Chapter 6: Transfer Household Registration.

Geng Zhiyé immediately leaned in, wrapping his arm around her shoulder: “Fanfan, Accountant Ye, wife—”

“Dad and brother can’t drink alcohol at work, and my brother’s workplace doesn’t allow smoking. Dad’s health doesn’t permit him to smoke anymore, so you figure out who’s drinking and smoking.”

Geng Zhiyé: “But you can’t buy me something kids drink.”

“Coke wakes you up.”

Geng Zhiyé paused for a moment. His Fanfan was just extraordinary. It was the first time he heard that Coke could wake someone up: “How about a box of coffee?”

Ye Fan: “…How do you make it on the train?”

“There’s hot water on the train too.”

Ye Fan immediately told the clerk, “Then I’ll take a box of coffee.”

“Forget it, five bottles of Coke,” Geng Zhiyé said, “One box, I can’t finish it on my own, don’t want to let those two get it for free.”

Ye Fan rolled her eyes. “Not drinking it when we get back?”

“Back home, I don’t need to be alert to deal with those two little ones.” Geng Zhiyé looked around, wanting to buy everything, but he held back.

Ye Fan: “Is that enough?”

Geng Zhiyé nodded: “Didn’t we buy two boxes of cookies? And there’s crispy candy, fruit, and puffed rice cakes. How much can five people eat?”

Ye Fan moved the hand off her shoulder, stuffing the five bottles of Coke into his arms, and told the clerk to grab a few more packs of cookies. “Those things are off-limits, they’re for the kids.”

Geng Zhiyé raised an eyebrow: “Her nephew and niece?”

Ye Fan: “Didn’t you buy them for Dabao and Erbao?” The implication was clear—who else could they be for?

“Not worried about upsetting my parents-in-law?”

Ye Fan paid for the items and took them from the clerk: “Your parents-in-law aren’t that petty. Give these things to Chen Xiaohui when we get off the train. Are we also going to the street office to get a visiting permit?”

“We’ll do that tomorrow. Once it’s ready, we’ll head to the train station.” Shencheng wasn’t far from where Geng Zhiyé had served in the military, and when he passed through on his way here, he realized he’d have to sit through the long journey again. He sighed, thinking about the 20-hour trip, “Even the express takes 20 hours, and with these old bones of mine, I don’t know if I can handle it.”

Ye Fan, used to leaving early in her past life without delaying lunch, remarked: “The express takes that long? That means we’ll have to eat two or three meals on the train, and this isn’t enough.”

“Didn’t we buy rice and flour?” The two clerks from the supply and marketing cooperative helped her carry it onto the train. With the Coke and cookies added, the back seat was full.

Ye Fan: “How about I make you some scallion pancakes tomorrow?”

“Sure. Haven’t had pancakes in a long time.” Geng Zhiyé got on the train and suddenly smelled a fragrant aroma. “You only had a few bites of noodles. You must be hungry. Let’s eat something before going back.”

Ye Fan felt a bit hungry. “But it’s already after five.”

“It’s still early, it’s not dark yet.” Geng Zhiyé pointed to the southeast, “The smell is coming from over there.”

Ye Fan gave him an eye roll.

“Trust me, it’s worth it!”

Ye Fan drove over, and when they got close, she stared in surprise: “You—are you a dog?”

“I’m a little dragon,” Geng Zhiyé said as he got out of the car and ordered two bowls of braised dishes and four pieces of fire buns from the restaurant staff.

Ye Fan paid, but she only wanted half a fire bun. She broke it in half, and Geng Zhiyé immediately reached out to take the other half. Geng Zhiyé wasn’t shy at all, finishing it off completely, then comfortably got back in the car and began to doze off.

Ye Fan slowed down and bought a braised pork knuckle along the way.

When they reached the alley in front of the house, Ye Fan stopped, separating the items she bought for the kids from the food they had eaten on the way before driving in.

Hearing Zhao Ruping’s voice, Geng Zhiyé opened one eye and saw his brother-in-law and sister-in-law coming over. Before the Chen family arrived, he adjusted to a comfortable position and continued dozing off.

Ye Fan took the groceries: “Get up and eat before you sleep.”

Ye Fan whispered, “I ate a little along the way, don’t mind him. What’s my sister-in-law making for dinner?”

Usually, at the Ye family’s house in the evening, they either made noodle dumplings or just boiled some noodles. But Ye Fan’s sister-in-law, Li Mingyue, was worried that Chen Xiaohui might not be used to eating noodles three times a day. Since the pot was large enough to hold two trays, she heated up one tray of steamed buns and steamed a bowl of rice.

Ye Fan loosened her grip. Both her parents and in-laws knew that she couldn’t have just bought noodles when she went to the supply and marketing cooperative. After the rice was done, Li Mingyue placed the steamed buns on top, then went to the living room to tell her parents-in-law to wait for Fanfan to come back and stir-fry the dishes.

Li Mingyue held up the braised pork knuckle and said, “I’ll take this apart, add some vegetables, and we can eat.”

The late lunch of a bowl of noodles hadn’t filled Geng Zhiyé, and neither Li Mingyue nor Ye Fan’s father had eaten enough. Li Mingyue reheated the lunch dishes and brought everything, including the braised pork knuckle, to the dining room.

Chen Kuanren, still holding his bowl, couldn’t help but burp loudly, while Chen Xiaohui’s face turned bright red, too embarrassed to look up and see Ye Fan’s expression.

Ye Fan’s face didn’t change. What Chen Kuanren did had nothing to do with her. Though she had taken over Xiao Ye Fan’s body, without Ye family’s parents, even if she was fortunate enough to have come to the Ye family, she would still be a lonely ghost.

“Eat slowly, I’m going to pack a few clothes for Geng Zhiyé,” Ye Fan said as she stood up.

Geng Zhiyé followed her: “Sister-in-law, Fanfan bought some food and drinks, I’ll go pack them.”

When Ye’s father heard that everything for the afternoon was ready, he nodded in satisfaction: “Pack up and get some rest.”

With her father’s words, Ye Fan washed up first before heading back to her room.

In the bedroom, she took out the items from Geng Zhiyé’s bag, putting in two sets of clothes, followed by the boxed and canned items. Then, she wrapped the snacks and crispy candies in newspaper, and finally found a military-green shoulder bag to stuff the food they had eaten on the road and Geng Zhiyé’s officer ID into.

“How much money do you have left on you?”

Geng Zhiyé, exhausted after sending his brother-in-law back, leaned against the headboard, drowsily about to fall asleep: “I don’t know.”

“Where is it?”

Geng Zhiyé stayed silent for a moment: “I think it’s inside the dried kelp and fish.”

Ye Fan was shocked. She opened the newspaper wrapped around the kelp and found a roll of paper inside. When she unrolled it, it was all ten-yuan bills: “You didn’t save any?”

Geng Zhiyé squeezed his eyes shut and sat up straight: “There’s no place to save money on the island. The town by the sea doesn’t have it either. I was too lazy to go into the city.”

“No post office?”

“The post office is in the county. Don’t pack it anymore, just go to sleep.” He reached out to pull her in.

Ye Fan was startled and fell into his arms, “You sleep first, I’ll be fine.”

Geng Zhiyé wrapped his arms around her waist, not letting her go.

Ye Fan helplessly tapped his back: “Let go, I need to take off my jacket.”

Geng Zhiyé immediately let go and shifted to the side.

Ye Fan wasn’t really tired. After he fell asleep, she got up and put the money into the wardrobe. She divided the seafood he brought into two parts and wrapped it in newspaper again.

The next morning, Ye’s father, who didn’t like the Chen family, remained silent as usual. Geng Zhiyé closed his eyes to rest, while Ye Fan drove her mother and sister-in-law to the street office and her workplace to get the certificates. No one paid attention to the Chen family, and Chen Xiaohui felt more out of place.

Chen Xiaohui was not familiar with Ye’s father and Geng Zhiyé in this life. In her previous life, she had seen Geng Zhiyé but never spoke to him. She had not spoken properly to Ye’s father and mother for many years before her death, which made it difficult for her to figure out how to improve their relationship in this life.

Zhao Ruping felt no discomfort at all. She was still savoring the pickled vegetables she had just eaten with the porridge. She didn’t know how the Ye family made it, but it tasted even better than the pickled vegetables made by her neighbor, who was the best at making pickles.

Only Tao Chunlan knew how to make pickled vegetables in the Ye family, but she had to pick up and drop off Dabao, and also take care of Erbao. Ye Fan didn’t want her to work too hard, so when the pickled vegetables at home were almost finished, she just bought some from Liu Bi Ju. Even the simplest sweet garlic was not something Tao Chunlan had to make.

Tao Chunlan was worried about being gossiped at if she used the washing machine, so Ye Fan took care of getting one for her. Since the family usually had few people at home, they used the rice cooker to make porridge. But with Ye’s father and Ye’s brother and sister-in-law not home, Tao Chunlan hardly ever made breakfast. Ye Fan told her to just buy it instead.

When the neighbors saw Tao Chunlan, they asked if she was buying breakfast again. Tao Chunlan felt embarrassed, so Ye Fan came out of the yard and said, “If you don’t buy, I won’t buy. The state-run restaurants are closing, and the employees are all being laid off.”

It was a new angle but not without reason. Tao Chunlan didn’t feel like a thief when she bought breakfast again, though sometimes she felt guilty, thinking she was sinking lower.

Ye Fan had asked her many times, having survived so many near-death experiences, worked hard for half her life, and finally received her retirement pension. Why not take advantage of the opportunity to relax for a few days, enjoying food and drink? What was the point of saving the money?

Tao Chunlan said that she would save money for Dabao’s wedding and prepare a dowry for Erbao. Ye Fan then suggested using her father’s salary since he earned a high wage.

From then on, Tao Chunlan felt much more at ease buying roast duck from the restaurant.

Compared to the plain porridge and side dishes, Chen Kuanren preferred smoking, one cigarette after another, creating a cloud of smoke all by himself.

Ye’s father had smoked a lot before, but his doctor advised him to quit. With Geng Zhiyé’s father having retired early, Ye’s father, though craving the smell of smoke, didn’t dare to indulge. Geng Zhiyé, who worked during holidays and festivals, would sometimes smoke a few puffs to pass the time, but the strong smell of smoke always made him uncomfortable.

The two men, father-in-law and son-in-law, exchanged a glance.

They both glanced at Chen Kuanren. How could he still crave cigarettes?

It was because, in this life, Chen Kuanren had never smoked Huazi (a type of cigarette).

Fortunately, Ye Fan was driving, so they returned in less than an hour.

As soon as Geng Zhiyé heard the sound of the car, he immediately went out: “Aunt, Xiaohui, pack your luggage, we’re going to the train station.”

Zhao Ruping instinctively asked, “So early?”

Geng Zhiyé replied, “A car can’t fit that many people. We’ll take the bus, it’s better to leave early than late.”

Before Chen Xiaohui came, she had wanted to return to the capital, but it wasn’t urgent—Ye’s family didn’t want her to come back.

In the past, she hated Ye Fan and the Ye family so much that she gritted her teeth, but there was a sense of helplessness because the latter was her blood relatives, and the former was more capable than she was, with the latter protecting her. She resented Ye family’s favoritism, but her complaints lacked conviction because, despite their bias toward Ye Fan, the Ye family was fair on the surface. For example, when it came to New Year’s money, Ye Fan’s child received two thousand, and her own child also received two thousand.

Now that she knew the truth, she couldn’t hate her relatives anymore. Ye Fan had pointed out the wrongdoings of the Chen family in the hospital. She didn’t have to take care of Chen Kuanren and Zhao Ruping in their old age. Though it seemed to have an ulterior motive, Ye Fan ultimately said the things that Chen Xiaohui couldn’t bring herself to say. Chen Xiaohui had no reason to hate Ye Fan, but the bitterness from her past life and the hardships she suffered in this life made her feel trapped and on the brink of madness. Chen Xiaohui couldn’t help but resent Chen Kuanren and Zhao Ruping, to the point where staying with them even for a moment felt like torture.

Chen Xiaohui said, “Mom, we haven’t bought the tickets yet.”

Zhao Ruping asked, “Did Ye Fan not buy it?”

“… ” Chen Xiaohui helplessly explained that Ye Fan went to her sister-in-law’s workplace to get a certificate.

On the way back from the hospital yesterday, Chen Kuanren felt that sending Chen Xiaohui to the Ye family so easily was too much of a favor to the Ye family. Although Zhao Ruping had ways to deal with Chen Xiaohui, she had raised her for many years, treating her like her own daughter, and she wasn’t willing to give her up to the Ye family without hesitation.

The egg noodles from yesterday afternoon and the braised pork leg from the evening made the couple feel that, although they hadn’t gained anything in the short term and had lost a daughter, in the long run, they wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.

Chen Kuanren stood up and asked, “Is everything packed?”

Chen Xiaohui replied, “It’s already packed.”

Chen Kuanren glanced at the cigarette pack on the table and instinctively reached for it, but then he saw Ye Father and froze. “Ye Da-ge, do you still smoke?”

Ye Father paused for a moment, then reacted with some speechlessness inside. How was he more careless than even the most indifferent relatives from his hometown? Fortunately, Fan Fan had told them that from now on, they were no longer indebted to each other: “I don’t smoke. This is from Fan Fan— and Xiao Hui’s older brother brought it back. He doesn’t smoke either. It was a gift for the New Year.”

“Then can I keep it to help stay awake on the train?”

Ye Father casually asked, “Is that enough?”

“Enough—”

Zhao Ruping interrupted, “Is there more?”

Chen Xiaohui’s face immediately turned red. “Mom, what are you doing?”

Zhao Ruping glared at her, thinking, why be polite to your own flesh and blood? It’s such a misfortune for someone who doesn’t know how to manage a household: “Didn’t you hear? Your dad said no one’s smoking, so it’s going to get moldy if we leave it.”

Ye Father moved his lips, thinking, can’t I keep it for guests? He, being a dignified person, didn’t dare insist: “I think there’s one more pack. Mingyue, Mingyue—”

Li Mingyue came in: “I’ll check.” She went to her and Ye Jin’s bedroom, grabbed two packs of cigarettes, one box of Peony and one box of Xiangshan. “Dad, there are only two packs left.”

When it’s from the Ye family, it must be a quality product. Zhao Ruping smiled, “That’s enough, that’s enough.” She took them and stuffed them into her bag, perfectly enough for each of her two sons to have one pack.

Chen Xiaohui wished she could find a hole to hide in. Li Mingyue was surprised by the sight, thinking that she actually knew shame. It made sense, though—Chen Xiaohui was in her early twenties and had a thin skin. Fortunately, her thin skin kept her from being like Zhao Ruping, who would probably scrutinize even two packs of cigarettes; otherwise, she’d never dare let her near the bedroom again.

“Well, Aunt, Uncle, even though the train station is close, the bus stops at every station, and it moves slowly during peak hours. It will take at least an hour,” Li Mingyue pointed to the standing clock. “The train is at eleven, and it’s almost nine.”

Zhao Ruping’s son was an ordinary worker, and her daughter-in-law was a temporary worker, so they couldn’t take time off. They also had no one to take care of the kids, and she was thinking about her eldest grandson. “Well, let’s go then. Oh, Xiaohui, did you bring the fruit and snacks?”

Chen Xiaohui nodded. “I brought them.”

“Good, otherwise, how would we survive the whole day and night?” Zhao Ruping said as she walked out. Seeing Ye Fan standing by the pillar, waiting in boredom, she couldn’t help but recall the past few days’ events. “We’re not like Ye Fan, who doesn’t have to go back.”