RIRW – Chapter 199

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Li Wenchang felt like he no longer had a home. As he stepped onto the street and looked around, he felt there was no place left for him in the world.

He arrived at the lakeside—the very same lake where Xiao Hui had once jumped into.

If it hadn’t been for Zuo Dacheng back then, Xiao Hui and Dandan would have died in that lake.

And now, it seemed like it was his turn.

But as he stood at the edge of the lake for a long while, he couldn’t muster the courage to jump.

“I’m so useless. How could I be this useless? Sob sob sob…” He clutched his head and cried bitterly.

“I thought you’d actually jump,” a voice came from behind. Zuo Dacheng stepped out.

Hearing his voice, Li Wenchang turned around to see Zuo Dacheng staring at him angrily.

“Zuo Dacheng, what are you doing here?”

“I went to the provincial capital to see Hui. When I stopped by my parents’ place, I saw you leaving. Li Wenchang, were you just trying to end it all? Jumping into the lake?”

Li Wenchang didn’t respond. He had been thinking about it. He just didn’t have the guts. He simply couldn’t match his younger sister’s courage. Or perhaps, his situation still hadn’t reached the level of desperation Xiao Hui had faced back then.

Zuo Dacheng grabbed him and punched him in the face. “You’re a grown man, and you still want to jump into a lake? What the hell are you thinking? Our parents are so old now—you’ve already broken their hearts. Do you want them to bury their own child too? Have you no conscience?”

“They don’t recognize me anymore. They’ve disowned me…” Li Wenchang cried harder.

“Bullshit. Even if they don’t acknowledge you, you’re still their son. If you die, they’ll still be heartbroken. They turned away from you because you crossed the line. You know full well how Hui and I treated you all these years. And yet, you betrayed us for Guo Caiping. What did you give us in return? I might not be educated, but at least I have a conscience. You’ve got your fancy education—but what else do you have?”

Li Wenchang had nothing to say. Aside from his education, he really had nothing.

Zuo Dacheng pointed at the lake. “If you really want to jump in, go ahead. I won’t stop you. But do you even know what it’s like in there? When I jumped in to save Hui, it was freezing, pitch black. You can’t see a thing, can’t breathe. Water fills your nose and mouth. If no one saves you, you’ll just become fish food.”

Hearing this, a cold sweat broke out on Li Wenchang’s back. If he hadn’t hesitated earlier, he might’ve already ended up exactly as Zuo Dacheng described.

Zuo Dacheng said bluntly, “You want to live or die—decide for yourself.”

“I… I want to live. But how can I? I have nowhere to go…”

Zuo Dacheng looked at him with contempt. “The elementary school in our hometown, Zuo Village, is short on teachers. If you’re willing, I’ll get you a spot. But once you’re there, you’d better teach properly. If you don’t do a good job, get the hell out.”

Hearing “Zuo Village,” Li Wenchang hesitated. But after some thought, he realized that the most peaceful time in his life was probably the decade he spent on the farm.

Maybe life in the countryside wasn’t so unbearable after all.

He looked at Zuo Dacheng. “Why are you helping me? After what I did to you and Xiao Hui, after all the mistakes I’ve made… Even Mom and Dad don’t recognize me anymore.”

“For Hui’s sake,” Zuo Dacheng glared at him. “If you died, she’d be heartbroken too. I don’t want her to go through the pain of losing someone again. You just happened to run into me today—maybe it’s Heaven’s will. So, are you going to Zuo Village or not?”

Li Wenchang looked at Zuo Dacheng for a moment. “Zuo Dacheng… I misjudged you before. You’re a better man than I am.”

Zuo Dacheng snorted. “You’ve misjudged quite a few people with those eyes of yours.”

Li Wenchang’s face turned red with shame.

Since he had to take Li Wenchang back, Zuo Dacheng didn’t go to the provincial university as planned. He figured he’d settle Li Wenchang first, then tell his in-laws—no need to worry them unnecessarily.

When he heard that Li Wenchang still owed the Guo family two hundred yuan because of Li Xue, Zuo Dacheng nearly punched him again.

“Pay it back once you start teaching. You’re really useless—raising a daughter like that.”

Li Wenchang didn’t dare say a word.

Now homeless and desperate, this teaching job arranged by Zuo Dacheng was like a lifeline.

They gathered his things from the tube-shaped dormitory building, then headed straight to catch a bus back to Zuo Village. There were now more buses running between the provincial city and the county, and they caught the afternoon one.

Zuo Dacheng was now the commune secretary and quite well-established. Arranging a teaching position at a rural school was easy for him.

Besides, Li Wenchang had graduated from a university in the provincial capital—his credentials were solid.

As for housing, he’d stay temporarily in the school dormitory.

Walking through the schoolyard, hearing the students reading aloud, Li Wenchang’s eyes reddened.

He felt like he’d been waiting for a life like this for a long, long time.

After Zuo Dacheng explained everything, Grandfather Li and Grandmother Li remained silent for a while.

Eventually, Grandfather Li said, “Dacheng, our Li family owes you too much.”

“Dad, don’t say that. We’re all family. I can see that Big Brother is slowly starting to change. When I left, he was still sitting in a classroom listening to another teacher’s lecture—he was really focused.”

“Whatever. If he can live a good life on his own, then let him. I can’t take care of him anymore,” Grandfather Li waved his hand. “This situation is fine now.”

Li Hui smiled. “No matter what, Big Brother has finally settled down. Mom and Dad won’t have to worry anymore. I need to call Dandan later—she’s still worried about things here.”

That afternoon, after school, Zuo Dan received Li Hui’s call.

After hearing what had happened in the provincial capital, she found it all very dramatic. She never imagined that Li Wenchang’s final destination would be back in Zuo Village—and as a rural schoolteacher, no less.

But in the end, this outcome wasn’t unacceptable.

Out of respect for the Li family, she never truly wished for something terrible to happen to Li Wenchang. Just like she didn’t let Li Xue be sent off to Africa.

Unfortunately, Li Xue insisted on walking a path she thought was best for her.

With summer vacation approaching, for Zuo Dan—now halfway through her junior year in college—there wasn’t much of a break. She had to accompany Professor Qin to all kinds of meetings, large and small. Shen Yiming was even busier than she was.

Meanwhile, Shen Youyou was about to turn three years old. Zuo Dan and Chen Zhisen had discussed enrolling him in preschool.

It wasn’t for academic purposes, but rather to let him interact with kids his age. At home, even with tutors, teachers could only provide education—they couldn’t be his peers.

Chen Zhisen didn’t quite share her thinking.

When he was little, there was no preschool. He had plenty of siblings and never lacked playmates. Even his nieces and nephews had private tutors. In the wealthy families he knew, children rarely attended preschool. They followed a systematic elite education as heirs.

But as an open-minded father, Chen Zhisen still agreed to Zuo Dan’s plan.

They found a decent kindergarten not far from home with a good environment.

On September 1st, Shen Youyou would officially begin school. It was a memorable day—both Zuo Dan and Shen Yiming took half the day off to take him to his first class.

Originally, Zuo Dan had planned to dress him in a simple short-sleeved shirt. But early in the morning, he rummaged through everything just to wear his prince outfit—a white little shirt and matching trousers, complete with a bowtie.

He looked ridiculously handsome in it. Even Shen Zhuzhu, the lazy girl, glanced at him several times and clapped her chubby hands in excitement.

Shen Youyou walked over, took her hand, and planted a kiss on the back of her chubby hand.

“…” Zuo Dan gently patted his small hand, “Time for school!” It was her son’s first day of kindergarten, and she had even taken leave from work to drop him off—wasn’t that already a big deal?

And so, Shen Youyou walked out the door, turning back every few steps to look at his parents. Behind them, Shen Zhuzhu, watching her brother leave, immediately pouted and burst into loud, heart-wrenching cries.

“Wah wah wah…”

Not taking her out to play? That was just mean! Protest! Protest! Protest!

Chen Zhisen nearly couldn’t hold onto her. “Zhuzhu, don’t cry. Grandpa will take you out to play.”

Unfortunately, though the little girl was lazy, she had a fiery temper and didn’t settle down easily once she started throwing a tantrum.

A minute later, Zuo Dan gave in and came back, taking the child from Chen Zhisen’s arms. “Dad, I feel like I’m not raising kids—I’m raising ancestors. Now you know how precious it is to have a well-behaved daughter like me, huh?”

Chen Zhisen chuckled, “Daddy would rather you threw tantrums like her. When you’re this obedient, I don’t even get a chance to step in.”

Zuo Dan laughed awkwardly. “Dad, don’t say that. Compared to you, I feel so unqualified. I’ve decided—I’m going to spend the day properly taking care of her.”

Shen Zhuzhu finally got her wish to go out with her parents and big brother.

On the way, Shen Youyou skipped along, holding his mother’s hand, occasionally teasing the baby sister his father carried.

Shen Zhuzhu giggled endlessly.

Finally, they arrived at the kindergarten entrance. Zuo Dan had a detailed conversation with the teacher. Shen Youyou stood beside them, holding the teacher’s hand, his bright black eyes curiously observing the pretty teacher.

“This child seems very obedient and mature. Youlin’s mom, don’t worry. Leave him with us—we’ll take good care of him.”

Hearing the teacher’s praise made Zuo Dan beam with pride. She gently patted her son’s cheek.

“Youyou, be a good boy, listen to your teacher, and get along with your classmates.”

“Mom, I know. Don’t worry. I’ll study well and improve every day!” Shen Youyou replied in a loud, clear voice.

The teacher was surprised and delighted. “What a sensible child. His thinking is sharp too—he’s a smart one.”

Shen Youyou shyly said, “Thank you, teacher.”

As the teacher led Shen Youyou inside, Shen Zhuzhu also wanted to follow them in.

Shen Yiming lifted her high into the air a few times, instantly distracting her.

She laughed gleefully, playing the lift-up game with her dad. After a few rounds, Shen Yiming kissed her cheek and said, “Big brother’s gone to school. Let’s go home now.”

Zuo Dan, however, still looked uneasy. “Do you think our son will get bullied? I just feel so uneasy. He’s never been away from us before. He’s so cute—what if other kids are jealous?”

Shen Yiming replied, “…He’s already three years old, and he’s a boy. Don’t worry so much.”

“A mother always worries, no matter how far the child goes,” Zuo Dan said heavily. She really couldn’t relax. Sure, she was the one who usually bullied Shen Youyou the most at home, but that was within limits. If he got into a fight at school and got scratched on his little face, she’d be heartbroken.

But there was nothing she could do. He was already at school—this day was bound to come. Shen Zhuzhu, yawning, looked ready to sleep. She couldn’t nap outside after all.

Clearly, Shen Yiming doted more on his daughter. Seeing she was sleepy, he said, “Let’s head back. Even if he cries, we won’t be able to hear it from out here.”

Only then did Zuo Dan reluctantly return home.

Shen Youyou wasn’t coming home for lunch. The whole family, except for Shen Zhuzhu, had no appetite.

Chen Zhisen and the grandmother sighed repeatedly.

Zuo Dan herself couldn’t concentrate, not even in the afternoon. She just kept thinking about Shen Youyou.

She endured until the end of the school day, then rushed with Shen Yiming to pick him up.

Just as they arrived at the kindergarten, they saw chaos at the school gate. The two of them were terrified and hurried in, only to find several parents arguing with teachers while holding their scratched-up children.

The kids were all three or four years old, and it was only the first day of school. But a serious fight had already broken out.

Zuo Dan’s heart ached when she saw those scratched-up faces and hands. She grew even more anxious about Shen Youyou.

“Youlin’s mom, here’s Shen Youlin,” the morning teacher approached with a worried face, holding Shen Youyou’s hand. Zuo Dan looked him over—he was perfectly fine, not a scratch, his clothes still neat. But his eyes looked a little timid, making him seem pitiful.

Shen Yiming asked, “Teacher, what happened at school?”

The teacher looked embarrassed. “During activity time this afternoon, we don’t know how it started, but a few kids got into a fight. Thankfully, Shen Youlin was very obedient and didn’t join in. He’s smart too—he hid to the side and didn’t get hurt.”

Zuo Dan let out a sigh of relief.

Since her child was fine, she didn’t want to get involved in the quarrel. She quickly took his hand and left.

As soon as they left school, Shen Youyou became hyper, demanding that both Zuo Dan and Shen Yiming swing him by the arms like a swing.

Zuo Dan asked, “Youyou, do you like school?”

“I do. I really like it,” Shen Youyou said happily, then pouted, “But I don’t like that Pang Xiaohu.”

Zuo Dan glanced at Shen Yiming. “Your son is something else—he made a new friend on the first day.” Then she turned to Shen Youyou, “Why don’t you like him?”

“I was going to give Duoduo a welcome kiss today, but he pushed me away. Then he tried to hit me.”

Zuo Dan was shocked. Her son nearly experienced school violence on day one!

“Did he hit you?”

“No, I cried, and the teacher came. But when the teacher left, he tried to bump me with his butt. I dodged, and he bumped into another kid instead. I told that kid it was Pang Xiaohu who hit him—because Pang Xiaohu thought he was ugly. So he went to hit Pang Xiaohu. Then they bumped into other kids, and everyone started fighting. Mommy, it was so fun! I’ve never seen so many kids playing together before.”

Zuo Dan looked speechlessly at Shen Yiming.

In the following days, more fights broke out at the kindergarten.

Zuo Dan and Shen Yiming had no choice but to give up on Shen Youyou attending kindergarten.

When Zuo Dan went to withdraw him, the teacher was surprised. “But he’s so well-behaved—perfect for school.”

“…His grandpa can’t bear to part with him. Let’s wait another year.”

The teacher said, “That’s such a pity. I hope I can be his teacher next year.”

Zuo Dan smiled. “I hope so too.”

When Shen Youyou learned he couldn’t go to kindergarten anymore, he tried everything—resorting to the long-abandoned crying tantrum routine. He almost started rolling on the floor. Kindergarten was so much fun—why wasn’t he allowed to go?

Watching him cry and scream, Shen Zhuzhu joined in with her own wailing. But when Chen Zhisen offered her a milk bottle, she obediently drank and calmly watched her brother continue his tantrum.

Chen Zhisen held Shen Zhuzhu and smiled at the fussing Shen Youyou. “Not going to school might be better. Youlin is old enough now to learn some Eastern and Western etiquette—and start a musical instrument.”

Shen Youyou could understand what that meant. He thought of the daily lessons in Chinese, English, French… and math…

It turned out that Shen Youyou was indeed better suited to elite education. Only with several teachers watching him alone could he behave properly.

When Chen Pingping and Zuo Cong returned home over the weekend and heard about Shen Youyou’s glorious kindergarten exploits, they laughed so hard they couldn’t straighten up.

“Our Youyou is just too funny,” Chen Pingping said, suppressing her laughter.

Zuo Dan sighed helplessly.

Shen Youyou’s little face turned serious, “Auntie, why can you kiss Uncle, but Duoduo doesn’t want to kiss me? I wanted to give her a welcome kiss too.”

“…”

The entire room went silent.

Everyone turned to look at Zuo Cong and Chen Pingping. Their faces were bright red.