RIRW – Chapter 44

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It was lunchtime at the farm when Li Hui arrived with the farm director. The Li family had just finished their meal.

The farm director said, “Finish your business quickly and leave; we still have work to do.”

Li Hui quickly expressed her thanks. Once the director left, she carried the grain inside.

The Li family members were all tall and lean. Despite years of hard labor, they retained a scholarly air. When they saw Li Hui enter, their pale faces showed surprise.

“Xiao Hui, why are you here again?” Li Hui’s mother looked both surprised and worried. She knew their family’s situation and suspected her daughter wasn’t living well at her in-laws’.

Li Hui replied, “The team isn’t too busy with farmwork now, and we just finished the holiday. I was thinking of you all. Last time, Dad wasn’t feeling well, so I brought some more medicine with me.”

“It’s long since passed—just an old ailment,” her father sighed. “Your mother is right. You shouldn’t come here so often. Right now, you’re the only one in the family who can live outside this place. Don’t risk coming back here. This place…”

Her mother and eldest brother, Li Wenchang, both looked grim. After so many years, they were weary of this place, and even thinking about it at night brought them heartache.

Li Hui quickly brought out the grain she’d carried. “I brought plenty of food this time. It should help supplement your supplies. Make sure you eat well and don’t go hungry.” Although the farm provided grain, their family’s poor social status meant they worked hard but received little, mostly coarse grains. At times, they even had to eat wheat bran to stave off hunger.

Seeing the amount of grain Li Hui brought, her mother was astonished. “How did you manage to bring so much? Did your mother-in-law allow it?”

“She doesn’t manage household affairs anymore. Dacheng knows about this and didn’t object.” Li Hui briefly explained to her parents about the family separation and how they were now living independently.

Her parents were taken aback and sighed repeatedly. They felt their daughter had finally seen some relief. They still believed in Zuo Dacheng’s character—an honest and upright man. In the past, they might have looked down on a son-in-law from such a modest background, but in these times, Zuo Dacheng was the best choice they could have hoped for.

Yet, seeing their once-beautiful daughter now resembling a farmer’s wife filled them with a deep sorrow.

After putting away the grain, Li Hui spoke to her eldest brother, Li Wenchang, about Su Xue.

When Wenchang heard news about his daughter, his usually calm demeanor turned excited. “How is she? Is she doing well? Little Sister, I can’t take care of her; you have to look after her for me!”

Li Hui felt conflicted, remembering Su Xue’s past behavior. “Her temperament has changed. She doesn’t listen to me much anymore. Last time, she caused trouble with some educated youth and nearly created a big scandal. People said if they dug into her background, the family might be labeled as counter-revolutionaries.”

“Nonsense! Absolute nonsense!” Her father erupted in anger.

Her mother also looked deeply worried.

Li Wenchang quickly said, “Dad, Mom, she’s still young and doesn’t understand.” He glanced at Li Hui, blaming her for telling their parents directly. No matter what, she was still a child and should be disciplined, not criticized.

“She’s at this age and still doesn’t understand? After everything this family has endured, her mind should have matured by now.”

Her mother added, “Xiao Hui, feel free to discipline her. If she doesn’t listen, don’t waste your efforts.” Comparing her long-lost granddaughter to her daughter, who had shared their hardships, she knew where her priorities lay.

Li Wenchang said nothing, his face dark. Afterward, he didn’t speak to Li Hui again, clearly holding some resentment.

When Li Hui left, he couldn’t help but complain to his parents, “Xiao Xue is still my daughter, after all…”

“So, what do you expect Xiao Hui to do? Over the years, she has done more than enough for this family. Look at Old Liu next door—his children haven’t visited him once in all these years. If it weren’t for Dacheng helping him out a few times, he would’ve starved to death by now.”

Next door, Li Hui was placing a small bag of grain in Old Liu’s house.

Old Liu, once a tall and robust man, had now shrunk into a frail old figure. When Li Hui arrived, he was cooking wheat bran to eat while sipping hot water as if he were enjoying fine wine.

“Uncle Liu, Dacheng asked me to bring you some food. Winter is coming, so this will help you get through it,” Li Hui said, placing the grain on the ground.

Old Liu quickly put down his cracked wine glass and came over with a smile. “You and Dacheng still think of me. For an old man like me, it doesn’t matter what I eat.”

“That’s not true. Dacheng said you made great contributions in the past. We should have a conscience.” Li Hui recalled how, during Dacheng’s first visit to the farm, he had gotten into a fight with militia members who were bullying the farm workers. Dacheng admired Old Liu’s integrity, and over time, they learned that the old man had once been a soldier who fought on the battlefield, killed many enemies, and carried scars all over his body. From then on, whenever they could, they helped him out.

“Dacheng is a good man,” Old Liu said with a sigh. His own children hadn’t visited him, and while he knew they were struggling too, he couldn’t help but feel some regret.

But now, he was just an old man with nothing to offer in return.

Meanwhile, Dacheng spent half the day learning to drive a tractor with Xu Dapeng. It made him feel years younger, rekindling the excitement of his youth. Xu Dapeng was patient and didn’t mind his slow learning pace, which made Dacheng appreciate him even more.

At lunchtime, Dacheng even wanted to invite Xu Dapeng home for a meal as a gesture of gratitude.

Xu Dapeng declined, saying, “No need to trouble yourself, Uncle Dacheng. I already know Comrade Zuo Dan.”

This reminded Dacheng of the two baskets of coal sitting in the yard. “By the way, what’s the story behind the coal you delivered this morning?”

“Oh, I promised to bring it back for Comrade Zuo Dan. She mentioned being afraid of the cold.”

Dacheng gave Xu Dapeng a once-over and started to ponder.

He was tall and seemed honest and straightforward. Now that he had a stable job at the coal yard, his prospects looked good. Dacheng noticed that Xu Dapeng seemed to care about Dandan. The only potential issue might be whether Xu Dapeng’s family would mind Dandan’s mother’s past. But since Xu Dapeng was working in the countryside and likely planning to stay, his family might not interfere too much. If this worked out, it could be a good match.

In the afternoon, Li Hui returned home and was thrilled to learn that Dacheng was now learning to drive a tractor. She even prepared a few extra dishes for dinner to celebrate.

During the meal, Dacheng asked about Li Hui’s visit to the farm. Sighing, she recounted the unpleasantness between her and her brother, Li Wenchang. Li Hui, now closest to Dacheng, didn’t feel the need to hide anything from him.

Dacheng said, “It’s one thing for your brother to care about his daughter, but when it comes to matters of life and death, we can’t afford to be careless. Besides, from what I’ve seen, the educated youths here are doing just fine. Look at Xu Dapeng—he’s even made a name for himself and is coming back to help the community.”

Zuo Dan chimed in, “The educated youths in our area have it pretty good. The people here are kind, and Uncle Shuisheng, the old team leader, has no ill intentions.”

Li Hui agreed. Mostly, she felt she couldn’t manage Su Xue anymore. Her soft temperament meant that if she could handle a child, she would have done so. But Su Xue’s rebellious nature made it impossible. Su Xue didn’t listen to her, leaving Li Hui at her wit’s end.

Seeing Li Hui and Dacheng’s firm attitude, Zuo Dan felt her previous efforts hadn’t been in vain. Otherwise, if her overly selfless uncle had influenced her mother, Li Hui might have ended up sacrificing herself for Su Xue’s sake.

That night, as Li Hui lay in bed, she felt uneasy. The years of shared hardship had created a deep bond, yet now her brother was angry with her just like that.

Zuo Dacheng didn’t want Li Hui to dwell on these issues, so he brought up Xu Dapeng instead.

“That kid’s a good one. Honestly, I think he’s a great match for our Dandan.”

Li Hui hesitated, saying, “Can we really trust an educated youth? I’m worried about the future…”

Zuo Dacheng understood her concerns and replied, “From what I see, it’s hard for educated youths to return to the city now. It’s been years, and almost none have gone back. Maybe Comrade Dapeng plans to settle down in the countryside. Either way, let’s sound him out first. If he’s not interested, we won’t push it.”

With that, Zuo Dacheng realized that his daughter had reached the age to start thinking about marriage.

Li Hui also began to consider the idea. Their daughter was already eighteen, and many girls her age were already married with children. She thought about the two nieces next door: Qingqing delayed herself waiting to bring in a husband, while Huanhuan was focused on someone from the town. Li Hui resolved not to let her daughter waste time like that.

The next day at lunchtime, Zuo Dacheng managed to persuade Xu Dapeng to join them for a meal at their home.

Li Hui prepared two dishes with care, even including eggs as a rare treat to serve as meat.

It was Xu Dapeng’s first time being invited to a meal by local villagers. Usually, only Shen Yiming received such hospitality, so he felt both flattered and overwhelmed, thanking them profusely.

Zuo Dan, however, didn’t find it surprising. Her parents were straightforward people, and now that Xu Dapeng was teaching Zuo Dacheng how to drive a tractor, it made sense to invite him for a meal.

She was more interested in asking Xu Dapeng about the tractor situation, but with her parents present, it wasn’t the right time. She stayed quiet at the table, planning to ask him privately after the meal. She was determined to figure out how Shen Yiming managed to secure so many benefits.

Noticing their usually talkative daughter suddenly quiet at the table, Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui exchanged glances, thinking their daughter might be feeling shy.

Zuo Dacheng, smiling, started asking Xu Dapeng about his family. Before Xu Dapeng could answer, Zuo Dan jumped in, explaining that he had an older brother and a younger sister. Their parents’ jobs had been taken over by his siblings. He had planned to enlist in the military, but his spot was taken by someone else, so he ended up being sent to the countryside.

Hearing this, Zuo Dacheng concluded that Xu Dapeng had no hope of returning to the city. With no place for him in his family’s work unit, no organization would accept him back.

Li Hui added, “Our family’s class status might have some impact, but it shouldn’t affect Dandan. She’s part of the Zuo family—three generations of poor peasants.”

Xu Dapeng chuckled and said, “Auntie, please don’t worry about that. Class status isn’t everything. My spot in the army was taken by someone with ‘good’ status, but being from a good class doesn’t necessarily mean being a good person, right?”

Hearing this, Li Hui and Zuo Dacheng felt relieved and stopped pressing the matter. They understood that relationships couldn’t be forced and left the decision to the younger generation.

After the meal, Zuo Dan and Xu Dapeng chatted in the yard. She finally asked about the tractor situation.

Xu Dapeng, without much thought, shared that Shen Yiming had managed to get the commune a car.

Surprised, Zuo Dan asked, “He just asked for it, and they gave it to him?”

“Of course,” Xu Dapeng said matter-of-factly. “Yiming has good connections. He has a close buddy who works for the transportation company.”

Zuo Dan shook her head, feeling it couldn’t be that simple. Based on her analysis of Shen Yiming’s actions recently, she could tell he was someone who made others owe him favors but never owed anyone himself.

That was just how capable he was. Look around—at the commune, in the entire production team—everyone seemed to owe him something. Would he really go through the trouble of calling in favors just for a tractor? And then there was the matter of replacing the county car with a new one—another significant favor. Even if Shen Yiming had close connections, no one would go to such lengths for him without a substantial reason.

Looking at Xu Dapeng’s clueless expression, Zuo Dan realized she wouldn’t get any more useful information out of him.

That night, Xu Dapeng stayed at Shen Yiming’s place.

He had been temporarily reassigned for a few days, originally meant to stay at the educated youth dormitory. But not liking it there, he had moved in with Shen Yiming instead. They ate meals together most of the time, too.

Before going to sleep that night, he told Shen Yiming about being invited to eat at Zuo Dacheng’s house every day at noon.

“I told you, Comrade Zuo Dan is straightforward, and her family must be the same. Look how warm and welcoming they are!” Xu Dapeng said with a laugh.

In the dark, Shen Yiming opened his eyes, unable to fall asleep. “You’ve been going there every day?”

“Yeah.” Xu Dapeng sounded rather smug.

“What do you talk about?” Shen Yiming asked.

“Oh, nothing much, just casual chatting. They asked about my family and talked about Aunt Li’s family. I think they believe I’m a good person because I don’t mind Aunt Li’s background. Honestly, I don’t think it’s a big deal either. That revolutionary group from the provincial capital caused more trouble than capitalists ever did,” Xu Dapeng replied.

Shen Yiming made a sound of acknowledgment before adding, “How many more days do you have to teach? You should wrap it up soon. Staying away from the coal yard for too long isn’t ideal; it might lead to problems. This is a crucial time for you. If you perform well, you might even secure an internal transfer back to the city.”

Hearing this, Xu Dapeng perked up. “Really? I could go back to the city?” He hadn’t dared to dream of such a possibility.

“If your technical skills are solid enough, why not? That’s why you need to focus on the coal yard. Finish teaching Uncle Dacheng as soon as you can and get back there.”

“Alright, I’ll tell Uncle Dacheng tomorrow that we’ll work extra hours. No more breaks at noon—I’ll just grab a quick bite and keep going,” Xu Dapeng said, suddenly anxious to return to the coal yard and secure his future.

The next day, Zuo Dacheng was planning to invite Xu Dapeng to his home for lunch again, but Xu Dapeng refused immediately. He even suggested skipping the noon break to finish the lessons quickly so he could return to town sooner.

Not wanting to delay him, Zuo Dacheng asked Li Hui to bring them lunch instead. They ate quickly and resumed the lessons.

After another full day, Zuo Dacheng finally got the hang of operating the tractor. Though he wasn’t completely proficient yet, that would come with practice.

Xu Dapeng didn’t even stay for the thank-you meal Zuo Dacheng had prepared. He left directly for town. Zuo Dacheng and Shen Yiming drove him back and then returned together.

Zuo Dacheng felt a bit regretful. “Why was he in such a rush? I was planning to treat him to a proper meal.”

Shen Yiming said, “Maybe someone in town is waiting for him, and he’s worried about keeping them waiting too long.” His words carried a subtle implication.

Hearing this, Zuo Dacheng suddenly understood. Though he felt a bit regretful, he was also relieved that he hadn’t presumptuously brought up anything with Xu Dapeng. Otherwise, it might have put his daughter in an awkward position. He realized that when looking for a match, it was better to choose someone close and familiar rather than someone from far away.

Zuo Dan, however, wasn’t concerned about whether Xu Dapeng stayed or left. From the limited information he provided and her own deductions, she could infer that Shen Yiming must have offered some benefits to others. But she couldn’t figure out how Shen Yiming had managed to provide benefits to the transportation company while in the village.

After pondering for several days without success, she decided to ask Shen Yiming directly. It wasn’t appropriate to question him during work hours, so she waited until after work, intentionally lagging behind to confront him on the way.

“Clearly, you must have offered some kind of benefit. I just can’t figure out what. So, this is more like an educated guess. After all, I’m not a mind reader—I can’t know all the details,” she said.

Shen Yiming looked at her in surprise. “You actually figured that out? Not bad, not bad. I’ll admit defeat this time. Now you’re one of us. Ask me anything you want to know.”

“…That’s it? You’re admitting defeat so easily?” Zuo Dan found his reaction suspicious.

“You’re not playing tricks on me, are you?” she asked.

Shen Yiming clasped his hands behind his back and said, “Why would I bother playing tricks on you? What do you have that’s worth scheming for?”

Zuo Dan rolled her eyes. “Then tell me how you got the vehicle. Also, after analyzing everything, I noticed the commune and production team owe you quite a lot. You’ve clearly helped them significantly, but I can’t see what you’ve actually sacrificed in return.”

Shen Yiming suddenly stopped, squatted down, and started drawing circles on the ground. Zuo Dan followed suit and squatted beside him.

He drew three circles and labeled them A, B, and C.

“A needs something from B, B needs something from C, and C happens to need something from A,” he explained.

A light bulb went off in Zuo Dan’s head. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Shen Yiming. “You’re the one who connects them and makes sure everyone gets what they need.”

Shen Yiming tapped her on the forehead. “Smart.”

As the weather turned colder, winter set in, and the village began harvesting sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes were precious—life-saving food during times of famine.

In the past, transporting the sweet potatoes back to the storage houses had been a major concern. But now, with the tractor, it was easy to haul them directly to the warehouses. After setting aside the portion required to be handed over to the authorities, the remaining sweet potatoes were distributed among the villagers. Each household was allocated a plot of land based on family size, and they dug up their share and carried it home.

Zuo Dacheng was busy helping the team transport the crops and couldn’t assist in the fields, leaving Zuo Dan and Li Hui with a lot to handle on their own.

Next door, Grandmother Zuo and Xu Fengxia were also busy—not with the harvest but with finding matches for the young adults in their families.