RIRW – Chapter 3

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For Zuo Dan, who had grown up with good food and drink, half a bowl of rice was hardly anything. However, she understood what this half bowl of rice represented in these times.

From her memories, just before the busy farming season, the adults in this family were often in a state of semi-hunger. It was a rare occasion to enjoy a meal of white rice.

Zuo Dan thought of the times when her grandmother used to give her eggs as a child.

Even after their living conditions improved, her grandmother maintained a frugal mindset. Every time, she would forgo eating and place the egg into Zuo Dan’s bowl.

She felt that Li Hui’s thoughts now mirrored those of her grandmother back then.

Lowering her head, she took a bite of the white rice. It was a bit rough in texture but carried a faint sweetness. She looked at Li Hui and softly said, “Thank you, Mom.”

Li Hui smiled, her eyes crinkling with joy, looking more satisfied than if she had eaten herself.

Sitting nearby, Zuo Qing glanced quietly at her mother and sister, who were eating with gusto, and then lowered her head to eat her food silently.

Xu Fengxia, however, didn’t notice her eldest daughter’s mood. In her eyes, the eldest girl was just a wooden stick who barely spoke and wasn’t worth worrying about.

Setting down her chopsticks, Xu Fengxia wiped her mouth and said, “Mom, I see that Dandan is all better now. Isn’t it time for her to get out in the fields? The household’s workload from the household contract responsibility system isn’t small. A child her age should be helping out already.”

Zuo Dacheng, who had just divided up the rice for his wife, quickly wolfed down his own meal. He had been thinking about how to bring up the subject when he heard his sister-in-law’s remark. It immediately made him anxious. “Dandan’s injury hasn’t healed yet. How could she go out and endure such hard labor? Besides, Uncle Shuisheng said they need young people to welcome the educated youth from the city. He said Dandan should go. I was just about to discuss it with Mom. Let Dandan rest for a couple more days so she can represent our village well.”

In most matters, Zuo Dacheng was willing to turn a blind eye, even if it meant losing out. But when it came to his wife and daughter, he would stand his ground. After all, just a few days ago, his daughter had almost lost her life with such a deep wound. It couldn’t possibly heal in two or three days—she needed more time.

Hearing this, Zuo Huan’s eyes lit up. “I want to go too!”

Slap!

Zuo Hongjun slammed his chopsticks down onto the table, his face flushing red. “What’s there to go for?! Nobody’s going, and since when does Shuisheng’s word count as law? He can decide who goes or doesn’t?!”

His outburst startled everyone at the table.

Zuo Dacheng looked awkward. “Brother, it’s not a big deal. It’s just for a day—go in the morning and come back in the afternoon.”

Zuo Dan, now pausing mid-meal, stared at Zuo Hongjun. She thought to herself, What’s with this cheap uncle losing his temper out of nowhere?

Grandma Zuo frowned. “Eat your meal. What’s all this fuss?”

“Mom, I’m not making a fuss. I just feel bad.” Zuo Hongjun’s weathered eyes turned red. Luckily, his dark skin made it less obvious.

“If it weren’t for me stepping down, it wouldn’t even be his turn. Who knows? I might have been the commune secretary by now.”

The more Zuo Hongjun spoke, the more bitter he sounded. Back then, he had a strong background and had been a great team leader. He wasn’t old at the time, could read a little, and had more potential than other leaders. In his eyes, stepping down hadn’t just cost him his position as team leader—it had cost him the chance to become an official.

Whatever the rest of the Zuo family thought, Zuo Dan was left speechless.

This uncle wasn’t just narrow-minded—he was obsessed with power. She remembered hearing how he had originally been named Zuo Musheng, but after becoming a team leader, he changed his name to Zuo Hongjun to show his support for the army. Later, he even wanted to change it to Zuo Weiguo (which means “protecting the nation”), but Grandma Zuo stopped him.

His obsession with being an official was way too intense.

No wonder, in her memories, this uncle had always been sullen and withdrawn. Since arriving here, Zuo Dan had also found him gloomy. Turns out, his mind was always scheming.

Still, Zuo Dan thought her uncle was overthinking things. Losing the team leader position was indeed a setback, but who could guarantee that he’d become the commune secretary? Back then, there were countless team leaders in a commune, and the odds of advancement were slim.

That he could blame this all on his younger brother was just too much.

While Zuo Dan didn’t take Zuo Hongjun’s words seriously, Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui clearly did. Their expressions turned haggard. This was an old grudge they could never make up for in their lifetimes.

“Brother, I know it’s my fault… But this has nothing to do with Uncle Shuisheng. He’s always looked out for our family.”

Before Zuo Hongjun could reply, Xu Fengxia jumped in sourly, “Second Brother, are you siding with outsiders now? Just because someone throws us a bone, you’re ready to worship them? If your Big Brother were still team leader, we wouldn’t need anyone’s help. Our family would be the best in the village.”

And who knows? By now, she might even be the wife of the commune secretary—a proper official’s wife.

Seeing Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui silenced by her words, Zuo Dan grew annoyed.

“Uncle, Aunt, my parents didn’t say anything, did they? Right now, the team needs me to step up. If I don’t go, wouldn’t that show a lack of awareness? Grandma, don’t you agree?”

Zuo Dan knew the final decision lay with Grandma Zuo. No matter how much Zuo Hongjun shouted, it couldn’t override Grandma’s word.

Honestly, she didn’t care much about going or not going herself. But she didn’t want Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui to feel disheartened, nor did she want Xu Fengxia to gloat.

“Mom, our household’s workload is heavy,” Xu Fengxia said, pretending to be worried.

Grandma Zuo, who had been eating in silence, finally looked up and glanced at Zuo Dan. “If the team assigned it, then go. Our family has plenty of people. Missing a little time won’t hurt. But Dacheng and his wife will need to put in more effort.”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll work until dark today,” Zuo Dacheng said cheerfully.

For him, working a bit more or less didn’t matter as long as his daughter got a good opportunity.

Having spent time in the provincial capital, Zuo Dacheng had seen the importance of knowledge. Even though his daughter had only finished middle school, it wasn’t enough. Those city kids coming as educated youth were all intellectuals. If his daughter could get along with them, she might learn something valuable.

The old lady spoke, and although Zou Hongjun looked a bit aggrieved, he didn’t say anything further.

Xu Fengxia, on the other hand, seemed about to argue, but the old lady glanced at her and said, “Fengxia, you don’t need to go work in the fields. Just stay home and cook.”

Both sides benefited from the arrangement, leaving no room for further complaints.

Xu Fengxia gritted her teeth. Though no one would have said anything if she didn’t work, the old lady’s words made it official. She could now rest at home with a clear conscience.

As for whether the family could complete the household responsibility system’s workload, she didn’t care. It was something the second son and his wife owed them anyway.

After the meal, Zou Dacheng hurried over to Zou Shuisheng’s house, who was the village team leader.

This was already on Zuo Shuisheng’s agenda—he was planning to select some young people to help. After surveying the village, he found very few who had any substantial education. With Zuo Dacheng specifically requesting his daughter’s participation, Zuo Shuisheng agreed immediately.

“Alright, I’ll let you know beforehand. We’ll take a cart together. There are quite a few educated youth arriving this time, so we’ll have more labor for the team in the future.”

While saying this, Zuo Shuisheng couldn’t help but worry internally. These city kids—what could they even do? It wasn’t like other teams hadn’t experienced trouble with educated youth causing disturbances.

Unaware of Zuo Shuisheng’s concerns, Zuo Dacheng was overjoyed that the matter was settled and quickly returned home to tell his wife and daughter.

Li Hui was thrilled, rummaging through her chest to find a decent outfit for her daughter to wear when welcoming the educated youth. She didn’t want her daughter to feel inferior when facing the city kids.

Zuo Dan herself felt a tinge of excitement.

She had heard of educated youth before, even seen them on TV, but never encountered any in real life.

Meanwhile, Zuo Huan was pestering Xu Fengxia, trying to tag along to meet the new arrivals.

“Mom, why can she go, but I can’t? Am I less presentable than her?” Zuo Huan pouted in frustration.

Since childhood, she had been the most favored girl in the family. Whatever happened, she had to be at the forefront.

Xu Fengxia, who had always supported this attitude, surprisingly discouraged her this time.

“What’s there to see? These city kids coming to the countryside are nothing special. Mark my words: once they settle here, they’ll be phoenixes grounded in the dust, not even as good as us locals.”

“How are they any worse than us? They come from big cities!” Zuo Huan’s face flushed slightly, recalling the educated youth she had seen in neighboring villages. They were always refined and cultured—true intellectuals.

At eighteen, she was already thinking about her future.

Xu Fengxia, noticing her daughter’s demeanor, frowned and poked her forehead.

“Think about it. How many of those educated youth have managed to leave after coming here? Most end up staying in the countryside, struggling more than the local men. If you marry someone like that, what kind of life will you have? I’ve already planned to ask your aunt to find you someone from the town—a proper match where you’ll live a good life.”

Zuo Huan rubbed her forehead, pouting in discontent.

That afternoon, the whole family went out early, even Xu Fengxia and Zuo Huan. It wasn’t clear what they were up to.

Seizing the opportunity, Zuo Dan filled a wooden bucket with water from the large vat in the courtyard and carried it to her room to freshen up.

Sharing a room with Zuo Huan and Zuo Qing, she rarely had the chance to bathe properly. Zuo Huan was always lazing around in the room, and Zuo Qing had no qualms about stripping down and washing in front of the others, but Zuo Dan wasn’t comfortable doing that.

From a young age, she wasn’t used to exposing herself in front of others.

Feeling disheartened at her lack of privacy, Zuo Dan sighed as she began unbuttoning her shirt. Underneath, she wore a small vest-like garment, handmade by Li Hui, serving as a makeshift bra.

If nothing else, Zuo Dan resolved to eventually craft proper undergarments. Without them, she feared her figure might suffer.

She untied the straps on her vest and immediately felt a sense of relief. Placing it on a nearby chair, she bent down to wet a cloth and began wiping her body.

As she bent forward, she suddenly froze.

In the center of her chest was a red birthmark.

Having a birthmark wasn’t unusual, but this one was identical to the pendant her grandmother had Zuo her—a small oval shape with a sapling etched into the center.

The resemblance was unmistakable.

She remembered this pendant vividly because her grandmother had cherished it her entire life. No one was allowed to touch it, not even Zuo Dan as a child. She had only ever seen her grandmother fondly holding it and occasionally spacing out while looking at it.

Before passing away, her grandmother had entrusted the pendant to her, instructing her to wear it always and never give it away.

“This is the lifeline of our Zuo family. As long as we have it, there’s hope.”

Recalling her grandmother, Zuo Dan’s eyes welled with tears as she gently touched the birthmark.

She wished she could return to the days spent with her grandmother.

She had considered trying to find her grandmother while stuck in this time period, but she didn’t even know where to start.

Suddenly, the scenery before her shifted dramatically.

What had been a dimly lit room was now bathed in sunlight, as if she had stepped into another world.

Startled, Zuo Dan felt a cold breeze brush against her skin and realized her upper body was exposed. Hugging her chest instinctively, she crouched down, eyes darting around in panic.

But there wasn’t a single soul in sight—only lush trees laden with fruit.

This was… an orchard. Could it be her grandmother’s orchard?