RIRW – Chapter 29

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“He made you move grain? And you actually did it? Are you stupid?”

Xu Fengxia gritted her teeth in anger. She had already been boiling with frustration at home, and now her daughter was suffering too. This was too much.

She couldn’t do anything about the people in her household, but was she really going to let a young man from another place push her around?

Without saying a word, Xu Fengxia grabbed Zuo Huan and stormed off to find Shen Yiming. How dare he make her daughter do such labor!

Zuo Huan immediately resisted when she heard her mother was going to cause trouble for Shen Yiming. “Mom, let it go, we don’t need to go. He’s not having it easy either, he hasn’t even eaten lunch and is still working.”

Zuo Dan, hearing Zuo Huan speak in favor of Shen Yiming, was amazed. What kind of magic did Shen Yiming use on Zuo Huan? Even though she was so upset, she was still concerned about him.

“You useless thing,” Xu Fengxia scolded, slapping Zuo Huan on the head. She turned around and walked out. She was determined to confront that young man.

“Dad, Mom, you go ahead. I’ll go check on things,” Zuo Dan said, immediately chasing after them. Such a spectacle was too good to miss.

Xu Fengxia ran toward the warehouse, sleeves rolled up, looking ready to confront someone. As she rushed toward the warehouse, a few people who had just finished eating and were carrying grain for exchange saw her and thought something big had happened, so they followed her.

“What’s going on, Dandan? Why is your aunt so upset?” someone asked when they saw Zuo Dan following behind.

“She’s going to cause trouble for Comrade Shen Yiming, I’m not sure what’s going on,” Zuo Dan answered, a worried look on her face.

“What?!” At the news, everyone immediately stopped asking questions and hurried after her.

Shen Yiming was such a good person, always thinking of the village. He would never accept any food from them. How could he possibly be in the wrong?

When Zuo Dan and the others reached the warehouse, Xu Fengxia had already been stopped by a few women who were there to exchange grain. She was angrily pointing at Shen Yiming, accusing him of bullying her daughter.

This was outrageous. Who had he bullied? Everyone’s imaginations ran wild. Was it Zuo Qing or Zuo Huan? Was Shen Yiming’s judgment really that poor? Was he looking for a wife and choosing from among these two? One was a mute, and the other was lazy.

Shen Yiming stood beside a table, helplessly looking at Xu Fengxia. He actually appeared to be the one being bullied.

“You, an outsider, are bullying our locals, huh? You think our family has no one left?” Xu Fengxia shouted, venting all her frustration.

“Fengxia, calm down and explain. Don’t get physical. Shen Yiming is a polite person and knows how to reason,” an elderly woman from the village advised.

“There’s no reason to explain, I’m going to teach him a lesson!” Xu Fengxia snapped. She couldn’t believe it. As a local, how could she be afraid of this young outsider? She would just teach him a lesson—so what? The village was going to side with an outsider instead of her?

“What’s going on? Why’s everyone shouting? Not going to work?” Zuo Shuisheng, the team leader, rushed over after hearing the noise.

When he saw Xu Fengxia pointing and shouting at Shen Yiming, his face flushed red with anger. Without asking, he already assumed that Xu Fengxia was bullying Shen Yiming.

Seeing Zuo Shuisheng approach, Xu Fengxia was even angrier. “My daughter, Zuo Huan, was bullied, so as her mother, I’m coming to handle it. What’s it to you, team leader? You handle work production, not my family’s business!”

Zuo Shuisheng didn’t respond to her sarcasm. He asked, “Wasn’t Zuo Huan just back from the field? Shen Yiming has been here all along. How exactly did he bully her?”

Xu Fengxia pointed at Shen Yiming. “He made my daughter move grain! A clean, tidy young lady, and now she’s covered in dirt. Her good clothes are ruined. How could he treat her like that?”

Hearing this, the village people’s curiosity was immediately squashed. So, that’s what happened. They all knew that Shen Yiming wasn’t the type of person to behave like that.

Zuo Shuisheng, listening to the complaint, grew even angrier. He slammed his gong, which he had been carrying to gather people for work. The sound startled Xu Fengxia, and she went silent.

Zuo Shuisheng’s face turned red with anger as he pointed the gong stick at Xu Fengxia. “For such a small thing, you’re causing trouble for Yiming? People were right to say you’re unreasonable! Just now, Yiming told me that your daughter, Huanhuan, came to help voluntarily at noon. Even though she was helping Dandan, she still got tired. Yiming even asked me whether he could give her work points, or if it would be deducted from his own. Look at him, so honest—he worked alongside her and didn’t ask for work points. In fact, he even said he would give his points to your Huanhuan! And now, you take the benefits and come to cause trouble for him! Why should you, Xu Fengxia, get all the benefits?”

“Exactly, Comrade Yiming worked too! We all pitched in earlier, so why should Huanhuan be treated like she’s special?” Zuo Shuisheng’s daughter-in-law added in support.

“Xu Fengxia, our Zuo family village isn’t a place where we let people bully others. If you want to bully someone, we won’t let you,” another man shouted.

“I… I…” Xu Fengxia didn’t expect this to turn into such a mess and suddenly felt humiliated. Being criticized, her head felt heavy, and she stubbornly responded, “Well, that still doesn’t mean she should be doing the work.”

“Why not? If anyone can do it, why can’t she?” Zuo Shuisheng said sternly. “I think Huanhuan’s work points shouldn’t be added now. Coming to cause trouble after doing a bit of work—there’s no spirit of hard work! No points for her! And you better go back to work, or I’ll deduct your points too!”

Xu Fengxia, feeling embarrassed and with everyone pointing fingers at her, couldn’t stay any longer. She was angry at Huanhuan for not clearing things up and leaving her in such an awkward situation. Spitting on the ground in frustration, she turned around and ran off.

Watching Xu Fengxia retreat, her face covered in dust, Zuo Dan couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

When others saw that the commotion was over, they quickly went back to their business— exchanging grain or continuing their work.

Zuo Dan, feeling she couldn’t just be a bystander, ran to Zuo Shuisheng, her face full of guilt. “Old team leader, it’s all my fault. If I hadn’t listened to Huanhuan and gone back, none of this would have happened. It’s just moving some grain, we can do it too. I’m strong enough.”

“This is my fault. I saw that Comrade Huanhuan was eager to help, so I agreed. I didn’t expect her to think I was bullying her,” Shen Yiming sighed. “I thought she was as hardworking as Zuo Dan.”

“How can we blame you? You did nothing wrong. It’s just her laziness. She doesn’t work normally, and I haven’t even allowed her to make up work points. I won’t tolerate her being spoiled anymore. No work points, and no food distribution at the end of the year!” Zuo Shuisheng’s voice was getting agitated.

Before the Zuo family split, Dacheng and his wife worked harder than anyone, suffering more than others, so Zuo Shuisheng didn’t mind too much. Now it seemed like they had spoiled them. He couldn’t let this continue. Dacheng’s family had already split off, and any extra work points were going to their family—whoever didn’t work would go hungry!

Zuo Shuisheng stormed off angrily. He needed to make sure Xu Fengxia and Huanhuan were working. He’d have to keep a closer eye on them in the future.

Once Zuo Shuisheng left, Zuo Dan turned to Shen Yiming and smiled. “Comrade Yiming, you must be shaken.”

Shen Yiming nodded seriously. “It’s fine, but you should thank Comrade Huanhuan. If not for her, you’d be the one doing the work this afternoon.”

Zuo Dan earnestly replied, “I’ll definitely thank her later.”

The two shared a moment of understanding, each knowing exactly what had happened but choosing to pretend they didn’t. Zuo Dan suddenly understood why Shen Yiming had said that dealing with smart people was easier—it was true, as long as the smart person was on her side.

By noon, the grain was already stored, and in the afternoon, the two of them only needed to wait for people to come and exchange their grain. Then, they could tally the accounts.

Zuo Shuisheng had said that the grain exchange would only be today, and tomorrow, everything would be sent to the commune. Some people hesitated, but by the afternoon, they all showed up, carrying grain. Even Grandmother Zuo came with 15 pounds of fine grain to exchange for coarse grain. Zuo Dan didn’t agree with this and insisted the elderly woman should keep the grain. No matter what, the family would never let the elderly go hungry.

Grandmother Zuo sighed, a complicated look on her face, as she listened.

Taking the opportunity, Zuo Dan spoke to Grandmother Zuo about the earlier commotion caused by Xu Fengxia. “I didn’t know what to say, but since you’re the elder, your words would definitely be listened to. We can’t let Aunt keep causing trouble like that. It’s embarrassing for you.”

Grandmother Zuo’s face darkened, and she clenched her teeth in anger. This was truly humiliating. She had been too indulgent before. She shouldn’t have favored the eldest family over the second one. And despite everything, Dandan, this child, was actually more sensible and filial than the other two granddaughters.

Watching Grandmother Zuo leave, Zuo Dan smiled with satisfaction.

Shen Yiming happened to look up and see her expression, thinking she looked like a cat who had been stealing fish.

By 5 p.m., everyone had finished their work. Zuo Shuisheng came to inform the two of them that the work was over. The grain exchange was officially concluded, and no one would be allowed to exchange grain anymore.

Zuo Dan, eager to check if her third uncle had returned and to learn about the situation in other communes, waved at Shen Yiming and ran home.

Shen Yiming watched her leave, suddenly thinking to himself that this girl was really wasted in this place.

When Zuo Dan arrived home, she found her third uncle squatting outside, drawing circles on the ground. Inside, voices could be heard, as if Grandmother Zuo was scolding someone.

“What’s going on at home?” Zuo Dan asked.

When her third uncle saw her come back, he was excited. “There’s a commotion! Your grandma and Aunt are at it, causing a ruckus.” He didn’t think family arguments were anything bad, and seemed rather enthusiastic. “It’s about time! Your aunt deserves to be taught a lesson, always stirring up trouble. Your grandma is finally getting wise.”

Zuo Dan thought to herself, the old lady wasn’t recently becoming more aware. She had always been clear-headed. It’s just that before, it didn’t interfere with her, so she couldn’t be bothered. Now that her interests had been touched, she had to fight back. After hearing this, Zuo Dan wasn’t planning to go inside immediately. She let them sort things out themselves. She then exchanged a look with her third uncle and the two of them hid behind the house. After checking both sides and seeing no one, Third Uncle quietly explained the situation to Zuo Dan. The work had been finished, but this time collecting the grain was more difficult than before. It seemed that other communes had heard the news and were saying that the Dahe Commune was exchanging for coarse grain and even promised an extra one or two pounds. The farmers’ desire for grain had exceeded their desire for money.

“I think it’ll be even harder to collect grain in the future. Once it gets colder, everyone will value their grain more than their lives. They definitely won’t want to exchange it anymore,” Zuo Chengcai sighed, his face filled with regret. This was a rare opportunity to earn some money, but why did it have to be limited to just these two times?

Zuo Dan wasn’t too concerned. She knew that such transactions wouldn’t last long, only a time or two, just enough to make some quick profit. Even with just these two transactions, she had already earned almost thirty yuan. That’s the same as a city worker’s monthly salary. It was easy to imagine how much purchasing power that thirty yuan had. Plus, with the money she had earned before, it was enough for her temporary needs.

“Uncle, it’s fine. There will be plenty of opportunities to make money in the future. Take a break for a few days, you’ll have to work again later.”

Zuo Chengcai’s spirits lifted when he heard this. “We’ll still be able to make money in the future?”

“Of course, don’t you trust me?” Zuo Dan pulled out the money she had set aside for Zuo Chengcai and placed it in his pocket.

“How could I not trust my niece?” Zuo Chengcai said, grinning. He believed his niece would help them earn money.

Seeing him happy, Zuo Dan seized the moment and said, “But Uncle, there are some things I think we need to discuss more carefully…”

After discussing matters, they returned home, where things had already settled down. Zuo Hongjun was sitting alone in the yard, smoking a cigarette. Zuo Chengcai noticed him but didn’t greet him. Zuo Dan, of course, wouldn’t greet him either. Though it seemed like it was all just Xu Fengxia causing trouble earlier, Zuo Dan didn’t believe for a second that Zuo Hongjun had no involvement.

Zuo Chengcai went to ask his mother for some food, and Zuo Dan went to find Zuo Dacheng and his wife. She needed to discuss something with them.

Zuo Dan entered the house, and Zuo Dacheng and his wife had already prepared dinner. The meal was laid out on a small table they had set up temporarily. When they saw Zuo Dan return, Li Hui quickly urged her to wash her hands and eat.

Zuo Dacheng sat heavily at the table, his face full of concern. Seeing Zuo Dan sit down to eat, he said, “Dandan, I need to discuss something with you.”

Zuo Dan raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on? Why is everyone discussing things today?”

Zuo Dacheng glanced outside, sighed, and said, “Too many things have happened recently. Today, your aunt made such a fuss, and your mother and I felt really disheartened. So, we’re thinking of dividing the yard. Let’s keep some distance from them in the future.”

Zuo Dan almost laughed at the comment. She was thankful that Xu Fengxia had made such a scene today, as it had finally opened Zuo Dacheng and his wife’s eyes.

She nodded seriously and said, “Dad, even if you divide the yard, we’ll still have to share the kitchen, and the front door will still need to be shared. It’ll be the same. But since you’ve made up your mind, I think it’s better to close the door to this side, open a new one on the outside, and build a new courtyard and kitchen. That way, we can really live our own lives, and Mom won’t have to fight with Aunt for the kitchen anymore.”

Hearing this, Li Hui’s heart was stirred. As a woman, the most she hoped for was a kitchen where she could be in charge. She could cook whatever she wanted and whenever she wanted.

Zuo Dacheng hesitated, “It sounds good, but I’m worried about how your grandma will react.” After all, this meant even changing the main door.

Zuo Dan reassured him, “Grandma will definitely agree. Maybe she’s thinking the same thing.”

Zuo Dacheng was skeptical. Even though they had divided the family, they weren’t yet living separately, and Grandma already hated the family in the main house. Now, they were changing even the front door. Could Grandma really accept it?

Meanwhile, Zuo Chengcai was talking to Grandma about this. He was also explaining that since his niece had said they were going to do big things in the future, if Aunt kept causing trouble, how could they focus on making money? He didn’t want to work hard and then be constantly watched by the main house. Dandan was right. Before, Aunt didn’t care because he wasn’t making money, but once she realized he could earn, her eyes would be on him all the time.