Chapter 28: Envious, Aren’t You?

Tao Chunlan watched as her daughter and son-in-law went out, then finally reacted: “You let them… do that?”

Yu Wentao: “Go on a date?”

Dabao asked curiously, “Mom and Dad are having a meeting this late at night?”

Yu Wentao choked on her own saliva. Tao Chunlan shot her a glare. “No. Mom and Dad just want to go out and have fun. Like how sometimes you want to play with your classmates.”

Dabao’s eyes widened. “Mom and Dad are that old and still want to play?”

Tao Chunlan: “Both adults and kids like to have fun.”

Yu Wentao was really afraid of setting a bad example for her grandson. “It’s like your grandpa—when he plays chess with his friends, he even forgets to come home for dinner.”

Dabao nodded in confusion.

Yu Wentao was worried the child might tell Ye Fan. “Dabao, don’t tell Mom and Dad. They’ll feel embarrassed because they’re grown-ups. In the future, let them go out on their own more. You and Erbao can play at home. But if you really want to go with them, you can. Your parents love you—they won’t leave you and Erbao behind and run off by themselves.”

Dabao shook his head. “Mom didn’t leave me and Erbao behind.”

Yu Wentao: “Then you and Erbao play in the living room.”

Dabao nodded obediently. “Meimei, Mom is tired. Let’s let her rest for a while. What do you want to play? Gege will play with you.”

With a lively family and delicious food, Erbao had eaten too much and didn’t want to move. She stretched out her little hands. “Gege, carry me.”

Tao Chunlan, who had taken care of Erbao every day before, understood her well. She picked Erbao up and placed her on the long bench. “Dabao, Meimei is sleepy. Watch over her so she doesn’t fall.”

Dabao pulled over a small stool and sat beside the bench, keeping watch over his little sister.

When Yu Wentao and Tao Chunlan came out of the kitchen, Dabao was still sitting on the stool, lying on the bench, staring at his sister like he hadn’t moved at all.

Erbao had fallen asleep. Tao Chunlan carried her back to the room, while Yu Wentao took Dabao outside.

Just like Ye Fan, Yu Wentao stood at the door, watching Dabao. Dabao, feeling secure with familiar faces around, ran toward Liao Dadi and asked what he was playing.

Liao Dadi was playing a game of “fighting roosters” with his friends, gripping one leg and hopping around. But since Geng Dabao was much shorter than him, he told Dabao to play with his little sister instead.

So Geng Dabao went to find Liao Miaomiao. The moon was especially bright tonight, and Liao Miaomiao was jumping rope with her girlfriends. Geng Dabao didn’t know how to jump rope, so he eagerly volunteered to hold the rope for them.

“Malan flowers bloom twenty-one, two-eight-two-five-six, two-eight-two-five-seven…”

Geng Dabao couldn’t help but sing along, his little face beaming with joy. Seeing this, Yu Wentao no longer worried that her clever little grandson would turn into a little island monkey after staying here for too long.

The next morning, Tao Chunlan went to the market. As she reached the intersection, she saw a few middle-aged women chatting and laughing as they walked into the market. Having only been here for a few days, she recognized just one of them—Liu Qing, whom Liao Miaomiao had told her about.

On the train from Hangcheng to Yongcheng, Ye Fan had told her mother-in-law that everyone in the military family district already knew that she was originally supposed to have the surname Chen. Yu Wentao was shocked. Jiangnan and the capital were thousands of miles apart—how had the military wives on this remote island found out?

Ye Fan simply said she didn’t care how they knew. Either way, no one dared to gossip in front of her. The reason she told them in advance was so they wouldn’t be caught off guard if someone made a snide remark.

At the time, Tao Chunlan thought her daughter was overthinking things. Military wives had to wash clothes, cook, and take care of children alone while their husbands were away—who had time to gossip? But she hadn’t expected to run into Liu Qing the very next day.

When Tao Chunlan was younger, she had a more fiery temperament than Yu Wentao—otherwise, how could a young woman like her have dared to join the revolution? Though the years and her complex work had smoothed out her sharp edges, that didn’t mean she was easy to push around. If she were, then when Yu Wentao, after hearing Liao Miaomiao’s words, shouted about taking revenge, she wouldn’t have remained silent.

Yu Wentao tried to tempt the neighborhood kids with delicious food, hoping they’d pester their parents—an extremely childish tactic. It caused little real harm to Liu Qing and her group of gossiping friends.

Tian Xiaofeng said that eating too much foreign food would shorten Dabao’s life—did she really believe foreign food was inedible, or was she just jealous? Naturally, it was the latter.

Liu Qing deliberately went to Ye Fan’s house to pump water—if it wasn’t out of envy and jealousy, was she really trying to stand up for Chen Xiaohui?

With people like Liu Qing, explaining meant covering up, while not explaining meant guilt.

Tao Chunlan paused at the intersection for a minute before entering the market. Even though she had mentally prepared herself, she was still stunned by the sheer variety of seafood.

A fish vendor noticed her reaction and asked, “You must be Accountant Ye’s mother, right? What would you like to buy?”

Not far away, Liu Qing and her group glanced over. Tao Chunlan quickly noticed but pretended not to, instead pointing at the fish. “What kind of fish is this? How do you cook it?”

The vendor told her it was small yellow croaker and suggested buying some pickled mustard greens if she wanted to make soup.

Tao Chunlan picked out six fish and, in a slightly worried tone, said, “I wonder if Fanfan will like it.”

The vendor handed her the fish and took the money. “Accountant Ye said she’s not allowed to cook, so she’ll eat whatever she’s given.”

Tao Chunlan laughed. “Don’t listen to her nonsense. She’s actually hard to please—she’s been picky about food since she was little. She says that just so you all won’t laugh at her.”

The fish vendor was quite curious about Ye Fan, especially about the whole baby mix-up with Chen Xiaohui. “You must have put in a lot of effort raising her, huh? No wonder Accountant Ye turned out so good-looking, tall, and capable.”

Tao Chunlan nodded. “That’s right. She doesn’t know how to make shoes or clothes and hasn’t cooked much either. Luckily, I’m in good health, so I can help take care of Dabao and Erbao.”

The fish vendor was secretly amazed. They doted on Accountant Ye that much? But still, wasn’t that a bit too much? “But what if you get sick?”

Tao Chunlan replied, “I have a salary. I can hire a caregiver. Her father and I have saved up some money over the years. When we get old, whatever we don’t spend will be split—half for Fanfan, so she can hire a caregiver if she needs one. If she doesn’t want to cook, she can just get meals from the cafeteria. If she can’t sew, she can buy clothes. It won’t cost much.”

The fish vendor was utterly shocked. “But… making shoes isn’t that hard, is it? If you keep buying them, they might not fit well.”

Tao Chunlan nodded. “If store-bought shoes don’t fit, you can always get an old master to make a custom pair. If clothes don’t fit, a tailor can adjust them. There’s no law in our country that says women must know how to do these things. Where we come from, girls went to school when they were young and then worked in factories or offices when they grew up—they didn’t have time to learn. Plenty of women don’t know how to make shoes or clothes.”

The fish vendor, both envious and curious, couldn’t help but ask, “Does Regiment Commander Geng buy his clothes too?”

Tao Chunlan thought, You’re really asking if Geng Zhiyé minds, aren’t you? He wears a military uniform every day—why would he need to buy clothes himself? She smiled, pretending not to notice the real question. “My son-in-law? When he and Fanfan met through a matchmaker, he already knew she could only make porridge and noodles. The first time he visited our home, I wasn’t there—I hadn’t retired yet. She tried to show off by making dough, but she kept adding too much flour, then too much water, then more flour again… In the end, she had a giant half-basin of dough. We rolled it into noodles, and it took our whole family three meals to finish it.”

The fish vendor almost burst out laughing.

Tao Chunlan spoke as if complaining, but her face was full of fondness. “It’s all because her father and I spoiled her.”

“And then what happened?” The fish vendor had long forgotten about Chen Xiaohui—she just wanted to hear more amusing stories.

Tao Chunlan said, “Later, if she wanted to cook, I taught her. If she didn’t, she just bought dried noodles. She’s already tired from work and raising kids—there’s no need to make life harder for herself. It’s not like we can’t afford it.”

That last part was actually something Ye Fan had said. Tao Chunlan had been frugal all her life—she couldn’t bring herself to buy a rice cooker or a refrigerator. Given the positions of Ye Fan’s parents, they could have legally acquired them, but since those appliances were imported, they were too expensive for them at the time.

Ye Fan teamed up with her brother and sister-in-law for a family vote. The result, of course, was three to two. She brought the appliances home, and Tao Chunlan grumbled about how much electricity they would use. Ye Fan simply replied, “Aren’t you tired?”

Thinking back, Tao Chunlan couldn’t help but recall how Ye Fan acted as if money would go bad overnight if not spent—she would rather buy things than make them herself, unless she was in a particularly good mood. To be honest, years ago, Tao Chunlan found it hard to accept and wouldn’t have been able to say this so calmly. But after getting used to it over the past two years, she now felt that this was exactly how life should be.

If the money runs out and we get seriously ill, what can we do? Even if you have money, it doesn’t mean you can be cured. Just leave it to fate and go with the flow.

Tao Chunlan turned to the fish vendor and asked, “Don’t you think so?”

The vendor imagined having money and blurted out, “Exactly! Who knows when a typhoon might sweep us away? What’s the point of hoarding money?” Then, afraid his colleagues might laugh at him, he quickly added, “I don’t mean me, of course. But for Accountant Ye, it makes sense. And Colonel Geng earns a high salary—if they spend all their money this month, there’s always next month’s paycheck.”

Tao Chunlan nodded and took a few steps to the side. “My son-in-law is the same. He didn’t get enough crab roe buns last time—give me twenty crabs.”

The worker tying up the crabs stared at her in shock. “These are white crabs… twenty of them?”

Tao Chunlan smiled. “My son-in-law has a big appetite. When he came home to visit, he ate more than my whole family combined. My in-laws even joked that every time he comes home, he heads straight to our house first, like a live-in son-in-law. But if you think about it, three meals a day at our place must’ve saved the Geng family a lot of grain.”

The worker paused for a moment, suddenly doubting the rumors that Colonel Geng and Accountant Ye were just putting on a show of affection. If they were only pretending to be close, would they really go this far? Damn it! Who started those rumors anyway?

If this was all just an act, then in the future, he’d still rather have a son-in-law who puts on such a good act than one who’s too lazy to even pretend—just sitting around waiting for his daughter to cook and serve him every meal.

“He doesn’t miss Accountant Ye?” the worker tying up the crabs asked.

Tao Chunlan instinctively replied, “Fan Fan is at home.” Then, as if suddenly realizing something, she added, “Oh, you didn’t know? Fan Fan and Dabao and Erbao have been living with me these past few years. My in-laws only see the kids when Fan Fan brings them over for a few days.”

Everyone who heard this was stunned. The Ye family had sons, so why would they let a married daughter live at her mother’s house? Just how much did they dote on Ye Fan?

Tao Chunlan felt she had said enough. She took the crabs, bought four jade pomfret fish, and headed straight home. She didn’t bother going further into the market, so she had no idea that Liu Qing and her friends’ faces had turned into a colorful spectacle, like an overturned palette of paint.

At home, Yu Wentao was delighted to see snow cabbage and yellow croaker soup, along with braised jade pomfret, so early in the morning. “Dabao’s grandma, why didn’t you steam the white crabs?”

Tao Chunlan: “Can we even finish it all?”

Yu Wentao: “If we can’t finish it, then why did you buy it?”

Tao Chunlan didn’t want to admit she did it on purpose. “Does Zhiye eat crabs?”

Geng Zhiye shook his head. “I don’t have time in the morning.”

Yu Wentao immediately said, “I have plenty of time to eat them slowly.”

Tao Chunlan: “No. Eat the fish first!”

Yu Wentao stood up. “By noon, they won’t be fresh anymore.”

Tao Chunlan wanted to tell her she was talking nonsense. “Then I’ll clean them up and cure them raw later. I heard someone talking about it yesterday afternoon. Cured crab meat is supposed to have a texture like chilled jelly noodles. You’ve never tried it, have you?”

Geng Zhiye hurriedly reminded her, “Mom, if you cure them, you should eat them yourself. Fan Fan has never had them before, and Dabao and Erbao have weak stomachs.”

Tao Chunlan’s expression darkened. She glared at Geng Zhiye. “Eat your food!”

Yu Wentao immediately burst into laughter and picked up a piece of small yellow croaker. “Erbao, let Grandma feed you something warm. Let your maternal grandma eat her cured raw crabs. You’ve only been here a few days and already learned how to cure raw seafood. Look at you, acting all capable.”

Tao Chunlan had always been too lazy to argue with her, and since she wasn’t actually good at curing raw seafood, she felt a bit guilty and didn’t want to waste words. “Fan Fan, are you heading to the food factory later?”

Ye Fan nodded. “Su Yuanhang isn’t around these days, so I have to go handle the deliveries.”

Tao Chunlan: “I heard from Xiaohui—well, actually, she heard it from Su… Su Yuncheng, right? That young man. He said deliveries should go through the brigade office, not be bought directly from individuals. The way you’re doing it now might get you in trouble, don’t you think?”

Ye Fan: “If we went to collect the goods ourselves, we’d have to rent a hand tractor from the brigade and find two extra people. Right now, they either go out to sea, gather seafood along the shore, or head into the mountains to cut grass. Instead of making a separate trip, they just drop the goods off at the food factory on the way. But just in case, the members still inform the brigade leader, who keeps a record. If someone does report us, the brigade leader will just say he instructed them to deliver the goods directly.”

Yu Wentao frowned. “But if someone—wouldn’t that put you in danger?”

Ye Fan shook her head. “This place isn’t like the city. A production brigade is basically one big family—most of the members are related in some way. Even the few outsiders here wouldn’t dare cause trouble behind people’s backs unless they were planning to leave for good.”

Yu Wentao couldn’t help but remark, “No wonder you have the guts to run a food factory.”

Tao Chunlan: “Fan Fan, no one else is doing things this way. You still need to be careful—not with the brigade members, but with outsiders.”

Ye Fan smiled, reassuring her. “I know. Even fairies can’t be liked by everyone. Sometimes people dislike you just because they find you annoying for no reason. Just like Aunt Yu once said—she liked me the moment she saw me.”

Yu Wentao smiled and nodded repeatedly.

Tao Chunlan looked at her in disdain. “Was that a compliment? Don’t think I don’t know why you used to say that.”

Yu Wentao: “Go ahead and say it, then. It’s not like there are any outsiders here.”

Tao Chunlan didn’t want her daughter and son-in-law to have a conflict because of her words. “I need to eat first. I’ll talk after I finish my meal.”

Ye Fan, of course, knew what her mother meant. Yu Wentao did have some genuine liking for her, but more than that, it was because of her surname—Ye. Her father could help Geng Zhiyé, and her mother, brother, and sister-in-law might be able to help Geng Zhiqin.

But then again, when people look for a spouse for their children, don’t they always weigh the benefits? No one willingly takes on a burden unless they’re either foolish or a saint.

Ye Fan handed a cornmeal steamed bun to Geng Zhiyé. “Soup isn’t filling. Mom, Aunt Yu, do you want to go somewhere for fun? I’ll take you later. The army has a few three-wheeled vehicles. Geng Zhiyé paid them a few dozen yuan for gas, and they probably haven’t used it all yet. If you want to go to the beach, that’s close—you can walk there. Just don’t go in the water.”

Tao Chunlan: “Don’t worry about us. Go take care of your work.”

After tidying up the house, Yu Wentao carried Erbao while Tao Chunlan held Dabao’s hand and went out for a stroll. Tao Chunlan said they were just getting familiar with the area so they could go out on their own when Ye Fan was busy, but in reality, she was hoping to run into Liu Qing and the others.

Liu Qing didn’t have a job and usually disappeared to somewhere cool after meals. But this morning at the market, Tao Chunlan’s words had all revolved around Ye Fan, and every sentence felt like a mockery. Liu Qing was so furious that she felt suffocated, yet she couldn’t even curse Tao Chunlan to die early—if Tao Chunlan died, half of her savings would go to Ye Fan, making her even more smug.

Then should she curse Ye Fan and Geng Zhiyé to die early, leaving their kids as orphans? But that would only make Yu Wentao and Tao Chunlan dote on the children even more. Liu Qing could only hope that Chen Xiaohui wouldn’t be so spineless and would stir up chaos in the Ye family.

Thinking this way made her feel a little better, but the moment she stepped outside, she ran right into Yu Wentao and Tao Chunlan, who were standing under a tree with the two children.

Tao Chunlan had a military-green bag slung over her shoulder, bulging with goods—clearly imported items that only those with money and connections could get.

Liu Qing suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe.

Tao Chunlan glanced at her indifferently and then turned to ask Dabao where he wanted to go play.

Every time Dabao went to the beach with his parents, he could only play with the sand. If he wanted to go into the water, he had to hold his parents’ hands, which he found really annoying.

Dabao asked, “Grandma, have you ever seen the ocean? I can go with you.”

Tao Chunlan was touched. “What a good boy!”

When they arrived at the calm seaside, Dabao immediately took off his shoes and ran toward the water.

Yu Wentao grabbed him in one swift motion. “You little troublemaker! I was waiting for this! Get back here! If a big wave pulls you in, neither your grandma nor I know how to swim—who’s going to save you?”

Dabao was disappointed. “Grandma, why do you always listen to Mom? You’re the elder!”

Yu Wentao shot back, “Don’t try to stir up trouble. Go build sandcastles with Erbao!”

Frustrated, Dabao flopped onto the ground and started piling sand on himself.

Yu Wentao laughed. “That’s right, go ahead, have fun.”

Dabao was horrified. “My clothes are dirty now!”

Yu Wentao shrugged. “Then just wash them later.”

Dabao got up on his knees. “I’m telling Mom!”

Yu Wentao wanted to laugh. “Your mom doesn’t even mind when you sit on the ground playing with mud. Sand is much cleaner than mud.” She brushed the sand off his face. “Not playing anymore? If not, go play with Erbao.”

Dabao suspected that his grandma was deliberately provoking him. He flopped down again and started piling sand onto himself from both sides.

Erbao thought it looked fun, grabbed a handful of sand, and sprinkled it over Dabao. “Big brother, I’ll help you!”