Chapter 26.2: Benefiting Others and Oneself

Geng Zhiyé shook his head. “Yes, that’s the situation. Secretary Su is old enough to be my father and your uncle. That’s why this is tricky — he might really start ordering us around like we’re Su Yuanhang. You try to reason with them, but they stick to their principles like they’re set in stone. When a soldier meets a scholar, even if you have a point, it’s hard to explain.”

After speaking, he stood up. “Tell Old Niu to make the arrangements.”

Deputy Commander Niu pushed the door open, and it banged loudly against the wall. The noise startled Geng Zhiyé so much that he nearly lost his balance. Furious, he shouted, “Are you trying to break the door?”

Feeling guilty, Deputy Commander Niu shuffled over to Political Commissar Liao and grabbed his enamel mug for a drink of water.

Political Commissar Liao grimaced. “Do you have any sense of hygiene?”

“Don’t fuss over it!” Deputy Commander Niu, seeing that Geng Zhiyé wasn’t about to shoot him on the spot or punch him, chuckled and muttered that he had forgotten the door was made of wood.

Geng Zhiyé sat down. “What’s the matter?”

Commander Niu replied, “We’ve finished checking all the usable equipment. When do we take action?”

Geng Zhiyé was speechless. “We’re just blasting a mountain, not a bunker!” He shot Niu a glance and then instructed Political Commissar Liao, “Make sure every commune member is notified. Time it when the children are at school. We must set up a safety perimeter and check the mountain again before the blast to confirm everyone is at the foot of the mountain.”

Deputy Commander Niu couldn’t help but say, “It’s just a small matter—”

Geng Zhiyé looked at him, and Commander Niu immediately straightened up. “I’ll follow orders and obey commands!”

The next day, Dabao took out a pen to do homework. He figured if he finished it at school, he wouldn’t have to do it at home. Suddenly, there was a loud boom. Startled, Dabao dropped his pen. The teacher hurriedly told the students to hide under their desks, crouching down herself with her hands over her head.

However, there was no shaking, no collapsing buildings, and no sound of bombs being dropped from planes. Realizing what had happened, the teacher felt a bit embarrassed. “It’s fine now, everyone sit back down.”

Dabao remembered his dad telling his mom not to go up the mountain these days in case any rocks came tumbling down. “Teacher, are they blasting rocks on the mountain?”

The teacher nodded. “I forgot — there’s a regiment stationed on our island. The enemy can’t get here. Don’t be scared, just keep reading. I’ll step out and take a look.”

As soon as the teacher left, Dabao’s deskmate whispered, “Geng Yanyan, is your dad the one blowing things up?”

Dabao shook his head. “My dad didn’t go up the mountain. He’s coming home at noon.” But deep down, he wasn’t so sure and felt uneasy.

When he got home and saw his dad was indeed there, Dabao let out a sigh of relief, his face breaking into a smile. “Dad!”

Geng Zhiyé picked him up. “Haven’t seen me for half a day and already miss me?”

Dabao wrapped his arms around his dad’s neck and pointed to the distant mountain. “Dad, are they still blasting?”

Geng Zhiyé nodded. “There’s more this afternoon, but not on this side.” He pointed west. “About seven or eight miles from here. We’ll blast again tomorrow.”

Just then, Ye Fan walked in carrying groceries and holding Erbao in her arms, catching the last part of the conversation. “More blasting tomorrow?”

Geng Zhiyé replied, “Some of the paths are too narrow — even a wooden cart can’t pass. We’re taking this chance to widen the roads.”

Ye Fan frowned. “Will any rocks fall down here?”

Geng Zhiyé nodded. “They have a method — something like nets woven from rattan to hold the rocks in place. When we have more money, we’ll use cement.” He set Dabao down and took the groceries. “Why are you home later than me today?”

Erbao had already run off to show off his toys to his dad.

Dabao watched enviously. Geng Zhiyé, puzzled, exchanged a look with his son — both silently asking Ye Fan, Weren’t you at the food factory?

Ye Fan headed inside, saying, “Isn’t the Lianhua Brigade growing lotus roots? This year, they decided to set aside some land to plant a variety that produces more lotus seeds. I had some free time, so they asked me to take a look.”

Dabao’s envy vanished instantly.

Geng Zhiyé raised an eyebrow. “But you don’t know how to grow them.”

Ye Fan replied, “They wanted me to admire the endless green of the lotus leaves stretching to the horizon. Or maybe it’s their way of showing me how cooperative they are — so I’ll have no choice but to help them sell the lotus seeds.”

Geng Zhiyé chuckled. “As far as I remember, our family’s never dealt with lotus seeds. Is there even a market for them?”

Ye Fan nodded. “They didn’t plant much, but they’re confident. Still, they’re worried — probably thinking, People can barely afford to eat, who’s going to buy lotus seeds?”

Dabao couldn’t help but say, “Mom, you’re amazing.”

Geng Zhiyé instinctively looked at his son. Dabao quickly added, “Dad’s amazing too.”

Geng Zhiyé was both amused and speechless. “You… Go play with your sister in the living room. We’re cooking.”

After dinner, Geng Zhiyé went next door to find Political Commissar Liao. They headed to the mountain to check the blasting site before Geng Zhiyé returned to the barracks.

He didn’t assign any single company to roadwork every day. Instead, whichever company wasn’t on duty or patrol that day took a turn. With over a thousand soldiers rotating shifts, they worked for two months straight without anyone feeling overly exhausted.

Once the main roads were repaired, there were still plenty of loose mountain stones scattered about. Geng Zhiyé lent the transport trucks to the brigades, allowing each one to haul a few loads of crushed stone to fill in the low-lying areas of their villages.

The road by the family quarters originally belonged to the Shanxi Brigade. It was a gravel road, but years of rain, cloudy weather, and the constant trampling of people and carts had left it uneven. The Shanxi Brigade, unsure how to properly thank Ye Fan for her help, took this opportunity to bring over two truckloads of stone and smooth out the spots prone to flooding.

At first, the newly laid stones looked rough and unsightly, but after a few rain showers following the August typhoon, the roads were clean and solid. Once the sun came out, Liao Miaomiao could kick her shuttlecock by the doorstep without worry.

Ye Fan folded a few paper airplanes for Dabao and Erbao, who played with them at the entrance.

Liao’s wife, Zhuang Qiuyue, saw Ye Fan watching the kids from the roadside and came over with her knitting. As she worked on a sweater, she chuckled, “Old Liao said Commander Geng will say anything just to trick him into fixing roads. I told him he doesn’t have as much initiative as Commander Geng. He even claimed Geng was just doing it out of boredom. But look — isn’t this great?”

The air was fresh after the rain, lifting everyone’s mood. Liao Miaomiao hopped over excitedly. “Mom, it’d be even better if we planted more flowers. Look—” She pointed at Ye Fan’s yard. “See how nice it was? Too bad the typhoon blew them all away.”

Ye Fan said, “There are still flower buds. They’ll bloom in a few days.”

Liao Miaomiao brightened up again. “Mom, can we plant more?”

The continuous rain over the past few days had cooled the temperature. The air, both inside and outside, felt fresh. The chief of staff’s wife stepped out of her house and walked over to Ye Fan. “I didn’t really notice a few months ago, but lately, every time I go out, I see flowers. It’s really nice.”

Ye Fan smiled. “Why don’t you plant some next year too? You can grow them outside the yard — they won’t be in the way.”

Liu Guihua came down the alley and told Ye Fan she planned to plant some flowers at her place as well. Pointing at the alley, she added, “The rain washed everything so clean. A few days ago, my daughter was complaining about how hard it was to walk on the stone road. If they hadn’t laid these stones, I wouldn’t have dared to come out today — I’d have stepped right into the mud.”

Ye Fan nodded. “I’ll save some flower seeds for you next year.”

Liu Guihua asked, “My old Niú is taking leave in a few days. When is Commander Geng planning his vacation this year?”

Zhuang Qiuyue couldn’t help but comment, “Old Liao’s taking his leave after Mid-Autumn Festival. If Commander Geng doesn’t take his soon, he won’t have any time left this year.”

Dabao immediately panicked. “Mom! If Dad goes on leave, what about me? Am I not going to school?”

Ye Fan reassured him, “You can take time off.”

Dabao shook his head firmly. “No! I have winter and summer breaks — I can’t just take time off!”

Ye Fan thought to herself, You’re only in first grade. She smiled and said, “That’s the right attitude. But your dad’s been really busy lately, and he does need some rest. Don’t worry — we’re not going back to the capital. Grandma will come here.”