Chapter 23.1: Ye Fan Returns to the Capital

Ye Fan didn’t care whether Tian Xiaofeng’s husband was applying for a transfer to avoid Geng Zhiyé’s personal retaliation or because something had come up at home, forcing him to transfer at this time — she had already decided to strike first.

Ye Fan asked Geng Zhiyé, “If he transfers, will there still be someone to drive?”

Geng Zhiyé replied, “There are a few other drivers.”

Ye Fan said, “Then don’t worry about it. By the way, where is he transferring to?”

Geng Zhiyé answered, “I heard he wants to stay in the south. The political commissar said he’d ask around to see if any local factories need drivers.”

Ye Fan couldn’t help but say, “Hopefully not a canned food factory.”

Geng Zhiyé shook his head. “Impossible! Canned food is expensive and doesn’t sell well — they don’t need to ship goods every day, so they probably don’t lack drivers.”

Ye Fan said, “Let’s eat first. You weren’t home for the Mid-Autumn Festival, so I made this specially for you.”

Geng Zhiyé glanced at the table and couldn’t help but laugh — both exasperated and amused. There was a plate of cold vegetables, picked straight from their own yard, a dish of steamed stone crabs, boiled shrimp, and a braised fish — three cold dishes and one hot dish. And she dared to call this a “special meal.”

With a meaningful look, Geng Zhiyé said, “Thank you, Fanfan. Accountant Ye has worked hard.”

Ye Fan accepted it with a smile. “We’re family — no need to be polite. Let’s eat.” She handed him a crab and asked, “Dabao, Erbao, what do you want to eat?”

The two children pointed at the prawns in unison.

Ye Fan placed the prawns in front of Geng Zhiyé. “Let Daddy peel them. He’s quick at it.”

Geng Zhiyé shook his head with a smile. “Daddy’s no good — my hands are clumsy. Mommy can knit sweaters; her hands are more nimble.”

Dabao glanced at both of them, his little face full of helplessness. Without a word, he reached out, grabbed two prawns, peeled one for his sister and one for himself, and even remembered to dip them in garlic sauce.

The parents finally felt a bit ashamed. Ye Fan tended to Erbao, while Geng Zhiyé took care of their son.

After the meal, Geng Zhiyé scrubbed the pots and washed the dishes, then opened the stove to boil water. Ye Fan washed the children’s faces and hands before letting them go outside to play for a while.

It was still the season of long days and short nights. Though it was past six o’clock, the sky hadn’t darkened yet. Seeing Ye Fan standing by the courtyard gate, Zhuang Qiuyue came over to chat with her. She asked if Ye Fan could finally take a break for a few days.

Ye Fan nodded. “If the capital needs anything, they’ll send us a telegram. Besides, the stock on the island is almost depleted.”

Zhuang Qiuyue said, “I heard about that. The rice harvest is coming up soon too.”

Ye Fan couldn’t help but ask, “They haven’t started harvesting yet? Back in my hometown, they’ve already planted winter wheat. Su Yuncheng told me he saw lots of people plowing the fields on his way back a few days ago.” She sighed. “The difference between the north and south is really something.”

Zhuang Qiuyue said, “A few days ago, I heard from the fishermen that the capital doesn’t want any seafood for now — they’re busy harvesting crops. They also asked me to check if you need any rice straw.”

Ye Fan, still caught up in her recent busyness, wasn’t in the mood to gather leaves. “I’ll take some, that’s fine.”

Zhuang Qiuyue nodded. “Give me a sack later — I’ll fill one up for you.”

Ye Fan nodded back. “Sister-in-law, can I ask you something?”

Zhuang Qiuyue chuckled. “Go ahead. No need to be so formal.”

Ye Fan asked if she had seen Tian Xiaofeng in the past couple of days.

Before Zhuang Qiuyue could answer, Liu Guihua suddenly popped up behind them. “I saw her.”

Both of them jumped in surprise.

Liu Guihua burst into laughter.

Zhuang Qiuyue gave her an exasperated look. “Did you do that on purpose?”

Liu Guihua wasn’t the type to speak softly or walk quietly. The only reason they hadn’t noticed her was that she had deliberately tiptoed over. “Xiao Ye, is Tian Xiaofeng looking for you again?”

Zhuang Qiuyue gave another exasperated look. “Your hearing is something else. If Xiao Ye’s asking me whether I’ve seen Tian Xiaofeng, it obviously means she hasn’t seen her herself. Besides, Xiao Ye’s been so busy these past few days. I was getting ready for bed the other night, and her house still had the lights on.”

Ye Fan explained, “That was just once. After dinner, Dabao and Erbao were running around, so I couldn’t go over the accounts. I only got a chance after they fell asleep.”

Liu Guihua, having noticed the food factory didn’t need extra hands lately, had lost interest in it. She asked, “Why are you looking for Tian Xiaofeng?”

Ye Fan shook her head. “It’s nothing, really. I just heard from Dabao’s dad that her husband is applying for a transfer. It might just be me overthinking things, but the timing feels a bit… convenient.”

Without hesitation, Zhuang Qiuyue asked, “Are you worried Commander Geng is taking personal revenge? He’s just a driver — would Commander Geng really bother with that? Lao Liu—” She turned to look at Liu Guihua, only to notice something off about her expression. “Wait… don’t tell me?”

Liu Guihua shook her head quickly. “No, no, it’s not like he’s transferring on purpose because of this. But… it does have something to do with Commander Geng and Xiao Ye — just not because of what happened that day.”

Zhuang Qiuyue couldn’t help but glance at Ye Fan, wondering what else had happened recently.

Ye Fan, keeping it straightforward, said, “That’s exactly why I asked you, sister-in-law. Looks like Sister Guihua knows something.”

Liu Guihua looked conflicted, clearly unsure whether she should say anything or not.

Zhuang Qiuyue pinched Liu Guihua’s arm lightly. “If you keep hesitating like this, don’t expect Xiao Ye to help you bring things back for you.”

The sea breeze was strong, and in just a few days, Liu Guihua’s daughter’s face had become chapped. Zhuang Qiuyue told Liu Guihua to apply some Meijiajing or Baijiling cream on the child’s face. Liu Guihua said she had clam oil at home and asked if that would work. Zhuang Qiuyue scolded her, saying that hand cream wasn’t meant for a child’s face.

The supply and marketing cooperative was about five or six miles away, but Liu Guihua didn’t know how to drive a three-wheeler or ride a bicycle, so she hesitated to go. Ye Fan mentioned that Su Yuncheng and Su Duofu would definitely stop by the cooperative when they went to the capital since the Hai Store supply and marketing cooperative had everything. Hearing that, Liu Guihua asked Su Yuncheng to help her buy a bottle of floral water, two bottles of essential balm, and a few packs of Meijiajing.

Liu Guihua had actually been looking for a chance to tell Ye Fan something. After Zhuang Qiuyue’s playful threat, she finally lowered her voice and said, “The day Xiao Ye handed out the money — just a couple of days ago — people from headquarters came.”

Zhuang Qiuyue looked at Ye Fan. “There’s no way Commander Geng didn’t know about it, right?”

Liu Guihua shook her head. “Commander Geng didn’t know. The three of them went straight to the logistics department the moment they set foot on the island. I saw them that day but thought they were just our people, so I didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t until yesterday that I found out they were from headquarters.”

Zhuang Qiuyue was very curious. “Who were they looking for?”

Liu Guihua glanced in the direction of Tian Xiaofeng’s house. “A few days ago, Tian Xiaofeng secretly wrote a letter accusing Xiao Ye of profiteering and Commander Geng of covering for her. Obviously, they weren’t here for—”

Zhuang Qiuyue gasped in shock. Seeing Liu Guihua looking at her, she quickly covered her mouth. “Go on, go on.”

Liu Guihua looked at Ye Fan, but Ye Fan only furrowed her brows slightly without stopping her, so she continued. “The food factory doesn’t belong to Xiao Ye personally. Besides, the military can’t interfere with local affairs. Not to mention the military’s inspection office — even a senior officer can’t just remove Xiao Ye without the local authorities’ consent. There’s no such thing as a secret that doesn’t leak out. See? I found out, didn’t I? Tian Xiaofeng’s husband is probably worried that it would be awkward if Commander Geng found out, so he took the initiative to request a transfer first.” She tried to reassure Ye Fan. “Don’t overthink it.”

Zhuang Qiuyue asked, “Who told you this? It wasn’t Tian Xiaofeng, was it?”

Liu Guihua shook her head. “After I scared her a bit the day she fought with Xiao Ye, she’s been giving me dirty looks every time she sees me.”

Hearing this, Zhuang Qiuyue remembered something. “What were you trying to do that day?”

Liu Guihua instinctively glanced at Ye Fan.

Ye Fan: “It’s about me? What nonsense did Tian Xiaofeng say this time?”

Liu Guihua looked like she wanted to speak but hesitated — Tian Xiaofeng’s words were too vulgar.

Seeing this, Ye Fan said, “Let’s not talk about that. Just tell me who you heard it from.”

Liu Guihua glanced towards the Liao family’s house. “It’s from your neighbor behind your house — Captain Gao’s wife, Liu Qing. It’s Liu with a ‘u’, not Liu with an ‘o’. She’s the closest to Tian Xiaofeng, and Tian Xiaofeng told her. She even said she’s leaving soon anyway, so she’s not afraid of people finding out.”

Zhuang Qiuyue frowned slightly, sensing something was off. “That’s it?”

Liu Guihua: “Tian Xiaofeng also said it’s all about officials protecting each other.”

Zhuang Qiuyue nodded. “That sounds more like her. She wouldn’t miss a chance to add fuel to the fire.”

Ye Fan furrowed her brows. “Something doesn’t add up! If you think about the timing — Liu Qing must have told you about this right after she met Tian Xiaofeng. But with her big mouth—” Ye Fan turned to Liu Guihua. “Sister-in-law, has Liu Qing ever said anything about me before?”

Liu Guihua instinctively shook her head. “Why?”

Zhuang Qiuyue immediately caught on. “So Tian Xiaofeng used to talk behind Xiao Ye’s back all the time, right? Back then, Liu Qing never repeated any of it to you. But now that Tian Xiaofeng is about to leave, she suddenly tells you everything? And Tian Xiaofeng hasn’t even left yet.”

Liu Guihua suddenly realized. “She knew I’d end up telling you? Damn it, she used me as a pawn!” With that, she turned to leave.

Ye Fan instinctively stopped her. Zhuang Qiuyue was a beat slower but quickly called out, “Wait,” and then tried to calm her down. “Let’s hear what Xiao Ye has to say first.”

Liu Guihua said, “No need to persuade me, Xiao Ye. I can’t stand people who act one way to your face and another behind your back.”

Ye Fan replied, “Let’s give Captain Gao some face. Just be more cautious when talking to Liu Qing from now on. If this blows up, it’ll just make things awkward for Commander Niu and Geng Zhiyé when they see Captain Gao.”

Zhuang Qiuyue nodded. “I think Tian Xiaofeng’s husband asking for a transfer is because he feels embarrassed whenever he sees Commander Geng. If he’s willing to admit Tian Xiaofeng is a disgrace, it means he has some sense — they’re not completely alike.”

Liu Guihua let out a sarcastic laugh. “People who sleep in the same bed aren’t that different.”

Zhuang Qiuyue agreed with this. “It’s hard for soldiers who didn’t go to college and don’t have any special skills to find a match. Her husband probably figured he’s just a driver — if a practical, decent-looking woman was willing to marry him, that was good enough.” She glanced at Ye Fan. “If the college entrance exams hadn’t been canceled back then, you might not have even considered Commander Geng.”

Ye Fan laughed. “I wasn’t planning to marry a soldier at first. Geng Zhiyé said I’d be in charge at home, and he’d do the cooking and laundry, so I thought we could give it a try. We dated for two years without him rushing me into marriage. Every time he came home on leave, he’d bring me lots of things and practically live at my house. My mom eventually said it was time to settle down.”

Liu Guihua couldn’t help but ask, “Does Commander Geng really know how to cook and do laundry?”

Zhuang Qiuyue replied, “Haven’t you seen him? At home, he’s the one who buys groceries, cooks, and washes clothes. Honestly, Xiao Ye, he’s even more skilled at housework than I am.”

Ye Fan glanced toward the house.

Zhuang Qiuyue lowered her voice. “Is he inside?”

Ye Fan said, “He’s probably taking a bath.”

Just as she finished speaking, the main room’s door creaked open, and Geng Zhiyé came out with a bucket, heading off to fetch water. Liu Guihua quickly changed the subject, asking Zhuang Qiuyue what Miao Miao planned to do after finishing middle school.

Ye Fan, fond of the sensible young girl, said, “She should focus on her studies for now. I’m thinking of teaching Su Yuncheng how to do bookkeeping, but can you believe he doesn’t even know how to use an abacus?”

Zhuang Qiuyue and Liu Guihua both knew Su Yuncheng — especially Liu Guihua, who had been looking for a chance to thank him. Liu Guihua was surprised. “Isn’t he the secretary’s nephew?”

Ye Fan replied, “A distant nephew. His grandfather and Su Yuanhang’s grandfather had the same great-grandmother.”

Zhuang Qiuyue asked, “So they’re beyond the fifth degree of kinship?”

Ye Fan wasn’t sure how to calculate the relationship. “He felt there wasn’t much point in studying past middle school, so he didn’t take it seriously. He didn’t pay much attention in foreign language class either. Even though the teacher’s pronunciation wasn’t great, at least they were teaching something — but he barely learned anything. His education level is basically elementary school.”

Zhuang Qiuyue nodded. “He really needs to catch up. So what’s the plan now?”

Ye Fan said, “Su Yuanhang is tutoring him. Among the ten brigades, he’s the only one his age who hasn’t gotten engaged and still graduated from middle school. There are a few who went to high school, but they’re like Su Yuanhang — stuck between caring for their elders and younger siblings. Working as a temp at the grocery factory is fine, but going to the capital regularly isn’t easy.”

Hearing this, Zhuang Qiuyue started thinking: if Su Yuncheng couldn’t keep up with his studies, maybe in a couple of years, her daughter Miao Miao could take his place. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea. Later, while Miao Miao was taking a bath, Zhuang Qiuyue sat beside her, nagging her to study hard.

Talking about Miao Miao, the girl wanted to point out she was only twelve. “Mom, the food factory doesn’t need that many people.”

Zhuang Qiuyue replied, “Not right now. But in the future, when they make more money and buy machines to process food, Ye Fan will be too busy. Don’t you think they’ll need help then? The higher-ups won’t let Commander Geng stay here forever — ten years at most. By then, you’ll be twenty-two!” She poked Miao Miao’s forehead in frustration. “Don’t just focus on what’s right in front of you! If you only think about now, in three years you’ll be fifteen. Even if you want to go to the countryside, people will think you’re too young.”

Liao Miao Miao asked, “So should I visit Auntie Ye’s house more often and watch her teach Dabao how to use the abacus?”

Zhuang Qiuyue nodded. “That’s the right idea.”

Even Liu Guihua, who wasn’t usually one for scheming, started thinking about her children’s future.

The next morning, when she saw Ye Fan washing clothes in the courtyard and Dabao — a small child — pulling weeds and catching bugs by the vegetable patch, she went over to help Ye Fan pump water.

Liu Guihua wasn’t good at buttering people up, and Ye Fan immediately noticed she wasn’t just there to kill time. “Sister-in-law, is something wrong?”

Liu Guihua froze for a moment, then shook her head. “No, no… nothing.”

Ye Fan smiled. “It’s just me and Dabao here, and he’s too young to understand anything. You can speak freely.”

Liu Guihua smiled awkwardly. “It’s just that—” she hesitated, “you know a lot, and I was thinking… maybe I could learn a thing or two from you. When Old Niu transfers to civilian work, his salary won’t be as good as it is now. I should find something to do too. I don’t know anything at the moment, and if someone wants to help Old Niu by offering me a temp job, I might not even be able to handle it.”

Now that made sense. Ye Fan nodded. “But I’m not sure how to teach you.”

Liu Guihua quickly said, “You don’t have to go out of your way. Just let me know when you go to the food factory, and I can tag along to help you.”

Ye Fan set expectations right away: “There’s no money in it.”

Liu Guihua shook her head. “That’s fine, that’s fine. The two kids are in school — I’d just be sitting at home doing nothing anyway.”

Ye Fan nodded. “It might be a few days before I go.”

“I figured.” Liu Guihua knew the Mid-Autumn Festival had just passed — families weren’t craving snacks anymore, and most wouldn’t want to spend extra money either.

Sure enough, there wasn’t much interest in seaweed, dried shrimp, or kelp at the Hai store or the Xicheng supply cooperative. However, when word spread to the Dongcheng supply cooperative about the Hai store and Xicheng getting several cartloads of seafood, the Dongcheng director wasn’t happy. After all, they were all under the imperial city’s jurisdiction — why favor one district over another?

It wasn’t until a meeting, where leaders from various state-run shops and supply cooperatives exchanged greetings, that the Dongcheng director learned the seafood wasn’t delivered — the others had gone out and procured it themselves.

The Dongcheng director sent a telegram to the Haidian store director, asking him to help arrange something with Ye Fan. The Haidian store director told him to wait a few days — when Haidian and Xicheng needed to restock in early September, he’d set aside 30% of the goods for Dongcheng. The Dongcheng director then said he wanted a full truckload, planning to distribute it to the state-run restaurants, department stores, and other units upon arrival.

Ye Fan didn’t have to go door-to-door promoting the goods. When the lunar calendar reached early September, she arranged a truck for the Dongcheng director — including 40 boxes of canned mandarin oranges. These cans were produced earlier that year, and the cannery was planning to sell them at a discount soon. Since Hengshan Food Factory helped the cannery sell them at full price, the cannery’s leadership was pleased and offered to cover the transportation costs.

Two more batches of goods were shipped in mid and late September. Without the canned goods and ready-to-eat dried fish, they wouldn’t have had enough to fill the trucks. By this point, no one was complaining about the food factory choosing some suppliers over others.

Meanwhile, when the food factory was less busy, Su Yuanhang didn’t get to rest either. Ye Fan told him to visit the department stores and ask if they needed winter clothes.

By mid-September, autumn had set in across Jiangnan, and thick clothing was in demand. Su Yuncheng and Su Duofu hauled back half a truckload of cotton-padded jackets and thermal underwear from the capital.

Winter clothes were expensive, and the department stores in Yongcheng and Hangcheng couldn’t pay in full right away — they wanted to pay half upfront. Anticipating this, Ye Fan instructed Su Yuanhang to receive the shipment first, then sign contracts with the store managers.

Thanks to the contracts, Su Yuanhang collected the remaining balance in early October when he returned to the city.

In early October, even though there were no new shipments, the fishermen still received money, which made them even more excited than the first time they got paid — they talked about it for days.

With three batches of goods shipped out in one month and an extra batch of cotton-padded jackets and thermal underwear sold to the stores, Ye Fan was incredibly busy and had completely forgotten about Tian Xiaofeng and her family.

When the tangerines on the mountain ripened, on the fourth day of the tenth lunar month, Ye Fan carried Erbao while Zhuang Qiuyue held Dabao’s hand and brought her own child along to pick tangerines at the foot of the mountain. Along the way, they ran into Liu Guihua, who told Ye Fan that Tian Xiaofeng had moved away.

Ye Fan was surprised. “That fast?”

Zhuang Qiuyue said, “It’s been over a month. You didn’t know?”

Ye Fan explained, “That’s not what I meant. I just figured even if Geng Zhiyé and the political commissar agreed to his transfer that same day, he’d still have to wrap things up at the factory. He’d have to settle in first before Tian Xiaofeng could move there with the kids. Considering all that, a little over a month is pretty quick.”

Thinking back, Zhuang Qiuyue remembered it took her more than two months from the time she heard about Commissar Liao’s transfer to the island until she actually moved there. “That is fast. But it’s for the best — that woman was nothing but trouble.”

Liu Guihua added, “She kept complaining that it was inconvenient to get on and off the island and seemed annoyed by everything she saw. And after Ye Fan slapped her, who knows what kind of mess she would’ve stirred up if she had stayed.”

Liao Miaomiao peeled open a tangerine and handed half to her mother and the other half to Ye Fan. “Let’s not talk about her. Eat a tangerine. The fruit on this tree is sweet.”

Ye Fan said, “Find a piece of straw rope and mark the tree. Later, we’ll replant only the sweet ones.”

Liu Guihua added, “It’d be even better if the tangerines had thin skins and no seeds.”

Ye Fan nodded. “Got it. I’ll let Su Yuanhang know another day.”

The next morning at the office, as soon as Ye Fan saw Su Yuanhang, she handed the task over to him.

Su Yuanhang, who had never seen a seedless tangerine tree before, couldn’t help but complain, “You’re giving me a tough job.”

Ye Fan replied, “Ask the agricultural experts in the city or the province. Isn’t there a teacher who was sent here during the down-to-the-countryside movement? Get him to ask his classmates or colleagues. If someone was sent to another place to feed cows or grow rice, have your dad bring them here to tend to the fruit trees. This is a job for your father — you’re not as useful in this case.”