RIRW – Chapter 5

Some Chapters are password protected, please use - rirw2025c to unlock these chapters. This is to top theft of translations.

In the evening, after the family returned from work, Xu Fengxia exaggerated the situation to everyone, making it seem as though Zuo Dan intentionally refused to open the door and was deliberately being difficult.

Li Hui looked at her daughter with concern. “Dandan wouldn’t act so thoughtlessly.”

“Only the pampered daughters of rich families are this delicate,” Xu Fengxia retorted sarcastically before turning to Zuo Grandma, who was seated at the table. “Mom, this child doesn’t have any respect for her elders. If word gets out, how will others view our family? And besides, how can I, as her aunt, be bullied by a younger generation like this? I’ll be a laughingstock!”

Her intent was clear—Zuo Dan needed to be punished.

Zuo Dan smirked slightly. “Auntie, all I did was fall asleep and fail to open the door in time. Why are you so petty? And trying to hit me before wasn’t enough? Now you’re complaining to an elder. If this gets out, won’t people laugh their heads off?”

Xu Fengxia immediately gritted her teeth and pointed at her. “What kind of attitude is that?”

“Enough,” Zuo Grandma said, slapping the table. “Every one of you is acting as if you have nothing better to do. Dandan, there’s no need for you to say anything else. Your aunt is an elder; you shouldn’t talk back to her. Li Hui, what kind of teaching is this?”

Li Hui’s expression changed. “Mom, Dandan definitely didn’t do it on purpose.”

Zuo Grandma shot her a glare. “Don’t say another word. Fengxia, go to my room and fetch an egg to cook for Huanhuan.”

Hearing this, Xu Fengxia’s face lit up with joy. The eggs in this house were considered precious treasures, and it was rare to even see one in a month.

Li Hui hesitated, wanting to ask for an egg for her own daughter, but before she could speak, Zuo Grandma had already stormed into her room to get the egg.

Li Hui sighed quietly and said no more. She could only wait until Dachen went into the mountains to gather bird eggs for their daughter next time.

In her room, Zuo Grandma held a tattered piece of clothing and sighed deeply.

“Old man, why is the Zuo family so troubled? It’s noisy and chaotic all the time. I don’t know when this family will fall apart.”

Three sons and a daughter: the daughter barely came home once a year, the eldest son was always preoccupied with his role as brigade leader, the second son was devoted to the Li family, and the youngest was completely unreliable, hardly ever at home.

Zuo Grandma felt she had failed as a mother.

Whether or not she got to eat an egg, Zuo Dan wasn’t concerned. Now that she had the orchard, she was much more confident about her future. With some effort, she could even raise chickens in the orchard and have more eggs than she could eat.

What she couldn’t ignore, however, was Zuo Grandma’s favoritism.

From numerous incidents, it was clear that Zuo Grandma always sided with Zuo Hongjun’s family. Every time, it was Zuo Dachen and his wife who bore the brunt of it.

Even if she wasn’t truly Zuo family blood, she couldn’t help but feel indignant. Deep down, she was even reluctant to call the old lady “Grandma.”

That night, Zuo Huan sat on the bed, peeling her boiled egg slowly. Zuo Qing sat nearby, stitching a shoe sole, occasionally glancing at Zuo Huan and even sniffing the air quietly.

Zuo Huan noticed her actions and became even more smug.

In this household, only she got to eat eggs.

She cast another glance at the bed against the wall—Zuo Dan’s spot.

However, by then, Zuo Dan had already made her bed and was sound asleep, completely unbothered by Zuo Huan’s display.

“Hmph!” Seeing that her rival wasn’t paying attention, Zuo Huan felt deflated. She stuffed the rest of the egg into her mouth and pulled her blanket over herself with a huff.

“How can anyone sleep with the light on? Doesn’t oil cost money?” Zuo Huan grumbled.

No sooner had she spoken than Zuo Qing leaned over and blew out the oil lamp. Then, carefully, she climbed into bed, not daring to make a sound.

Zuo Dan was quietly frustrated by Zuo Qing’s submissive attitude but knew she had no right to interfere. Their relationship wasn’t close enough for her to step in.

After waiting a while to ensure the others were asleep, Zuo Dan placed her hand over her chest and silently chanted to enter the orchard. In the blink of an eye, she found herself back in the bright and serene orchard.

Thanks to her grandmother’s thorough preparations, Zuo Dan even found a gas stove. She fetched water from the well in front of the cabin, boiled it in an iron kettle, and filled a bucket to take a hot bath outside.

The orchard’s temperature always seemed pleasantly warm.

Reflecting on how her grandmother only brought her here in early spring when she was a child, Zuo Dan realized it must have been to avoid arousing suspicion.

After a steamy, fragrant bath, Zuo Dan felt completely refreshed.

Feeling rejuvenated, she picked up a basket and began inspecting the fruit trees.

The orchard wasn’t particularly large, about the size of five soccer fields.

But every tree was laden with fruit, so much so that their branches bent under the weight.

What surprised Zuo Dan most was that there were no rotten fruits on the ground. It seemed the fruits didn’t fall like they would in the real world. Even after years of neglect, the fruits in the orchard remained perfectly intact, showing no signs of spoilage or falling off.

She even suspected that if she left them untouched, they might remain on the trees forever.

This realization was a relief. If the fruits required timely harvesting, she’d be exhausted. Besides, without a way to store or process them, it would have been wasteful.

Her grandmother’s heirloom was truly miraculous.

After surveying her domain, Zuo Dan left the orchard and returned to her room. She had realized that the time spent in the orchard synchronized with the outside world, so she couldn’t linger too long—otherwise, someone might get suspicious. Besides, they had to head to town early the next day to pick up people.

Early the next morning, Li Hui was already outside calling for everyone.

“Ugh, this is unbearable. So noisy,” Zuo Huan muttered as she woke up and sat up in bed.

Zuo Dan quickly responded, “Mom, I’m up!” She hurried to get dressed.

Zuo Huan grumbled in annoyance and lay back down, preparing to continue sleeping. Why bother waking up early when there would still be breakfast saved for her?

Just as she was about to close her eyes and drift off again, her peripheral vision caught sight of Zuo Dan getting up from bed. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

“Zuo Dan! What happened to you? Why is your face… clean?”

Zuo Dan was busy putting on an olive-green military outfit that Li Hui had found for her. It was a hand-me-down from Li Hui’s younger days, back when she followed trends. However, after such clothing was deemed counter-revolutionary, she stopped wearing it. As she dressed, Zuo Dan mulled over how to present herself to impress Captain Zuo Shuisheng in town. Winning his favor would mean future support and protection.

Hearing Zuo Huan’s exclamation, she frowned slightly and replied, “My face has always been clean.”

She had scrubbed it thoroughly with soap the previous night—of course, it looked clean now. If only she had face masks instead of just generic lotion.

As Zuo Dan finished dressing and left, Zuo Huan was still in shock. Last night, before bed, Zuo Dan’s face had been filthy. How had it become so much fairer overnight? Although her complexion still couldn’t rival her own, it had improved significantly.

What on earth had happened?

Outside, other members of the Zuo family also noticed something different about Zuo Dan. However, none could pinpoint the change, dismissing it as a case of “good spirits after a stroke of luck.”

There was no time for breakfast. Captain Zuo Shuisheng had already arrived with his horse-drawn carts, calling for them. Li Hui quickly wrapped some flatbreads in burlap and handed them to Zuo Dan for the journey.

When she stepped outside, Zuo Dan saw two carts at the main gate. Sitting at the front of one was Zuo Shuisheng himself, the brigade captain. Despite being addressed as “Shuisheng Uncle” by Zuo Dacheng, Zuo Shuisheng wasn’t that old—only in his early fifties. He wore a hat and held a pipe in his hand.

When he saw Zuo Dan, he gave her an approving look. “Dandan, you look full of energy today—very presentable. You’re doing the Zuo family proud.”

“Hmph,” came a scoff from one of the carts.

Zuo Dan glanced over and saw a young man wearing glasses.

Zuo Shuisheng coughed lightly. “That’s Teacher Yang. He’s joining us to greet the newcomers and facilitate communication with the male comrades.”

Zuo Dan nodded and, without a word, climbed into Zuo Shuisheng’s cart. She had no interest in engaging with the aloof Teacher Yang.

This “Teacher Yang,” Yang Wenxin, had arrived at the commune during the early days of the “Down to the Countryside” movement. Assigned to teach at the commune’s elementary school, he stood out with his refined appearance and status, quickly becoming popular among the local young women.

Even the original Zuo Dan had harbored a small crush on him.

Out of respect for the original Dandan’s feelings, the current Zuo Dan decided not to dwell on Yang Wenxin’s attitude.

The two carts traveled at a decent pace, soon leaving the village and heading toward the road.

Bored, Zuo Dan struck up a conversation with Zuo Shuisheng to gather information about the incoming group of educated youth. She didn’t want to be unprepared.

Zuo Shuisheng didn’t know much. “How would I know? They just said they’re from the provincial capital and sent word for us to pick them up. There are five male comrades and four female comrades. What can those girls even do?”

He grumbled, clearly wishing all four female comrades could have been replaced by men.

Seeing his disdainful expression, Zuo Dan chuckled. “Captain, didn’t Chairman Mao say, ‘Women hold up half the sky’? You shouldn’t underestimate female comrades.”

“Oh, right, right! Women are laborers too. Look at me and my loose tongue,” Zuo Shuisheng quickly corrected himself, flustered. “Chairman Mao’s words are always correct—it’s just us ignorant peasants who make mistakes. Dandan, you young folks are knowledgeable. I’ll be relying on you later.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to help the educated youth adjust quickly to rural life.”