RIRW – Chapter 135

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At this time, there weren’t many people out running errands, and even fewer taking the train. It was nothing like how crowded the stations would become later.

Zuo Dan glanced around for a while but quickly grew bored. She waved at Shen Yiming. “Shen Yiming, how long will it take to get to Shanghai?”

Shen Yiming was studying the map. “Two days. We’ll probably arrive in Shanghai in the afternoon two days from now. First, we’ll find a guesthouse to rest for a day, then go explore.”

Two days…

Zuo Dan leaned back on the bed, looking completely defeated.

What a torment.

When the train started moving, Zuo Dan noticed that their sleeper compartment was completely empty. She felt incredibly lucky—this was truly a world for just the two of them.

She pulled the curtain shut, kicked off her shoes, and sat cross-legged on the bed. “Come, come, Shen Yiming, let’s play chess.”

Shen Yiming raised his eyebrows slightly and looked up at her. “Are you sure?”

“Of course! But not Go—let’s play Gobang. Take out the Go pieces you brought.”

Shen Yiming took the pieces out of his bag. Meanwhile, Zuo Dan quickly grabbed a pen and paper and drew a Gobang grid. Once the board was ready, she laid it on the table. The two of them sat on opposite sides—Shen Yiming took the white stones, and Zuo Dan the black. She then explained the rules to him.

“Shen Yiming, let’s play rock-paper-scissors to decide who goes first.”

“You can go first,” Shen Yiming offered politely.

Zuo Dan beamed. “Well then, I won’t hold back.” She confidently placed the first stone. She knew Shen Yiming was an expert at Go, able to battle Grandpa Li to a standstill. But this… hehe, back in school, she was unbeatable at Gobang.

Soon, Shen Yiming lost the first round. Zuo Dan comforted him, “It’s okay, practice makes perfect.”

Then came the second round. After a while, Shen Yiming lost again. Zuo Dan pressed her lips together and smiled without saying anything.

After playing several more rounds, Shen Yiming kept losing. At first, Zuo Dan was quite proud, but then she realized something was off—Shen Yiming wasn’t even playing seriously.

“Shen Yiming, what’s the meaning of this? Are you letting me win?” Zuo Dan asked, clearly dissatisfied.

Shen Yiming held a piece and said seriously, “I thought about it just now. You don’t know how to play other types of chess and always lose to me. If you also lost in this game that you taught me, wouldn’t it make you feel discouraged? The doctor said a pregnant woman’s mood affects the baby. I’m worried our child might grow up with low self-esteem.”

“…!!!” Zuo Dan was so furious she lunged over and bit his face twice, leaving him drenched in saliva before she finally let go.

As Shen Yiming wiped his face, he said, “Comrade Zuo Dan, you really need to change this habit. What if our child picks it up in the future?”

Zuo Dan chuckled. “Comrade Shen Yiming, does the child even need to learn it? With a sly fox like you as the father, the kid’s bound to be a little fox too. And little foxes biting people—that’s perfectly normal!”

“In the future, they’ll team up to bite you too!” Zuo Dan bared her ‘fangs’.

After all that fuss, most of the day passed. They ate the food they brought, and Shen Yiming made a cup of milk for Zuo Dan.

Only then did Zuo Dan lie down comfortably on the sleeper bunk and fall asleep.

The clattering sound of the train made her sleep a bit restless. Her brows furrowed slightly.

Shen Yiming came over and gently patted her back.

Zuo Dan had thought the two days would be hard to bear. But thankfully, Shen Yiming took very good care of her. Every day, after eating, she’d banter with him, play a couple of games, then take a lovely nap—her mood was excellent.

By the time the train reached its destination, she still hadn’t fully woken up.

They hadn’t brought much luggage. After all, this was a honeymoon trip—having money and tickets was enough.

Shen Yiming slung a backpack over his shoulder and held Zuo Dan’s hand as they followed the crowd off the train.

They found a guesthouse. Shen Yiming promptly took out their marriage certificate and a letter of introduction from his work unit, and they easily booked a single room.

Back in the room, Shen Yiming began making the bed, replacing the hotel bedding with their own sheets and duvet cover.

Zuo Dan sat on a chair, holding their marriage certificate with a grin. “We need the marriage certificate to buy wedding supplies, and even to stay at a guesthouse. Who knew this little booklet would be so useful? I always thought we’d only need it when getting divorced.”

Shen Yiming was fluffing the quilt, but when he heard that, he tossed it onto the bed and pulled Zuo Dan onto it.

Zuo Dan looked at him. “Shen Yiming, what are you doing?”

“What did you just say?” Shen Yiming narrowed his eyes.

Zuo Dan thought about it. What had she said? Just that the marriage certificate was handy.

“Comrade Zuo Dan, if you say those two words to me again…” Shen Yiming said in a dangerous tone.

Which two words? Zuo Dan froze, then suddenly realized—oh! Divorce? She had just mentioned it casually, but he was acting like she was filing for it. Overreacting much.

She quickly reached out to cup Shen Yiming’s face. “Little Comrade Shen, don’t be scared, don’t be scared. As long as you behave, big sister won’t abandon you.”

Shen Yiming’s eyes darkened, and he lowered his head and kissed her.

Perhaps it was the unfamiliar guesthouse in a different city that made them both feel a little excited. Their body temperatures rose quickly. As they kissed, they began pulling at each other’s clothes.

Zuo Dan gave a soft “mm,” then pushed Shen Yiming’s face away while panting. “Shen Yiming, I haven’t showered in two days.”

“We’ll wash after,” Shen Yiming replied, kissing her again.

…

“Shen Yiming, be careful. Don’t hurt Youyou.”

“…Let’s do it like last time…”

“…Mmm, Shen Yiming… I always thought that when I went on my honeymoon, it would be in a beachside villa… I can’t believe I ended up in a little guesthouse with you…”

“…Alright, tomorrow… we’ll find a guesthouse near the Huangpu River…”

After a good night’s rest, Zuo Dan felt completely refreshed. They checked out and, after breakfast, planned to look for another guesthouse by the Bund. If they couldn’t have a seaside villa, a guesthouse by the river would do.

As they stepped outside, Zuo Dan touched her belly. “Comrade Youyou, today your dad and I are taking you out to play. We especially brought you along to broaden your horizons. In the future, you must be filial to your parents. If you agree, give me a little kick.”

There was no movement at all from her belly. Zuo Dan sighed, then looked at Shen Yiming beside her who was holding back laughter. “The doctor said I should be able to feel it by four months. I’m just a few days short, but there’s no movement at all.”

“Give it a few more days, don’t worry,” Shen Yiming said with a smile.

Zuo Dan shook her head. “No, that won’t do. This must mean our prenatal education isn’t good enough. Tonight, we’re not doing anything else—we’re focusing on giving him some proper prenatal education. I want him to win at the starting line!”

“…”

They found a state-run restaurant nearby for breakfast, then took the bus together to the Bund.

Zuo Dan noticed that the Bund at this time wasn’t all that different from the future. It was lined with European-style buildings, distinctly different from the provincial capital.

Even the guesthouse they found was in a European-style building, and the environment was much better than the last one. Opening the window and looking out felt like being in a foreign country.

Shen Yiming walked over and stood beside her, smiling as he asked, “Comrade Zuo Dan, what are you looking at?”

“I’m thinking… once I make some money, I must buy a house here.” The prices would skyrocket in the future—just thinking about it made her excited. Zuo Dan’s cheeks flushed with joy. She was already imagining making a fortune and buying a big house in the most bustling part of the city.

Seeing the eager anticipation on her face, Shen Yiming began thinking about how he could make a living in Shanghai—what methods and connections he might need.

He felt that it would be difficult for him at this stage, so he gently comforted her, “Let’s wait a bit. In the future, we’ll definitely have a chance to settle here.”

Zuo Dan raised an eyebrow at him. She felt that Shen Yiming wasn’t quite on the same wavelength, but giving him a little motivation was fine—it would keep him from getting too smug.

They didn’t hurry to unpack. After setting down their luggage and taking their money and tickets, they headed out to shop.

Since it wasn’t appropriate to hold hands on the street, the two of them secretly hooked their pinkies together as they walked through the crowd.

Even though she had visited many times before, Zuo Dan still found everything interesting. She dragged Shen Yiming around, exploring everywhere. They walked along the Huangpu River beside the Bund and even had a photographer take a few pictures of them.

Only then did they happily head to a department store.

While crossing the street, a black sedan drove past them. Zuo Dan thought it looked very much like an American Cadillac.

She turned to glance at Shen Yiming and saw that he was still watching the car, so she teased, “What? Jealous of someone else’s car?”

“Do you know what kind of car that was?” Shen Yiming asked.

“What kind?”

“It’s a Soviet GAZ limousine. These are used to receive foreign guests and important people. I only saw a few of them back when I was in the capital.”

“Who could be riding in it? Maybe the mayor of Shanghai?” Zuo Dan said with great interest.

Shen Yiming laughed. “Who knows? But Zuo Dan, one day I’ll make sure you ride in a car like that too.”

Zuo Dan smiled so wide her eyes curved, pulling on his pinky as they hurried along. “I don’t even like that kind of car. Someday, I’ll earn enough to buy a car myself.”

There would be so many luxury cars in the future—if she had the money, she could pick whatever she liked. Maybe she’d even buy out a car company and have them custom-make a car just for her. Now that would be cool.

As she thought about it, her smile grew wider and wider.

Meanwhile, in the backseat of that black sedan, a young woman sat deep in thought. Her brows furrowed and relaxed repeatedly. After a while, she seemed to remember something and fished out a notebook from her bag, retrieving an old photo from inside.

It was an old picture taken in front of a university gate. A young man and woman stood together—the woman smiling gently, the man radiating confidence.

Even in the photo, they looked like a happy couple.

“No way… did I just see her on the street?”

A man with glasses sitting next to her asked, “See who?”

“The woman in this picture with my Fifth Uncle. I think I just saw her on the street… but maybe not. It’s been so many years—she shouldn’t look that young anymore.”

“Then you must’ve been mistaken. And why did you sneak out Mr. Chen’s photo anyway?”

“I was thinking that if we came back, maybe I could go to that city and look for her.”

The man said, “You probably won’t have time. In a couple of days, we’re heading to Beijing and leaving the country. This trip back was a secret meeting. Don’t go wandering around.”

“I know, I know. I’m just holding onto a little hope.” The woman slipped the photo back into the notebook and carefully returned it to her bag.