Chapter 29: Dabao, the Little Master

Dabao thought to himself that his little sister was still the best: “Meimei, don’t put it on my face, put it on my clothes instead.” He turned his head and glanced at Grandma—If my clothes get dirty, let’s see who Mom scolds.

Yu Wentao sat down, enjoying the sea breeze as she closed her eyes comfortably. “Sister Tao, over there, they’ve already gone abroad, right?”

Tao Chunlan looked southeast. “No. That sea area now belongs to Baldy.”

“You said Baldy is gone, so why hasn’t Little Baldy come back?”

Tao Chunlan: “Who knows? Maybe he still hasn’t given up.”

Dabao grew anxious when neither Grandma nor Great-Grandma paid him any attention. “Grandma, my clothes are dirty!”

Without hesitation, Tao Chunlan replied, “If they’re dirty, Grandma will wash them.”

Was Dabao afraid of being scolded for dirtying his clothes? Not at all. “But I don’t want Grandma to work so hard!”

Tao Chunlan wanted to laugh. “Washing Dabao’s clothes doesn’t feel like hard work for Grandma. As long as I can still wash Dabao’s clothes, I’m happy.”

The sky was a clear, endless blue, but to Dabao, it felt pitch black. He let his little sister pile sand onto him without resistance. “Grandma, you’ve changed.”

Tao Chunlan had changed.

Ever since Dabao learned to walk, he could never stay indoors. Every time he went out to play, he needed a change of clothes. Tao Chunlan had been so frustrated that she locked him inside. But Dabao would run to Ye Fan and complain, saying Grandma was bad.

Ye Fan had tried to persuade his mother, “As long as Dabao isn’t eating dirt, just let him play however he wants. It’s human nature to love playing—not even adults can resist, so don’t make things hard for him.”

At first, Tao Chunlan agreed on the surface, but once Ye Fan left for work, she still kept Dabao under close watch. Then, when Ye Fan had a second child, Tao Chunlan could no longer keep up and had no choice but to let go.

More than two years had passed, and Dabao had turned out just fine. Tao Chunlan still thought her daughter was too easygoing—young people weren’t as meticulous in raising children as she was. But at least now, she no longer went against Ye Fan’s wishes behind her back.

Tao Chunlan glanced at Erbao. Seeing that she wasn’t stuffing sand into her mouth, she didn’t bother interfering with where she was piling it.

After all, sand wasn’t really dirty, and in summer, clothes were easy to wash—just a quick scrub and they were clean.

But Erbao was getting tired. She squatted down, stood up, then squatted again, working hard for a long time but still failing to bury her brother. “Grandma, you do it.”

Yu Wentao walked over. “Do what?”

Erbao grabbed a handful of sand and pushed it onto her brother. “Grandma, help me pile it up.”

Dabao’s eyes darted around. “Grandma, do you want to play with sand?”

Yu Wentao: “Do I look like an idiot?”

Dabao: “Erbao, want to play with water? Ask Grandma to take you.”

Erbao happened to want a break. She patted the sand off her hands and held out her arms. “Grandma, carry me!”

Yu Wentao took off her shoes, picked up Erbao, and walked toward the sea. Seeing this, Dabao quickly rolled over and got up to follow. Tao Chunlan immediately kicked off her shoes and chased after her grandson.

As soon as Dabao’s feet touched the water, his little arms were grabbed by his great-grandmother. He was so frustrated he stomped his feet. “I can’t even stand at the edge?”

Tao Chunlan: “If your dad were here, I wouldn’t care even if you went swimming in the ocean.”

Dabao wasn’t as strong as his great-grandmother, so after struggling unsuccessfully, he decided not to make things hard for himself. “My dad will be on leave in a few days. I’ll ask him to bring me here. You and Grandma don’t even think about coming.”

Tao Chunlan nodded on the surface but thought to herself—how come Fanfan never mentioned this?

During lunch, Tao Chunlan asked Geng Zhiyé when he would be on leave.

Geng Zhiyé replied, “Once Deputy Commander Niu returns, I’ll take my leave. The political commissar and the chief of staff can’t keep those guys in check.”

Yu Wentao was surprised. “I always thought the soldiers assigned to guard this island were all people with no status or background.”

Tao Chunlan was immediately speechless.

Ye Fan interjected, “Don’t say things like that. Those without connections, afraid of their future in the civilian world, wouldn’t dare stare a superior down—but ironically, the commanders actually prefer that kind of person. Some of the soldiers here volunteered because they don’t mind the isolation. Some were randomly assigned. And then there are the troublemakers. The troublemakers are fierce, skilled, and willing to fight, but the higher-ups don’t want to let them go, so instead of dealing with them, they just send them far away.”

She couldn’t help but laugh as she added, “Geng Tuanzhang fits that category, doesn’t he?”

Geng Zhiyé stuffed a piece of crab into her mouth. “If I were a troublemaker, how could I become a regiment commander?”

Ye Fan swallowed and smirked. “If you weren’t a troublemaker, would the higher-ups have handed you an entire battalion of them?”

Yu Wentao was dumbfounded. “An entire—so many?”

Geng Zhiyé shook his head. “Don’t listen to her. There are no ‘troublemakers.’ These days, no one is willing to send their kids to the countryside to suffer, so they stuff them into the military instead. Some people just have a straightforward nature and can’t stand certain things, so they end up here.”

He carefully removed the crab’s gills, intestines, heart, and stomach, then handed the cleaned meat to Dabao. “Out of sight, out of mind.”

Yu Wentao asked, “Old Third, you didn’t get sent here because the higher-ups were fed up with you, right?”

Seeing that her mother-in-law actually believed it, Ye Fan quickly clarified, “In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. Here, he doesn’t have to submit reports every other day. And even if he has to write one, his messy handwriting annoys the officers so much that they don’t bother calling him in to scold him. Right?”

Geng Zhiyé broke off another piece of crab and nodded. “You truly understand me, Fanfan. Now, eat.”

Yu Wentao huffed. “Peel one for me too.”

Geng Zhiyé simply slid the whole plate of crabs in front of her.

Yu Wentao was so furious she nearly burst into flames.

When cooking, Tao Chunlan still didn’t dare to make raw marinated crab, so she had steamed all the ones she bought in the morning. As she picked up a crab, she suddenly thought of Liu Qing. “Zhiyé, are you sure there aren’t any troublemakers?”

Geng Zhiyé said, “The political commissar has decent shooting skills, but his physical endurance isn’t great. Some people aren’t too convinced by him.”

Tao Chunlan asked, “Ordinary soldiers definitely wouldn’t dare challenge him. Is it a few battalion commanders?”

Yu Wentao curiously asked, “There’s someone named Liu Qing who stopped by to greet us a couple of days ago. What does her husband do?”

Ye Fan had heard from Miao Miao that Liu Qing had visited her house. When she heard the name “Liu Qing,” she looked up, glancing first at her mother, then at her mother-in-law. Neither of them was asking casually. But when did these two become so in sync? One opened the topic, and the other went straight to the point.

Geng Zhiyé had no idea that after Tian Xiaofeng left, Liu Qing had been trying to build a good relationship with Ye Fan. She had even used Liu Guihua to tell Ye Fan that Tian Xiaofeng had once reported her. Nor did he know that when Liu Qing heard Ye Fan’s mother-in-law and mother were both here, she wanted to watch the drama unfold. She even took the excuse of fetching water to observe them up close and, if possible, stir up some trouble. What Liu Qing might not have realized was that many people had already seen through her two-faced nature—including the ten-year-old Liao Miaomiao.

Regardless of all this, Ye Fan never mentioned any of it to Geng Zhiyé. She didn’t want him to witness Battalion Commander Gao’s embarrassment.

Geng Zhiyé, looking unaffected, peeled a shrimp and fed it to Erbao. “A battalion commander.”

Yu Wentao blurted out, “A troublemaker?”

Geng Zhiyé shook his head. “Not at all.” He peeled another shrimp and fed it to Dabao. “Fanfan just mentioned random assignments. His battalion was one of those. If it weren’t for the fact that he can’t surpass Deputy Regiment Commander Niu here, he’d definitely be a deputy regiment commander by now.”

Yu Wentao was surprised. “He’s actually pretty good?”

Geng Zhiyé almost laughed. “Back when he enlisted, the chances of going to war were extremely high. He knew that too. If someone wasn’t afraid of sacrifice and still managed to climb the ranks to become a battalion commander in such a large military force, they had to be capable. As for what he’s like at home—who knows? Only his wife and kids would.”

Yu Wentao’s curiosity grew. “Is he a lot older than you?”

Geng Zhiyé shook his head. “One year older than me. He joined in either ’57 or ’58—I don’t remember exactly. But he’s been in the army longer than I have.”

Yu Wentao frowned. “Then why—”

Tao Chunlan cut in. “I think his wife doesn’t match him. Her looks and the way she talks are just… average.”

Geng Zhiyé was stunned. “Since when did you become so—so superficial?”

They had been talking about Liu Qing—why bring this up? Tao Chunlan shot him a glare. “You don’t judge people by their looks?”

Geng Zhiyé nodded. He absolutely did. Back when he was set up with Ye Fan, it was because he’d heard the eldest Miss Ye was tall and beautiful—he figured he wouldn’t lose out just by meeting her. But that had only been his first impression. He couldn’t help but say, “You don’t even know her.”

Tao Chunlan didn’t want to understand her—she just wanted to know if Liu Qing was bored out of her mind and deliberately causing trouble for Ye Fan. From what Geng Zhiyé said, he and Commander Gao had no conflicts. Liu Qing didn’t even know Ye Fan before, so why couldn’t she stand seeing him doing well? Was life on the island really that dull?

Unable to figure it out, Tao Chunlan asked, “Do you understand her?”

Geng Zhiyé found it strange. “Why would I understand her? Enough of that—let’s eat first. If the food gets cold, Dabao and Erbao will get upset stomachs.”

Tao Chunlan instinctively looked at Dabao. He was smacking his lips around a shrimp, staring at them with wide eyes, waiting to hear more. Tao Chunlan wanted to scold him but also felt like laughing. “What are you looking at?”

Dabao sighed regretfully. “Why’d you stop?”

Ye Fan peeled a shrimp and stuffed it into his mouth. “Want me to smack you?”

Dabao immediately shut up.

Ye Fan warned, “When you go out, you’re not allowed to say, ‘My grandma said,’ ‘My dad said,’ or ‘My maternal grandma said’ about anyone.”

Dabao nodded. “Talking bad about people behind their backs and letting them find out—how embarrassing.” Then he pointed at his little face, looking at his grandma and maternal grandma. “That means you two!”

Yu Wentao reached out to smack Dabao on the head.

Dabao was already on guard against his grandma’s move. He tilted his head, easily dodging it, and Yu Wentao nearly smacked the table instead. Ye Fan was startled and frowned. “Not hungry?”

The elders and children instinctively picked up their chopsticks and started eating.

Seeing this, Geng Zhiyé almost burst out laughing. Ye Fan shot him a glare, and he immediately lowered his head, eyes downcast, as he grabbed another crab, picked out the leg meat, and fed it to his daughter.

Erbao swallowed and shook her head. “Daddy, I’m full.”

Geng Zhiyé tossed the crab back onto the table, took his daughter’s hand, and led her outside to wash her hands and face.

By the time Ye Fan finished eating, Erbao was already lying on the long bench, fast asleep. Ye Fan picked her up. “Aunt Yu, where did you take them to play this morning?”

Yu Wentao replied, “We were at the beach. At first, Erbao played with the sand, then she went into the water with me, and after that, she kept collecting shells—she never stopped. Is she tired?”

Ye Fan nodded and handed Erbao to her. “You should rest for a bit too. Mom, you and Dabao should go nap as well. We’ll clean up.”

Just then, Geng Zhiyé came in from outside, holding a broom and a cloth. “You all go ahead.”

On the way back from the beach, Dabao got tired, so Tao Chunlan carried him for a while. The chubby little boy hadn’t turned into a big chubby boy over the past year, but he had grown taller and heavier. Tao Chunlan’s arms were sore from carrying him, and she had to rest for quite a while after they got home before recovering.

When Ye Fan mentioned resting, Tao Chunlan thought about lying down again and realized she hadn’t fully recovered before dinner. She asked, “Dabao, are you sleepy?”

Dabao was drowsy from eating and went to the room with his grandma to take a nap.

When the two elders and the two children woke up and saw that Ye Fan was still at home, they couldn’t help but ask why she hadn’t gone to work.

Ye Fan explained, “Su Yuanhang has been running around for the past few days, so he’s resting in the office for half a day. Since he knows you’re here, he said he’ll handle things tomorrow too. That works out—we can go out to sea with the fishing boats. Mom, you won’t get seasick, right?”

Tao Chunlan asked, “Is it far?”

Ye Fan replied, “Not sure. But the fishing boats stop and go, so it should be fine.”

Yu Wentao immediately said, “We’re going out to sea tomorrow.”

Ye Fan said, “We’ll go out to sea in the morning and up the mountain in the afternoon. But honestly, there’s not much on the mountain this time of year.”

Yu Wentao asked, “No fruit or anything?”

Ye Fan shook her head. “There were some locally grown cherries a while ago, along with wild loquats and waxberries. There are also wild oranges on the mountain, but they’re not ripe yet.” She suddenly thought of a place, but it was too far away—there wouldn’t be enough time to go this afternoon.

The next day at noon, Geng Zhiyé rode the three-wheeler home for lunch.

Tao Chunlan asked Ye Fan where they were going in the afternoon. Ye Fan asked where she wanted to go.

Tao Chunlan hadn’t gotten seasick in the morning because the fishing boat spent a long time casting and pulling in nets, and there weren’t strong waves rocking the boat. But the strong fishy smell was overwhelming for her—she couldn’t get used to it and found it unbearable. She said she didn’t want to go anywhere and would stay home to watch the house.

Ye Fan couldn’t bear to leave her mother alone at home, so she said she’d only take half a day off.

In the afternoon, Ye Fan didn’t teach Dabao second-grade material, worrying that if he learned it too soon, he might not pay attention in class and could distract others. Instead, she picked out a few of Geng Zhiyé’s books and read them to Dabao. Seeing that her mother only had eyes for her older brother, Erbao climbed onto her lap. Even though she couldn’t understand, she refused to play with Grandma or Granny and nestled in her mother’s arms, falling asleep.

Yu Wentao suggested that Tao Chunlan go out for some fresh air.

As they reached the doorway, they happened to run into Zhuang Qiuyue, who asked if they wanted to sit under the tree to cool off. Since they didn’t have any particular place to go, they went home to grab some stools and headed to the osmanthus tree at the crossroads, where they listened to people chatting.

Rather than casual gossip, Zhuang Qiuyue and the other military wives were more curious about the Geng and Ye families. Zhuang Qiuyue asked if their families were busy and whether they could stay a few more days.

Tao Chunlan replied, “My family isn’t busy, but hers is. Zhiyé’s second brother is on break recently, so he can stay home to watch the kids. But in a few days, when things get busier, she’ll have to go back home to cook for the children.”

Yu Wentao was also worried that if Geng Zhiyé’s second brother and sister-in-law got busy and had to stay at their workplace, her husband would end up taking the two little ones out to eat at restaurants. It wasn’t that she was distressed about the money—she was more concerned that if her husband kept eating braised pork every day, his blood pressure would skyrocket, landing him in the hospital.

So, Yu Wentao said that she would go back once Dabao and Erbao started school.

Zhuang Qiuyue asked, “Erbao is starting school this year too?”

Tao Chunlan replied, “She’s going to kindergarten. Fanfan said to let her try it for a couple of days first. If she doesn’t want to go, she’ll wait two more years and go straight to primary school.”

Zhuang Qiuyue then asked, “Will you be going back together?”

Tao Chunlan wasn’t afraid of taking the bus alone, but when she was exhausted, she could sleep so deeply that she wouldn’t wake up for anything. Yu Wentao, on the other hand, was more alert—even if the bus stopped at three or four in the morning, she would wake up to check. “We’ll go back together,” she said.

Cases of babies being switched at birth were extremely rare, but Zhuang Qiuyue still wanted to ask if, when she visited Ye Fan’s home, Chen Xiaohui had said anything. However, she wasn’t like Tian Xiaofeng, who would jump to conclusions just from a rumor, thinking that standing on some moral high ground gave her the right to criticize others.

Zhuang Qiuyue asked, “Will someone be picking you up?”

Tao Chunlan replied, “There’s a bus.”

Zhuang Qiuyue decided not to press further. “That’s good, then.”

Yu Wentao glanced at her with a half-smile but didn’t say anything, instead changing the subject and asking if there was anything fun to do on the island.

Since Tao Chunlan was sitting between them, Zhuang Qiuyue didn’t notice that Yu Wentao had already seen through her—realizing she was just as nosy as anyone else. Without hesitation, Zhuang Qiuyue simply answered, “There’s nothing much on this island. But on the other island over there, there’s a Guanyin Temple. They say it’s a Guanyin sanctuary. You can take a boat from here to get there. But I think it’s best not to go.”

A military wife sitting on the other side of Zhuang Qiuyue couldn’t help but ask, “Why not?”

Tao Chunlan replied, “Now’s not the right time.”

Zhuang Qiuyue nodded. “There’s a revolution going on outside. If people find out we’re worshiping Guanyin, it wouldn’t look good.”

Yu Wentao had been thinking of going to pray for Xiaoqin, hoping for a good marriage and a good job for her. But upon hearing that, she quickly swallowed her words. It was better to leave Xiaoqin’s future in Ye Fan’s hands.

The next morning, Ye Fan stuffed some snacks into Erbao’s small bag, handed Dabao a water bottle, and then took the elderly and children with her to Lianhua Brigade.

She had already mentioned to Su Yuanhang that she would be going there, and since it was the weekend and he didn’t have work, he was waiting for her at the roadside early. Ye Fan didn’t want to run into the commune secretary, so she didn’t go to Su Yuanhang’s house. As soon as he got into the vehicle, she headed straight for the lotus pond.

The lotus fields stretched across hundreds of acres. Yu Wentao, who had lived for half a lifetime, had never seen so many lotus flowers and leaves before. The moment she caught sight of them, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “So many!”

Dabao patted his mother’s shoulder. “Mom, stop the car! You can stop now!”

Ye Fan ignored him but slowed down and pulled over to the side. The moment the vehicle stopped, Dabao reached out his hands. “Mom, carry me down.”

Ye Fan lifted him down, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, Dabao ran straight toward the lotus pond. But when he got closer, he realized that there was water beneath the leaves, and the surface was a whole person’s height below the ground level. Dabao really wanted to climb down by himself, but he was afraid of breaking a leg, so he could only stomp his feet anxiously. “Mom, can you hurry up?”

Ye Fan responded, “Be steady!”

Dabao opened his mouth wide. “I’m six! Kids aren’t steady!”

Su Yuanhang couldn’t help but chuckle.

Dabao immediately felt a little embarrassed, but he didn’t think he was wrong. “It’s true! Uncle said kids aren’t just little old men.”

Tao Chunlan asked, “When did your uncle say that?”

“During New Year’s,” Dabao looked at her. “Did you forget? Grandma, you’re getting old.”

Tao Chunlan raised her hand to smack him, and Dabao quickly dodged behind Su Yuanhang.

Yu Wentao, never one to miss out on the Ye family’s lively moments, chimed in, “What exactly did your uncle say? Tell us.”

Ye Jin hadn’t phrased it exactly like that, but how was Dabao supposed to explain?

On the afternoon of the first day of the new year, the kids in the alley were going ice skating. Dabao had never tried it before and was curious, so he asked his uncle to take him. At the time, Ye Jin was already feeling frustrated because of his brother-in-law’s affairs and was looking for an excuse to go out and clear his mind. After thinking for a few seconds, he told Dabao to go inside and grab a scarf and hat.

Tao Chunlan was worried that Dabao was too mischievous and would be difficult for Ye Fan to handle, so she told him to stay home and behave, scolding Ye Jin for not being steady enough. Ye Jin had replied that if his nephew stayed indoors all the time, he’d eventually turn into a little old man.

Dabao shook his head. “That’s what my uncle said. Go ask him. Mom, how do we get down there?”

Ye Fan replied, “We’re not going down. We’ll just look from here.”

Dabao couldn’t accept that. “Look at what?”

Ye Fan said, “The lotus roots aren’t fully grown yet. What are you going down for?”

Dabao was stumped. “I—I want big leaves! Erbao wants flowers. Erbao, don’t you?”

Erbao shook his head decisively. “I want big leaves.”

Even though their goals were different, the outcome was the same. Dabao stared at his mother—You heard that, right?

Su Yuanhang pulled out the sickle he had hidden in the grass earlier that morning when he brought the kids over to play and asked Dabao how many he wanted.

Dabao still looked at his mother, waiting for her approval.

Ye Fan said, “Two each?”

Overjoyed, Dabao jumped up and hugged her waist. “Mom, did you name me Dabao because… because I’m your treasure?”

Ye Fan asked, “What about Erbao?”

Erbao wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck. “I’m Mommy’s treasure.” Then she lifted her foot and kicked her brother. “You’re not.”

Dabao grabbed his sister’s foot. “Still kicking?”

Ye Fan pried Dabao’s hand off and set Erbao down. “Do you still want big leaves?”

The siblings glared at each other, let out a huff, and then each ran off—one to their grandma, the other to their maternal grandma—both refusing to go to their mother.

Su Yuanhang couldn’t help but laugh. “Does Erbao get two as well?”

Tao Chunlan was concerned. “Will cutting them affect the lotus roots’ growth?”

Su Yuanhang shook his head. “No, even if we don’t cut them, they’ll start turning yellow next month.”

Three words suddenly popped into Ye Fan’s mind—lotus leaf tea. Right now, people were struggling just to get enough food, so drinking tea was out of the question—it would only make their stomachs feel emptier. But she could still tell Su Yuanhang. Even if the islanders didn’t care about making a little money selling lotus leaves in the future, there was no harm in mentioning it.

Ye Fan asked Su Yuanhang if he knew how to dry fresh lotus flowers.

Su Yuanhang guessed, “Like drying squid?”

Ye Fan replied, “I wouldn’t be asking you if I knew.”

Tao Chunlan asked, “Fan Fan, what do you need dried lotus leaves for?”

Yu Wentao was curious. “Can they repel mosquitoes?”

Ye Fan shook her head. “Lotus leaves can be used to brew tea, which helps relieve fatigue. But if you drink too much, it has a cleansing effect on the intestines and removes excess oil. Some herbal medicine shops sell them. But since we have so many right here, why go buy them?”

Su Yuanhang said, “I’ve had lotus leaf-wrapped rice before, and I’ve heard that wrapping meat in lotus leaves, covering it in mud, and roasting it makes it delicious too. But I never thought you could brew tea with it.”

Ye Fan asked, “No pesticides were used, right?”

Su Yuanhang shook his head. “No one wants to spend money on that. I’ll cut a few more and ask around to see if anyone knows how to dry them.”

Though he said “a few,” he actually cut a lot.

Yu Wentao grabbed a bunch of lotus leaves, while Tao Chunlan picked up some fallen lotus seed pods. Ye Fan took a handful of lotus flowers. Dabao and Erbao each had a large lotus leaf on their heads, thinking they looked especially pretty. Whenever they passed by children from the Lianhua Brigade, they would ask, “Do we look good?”

Tao Chunlan offered a lotus seed pod to a local child, but the child instinctively backed away. Tao Chunlan laughed and asked, “Shy?”

Su Yuanhang explained, “The brigade grows lotus roots every year—these kids have eaten so many that they’re tired of them.”

Ye Fan suddenly thought of something. “What about lotus root starch?”

Su Yuanhang nodded. “Yes, we have that too. If there’s more lotus root than we can eat, we turn it into lotus root starch. Every household gets a share to save for lean times.” He suddenly realized what she was getting at. “Accountant Ye, are you saying lotus root starch—”

Ye Fan shook her head. “We’re not used to eating lotus root starch and probably wouldn’t eat it ourselves. If you want to sell it at a high price, it needs to be packaged in boxes or bags. Our factory doesn’t have the money to buy machinery, so we can only sell the lotus roots to others. Selling them to a factory isn’t as good as selling them to the agricultural product procurement station. But if more outsiders start coming here, we could have the brigade print some packaging paper, wrap them up, and sell them through the vegetable market.”

Su Yuanhang said, “Who comes here besides people visiting their families?”

Ye Fan replied, “Even visiting family is fine. My mom and Aunt Yu have to bring back some island specialties when they return.”

Yu Wentao and Tao Chunlan nodded in agreement.

Their relatives and neighbors all knew they had traveled down south. Thanks to Ye Fan reselling goods to the capital, people were also aware that the island had many great products. If they went back empty-handed, they would definitely be teased.

Su Yuanhang had a sudden idea. “Then I’ll talk to—never mind, not my dad. If I go to him, he’ll just say, ‘Aren’t you so capable? Why are you asking me?’ I’ll talk to the brigade leader instead. We can have him prepare some dried goods that can be taken on the train and sold at the vegetable market. If we put up a sign at the market entrance, military wives will definitely buy some to send back to their hometowns.”

Ye Fan said, “Then we’ll head back first.”

Since Su Yuanhang needed to find the brigade leader and ask who knew how to dry lotus leaves, he didn’t get on the three-wheeled vehicle. While Ye Fan and the others returned home, Su Yuanhang detoured to the brigade leader’s house.

The brigade leader asked if they should discuss it with Secretary Su. Su Yuanhang said there was no need but insisted on informing the other brigade leaders. Otherwise, if one sold for a yuan while another dropped the price to fifty cents, the brigades would end up fighting with hoes and sickles again.

There were wild boars in the mountains, and some brigades were equipped with guns. If tempers flared and someone fired a shot, things could turn disastrous.

When Ye Fan got home, she picked out two lotus leaves, washed them, and planned to cook lotus leaf porridge for dinner.

Yu Wentao helped pump water. “Can these be used to wrap zongzi?”

Ye Fan asked, “Didn’t you eat zongzi for the Dragon Boat Festival?”

Yu Wentao shook her head. “I couldn’t buy glutinous rice.” Thinking back on that day, she couldn’t help but laugh. “My brother sent me a whole bundle of reed leaves. He said, ‘A bundle for Da Bao’s uncle’s family, a bundle for your mom, another for Aunt Qin, and for your aunt and uncle, so no one has to buy any.’ But in the end, we completely forgot to buy the glutinous rice.”

She glanced toward the living room, keeping an eye out in case Tao Chunlan suddenly appeared. “Your mom doesn’t know how to wrap them, but she still insists she does. Who used to wrap them in your house?”

Ye Fan subconsciously wanted to say “her mom”: “It sounds like my sister-in-law. Wouldn’t Chen Xiaohui know?”

Yu Wentao couldn’t be bothered with Chen Xiaohui, so she didn’t ask Tao Chunlan if she could do it: “Who knows? Do we have glutinous rice? Let’s make some and try.”

Ye Fan felt that the lotus leaves were too thin and might cook too soft. She agreed to her first, saying she’d buy glutinous rice and red dates in the afternoon, soak the rice before bed, and then ask her mother-in-law to make zongzi in the morning and steam them on a bamboo rack.

Yu Wentao made a few zongzi with brown sugar for Dabao and Erbao. The siblings happily ate them and asked their grandmother if they could stay a little longer.

The island was peaceful, with abundant seafood and moist air. Yu Wentao liked it here but was still more concerned about home.

At the end of August, Deputy Regiment Leader Niu returned, and Geng Zhiye was on leave. He bought two bags of local specialties for the two elders. Ye Fan said the lotus seeds weren’t ripe yet, so she would ask Su Duofu to bring them two bags when the lotus seeds were harvested.

When Geng Zhiye bought the tickets, he checked the dates, and the day they arrived in the capital happened to be the weekend.

The two of them arrived in the capital in the afternoon. In the morning, Geng Zhiqin received a telegram and then asked Chen Xiaohui to go with her to the station to meet them.

When Geng Zhiqin took her mother’s large handbag, she was startled: “How much stuff is there?”

Yu Wentao: “A lot, I guess. Your sister-in-law packed it. I thought your third brother carried it so easily that there wasn’t much.”

When they got home and opened the handbag, Geng Zhiqin finally understood why it was so heavy—everything inside was real, tangible items. She sighed: “When are we going to finish all this?”

Yu Wentao: “Your sister-in-law said if the relatives share some, there won’t be much left.”

Geng Zhiqin thought of her uncle and aunt. To confirm, she took everything out, and sure enough, there were no dried abalone or dried fish belly—those more expensive items. Everything in the bag was meant to help relatives.

Ye Fan didn’t buy abalone or fish belly for her mother either, but her bag was lighter than Yu Wentao’s because it contained a lot of dried seaweed and shrimp skins, and only one bundle of kelp. With the dried seaweed, cooking became easier, and Chen Xiaohui was very happy.

Dabao and Erbao were not happy.

On the day Yu Wentao and Tao Chunlan left, they left early, and Dabao and Erbao didn’t wake up until they reached the opposite shore. The siblings opened their eyes, saw each other, and were startled. They slid off the bed and shouted for their grandmother.

At home, there was only their mother. The siblings clung to Ye Fan’s arms and cried loudly, so much so that Liao Miaomiao, who had been about to go to the public restroom, came over to ask what was going on.

Ye Fan helplessly said, “My mom and my mother-in-law have gone back. It’s not like you won’t see them again.”

The siblings seemed not to hear and continued crying in her arms.

Liao Miaomiao gave Ye Fan a helpless look and then went to the restroom.

Ye Fan said, “If you keep crying, you’re not going back for the winter break.”

The crying abruptly stopped.

Ye Fan put the two kids on the chair: “Geng Dabao, Geng Erbao, have you forgotten that you both need to go to school today?”

Dabao hurriedly jumped down and ran outside. Erbao, not understanding, followed him. Dabao washed his face with water, and Erbao followed suit. Ye Fan brought a towel over: “Wipe your face first.” She filled a basin with water and washed their faces again. Once inside, she applied Meijiajing lotion and told them to go out and play while she cooked.

Dabao asked, “Mom, aren’t you practicing Tai Chi anymore?”

Ye Fan shook her head: “I need to do laundry. When your dad comes back in the afternoon, I’ll wash the clothes. If you want to practice, you can do it with your sister inside.”

Dabao didn’t like it inside because it was stuffy, and he was afraid others might notice he’d been crying, so he practiced with his sister in the yard. Dabao was very serious, while Erbao was just flailing around. Ye Fan didn’t expect her son to learn Russian, and Dabao didn’t expect his sister to do the movements perfectly.

When Liao Miaomiao came back from the restroom and saw the siblings practicing “cutting watermelons,” she immediately went home and told her dad.

Political Commissar Liao wanted to praise Dabao and Erbao for being well-behaved and playing by themselves. But when he saw Miaomiao mimicking the movements, he quickly ran outside, stood on tiptoe, and saw that Dabao was still practicing in the yard. He returned to the house and scolded his daughter: “That’s Tai Chi, not ‘cutting watermelons.’ You’re not even as good as Dabao.”

Zhuang Qiuyue asked, “Does Dabao know Tai Chi?”

Political Commissar Liao said, “The Ye family doesn’t lack resources, so it’s not surprising that their kids can do anything. They’ll definitely turn out well in the future.”

Zhuang Qiuyue shook her head: “I’ve been chatting with Dabao’s grandmother and maternal grandmother these past few days, and from what they said, they don’t want Dabao to join the army. But they also said it depends on what Dabao likes. In the future, he can just join any class. I didn’t expect the Geng and Ye families to raise their kids like this.”

Liao Miaomiao, envious, asked, “Isn’t that a good thing?”

Political Commissar Liao replied, “Dabao and Erbao’s parents both work, and their grandparents have pensions. Dabao and Erbao don’t have to do anything but still have money to spend. Can you do that?”

Liao Miaomiao laughed, “I haven’t said that your salary is higher than Uncle Geng’s, and my mom doesn’t work. And you’re still mocking me? You and my mom are more capable than Uncle Geng and Aunt Ye, so I can do it too!”

Political Commissar Liao was at a loss for words, so angry he shouted at her, “What nonsense!”

“Go reflect on it,” Liao Miaomiao said, running out to learn Tai Chi with Dabao next door.

Dabao pointed at himself, looking up at the much taller older sister: “Learn from me?”