RIRW – Chapter 1

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“Let me tell you, this is just asking for trouble! Why not cut ties with that family? Why let the child suffer like this?”

Zuo Dan was abruptly awakened by a booming, energetic voice.

She instinctively touched her throbbing head and, sure enough, felt the rough bandages wrapped around her forehead. The material was coarse and uncomfortable against her skin.

This was her punishment for being too rash. Just because she hurried down the stairs to pick up a package, she had fallen badly. She could still vividly recall the excruciating pain that shot through her forehead when she hit the ground.

Thankfully, someone found her and brought her to the hospital; otherwise, she might have bled out.

As she was feeling grateful, she suddenly heard someone sobbing beside her.

“It’s all my fault. Mom is so sorry.”

The voice was hoarse and filled with sorrow, making it hard to listen to. But that wasn’t the point. The point was that Zuo Dan didn’t have a “mom” in her life!

Shocked, Zuo Dan opened her eyes wide and was met with a weathered, careworn face. The woman’s features were kind and gentle, radiating warmth.

Gentle or not, Zuo Dan had no idea who this person was!

What terrified her even more was that behind the woman was a dirt wall with a small window covered by a torn burlap curtain. The only light in the room came through that tiny window.

This wasn’t a hospital. It looked more like the home of someone living in abject poverty in the mountains.

Her heart skipped a beat. This had to be a dream—she must be dreaming!

Pain shot through her head again, and before she could process anything further, Zuo Dan’s vision went dark, and she lost consciousness once more.

Three days later

In the main room of the old Zuo family house, Zuo Dan was bent over, staring at several yellowed sheets of paper pasted on the wall.

The papers listed many names and numbers:

“Eldest son, September 1st, full day in the fields, 10 work points. Second son, September 1st, full day in the fields, 10 work points. Third daughter, September 2nd, half day in the fields, 3 work points…”

The rows of numbers went up to September 5th—today’s date.

In the top-left corner was the year “1974.” Seeing this made Zuo Dan’s head throb again.

She really had traveled back to September 1974!

When she realized she hadn’t been kidnapped but had actually gone back in time to 1974, Zuo Dan didn’t know whether to feel relieved or cry.

In the 21st century, even though she was an orphan, she had grown up in the suburbs with her grandmother. Her grandmother grew plenty of fruits and vegetables, which not only fed them but also brought in some income. She had never experienced hardship. After her grandmother passed away, she inherited both a suburban house and an apartment in the city center. With no worries about housing, all she had to do was earn enough to support herself, making her life blissfully easy.

Her life had been going so well—why had fate thrown her back into the 1970s?

Her grandmother had often told her about life in the past. While the 1970s were better than the harsh 1960s, they were still far from comfortable.

At this point, the country hadn’t yet implemented economic reforms, and resources were scarce nationwide. While people wouldn’t starve to death, simply eating enough was a challenge.

And now, she found herself in a poor, remote village. One could only imagine how hard life here was.

To make matters worse, she didn’t know where the original owner of this body had gone, leaving her to deal with the mess of owing someone a life debt.

“Dandan’s not even fully recovered, and now she’s in this state.”

Zuo Dan straightened up and turned to see a long-faced middle-aged woman walk in. This was Xu Fengxia, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zuo family.

“Auntie” Zuo Dan stammered, awkwardly addressing her.

Xu Fengxia’s face broke into a smile as she circled around Zuo Dan, inspecting her closely. Clicking her tongue, she said, “How did you end up like this? Such a fine young girl—what if your face gets scarred? And your mom, she’s too heartless, making you deliver things to that family. It’s like she’s setting you up for disaster!”

As she spoke, she sighed, looking as if she deeply sympathized with the situation.

Zuo Dan’s brow twitched slightly.

Thanks to inheriting the original owner’s memories, Zuo Dan fully understood the backstory behind what Xu Fengxia, her aunt, was talking about.

The original Zuo Dan’s mother, Li Hui, was considered, in the language of the era, a “heinous bourgeois element.” The Li family had once been a modest scholarly household in the provincial capital. Though not particularly influential, they still suffered significant setbacks during the political turmoil.

At that time, Zuo Dan’s father, Zuo Dacheng, was apprenticing as a carpenter in the provincial capital. By chance, he met Li Hui, and for reasons unknown, the two eventually married.

The union was approved by both the Zuo and Li families.

The Zuo family received some material benefits from the marriage, while the Li family used the connection to the Zuo family to somewhat “cleanse” their reputation.

However, the good times didn’t last long. When the mass political campaigns began, the situation grew more severe. The Li family elders and Li Hui’s uncle were all sent to labor farms. The Zuo family, by association with the bourgeois Li family, also faced repercussions—Zuo Dan’s uncle even lost his position as the production team leader.

Zuo Dacheng, being a loyal and compassionate man, refused to divorce Li Hui. He even secretly saved portions of his rations to send to the Li family members laboring at the farm.

Recently, word came from the Li family that the elder Li had fallen ill and needed medicine. Upon hearing this, Li Hui was anxious. But Zuo Dacheng was assigned to a farmland construction project, and Li Hui herself was busy with her workload under the “responsibility system.” With no other choice, she sent Zuo Dan to secretly deliver the medicine to the farm.

The original Zuo Dan managed to deliver the medicine but encountered a large wolfhound on her way back. Panicked, she ran in the wrong direction and fell into a ditch, getting injured.

From Zuo Dan’s perspective, it was simply an accident. Who could predict such an incident? While Li Hui bore some responsibility, it was far from the malicious neglect Xu Fengxia implied, claiming that Li Hui endangered her child on purpose.

Clearly, Xu Fengxia’s comments were meant to sow discord between Li Hui and her daughter.

Zuo Dan smiled faintly. “Aunt, what are you saying? How could my mom intentionally harm me? It’s all because of that damned dog!”

Hearing this, Xu Fengxia froze for a moment, her expression darkening slightly. She had a nagging feeling that Zuo Dan’s mention of “that damned dog” carried another layer of meaning.

“Oh, Dandan, you’re just too kind. If it were your cousin Huanjie, she’d be making a fuss about it. What kind of daughter gets treated like this? Look at how much your uncle and I dote on Huanjie. Your parents really don’t appreciate their blessings.”

Huanjie, full name Zuo Huan, was Xu Fengxia’s youngest daughter—a girl with big, striking eyes who was very likable. She was also the apple of Xu Fengxia’s eye.

Zuo Dan smiled. “I can’t compare to Sister Qingqing. She’s so sensible and well-behaved.”

Xu Fengxia’s smile faltered, and her expression grew sour.

Seeing her reaction, Zuo Dan felt inwardly amused. Zuo Qing, Xu Fengxia’s eldest daughter, was already 21 years old. Her plain and honest appearance didn’t win favor with Xu Fengxia and her husband. Despite working harder than Zuo Dan around the house, Zuo Qing’s treatment was far worse.

Xu Fengxia hadn’t expected her usually passive and quiet second niece to be so impervious to manipulation. Her frustration grew, and she pursed her lips. “You seem to have recovered well enough. This afternoon, you should head to the fields to work. You’re a grown girl now; it’s time you started pulling your weight.”

With that, she swayed her hips and left.

Watching her leave, Zuo Dan smirked slightly.

Such blatant attempts to stir up trouble—who would believe them?

As for why Xu Fengxia was trying to create conflict, Zuo Dan understood. Her uncle, Zuo Hongjun, had previously been the production team leader but lost the position due to the Li family’s political baggage. Xu Fengxia and her husband had held a grudge ever since, taking every opportunity to make life difficult for Li Hui and her husband.

In reality, Li Hui and Zuo Dacheng had been doing everything they could to make amends, taking on extra chores around the house. Meanwhile, Xu Fengxia had more free time during fieldwork and used it for petty schemes like this one.

Sigh. Such a poor and difficult living environment, filled with grievances and rivalries.

How was she supposed to live like this?

Feeling a bit despondent, Zuo Dan let out a sigh.

By noon, when the sun was at its peak, the Zuo family members finally returned from the fields.

During the busy farming season, the team implemented the responsibility system, assigning tasks to individuals. Unlike during slower times, there was no room for slacking off. When the family returned, they were all utterly exhausted.

Zuo Dan stepped out of the main room upon hearing the commotion and saw Li Hui helping Zuo Dacheng wipe his face. Their movements were coordinated, a clear sign of the harmonious relationship between the couple.

When Li Hui noticed Zuo Dan, guilt flashed in her eyes. She seemed to want to say something but hesitated after glancing at Grandma Zuo, who was untying a key from her waistband. Due to Li Hui’s “problematic background,” the old woman wasn’t keen on her being too close to the children.

Grandma Zuo handed the key to Xu Fengxia, who had also come out of the house.

“Everyone’s tired these past few days. Steam some pumpkin for lunch—it’s filling.”

Xu Fengxia took the key, grinning ear to ear. She wasn’t fond of fieldwork, but she loved kitchen duty. Cooking meant she could sneak a few bites here and there, and she always managed to eat an extra half-bowl of rice at meals. If the old woman didn’t keep the kitchen key, Xu Fengxia would’ve been cooking every day to eat more whenever no one was watching.

Watching Xu Fengxia’s cheerful expression, Zuo Dan smiled as well. “Aunt, let me help you in the kitchen.”