RIRW – Chapter 47

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“Mom, his name is Li Chenliang.” Zuo Dan reminded with a headache. She felt like her brain was about to explode. Wasn’t it just her and Li Chenliang who were supposed to go to the city? How did Shen Yiming suddenly show up?

Li Hui didn’t care what his name was. She was only focused on Shen Yiming. Both she and Zuo Dacheng thought Shen Yiming was a good person—he was sensible, honest, not slick, and seemed to care a lot for Dandan. Otherwise, why would he take care of their family so much?

Dacheng could learn to drive, and with the coal stove at home, wasn’t that all thanks to Yiming’s help? Plus, the boy was handsome, well-educated, capable, and always willing to help others. Everyone in the village liked him. Li Hui was extremely satisfied and felt there couldn’t be a better match. If Dandan ended up with this boy, their future would be good.

“Dandan, wear the new clothes tomorrow. We’re going to the city. At least make yourself look presentable,” Li Hui said.

Zuo Dan looked at the pitch-black sky and really wanted to find Li Chenliang to tell him, “We’re not going to the city anymore! This fool.”

Li Chenliang didn’t want to go to the city either. He sat in the house, cursing Shen Yiming a thousand times over.

Gao Wei said, “Who told you to act so smug? You’re going to the city and telling everyone, as if you didn’t want anyone to know. Do you think Shen Yiming doesn’t know?”

“I wanted him to know!” Li Chenliang pouted. “I just didn’t expect his skin to be so thick, following us to the city.”

“Well, the county town isn’t your family’s. Even if he goes, it’s not wrong,” Gao Wei said sincerely. Mostly, he was touched by what Shen Yiming had done for Zuojiatun. The man was genuinely helping the rural people—something to admire.

Hearing Gao Wei’s words, Li Chenliang almost spit blood in anger. “Whose side are you on?”

“I want to help you, but can I?” Gao Wei chuckled. Then, he said, “By the way, do you really like Zuo Dan?”

Li Chenliang puffed up his chest. “I don’t like her. I just think she’s a country girl, and I don’t want her to be deceived by Shen Yiming.”

Su Dai, hiding behind a thick book and only revealing his heavy glasses, muttered, “I think Shen Yiming is pretty good.”

“Traitors, both of you!” Li Chenliang angrily pointed at the two of them. “Have you forgotten who got us stuck at the coal yard last time?”

Wasn’t it you? Gao Wei and Su Dai both thought at the same time, looking at Li Chenliang with questioning eyes but not saying anything aloud.

Seeing them both look at him, Li Chenliang immediately felt depressed. “I’m telling you, last time we were definitely set up by Shen Yiming.”

Gao Wei and Su Dai: So, what you say is the truth, huh?

“You’ve all been tricked by him, all of you!” Li Chenliang said, frustrated beyond belief.

Gao Wei looked at him with confusion. “Actually, I’ve always wanted to know—why do you dislike Shen Yiming so much? He hasn’t done anything to you. You both came from the same youth cadre program. If he’s doing well because of his abilities, that’s just his talent.”

Li Chenliang moved his lips but didn’t speak for a long time. He just couldn’t stand Shen Yiming’s smug attitude. Back when they were in school, everyone praised Shen Yiming, from teachers to students to parents. His father would always talk about how great Shen Yiming was, and yet, he would also say how bad Li Chenliang was. Why couldn’t he be like Shen Yiming?

The most irritating thing was one time when he took a group of people to cause trouble for Shen Yiming, trying to intimidate him. But it turned out that those people actually knew Shen Yiming… and then, Shen Yiming easily dismissed them with just a few words. Li Chenliang still remembered what Shen Yiming had said to him at that time: “Stupid.”

Meanwhile, the female youth cadre were discussing Zuo Dan and Shen Yiming’s trip to the city. Ever since she heard that Li Chenliang was going to the city with Zuo Dan, Su Xue had been in a bad mood. She went to ask the old team leader for a letter of introduction, hoping to go with them. But the old team leader refused to give it to her.

Looking at Li Hongbing who was calmly reading a book, Su Xue couldn’t help but curse under her breath and deliberately said, “Li Hongbing, I’ve noticed that Zuo Dan has been getting close to Shen Yiming lately. Aren’t you worried?”

Li Hongbing didn’t look up, his voice full of confidence as he replied, “You should be more worried about Li Chenliang. Shen Yiming is a progressive thinker. He wouldn’t be interested in a rural girl like Zuo Dan with her family background. Shen Yiming is nice to everyone, and he doesn’t have any special feelings for her.”

Su Xue gritted her teeth, “I don’t think that’s the case. You should keep an eye on it. I’ve noticed Shen Yiming going to her house several times. He’s not that close with other families in the village.”

Li Hongbing, while still looking at his book, furrowed his brow slightly, starting to feel uneasy.

Seeing his reaction, Su Xue fueled the fire. “If you don’t keep an eye on it, someone might just steal him away. Have you seen Zuo Dan? Her face isn’t too bad, except for being a little dark. She’s just a little worse than Liu Lili.”

Liu Lili, who was lying on the bed doing her nails, glanced at Su Xue after hearing this, but then went back to her own business. However, her nail scissors slipped, ruining a perfectly good nail.

Li Hongbing didn’t notice her but was thinking to himself, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He turned to glare at Su Xue. “Do you think I don’t know what you’re thinking? You can’t beat others, so now you want me to step in. Who do you think you’re fooling? Someone like you, do you really think Li Chenliang would be interested in you? You’re just a butcher trying to join an officer’s family. It’s like a flea thinking it can eat swan meat.”

Su Xue’s face immediately stiffened, and she retorted, “I’m just trying to be kind. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.”

The next morning, Zuo Dan woke up early, wearing the new clothes and cloth shoes Li Hui had made for her, with two braids tied in her hair. She had made up her mind. She didn’t need to be afraid of Shen Yiming or anything. He had his own issues. They were both the same, so there was no need to feel guilty.

Before leaving, Li Chenliang knocked on the door of her house. Zuo Dacheng opened the door and saw Li Chenliang standing outside alone, curious, he asked, “Where’s Yiming?”

“…” Li Chenliang’s face darkened. “Uncle, we’re not together.”

Zuo Dacheng responded with an “oh,” then turned around and called out, “Dandan, Comrade Li is here.” He turned back to Li Chenliang and said, “Why aren’t you together? Yiming said you were all going to the city together.”

Li Chenliang was just about to deny it when Zuo Dacheng suddenly smiled widely and walked past him toward the door. “Yiming’s here? Why is he so early? Dandan’s not ready yet. Girls take so long to get ready. Their hair alone takes more time than ours.”

Shen Yiming smiled and said, “Uncle Dacheng, it’s fine, I’m not in a hurry.”

What a considerate kid. Zuo Dacheng liked him a lot and turned around to shout into the house, “Dandan, hurry up, Yiming’s here.”

Li Chenliang stood silently behind him, expressionless.

Zuo Dan stepped out with her sling bag, and seeing the two standing outside, her mood wasn’t particularly good. However, she forced a fake smile. “You guys are here so early. I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”

Li Chenliang thought to himself, You know that now? If you had come out earlier, we would’ve left already.

Zuo Dan greeted Zuo Dacheng and packed the steamed buns Li Hui had made. The three of them left the village together.

Once they were out of the village, Li Chenliang couldn’t hide his displeasure at seeing Shen Yiming there. Everything about him was irksome. “I say, Shen Yiming, why are you following us out here? Was this on purpose? Don’t tell me it wasn’t, because what’s the chance of this happening?”

But Shen Yiming was quite casual, nodding and replying, “Yeah, I was planning to go to the city anyway. Yesterday, I heard you guys were heading out, and I thought it would be nice to have some company, so I asked the team leader for leave and got an introduction letter.”

Zuo Dan gave Li Chenliang a side-eye, thinking You had to speak up and make a fuss. So stupid…

Li Chenliang: “…”

Shen Yiming then took out some pastries he had made and offered them to Zuo Dan. He asked Li Chenliang if he wanted some as well, adding, “I made them myself.”

Li Chenliang snorted, “No thanks, I don’t eat stuff you made.”

Zuo Dan handed Li Chenliang some steamed buns from her bag and ate the pastry Shen Yiming made. To be honest, even Li Hui’s cooking couldn’t compare to Shen Yiming’s skills.

Watching the two of them happily eating, Li Chenliang bit into the tasteless steamed bun in his hand, his cheeks twitching with irritation.

On the side, Shen Yiming and Zuo Dan were talking. “Zuo Dan, the apple you gave me last time, where did you buy it? I ate one like it when I went back to the provincial capital to visit relatives. It was just as sweet as the one you gave me. My grandmother really likes them. I wonder if they sell them in the county city. If they do, I’ll buy some to send to her.”

Zuo Dan replied, “My uncle brought it back, I don’t really know.”

“Oh, that’s a shame,” Shen Yiming said, turning back to look at Li Chenliang. “By the way, the fruit I ate in the provincial capital last time, I bought it at the mall where your cousin works. Next time, ask him where he got it from.”

Li Chenliang, with his wooden face, responded, “It’s so far away, how can I ask?”

Zuo Dan laughed and said, “Apples are all the same, I say, Yiming, you’re just being too picky. We’ll go to the city next time and help you find some.” You can tell apples taste the same, but you can still tell they taste different? How about you just reach for the sky while you’re at it?

Shen Yiming nodded. “Alright, we’ll go together when we head to the county later.”

After a long journey, they finally reached the town station. Zuo Dan noticed that the town had replaced the old buses with new ones. She had to admit, the new bus looked much more modern and spacious than the old one.

As soon as the ticket clerk saw Shen Yiming, her face lit up with a smile. “Comrade, you’re heading to the city again?” Then she noticed Zuo Dan behind him and quickly helped adjust the seating. “These two are from the same village, let’s make sure they sit together. It wouldn’t be right to separate them.”

Without a word, the simple, honest villagers made way for the two connected seats. The ticket clerk quickly ushered Zuo Dan and Shen Yiming to sit down. “Hurry and sit down, don’t let anyone else take the seats.” Then she glanced at Li Chenliang, who was wearing a dark expression.

Zuo Dan felt awkward as she was traveling with Li Chenliang and didn’t want to ignore him, especially since he had worked hard to come. She spoke to the ticket clerk, “Um, he’s with us. Let him take my seat.”

“Oh, you’re together!” The ticket clerk smiled even more. “Go ahead, sit in the front. The co-pilot seat is spacious and comfortable.” How could they let a couple sit apart?

As the bus started, the ticket clerk automatically closed the window next to Shen Yiming. He quickly smiled and thanked her. The ticket clerk warmly said, “No need to thank me, I’m here to serve the people.”

The other villagers nearby thought, When has anyone ever treated us like that?

Li Chenliang remained silent the entire time. Sitting in his seat, he scratched the glass on the window with his hand. The driver looked at him. “Comrade, are you feeling uncomfortable? If you are, you don’t have to go to the city. We can’t stop on the way.”

Li Chenliang stiffened, then sat up straight, touching the glass. “I just thought it was dirty, so I wiped it.”

As the bus started moving, Zuo Dan patted Shen Yiming’s arm and whispered, “Shen Yiming, what’s the point of going to the city? Is it just to oppose Li Chenliang? It’s not worth it. You didn’t need to come all this way.”

Shen Yiming lifted his eyelids and glanced at her. “I think it’s worth it.”

“…” It seemed that even the smartest people could have childish moments. After all, they were all still young, not even twenty yet.

Zuo Dan decided to let it go. She leaned back in her seat and fell asleep. After all, she was just out to pass the time and make some extra money. As long as the day passed, that was enough.

The new bus was much more comfortable, and Zuo Dan didn’t feel carsick like before. She thought to herself that Shen Yiming did a good job with the bus switch. No matter what his purpose was, he had actually brought benefits to many people.

When the bus arrived at the county station, Li Chenliang was the first to get off, then immediately vomited. The road conditions were just too bad.

“Li Chenliang, are you okay?” Zuo Dan felt a bit of sympathy for him. It was obvious he hadn’t experienced hardship before.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Li Chenliang wiped his mouth. “Zuo Dan, let’s go, let’s take a walk. We agreed to go out together today, remember?” He deliberately glanced at Shen Yiming.

Shen Yiming crossed his arms and smiled, narrowing his eyes. “Let’s take a walk nearby first, then we can visit Dandan’s brother around noon, just in time. After lunch, we can go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things. If you don’t want to go with Dandan to school, that’s fine. I can go with her.”

“I’m going! Who said I’m not going?” Li Chenliang huffed. He wasn’t about to let Shen Yiming get away with leaving him behind.

Zuo Dan rubbed her forehead. It only took a couple of words from Shen Yiming to make him forget his plans…

Never mind, never mind. She was just accompanying them today. These two were the main characters. Fortunately, they were different enough that they couldn’t cause too much trouble.

There really wasn’t much to see in the county, and at that moment, there were no vendors on the streets. There were factories though, and the sound of machinery could be heard everywhere. Shen Yiming explained the factories to them, telling them what each one produced. He even mentioned that if they wanted to buy cheap things, they could buy directly from the workers. Every year, the factories had some substandard products that didn’t make it to the shelves but were internally distributed. They weren’t that bad, but the prices were much cheaper. Plus, many of these products didn’t require receipts.

Li Chenliang wasn’t interested at all. “If we’re buying something, it should be from a mall, something good. Why buy defective products?”

Shen Yiming patiently replied, “Where do people in the village get that much money to buy high-quality things from the mall? If we can save, we should. Buying cheap stuff and bringing it back to help out isn’t a big deal. If you don’t want to go, just head to the school. I’ll go with Dandan.”

“I want to go! I’m going with you guys.” Li Chenliang lifted his chin.

Zuo Dan wasn’t interested in their argument. As she thought about what Shen Yiming had said earlier, her eyes lit up with excitement. It turned out that local people knew so much more. Shen Yiming had just given her a glimpse of potential business opportunities. If they could secretly buy industrial products from these factories and resell them…

They followed Shen Yiming around as he collected various items. With two dimes, he exchanged them for half a bag of scraps, saying it was for Third Aunt and Sixth Aunt to use for shoe insoles. Then he used five dimes to buy a large piece of cloth that had been dyed the wrong color, which he was taking for the team leader’s wife.

As they wandered around, Zuo Dan started to feel something was off. She glanced at the quiet Li Chenliang beside her, but didn’t bother to bring it up, not wanting to stir things up. After completing Shen Yiming’s errands, the three of them arrived at the entrance of the county high school.

Zuo Dan thought to herself, so today she and Li Chenliang were just accompanying Shen Yiming. She glanced at Li Chenliang beside her, feeling proud that she had managed to stick with Shen Yiming and wasn’t tricked or left behind.

Zuo Dan was torn, wondering whether she should give Li Chenliang the five yuan back once they returned.