Chapter 22.2: Career Change

Erbao waved his little hand and said, “Picking up big brother from school!”

Ye Fan carried Erbao outside. The group of people chatting at the eastern intersection nearby suddenly fell silent. Ye Fan had originally planned to go home first, rest for ten or twenty minutes, and then pick up Dabao. Seeing this, Ye Fan headed south to the school.

At the school gate, Ye Fan exchanged a few words with the local fishermen who lived nearby. When the dismissal bell rang, Erbao excitedly shouted, “Mom!”

Ye Fan said, “Go wait at the gate.”

Erbao happily ran to the gate. As soon as he saw Dabao, he shouted, “Brother, brother, I’m here, brother—”

Dabao’s classmates all turned to look at him, laughing and teasing with “Oh wow” and “Hey hey.” Dabao immediately wanted to pretend he didn’t know his little sister. Unfortunately, that didn’t work — the moment he reached the gate, Erbao pounced on him, exclaiming, “Brother, I came to pick you up from school!”

Dabao quickly covered his sister’s mouth. One of his classmates asked, “Geng Yanyan, how old is your sister? She’s so small.”

Erbao pried her brother’s hand away and declared, “My name is Erbao!”

Dabao replied, “Who asked what your name is? How did you get here?”

Erbao, oblivious to her brother’s desire to disappear into a hole, cheerfully said, “I came with Mom. Mom’s over there. Mom, brother’s here!”

Ye Fan came over, picked up Erbao, and reached out to help Dabao with his backpack, but Dabao dodged. “I’m grown up now.”

Ye Fan chuckled. “Shall we go home?”

Dabao dashed ahead.

Erbao shouted again, “Brother, wait for me!” But the more she shouted, the faster Dabao ran.

Before his mom even stepped inside the house, Dabao said, “Don’t pick me up from school anymore. None of my classmates have their moms pick them up.”

Ye Fan replied, “Your classmates are older than you. That boy talking to you was half a head taller.”

Dabao shook his head. “Still don’t want it.”

Ye Fan smiled and said, “What about when it’s pouring rain? You can’t hold an umbrella properly — your clothes will get soaked, and you’ll catch a cold. If your textbooks get wet, you won’t be able to use them in class.”

Dabao nodded.

Ye Fan poured him a glass of water and opened the package Su Yuanhang had brought over last night. Inside were canned luncheon meat, milk candies, powdered milk, and bread. It was likely bought by her mother, Comrade Tao Chunlan, from the Friendship Store — the supply and marketing cooperative didn’t have canned meat.

Su Yuanhang had mentioned that Chen Xiaohui and Geng Zhiqin had delivered the package together. It seemed that, even if Chen Xiaohui was a bit thoughtless, she still didn’t want to be on bad terms with her.

Ye Fan asked Dabao what he wanted to eat. Dabao pointed at the luncheon meat.

Ye Fan said, “Luncheon meat tastes better pan-fried — let’s have it for breakfast tomorrow. How about some bread for now?”

Dabao replied, “Aunt said to put the meat in the bread.”

Ye Fan shook her head. “That works with steamed bun slices or pancakes. People put something in the middle because luncheon meat is greasy. You can also eat it like pickled vegetables with porridge. There’s no need to make a big fuss over one piece of meat.”

Dabao wondered why his aunt had said that. “Doesn’t Aunt know?”

Ye Fan said, “She thinks it looks fancy — like in the old movies. But gulping food down like they do in movies isn’t exactly elegant. We’re not filming a movie, are we?”

Dabao reached out his hand. “Give me a piece of bread.”

Ye Fan opened one of the bread rolls, giving the larger half to Dabao and the smaller one to Erbao. She then tucked a few candies into their pockets. “Have a little snack — Mom’s going to make something tasty.”

Erbao had been thinking about trading her piece with her brother’s, but as soon as she heard “something tasty,” she immediately gave up on the idea.

Ye Fan added, “Go play outside.”

Dabao, having been cooped up at school all day, really wanted to go out, but he still asked first, “Do you need me to start the fire?”

Ye Fan shook her head. “I’ll use the stove — it’s slow, so you and Erbao can play a bit longer.”

Dabao grabbed his sister’s hand and led her outside.

Just as they were about to leave, Ye Fan remembered something and stuffed a small bread roll into Dabao’s pocket.

With his pocket now bulging, Dabao felt delighted. As soon as they got outside, he unwrapped the bread roll and broke it in half for his sister.

Erbao, still thinking about the “tasty food” waiting at home, shook her head. Dabao held the bread in his mouth and peeled a candy for his sister.

A few kids, still playing in front of Miaomiao’s house, hadn’t gone home yet. Dabao pulled his sister over to join them.

Children’s minds are simple — they ask whatever comes to mind. One of them blurted out, “Geng Yanyan, what are you eating?”

Dabao said, “Grandma bought me this bread.”

The other kids asked what kind of bread it was. Dabao thought about what his mom had said and replied, “A steamed bun.”

Miaomiao’s younger sister ran out of the house. “Why is a steamed bun called bread?”

Dabao answered confidently, “It’s a foreigner’s steamed bun.”

Then, Miaomiao’s older brother came out and asked, “Is that like how some tomatoes are called ‘foreign persimmons’?”

Dabao, still young and not fully understanding everything he repeated from the adults, nodded and said, “I guess so.”

Liao’s younger sister curiously asked, “Does it taste good?”

Dabao shook his head. “Not as good as cake. Not as good as egg pancakes.”

The kids looked at him enviously and asked if he’d ever eaten cake and egg pancakes before.

Since Tao Chunlan often made egg pancakes for Dabao and Erbao, and Yu Wentao and Geng Zhiqin liked to buy foreign snacks, Dabao proudly said, “I ate them before, but not here. Grandma has to send them.”

After finishing his bread, Dabao pulled out his candies, giving one to Miaomiao’s brother and another to her sister.

Ye Fan, worried he’d spoil his dinner, had only given Dabao three candies. With one left, he popped it into his mouth and spread his hands to the other kids. “No more.”

Erbao had some candy too, but only enough for herself. Copying her brother, she shook her head and said, “No more. Brother, let’s go home.”

Dabao frowned. “Mom hasn’t finished cooking yet.”

Erbao, more interested in going home to eat her candy than arguing, didn’t bother responding. She simply turned and started walking back.

Out of habit, Dabao chased after her. “Why are we going home?”

Without looking back, Erbao said, “Just going!” and took off running.

Frustrated, Dabao stomped his foot, but with no choice, he ran after her.

The other kids, still eyeing the candy wrappers in Miaomiao’s siblings’ hands, were clearly envious. When they got home, they couldn’t help but tell their mom, “Geng Dabao has so many good things to eat — bread, candy — and he’s even had egg pancakes and cakes before!”

Last night, when Su Yuanhang carried two packages to the Geng family’s house, someone saw him and asked what he was carrying. Su Yuanhang deliberately said that one package was prepared by Dabao’s grandmother, and the other by Dabao’s maternal grandmother and Chen Xiaohui.

Some people thought Chen Xiaohui was quite nice and assumed Ye Fan must also be a decent person — otherwise, why would Chen Xiaohui prepare treats for Dabao and Erbao? Others couldn’t understand it at all, thinking Chen Xiaohui must be foolish to buy things for Ye Fan, the woman who had “stolen” her perfect life. There were also those who hadn’t seen it with their own eyes and dismissed the whole story as mere gossip.

Earlier that day, Ye Fan had noticed a group chatting at the street corner after leaving the market. They were discussing this very matter. One of them was Tian Xiaofeng. She refused to believe Ye Fan could be so lucky.

When Tian Xiaofeng’s daughter later told her that Dabao’s bread was really soft, that Dabao even had milk candies, and that he shared them with Liao’s older and younger siblings but didn’t give her any, Tian Xiaofeng was visibly upset. Without thinking, she blurted out, “Eating too many foreign snacks will shorten your life!”

That evening, after dinner, Dabao went out for a while and came back crying.

Ye Fan immediately asked, “Who hit you?”

Wiping his tears, Dabao sobbed, “I’m going to die.”

Geng Zhiyé quickly pulled his son over to check him. “Where does it hurt?”

Choking back sobs, Dabao said someone told him he was going to die. Ye Fan asked who said that, but Dabao didn’t know the person’s name — he just pointed outside with his small hand.

Ye Fan picked Dabao up. “I want to see whose mouth is so foul!”

Geng Zhiyé quickly tried to calm her. “Kids say all sorts of things without thinking.”

Ye Fan snapped, “What do kids know about life and death? It’s obviously something they heard from adults. You stay home and watch Erbao — don’t get in my way!”

Geng Zhiyé nodded. “Alright, we’ll stay here.”

Wiping her son’s tears, Ye Fan said, “You’re usually so smart — how could you believe whatever people say?”

Dabao sniffled. “But it was her mom who said it.”

Ye Fan raised an eyebrow. “Who knows more — her mom or your mom?”

Dabao had been so caught up in arguing with the other kids that he forgot just how fierce his own mother could be.

At the door, Ye Fan called out, “Who said eating foreign snacks will shorten your life?”

The group of children, who had been playing and laughing, suddenly fell silent. All of them instinctively turned to look at one particular child.

Ye Fan walked over. “Was it you who said that?”

The girl, about eight or nine years old, wasn’t afraid of Ye Fan. She lifted her chin boldly and replied, “My mom said it.”

Ye Fan, unsurprised, thought to herself — of course, it was the adults running their mouths. She said, “Go home and tell your mom this: Ye Fan says she’s talking nonsense. If she can’t bear to buy you nice things, just be honest about it — no one’s going to die from the truth. But if I hear her spouting nonsense again, I’ll tear her mouth apart!”

The girl’s face flushed red with shame. Feeling humiliated, she ran home in tears.

Tan Xiaofeng, seeing her daughter crying, rushed over. “Who bullied you?”

Between sobs, the girl blurted out, “Dabao’s mom.”

Tan Xiaofeng frowned. “Ye Fan? I didn’t even cause her any trouble — how dare she bully my daughter? Come on, let’s go find her!”

The girl instinctively resisted, pulling back, but Tan Xiaofeng jabbed a finger at her forehead. “Useless thing.”

Shoving her daughter aside, Tan Xiaofeng stormed off. She picked up her pace, breaking into a run, and when she reached Ye Fan’s doorstep, she shouted, “Ye Fan! Get out here! Bullying a child — have you no shame?”

Ye Fan had just finished washing Dabao’s face. “Are you calling for me?”

Geng Zhiyé said, “I’ll go out—”

Ye Fan tossed the towel at him. “She’s a shrew who doesn’t listen to reason — how are you going to reason with her? Stay inside!”

She stepped into the courtyard and shouted, “I’m here. Who are you?”

Tan Xiaofeng hadn’t expected Ye Fan to be so bold. She choked for a moment. “Me — what does it matter who I am?”

Ye Fan smirked. “If you won’t say, I’ll just assume it was a dog barking.”

Tan Xiaofeng was furious and lunged at Ye Fan.

Zhuang Qiuyue rushed over, panicked, and grabbed Tan Xiaofeng’s arm. “What are you doing? Xiao Ye, this is Tan Xiaofeng. Xiao Tan, let’s talk calmly.”

Tan Xiaofeng shook her off. “She bullied my daughter and called me a dog—”

Ye Fan cut her off. “I don’t even know who your daughter is. You came to my door shouting that I have no shame. If I didn’t call you a dog, should I have called you a beast instead?”

Tan Xiaofeng raised her hand to slap Ye Fan.

But Ye Fan had practiced Tai Chi for years — her body was quick and flexible. She dodged effortlessly and slapped Tan Xiaofeng right back, landing the hit squarely on her face.

Tan Xiaofeng was so stunned she forgot to breathe.

Zhuang Qiuyue froze in shock — slapping someone in the face? That’s serious! This was going to blow up!

Tan Xiaofeng snapped out of it, furious enough to want to tear Ye Fan apart. She flailed with both her hands and feet, but Ye Fan was ready — she spun around and grabbed a fistful of Tan Xiaofeng’s long hair.

Tan Xiaofeng reached for Ye Fan’s hair in return, but Ye Fan’s short hair only grazed her shoulders, tied back neatly with a hair tie. Tan Xiaofeng’s hand caught nothing but air.

Frustrated and humiliated, Tan Xiaofeng shrieked, “I don’t want to live anymore!”

Ye Fan shot back, “Then go ahead and die!”

Zhuang Qiuyue finally came to her senses. “Xiao Ye, don’t say things like that. Xiao Ye—”

But Liao Miaomiao yanked her mother back. “Don’t bother! She deserved it! She was the one who said Dabao would die young from eating too much foreign food.”

Tan Xiaofeng stopped screaming and gasped. “When did I ever say that? You little brat—”

Liao Miaomiao glared. “Your daughter said it. Go ask her yourself! She scared Dabao so much he cried. Auntie Ye said if your daughter kept spouting nonsense, she’d tear her mouth apart. I heard everything from the courtyard.”

She then noticed two people approaching from the west. “Look — your daughter and husband are coming. Ask them yourself.”

Ye Fan let go and stepped back.

Tan Xiaofeng spun around, ready to hit Ye Fan again — but someone grabbed her from behind.

She twisted her head, cursing, but the bright moonlight illuminated the person’s face. “Sister-in-law Liu?”

Liu Guihua had come out looking for her own child to send them home for homework. Hearing Tan Xiaofeng yelling about not wanting to live, she got curious — who on earth had pushed Tan Xiaofeng to this point? So she came over to watch the commotion. “Tan Xiaofeng, others might not believe it, but I sure do — you’re absolutely capable of saying something like that.”

Tan Xiaofeng immediately fell silent.

Liu Guihua let go of her. “Go home!”

Tan Xiaofeng, still unwilling to back down, muttered, “But—”

Her husband roared, “Go home! Stop making a scene here.”

Tan Xiaofeng instinctively snapped back, “I embarrassed you? I—”

Ye Fan cut her off. “Go argue at your own house!”

Tan Xiaofeng choked on her words, then pointed a finger at Ye Fan. “Just you wait.”

When they got home, Tan Xiaofeng questioned her daughter about what had happened. The little girl didn’t dare lie — Ye Fan hadn’t touched her. Furious, Tan Xiaofeng raised a hand to hit her daughter, but her husband stopped her. Nearly beside herself with rage, she waited until her husband went to wash up, then pulled out a sheet of letter paper and wrote a complaint. The next morning, she went straight to the post office.

On the day Su Duofu and Su Yuncheng arrived in the capital, Tan Xiaofeng’s letter reached headquarters. She accused Ye Fan of profiteering and claimed Geng Zhiyé was covering for her.

The comrade who received the letter didn’t know who Ye Fan was, but they knew Geng Zhiyé. Not long ago, Geng Zhiyé had managed to acquire twenty pigs at a price much lower than the meat processing plant’s rate. Five were left for the stationed troops on Hengshan Island, and the rest were sent to headquarters, which then distributed them to various regions.

If the pigs had really been Ye Fan’s doing, then not only Geng Zhiyé but even they themselves would be considered accomplices. Still, the matter needed verification.

After investigating, they found out that Ye Fan was an accountant at the food factory. The comrades handling the case were speechless — the food factory was managed by the local government. Instead of reporting it locally, someone had gone straight to them. “What a waste of time!”

Since there were very few people on the island who sent letters, it didn’t take long to trace the complaint back to Tan Xiaofeng. There wasn’t much they could do about such a trivial matter, so they simply found Tan Xiaofeng’s husband and told him to keep his wife in check and stop wasting official time and resources.

As the comrades prepared to leave, they noticed a crowd rushing toward the market. One of them grabbed a passing fisherman and asked, “What’s going on?”

Seeing their military uniforms, the fisherman assumed they were Geng Zhiyé’s men and answered without hesitation, “Su Yuncheng and Su Duofu are back. Accountant Ye is handing out money. We’re going to see how much it is this time.”

During their investigation, the comrades had discovered that Ye Fan was shipping goods to the capital and noticed that the food factory was essentially “selling dog meat under the guise of mutton” — operating in a gray area. However, seeing how happy the fishermen were, how pleased the people in the capital were, and how the Hengshan commune was willing to cooperate with the military because of this arrangement, it was a win-win for all sides. No one was suffering from it.

Since they were already there, they figured there was no harm in taking a look.

The group reached the entrance of the market and saw a man with his hands in his pockets walking out, followed by a dozen fishermen, all beaming with joy as if it were a holiday.

Curious, the group wanted to ask what was going on, but before they could, they overheard a nearby fisherman say, “It’s their village again — they got the most this time.”

Exchanging glances, the group decided to head towards the ferry dock.

Once they reached the shore, one of them asked, “What if they find out that Tan Xiaofeng reported Ye Fan?”

Another replied, “At best, she’ll be driven off Hengshan Island. At worst… hard to say.”

The last one added, “No brains! Cutting off someone’s livelihood is like killing their parents — let alone cutting off the livelihood of tens of thousands.”

Tan Xiaofeng might not have much sense, but her husband did.

There’s a saying: ‘If you don’t want people to know, don’t do it.’ Just because Geng Zhiyé didn’t know yet didn’t mean he never would. The very next day, Tan Xiaofeng’s husband submitted a transfer request to the local authorities.

That evening, Geng Zhiyé came home and asked Ye Fan, “You haven’t gone looking for Tan Xiaofeng again, have you?”

Ye Fan looked confused. “Why would I?”

Geng Zhiyé frowned. “Weird. Her husband put in a request to transfer out of the army today. Anyone who doesn’t know better would think the two of us forced him out.”