RIRW – Chapter 140

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Since they were driving themselves this time, it was much more convenient. Zuo Cong sat in the front seat, while Zuo Dan sat in the back holding the child.

The car was packed full of baby supplies and gifts for the Zuo family.

Grandma repeatedly reminded them with concern before finally letting them leave. If it weren’t for her arthritis acting up, she definitely would’ve gone with them.

“Youyou, wave to great-grandma.” Zuo Dan held Shen Youyou’s little hand and waved toward Grandma. Grandma beamed with joy.

Shen Youyou even giggled in the car. Once it started moving, he looked all around. With both parents by his side, he stayed calm—just quietly observing without fussing.

The jeep was way more convenient than a cargo truck, and since the road led straight there, they arrived at Zuojiatun quickly.

When people saw a car arriving in the village, the idle old and young folks all came out to watch the excitement.

When they saw Zuo Dan, her brother, and Shen Yiming getting out of the car, they were amazed.

“Dandan and her folks can ride in a private car now?”

“Do city people really live this well these days?”

Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui heard the commotion and came out of the house, seeing their son, daughter, son-in-law, and even grandson had returned.

Li Hui quickly came over to carry the child inside.

It was freezing—she didn’t want her grandson to catch a cold.

The whole Zuo family went inside, while the villagers stood outside examining the car, trying to figure out the difference between this metal contraption and their tractors.

Inside, Zuo Dan was sipping hot water and asked Li Hui, who was cooing at the baby, “Mom, what was going on yesterday when I called? What was all that noise about?”

“You came back just for that?” Li Hui asked.

Zuo Dan replied, “Not really. Yiming and I already planned to come back for a visit. I called yesterday to tell you, but then I overheard all the shouting.”

Li Hui sighed, “It’s nothing big really. A few days ago, your third uncle went to Comrade Li Sili’s house to talk about the marriage, but her family said they want to wait for the exam results first. They said if she passes the college entrance exam, they want her to finish college before getting married.”

“How can they be like this?” Zuo Dan frowned. “They already agreed to marry, and now they’re changing the timeline? What do they take my uncle for?”

She had already guessed it was likely something to do with Zuo Chengcai, but hearing the details still made her angry. If they didn’t want to marry, they should just say it outright. Dragging things out like this without a clear answer—weren’t they just treating her uncle like a backup option?

Zuo Dacheng also frowned, “Exactly. That’s why your grandma is so upset. But your third uncle won’t say anything—he just says he’s willing to wait. It’s his future we’re talking about, so we don’t want to interfere too much. It has to be his own decision.”

Zuo Dan took another sip of hot water and asked, “What about Li Sili herself? What does she think?”

Li Hui replied, “I haven’t asked yet. Mostly because I don’t know what your uncle is thinking either. You two are close—why don’t you talk to him when he gets home tonight? I don’t think it’s good to drag this out.”

Now that it was cold, Zuo Chengcai didn’t drive as much and was mostly at home.

Since Zuo Dan had returned, Zuo Dacheng made a phone call to the county. That night, Zuo Chengcai came home.

He didn’t even go to his own house first—he came straight to Zuo Dan’s. He picked up Shen Youyou and spun him around, exclaiming, “Aiyo, my grandnephew!”

“…” Zuo Dan felt weird hearing that.

Shen Youyou didn’t mind—he liked spinning and laughed joyfully. His fair skin and rosy lips made him look like a doll from a New Year’s poster.

Zuo Dan had serious matters to discuss with Zuo Chengcai, so she took the baby and handed him to Shen Yiming.

“Uncle, I need to talk to you.”

“What, about the marriage thing? Let me tell you, don’t listen to everything the old lady says. Marriage can’t be rushed,” Zuo Chengcai said nonchalantly.

Zuo Dan raised an eyebrow, “Uncle, come on, it’s me. Are you really not going to tell me the truth?”

Zuo Chengcai hesitated.

Seeing this, Shen Yiming got up with the baby. “I’ll take Youyou to his grandma’s room.” Then he walked out.

Once he was gone, Zuo Chengcai suddenly looked aggrieved, his lips trembling as if he were about to cry. “Niece, your uncle is suffering inside…”

“…”

Seeing no response from Zuo Dan, he sniffled and continued, “You didn’t see the faces of her family. Before the college entrance exam, they were all smiles whenever I brought something over. But once word got out that Sili took the exam, when I went back, they looked at me like I was a beggar. Talking all that nonsense about being well-matched… Pah!”

Zuo Dan hadn’t expected that Third Uncle had gone through so much and asked, “So what does Comrade Li Sili think about all this?”

Zuo Chengcai blushed a little. “She’s actually willing to marry me. She said whether she gets into college or not, she’s willing to marry me first.”

Zuo Dan clapped her hands. “Uncle, then what did you say? Why postpone it?”

“I… I just feel like if Sili really gets into college, I might not be worthy of her. She’s a city girl, and if she gets into college, she’ll be a college student. I’m just a truck driver — I don’t have anything impressive. So I thought, if she doesn’t get in, we’ll get married. But if she does… then forget it.”

After saying that, Zuo Chengcai lowered his head, looking discouraged. Even though he felt like he was doing pretty well now, he was still insecure deep down.

He had been a hooligan for over twenty years — even the girls in their village didn’t think much of him. How could he possibly marry a college student?

“Uncle, I’m really disappointed in you!” Zuo Dan said, heartbroken.

Zuo Chengcai looked up and said, “Why are you disappointed? I call that being realistic.”

“Realistic? This is just lack of confidence. Sure, you’re a truck driver now, but if you get the chance in the future, don’t you want to do proper business? Think about all the times we’ve— ahem, I mean, when we’ve privately flipped stuff. Haven’t we made a lot of money? If you could make money openly and legally, don’t you think you could earn big?”

“Of course!” Talking about making money made Zuo Chengcai light up like he’d been injected with adrenaline.

Zuo Dan said, “See? You have confidence when it comes to money, so why think you’re not good enough for Comrade Li Sili? Let me tell you, a man who can give a woman a good life is a successful man. Whether the woman is a college student or not doesn’t matter. Imagine this: Comrade Li Sili has a steady job, living a peaceful life. You earn big money. She can work if she wants, or just go shopping if she doesn’t. Wouldn’t that be great?”

Zuo Chengcai said excitedly, “Yeah, that would be great!”

Zuo Dan patted him on the shoulder. “Alright, now that you’ve figured it out, go talk to Comrade Li Sili tomorrow. Tell her how you really feel and see what she thinks.”

“…Say what?” Zuo Chengcai asked nervously.

“Say that you want to marry her but chickened out. Tell her exactly that!” Zuo Dan rolled her eyes in frustration.

“…”

After Zuo Chengcai left, Grandma Zuo barged in again. “Where’s Chengcai? That rascal?”

Zuo Dan had just walked into the main room and saw the old lady rush into the yard. She asked in surprise, “Didn’t my uncle just go back?”

“Go back? I just came from the house. That rascal must be hiding somewhere!”

“No, my third uncle really left,” Zuo Dan confirmed. Then she said in surprise, “If he didn’t go home, then where did he go?”

Zuo Chengcai was heading toward the educated youth settlement. It was just after dinner, and lights were on in every house.

Looking at the lights, his heart felt warm.

His niece’s words had suddenly made something click. As a man, wasn’t his job to give a woman a good life? Who cares about whether or not he’s good enough? He would work hard to make money, give Sili a good life, and make all the other women envious of her. Then he, Zuo Chengcai, would be a successful man.

When he arrived at Li Sili’s zhiqing compound, he hesitated, wondering if he should call her out. He paced back and forth at the door. Just as he was about to make up his mind, Li Sili suddenly opened the door and walked out.

The two of them locked eyes and were stunned for a moment. Just as Zuo Chengcai was about to speak, Li Sili put her hands in her pockets and started walking off by herself.

Because of the recent college entrance exams, her work had been delayed, and with year-end hog slaughter and meat distribution coming up, she needed the account books. So she had to go back to the office to work overtime at night.

Seeing her walk away, Zuo Chengcai quickly followed. “Uh, Sili… can we talk for a sec?”

Li Sili ignored him.

Zuo Chengcai got a little anxious and trailed right behind her.

After a short walk, they reached the office. Li Sili took out her keys, opened the door, and turned on the lights. The room lit up. As she was about to close the door, Zuo Chengcai slipped inside.

“Sili, what’s wrong?”

Li Sili glanced at him, her voice cold. “So you’ve got time to see me now? Weren’t you the one who said we’d talk only after my exam results came out?”

When Li Sili said that, Zuo Chencai became embarrassed. After they had returned from the provincial capital earlier, he had gotten a bit hesitant, so he casually said some nonsense…

“Sili, listen to me. What I said before was nonsense. I wasn’t thinking straight! I thought that if you got into university, I wouldn’t be good enough for you. So I figured I’d wait until your results came out to decide…” Zuo Chencai paused, but before he could continue, Li Sili interrupted, “Did you come here to break up with me?”

Zuo Chencai immediately got emotional, “Who said that!”

Li Sili looked down and said, “That’s what I felt. You think if I get into university, you’ll look up to me. If I don’t get in, then you think you’re good enough for me. In your heart, my worth is measured by whether I get into university or not?”

“Nonsense, I never said that,” Zuo Chencai hurriedly said. “That was just foolish talk. Actually, I came today to tell you—Sili, I want to marry you. I, Zuo Chencai, will definitely give you a good life. I know I’m not as good as you at studying. But I can definitely earn more money than you. I’ll make money to give you a good life—good food, nice clothes, Shanghai dresses, lipstick… As for where we live, we can build our own house. Or we can rent a place in the county… In any case, I want to marry you!”

“Are you serious?” Li Sili looked up. Under the light, her eyes sparkled.

Zuo Chencai was startled, “Oh my, why are you crying… oh—” Before he could finish his sentence, Li Sili threw herself into his arms and hugged his neck tightly, kissing him hard.

Zuo Chencai hadn’t even reacted yet, and Li Sili was already tugging at his scarf.

“S-Sili, what are you doing?” Zuo Chencai was so nervous he didn’t dare move. Even though they’d cuddled in the cornfield before… cough cough, it was only kissing, they’d never taken off clothes.

He was wearing too much, and Li Sili couldn’t get anything off after trying for a while. She gave up and just hugged his waist.

“Chencai, no matter whether I get into university or not, we must get married. You said you’d marry no one but me!” Li Sili said while crying. “When you said you didn’t want to meet a few days ago, I thought you were lying to me before when you said you’d only marry me.”

Zuo Chencai quickly said, “No, no, no—I was thinking about your family…”

“Marriage is between us two,” Li Sili raised her head and said. “I’m the second child in my family. When we were sent down to the countryside, my parents gave their jobs to my older brother and younger sister. I was the only one sent away. I don’t blame them, but I know in their hearts I rank last. No one has ever cared for me like you. You bought me fabric to make clothes, sang little songs for me, and even bought me a pen. I don’t care about material things. What I care about is what you said—that you’ll marry no one but me!”

Zuo Chencai felt a deep ache in his heart, “Yes, I said that, and I haven’t forgotten. I’ll marry no one but you in this life. You can reject me, but you can’t stop me from pursuing you.”

Honestly, he felt a little guilty—he hadn’t even come up with that line himself back then… Aiyo, he needed to go over it with Dandan when he got back to make sure it wouldn’t get exposed later. But if he had to say it himself now, he could definitely say something like that. Sili was so wonderful—of course he wanted to marry only her.

The next morning, Zuo Dan heard Grandma Zuo’s cheerful voice.

It was the middle of winter, but Zuo Dan thought the old lady seemed more energetic than ever—she wasn’t even sleeping in late!

Then she looked at her darling son, wide awake, lying quietly beside her, looking around obediently without a fuss. It was the kid’s father who had disappeared.

While she was thinking this, Shen Yiming came in, quickly closing the door behind him to keep the cold out.

Zuo Dan sat up, wrapping a coat around herself. “What’s going on outside?”

“Grandma came over and said Third Uncle suddenly decided to get married today, and the family needs to help prepare.”

“…That fast?” Zuo Dan thought for a moment and instantly guessed where Third Uncle had gone last night. She couldn’t help but admire him—what a fast mover. Same as last time when he confessed—he learned the trick from her and took action immediately, and succeeded. This time again—quick and successful.

Truly, fools have their blessings.

Shen Yiming said, “Grandma said they’ll register the marriage now and hold the wedding banquet in the spring. The two of them plan to go to the provincial capital today and get their marriage certificate when they return. We’ll go back together with them, give them a ride.”

Zuo Dan naturally agreed.

She quickly got up to wash and dress. As for the darling son, she left him in Shen Yiming’s care.

While eating at the table, she noticed Grandma Zuo glowing with pride, non stop bragging about how wonderful and sensible her third son was, completely forgetting that just yesterday she was angrily calling him a brat.

After breakfast, Shen Yiming and the others packed up and took Zuo Chencai and Li Sili back to the provincial capital. Zuo Cong had to work too, so he went back with them.

They had only stayed home for one day before they were off in a flurry to the provincial capital.

Once there, Zuo Dan asked, “Uncle, want us to go with you?”

“No need, no need. Your uncle is a man of the world,” Zuo Chencai said confidently and got off with Li Sili to go to her parents’ home.

Zuo Cong asked worriedly, “Sis, will this work out for Uncle?”

“It should…,” Zuo Dan replied. Her uncle really didn’t play by the usual rules.

Zuo Dan figured that if things didn’t work out, they’d definitely come to her house that evening. So she waited. But by nightfall, there was still no sign of them.

The next afternoon, she got a call from Li Hui. Turns out Zuo Chencai and Li Sili had hitched a ride back in a freight truck. It seemed Li Sili’s family didn’t approve and basically kicked them out. But the two had already decided to get married. Grandma Zuo didn’t want them to get married so hastily, so she picked an auspicious day—right after New Year’s Day—to register. She said that would ensure a long and happy marriage.

Zuo Dan thought, after New Year’s, the preliminary results for the college entrance exams should be out too.

On January 10, admission letters were urgently distributed nationwide via radio announcements.

When Shen Yiming came home from work, he brought two admission letters. Zuo Dan was playing with Shen Youyou when she saw them and immediately grabbed them in delight.

It was for Peking University—Department of Education.

Shen Yiming had also been admitted—to Economics at Peking University.

He said, “By the way, you should get ready. The provincial publicity department might want to talk to you.”

Zuo Dan was surprised. “Talk to me about what?”

“You’re the only student from a rural background among the top scorers in the province. And you’re the top scorer in liberal arts. They want to know how you managed to study so well under such difficult conditions.”

“…”