RIRW – Chapter 114

Some Chapters are password protected, please use - rirw2025c to unlock these chapters. This is to top theft of translations.

Zuo Dan knew Shen Yiming was busy, so she hadn’t called him. Since he hadn’t called her either, she counted the days and realized it had been quite a few without any contact.

She couldn’t help but miss him a little.

But then she thought, in a few days she’d be going to the city to attend Song Gang’s wedding, and she’d see him there anyway—so she felt a bit more at ease.

After dinner that evening, Zuo Dacheng was in the room reading with Li Hui. Ever since he became the team leader, Zuo Dacheng felt his level of knowledge wasn’t up to par, so he asked Li Hui to teach him in the evenings while she prepared her lessons. Every night after dinner, the two of them sat close—one holding a textbook, the other with pen and paper—mumbling, scribbling, reading together. Every now and then they’d exchange shy, bashful glances.

Zuo Dan found the couple sickeningly sweet. After taking a metaphorical spoonful of their “dog food,” she went out to the yard to water the fruit trees. Judging by their size, she estimated the big fruit trees at home might bear fruit this year.

That thought excited her.

As she was watering, a small figure popped up by the gate. “Sister Dandan, Great Grandma has something to talk to you about.” It was Zuo Xiaohu, the little grandson from Zuo Shuisheng’s family.

Hearing that, Zuo Dan put down the ladle and walked over. “Did Great Grandma say what it’s about?”

“Nope. Just said to tell you to come. I think it’s about Brother Yiming. You’ll know when you go. I’m leaving now!” Zuo Xiaohu darted off like a puff of smoke.

Zuo Dan thought for a moment and decided to head out. She figured Great Grandma probably wanted to ask about Uncle Dongshan, so she might as well go. Nowadays, every household had some form of lighting—it wasn’t pitch black at night like before—so she wasn’t afraid.

Just as she reached the corner of her yard, a figure emerged and pulled her into an embrace.

“Who is it? Let go! Help—mmph—” Before she could cry out, someone covered her mouth. She was just about to use her self-defense move when a familiar voice stopped her.

“It’s me.”

Zuo Dan froze, and immediately recognized the familiar embrace. She turned her head—and sure enough, it was that rascal Shen Yiming.

Shen Yiming let go of her, grinning, “My bad. I wanted to surprise you, but it turned into a scare.”

He had just returned to the village and really wanted to hug Zuo Dan. But he figured if he went straight into the house, he’d be stuck talking with his father-in-law for ages and might not get the chance, so he had one of the local kids call Dandan out for him.

“You didn’t scare me. I just thought you were being a creep and reacted accordingly.” Zuo Dan absolutely refused to admit she was scared.

Shen Yiming nodded with a smile, “Right, you’re the bravest. You were about to throw me over your shoulder, weren’t you? I think if I hadn’t spoken up, I’d be lying on the ground by now.”

Zuo Dan smirked, “At least you’re alert.” Then she realized—wait, that’s not the point. She looked at him suddenly, “Why are you back? Weren’t you supposed to come in a few days? And you didn’t even tell me in advance.”

“I wanted to surprise you.” Shen Yiming wrapped his arms around her, resting his face in the crook of her neck. “Didn’t expect that you wouldn’t be surprised—I ended up surprised instead. Seeing you makes me really happy.”

Zuo Dan actually liked hearing that. She patted his back, “Good boy. Listen to me, I’ll let you look as much as you want.”

Shen Yiming looked up eagerly, “Really?” His eyes sparkled with excitement. Zuo Dan instantly wanted to slap herself—how could she forget this guy never had a proper thought in his head?

She quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him home. “Shen Yiming, you haven’t eaten yet, right? Let’s go home so you can eat. I’ll go see Great Grandma afterward, she’s looking for me.”

“No need, I was the one who told Xiaohu to call you out,” Shen Yiming tugged her braid.

“…!” Zuo Dan pinched him right away.

Even though he didn’t get a kiss or anything, that hug was enough to satisfy Shen Yiming for now. Content, he followed Zuo Dan into the house.

“Mom, Dad, Shen Yiming’s back!”

Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui were still studying. Hearing her voice, they came out of the room in surprise.

Seeing that it really was Shen Yiming, both of them were overjoyed.

Zuo Dacheng patted his shoulder enthusiastically and invited him in, “Come on in and rest. You came back without a word—we could’ve gone to pick you up!”

Li Hui hurried out of the house, “I’ll go make something for Yiming to eat.”

“Mom, don’t bother, I’m not hungry,” Shen Yiming said with a smile.

Li Hui replied, “How can you not be hungry? Talk with your dad for a bit, I’ll be quick.” And she hurried out the door.

Meanwhile, Zuo Dacheng pulled his son-in-law aside and started chatting—about work, studies, politics—everything under the sun.

Zuo Dan sat to the side, resting her chin in her hand, watching the two chat.

After a while, Shen Yiming said, “Uncle Dacheng, don’t let the educated youth go back to the city for now. Have them stay here in the village, and try not to let them leave. Best to keep it that way for the next few months.”

Zuo Dacheng was puzzled. “Why?”

“There’s unrest. I was just in the capital—some people are stirring up trouble. It could turn out to be good, or it could be bad. It’s hard to say. But it’s best not to let the educated youth return to the city for now.”

The moment Zuo Dacheng heard about unrest, he felt uneasy. But then he thought, in a small place like theirs, it probably wouldn’t have much impact. Still, since Yiming had brought it up, he made a mental note—not to casually issue any permits for those kids to go back to the city in the future.

Zuo Dan found the conversation quite interesting. She blamed herself a little for never studying history—she wasn’t very clear on the specifics, only knowing that there had been a few incidents toward the end of that era.

While they were still chatting, Li Hui came over with a bowl of noodles.

These noodles were made from refined grains, something they usually didn’t dare to eat unless it was a special occasion. But now that the family’s situation had improved, and Zuo Chengcai often sent money and goods, they could afford to enjoy such meals from time to time. Li Hui, who doted on her son-in-law, had not only made the noodles but also added a poached egg on top.

After placing the bowl on the table, Li Hui returned to her room to prepare lessons—she had classes the next day and couldn’t afford to fall behind. Seeing that Shen Yiming was eating, Zuo Dacheng didn’t interrupt him either, and quietly went back to his own studies.

Once the two had left, Zuo Dan licked her lips and said, “Shen Yiming, my mom really loves you.”

Shen Yiming picked up the poached egg, held the bowl out, and brought it to her mouth.

Zuo Dan’s eyes curved with a smile, and she took a bite. She ate it with relish.

Shen Yiming smiled and asked, “Want more?”

“Nope,” Zuo Dan shook her head. She had already eaten earlier—she was just playing around with Shen Yiming.

Only then did Shen Yiming pop the remaining half of the egg into his own mouth.

Just as he finished the noodles, Zuo Dacheng came out to boil water for the family’s night-time wash before bed.

Meanwhile, in the room, Li Hui was troubled over how to arrange the sleeping situation. Her daughter and Shen Yiming were legally married now, but since they hadn’t yet held the wedding banquet and informed the extended family, it still felt a little improper. She wasn’t sure whether they should sleep in the same room or not.

Fortunately, before she even had to say anything, Shen Yiming had already moved his luggage into Zuo Cong’s room. Li Hui was instantly relieved and felt that her son-in-law was truly considerate and well-behaved. With that, she finished washing up and went to bed.

Zuo Dan, on the other hand, looked over at the telephone in the living room. In the past, whenever Shen Yiming visited, he’d always bring the phone into the room so they could talk late into the night. But this time, he hadn’t done that—probably too tired from the long day of traveling.

Just as she was about to go to bed, Shen Yiming brought her some hot water.

Then he leaned in and whispered, “Leave the door open for me.”

Zuo Dan’s face instantly flushed with heat. She quickly carried the bucket of hot water into her room.

As she washed up and got ready for bed, she began to hesitate—should she really leave the door open for that rascal Shen Yiming? Logically, it didn’t seem very proper… But emotionally, this was her legally wedded husband, and he had traveled all this way to see her. If she turned him away, wouldn’t that be too cold-hearted?

So Zuo Dan decided to be a woman of affection and loyalty. She left the door slightly ajar and lay down under the covers.

As seconds ticked by, her heart thumped in her chest. She had no idea what time it was—probably quite late by now. She wondered if Shen Yiming had fallen asleep in the next room. Finally, she just pulled the blanket over her head and decided to sleep!

Suddenly, the door creaked softly as it was pushed open. Just as Zuo Dan turned over to look, she saw Shen Yiming sneak in like a thief in the moonlight, then quietly lock the door behind him.

“Shen Yiming, you really came?” she asked, voice slightly nervous.

“Shhh—” Shen Yiming carefully climbed into the bed and wrapped her in his arms with a soft sigh.

He finally felt whole.

When he was alone before, he always felt like something was missing. And now he knew—it was Zuo Dan.

They held each other quietly for a while before Shen Yiming whispered, “I kind of regret it… We shouldn’t have scheduled the wedding for October. I should’ve brought you home sooner.”

Zuo Dan chuckled, “If you hadn’t set it for October, I wouldn’t have agreed to register our marriage so early. Besides, it’s okay to have the wedding later. I want to spend more time with my parents. Once I move to your place, I won’t get to see them much. Now that Xiao Cong’s not home either, if I leave too, they’ll be all alone.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Shen Yiming sighed. “I just hate being apart from you.”

He sounded a little pitiful. Zuo Dan leaned over and gave him a kiss. She had intended it as a simple goodnight kiss, but Shen Yiming got bolder, pulling her in for a passionate response.

They had already shared intimacy before. As the kiss deepened, hands started wandering…

Zuo Dan realized Shen Yiming had an alarming aptitude for learning—from clueless beginner to someone who now moved with the ease of an expert…

Soon, the bed began to creak gently. Clinging to his neck, Zuo Dan gasped softly, “…Keep it down…”

“Mmm… Mom and Dad are across the hall. They can’t hear us…” Shen Yiming murmured, then bent to kiss her again.

The next morning, Zuo Dan awoke to the sound of Shen Yiming chatting with Zuo Dacheng outside.

She looked down at her neatly dressed body and the dry, clean feeling on her skin, momentarily confused. If it weren’t for the soreness in her body and a few unmistakable marks, she might’ve thought the whole night was just a dream.

“Dandan, come out for breakfast!”

Li Hui’s voice rang out from outside.

Zuo Dan quickly got up, changed clothes, and headed out. By the time she came out, breakfast was already on the table. Li Hui said, “Now that Yiming is here, you should also start getting up earlier. Your dad and I will be busy soon—we can’t just leave Yiming at home all by himself.”

Shen Yiming chimed in, “Mom, let Dandan rest. There’s nothing urgent at home anyway. Girls need more rest. People in the provincial capital usually get up late.”

Zuo Dan widened her eyes at him in mock warning.

Shen Yiming curled his lips into a smug, satisfied smile.

Li Hui and Zuo Dacheng exchanged amused glances but didn’t say anything. Young people nowadays were much livelier than they had been in their youth.

After breakfast, Li Hui and Zuo Dacheng went off to work. Shen Yiming headed over to the village to chat with Guo Datao. It turned out that some other families in the production team also wanted to dig wells, so Guo Datao and the others had been delayed a few more days. They’d be heading back soon.

Guo Datao was quite happy to see Shen Yiming at the village. They chatted for a while, and after Shen Yiming shared some news about the capital, Guo Datao said they would probably return to the provincial capital the next day.

When Shen Yiming returned to the Zuo household, Zuo Dan was reading. Upon seeing him, she patted the small bench beside her.

“How’s your reading going?” Shen Yiming leaned over and asked.

Zuo Dan replied with confidence, “I’m planning to read these books over and over again until I can recite them backward. Comrade Yiming, if I take the college entrance exam in the future, I swear I’ll rank higher than you.”

Shen Yiming nodded. “Alright, I’m happy to let you be on top.”

Zuo Dan was just about to laugh when she realized something was off about that line. She pinched Shen Yiming hard.

Shen Yiming looked innocent. “What did I say wrong?”

“I just don’t like the look of you!”

They read together for a while, then Zuo Dan closed the book and leaned against Shen Yiming to rest. “Are we going back to the provincial capital tomorrow?”

“The day after tomorrow,” Shen Yiming replied. “Tomorrow I want to go with you to the farm to visit your grandparents.”

Zuo Dan looked up at him. “Why do you suddenly want to go to the farm?”

“I got hold of some documents from Liu Lili. Some of them mention the Li family, and it matches Mom’s background. I think they might really be your grandparents. I was pretty moved reading it. They’ve had a tough life. I want to see them.”

Zuo Dan patted his shoulder. “Comrade Yiming, I didn’t expect you to be so sentimental. But I don’t think Mom will let you go. She’s really worried you’ll get dragged into things.”

Shen Yiming smiled. “Still, they’re family elders. Now that you and I are so close, I can’t just ignore them completely. That’d make it look like I don’t take you seriously.”

Zuo Dan narrowed her eyes and studied him. “Little Comrade Shen, be honest. You’re not the sentimental type. I praised you, and you actually believed it, huh?”

Shen Yiming felt that finding such a sharp-minded partner wasn’t easy—and he was quite pleased about it. He smiled and planted a kiss on her cheek.

Zuo Dan shoved him away. “It’s broad daylight! Come on, what’s the real reason? Don’t tell me you’re going there to ‘light a cold stove’?”

“What are you thinking? I just want to observe life on the farm and get to know those people more closely.”

“And then?”

Shen Yiming pinched her nose playfully. “Comrade Zuo Dan, I’ll tell you more after we come back from the farm.”

Zuo Dan nodded repeatedly. “Alright, alright. As long as Mom agrees, we’ll go. Honestly, I kinda want to see the place too.”