RIRW – Chapter 33

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Upon hearing about a big deal, Zuo Chengcai almost dropped his bowl. “What kind of deal?” He had been idle for days, feeling restless and unsettled, even walking with no purpose.

Zuo Dan glanced toward the kitchen. Zuo Chengcai immediately understood and followed her to a corner of the yard, far enough from the kitchen. Only then did they start whispering.

“Uncle,” Zuo Dan began, “you know I went to the city recently to buy that iron pot? Well, I came back with more than just the pot. The chicken we’re eating today? It’s wild game from the forest, and you rarely see that in the city.”

Zuo Chengcai caught her drift but shook his head. “City folks don’t care about that. They have ration coupons to buy meat. Unlike us in the countryside, who can’t afford it and have to hunt wild game instead.”

Zuo Dan rolled her eyes. “Uncle, can you let me finish? It’s almost Mid-Autumn Festival. Don’t you think those wealthy city folks, or even the cadres, need to prepare something impressive to give as gifts or bring to family gatherings?”

“This stuff isn’t exactly impressive,” Zuo Chengcai muttered.

“Uncle, that’s where you’re wrong,” Zuo Dan said, exasperated. “What if we collect some wild game, process it ourselves—smoke it, dry it—and then pair it with some fruit? Package it in a bamboo basket. How much do you think one of those could sell for?”

Zuo Chengcai’s eyes lit up, as if an idea was about to burst out of his head.

Zuo Dan squinted and held up three fingers. “Three yuan, at the very least. I wouldn’t sell for a penny less.”

Hearing that price, Zuo Chengcai’s eyes sparkled. Catching wild game cost only a few cents, and bamboo for the baskets was free. Two yuan profit per basket! If they sold ten, or even a hundred…

His heart began to race with excitement. But then a thought dimmed his enthusiasm, and his expression fell. “But we don’t have any fruit.”

He was worldly enough to know that wild game alone wouldn’t cut it. Pairing it with rare fruits would make the baskets more appealing—meat and fruit, such a perfect combination. But fruits were hard to come by. People barely had enough food to eat, let alone spare time to grow fruit. A few years back, a production team in the area had tried planting a fruit orchard and nearly starved the entire team. It was only government relief grain that saved the day. The commune secretary had been sent to a labor reform farm over that fiasco. Ever since, no production team nearby had dared to grow fruit again.

Zuo Dan chuckled, “Uncle, don’t you trust me? If I hadn’t secured a source, I wouldn’t have brought this up. I’ve already found a supplier for the fruit. We’ve arranged everything. Once we’ve prepared the smoked meat, the fruits will be shipped directly from the provincial capital. They’re apples, and the quality is top-notch.”

“My dear niece! How are you so capable?!” Zuo Chengcai was so excited he didn’t know what to say.

Zuo Dan waved her hand dismissively, her expression turning serious. “Comrade Zuo Chengcai, do you now have confidence in our operation?”

Zuo Chengcai nodded vigorously, like a chicken pecking at grains. “If we can really get the fruit, what’s there to worry about?”

They began discussing the division of labor. Zuo Chengcai would handle sourcing wild game from the village at the foot of the mountain. Zuo Dan would secure the fruit and deal with the buyers. As for logistics, Zuo Chengcai would take responsibility. The initial funding would come from the two of them: Zuo Dan contributing 20 yuan and Zuo Chengcai 10 yuan. They agreed to split the profits 60-40.

As Zuo Dan left, Zuo Chengcai’s face was glowing with excitement, and he seemed to be floating as he walked.

He now saw his niece as his destined benefactor. He believed his inability to get rich over the years was due to bad luck, and only with a benefactor’s guidance could he succeed. If Dandan, who kept finding ways to make him money, wasn’t that benefactor, who else could it be? He even felt guilty for being stingy with her before. Last time he made money, he hadn’t bought her anything. He resolved that next time, he would buy a large wild chicken and save the head for Dandan to ensure her success in everything.

When Zuo Dan returned home, Li Hui and Zuo Dacheng were waiting for her, having not touched the chicken in the pot. Only when she came back did Li Hui serve the meat to her daughter.

The fragrant wild chicken meat was mouthwatering, especially for the family of three, who hadn’t had meat in ages. The wild chicken soup felt like a rare delicacy.

One drumstick and two wings remained. Li Hui placed them in Zuo Dan’s bowl, along with a few choice pieces of meat and a hearty serving of soup.

Zuo Dan picked out the drumstick. “I’m fine with just the wings. I love them.” Chicken wings were tender, and she had liked them since she was little. Her grandmother always told her to be content and not to hog all the good things for herself. “Dad, Mom, the drumstick Grandma ate was your way of showing filial respect. This drumstick is my way of showing respect to you. Don’t stop me from being filial.”

Her words warmed Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui’s hearts. As parents, who wouldn’t want a child to be filial? What she said made them feel better than eating a hundred drumsticks.

The family was enjoying their soup when a commotion arose behind the house. Xu Fengxia started shouting again. “Is there no justice? The landlord’s daughter is eating meat, while the daughter of a poor peasant can’t even drink soup!” She had smelled the aroma long ago but had waited in vain for the second family to bring her any.

Before Zuo Dan’s family could respond, Grandmother Zuo had already started yelling, likely from the yard, as her voice carried loud and clear. “Xu Fengxia, if you don’t want to stay here, then go back to your family! What’s wrong with eating meat? I even ate a drumstick. If you’re so capable, let’s see you give me a drumstick for once!”

“Mom, I wasn’t talking about you,” Xu Fengxia muttered, her tone subdued. She couldn’t even enter her own family’s house now, having offended her sister-in-law. How could she “go back”?

Grandmother Zuo snorted. “I don’t care who you’re talking about. What’s the problem with eating meat? The second family eats meat because they’re capable. If you’re so capable, go eat some yourself. In all my years as your mother-in-law, I’ve never had a piece of meat from you. Now you’re upset over a drumstick? Do you want to drive me to my grave?”

Xu Fengxia didn’t dare argue anymore but felt bitter. Why was Grandmother Zuo so biased, always favoring the second family? What was so special about eating meat? She could buy some herself, not because she couldn’t afford it. She still had the 50 yuan from the family split untouched.

Watching Grandmother Zuo’s spirited defense, Zuo Dan felt that giving her the drumstick had been worth it. After all, if you wanted someone to help, you had to give them a benefit first. Grandmother Zuo was straightforward like that.

Grandmother Zuo, too, thought of herself as a straightforward person. She had to be. If the eldest family’s fussing ever stopped the second family from eating meat, what would she eat? Her youngest son had said he wanted her to live well, but aside from the ten yuan he’d given her before, she hadn’t seen a single piece of meat. If she didn’t count on the second family, who else could she count on? The eldest family? That would mean living off air.

Because of Grandmother Zuo’s intervention, Li Hui and Zuo Dacheng weren’t affected by Xu Fengxia’s ranting. Instead, they felt a sense of comfort, knowing that the elder in the family now recognized their kindness.

Zuo Dan, however, understood this was the result of the family split. In the past, her parents had been tirelessly good to Grandmother Zuo, giving her all the grain and money they earned, yet they never received any appreciation. Why? Because the entire family lived together, and no matter how much effort Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui put in, it made no difference to Grandmother Zuo. Everyone shared the same resources, so it didn’t impact her directly.

But things changed after the split. Now, what the couple earned was their own, and whatever they gave to Grandmother Zuo was seen as genuine filial piety—a tangible benefit to her. How could Grandmother Zuo not like her son and daughter-in-law when they were giving her actual advantages?

Elders are always the most shrewd, no matter the era.

After the meal, Zuo Dacheng told Li Hui to set aside some of the leftover meat to take to Shen Yiming and Su Xue at noon. Shen Yiming had been the one driving Dandan back from town on both recent trips, and the family needed to return the favor. They usually didn’t have anything nice to offer him, but now that they could serve meat, it was only right to let Shen Yiming have a taste. As for Su Xue, she was Li Hui’s niece. Having faced family troubles and been uprooted to work in the countryside, Su Xue deserved a little care as well.

When Zuo Dan heard this, she quickly volunteered. “Leave it to me! I know them well.”

Zuo Dacheng, knowing his daughter’s generous nature, smiled and said, “Alright, our eldest daughter will handle it. Don’t forget to thank Comrade Shen Yiming.”

Once they finished tidying up, the whole family set off for work. As soon as they stepped out, they ran into Zuo Hongjun’s family. This time, all four members were present, a rare sight.

When the two families crossed paths, Zuo Dacheng greeted his elder brother with a “Big Brother,” but Zuo Hongjun pretended not to hear and walked off with his hoe slung over his shoulder. Xu Fengxia and Zuo Huan followed behind, visibly seething, while Zuo Qing kept his head down, ignoring everyone. The brothers behaved as if they were strangers, or even worse. Seeing this, Zuo Dacheng simply set his face in a neutral expression and acted as if he hadn’t noticed them.

At the threshing ground, Zuo Dan noticed that, apart from Shen Yiming, none of the educated youths had shown up.

After assigning tasks, Zuo Shuisheng, the team leader, realized this too. He asked, “Comrade Yiming, why haven’t the other educated youths come?”

Hopefully, they weren’t all collectively oversleeping. That would be a bad sign. Young intellectuals shouldn’t be lazy. Chairman Mao sent them here to be tempered, not to act like pampered young masters and mistresses.

Shen Yiming replied, “I’m not sure. When I left, none of them had come out yet.”

The old team leader’s expression darkened. If Yiming could make it, why couldn’t they? After instructing the villagers to get to work, he slung a gong over his back and headed to the educated youths’ quarters.

Seeing everyone else dispersing, Zuo Dan sidled up to Shen Yiming and asked, “Are your group of educated youths staging a strike? Is it about Xu Dapeng?”

If the educated youths were going to stir up trouble, it was likely about that issue. After all, they all arrived together, and now Xu Dapeng had suddenly left the village for a job at the coal yard in town. The gap between them had widened overnight.

Shen Yiming looked up at the sky. “Who knows?”

“Aren’t you worried?” Zuo Dan pressed.

Shen Yiming chuckled. “Why should I be? It’s a decision made by the team and the commune. What’s there for me to worry about?”

Zuo Dan, seeing Shen Yiming’s calm demeanor, realized he had a sense of confidence. Where it came from, she couldn’t say, but she had no doubt that the other educated youths were no match for him.

At the male educated youths’ quarters, Zuo Shuisheng stood fuming, his face red and his neck tense as he banged the table with his smoking pipe. “What are you all trying to do, huh? Going on strike?”

In addition to the male educated youths, the female ones were also present. Hearing Zuo Shuisheng’s words, they all remained silent, each one of them quietly protesting.

“If you’ve got grievances, just tell me directly. Why the hell are you striking?” Zuo Shuisheng, having confirmed that these city kids were indeed staging a strike, was so angry that his chest tightened. In all his years as team leader, he’d never seen such a collective rebellion. Were they trying to challenge his authority?

Li Chenliang spoke up, “Old Captain, we’re upset! Why was Xu Dapeng able to leave just like that, and we didn’t hear a word about it?”

The others also turned their gazes toward Zuo Shuisheng. After all, they’d come here together as educated youths. Why was Xu Dapeng allowed to leave while the rest of them were still stuck here?

Li Hongbing added, “We demand fairness!”

She wasn’t particularly envious of Xu Dapeng’s opportunity—after all, her father was on the Revolutionary Committee, and she could go back any time she wanted. But the way Xu Dapeng’s case was handled left everyone feeling indignant, and she felt it was her duty to stand up for justice.