RIRW – Chapter 28

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“Comrade Shen Yiming, you just overheard my conversation with my cousin outside. How long were you listening for?”

Zuo Dan couldn’t believe how coincidental it was that Shen Yiming arrived just as she and Zuo Huan were having a heated argument.

It was too much of a coincidence.

She believed that, for smart people, coincidences are often caused by human intention. So Shen Yiming must have overheard her conversation with Zuo Huan.

Shen Yiming, with a serious expression, replied, “It wasn’t long. I just heard something about ‘dog brother’ and ‘cat brother.’”

Zuo Dan rolled her eyes. What was he bringing up that for? The whole ‘dog brother, cat brother’ thing… If her aunt really dared bring someone in front of her, she’d have Zuo Dacheng beat them up like a rat.

When they reached the storage room, it was empty. Shen Yiming opened the door and began moving tables out.

Then he handed Zuo Dan his notebook. “Take a look for yourself.”

Zuo Dan took it, and when she opened it, the first thing that caught her eye was Shen Yiming’s sharp handwriting. There’s a saying that a person’s handwriting reflects their personality, and Zuo Dan deeply agreed. A person’s writing is definitely linked to their character.

Just by looking at the handwriting, Zuo Dan could tell that Shen Yiming’s inner self was miles apart from his outward appearance.

After Shen Yiming arranged the tables and chairs and cleaned the area, he turned around and saw Zuo Dan reading and nodding, asking, “Did you understand?”

“Understand what?” Zuo Dan looked up at him. Didn’t he just want her to look at the notebook?

Shen Yiming furrowed his brow and walked over. He reached out and flipped the page of the notebook, revealing a ledger. “Start from this page, take a look, and if you don’t understand, just ask me.”

After that, Shen Yiming’s expression turned serious. “You need to learn this properly. The old captain said no one in the production team understands this. The production team urgently needs people with this kind of skill now.” He then turned around to grab a broom and began cleaning the warehouse in preparation for the midday food storage.

Zuo Dan lowered her head to look at the ledger. After a quick glance, she looked up at Shen Yiming again. Seeing him busy with work, she turned her gaze away. She felt like Shen Yiming was hinting at something. For example, the production team urgently needed people with this skill, and if she learned it, when the team needed someone with this kind of expertise, they would think of Zuo Dan. That way, she could change her fate of endlessly tilling the land. Zuo Dan knew the future history and understood that it wouldn’t be long before she could legally start “speculating and profiteering,” so she never considered her future development in this village. Of course, this was based on her knowledge of the future. Shen Yiming, on the other hand, didn’t know how long the current situation would last, and like most people of his time, he probably believed that this life would continue forever. So everything he did was for his own benefit in this environment.

He was a highly adaptable person with long-term foresight.

Zuo Dan glanced at Shen Yiming, who was busy cleaning the warehouse, and suddenly she understood why he had such an easy time captivating people and making them lose their minds… Highly intelligent people always have a certain magnetic appeal to those with lower intelligence. Especially when that intelligent person is also good-looking.

After Shen Yiming finished his work, he looked up and saw Zuo Dan nodding as she stared at him.

“Got it?”

Zuo Dan raised an eyebrow, pretending to look serious as she glanced at the ledger before nodding.

It was so simple; she understood it with just one look. Even though she didn’t study accounting in college, she had learned basic accounting before. Shen Yiming’s ledger was quite simplified, with income and expenses clearly marked, and she could easily understand how to proceed by just scanning through it.

Shen Yiming looked doubtful, his dark eyes narrowing as he walked over and picked up the notebook. He found a blank page behind it and handed it to Zuo Dan with a challenge.

“Do it yourself.”

Zuo Dan took the ink pen, and in no time, she completed the task.

Shen Yiming gave her two more questions about inventory management. Zuo Dan quickly solved them again. Now Shen Yiming was convinced that Zuo Dan wasn’t lying. He looked at her with a surprised expression, thinking to himself that this girl wasn’t just clever—her brain was really sharp.

Seeing the disbelief in Shen Yiming’s eyes, Zuo Dan’s face showed a proud expression. Though there was a hint of cheating, this was genuinely knowledge she had mastered, so it wasn’t really unfair.

Shen Yiming asked, “Did you study this before?”

“No one in the village understands this,” Zuo Dan replied, feeling like she wasn’t lying.

“…”

Originally, Shen Yiming had planned for Zuo Dan to spend some time learning new knowledge. He had assumed that since she only graduated from middle school and hadn’t studied for several years, it would take her time to catch up. Moreover, he had not only planned to teach her basic warehouse accounting, but also some basic accounting knowledge, as promised to the old captain, so that when Zuo Jia Village needed someone in the future, they would have someone qualified. But Zuo Dan was so smart that she picked it up immediately.

The two of them both realized that it seemed like the entire morning had been spent doing nothing. Now, to go back to work… they didn’t feel like it. It was rare that they didn’t have to go out into the fields, so they wanted to take a break. Zuo Dan didn’t bring it up, and Shen Yiming pretended not to notice.

So, they sat outside the warehouse at the table, moving stools to sit on. On the table was a notebook. Shen Yiming would ask questions, handing them to Zuo Dan, who would then answer. She wrote while muttering something under her breath. People passing by saw them and thought they were still seriously studying. Knowing this was all for the big task in the village, those walking by didn’t even stop to talk, hurrying on their way.

“Shen Yiming, doesn’t your family have a younger brother or sister named Jingren? With the name ‘Yiming Jing Ren’, it fits perfectly.”

“Our family… Oh, right. Why didn’t you go to high school? If you had, you’d definitely have done well.”

“Poor! Shen Yiming, didn’t the commune reward you for the idea you gave them?”

“Serving the people.”

“… Shen Yiming, what are you planning to do with all the grain once it’s collected? Tell me, I won’t tell anyone.”

“…”

Zuo Dan still couldn’t get any useful information from Shen Yiming by the time Old Captain Zuo Shuisheng arrived. She was very curious about what Shen Yiming was up to. She could guess the general situation, but she didn’t know the specific operations. With so much grain being collected, where exactly was it being redirected? Unfortunately, Shen Yiming was tight-lipped—either answering questions in an irrelevant manner or pretending he hadn’t heard them.

“Dandan, how are you doing with your studies? Yiming knows so much; you really need to study hard. This opportunity is rare,” Zuo Shuisheng said, not hiding his admiration and fondness for Shen Yiming. When talking about Shen Yiming, a smile spread across his face, making his wrinkles deepen.

“I’ve learned a lot, studied all morning. Comrade Shen Yiming has been very patient in teaching me,” Zuo Dan praised.

Shen Yiming also added, “Comrade Zuo Dan has a great attitude towards learning. She’s very serious and hasn’t rested all morning.”

They both meant the same thing: neither had been idle—one was teaching seriously, and the other was learning seriously.

Zuo Shuisheng was quite pleased when he heard this. “In the whole production team, Dandan and her brother are the only ones who can study.”

Zuo Shuisheng believed that studying was somewhat hereditary. Even though Dachen’s wife came from a less prestigious family, those born into scholarly families were different, and their children would also be able to study. If it weren’t for Dachen’s wife being from a poor background, Zuo Shuisheng would have used his own face to get Zuo Cong into an industrial, agricultural, and military university to bring honor to the Zuo family ancestors.

Once he confirmed that there was no problem with Shen Yiming’s side, Zuo Shuisheng went to the fields to gather the people to start the grain exchange. This was something the commune required, and as the leader of the production team, he had to make sure it went well. He couldn’t afford to let the commune down.

Soon, people from the village began to carry grain over.

In fact, the amount of fine grain each family received wasn’t much. Most of it was collected and handed over to the commune as public grain. Only a small portion was left for the farmers to keep for their own consumption, used to occasionally improve their meals.

The amount was small; the least received was only about ten or so kilograms. If this was used to buy flour or the skin was removed, there wouldn’t be much left. So, after the grain was collected, people were reluctant to eat it. Now that they could exchange it for more grain, and even get a little extra, no one hesitated and everyone rushed to carry it over.

With Zuo Shuisheng supervising, Shen Yiming and Zuo Dan worked together, and the grain collection proceeded in an orderly manner.

“Dandan, it’s not done yet, why haven’t you gone home to eat?” Zuo Huan, wearing a beautiful blue dress, came over. No one in the village had seen a young woman dressed so brightly, and some of the older folks frowned when they saw her.

Zuo Dan wasn’t concerned about it. She’d seen even flashier outfits. But she did wonder why Zuo Huan was dressed like that, and she felt a little bit like she was watching a show.

Looking over at Shen Yiming, who was checking accounts, she saw that in order to ensure accuracy, he and Zuo Dan each had their own ledger. Once the accounts were done, they would compare to check for discrepancies.

Zuo Dan said, “I’m still busy, I’ll eat later.”

Zuo Huan looked at Shen Yiming, pinching her fingers. “This won’t do. Dinner’s ready at home. Grandma told me to call you to eat. How about I take over your work? I can write too, everything you’ve learned, I’ve learned too, right?”

Zuo Dan just chuckled. Zuo Huan might have learned, but she still couldn’t even do basic addition and subtraction within 100. Otherwise, would her mother, Xu Fengxia, have kept quiet when the high school spots were announced? Didn’t she know exactly what kind of person her daughter was?

Before Zuo Dan could speak, Shen Yiming looked up at her and said, “Why don’t you go back, and let Comrade Zuo Huan help out? I’m sure Comrade Zuo Huan can handle it.” He smiled at Zuo Huan. “She’ll do just fine.”

“… Fine.” Zuo Dan squinted at him, thinking to herself, “Is Shen Yiming really trying to get Zuo Huan into trouble?” But seeing how eager Zuo Huan was, she felt it wasn’t necessary to spoil the fun. Anyway, in broad daylight, there was no way they could do anything improper. At most, Shen Yiming might charm away the remaining pieces of her soul.

So, Zuo Dan patted the dust off her clothes and went straight home.

When she turned around to look, Zuo Huan was sitting in the spot where she had been, holding her skirt, smiling like a blooming flower.

Zuo Dan had thought that Zuo Huan had tricked her into coming back. But when she got home, she found that her family was really waiting for her to eat.

It was rare that Grandmother Zuo actually allowed everyone in the family to sit at the square table in the main room for a meal. Zuo Hongjun and his wife, Zuo Dacheng and his wife, were all present. Even Zuo Qing was at the table, and there was an additional person.

“Dandan is back, hurry and come eat,” Xu Fengxia called out enthusiastically when she saw Zuo Dan come home. Zuo Dan had never seen her this warm before, as if they had always had such a good relationship.

Zuo Dan raised an eyebrow, fetched some water from the bucket in the yard to wash her hands, and then went inside to eat.

“Look, this is our Dandan, she’s grown so well, and she’s capable too. She just went to help the team with the accounting.” Xu Fengxia said to the guests.

Zuo Dan glanced at her. The thin, triangular eyes seemed familiar. After thinking for a moment, she remembered who the person was. This was Xu Fengxia’s sister-in-law from her maternal side, who didn’t visit often. Since the movement started, she hadn’t been to the old Zuo family’s house. However, the original owner still remembered her fierce appearance, so even though she had seen her when she was younger, she still recognized her now.

Xu’s elder sister-in-law, upon hearing this, gave Zuo Dan a scrutinizing look.

“Dandan, this is your aunt from your father’s side, you’ve met her when you were little. You can call her ‘Auntie’ too,” Li Hui said.

“She’s from myfather’s side? Why haven’t they come to visit us all these years?” Zuo Dan asked curiously.

Grandmother Zuo’s face darkened. The Xu family hadn’t treated the Zuo family as close relatives these past years. Aside from the eldest’s visits during the holidays, no one from the Xu family had come over.

Zuo Dacheng and his wife also felt uneasy. The reason the Xu family didn’t visit was naturally because they feared being implicated by the old Zuo family. This matter had a lot to do with Li Hui. No matter the reason, the fact that his wife was being looked down upon made Zuo Dacheng unhappy.

The atmosphere at the table immediately became much more subdued.

“Adults’ matters, you don’t understand,” Xu Fengxia forced a smile, feeling some tension in her. If Zuo Dan had stirred things up like this on a normal day, she would have started scolding, but now, for serious matters, she could only endure.

She smiled and continued, “Speaking of which, my sister-in-law watched Dandan grow up. Back then, Dandan was just a little thing, and now she’s a grown girl. She’s only a few years younger than my nephew, Chunlai.”

Zuo Dan asked, “Aunt, are you talking about Xu Dagouzi?”

“What Dagouzi? His name is Chunlai. He’s old enough now, why are you still calling him by a childish nickname?” Xu Fengxia couldn’t hold it in anymore. She used to call him by that nickname because he was easy to raise, but now he was old enough to get married. It was embarrassing to keep calling him that.

“But didn’t Sister Huan call him Gouzi Ge?” Zuo Dan replied.

Xu’s elder sister-in-law was displeased and shot a glance at Xu Fengxia.

Xu Fengxia awkwardly said, “She doesn’t know any better. I’ll talk to her later. Let’s not mention names. Eat more, eat more.”

The atmosphere at the dinner table was far from pleasant. It was clear that Grandmother Zuo was also holding back, and didn’t seem to like Xu Fengxia’s sister-in-law. As for Zuo Dacheng and his wife, they were just there as companions and didn’t say much.

After the meal, Zuo Qing and Zuo Dan cleared the dishes, while Zuo Dacheng and his wife prepared to go back to work. Since the sister-in-law’s family was there with the elder brother and sister-in-law accompanying, they didn’t want to waste time.

“I say, Dacheng, why are you in such a hurry? I still have something to say,” Xu Fengxia laughed as she approached Li Hui.

Li Hui hadn’t received a smile from her in years, and now being pulled by her so warmly made her feel awkward. She subconsciously pulled her hand away. “Sister-in-law, what’s the matter? Dacheng and I have to go to work.”

“It’s about your daughter Dandan.”

Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui exchanged glances, and suddenly had an inkling. Zuo Dacheng frowned and asked, “Sister-in-law, what’s going on with Dandan?”

Xu Fengxia looked at her sister-in-law, and seeing her nod, she couldn’t contain her excitement. Smiling, she said, “Yesterday, I went home and saw my sister-in-law’s Chunlai. The young man has really grown well and is capable. He’s such a fine young man. I immediately thought of Dandan. Chunlai is six years older than her. If this works out, it will be a close connection. It would be so good in the future.”

Xu Fengxia became more and more excited, as if she was planning to marry off her daughter.

Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui’s faces grew darker the more they listened. Even though they weren’t in the same village, who didn’t know whom? Xu’s big dog son might be capable, but he didn’t have a pleasant appearance. Not to mention, his personality was bad. Few people in their production team got along with him. Most importantly, Xu’s mother, who was sitting in front of them, wasn’t a good person either. If she became their daughter-in-law, it would be a life of hardship.

At first, Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui were displeased that Xu Fengxia hadn’t discussed the matter with them before trying to arrange a marriage for Dandan. But hearing that it was for this kind of match, their anger grew even more.

“Sister-in-law, why didn’t you discuss it with me first?!” Zuo Dacheng said, his face dark.

“Dandan’s marriage, why haven’t I heard of it?” Grandmother Zuo also expressed her displeasure. She felt that since the family split, the old family didn’t consider her anymore.

Xu Fengxia looked troubled. “Mom, I only just thought of it. Besides, if we miss this chance, it will be gone. You know Dandan’s situation… and the second daughter-in-law’s situation… how hard is it to arrange a marriage?”

Xu’s elder sister-in-law scowled. “It’s not that I’m saying anything, but if Fengxia hadn’t said good things about this girl, I wouldn’t agree. But since she says the girl is good, I’ll believe her.” What was good about the girl? Of course, it was that her family was of a higher social standing. Her eldest sister-in-law said so, maybe she secretly hid some good things. If the family wasn’t poor, she wouldn’t have chosen such a girl to be a daughter-in-law.

Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui frowned. Li Hui said, “Dandan doesn’t even know about this yet, and she’s still young. There’s no rush.”

“No rush? She’s almost eighteen! She can get her marriage certificate. There are many girls in the village who get married at sixteen, seventeen, and even have children. Dandan is just right.”

“Why aren’t Qingqing and Huanhuan in a hurry?” Zuo Dacheng asked with a dark face.

Xu Fengxia sighed and said, “It’s different, Brother-in-law. I’m not saying anything unpleasant, but Qingqing and Huanhuan aren’t burdened, and their conditions are good. In the future, they can choose whoever they want. But with your family’s Dandan, it’s harder to find a match.”

“What’s so hard to find? Our family doesn’t care. I disagree with this marriage!” Zuo Dacheng stood up, his face red and neck thick with anger, as soon as he heard someone talk down his daughter.

Everyone was startled by Zuo Dacheng suddenly blowing up in anger.

Zuo Dan, hearing the commotion, came over from the kitchen and pretended to ask, “Mom, what’s going on? Why is Dad so angry?”

Li Hui was about to speak when Xu Fengxia quickly interrupted, “Dandan, your Aunt is really thinking about you. Even though you’ve always annoyed me, I still care about you. I’ve brought up a marriage proposal for you. How about Chunlai? You’ve known him since childhood. If you two get married, the feelings will be deep, and your life will definitely be better.”

“Aunt, don’t say anymore. Dachen and I don’t agree.” Li Hui hurriedly said. “Dandan, it’s fine, you go do something else.”

Zuo Dan pouted, looking at Xu Fengxia with grievance. “Aunt, didn’t I just want you and Uncle to be more filial to the elders? Why are you in such a hurry to marry me off? The elders have it hard enough. You’re not being filial, and now you won’t even let me be. I was planning on staying home and taking care of them for a few more years. When I leave, will you kick my parents out too? My third uncle is often away. Who will look out for the elders then?”

“You brat, what nonsense are you talking about? I’m not thinking that way!” Xu Fengxia became angry but seemed a little guilty. She didn’t expect the girl to be so clever, knowing everything.

“You know what Xu Dagouzi looks like,” Zuo Dan glanced at the stern-faced Grandmother Zuo. “Grandma knows very well, doesn’t she?”

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier? Now, when I mention Uncle not being filial to the elders, you’re pushing me to get married?”

Grandmother Zuo had been Xu Fengxia’s mother-in-law for many years and knew her well. Seeing her eyes move around, she immediately understood that Xu Fengxia’s true intention was exposed by Dandan.

Initially, Grandmother Zuo had no objection to proposing a marriage for Dandan. It wasn’t wrong for a grown-up girl to get married. But Xu Fengxia’s intentions were clearly selfish. Dandan wanted to be filial to the elders, and Xu Fengxia was trying to send her away.

Xu Fengxia’s sister-in-law couldn’t stand that Xu Fengxia was still trying to push a marriage proposal onto Dandan, and pointed at her, “How can you not listen to the elders? You’re so unseemly!”

Seeing that Xu Fengxia couldn’t even argue with a young girl, Grandmother Zuo’s patience ran out. She slapped the table and shouted, “The eldest family, does my word not matter anymore? Whether you send her out or not, get out of the Zuo family! This house and land are mine and your father’s, if I don’t want you to stay, you can’t!”

Only then did Zuo Dan realize why Grandma had so much authority at home. It wasn’t just relying on age; she had the property to back up her power.

At that point, Xu Fengxia didn’t dare to argue further. She grabbed her sister-in-law and walked out. Zuo Hengjun also felt awkward, following them outside, feeling like he hadn’t handled things properly.

Xu Fengxia’s sister-in-law didn’t expect Xu Fengxia to really push her out. Furious and embarrassed, she slapped Xu Fengxia across the face, “Xu Erya, if you have the guts, don’t come back to your family! In the future, if the Old Xu family has you, it won’t have me. If it has me, it won’t have you!”

With that, she stormed out of the door.

Xu Fengxia was about to chase her out when Grandmother Zuo called out, “If you go, then go back to the Old Xu family. Don’t come back here.”

Xu Fengxia stood at the door, unsure whether to chase or not. She could only wipe away her tears and look pitiful. Grandmother Zuo didn’t feel sorry for her. With a cold hum, she turned around and went back into the house.

Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui didn’t even look at Xu Fengxia. Whether she was wiping her tears or even threatening to hang herself, they wouldn’t feel sorry for her. They had tolerated enough, and now she was pushing their daughter into the fire pit—this was something they could never accept.

Zuo Dan felt that Xu Fengxia needed to face the reality. The Old Zuo family wasn’t the same as before, where she could say anything and get her way. Xu Fengxia still thought things were like when they hadn’t separated, when Grandma and she were on the same side, allowing her to do whatever she wanted.

Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui were preparing to go to work, bringing Zuo Dan along to avoid further trouble from Xu Fengxia. Zuo Dacheng also began thinking about things. He wondered if he should build a wall in the middle of the yard to keep a distance from his elder brother’s family.

Just as they were about to leave, Zuo Huan ran back crying. Seeing Xu Fengxia standing in the yard, she ran over and hugged her, sobbing, “Mom…”

Zuo Dan almost didn’t recognize Zuo Huan when she saw her like this.

When Zuo Huan left, she was all clean and neat, her hair oiled and shining. Now, she was not only covered in dust and dirt, but her clothes were also filthy.

Xu Fengxia, seeing her daughter in such a state, immediately stopped caring about anything else. “What happened? Who bullied you? Didn’t you go help Dandan with her accounts? How did you end up like this?”

Zuo Huan cried even harder, “Shen Yiming said that Dandan wasn’t there, so I didn’t need to do the accounts. He made me help carry grain… Wuwu…”