Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

Ye Fan went outside and looked around. Neighbors on both sides were running towards Zhang's house. She breathed a sigh of relief, as long as it wasn't her mother-in-law causing trouble.

Ye Fan went to the door of Zhang's house with a relaxed mood and listened to a few words. It turned out that it was Zhang Xiaojun's mother-in-law who came.

More than ten days have passed since November 1st. During this period, Zhang Xiaojun's wife has not appeared. Zhang Xiaojun rarely comes home, and every time he comes back, he complains to his parents that he has brought shame upon himself.

Ye Fan knew about this because of Zhang Xiaoming. Last weekend, Zhang Xiaoming stayed at Ye Fan's house for half a day to avoid his brother's nagging. He did not go home for dinner in the evening, but drove directly from Ye Fan's house into the village to have dinner at Yu Xiaojiu's house.

Ye Fan listened carefully for a few more sentences and suddenly couldn't help wanting to laugh, thinking that there must be something wrong with his brain.

Yu Wentao came out of the Zhang family courtyard and muttered when she saw Ye Fan: "Who are they?"

Ye Fan asked: "Is Zhang Xiaojun's wife here too?"

Yu Wentao nodded: "When she came in, she said she would live in her parents' house from now on. The three turns and one ring were bought for her, and she took it away."

Ye Fan: "Uncle Zhang disagrees?"

"Definitely not! She wants to marry in, and the Zhang family will buy her and Xiaojun three roubles and one ring. If she brings Xiaojun to live with her parents, it will be considered as Xiaojun marrying into her family, so her family should buy three roubles and one ring." Yu Wentao almost screamed, but she lowered her voice quickly for fear that it would be heard in the Zhang family courtyard. "I think she can't stand it anymore and wants to come back, but no one is going to pick her up, so she's making a fuss on purpose. Wait a minute, Xiaojun's mother will say a few soft words, and she'll have to stay. She can also tell others that her mother-in-law won't let her go back."

The Zhang family courtyard was full of people. Except for Zhang Xiaojun's two sisters, Uncle Zhang, Aunt Zhang and Zhang Xiaojun, the rest were all the woman's people. The neighbors were all at the gate. Ye Fan asked, "Why are there so many people? A dozen people don't seem to be giving themselves a chance to show off."

Yu Wentao: "You don't understand this kind of thing. It's better to lose the fight than to lose the battle! Even if the girl's whole family regrets asking for money to buy the ring, the Zhang family can't see it."

Ye Fan really didn't understand: "So how do we solve this problem now? Aunt Zhang won't say anything soft-hearted, and Zhang Xiaojun's wife won't be able to back down. How dare these people from her family rob her openly?"

"Who knows." Yu Wentao curled her lips, "I've seen enough of the excitement in his house, let's go back--" Turning around and seeing several people coming from the west, Yu Wentao opened her eyes wide in shock.

Ye Fan was surprised. He turned around and couldn't help but stop breathing. "——Who called the police?"

"I!"

Ye Fan was startled and turned around to see the Zhang family, young and old, coming out of Aunt Li's house next door.

Yu Wentao was speechless: "How could you call the police?"

"My parents couldn't eat or sleep because of my second brother's situation. They lost weight in a few days. If he continues to torment me, I will become an orphan before the end of the year. It would be better to go to the police station if possible, but it would be easier if not." After saying this, Zhang Xiaodi walked towards the police station, told the police officer in detail about his family situation, and then accompanied the police officer home.

The police often encounter strange things, but they have never encountered a situation like today - the wedding was not completed, there is no marriage certificate, and the woman has not lived with the man, so it cannot be called a de facto marriage. How can the woman have the confidence to make a fuss?

In the past two years, there have been many idle people in society and the streets are very chaotic. The police have to deal with many things and do not want to waste time on the dispute between the two families, so they deliberately let both parties go to the police station to resolve the issue.

When the children heard that someone had entered the police station, they were very scared, but they couldn't bring themselves to leave, so they said they would let them discuss it, and then all the women's people crowded into Zhang Xiaojun's bedroom.

The result of the discussion was to forget about the marriage and find their own partners in the future. Zhang Xiaojun didn't want to, so Uncle Zhang told him to go back to the woman's house. The woman's family was just an ordinary one, and they didn't have that many rooms. He had been living with his brother-in-law for the past few days, so he would live wherever the woman's family lived. Besides, the woman's family had a son, so they didn't want him to marry into the family.

Zhang Xiaodi reminded the woman to return the betrothal gift and the food she had eaten from the Zhang family over the years.

The woman was naturally unhappy. Zhang Xiaodi had looked for information and asked people about it these days, and he wanted to sue the woman for cheating.

As soon as these words were spoken, all the people on the woman's side laughed, mocking the young boy for not knowing the law.

The Zhang family obviously couldn't afford such a large sum of money because of their cramped house. The police reminded the woman that the marriage had become so messed up because she deliberately asked for 200 yuan. The judge verified the situation and suspected that she was also a fraud.

The police said so, the woman dared not to cheat. The result was not known until the calculation was made. I was shocked. In addition to the 200 yuan in cash, the meat and drinks over the years added up to more than 400 yuan. Counting the three turns, one ring, the banquet, the wedding dress, etc., 2,000 yuan was not enough.

The police made the decision, and the Zhang family was allowed to stay. The man hosted a banquet but the woman didn't eat it, so they didn't have to pay compensation, nor did they need a wedding dress. They were given 600 yuan.

Uncle Zhang had no objection. The woman thought it was too much, so the police went to the police station to slowly resolve the issue. The woman's father didn't want to go, so he asked Uncle Zhang to draft an agreement and they went home to get the money.

Zhang Xiaojun subconsciously wanted to follow him, but Uncle Zhang said, "If you dare to step out, you won't recognize me as your father!"

In the past, Zhang Xiaojun dared to cooperate with his wife because he relied on his parents to compromise. Now that things have come to this point, Zhang Xiaojun dared not follow her like before.

Ye Fan watched the woman's family of more than a dozen people go home, and then went back to her own home to tell Dong Ying what happened. Just after she finished speaking, she heard the sound of a car, and Ye Fan asked Dong Ying to wait. When she arrived at the door, Zhang Xiaoming drove over and asked, "Whose family has an accident? Why are the police here?"

Yu Wentao quickly told him that Xiaojun's problem was solved.

After hearing her detailed account, Zhang Xiaoming was dumbfounded and thought, how can this be solved?

But the matter was settled, and he was used to listening to his parents' words and didn't dare to go over and object. He sighed and followed Ye Fan into the yard. Seeing Dong Ying, Zhang Xiaoming blurted out: "Did Xiaojun's matter alarm you?"

Dong Ying quickly said no, saying that she was accompanying Zhang Xiaoming to sell candied haws, and asked Ye Fan to rest at home.

Ye Fan couldn't help but raise his eyebrows: "Is this what you came to see Xiao Ming for?"

Dong Ying nodded: "I don't want to be a kindergarten teacher, but I had no choice in the early years. My parents suggested that I give it a try. If I like it, I will do it with Xiao Ming in the future. Don't worry, Sister Fan, you can still split the bill the same as now if you don't go for a day."

This was the idea of ​​Dong Ying. If you want to make a lot of money, you don't just need to be hardworking and have connections. You also need to be talented and sharp enough. Otherwise, you will be cheated out of your money. At worst, others will eat the meat while she and Zhang Xiaoming drink the soup.

Since this is the case, I might as well share the meat with Ye Fan. Even if Ye Fan only gives me 30% of the meat, it is still more than just following others and drinking soup.

Ye Fan smiled and said, "Then you two go. Xiao Ming, do you know where to go?"

Zhang Xiaoming: "It's a good time to go to the park or the Children's Palace."

Ye Fan took out two boxes of candied haws from the room and said, "If you don't want to come back at noon, just eat at the restaurant."

Dong Ying sat in the car and asked when she got to the entrance of the alley: "Does the meal fee come from the money you earn?"

Zhang Xiaoming nodded: "Sister Ye said that the main way to make money is in the morning. It's okay to make some money from seasonal things like candied haws."

At the same time, Geng Huihui came out of Erbao's room: "Aunt, did I hear you right? You don't have to go out to the stall anymore?"

"You still have to go occasionally. Dong Ying also has to accompany the child." Ye Fan moved to the door of his son's bedroom, "Geng Dabao, are you going to grandma's house?"

Dabao: "Grandma doesn't know we're going there today."

Ye Fan said, "We have some meat and vegetables that Xiao Ming bought this morning. We can take some of them over and ask your grandma to steam two more bowls of rice."

Tao Chunlan loved her children and took care of Dabao and Erbao for several years, so that they became close to Tao Chunlan and loved to go to their grandmother's house. When Dabao heard that they would not be hungry at their grandmother's house, he threw down his pen and called Erbao out.

Dabao and Erbao's clothes were very clean as they had just been changed that morning. Ye Fan put hats on them and took some vegetables back to her mother's house.

Yu Wentao saw her daughter-in-law returning to her parents' home outside, and deliberately went into the yard to ask her eldest granddaughter: "Are you going to your grandma's house? If you go, I will also pack for you--"

"Stop!" Geng Huihui interrupted.

Yu Wentao smiled and said, "Then you cook for lunch. What do you want to eat?"

Geng Huihui nodded: "Grandma, can you buy me a roast duck?"

Yu Wentao turned around and walked out without paying any attention to her - she really knew how to eat, without even looking at how much a roast duck cost.

Geng Huihui ran out and hugged her grandmother's arm: "Grandma, I've lost weight from eating in the cafeteria every day."

Even if Geng Huihui had the courage to act like a spoiled brat in the Chu family, she wouldn't dare to act like a spoiled brat in front of her grandma. Yu Wentao was very pleased and gave her six yuan and asked Geng Leilei to accompany her.

The roast duck at Quanjude is expensive. Geng Huihui went to other places and only had a few cents left for a big roast duck.

Ye Fan also bought a big roast duck and didn't spend all the six dollars.

When Tao Chunlan saw her, she complained: "If you had called me in advance to tell me you were coming, I would have bought it. You bought a house and a car, so where would the money be left?"

Ye Fan: "It doesn't cost much to buy it occasionally." He looked outside and said, "When I entered the alley just now, I felt that everyone looked at me strangely. What happened?"

Li Mingyue came out of the house and glanced towards Chen Xiaohui's room.

Ye Fan thought of Zhang's younger brother calling the police, and blurted out, "Chen Kuanren is here? Chen Xiaohui called the police?"

The pupils of both the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law trembled.

Chen Xiaohui heard the noise and came out to see Ye Fan. She was shocked and asked, "Who said that?"

It was just a guess, no need to explain, so Ye Fan asked, "Where is he? Did he go to the Public Security Bureau?"

Tao Chunlan first said that when Chen Kuanren and Zhao Ruping first saw Chen Xiaohui, they scolded her for being unfilial and asked her if she wanted to break up with Shen Cheng. If she really did, don't blame them for being rude.

Zhao Ruping's rudeness made it impossible for Chen Xiaohui to go to school, and after graduation no company dared to hire her.

Chen Xiaohui had thought of this a long time ago, and believed that Zhao Ruping and Chen Kuanren could do it. She was very scared. When Chen Kuanren and Zhao Ruping said they had no money, Chen Xiaohui thought about how Ye Fan had made a lot of money in the past six months. If she delayed any further, the antique house would go up in value, and she would not be able to afford it even if she wanted to.

In order to make money with Ye Fan as soon as possible, Chen Xiaohui picked up the phone and called the police.

Ye Fan had mentioned calling the police before, and when Chen Kuanren returned to Shanghai, he consulted someone about his situation. He thought that the police could do nothing to them and could only give them verbal criticism and education at best, so he was still very arrogant when he arrived at the police station.

The investigators asked them about things from many years ago and wanted to send them to the detention center. The investigators went to Shanghai to verify the matter, and they became scared.

The couple has always claimed that the baby was taken away by mistake, but it is actually difficult to verify. If they change their statement in court, the court will release the person because the prosecution has insufficient evidence.

Ye's father could have detained the man in the capital, but a barefoot man is not afraid of one who wears shoes. If Chen Kuanren doesn't go back, his son will definitely come and make a scene.

The case officer told Chen Xiaohui all the details so that she could be mentally prepared. Chen Xiaohui said she would talk to Chen Kuanren and Zhao Ruping.

With a public security comrade accompanying her, Chen Xiaohui successfully negotiated the matter - they would never have any contact with each other again, and she wrote a letter of understanding and would not pursue the matter.

The police still sent several comrades to Shanghai to investigate. It was not until the year Chen Xiaohui returned to the capital that her relatives found out that she was not Chen's biological daughter. The couple kept the secret secret, and without any key witnesses or evidence, the police had to release her.

After listening to her mother, Ye Fan asked, "How many days will he be in prison?"

Tao Chunlan: "He arrived on November 1st and left the day before yesterday. He was detained for half a month."

Ye Fan exclaimed: "So long? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Tao Chunlan: "You were so young at the time and didn't know anything. It's useless to tell you. When you go to testify, the police ask you who told you that and you say you guessed, no one will dare to use your testimony."

Li Mingyue nodded: "Dad also said there is no need to involve you."

Ye Fan looked at Chen Xiaohui and said, "When you've been away for three days, you should look at you with new eyes."

Chen Xiaohui was in no mood to refute, because she had nightmares every time she closed her eyes these past few nights - Chen Kuanren would kill her. She always felt someone was following her to school, which made her look worse than Li Mingyue, who was several years older than her.

Li Mingyue signaled Ye Fan with her eyes to say less.

Ye Fan pulled Dabao and Erbao into the house. Chen Xiaohui instinctively followed him in and sat on the sofa in a daze. Ye Fan whispered to his sister-in-law, "Shouldn't she be happy that her big worry has been solved?"

Chen Xiaohui should have been happy, but Chen Kuanren and Zhao Ruping were the people she had been filial to all her life in her previous life, so she felt mixed emotions.

Ye Fan changed the subject and asked Jingjing if she missed her aunt.

The little girl leaned against her mother and nodded with a smile.

Ye Fan asked: "Where is your dad?"

"Dad went to buy some delicious food." said the little girl.

Ye Fan raised his eyebrows: "Brother, do you know I'm coming?"

Li Mingyue glanced at Chen Xiaohui obscurely. Ye Fan instantly understood that she was in a bad mental state, so he bought some delicious food in the hope that she would eat more.

Ye Fan was convinced by Chen Xiaohui. She was not a girl of 17 or 18 years old. She was in her 30s but her ability to accept things was so poor. How did she survive those years in the countryside?

During those years, Chen Xiaohui knew that she had the opportunity to return to the city and take the college entrance examination. Although farm work was hard, there was slack season, and more than a dozen men and women lived together. It was lively and she didn't miss home much, so life was not difficult.

Chen Kuanren and Zhao Ruping are like time bombs. It would be strange if Chen Xiaohui wasn't afraid.

Chen Xiaohui didn't dare to say much, for fear that Yitulu would reveal that she had lived a lifetime, causing her to keep many things in her heart, leading to the current situation.

Tao Chunlan said: "After all, I raised her and sent her to middle school and high school. It's normal that she feels hard to let go for a while."

If Chen Xiaohui had not sent the people in jail but continued to use money to get rid of them, on the day Chen Kuanren and Zhao Ruping arrived, Tao Chunlan would have to bring Liangliang to complain to Ye Fan.

Chen Xiaohui became determined and decided that she would only recognize the Ye family as her home from now on. Tao Chunlan's mentality also changed.

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan looked at Chen Xiaohui, and seeing that she seemed not to have heard him, he shook his head helplessly, poured himself a glass of water, and asked Dabao and Erbao if they were thirsty.

The brother and sister were thirsty, so Ye Fan poured another half cup.

Li Mingyue got up to get the malted milk. When Liangliang saw that she wanted to drink the malted milk, Li Mingyue poured her half a cup.

After the three children finished drinking water, big brother Ye Fan came back, carrying a fish in one hand and a chicken in the other. Li Mingyue frowned and muttered when she saw the lively chicken: "Why buy a live chicken? It's too much trouble!"

Brother Ye tied the chicken under the grape tree in the yard and threw the fish into the vegetable basin in the yard. When he came in and saw Dabao, he stopped and asked them if they missed their uncle.

Dabao asked: "Uncle, do you think I want to drink soda?"

Ye Jin laughed: "I guess you don't want to."

Dabao: “I guess not.”

Ye Jin gave him a slap on the head and pinched Erbao's little face, "Don't you recognize me?"

"Uncle, you're so annoying." Erbao pushed his hand away.

Ye Jin used to tease her often and was often disliked. Hearing this, he smiled indifferently, glanced at Chen Xiaohui, sighed, and asked his mother what to eat for lunch.

Tao Chunlan looked at the wall clock and saw it was past eleven o'clock, so she asked Ye Fan, "Why don't we cook the chicken? Can we clean up the fish?"

Ye Fan nodded: "I'll clean it up."

Tao Chunlan understood that she was tired from going to school, taking care of the children and running a business, so she told her to rest in the house and let Ye Jin kill the fish. After Ye Jin finished cleaning the fish, his father came back. Ye Jin simply killed the chicken.

Tao Chunlan was not used to eating rice before, so in order to accommodate Chen Xiaohui who was used to eating rice, she cooked for her every two or three days. After a few years, the whole family got used to it, and Tao Chunlan would steam a pot of rice.

Braised fish, stewed chicken with mushrooms, Tao Chunlan also made a dish of vegetarian dishes and a pot of soup, and took apart the roast duck that Ye Fan brought and heated it up, and that was lunch.

There are two legs of a roast duck, one for Erbao and one for Liangliang. Tao Chunlan picked up a chicken leg for Dabao. Dabao saw that there was another one in the bowl, so he put it in his grandfather's bowl: "Grandpa, eat chicken."

Father Ye was stunned for a moment, and said with great satisfaction: "Dabao, eat it, and Dabao will grow taller."

Ye Fan said, "There's still some in the bowl, you can eat it." Then he picked one up for Dabao.

Father Ye habitually wanted to say, "I'll give it to you." But when he saw Chen Xiaohui, his palms were all fleshy, so he simply ate it himself to avoid trouble.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Ye Fan took Dabao and Erbao back home.

Few people would play with Liangliang for half a day and have fun. Liangliang sent her second sister to the bus stop and hugged her mother's neck with tears in her eyes and asked: "Sister, can't you not leave?"

Li Mingyue didn't expect her daughter to like Erbao so much: "Sister has to go to school. Let grandma take you to sister's house next weekend?"

Ye Fan said: "Geng Zhiye will be back next weekend. If it doesn't rain, I will ask him to bring Dabao and Erbao over first. I will come directly after I finish selling the candied haws." Li Mingyue agreed, but shook her head slightly, meaning that it was unnecessary.

Ye Fan saw the car coming and said to her sister-in-law, "We'll talk about it when the time comes."

There were not many people on the bus at that time, and the bus stopped for a short time at the station, so Ye Fan arrived home at 4:30.

Seeing the car in the yard, Ye Fan was surprised: "Xiao Ming sold it so quickly?"

Yu Wentao came out of the room and said, "I was back very quickly today, a little after two o'clock. By the way, here's my wallet." She handed over the wallet that Zhang Xiaoming had given her.

Ye Fan took it and asked, "Is it settled?"

Yu Wentao shook her head: "Let me calculate. You said you spent one dollar on noodles. What kind of noodles is so expensive?"

Ye Fan: "Let's cook the white noodles with some stew. If Xiao Ming is not full, give him a pancake. If he is thirsty, buy him a bottle of soda. One dollar is not too much for two people."

"Didn't you bring water?"

Ye Fan laughed: "They haven't been together for long, how can they drink water from the same cup. Besides, I wasn't asked to set up the stall today, so it's only right for him to spend two dollars." After saying that, he went back to the house to settle the bill.

Yu Wentao came in to help her count the change. She took out the original money and divided the remaining money into two drawers in Ye Fan's bedroom, waiting for Zhang Xiaoming to take it away and deposit it in the bank next Saturday.

Just as he put the money away, Zhang Xiaoming arrived. Ye Fan handed him the bag and the money, and told him to be careful on the road.

Zhang Xiaoming drove fast on the road out of the city as there were few people around, and he arrived at Yujia Village before dark.

He and his cousin Yu sold a lot of hawthorns from Yujia Village. In half a month, they would have to look for other villages to buy hawthorns to make candied haws. The villagers also made money, so they were happy and were very enthusiastic when they saw Zhang Xiaoming.

At the same time, Ye Fan was still alone at home with her mother-in-law and two children. "Where are Huihui and Benben?"

Yu Wentao: "Leilei didn't use the pocket money you gave him. As soon as you left in the morning, he asked Xiaoqin to accompany him to buy furniture to decorate the house in the north. Huihui and Benben also went there in the afternoon. They should be back soon. Huihui has to go to school early tomorrow morning, so she has to pack her things in advance."

Ye Fan said: "Then let's cook some porridge first, and then cook when they come back?"

Yu Wentao cut a bunch of chives in the afternoon and planted them in the open space south of her room. Yu Wentao wanted to eat chive boxes and asked Ye Fan if he wanted to eat them.

Ye Fan was speechless about what her mother-in-law said. Just cook it if you want to eat it.

"Chives are also fine."

After Ye Fan finished speaking, Yu Wentao went to the kitchen to get some leeks. When she reached the yard, she ran into Erbao who had just returned from the public toilet and said, "Grandma is making leek dumplings for your mom."

Ye Fan rolled his eyes helplessly and pretended not to hear.

Yu Wentao picked leeks while Ye Fan kneaded the dough. Then Ye Fan took out the rice cooker to cook porridge while Yu Wentao fried eggs and mixed them with the dried and chopped leeks.

Ye Fan and Yu Wentao were preparing to make chive dumplings when they heard footsteps getting closer. When the footsteps reached the door, Ye Fan turned around and saw that it was Geng Zhiqin and his three nephews and nieces.

Ye Fan saw Geng Zhiqin and Geng Leilei carrying sacks and asked, "What did you buy?"

Geng Huihui jumped in as if she had found a gold ingot: "Aunt, have you ever seen carved porcelain?"

Ye Fan raised his chin towards the opposite side and said: "The pen holder on Erbao's desk is carved porcelain."

Geng Huihui was stunned for a moment, then ran to the opposite side to turn on the light. On the table was a pink lotus pen holder, "This, is this porcelain?"

"What do you think it is?"

Geng Huihui subconsciously thought that the colors of the stones and sometimes the dyed wood carvings, such as the pink lotus flowers, green lotus leaves and black fish, looked flashy and did not conform to her aesthetic taste, so she never picked them up to take a closer look.

"Did you buy it with me that time?" Geng Huihui asked.

Ye Fan couldn’t remember clearly: “Maybe.”

"Any more?"

Ye Fan nodded: "There is a gray hollow pen holder on my desk, which is said to be white glaze. I haven't learned much about it, but it is an antique anyway."

Geng Huihui ran to the main house again and went to her uncle and aunt's bedroom. She saw the pen holder with brushes on the desk and opened her mouth but didn't know what to say for a moment.

Fortunately, she was very excited to find out that porcelain could be carved. She spent all her money except for the bus fare, for fear that someone else would buy it next time she went.

Geng Huihui sighed and said as she reached the kitchen door: "I always thought it was a stone sculpture!"

Ye Fan: "No. If you look closely, you will find that stone like that is not worthy of such good carving."

"Aunt, can what you bought increase in value?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "It's hard to say. Antiques depend on how old they are, their age, and who used them. Kangxi folk kilns are definitely not as expensive as Qianlong official kilns. Yuan blue and white porcelain is not necessarily as expensive as Ming blue and white porcelain. Things that you find unappreciative may be enough to buy our house in a few years."

Geng Leilei took the items out with his clumsy hands and feet, but immediately became cautious upon hearing what he said, as if each item was a piece of jade and gold that could be blown away with a breath.

Geng Huihui asked: "If you put it that way, I won't dare to use it anymore."

Geng Leilei couldn't help but nodded.

Ye Fan was speechless but wanted to laugh: "You can put them away, and then go to the market to buy some to display. If you think those are not well made and smell cheap, go to the scrap collection station and ask if there are any items from the Republic of China period. They are less than 50 years old and are not worth much. They may not be as expensive as the new ones sold in the store, so it's not a pity if they break."

Geng Huihui: "In the midst of war, is there still anyone making porcelain?"

Ye Fan: "At that time, many foreigners in the capital and Shanghai collected antiques, and antique dealers made counterfeits, such as imitations of Ming and Qing dynasties. The craftsmen were either from official kilns or folk kilns, and their skills were almost all good."

"Aunt, how come you know everything?" Geng Huihui couldn't help but ask.

Ye Fanxin said, I have to thank Chen Xiaohui, if it weren't for her, I wouldn't have thought of finding a book to catch up. The antique business is complicated, and before Chen Xiaohui, Ye Fan had never thought of getting involved.

"I heard it from the staff at the junk shop." Ye Fan made up a story and Geng Huihui believed it. Ye Fan added, "You are not allowed to buy anything over 20 yuan."

Geng Huihui nodded: "I won't buy expensive ones. I don't have that much money. By the way, Auntie, can we write the Spring Festival couplets earlier this year?"

Ye Fan: "Next week, your aunt and I will buy some red paper in bulk. From now on, you can write for an hour every night instead of practicing calligraphy. You can keep what you write."

The younger ones all had no objection, except Geng Leilei. He was still too embarrassed to show up in public, so he simply pretended not to hear.

Before going to bed, Ye Fan went to the public toilet and came back to find that the light was on in the east. She saw a few people at the intersection, so she turned off the flashlight and went over. When she got there, she heard a familiar voice and asked, "Auntie Li, are you still awake?"

Aunt Li recognized Ye Fan by the way he walked: "It's not even eight o'clock yet, it's still early. What time does Dabao's mother go to bed?"

Ye Fan: "I didn't notice it. I always go to sleep when I feel tired while reading." He looked towards Zhang Xiaoming's house. "It's never been so bright at night before. What happened?"

Aunt Li was surprised that she didn't know. She probably thought Yu Wentao was so busy that she forgot to say, "Xiaojun's wife came back this afternoon."

Ye Fan almost bit his tongue, "Back, where?"

"Here." Aunt Li whispered, "Before lunch, a few people came. They said they were leaders from Xiaojun and his wife's workplace. I heard Xiaofen say they were here to bring them together. They said being together is fate. To put it bluntly, they still don't want to cancel the engagement."

Ye Fan thought about the woman's attitude: "It shouldn't be because she still has feelings for him."

The old man who lived to the west of Ye Fan's house came closer and said, "I thought so too, because it hurts to return the money." He was a little embarrassed to say it, "I didn't dare to say it, for fear that everyone would think I was overthinking it."

Ye Fan: "How many brothers does the girl have?"

In the early years, every family had many children. Geng Zhiye's father married three wives and had only five children, which was considered a small number. Aunt Li couldn't tell how many there were. "I heard there was an older sister and two younger brothers, but I don't know if there was an older brother or a younger sister."

Ye Fan: "It must be because the betrothal gifts have been used up. If I suddenly take out a few hundred dollars, it might delay my son's marriage. Let's just do it this way."

Aunt Li: “Isn’t it embarrassing?”

Ye Fan: "She's not afraid of her in-laws being upset when she asks for 200 yuan to buy a ring. Is she afraid of being embarrassed when they meet every day in the future? I don't think so."

These old men and women were not as worried as Ye and kept shaking their heads.

Ye Fan chatted for a few minutes and went home to sleep.

The next morning, after Ye Fan finished her meal and was packing her schoolbag, Yu Wentao came in with a bowl in her hand. Ye Fan thought to herself that it was fortunate that every household had a tiled house now, and she could see her neighbors as soon as she walked out the door, otherwise she would have to carry her meal downstairs.

Ye Fan asked: "Are you cleaning the kitchen?"

Yu Wentao nodded: "Erbao, have you finished eating? Grandma will take you back and clean up."

The family arrived at Zhang Xiaoming's door, and Zhang Xiaojun and his wife came out. Ye Fan hesitated whether to say hello, and heard the female comrade shout: "Are you Sister Ye Fan?"

Ye Fan forced a smile: "Going to work?"

"Yes. Are you going to school? I really envy you that your child is so old and can be admitted to Beijing University."

Ye Fan wanted to say something, but Yu Wentao urged him, "Fan Fan, hurry up, the bus is here."

The female comrade immediately said, "Sister Ye Fan, please go quickly." She sat on the back seat of the bike and asked Zhang Xiaojun to ride.

Aunt Li came out of the courtyard gate and sighed: "Young people nowadays are really carefree."

Even though Ye Fan thought he was thick-skinned enough, he still had to admit defeat in front of this person.

About twenty days later, on Sunday morning, Ye Fan asked Zhang Xiaoming to find Dong Ying to see a movie and take the children to eat something delicious. Zhang Xiaoming nodded and agreed, but he kept circling around Ye Fan, sometimes helping her carry the candied haws up, and sometimes asking her if she had brought her raincoat and air pump.

Geng Zhiye frowned when he saw this scene at the door of his son's room. If Zhang Xiaoming had not been honest, he would have been unable to help but have wild thoughts.

Ye Fan saw that Geng Zhiye was impatient, so he asked Zhang Xiaoming directly, "What's the matter?"

Zhang Xiaoming waited for her to ask: "Dong Ying wants to buy a house, and she said her brothers can help her and pay her back slowly in the future. Do you think that's okay?"

Ye Fan was very surprised. It seemed that Dong Ying really wanted to live a good life. "When will you buy it?"

"Let's take a look first. If it's suitable, we'll buy it after we get the marriage certificate after the new year, and then live in the house she rents first, which is not far from here. We'll move in after the house is renovated."

Ye Fan: "Buy them. Two pigs a day. Sell them in the morning. You can sell the Spring Festival couplets written by Dabao and Erbao in the afternoon. I'll give you a commission. You can earn 2,000 from September to the end of the year. Dong Ying has some savings, right? You two can save more next year. If you can get just over 10,000, you need to borrow 5,000 or 6,000. If nothing goes wrong, you can pay it back by the end of next year."

Zhang Xiaoming whispered, "Business may not be as good next year as it is this year."

"Nowadays, people who do business can only stay in one place, so they can't compare with us - they can go wherever they want. They can still make so much money, but it's harder than this year. Now they sell out at 9 o'clock, but in the future they may sell out at 11 o'clock." Ye Fan added, "I have gained experience this year, so I will sell popsicles in June next year, and I can make 100 or 200 more than this year."

Zhang Xiaoming was not afraid of not being able to pay it back, but buying a house was as important to him as getting married, and he was unsure. Ye Fan's words gave him a backbone, and he said he would listen to Ye Fan. Then he said, "There is a family in front, Aunt Yu has seen it. They didn't rent out the house before they moved to Shencheng. Recently, they came back to take a look and said that the yard was in a state of disrepair. They were afraid that the walls would crack if no one cleaned it for a long time, so they wanted to sell it early. A few days ago, she asked me if I wanted it, and she only asked for 10,000 yuan."

Houses have been in short supply in the past two years, so Ye Fan was not surprised that she lowered the price. "Ask her after the New Year if 9,000 is okay. When she asks you why you want to buy a house, just say that the house your father left for you is occupied by your brother and sister-in-law."

Zhang Xiaoming's eyes widened, as if he didn't know how she knew that.

Ye Fan opened his mouth in disbelief: "Did she really occupy that house that doesn't see the sun?"

If there wasn’t a new house for them to live in after their marriage, Zhang Xiaoming wouldn’t have dared to easily agree to buy a house for Dong Ying.

Ye Fan rolled his eyes: "Luckily I own half of this car, otherwise it would have been hers."

Geng Zhiye couldn't help but ask, "Did your brother make a fuss?"

Zhang Xiaoming thought, are you two smart people? "I said that the four side rooms, the room next to the corridor and the yard should be divided among the three of us brothers. Whoever wants the corridor and the room next to the corridor and the yard will get it. The side rooms are two for each person, and the main room belongs to my parents. Whoever takes care of my parents in their old age will get it. My father said it's fair and asked us to sign a document."

Geng Zhiye: "Where does your sister live?"

"My younger brother said he wants to live with my sister where he lives now. My sister can live there as long as she wants. If my husband's family doesn't have a house, we can ask my brother-in-law to come live with us."

Ye Fan wanted to say that Zhang Xiaojun and his wife would be so angry that their noses would be crooked when they heard this.

Zhang Xiaoming said: "Xiaojun and my sister-in-law were very angry, saying that a married girl cannot live in her parents' home for long. My brother said that it was his house and he had the final say. Anyone who didn't like it could move out. He didn't stop my sister-in-law from going back to her parents' home."

Ye Fan was happy: "Your younger brother is right. Don't tell anyone about the house except your younger brother. Otherwise, your sister-in-law will definitely interfere."

That's what Dong Ying said. Zhang Xiaoming said he knew.

Ye Fan asked Geng Zhiye if she wanted to go with him. Geng Zhiye waved his hand and told her to hurry out. After Ye Fan left, Geng Zhiye asked his stepmother to pack up, and he took his son, while Yu Wentao took Erbao to the bathhouse to take a bath.

Geng Huihui asked if it was her uncle and grandmother who wanted to take a shower. Yu Wentao reluctantly said she would pay. The siblings immediately packed up their things. Geng Zhiqin followed them.

Yu Wentao sighed and lamented that she couldn't afford to take a bath.

Ye Fan thought that since Zhang Xiaojun and his wife didn't know that Zhang Xiaoming had bought a house, nothing would happen to the Zhang family. However, she still underestimated Zhang Xiaojun's wife.

After Laba Festival, Ye Fan had winter vacation. Several children, she and Geng Zhiye collected a lot of Spring Festival couplets. Ye Fan took out some of them and went to the park to sell the couplets.

On the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, when Ye Fan had just arrived at the park, a couple in their twenties appeared next door, only three steps away from Ye Fan. When the woman saw Ye Fan looking over, she shouted, "Sister Ye Fan, are you also selling couplets here? What a coincidence."

Ye Fan wanted to curse her. There is not only one park, why does she have to squeeze with her?

I was going to find the person across from the couple and ask, "Do you know each other?"

Ye Fan didn't care about saving face and said, "I don't know him. He's just a neighbor."

The man and woman changed their faces together.

They were none other than Zhang Xiaojun and his wife.

The old man opposite Ye Fan asked, "Are the neighbors trying to steal your business?"

"The park belongs to everyone. Anyone who wants to come can come. It can't be said to be stealing business." Ye Fan called Dabao who was skating in the distance to come over.

It was inconvenient for Dabao to wear skates, so Geng Benben came over and said, "Aunt, what's the matter?"

"Go home and write a brand. This is the only one of its kind. All the others are just imitators!" Ye Fan said.

Zhang Xiaojun's wife immediately said, "Eighty cents a pair."

Ye Fan laid out the pieces she and Geng Zhiye had written: "One for each!"

Normally, I would buy the cheap ones. But Spring Festival couplets are nothing else. They are posted on the front door, and all the neighbors, relatives and friends will see them. Since I have decided to buy them, of course I will buy the ones with good calligraphy.

Zhang Xiaojun's Spring Festival couplets were written by his father-in-law. Compared with those who have studied for a few years, they are good, but compared with Ye Fan and Geng Zhiye who have learned the skills since childhood, they are obviously not as good.

The person who was going to make a deal wanted one dollar. Zhang Xiaojun was surprised. Why would anyone choose the expensive one? Are they stupid and rich? Zhang Xiaojun thought the other party didn't hear the price clearly: "My price is 80 cents a pair."

"I can write the kind of couplets you have myself," said the old man who bought the couplets.

Ye Fan raised an eyebrow at Zhang Xiaojun's wife: "If the price drops to 50 cents, someone will definitely buy it."

(End of this chapter)