RIRW – Chapter 15

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At this time, the sky was already pitch black, and there was no one outside. Every household was sitting down for dinner. As Zuo Dan walked along, she didn’t encounter a single soul.

Thinking about how her parents were still out working, Zuo Dan felt a bit annoyed.

She was the kind of person who hated suffering losses, so why did she have parents who seemed to actively seek them out? If these two weren’t good to her, she could turn a blind eye. But they treated her like their precious daughter, and she couldn’t be cold-hearted and ignore them.

Once the autumn harvest was over, she had to figure out a way to change this situation. Zuo Dan wasn’t the type to let herself suffer losses in any situation.

To get to the fields, she had to pass by the threshing yard.

As she was about to bypass the yard on her way to the fields, she saw faint shadows moving there.

Could someone be stealing grain again? Zuo Dan quietly crept closer, hiding behind a pile of straw to watch.

“Huì, why don’t you go home and eat? There’s not much left here; I can handle it alone,” Zuo Dacheng said as he continued threshing wheat while talking to Li Hui beside him.

This work wasn’t hard for either of them, but after a full day of heavy labor, they were both exhausted and hungry. Zuo Dacheng worried that Li Hui wouldn’t be able to hold up.

“It’s fine. If we work together, we can finish quicker. Besides, this is my family’s business. How can I leave it all to you?” Li Hui said, wiping sweat from her forehead.

Her family’s business? Zuo Dan’s eyes widened.

When she left earlier, everyone else had finished their tasks except for Su Xue. So, naturally, it was clear whom Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui were helping now.

But what connection did Su Xue have to the Li family?

Zuo Dan recalled how Li Hui had subtly hinted earlier for her to help out the newcomers. At the time, she’d wondered why Li Hui was suddenly concerned with such things. Now it seemed clear—it wasn’t about the newcomers; it was about helping Su Xue.

“Dad, Mom, what are you doing here?” Zuo Dan thought for a moment and decided to step out. She needed to get to the bottom of this.

Li Hui and Zuo Dacheng were startled by her voice. “Dandan, why are you here?”

“Everyone’s at home eating dinner. I came to call you back. Why are you working here? Didn’t the old team leader say there were no tasks left here today?” Zuo Dan deliberately asked.

In the dim light, Li Hui’s expression was hard to make out, but her flustered movements gave her away.

Zuo Dacheng said, “It’s nothing. Your mom and I saw there was still some unfinished work here, so we thought we’d lend a hand. These newcomers aren’t used to the work yet; helping out a bit doesn’t hurt.”

“I didn’t notice anyone struggling. These newcomers seemed to adapt well enough, except for one or two lazy ones who didn’t finish their tasks.”

“Dandan, don’t talk nonsense,” Li Hui interrupted.

“Then tell me, why are you helping others with their work?” Zuo Dan pressed. “It’s not much work left, and if the newcomers can’t finish, that’s their own fault for lagging behind. By helping them, you’re enabling their laziness. Besides, you’re not even related to them. Why help?”

Zuo Dacheng glanced at Li Hui, who hesitated before nodding slightly.

With a sigh, Zuo Dacheng said, “Dandan, you’re old enough to understand now, so we’ll tell you. But you mustn’t tell anyone else. That newcomer, Su Xue, is your uncle’s biological daughter. Your uncle only has this one child, and now that she’s living far from home, right under our noses, how can we not help her?”

“Su Xue? But her last name is Su?” Zuo Dan was truly shocked. She’d thought Su Xue might be some distant relative of Li Hui’s, but never expected such a close connection.

Wasn’t this world just too small? Someone please explain how a Su ended up in the Li family.

Li Hui’s expression turned awkward, but in the darkness, it wasn’t visible. “Your aunt remarried… She changed her last name to protect Su Xue.”

Zuo Dacheng coughed lightly. “In any case, you know now. Just keep it to yourself and don’t spread it around.”

Zuo Dan rolled her eyes. Now she understood. Su Xue had planned everything well—taking advantage of Li Hui’s goodwill while denying any association with the Li family.

She got all the benefits and none of the trouble.

Looking at her parents, Zuo Dan didn’t want to say much more.

When she’d mentioned Su Xue’s laziness earlier, Li Hui had immediately stopped her, which showed how much she cared for this niece of hers. It was clear that a few words from Zuo Dan wouldn’t change her mind.

“Finish this tomorrow. If you stay too late, people might get suspicious. Even if we don’t say anything, it could make others think something’s up. There’s not much left, so I’ll help finish it tomorrow.”

Hearing this and seeing how little work was left, Li Hui started worrying too, afraid of being caught.

She’d already caused trouble for the Zuo family and didn’t want to bring harm to her niece as well.

“Then let’s go home and finish it tomorrow.”

When the three of them returned home, the rest of the family had already finished eating and gone to their rooms.

The food had gone cold, so Li Hui quickly reheated it in the pot and sat in the kitchen to eat her dinner.

Zuo Dan, who wasn’t particularly hungry thanks to the orchard’s offerings, sat with her bowl and thought over the situation with Su Xue.

“Dandan, please don’t say anything about this. Your uncle and grandparents have already been punished, and I don’t want the Li family to suffer any more.”

After finishing her meal, Li Hui anxiously reminded Zuo Dan again.

She still vividly remembered the scene when her parents and brother were sent to the labor farm. She didn’t want to go through it again.

Zuo Dan nodded. At this time, class distinctions were rigidly enforced, and the gap between the poor and the rich farmers was insurmountable.

Her maternal grandparents were bourgeois, which caused her to be labeled as a “bad element.” If people found out that Su Xue’s biological father was undergoing reform at a farm, Su Xue’s future prospects would essentially be ruined, even if she didn’t have to go to the farm herself.

Outwardly, she agreed with Li Hui to keep it a secret, but inwardly, she thought, “That depends entirely on how Su Xue behaves.”

If Su Xue didn’t act properly, she wouldn’t hesitate to go against her word.

The next day at work, Li Hongbing noticed a significant decrease in Su Xue’s workload and checked it multiple times in surprise.

Su Xue curved her lips into a smile. “I told you I’d finish my tasks.”

“You stayed late just for a little while and managed to do this much?” Li Hongbing was skeptical.

Su Xue smiled. “Well, it’s done, isn’t it?”

Zuo Dan glanced at her and kept her head down, continuing her work. If only Li Hui could see how her precious niece behaved—she might not be so eager to help Su Xue so diligently.

Perhaps because she had tasted the benefits, Su Xue’s work attitude grew even lazier.

By the end of the day, there was even more unfinished work than before.

When the workday ended, Li Hongbing was furious. “I don’t believe you’ll finish everything tomorrow.”

Zuo Dan glanced at the pile of incomplete work and smirked. “Comrade Su Xue, do you have relatives in our village? If I didn’t see you interacting with anyone, I’d almost suspect that you had relatives sneaking over at night to help you.”

Hearing this, the others turned their eyes toward Su Xue.

Su Xue’s face shifted slightly. “I don’t have any relatives here! I’m from the provincial capital. My parents are workers. How could I have relatives in the countryside?”

“Why are you so defensive? I was just asking casually,” Zuo Dan said, brushing off her sleeves and heading off to find Zuo Shuisheng to record her work points.

Watching Zuo Dan’s departing figure, Su Xue bit her lip.

After most of the workers had left, and the area was nearly deserted, Li Hui and Zuo Dacheng arrived at the threshing ground.

When they got there, Su Xue was wiping her tears.

“What’s wrong?” Li Hui asked anxiously.

“Aunt, it’s nothing. I just thought about the past. Aunt, do you think Dandan knows about our relationship? Today, she almost blurted it out.”

“How could this happen? I specifically told her!” Li Hui panicked. “Dandan wouldn’t do it on purpose—she’s not a bad kid.”

Zuo Dacheng chimed in, “But Dandan didn’t really say anything, did she?”

“No, she didn’t.”

Li Hui let out a sigh of relief. “See, I told you Dandan wouldn’t do it on purpose. She’s always been straightforward and honest.”

Hearing how much they defended Zuo Dan, Su Xue was livid. What kind of aunt is this? Faced with her own daughter, isn’t she still biased?

“Dandan is honest? There’s no one in the world more scheming than her.”

“Aunt, I miss my grandmother. Back when I lived at home, Grandma used to make me delicious food every day. The other day, I saw Dandan’s grandma cooking her an egg. I haven’t had one of Grandma’s eggs in so long.”

Su Xue wiped her tears.

Li Hui felt a pang of sadness hearing Su Xue mention her own mother-in-law. “Don’t worry, Auntie will make you something nice. There’s not much at home right now, but after the autumn harvest, when we get our meat ration, Auntie will save some for you.”

Su Xue frowned slightly when she heard she had to wait until after the harvest. What do you mean there’s nothing at home? Zuo Dan can eat eggs, but when I ask for something, there’s suddenly nothing available.

Clearly, they were just unwilling to share.

Li Hui didn’t realize what her niece was thinking; she was only worried about whether Zuo Dan might accidentally slip up.

By the time they returned home after finishing the work, the Zuo family had already eaten dinner and gone to bed. Only Zuo Dan was in the courtyard doing laundry.

When Li Hui entered the house, she called Zuo Dan into the kitchen.

“Dandan, did you let something slip about Su Xue?”

Zuo Dan had already anticipated Su Xue would complain, so she pouted and said, “I didn’t say anything! I just got a little excited and hinted that she might have relatives here. Who knew she’d deny it outright? I feel bad now.”

Zuo Dacheng had just finished putting away his farming tools and joined the conversation in the kitchen. Hearing what they were discussing, he said, “Don’t be too hard on Dandan. She’s just a kid. Besides, it’s not like she actually said anything.”

Zuo Dacheng didn’t mind helping his brother-in-law’s daughter with work, but he also didn’t think it was fair to criticize his own daughter over it.

Hearing this, Li Hui decided not to press the issue further. “Fine, I was just asking. Let’s all be more careful in the future.”

When Zuo Dan returned to her room, her sisters were already asleep. Zuo Huan was even snoring lightly, clearly exhausted from the day’s work.

Lying in bed, Zuo Dan stuffed two wads of cotton into her ears before pulling the blanket over herself.

Thinking about Su Xue’s exaggerated reaction, her lips curved into a faint smile. Looks like Su Xue is truly scared of being exposed.

It’d be a waste not to make good use of such leverage.