RIRW – Chapter 149

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Zuo Dan never expected that Shen Yiming would publicly declare their relationship so bluntly and directly in the school newspaper. The key point was that the teacher in charge of the paper actually approved it. Why didn’t the professors in the economics department do something about it?

In fact, they had tried to intervene. But after hearing Shen Yiming’s reasoning, they still gave their approval.

After writing the article, Shen Yiming took it to his professor of Chinese Economic History to get it reviewed.

When Professor Zhang saw the signature at the end, he was stunned. Normally, in such cases, one should sign off with their department, major, and class number.

That way, readers could clearly identify the author.

However, Shen Yiming wore a troubled expression and explained that ever since his last article was published, it had caused some unnecessary misunderstandings. To avoid further complications, he felt it was necessary to clarify things. That way, he could fully concentrate on his studies and economics research instead of dealing with personal drama. He also explained that he owed his peace of mind in preparing for the college entrance exam to Comrade Zuo Dan’s support, and he wished to share his honor with his partner.

Though he spoke rather euphemistically, Professor Zhang had been young once too and naturally understood what Shen Yiming meant. Thinking about it, Shen Yiming was undeniably a handsome and talented young man—he fit the current beauty standards and had shown considerable academic promise in a scholarly environment. It was only natural that he would attract attention from the opposite sex. If he were single, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But this student was married—and even had a child. That changed things.

So Professor Zhang approved Shen Yiming’s approach. With the professor’s consent, the school newspaper naturally didn’t object either. Besides, Shen Yiming was a “regular contributor” to the paper, so this wasn’t considered anything outrageous. The piece was approved.

Shen Yiming’s actions caused a bit of a stir on campus.

The biggest result was that many people were now curious—who exactly was this Zuo Dan? After all, wherever there are people, there will always be gossip.

Once someone found out she was from the Education Department, word quickly spread. Zuo Dan wasn’t exactly famous, but she definitely wasn’t a nobody either.

That afternoon, just after school, Zuo Dan came downstairs and saw Shen Yiming leaning on his bicycle chatting with a group of their classmates—both male and female. They were gathered around him, clearly captivated by what he was saying.

As Zuo Dan walked over, she overheard the class’s Literary Committee member, Xiang Honghua, exclaim excitedly, “Our classmate Zuo Dan really has strong political awareness. To be in a relationship with you like this—she truly deserves to be a branch secretary!”

“You sure have all the luck,” one male student commented sourly.

Shen Yiming squinted with a smile. “Sometimes luck depends on the person.”

All the female students nodded in agreement. That was true—looks definitely played a role. Though no one dared to say that out loud.

Zuo Dan didn’t quite understand and couldn’t help but ask, “What are you all talking about?”

Everyone jumped at her voice, turned around to look, then scattered like birds. They were afraid Zuo Dan might give them a lecture on ideological discipline.

Zuo Dan stared after them, baffled, then turned to Shen Yiming and asked, “What were you all just saying?”

Pushing his bicycle along, Shen Yiming smiled, “Nothing much, they were just asking how we got together.”

“What did you say?” Zuo Dan asked nervously. “You didn’t go telling them all our business, did you?”

“Oh, I said that when I first went to the countryside as an educated youth, I was committed to settling down and contributing to rural development. So I asked the production team to introduce me to a revolutionary comrade who was ideologically advanced and capable, to guide me in aligning with the peasants and help me progress. Comrade Zuo Dan accepted the organizational assignment and started dating me. In the process, I discovered she was an irreplaceable comrade-in-arms, my soulmate. Later, under the witness of the organization, we established a formal revolutionary partnership.”

Zuo Dan almost choked on her own saliva. She thought Shen Yiming was just shameless—he could lie through his teeth even more smoothly than she could.

Back then, who was the one constantly trying to sneak off into the woods? Flirting with her, teasing her, and tricking her relentlessly until she gave in.

Now he had the nerve to present it all as some righteous and noble story.

But considering his shameless antics earlier today, Zuo Dan had nothing more to say. Ignoring the gossiping eyes around them, she got on the back seat of his bike, and the two of them rode home together.

On the way, Zuo Dan finally erupted, “Shen Yiming! How could you sign your name like that? Do you know how famous I am now? My teacher even asked me today if I wanted to publish something in the school paper too! He said we should ‘progress together,’ and that since my college entrance score was higher than yours, I shouldn’t fall behind now that we’re in university… Do you see the trouble you’ve caused me? I don’t want to publish anything at all!”

Shen Yiming replied, “I think it’s great. Now neither of us needs to worry about getting into trouble.”

“…” Zuo Dan snorted coldly. “Comrade Shen Yiming, let’s be clear. I never had trouble. You were the one always causing it!”

To this day, she hadn’t received a single love letter! Her counselor thought she was capable and kept giving her responsibilities. Because of that, whenever male classmates saw her, it was like they were seeing the counselor!

Shen Yiming smiled with satisfaction. “As long as you’re not in trouble, that’s good. I can finally focus on serious matters. You don’t know how worried I was in class after hearing how outstanding you are in your department. I kept imagining that you were sitting next to some guy in class. But now, it’s all good. I don’t need to worry about you, and you don’t need to worry about me. Win-win.”

Zuo Dan was so annoyed by his smugness that her teeth ached. She reached out and scratched his side, making him swerve the bike all over the road.

Back at the girls’ dorm, Xiang Honghua rushed in and immediately shared everything she had just heard from Shen Yiming with the rest of the roommates.

Listening to her recount the story, everyone began imagining the scene: the ambitious young Shen Yiming, freshly arrived in the countryside, was introduced to the beautiful rural girl Zuo Dan by the organization. The two of them worked together, studied together, progressed together, and eventually fell in love and became a couple.

Simple, yet filled with romantic charm. Most importantly, both of them were good-looking, so the mental image they conjured had a certain beauty to it—just thinking about it made their hearts race.

“How lovely,” Jiang Pan sighed. “Back then, I stayed in the city and met my partner through an introduction too, but it was nothing like their romantic story.”

The eldest sister in the dorm, Sun Hong, chuckled. “These things are pretty rare. A couple like them, both going to the same university—that’s even rarer. Honestly, it’s a love story in itself.”

“Exactly, it’s going to be one of Peking University’s classic tales,” Xiang Honghua said happily.

One girl, Zhu Min, had stayed silent the whole time. After they finished, she said expressionlessly, “Who knows if it’s true? Didn’t someone say Zuo Dan’s father is a deputy secretary in the commune? Maybe she forced that male educated youth to date her. It’s not like those things haven’t happened before. Cadres’ children threatening and luring educated youths into marriage.”

The other three girls turned to look at her, feeling like she’d taken it a bit too far. Xiang Honghua, now a die-hard fan of Zuo Dan, was especially upset. “How could that be? Zuo Dan is excellent too!”

Zhu Min retorted, “That’s now. When they started dating, they didn’t even know the college entrance exams would be reinstated. At that time, Comrade Zuo Dan had only graduated from junior high and had a rural household registration. Plus, living in the countryside, she definitely wouldn’t have been as delicate and pretty as she is now. Why would a normal male educated youth choose her over a female educated youth? What benefits does a city person get from marrying someone from the countryside? They wouldn’t even be eligible for grain rations once back in the city and would have another mouth to feed. The child’s household registration would also have to be in the countryside.”

Xiang Honghua said, “Didn’t I just explain? Comrade Shen Yiming planned to stay in the countryside for long-term rural development, so he asked the organization for an introduction. They had aligned ideals while dating, which led to their marriage. Comrade Zhu Min, you really shouldn’t judge things with such bias.”

Sun Hong also frowned. “I too married a rural man as an educated youth. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. When I was living in the countryside, my husband took great care of me. Without that, I wouldn’t have had time to study for the college exams. Comrade Zhu Min, please don’t harbor prejudice against rural people.”

“I don’t!” Zhu Min’s face turned red. “I… I just think that some children of grassroots cadres may resort to coercion or inducement…”

“You still can’t make wild accusations!” Xiang Honghua puffed up her cheeks and then got up to fetch hot water, clearly unwilling to discuss the issue further.

After returning home, Zuo Dan’s first task was to feed her son. Once Youyou was full, his grandmother took him to the Qi family to play, giving Zuo Dan and Shen Yiming some peaceful time to study and do their homework.

Little Youyou had been living quite well lately. Ever since they began mingling with the Qi family, Aunt Guo would often come over to play with him. As they grew familiar, she became very fond of Shen Youyou — mainly because he looked good and always had a smiling face. Children who love to smile are always especially likable. When Aunt Guo finished her own tasks, she’d help look after Shen Youyou and even take him over to her house.

Qi Changyun, who was idling at home with nothing much to do except reading books and newspapers, also joined Aunt Guo in playing with Shen Youyou. He even dug out all of his son’s childhood toys and piled them on the bamboo mat for Youyou to play with.

As a result, Shen Youyou felt like he had gained two big friends and was extremely happy. Every day, he ate well, drank well, and played well. He didn’t even miss his parents too much. After all, whenever he came back from playing, his parents were at home.

Unfortunately, today, his parents were clearly very busy.

By the time it was getting dark and he returned home, his parents still didn’t have time to hold him.

There was no helping it — both of them were occupied. Shen Yiming was busy writing an article to submit to a provincial newspaper, and Zuo Dan had been dragged into it. Since their teacher had asked her to contribute as well, it would seem unmotivated not to do so. So, she gritted her teeth and wrote something too.

Still, Zuo Dan understood how hard it was for her grandmother to look after the child. So when night fell, she took over caring for him. Shen Yiming cooked while she held the child and watched him cook from outside. She even educated Shen Youyou, “See? A man must know how to cook, or he won’t find a wife. Learn from your dad.”

Shen Youyou stared at Shen Yiming for a while, then moved his lips as if trying to make a sound.

“Pa—”

Zuo Dan’s ears perked up immediately. “Youyou, what did you just say? Say it again.”

Shen Youyou looked at her blankly.

“……” Zuo Dan thought she must have misheard. Youyou was only eight months old.

She remembered her grandma saying she herself started calling people at ten months, which was considered smart. She thought of asking Shen Yiming when he started talking but remembered he was probably still suffering under Du Juan at that age, so she didn’t ask.

After a simple dinner, Grandma went to rest. Shen Yiming and Zuo Dan teamed up to wash Shen Youyou clean, put him on the big bed, placed a small rattle and a tiger plush beside him, and continued drafting their articles and reading materials on the bed.

Shen Youyou picked up the rattle and gave it a shake. Finding it boring, he played with the plush toy for a while, then curiously bit into it.

Once it was soaked with drool, he lost interest and looked at his parents — but they weren’t playing with him.

His little lips moved again, “Mu, ma—ma—mu—”

Zuo Dan and Shen Yiming were both writing diligently when they suddenly heard the sound from the room and simultaneously looked in its direction.

Their son was staring at them with big expectant eyes, his expression utterly pitiful. And just as they turned to look, he gave them a radiant smile.

Zuo Dan looked at Shen Yiming. “Did you hear that? He seemed to say mama.”

Shen Yiming nodded solemnly. “I heard it too.”

So it wasn’t a hallucination. Zuo Dan looked thrilled. Forgetting her article, she put her materials aside and reached out to pick up her son. “Youyou, come on, say it again.”

Shen Yiming also looked intrigued. “Come to think of it, he’s eight months old. I’ve heard some kids speak early — it’s not impossible to talk at eight months. Our son really didn’t waste all that formula. It made him smarter — he even knows how to play mind games now.”

Shen Youyou giggled at his parents. He was happy. He seemed to realize that he had said something that made them pay attention, so he continued to call out, “Ma—ma.”

This time, Zuo Dan clearly heard it. Her face lit up with joy, and she immediately picked him up and kissed him.

“Say mama again. Come on, ma—ma—”

Shen Youyou laughed. “Ma—ma—” With Zuo Dan’s guidance, he called more fluently than before.

Zuo Dan was so happy she didn’t know what to do. It felt like the moment she gave birth — she was so emotional that tears welled up. She kissed her son a few more times.

Shen Yiming suddenly said with a sour tone, “It’s just talking, no big deal. And only calling mama.”

Zuo Dan instantly frowned. “That’s just sour grapes because you didn’t hear him call papa. But I did! I thought I misheard before, but now it looks like I didn’t.”

Shen Yiming raised his eyebrows and stared at the child. “Shen Youyou, say papa.”

Shen Youyou, seeing his serious expression, thought he was being made to sleep again. He pouted unhappily.

Shen Yiming: “…” Calling me papa is that unpleasant?

Zuo Dan pushed him aside and gently coaxed Shen Youyou. “Come on, say papa. Pa—pa—”

Clearly, Youyou liked his mother more. Treating it like a game, he echoed, “Pa—pa—”

This time it was clear. Though not perfect, it was close enough. Zuo Dan proudly looked at Shen Yiming and was about to brag when she saw him wipe his eyes and smile contentedly. “This little guy’s not bad.”

Zuo Dan couldn’t help laughing. Sometimes, Shen Yiming really was like a child.

Because the child had started speaking, the couple no longer cared about their studies.

In the grand scheme of things, nothing mattered more than their son’s first words.

So the two of them sat on either side of him, teaching him to say mama and papa. Shen Youyou thought it was a game and was thrilled to have both parents playing with him. But by bedtime, he could only manage “papa.”

When he was tired and fell asleep, Shen Yiming put him in the cradle. The couple stood there, looking down with proud smiles, deeply feeling the joy of parenthood.

After a child learns to speak and receives encouragement, it becomes unstoppable.

Though both parents were busy, they still took time daily to teach him to talk. But he was still very young. Apart from “mama” and “papa,” everything else was just babble. Still, Comrade Shen Youyou loved it. Perhaps he had heard Qi Changyun read the newspaper too much; after coming home, he’d babble even more and grab papers to jabber over. Zuo Dan could only admire his imitation skills.

Once the initial excitement passed, the couple returned to their tasks.

Zuo Dan finally finished her article on educational theory. Though difficult, she had experience from writing papers before. The beginning was filled with citations; later, she discussed educational issues in depth — from school entry age to education systems and advancement issues…

After finishing, she submitted the article to her sociology of education professor, Professor Qin.

Professor Qin, an elderly lady, was the same teacher who had initially encouraged Zuo Dan to write.

Seeing Zuo Dan’s quick action, the old professor was pleased and happily agreed to review it.

The next day, she called Zuo Dan to her office. “What you brought up — we teachers have discussed these issues many times. I didn’t expect you, just starting this field, to be so insightful.” She looked genuinely pleased.

Zuo Dan replied humbly, “It’s because of my background. In our production team, most people were illiterate. When my father was team leader, he hadn’t even graduated primary school. My junior high diploma was considered highly educated. Whenever our team leader read documents from higher-ups, many couldn’t understand them. When technicians came to guide us, communication was hard. It all boiled down to illiteracy. These issues are especially prevalent in poor rural areas. After coming to Beijing to study, I heard some foreign countries had implemented free compulsory education from primary to secondary school. But that’s them — we can’t just copy it.”

Professor Qin nodded. “Unfortunately, our compulsory education hasn’t reached that level.” She looked at Zuo Dan again. “I hope your generation can take on this important task.”

Zuo Dan earnestly replied, “That’s why I’m studying — so both urban and rural children can gain knowledge.”

Professor Qin smiled. “Good. That’s a wonderful goal. I’m planning to publish your article. But one thing — I must ask: are you sure you don’t want to sign it like Comrade Shen Yiming did?”

Zuo Dan: “……” Professor, your persona just collapsed…

After Shen Yiming’s publication, Zuo Dan also became known by publishing hers.

But the moment her article came out, Zuo Dan felt something was off. Shen Yiming had just pulled that stunt, and now she was publishing too. Would people think she was trying to show off her department?

This way, wouldn’t everyone know exactly which department and class Shen Yiming’s revolutionary comrade belonged to?

“……” Looks like she accidentally did something foolish again!

Just as she was feeling regretful, Shen Yiming did something even bigger — completely overshadowing her minor blunder. He submitted his article to the provincial newspaper using his old contacts, and they published it.

The article was so bold and daring that it even made its way to the capital.

And since Comrade Shen Yiming was already a well-known figure at Jingda (Peking University), it didn’t take long for people there to realize that this was written by one of their own students.

If students back then understood what a “headline” was, they’d definitely think this couple was trying to fight for front-page news.