RIRW – Chapter 117

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After the National Day holiday ended, Shen Yiming returned to work feeling slightly unsatisfied, as if he hadn’t had enough of the break.

As soon as Editor-in-Chief Wang arrived at the office, he happily called Shen Yiming into his office. Just as Shen Yiming stood up, Sister Chu tugged on his sleeve and whispered, “It’s probably good news. My husband Xiang Hua said the military district was very pleased with our National Day feature this time. Even the senior officers praised Editor-in-Chief Wang.”

“Thanks for the heads-up, Sister Chu,” Shen Yiming replied, now feeling more confident.

Inside the office, Editor-in-Chief Wang was indeed in a great mood. He had Shen Yiming sit down and even tried to pour him some tea. Shen Yiming quickly stepped forward to pour it himself.

Editor-in-Chief Wang smiled as he sat behind his desk. “Yiming, our newspaper did a great job this time. The leaders have all praised our work. You deserve a lot of credit.”

Shen Yiming replied with a smile, “That’s thanks to your leadership, Chief. And of course, the hard work and united efforts of all our colleagues. That’s how we achieved this result.”

“You’re always so modest,” Editor-in-Chief Wang chuckled and took a puff of his cigarette. “This time, when I was at the meeting in the military district, Old Wan from the propaganda department personally asked me for someone. He wants you to go over there and become a cadre. I told him I also have plans for you here. Sooner or later, you’re going to be promoted. Yiming, what are your thoughts?”

He looked at Shen Yiming as he finished speaking.

Shen Yiming didn’t hesitate. “The organization has trained me, and I will fully obey any arrangements it makes. But since I’m under your command, I naturally want to hear your opinion first.”

“Haha, then I’ll say it—we can’t let you go just like that. How about this—by the end of the year, I’ll give you more responsibilities. The capable should do more, after all. As long as you’re mentally prepared.”

“I’m always ready to accept the organization’s assessment,” Shen Yiming said firmly.

After he came out of the office, everyone pretty much knew that Shen Yiming was likely to be promoted. But no one had anything bad to say—after all, his performance had been evident to everyone. Even Li Wanshan, who came in with him but hadn’t shown much distinction, had already been promoted. Shen Yiming being promoted now was long overdue.

Everything is a matter of comparison—if Shen Yiming had been promoted first, people might have felt a bit resentful because of his youth.

But since Li Wanshan was promoted first and only now it’s Shen Yiming’s turn, people actually felt he had been wronged.

The folks in the office were all speculating about Shen Yiming’s promotion. But the person involved didn’t seem concerned at all.

He kept glancing at his watch from time to time. As soon as it hit the end of the workday, he got up and left the office, ready to head home.

Just as he reached the gate, Old Zhang called out to him and handed him a package.

“It’s that same lady who delivered it,” Old Zhang said in a low voice.

Shen Yiming took the package and quickly rode his bicycle home.

Once home, he saw Zuo Dan sitting in the yard reading a book. The sunlight poured down, making her look like she was glowing.

He smiled at first, then frowned and walked over, snatching the book from her hands. “Don’t read under the sun—it’s bad for your eyes.”

“You old housekeeper,” Zuo Dan teased and stood up. Noticing the package in his hand, she asked, “What’s that?”

“Liu Lili sent it.”

Hearing this, Zuo Dan tugged him into the house. “Come on, let’s take a look.”

From the kitchen, her grandmother called out, “Dinner is already on the table! Don’t mess around!”

Zuo Dan blushed. “Got it, Grandma!”

Once inside, Zuo Dan opened the package. It was wrapped in scrap materials again. Inside, there was even a letter.

After reading it together, their expressions darkened.

“This can’t be real, can it? Li Jianghe is getting promoted again?” Zuo Dan said in frustration. “And why is Li Hongbing helping Wei Guohua?”

The letter was from Liu Lili, informing Shen Yiming that Li Jianghe might be appointed head of the provincial revolutionary committee. She urged Shen Yiming to be more cautious. Also, there had been a falling out between Li Hongbing and Li Jianghe over Wei Guohua, and she was worried Li Jianghe might take out his anger on Shen Yiming.

Shen Yiming folded the letter and placed it along with the rest of the documents.

Then he asked, “Can you make anything out from all this?”

“There have been some changes within the Revolutionary Committee, and also, the struggle between Li Hongbing and Liu Lili is getting intense. Otherwise, she wouldn’t still be sending you information even after Li Jianghe’s promotion. What I don’t get is why Li Hongbing would turn against her own father for Wei Guohua,” Zuo Dan said.

Shen Yiming tapped her nose lightly. “Li Jianghe’s promotion might not necessarily be a bad thing. Last time, though the unrest in the capital was suppressed, voices of dissent have already begun surfacing across the country. Things aren’t like they used to be. Taking the top seat at a time like this might actually be more of a liability. But for us, it’s good news. With Li Jianghe as the head, anything he does that makes it into the newspapers will carry more weight.”

“Then why would Li Hongbing help Wei Guohua?”

“She came to me last time—looked like she was trying to stir up trouble for you and Dad. So I diverted her attention. I told her that my biggest issue with her was what Li Jianghe did to frame Wei Guohua.”

Zuo Dan gave him a once-over. “Didn’t expect that. Seems like she really has feelings for you.”

Shen Yiming smiled and kissed her lightly on the lips. “I already belong to you. Whatever feelings she has, that’s not my business.”

Zuo Dan was so pleased her figurative tail was almost wagging.

Regarding Li Jianghe, both Zuo Dan and Shen Yiming shared the same stance: avoid clashing with him directly unless provoked. If he didn’t stir trouble, they wouldn’t go out of their way to oppose him.

So, they sealed away the documents.

As the provincial capital gradually heated up, by early July, Zuo Dan started thinking about Zuo Cong’s graduation. She called home, and it was Zuo Cong who picked up.

“Big Sis, I’m now a teacher at our local elementary school. The commune assigned me the job!” Zuo Cong said excitedly.

“That’s wonderful! You’ll be with Mom from now on,” Zuo Dan said, happy for him.

Zuo Cong chuckled shyly, “Sis, when are you coming back? I was hoping to come home and see you, but Mom and Dad said you’re in the provincial capital now.”

“Yeah, I plan to return… once it cools down a bit,” Zuo Dan replied guiltily.

She had already planned to go back once summer hit, and she’d even mentioned it to Shen Yiming. But then one evening, Shen Yiming came back with two electric fans from who knows where.

Her grandma was too old to use one, so Zuo Dan got both aimed right at her.

That night, Shen Yiming wrapped his arms around her and said, “Nice and cool now, right? Revolutionary work is tough—can’t run away just because it gets hard. Comrade Zuo Dan, you need to have the will to overcome hardship.”

With the fans blowing on her, Zuo Dan felt like she could survive the whole summer here. By the time she returned, she’d probably stay for good and just wait to get married.

Not wanting to get into all that with Zuo Cong, she changed the topic and asked about home.

Zuo Cong said, “Third Uncle seems to be seeing someone… or so it looks. He’s always talking to some woman, and the whole village is talking about it. Oh, right! The farm contacted the house—seems something happened with Uncle Li Wenchang. Mom finished her classes today and is going over to check tomorrow. I’m going too, to see Grandpa and Grandma.”

Zuo Dan, still thinking about Third Uncle’s new romance, was startled by the news about Uncle Li Wenchang. “Did they say what happened?”

“He’s sick. Didn’t say what kind of illness, though.”

Zuo Dan frowned. Her cheap uncle had been healthy for years, and now just days after Su Xue arrived, he had fallen ill? That Comrade Su Xue was something else.

At the Dahuang Commune farm, Li Wenchang’s parents stood by his bedside, looking at his pale and frail figure, shaking their heads and sighing.

“Wenchang, why put yourself through this? Doing the work of two people and barely eating—no one can withstand that,” Grandmother Li said, sighing at his bedside.

Grandfather Li sat stern-faced, silent. He knew full well why his son had fallen ill. During the grain harvest—a time of physically demanding labor—under the scorching sun, his son had been running back and forth doing the work of two. On top of that, he still cooked his own meals when he returned home, and the food wasn’t even decent.

Grandfather Li had a stubborn personality and held fast to principles. As long as his son didn’t admit fault, he wouldn’t offer a single bite of food.

So Li Wenchang had been surviving on coarse sorghum for months.

Two months of that, added to years of accumulated strain on his body, and he finally collapsed.

What hurt Li’s parents most was that after he fell ill, even his own daughter hadn’t come to visit. She only showed up that first day to secretly ask about his condition. Upon learning he was sick, her expression changed slightly, but she said nothing about visiting and left immediately.

Grandfather Li had completely given up on his granddaughter.

A person should at least know how to be filial. If she could treat her own father like this, then no one else should expect any better.

Lying in bed, Li Wenchang murmured, “Dad, I’m Xiaoxue’s father. I need to make it up to her. She’s just a girl—she can’t handle the farm work alone. If I don’t step in, she’ll have no way to survive.”

“Then how come other families are doing just fine? Look at Old Lei’s family up front. Their child isn’t that much older either, yet still manages to do all the work properly,” Grandfather Li said angrily.

Grandmother Li chimed in as well, “Exactly, Wenchang, you need to be clearer in your thinking and not be so muddled. Children shouldn’t be spoiled like this. Back when our family was doing well, both you and Hui took care of yourselves. You didn’t rely on anyone. Look at Xiaoxue now—without you, she can’t even finish her tasks. She hasn’t earned a single work point.”

Li Wenchang protested, “If it were Xiaohui instead, you’d definitely be taking care of her like this too.”

“Xiaohui would never need us to take care of her like this. She’d be the one taking care of us,” Grandmother Li said immediately.

Grandfather Li added, “Don’t compare your daughter to Xiaohui. At least when something happened to us, Xiaohui came to check on us. Look at your daughter—she hasn’t even come to see you. Who are you getting sick for, huh?”

Li Wenchang’s heart sank. “She… maybe she doesn’t know.”

Hearing that he was still making excuses for Su Xue, the two elders said nothing more. They felt this son of theirs had been completely blinded by sentiment.

Grandfather Li and Grandmother Li were people who had lived through hardship and seen the fickleness of human nature. They despised nothing more than cold, indifferent family ties—and unfortunately, they knew very well that their granddaughter was exactly that kind of person.

Seeing the two elders fall silent, Li Wenchang thought he might’ve persuaded them, so he said, “Mom, do we have any food at home? Can you send some to Xiaoxue?”

“Absolutely not!” Grandfather Li exploded in anger. “I’m saying this here and now—not only are you not allowed to send her anything while we’re still here, even if one day we leave this place, she still isn’t allowed to eat a single grain from the Li family.”

She didn’t even visit when her own father collapsed from overwork—what kind of granddaughter was that? They’d rather not have her at all.

Li Wenchang was shocked. “Dad, that’s too heartless.”

Grandfather Li simply got up and went next door to chat with Old Liu. Grandmother Li sighed deeply and turned to clean up the house. Hui had said their grandson had graduated and come back to the village to teach. He was coming to visit tomorrow, so the place needed to be tidied up to have somewhere to sit.

On Zuo Dan’s side, she remained concerned about the farm’s situation. A couple of days later, she made another call home.

Li Hui didn’t even want to bring up the situation at the farm, but it was Zuo Cong who honestly explained everything.

Zuo Dan was speechless. Su Xue was really something—no matter where she went, she refused to work and always managed to find someone to support her.

She thought it was truly fortunate they’d sent Su Xue to the farm. Better for her to be a burden on her own father than on outsiders. But now that her father was sick, who else could she leech off of?

At the worker housing for the provincial slaughterhouse:

Guo Caiping received a letter from the postman. After glancing at it, her face turned cold, and she lit a match and burned the letter right there.

Her son, Su Xiaodao, came running in from outside. “Mom, was that a letter from my sister?”

Su Xiaodao was just eleven or twelve, but he looked honest and sturdy—much like his father, Su Yidao.

Guo Caiping smiled. “No.”

“Oh. If my sister needs money again, just tell me—I’ve saved up quite a bit of pocket money,” Su Xiaodao said with a shy smile. His mom had told him his sister was pitiful, having grown up without a father’s love, so he had to be good to her.

“No need for money. Go out and play.”

Guo Caiping smiled, but as soon as her son left, her face turned cold again.

Earlier, someone from the commune had come asking for 300 yuan, which had utterly embarrassed her. If it hadn’t been for Su Yidao agreeing to give it, she wouldn’t even want to deal with that girl anymore.

When she’d remarried with a child, she had taken care of the girl in the hope that the Li family might regain their former status, and she’d have a way back in. But now, with no hope in sight, the girl had brought her nothing but trouble. First the 300 yuan, now more demands for supplies. Did that girl really think she was part of the Su family?

As the weather gradually cooled, Zuo Dan began preparing to return to the village to await marriage. She’d stayed here for several months now and missed home quite a bit.

She had just mentioned it to her grandmother that morning when Shen Yiming came back from outside with a gloomy expression.

Both Zuo Dan and her grandmother looked at him curiously. Zuo Dan asked, “Why did you go out and come back so quickly?”

Shen Yiming’s eyes were red as he looked up at the sky. “The sun has set.”