partnership with someone for such a good business?"

Ye Fan: "I want to buy a three-wheeled motorcycle, but I don't have that much money, so I can only form a partnership with someone."

Yu Wentao mentioned the matter of the three-wheeled motorcycle to her brothers from her natal family twice. Uncle Yu did not intend to spend the money because it would take a year or two of hard work to earn back the money. Wouldn't it be better to just keep so much money in the bank?

When he heard that Ye Fanzhen was planning to buy a car, Uncle Yu couldn't help but waver: "How much money can you make in a day if you buy a car and sell vegetables?"

Ye Fan: "Two to three hundred chicken and duck eggs a day, plus a hundred pounds of various vegetables, the gross profit is 20 to 30 yuan, and the net profit may only be 15 or 16 yuan."

Uncle Yu: "If we exclude the windy and rainy days, it will take at least two years to get back the investment."

Ye Fan: "It's worth it if it takes three years to get back the investment. A car worth five or six thousand yuan can be sold for one or two thousand yuan after three years, which means you can make five or six hundred yuan a year."

Rural people are always ill and suffer from disasters, and it is difficult for them to save 300 yuan a year. Yu Dajiu was tempted: "Is there anyone who wants a car that I have used for three years?"

Ye Fan: "That kind of car can be used for ten years. Theoretically, if there are no problems with the brakes and the fuel tank, it can be used forever."

When Uncle Yu heard the word “ten years”, he immediately believed Ye Fan’s words—it could still be sold for one or two thousand in three years.

But even though he believed it, Uncle Yu was reluctant to let the Yu family spend so much money to buy a car. Seeing that he was hesitant, Ye Fan stopped trying to persuade him and asked what else the village had besides pigs.

My aunt said she still has a few sheep at home.

Ye Fan hesitated for a moment and said, "Sheep may not be easy to sell. I'll ask if anyone wants mutton later. If there is, I'll kill one on the 14th morning."

Yu Wentao asked: "The greens, spinach and garlic sprouts should be grown up by now, right?"

There was a heavy snowfall a few nights ago, and my aunt thought the spinach would be frozen. Unexpectedly, the sun came out and the snow melted. Not only did the spinach not die, but it grew better than before.

My aunt asked Ye Fan and Yu Wentao to go out and take a look.

The two of them went to the yard, and my aunt pointed at the vegetable patch and said, "It looks short, but it's actually quite big if you chop it down." There was a sickle by the wall of the wing room, and my aunt used it to chop down a few plants, "Fan, this is better than what you can buy at the market, right?"

Ye Fan: "The spinach sold in the vegetable market is grown in greenhouses. It's bigger and more juicy than yours, but it's definitely not as delicious as yours."

My aunt nodded and said, "Of course. My vegetables see the sun every day. The vegetables in the greenhouse are grown indoors. They don't have any vegetable smell."

Ye Fan laughed and said, "But young people don't understand. If your family doesn't want to buy a car, you can build a vegetable greenhouse. But greenhouses are not cheap, and people have to watch over them every day. I think it's harder than selling vegetables."

"We don't understand greenhouses." said my aunt.

Yu Wentao couldn't help but say, "If you don't know, learn from others. When Lao Xiao comes back on Sunday, ask Lao Xiao to ask the people in town."

Uncle Yu's youngest son was assigned to the town government after graduating from secondary technical school last summer. The town leaders heard from others that he had connections in the city, so one time the town leaders went to the city for a meeting and asked him if he wanted to go with them. He had just arrived and had no idea what the old fox was up to, so he said he would not go because his aunt was very busy taking care of several children alone.

The town leader pretended to be surprised and asked if your cousins ​​were so young.

The young man couldn't help showing off, saying that he was his cousin's child. His cousin's wife was studying at Peking University, and his cousin was studying at the National Defense University.

The leader knew very well that only military officers had the opportunity to study at the National Defense University. After hearing this, he was very nice to him. He once thought that the town leaders wanted him to be a son-in-law.

Later, he found out from someone that the leader's daughter had married a long time ago, so he felt that he had won the leader's favor. Others knew why the leader valued him, and based on the principle of one more friend and one less enemy, they all became friends with him.

Yu Wentao's nephew felt that all his colleagues were good people, and when he got home he couldn't help but tell his parents that his comrades were nice.

Yu Wentao's brother and sister-in-law felt that since the other party was so kind to their child, they couldn't do nothing to show their appreciation, so they squeezed some soybean oil, mixed it with lard to fry some Sanzi, and asked their son to take it to the office.

Everyone was polite to him only for the sake of the leader's face. Seeing that he was a very capable guy, they treated him with more sincerity.

Yu Wentao's words reminded Mrs. Yu that her son's colleague was very good, so she said, "Let him ask later." Then she squatted down to chop spinach.

Yu Wentao: "Just a little is enough."

"Cut more for you to take back," said Mrs. Yu. "When the weather gets warmer, the spinach will bloom and we won't be able to eat it anymore."

Ye Fan: "Don't cut too much. Dabao and Erbao are used to eating good food on the island, so they are very picky."

My aunt heard from Yu Wentao that it never snowed on Hengshan Island where Ye Fan used to live, so there was no shortage of vegetables all year round, and no one ate the big crabs that crawled along the beach.

So the aunt believed Ye Fan's words without a doubt. She chopped about a pound of spinach, half a pound of green vegetables, and picked a handful of garlic sprouts for Ye Fan to stir-fry with bacon.

At lunch, Ye Fan told Uncle Yu that she would kill three pigs in the morning as usual. Since there were many buyers, she would kill all four pigs the next morning and ask Uncle Yu and Uncle Yu to help her sell the pork.

After lunch, Ye Fan and Yu Wentao went back home. As soon as they left, the villagers went to Uncle Yu's house to ask Ye Fan what he had said.

When everyone heard that the money from selling the vegetables belonged to them and that Ye Fan did not want any commission, they all praised her for being kind and asked Thirteen to help slaughter the pig in the morning.

Several villagers who had pigs wanted to sell all the offal and pig heads, so when Ye Fan arrived in the village on the morning of the 13th, they cleaned the offal and burned the hair off the pig heads and feet.

Ye Fan paid to buy the pig heads, pig feet and offal, and then gave the money directly to the villagers.

When Ye Fan arrived at Xicheng, he stopped the car at the intersection. His uncle and younger uncle got out of the car and asked, "What should we do if we can't sell so much offal?"

Ye Fan: "If you can't sell it, take it home and braise it overnight. Then sell it tomorrow."

Zhang Xiaoming also came here today, and he couldn't help but say, "I know how to make brine."

Ye Fan was surprised: "Can you cook?"

Zhang Xiaoming nodded: "There are many of us who went to the countryside together. The villagers gave us a house and let us cook our own meals. I usually cook. In the past few years, I often go to restaurants to help people and do odd jobs."

Ye Fan asked: "Do you buy groceries and cook for your family?"

Zhang Xiaoming thought Ye Fan didn't believe him, and said that his parents were in poor health, and his older and younger sisters lived in the company dormitory, so he was the one who usually bought groceries and cooked.

Ye Fan: "Then I'll sell it at 30 cents a pound. If no one wants it, I'll just stew it and sell it as a stew."

I bought it for 20 cents a pound, and even Uncle Yu thought it was too expensive: "Isn't it a bit expensive?"

Ye Fan: "Someone is coming!"

Uncle Yu quickly shut up.

The old lady ran over and asked, "Girl, do you remember me? I have nothing to do these days, so I've been waiting at the intersection to see when you'll come over."

Ye Fan had a good memory and said with a smile: "Remember, let me save some pig fat for you." He winked at Zhang Xiaoming in the car, and Zhang Xiaoming took out a basin from the corner. Ye Fan said: "The fat from the three pigs is all here. You——"

"I want them all!" the aunt interrupted Ye Fan.

Ye Fan was speechless: "No - Auntie, this oil can be used until the dog days of summer. If you can't finish it by then, it will go bad."

Aunt: "I have a big family."

Ye Fan stopped trying to persuade him: "It's quite heavy, ask Xiao Ming to help you take it back?"

The aunt nodded and said, "Let's weigh him. Is this your brother?" She pointed at Zhang Xiaoming and asked.

Ye Fan: "My neighbor. He has been in the countryside for seven or eight years and has no job. He sells pork to me. Oh, by the way, I won't be able to sell vegetables in a few days because school will start. I'll ask him to sell them. I'll ask Auntie to help him out when the time comes. He doesn't know anything."

The aunt's son and daughter-in-law said that Ye Fan helped the villagers sell pork and made money for herself. The aunt scolded her son and daughter-in-law, saying that in the cold winter, she didn't make a penny, so what was she trying to do?

The fact that she could make money for herself and help her fellow villagers made her look up to Ye Fan. Now, hearing that Ye Fan was helping her neighbors, the kind-hearted aunt sighed in her heart, saying that this girl was really good. The aunt smiled and said, "No problem."

Ye Fan asked: "Just oil?"

Auntie: "We still have some meat from before the New Year."

Ye Fan gave her a handful of garlic sprouts: "Leave them for you to stir-fry with bacon."

The aunt couldn't help but say, "You are so polite."

Ye Fan: "Just this once, if you buy it again, it will be gone. By the way, Auntie, do you want some pig offal? Pig brains and livers are only 30 cents a pound."

The aunt wanted to say no, but suddenly remembered that "what you eat is what you need", so she asked Ye Fan to weigh out a pig liver and a pig brain for her. After Uncle Yu weighed them, he put the pig brain and liver in a basin, and Zhang Xiaoming helped the aunt take them home.

The aunt chatted with Zhang Xiaoming and said that his parents should have retired at his age, so why didn't they take over? Zhang Xiaoming said that his brother took over his father's job. The aunt asked him how many brothers and sisters he had and how old they were. Zhang Xiaoming didn't dare to offend the big client, so he told the truth that he had two sisters and a brother. His sister was a temporary worker and his brother was still in junior high school.

As soon as the aunt heard about the two temporary workers, she knew that the Zhang family had no connections, so it was no wonder that he had no job. Ye Fan obviously had no benefit from helping the Zhang family, so Ye Fan was kind-hearted.

The aunt put the oil, pork liver and pig brain in the cupboard, and then she went out to tell the neighbors that the girl who sold pork before the New Year was here again.

The day after tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, and we have to cook a meat dish, but buying chicken or duck is not as good as pork to satisfy our craving, so the neighbor will take one or two dollars and go to the entrance of the alley.

Before the New Year, you give me five pounds and I give you ten pounds. After the New Year, you give me one pound and I give you half a pound. The villagers prepared a lot of vegetables for delivery, but Ye Fan didn't send any, because if everyone who bought meat gave a little, there would definitely be no vegetables left after half of the meat was sold.

Ye Fan asked the uncles and aunts if they wanted pig intestines, pig ears, and pig trotters, all for only 30 cents per pound.

If you like pig liver, buy some. If you like pig lung, buy some. One pound of pork can buy more than three pounds of pig offal. It looks very cost-effective. One auntie wanted two pig trotters. Two pig trotters plus half a pound of meat cost one dollar. The auntie was very satisfied and told everyone that she could cook two dishes.

Because they are cheap, the third mate is sold out first when it is launched.

At half past ten, Ye Fan saw that there was still more than half of the pork left, so he drove to the park gate. The uncles and aunts who wanted to visit the park were almost all carefree, and they were preparing to go home to cook, so they bought a pound or two of meat.

When there were fewer people in the park, Ye Fan would go to the gate of a state-owned unit. It happened to be the time when the workers were getting off work, so he would buy a pound or two of pork, or a pound of spinach and a handful of garlic sprouts.

Ye Fan asked Zhang Xiaoming: "Do you know where to sell it in the future?"

Zhang Xiaoming couldn't help but worry when he saw that most of the meat was left. What should he do with the meat? But Ye Fan was not worried or anxious, so Zhang Xiaoming didn't dare to say anything.

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaoming couldn't help but say, "I see. In the morning at the entrance of the alley, in the morning at the park, and at the entrance of the office at noon."

Ye Fan: "Don't come to the office gate if you can. It will have a bad influence and you will be chased away easily. In the future, try to go to places where there are many uncles and aunts. Uncles and aunts have all suffered before the founding of the People's Republic of China. They are very sympathetic. If you encounter difficulties from the people in the street office, you don't need to ask, the uncles and aunts will help you chase them away."

Zhang Xiaoming nodded to indicate that he remembered it.

Uncle Yu and Uncle Yu couldn't help but listen carefully.

Seeing that there were only a few bits of meat and a few large bones left, Ye Fan drove back to the village.

When we got to the village, my aunt had already rolled the noodles. When she saw Ye Fan's car, she went back to the house.

Ye Fan asked the owner of the three pigs to follow her into the house. After distributing the money for the pork, Ye Fan asked Zhang Xiaoming to take out the money in his pocket, "This is the money everyone earned from selling vegetables."

Yu Wentao's niece-in-law asked, "Are they all sold out?"

Ye Fan nodded: "There are not many vegetables to sell in the city right now. After a while, there will be too many vegetables to sell. Then ask Xiao Ming to buy them at the price of the purchasing station." She glanced at the people who asked her to sell vegetables, "What do you think? Chicken and duck eggs, chicken and duck should also be bought at the price of the purchasing station."

The purchasing station is in the town, and it takes several miles to get there, and people will pick on you, so everyone just says they should listen to Ye Fan.

Ye Fan said: "We can raise a few more chickens and ducks."

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Ye Fan asked, "Are those mounds of earth at the entrance of the village from the village?"

Yu Wentao's niece-in-law said, "Yes. What's the matter?" Even if it's not a bag of dirt, it can be sold.

Seeing this, Ye Fan wanted to laugh: "Can we plant walnut, chestnut or hawthorn trees on it? Chestnuts can be used to make fried chestnuts, hawthorns can be used to make candied haws, and walnuts are quite popular in the city. I plan to buy a car with Xiao Ming in a few days, so that we can come here to transport goods anytime in the future."

Uncle Yu told the villagers about this, and they were wondering if the things in the village were worth buying a car. After hearing what Ye Fan said, everyone suddenly realized that there were not many things now, but if they grew and raised them, there would be more.

A villager immediately said: "I will go ask the village chief."

My aunt came out of the kitchen and said, "You must be hungry after working so hard for so long. Let's talk about it this afternoon."

Everyone dispersed after hearing this.

The next morning, Ye Fan took away four pigs and a sheep, as well as a lot of vegetables. It was almost sold out by two in the afternoon. Ye Fan was so hungry that his stomach was sticking to his back.

Ye Fan originally wanted to go to a restaurant to buy some food, but when she arrived at the door of the state-owned restaurant, it was closed.

Arriving at Yujia Village, Ye Fan and Zhang Xiaoming ate at his aunt's house. After the meal, Ye Fan gave Zhang Xiaoming five yuan, his uncle five yuan - two days' hard work fee, and his uncle six yuan.

My uncle couldn't help but ask, "What is this for?"

Ye Fan: "This is the food allowance for Xiao Ming and I for the past two days. Don't complain that it's too little. Give it as much as it should be. Then we won't fight over money in the future."

My aunt couldn't help but ask, "Didn't we agree on two dollars a day?"

Ye Fan smiled and said, "My elder uncle and younger uncle are not strangers. Xiao Ming will be my partner in the future. By the way, I plan to go look at cars next Saturday and come to the village to buy eggs, duck eggs and vegetables next Monday. Elder uncle, you and younger uncle, come to the city and tell me when you have made up your mind."

My aunt asked, "Are you going back now?"

Ye Fan: "Go back early and clean the car and return it."

The aunt-in-law immediately said, "Brush it here. I heard that you have to buy water." Then she asked her daughter-in-law to fetch water, and she went to the kitchen to get a basin and thermos.

Zhang Xiaoming poured a basin of cold and hot water and got into the car to brush off the lard and dirt that fell from the vegetables.

After the carriage was cleaned, Ye Fan and Zhang Xiaoming returned to the city. At the intersection, Ye Fan stopped the car and dropped Zhang Xiaoming off. Zhang Xiaoming went home, and Ye Fan went to the food factory.

Because he only sold for half a day, Ye Fan didn't have to worry about having to ride a bike when the buses ran out after dark, so he took the bus to the food factory these two days. After returning the bike, Ye Fan took the bus back.

When Ye Fan got home and saw that it was still early, he took his son, daughter, nephews and nieces to the bathhouse to take a bath.

At this time, Zhang Xiaoming was not idle either. He was called by his father to ask Ye Fan how much he earned from a pig. Zhang Xiaoming said directly: "Ye Fan rented a car at a high price, and he took 15% for each pig. Ye Fan said that in the future, he would take 10% for each pig he sold, or buy live pigs and ask villagers to kill them."

Uncle Zhang calculated: "Even if it's 10%, a pig can still net you more than ten yuan?"

Zhang Xiaoming: "If I bring another 100 or 200 eggs, I can make at least 20 yuan a day."

Uncle Zhang couldn't help but sigh that Ye Fan was good at making money.

Zhang Xiaoming nodded: "I just help Ye Fan sell vegetables. She gives me two or three dollars a day, which is more cost-effective than working."

Working fifteen or twenty days a month would earn more than Zhang Xiaoming's second brother. Uncle Zhang was a little hesitant about buying a car, after all, it would empty his family's savings. After hearing this, Uncle Zhang decided to withdraw the money in a few days.

Ye Fan was not in a hurry to withdraw the money.

When the school term started for primary and secondary schools across the country, Ye Fan enrolled his children in Peking University.

In the afternoon, Ye Fan was about to go home when he was stopped by several classmates. One of the female classmates came up to Ye Fan and asked, "Ye Fan, do you have any siblings?"

Ye Fan was puzzled: "What do you mean?"

Students whose families were not from the capital had arrived a few days ago, and this female classmate was one of them: "We passed by the park two days ago and saw a man driving a car to sell pork who looked very similar to you. Could it be you?"

Ye Fan thought it was something else: "It should be me."

Several people were shocked, and the female classmate didn't know what to say.

Ye Fan: "Anything else?"

Several people shook their heads subconsciously.

Ye Fan: "See you tomorrow then."

The female classmate called Ye Fan and asked, "Is there any difficulty in your family?"

Ye Fan wanted to laugh: "My family being rich doesn't conflict with me making money, right?"

"There is no conflict. But we are students, and we are students of Kyoto University. We should focus on our studies."

Ye Fan went home after class and was not very familiar with his classmates. He did not know where this female classmate was from, but judging from her clothes, she must be from the city. If she was from the countryside, he could probably understand why she was going to school and making money at the same time.

Ye Fan was in a hurry to get home and didn't have time to greet them, so he asked directly: "Have I delayed my studies?"

The female classmate was speechless.

Ye Fan: "Labor is glorious, and making money is not shameful. Okay, see you another day."

Several people watched her jump onto the bus and go away, then looked at each other in bewilderment.

As soon as Ye Fan got in the car, he put the matter out of his mind. He opened his textbook and read for about ten minutes. When the car stopped, Ye Fan got out and walked a few steps to the entrance of the alley.

Dabao and Erbao didn't have classes today, so they came back from school early and played in the alley. When they saw Ye Fan, they ran over and shouted "Mom!"

Ye Fan carried his schoolbag and pulled one in each hand: "Have you wrapped the books?"

Dabao: "It will be ready at noon."

Ye Fan asked again: "Have my aunt and sister come back?"

Dabao shook his head.

Ye Fan: "Has grandma cooked yet?"

Dabao nodded: "I'll cook when you come back."

"From now on, if mom comes back late, tell grandma to eat first." Ye Fan went to the yard and saw Yu Wentao and said again: "If I come back late, you eat first."

Yu Wentao: "Dabao and Erbao are not hungry if you come back and eat something."

Ye Fan asked casually: "What did you eat?"

Dabao: "Mi Sandao."

On the second day of the Chinese New Year, Ye Fan went to her mother's house and bought two bags of brown sugar and four bags of fruit in addition to apples and oranges. Tao Chunlan kept the sugar and said she would make brown sugar eggs for Liangliang. She asked Ye Fan to take back the fruits and snacks, two of which were honey three knives.

Ye Fan was not polite to her mother either.

When he got home, Ye Fan opened a packet and let the children eat it slowly.

Ye Fan heard this and asked, "Is it time to finish eating?"

Dabao: “We’ve only eaten half.”

Ye Fan asked again: "Are you still going to eat?"

Dabao opened his eyes wide and nodded: "Of course. Mi Sanda doesn't care if you are full."

Ye Fan asked the little ones to eat slowly, as he was worried that they would eat too much at once and not eat: "Where's Geng Benben?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Geng Benben came out of Dabao's room and said, "Aunt, do you need someone to go to the village with you to buy vegetables?"

"No need. I can go with Xiao Ming."

Geng Benben said, "He is heavier than me. If you carry him, you will have to carry a few dozen kilograms less vegetables. How about you take me with you? Give me two dollars a day. No, one dollar and fifty cents will be enough."

As soon as he opened his mouth, Ye Fan knew that he was short of money, "Where's your New Year's money?"

"Don't mention it. She told my mother that she was leaving. She also said that it was my fault that she bought a house for me and I would listen to her in the future." Geng Benben lost the dozens of dollars in New Year's money in the end.

Geng Benben regretted that if he had bought all the fireworks, at least he could have heard some noise.

Ye Fan couldn't help but think of his classmates' words: "You are a student now, so you should focus on your studies. How about this, if you rank in the top three in the class at the end of the semester, I will help you find a small business."

Geng Benben wondered how much money he could make from a small business. He suddenly remembered that his last small business was writing Spring Festival couplets, and he made five or six yuan a day. Geng Benben stuffed that money into a piggy bank that only brought money in but never out. He would smash the piggy bank when he wanted to spend money.

Originally, Geng Benben wanted to buy a pencil case like Dabao's, which could be opened at the bottom. But he didn't have as much self-control as Dabao, so he simply bought one with only one opening. As a result, he now has no money to buy a new pencil case.

Geng Benben immediately felt that the pencil case could still last another semester: "Aunt, you liar!"

(End of this chapter)