RIRW – Chapter 108

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Outside the restaurant, Liu Lili was also speaking briefly with Shen Yiming. She was actually quite afraid of him, but there were some things she had to say.

“Shen Yiming, Li Hongbing might be coming back. She didn’t come home for the New Year, and only after Li Jianghe contacted her did he find out that she had gone to Shanwo Village. He was really angry about that, and as soon as the year started, he began working on getting her back. As long as there’s a position available here, they can bring her back. You know how she feels about you. Now that you’re in a relationship with Comrade Zuo Dan, if she comes back, she might cause trouble for the two of you.”

“You’re worried she’ll come back and cause trouble for you, aren’t you?” Shen Yiming said bluntly.

Liu Lili’s expression shifted slightly. “That is part of it, yes. So I think we can help each other out. I’m not married to Li Jianghe yet. I’m thinking of waiting until after I marry him and secure my position, and then have Li Hongbing brought back.”

Shen Yiming shook his head. “I’m not getting involved in your business with Li Jianghe. As for Li Hongbing, I’ll think about it. But let me give you a word of advice—you’d better prepare for both outcomes with Li Jianghe. Since you’re close to him now, make sure you hold on tightly to whatever leverage you can. I’m going in to eat. When you get something useful, come find me.”

With that, Shen Yiming went straight into the restaurant.

Only after he left did Liu Lili let out a breath and follow him in.

Liu Lili’s mother saw her come in and asked, “Who was that? What’s your relationship with him? Lili, I don’t approve of you getting involved with that cadre. He doesn’t seem like a good man. Think this through carefully. That young man looks quite decent.”

“Mom, don’t talk nonsense. I’ve got nothing going on with him. We just used to go to the countryside together. We just happened to bump into each other and exchanged greetings. Please don’t meddle in my affairs—I know what I’m doing.”

“Fine, it’s just that we’re such a burden to you,” Liu Lili’s mother sighed.

Meanwhile, inside, Shen Yiming had already entered the room. Zuo Dan didn’t rush to ask him what had happened. Since she didn’t ask, even though Song Gang was itching with curiosity, he didn’t dare say anything either. What if that woman had said something important, and it created a rift between Shen Yiming and Zuo Dan?

The whole family enjoyed a warm, lively meal. After eating, on the way home together, Song Gang slung an arm over Shen Yiming’s shoulder and whispered to him.

“Did you read that book?” Song Gang grinned mischievously.

“What’s there to read? I’m not interested. I’ll wait until the wedding,” Shen Yiming replied, looking straight ahead as if nothing happened.

Song Gang rolled his eyes. All his concern for Shen Yiming was wasted! He had even offered up his personal treasure, and the guy still wasn’t moved. Useless!

Feeling disappointed in Shen Yiming, Song Gang didn’t even want to talk anymore. After they got home, he said goodbye to their grandmother and left in a huff.

Once Song Gang left, Grandma went to take a nap. Zuo Dan sneakily pulled Shen Yiming into the bedroom to whisper.

“Comrade Shen Yiming, you better come clean. What did Liu Lili say to you? I’m warning you—you’re mine now, so don’t try hiding anything!”

Shen Yiming ruffled her hair. “Nothing much. She’s just worried that Li Hongbing will come back and wanted my help.”

“Li Hongbing is coming back to the provincial capital?” Zuo Dan perked up. She knew how fierce Li Hongbing was—that woman wouldn’t stop fighting until the last moment.

She thought for a moment and asked, “So, are you planning to help her?”

“What do you think?” Shen Yiming sat on the bed and stared at the wedding photo on the table. The longer he looked, the more he liked it.

Zuo Dan sat down next to him. “You with your sneaky little schemes—like you’d help anyone without an agenda.”

“You know me so well, Zuo Dan.” Shen Yiming grinned and pulled her into a kiss. His eyes were full of joy—after all, she was his wife now.

Seeing the fire in his eyes reignite, Zuo Dan quickly said, “Shen Yiming! I’m still not feeling well. Take it easy!”

At those words, the fire in Shen Yiming’s eyes immediately died down. He simply wrapped his arms around her and lay down beside her. “Alright, I’ll just hold you.”

Zuo Dan couldn’t stand this soft side of him. She gave in, “Okay, okay, you can hold me. But tell me what you’re planning. Are you just going to ignore it, or are you going to do something?”

“Do you remember what I told you before? I’ve had a feeling that big changes are coming. Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been hearing things from the military district. A lot of people aren’t happy with the current state of things. If change does come, someone like Li Jianghe is bound to take a big fall. Whether Li Hongbing comes back or not doesn’t affect me much. But the conflict between her and us isn’t small, so I need to make sure Li Jianghe doesn’t get a chance to turn things around—I have to take him down in one hit.”

Zuo Dan’s expression turned serious too. “Can Liu Lili help you?”

Shen Yiming was pleased with how quickly Zuo Dan grasped the point. He kissed her on the cheek. “Li Hongbing’s return is inevitable. Liu Lili’s been burned before—there’s no way she’ll pin her hopes on a man. She’s not helping me; she’s helping herself. Only by holding evidence of Li Jianghe’s crimes will she have the upper hand in the future.”

Zuo Dan kissed him back. “Xiao Shen, how are you so smart? I need to go back and stir the pot on Li Hongbing’s side—make her act up more. That way, Liu Lili will be forced to go all in.”

“No rush, let’s sleep first,” Shen Yiming said with a smile, eyes half closed.

Zuo Dan frowned. “I can’t sleep.”

“Then let’s study together?” Shen Yiming offered.

“Forget it, I’m really sleepy.” Zuo Dan immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, closed her eyes, and went to sleep.

She had intended to just pretend to sleep, but ended up napping all the way until dinner. When she came out of the room, Shen Yiming had already made the meal and was just about to call her.

“Eat first before sleeping again—you can’t go hungry,” Grandma said with a smile.

Zuo Dan immediately buried her head into her food.

While they ate, Grandma reminded the two of them to go buy wedding supplies sometime soon.

Zuo Dan said, “Grandma, this is already enough. There’s nothing we lack at home. Just buying some candies and such should be fine.”

“How can you not buy anything? When you get married, some items are supplied and even cheaper than usual. Buying them is worth it, even if they just sit at home.”

The moment she heard it would be cheaper, Zuo Dan immediately said, “Then we better go buy them.” A good deal was always worth grabbing.

“Oh, right, Grandma. I plan to head back to Zuo Village tomorrow after we finish buying everything. There’s still a lot of work waiting for me there. The elementary school is probably about to start classes, and there’s a pile of things to handle.”

Grandma glanced at Shen Yiming, then smiled and said, “Alright, Dandan, don’t worry. Just focus on your work.”

Shen Yiming quietly ate his food without saying a word.

After dinner, Shen Yiming started boiling water again. He cleaned himself up and then let Zuo Dan bathe as well.

After her bath, Zuo Dan looked at him and said, “Shen Yiming, I really don’t feel well.”

Shen Yiming nodded. “I won’t do anything, I just want to chat and sleep together,” he said, looking rather pitiful.

Thinking about how he didn’t try anything in the afternoon, Zuo Dan nodded. “Just chatting.”

So the two of them lay in bed under the blanket.

Shen Yiming scooted over and hugged her. “In the past, my biggest wish every day was to wake up and see you the moment I opened my eyes. This morning, when I opened my eyes and saw you there, I was really happy. I thought I was dreaming.”

In the darkness, Zuo Dan curled her lips into a smile. “Now you know you can’t live without me, huh? You’d better listen to me and treat me well. Otherwise, I’ll leave you all alone in that big bed.”

“Mhm, I’ll be good to you,” Shen Yiming responded obediently, then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

Zuo Dan said, “Shen Yiming, are you getting restless again?”

Shen Yiming cupped her face. “I’m just kissing you—just like before.” Then he continued kissing her. “You’re leaving in a couple of days, and thinking about it makes me sad.”

“…Fine, fine, kiss away.” Zuo Dan generously gave in.

“Dandan, you’re so good.”

…

“Shen Yiming, where do you think your hand is going?”

“Just like before… you used to like it too, didn’t you?”

“……”

“…Dandan, are you still feeling unwell…?”

“…Mmm… doesn’t seem that bad now…”

The next morning, Zuo Dan walked out of the room blushing and with a racing heart. She and Shen Yiming kept their heads down while eating breakfast, then quickly left the house.

Once on the bus, Zuo Dan pinched Shen Yiming’s waist hard, then buried her face in his back, worried someone might see her flushed face.

Shen Yiming grinned happily, one hand holding hers. “Dandan, once you’ve handed over your work at the team, come here and start studying. If college entrance exams don’t resume, then just go to the Workers’ and Peasants’ University. I hope you’ll come to the provincial capital and stay by my side.”

“I’ll think about it,” Zuo Dan mumbled.

Shen Yiming smiled. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

When they got to the department store, Zuo Dan took out their marriage certificate and followed Shen Yiming up and down the floors, buying a pile of things. Seeing the little red stamp on the certificate that read “Quilt Coupon Issued,” she felt that she absolutely had to keep this certificate safe—to show their kids one day just how poor their parents were when they got married, and how tough the times were.

Once they brought everything home, Grandma packed it all neatly into the cabinets to be used for the wedding. Other materials were prepared as gifts for the Zuo family, and Zuo Dan would take those back with her.

That night, since they knew Zuo Dan had to take the bus the next day, the two of them behaved and went to sleep early. Shen Yiming held her tightly, thinking that once the wedding was done, they would never have to be apart again.

The next morning after breakfast, they rested a bit at home. Then Shen Yiming took Zuo Dan to the station. When they got there, neither wanted to part.

“Song Gang’s wedding is on May 1st. Are you coming?” Shen Yiming asked, tugging on her braid.

“Yeah.” Zuo Dan nodded.

“Alright, then I’ll come pick you up,” Shen Yiming said happily.

“I can come by myself. It’s not like I don’t know the way,” Zuo Dan replied.

“I’m going home to see my parents,” Shen Yiming added.

“……”

As the bus was about to leave, Zuo Dan stopped talking and quickly ran on board. She waved to him through the window.

Seeing Shen Yiming’s lonely and pitiful expression, Zuo Dan thought for a moment, then smiled and pointed to her chest, then to him, and finally made a heart shape with her fingers through the window.

Shen Yiming was stunned for a second, then his face lit up with joy. He clumsily copied her motions and made a heart shape back.

As the bus drove off, Shen Yiming chased after it for a few steps before stopping. He stood there, touching his chest gently.

_{I am loving this couple and their love story. But where’s the space?}