RIRW – Chapter 127

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

The next day, the Zuo family—Zuo Dacheng, his wife, and Zuo Cong—came to the Shen household.

Li Hui seemed fine, but Zuo Dacheng and Zuo Cong appeared a bit uncomfortable. Zuo Dacheng felt awkward because it had been revealed he wasn’t Zuo Dan’s biological father, and he worried she might now see him as an outsider. Zuo Cong, on the other hand, was shaken by the fact that his biological sister didn’t actually share the same father—he was still trying to process it.

Seeing them like this, Zuo Dan figured they had already talked things out at the Li family’s place the day before.

She guessed they were still stuck over the whole situation.

Once Grandma and Li Hui went to the kitchen to cook, Zuo Cong and Zuo Dacheng looked even more uneasy. They just sat in their chairs without saying a word.

“Dad, Cong, are you guys not seeing me as family anymore?” Zuo Dan asked on purpose, pretending to be hurt.

“How could we not?” Zuo Dacheng reacted immediately, clearly emotional. “I’ve always seen you as my own daughter. I’ve never once thought of you as someone else’s child.”

Zuo Cong kept nodding. “Sister, no matter what, you’re my sister—my one and only real sister!”

Zuo Dan pouted. “Then why are you both acting like this? You’re treating me like a stranger. We used to be so close as a family. Now you won’t even talk.”

Zuo Dacheng replied awkwardly, “I was just worried… worried you wouldn’t feel close to me anymore…” When she hadn’t known the truth, he had no problem treating her like his own daughter. Now that she knew, he felt like his lie had been exposed.

“Dad, what kind of thing is that to say? Do you think I’m that kind of person? You raised me, cared for me. I’ve always called you Dad. No matter what, you’re my one and only dad—my closest dad.” Zuo Dan’s voice was full of emotion.

Zuo Dacheng’s eyes turned red. “Dandan, do you really see me as your real dad?”

Zuo Dan sat beside him and held his arm. “You are my real dad. We’re still the same as before. Seeing you two like this makes me upset.”

“Alright, alright—we’re still the same. Our family won’t change no matter what.” Zuo Dacheng was both relieved and happy. At last, he could let go of his fear that Dandan would reject him after learning the truth.

By the time Li Hui and Grandma finished cooking and everyone sat down to eat, the atmosphere finally returned to normal. Watching Zuo Dan and Zuo Dacheng interact just like before, Li Hui knew the child truly hadn’t taken it to heart. They were still a warm, loving family.

Holding back the sting in her nose, she sniffled and smiled. “Next year, let’s come to the provincial city again to spend New Year’s together.”

Grandma beamed. “Great! I love a lively household.”

Li Hui’s family stayed one night at the Shen household, then spent two more days at the Li household. They didn’t leave until the sixth day of the new year.

Shen Yiming also had to get ready to go back to work.

That night, as the couple lay in bed, Shen Yiming stared thoughtfully at Zuo Dan’s belly. He then leaned over and kissed it. Seeing that Zuo Dan remained calm and didn’t react badly, he finally wrapped his arms around her and lay down beside her.

“Shen Yiming, what are you doing?” Zuo Dan was deep in thought when Shen Yiming pulled her down beside him, and she wasn’t too pleased. The New Year was almost over, and she still had important things to take care of. Just as she started to struggle, she suddenly felt something poking her. Her body froze. “Shen… Shen Yiming… Even though it’s been three months, shouldn’t we still be careful?”

“I know,” Shen Yiming’s voice floated lazily from behind her. “I’m just cuddling.”

As he spoke, his hand reached around to the front to gently squeeze and caress her.

Zuo Dan didn’t dare move, afraid Shen Yiming would lose control. But in the end, it wasn’t him who lost it—she nearly went crazy. Shen Yiming left her so hot and bothered that her whole body felt uncomfortable. By the time he was finally done, she was the one left unsatisfied.

“Shen Yiming…” Zuo Dan turned over to look at him.

Shen Yiming, still panting, looked at her for a moment, then slipped under the covers.

……

On the eighth day of the new year, Shen Yiming officially went back to work. As soon as he left, Zuo Dan got up, ate breakfast, informed her grandmother, and headed out as well. The weather had gotten better—it was bright and sunny. Though it was still a little chilly, the heavy winter coat and the sunshine made it feel quite pleasant.

But Zuo Dan wasn’t in the mood to bask in the sun. She went straight to the provincial slaughterhouse.

She first bought a pack of cigarettes nearby, then went to find the old man guarding the entrance.

“Happy New Year, sir. I want to ask you about someone.” Zuo Dan handed him a cigarette.

The gatekeeper accepted it. “Who are you looking for, comrade? If they work in the slaughterhouse, I know every single one of them.”

Zuo Dan smiled brightly and handed him another cigarette. “That’s great, sir. I’d like to ask about Guo Caiping.”

The old man’s movement slowed slightly when he heard the name. After taking the cigarette, he eyed Zuo Dan suspiciously. “Why are you asking about her?”

“Well, to be honest, sir, she talked my friend’s elder into marrying her! My friend found out she had already been married before, so now I’m here trying to get the full story.”

Upon hearing that Guo Caiping had gotten married, the old gatekeeper was stunned and exclaimed in surprise, “She got married that quickly?”

“She sure did—got married at the beginning of January!” Zuo Dan confirmed.

The old man’s expression changed immediately. “She only got divorced at the end of December! My goodness, that’s way too fast!”

Zuo Dan reacted with surprise too. “No way. Even if she was looking for someone new, that’s too fast. Doesn’t this mean… doesn’t this mean she already had someone lined up before the divorce?”

With a worried look, she pressed further, “Uncle, you’ve got to tell me what happened. What exactly went on with her divorce? I need to get to the bottom of it. The elder from my friend’s family has no idea what’s going on.”

“That woman’s no good,” the gatekeeper said indignantly. “I don’t know which bastard wrote a letter to the manager, saying Guo Caiping’s husband was having an improper relationship with another female worker. Total nonsense! Su Yidao always rushed home after work—everyone knows he’s a family man. And that Comrade Liu Cuicui is always busy taking care of her kid—how would she have time for that kind of crap? But then Guo Caiping stormed into the manager’s office saying she was reporting Su Yidao and Liu Cuicui for having an affair, and demanded a divorce. Said if he didn’t agree, she’d go to the Public Security Bureau. It caused such a scene that in the end, Su Yidao had no choice but to agree to the divorce. But now that I hear what you’re saying, something’s fishy.”

Zuo Dan smacked her palm down, her face full of anger. “Isn’t that obvious? If there wasn’t something shady going on, she wouldn’t have gotten remarried so quickly. Actually, I just remembered—she visited that elder from my friend’s family back in December. The two of them were already exchanging looks. Good grief, she was already seeing someone else before the divorce!”

Once the two compared notes, it was clear something was seriously wrong.

The gatekeeper was now convinced that Guo Caiping was no decent person.

Zuo Dan sighed at Guo Caiping’s cunning and ruthlessness. She wanted a divorce but had to go so far as to throw dirt on someone else to get it. That’s vicious. Now she realized that the reason Guo Caiping gave for the divorce wasn’t just a lie to deceive Li Wenchang’s family—she actually turned the lie into truth. Even if the Li family came to investigate, they’d only hear Guo Caiping’s version of the story.

And knowing the Li family’s character, they wouldn’t dig deeper. It was a perfect con.

Guo Caiping’s methods and scheming were on a whole different level. Her daughter, Su Xue, wasn’t even in the same league.

“Uncle, this is a serious matter. You have to report it to your superiors. We can’t let innocent people be wrongly accused. This is about people’s reputations. If this gets out and the Public Security Bureau gets involved, someone might actually get arrested. We need to clear things up before it gets worse.”

The gatekeeper, having worked at the slaughterhouse for decades and being close to Su Yidao, couldn’t sit by and do nothing. He immediately took Zuo Dan to find the slaughterhouse manager.

Manager Jiang had just returned to work after the New Year and was still stressed over the Su Yidao and Liu Cuicui situation.

Although Su Yidao and Guo Caiping had divorced before the New Year without causing a major scene, the incident had spread around the slaughterhouse. Some gossipy workers were stirring things up, and it had created a tense atmosphere. Some even suggested that Liu Cuicui should leave her job.

Manager Jiang was at his wit’s end. Liu Cuicui was a single mother with a young daughter and no support. If he really made her leave, she might not survive. Plus, to prove her innocence, she had even tried to bash her head against a wall—almost dying. Manager Jiang had no doubt that if he forced her to leave, she’d actually kill herself at the slaughterhouse gate.

Just as he was fretting, he saw the old gatekeeper, Lao Xiao, approach with a young woman. Lao Xiao called out, “Manager, we’ve got something big!”

Manager Jiang dreaded hearing those words. He sighed weakly, “Lao Xiao, what’s this comrade here for?”

“Manager, this is big. This young comrade here brought some information about Guo Caiping, and after we talked it through, we think there’s a major problem.”

Lao Xiao excitedly shared their suspicions with Manager Jiang.

Manager Jiang was stunned. He couldn’t believe it—what kind of woman frames her husband just to get a divorce? He looked at Zuo Dan in shock. “Comrade, are you sure what you’re saying is true?”

Zuo Dan replied, “Of course it’s true. Why else would I come all the way here? My friend just didn’t trust Guo Caiping’s character. The moment she married into the family, she started urging their elder to split from the rest of the household and stop caring for the old folks. That’s why I’m here to investigate.”

“If this is true, then it’s a big deal.” Manager Jiang slapped the desk, both angry and energized.

Zuo Dan continued, “Do you still have the letter of accusation? I suggest comparing the handwriting. If it turns out she wrote it, then it’s clear she planned this divorce and tried to ruin someone else’s name. That’s slander—we need to report it to the police!”

Manager Jiang slapped his forehead. “Right, right, we should compare the handwriting.” He had tried comparing the handwriting before, but only among the slaughterhouse workers—not against Guo Caiping’s writing. After all, she had barged in making a scene so suddenly that he hadn’t had time to react.

Guo Caiping rarely wrote anything, so even Su Yidao didn’t recognize her handwriting. But the logistics department at the slaughterhouse still had her signature on record—she signed every month when picking up supplies.

They quickly found some educated workers to compare the handwriting. Before long, they concluded that the letter was most likely written by Guo Caiping. Adding to that her urgency to divorce and the fact that she remarried immediately, everyone could see it clearly now—this was a classic case of the thief crying “thief.”

“She’s really ruthless,” Manager Jiang said, slapping the table hard.

He looked at Zuo Dan and asked, “Comrade, do you know where Guo Caiping is now? We need to find her and get to the bottom of this.”

Zuo Dan shook her head. “I don’t know where she lives, but I do know her man works at the Provincial Education Bureau. His name is Li Wenchang. You can go find him at his workplace.”

“Someone like that working in education, corrupting the youth!” Manager Jiang said angrily.

Though furious, Manager Jiang kept his head. Right now, it wasn’t enough to just suspect Guo Caiping wrote the letter—they needed to verify if she had really remarried and when the wedding happened. That was the only way to fully uncover the truth.

But Zuo Dan wasn’t willing to wait. She knew that some things couldn’t be handled through normal channels. If the leadership at the slaughterhouse took the slow route of negotiations and investigations, it might not stir up much at all.

After leaving the slaughterhouse office, Zuo Dan asked for Liu Cuicui’s address and went straight to find her.

She had already asked earlier and learned that Liu Cuicui was still recovering at home due to a head injury. When she arrived at the house, she saw the woman sitting on the bed. Contrary to her expectations—she had imagined a slaughterhouse worker would be strong and burly—Liu Cuicui was small in stature, with a delicate face that made her look young. Her head was wrapped in bandages, which made her face look even smaller.

Zuo Dan thought to herself that Guo Caiping had really picked the perfect target to frame. If she’d accused someone bigger and rougher-looking, the story wouldn’t have seemed as believable.

In recent days, many people had come by to laugh at Liu Cuicui or speak sarcastically. When Liu Cuicui saw Zuo Dan, she assumed the same and tried to get up from the bed, struggling as she said, “What do you people want from me? I haven’t done anything—I won’t let anyone frame me. Even if I die, I won’t let them throw dirt on my name!”

“Comrade Liu Cuicui, calm down. You don’t know yet, do you? The Manager Jiang and the others have already gotten to the bottom of it. You were framed!” Zuo Dan didn’t even step inside. She cut straight to the point from the doorway, knowing no words would be more useful than this.

Liu Cuicui froze. “Are you serious? They’ve figured it out?”

“Of course! I came here just to bring you the good news. I only just heard about your situation. I felt terrible for you. As a fellow woman, I wanted to come visit and tell you the news in person.”

Liu Cuicui’s eyes filled with tears. Zuo Dan thought she was about to cry, but instead, Liu Cuicui wiped her eyes and jumped off the bed. “Who was it? Who falsely accused me?”

“Guo Caiping!”

Zuo Dan told her everything that had been discussed in the office earlier. At the end, she added, “It makes me so mad on your behalf. Honestly, even if the truth comes out, Guo Caiping can still find an excuse, say it was a mistake. In the end, she’ll still get away with it. And from what I can tell, Manager Jiang and the others want to investigate slowly and quietly. They don’t want a big scene.”

“I’ll go fight her to the death!” Liu Cuicui said, putting on her shoes and preparing to storm out.

“Sister, you can’t go alone! You need backup!” Zuo Dan stepped aside but called out to stop her. Liu Cuicui alone wouldn’t be able to stir up much trouble.

Liu Cuicui stood at the door crying helplessly. “Where would I even find help? I’ve got no relatives, no one who’d help me.”

“There are plenty of people!” Zuo Dan quickly offered a solution. “She’s damaged your reputation—she should compensate you! And your head injury? That wasn’t for nothing. She needs to pay for that too. Demand money! Find some people who are good at making a scene and take them with you. Promise them that if you manage to get compensation, they’ll get a cut. The more you get, the more they earn. You’ll definitely find people to help. The only question is whether you’re willing.”

“Willing? I’d give up my life if I could get justice and clear my name!” Liu Cuicui’s eyes were red with fury.

She’d become a widow young. Her in-laws had tried to force her to remarry, and they didn’t want her to take her late husband’s job. But she knew that if she remarried, her daughter would have no support in the future. So she’d fought her in-laws tooth and nail and worked herself into the slaughterhouse job. She worked hard just to avoid being looked down on—yet she still ended up being framed.

These past few days, she had seriously considered ending it all.

But in times like these, there was no shortage of loud, fearless women. Liu Cuicui went to the office first to confirm the situation. Manager Jiang wasn’t there, so she asked one of the workers who had helped compare the handwriting.

After hearing the full story—exactly as Zuo Dan had described—it was clear that Liu Cuicui was deeply affected. Her eyes were red again, but she wasn’t hearing any of the “wait for the investigation” talk. Without another word, she gathered a group of loud, aggressive women and rallied them to her cause. Whatever Liu Cuicui had said to convince them, when they left the slaughterhouse, all of them were chanting that they were going to seek justice for Comrade Liu Cuicui. Money? No, they weren’t in it for the money—they were there for righteousness!

Someone even asked Zuo Dan to come along, since it was her idea. After all, if there was money involved, she should get a share.

Zuo Dan patted her stomach and said, “I’d go if I could, but I’ve got a little one to think about. I don’t want to be a burden.”

Once they found out she was pregnant, no one tried to drag her along. They couldn’t have someone who couldn’t help still taking a share.

The group stormed out, full of energy.

Only then did Zuo Dan leave the slaughterhouse. As she passed the gatehouse, she handed the rest of her cigarettes to the old gatekeeper. “Sir, you really are a good man.”

“Comrade, you’re the good one. If it weren’t for you, we’d all still be in the dark,” Old Xiao said gratefully. Then he asked, “By the way, comrade, I still don’t know your name?”

“Sir, good deeds don’t need a name. I’m just learning from Lei Feng!” Zuo Dan said with righteous pride.

After she left, Manager Jiang heard that Liu Cuicui had taken a group of women out to stir up trouble and immediately panicked. He ran to the gate to try to catch up with them, but they were already gone. He stood there, frustrated. “We’re still investigating! What are they causing a scene for?”

Old Xiao puffed on his cigarette and said, “Manager, why shouldn’t they make a scene? It’s already good that Liu Cuicui didn’t pick up a knife. Besides, what can a few loud women do? It’s no big deal.”

“Loud women? These are the slaughterhouse’s loud women!” Manager Jiang said, clutching his chest. The slaughterhouse’s women had all seen blood before…