RIRW – Chapter 54

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When Song Gang first met Shen Yiming, he had no idea that Shen Yiming had a biological father. He had only heard the people near the school gossip about it. Shen Yiming’s mother had passed away just a little over a year after marrying, and after that, no one had ever seen the son-in-law come to visit. Two years later, Shen Yiming was angrily brought back by his grandfather, Old Master Shen. They even changed his surname.

Then, Song Gang’s friends all said that Shen Yiming’s real father must have passed away. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let his son change his surname. Furthermore, Shen Yiming had never called anyone “Dad.” It seemed like he really believed what his grandfather had said —that he was born solely by his mother.

Song Gang was two years older than Shen Yiming. He thought he was more mature and understanding. At the age of five, he tricked the three-year-old Shen Yiming by telling him that his father was definitely a stone, just like how the Monkey King came out of a stone. He even found a stone for Shen Yiming to call “Dad.”

Shen Yiming was a bit slow, unable to even call out to his father, and Song Gang had to teach him. He tried many times, but Shen Yiming still couldn’t do it. This led to others mocking him, calling him dumb for shouting “Dad” at a stone.

Looking back, Song Gang realized how immature he had been. He thought Shen Yiming was foolish, so he often bullied him. But after growing up, he understood that Shen Yiming was actually a pitiful child. When his grandfather passed away, his biological father finally showed up, bringing along a new wife. Of course, this new wife wasn’t Shen Yiming’s mother. He also had an older sister, a younger brother, and twin siblings younger than him.

The whole family was lively and bustling.

Only then did Song Gang realize that Shen Yiming had a father, a stepmother, an older sister from a different father, and a younger brother and sister from the same father.

Of course, this didn’t last long and soon disappeared. After Song Gang graduated, he took over his old man’s work and learned that Shen Yiming’s father was quite influential and lived in the Provincial Party Compound.

It seemed that Shen Yiming had never expected to rely on his biological father. He had been preparing to stay in the city, and after a lot of effort, he had finally secured a position. Everything was about to be settled when somehow his father found out. His father refused to let him take shortcuts and insisted that family members of cadres had to go to the countryside. So, Shen Yiming was sent directly to the rural area.

“Yiming, I’m still angry thinking about it,” Song Gang said, patting his chest. He felt Shen Yiming was so calm about it. If it had been him, he would have gone straight to his mother to cause a scene.

Shen Yiming stood with his hands behind his back, unruffled. “What’s the use of being angry? Don’t let it hurt you.”

“Yiming, you really have a good temper,” Song Gang remarked, impressed.

“Heh…” Shen Yiming chuckled, his smile laced with a hint of coldness. He alone knew whether it was good or bad. Those who owed him would eventually have to pay it back.

Instead of trying to pull strings, Song Gang decided to take Shen Yiming out for a stroll. As two grown men, there wasn’t much to see, but during the New Year in the provincial capital, the state-owned mall was still quite lively. There were plenty of young women and wives crowded together, fighting for things.

Song Gang was already in a relationship, and as a decent man, he couldn’t be seen too close to other women. But since he was with Shen Yiming now, he had a legitimate reason to visit and check out the women. He had to find someone for Shen Yiming too—after all, he was already a grown man. He needed to solve his personal issues and contribute to society’s development.

“Alright, if you want to look, just go ahead. I’ll wander around,” Shen Yiming knew Song Gang’s thoughts and refused to go along with him.

“Boring. I won’t tell Teacher Zhao,” Song Gang sighed.

Shen Yiming ignored him. While walking through the mall, he noticed the busiest place was on the first floor, where they sold clothes. These young women were eagerly picking up scarves, hats, and gloves.

Shen Yiming’s gaze landed on a little girl with a braided hairstyle. The red scarf around her neck stood out.

Song Gang leaned over and smiled, “Pretty, right?”

Shen Yiming nodded, “Pretty.”

“Should we go say hi?”

Shen Yiming rubbed his chin and then said, “If you can get the people in front of the counter to leave, I might consider it.”

“Still shy, huh?” Song Gang laughed mischievously. “This is no big deal. I’ll wait for you outside. Just hurry up.”

Then, Song Gang suddenly took a deep breath, ran to the stairwell, and shouted, “Xiao Li, hurry up to the third floor! They have coats, red and yellow ones, and no tickets required! Hurry, or you’ll miss out!”

What? Coats? And no tickets?

The women in front of the counter on the first floor were stunned for a moment, then quickly rushed upstairs.

“Hey, don’t rush!” Song Gang shouted, covering his head. “There’s nothing on the third floor!”

No one was fooled. The women didn’t believe him.

With no one at the counter, Shen Yiming walked over and took the last red knitted scarf. It was bright red, looking particularly festive.

The sales clerk stood there in a daze, still wondering when the coats had arrived at the mall. She hadn’t heard anything about it.

As Shen Yiming was carrying his item toward the mall’s exit, Song Gang was already waiting outside. He saw Shen Yiming coming out, grabbed him, and ran, afraid the women would come looking for him. After running a fair distance, he finally caught his breath. “I said, you really only bought this scarf?”

He was upset, thinking Shen Yiming had been eyeing one of those women.

Shen Yiming smiled and asked, “Pretty, right?”

“Pretty. Are you buying it for Teacher Zhao? Isn’t it too bright?” Song Gang was about to reach out and touch the scarf when Shen Yiming slapped his hand away.

Song Gang rubbed his hands together. “If you’re going to buy something, you shouldn’t buy this color. Teacher Zhao would definitely not like something so bright. Only young girls would like that color.”

Shen Yiming replied, “I’ve noticed you’re talking more and more these days.”

“Well, what else can I do? You’re not in the provincial capital, so I have no one to talk to,” Song Gang sighed. He was speaking from the heart. He used to like bullying people when he was younger, which led him to not have any true, sincere friends. The teachers didn’t like him either. Only Teacher Zhao and Shen Yiming treated him well.

Shen Yiming held the scarf and smiled faintly, “You should marry your girlfriend soon. That way, you’ll always have someone to talk to.”

“What? She’s a quiet one, doesn’t talk much. I have no choice. My family’s been pushing me,” Song Gang said, feeling helpless.

“Be careful, when you get married, I’ll tell your wife everything,” Shen Yiming teased. He had noticed how Song Gang treated other girls, thinking that just because he was far away, Shen Yiming wouldn’t know.

Song Gang immediately surrendered. “No, no, no, I admit it, I admit it.”

Then he remembered something. “Wait a minute! I almost got distracted by you. Who did you buy that scarf for? It can’t be for Teacher Zhao!”

Shen Yiming gave him a look, smiling as he walked out of the mall with his purchase.

“You little rascal, still hiding things from me,” Song Gang chased after him.

By the time the two of them were almost home, it was nearly lunchtime. From the mall to here, Song Gang hadn’t been able to pry a single piece of information out of Shen Yiming. However, he suspected that Shen Yiming might have taken a liking to some educated youth. It was very possible since he had heard that some of the young women who went out with Shen Yiming were quite pretty.

When they reached the yard, Song Gang secretly muttered behind Shen Yiming, “Be careful, or I’ll tell Teacher Zhao…” Before he could finish, he bumped into Shen Yiming’s back. “Why did you stop suddenly?” He was about to say something when he saw who was standing in the yard.

“Yiming, you’re back!” In the yard, a young woman with a ponytail stood with Grandma, sitting together.

Song Gang recognized her. This was Shen Yiming’s half-sister, Wei Jingren. The name still gave him the chills. He had heard that originally her name had been something like Jing, but after marrying Shen Yiming’s dad, she changed it to Jingren so that everyone would know she was the sibling. Unfortunately, Shen Yiming’s name had been given by his mother, so it couldn’t be changed. Otherwise, Song Gang would have urged Shen Yiming to change his name long ago.

Song Gang rolled his eyes and walked over to Grandma. “Teacher Zhao, I’m here again. Did you make something delicious?”

“I made it, I made it. I’ve been waiting for you two to come back,” Grandma said as she stood up and went inside. She didn’t seem to care about Shen Yiming or Wei Jingren.

Shen Yiming didn’t even glance at her, walked into the house, and put the new scarf into his bag.

“Yiming,” Wei Jingren called out from the door, “I came today with Dad’s knowledge. He said that if you’re willing, you can come home for a meal. He still cares a lot about your situation with going to the countryside.”

Shen Yiming turned around to look at her, a smile on his face but none in his eyes. “You shouldn’t have come today. It’s the New Year at home, and I was planning to have a good meal. It’s not appropriate for you to show up now.”

Wei Jingren looked at him apologetically. “I know, you’re angry with us, but Dad is usually so busy that he can’t even take care of the family. Mom has to look after three kids, so she’s always busy.”

Shen Yiming stepped out the door, stood in the yard, and pointed at the gate. “You should leave. Don’t come here again. I don’t like Wei family people stepping on the land of the Shen family.”

“Yiming, we’re family,” Wei Jingren pleaded.

“Last year, the transportation company added two new printing machines. They were shipped from the capital, and it took a lot of effort. For this, the company even created a new position for a printing clerk. Who is that position given to now?”

When Wei Jingren heard this, her face instantly turned pale, and she bit her lips tightly.

Shen Yiming smiled and said, “Some things I’ll pretend I don’t know. You all should leave now. Don’t come back.”

Wei Jingren lowered her head and hurriedly walked out of the yard.

As soon as she left, Song Gang came out of the house. “She’s gone! Finally gone!” He quickly went to close the door. “From now on, don’t let Teacher Zhao open the door for her.”

“Come in and eat,” Grandma called from inside.

The two of them hurried inside. Song Gang, acting familiar, set the table and then said to Grandma, “Teacher Zhao, why did you open the door for her?”

Grandma looked at him and said, “What’s wrong with opening the door?”

“She’s up to no good. Didn’t you know that the position she’s sitting in now is the one that should have gone to Yiming?”

“If I hadn’t opened the door for her, she would have thought I was taking her seriously. I’m alone at home, so it’s pretty boring. I just want to see what drama she’s going to put on. Anyway, it’s not wasting my time,” Grandma said as she picked up some vegetables and put them on Shen Yiming’s plate. “Eat your veggies.”

Song Gang suddenly found Teacher Zhao’s words interesting and thought to himself that as expected, the teacher was one step ahead. “Teacher, I’ll toast you a drink,” he said, lifting a bowl of soup and drinking it all in one go.

Grandma smiled, her eyes squinting with amusement.

At the provincial government compound, on the second floor of the Wei residence.

Wei Guohua had been waiting at home for a long time but hadn’t seen his daughter bring his son back. He furrowed his brows and, putting down the newspaper, stood up. “Dujun, Jingren has been out for a long time. Why hasn’t she come back yet?”

“She left early. She should be back soon,” Dujun replied as she untied her apron and smiled. She had short hair just above her ears and a delicate, slender figure, which made her look very gentle and refined.

Wei Guohua sighed and frowned. “It takes someone to invite them to eat? It’s the New Year, and they’re this old…”

“She’s still a child, don’t say that,” Dujun advised with a smile.

Wei Guohua held back his words and sat down on the sofa to continue reading the newspaper. He was rather conflicted about his son. His marriage with Shen Yuehong had been arranged by the organization. No one had expected that Shen Yuehong would have a difficult childbirth, and the child had poor health when young. Dujun had become accidentally pregnant again, unable to take care of everything, and had to ask the Shen family to help look after the child. To their surprise, when the Shen family took the child to the hospital for an examination, they said the child was severely malnourished. After bringing the child back, they changed his surname. Wei Guohua thought this was just an excuse from the Shen family. How could the child be malnourished? Dujun didn’t even spare a bite of food for herself, always giving it to him. How could the child have been malnourished? It was normal for a child born under such circumstances to be weak, right?

“Dad, Mom, I’m hungry,” two children, about seventeen or eighteen years old, poked their heads out from their room. “When will we eat?”

“Wait a little longer. Your older brother and sister haven’t come back yet,” Dujun said, frowning unhappily.

The two children pouted and turned to go back to their room.

Just as they were about to close the door, the front door of the house opened, and Wei Jingren came in from outside, her face flushed from the cold.

“Why are you so late? Where’s Yiming?” Dujun asked anxiously.

Wei Jingren glanced at Wei Guohua. “Yiming is eating at home. He’s not coming.”

Wei Guohua tossed the newspaper onto the sofa. “Eat!”

The New Year passed quickly. For the educated youth, it felt almost like flipping a page. They hadn’t had enough of the good life at home, and soon they had to go back to the countryside. Moreover, once they returned, it wouldn’t be long before spring planting began, with endless farm work that made them lose confidence in the future.

Their only dream was to return to the city, but that dream felt so distant and unreachable.

Knowing that the educated youth were returning, and knowing that they would surely bring large bundles of luggage, Zuo Shuisheng had Zuo Dacheng drive to the town to pick them up. It was late at night, and he didn’t want them to freeze. He didn’t care about others, but he couldn’t let Yiming freeze. The car had been arranged by him, so he had to take good care of him.

Zuo Dan thought about Shen Yiming’s return and felt a little uneasy. However, she had already decided earlier that she would never admit to understanding English and would pretend not to know anything. After all, she was just a simple, clueless country girl—how could she understand what “I Like You” meant?

When the educated youth returned in the evening, the commotion was quite loud. Zuo Dacheng came back, grinning from ear to ear, saying that Shen Yiming had brought some alcohol back with him. Although it wasn’t much, the liquor was strong, and drinking it made him feel completely at ease.

Zuo Dan yawned and went back to sleep in bed.

The next day, the educated youth’s figures were seen around the village. Perhaps because it was the New Year, their clothes were different from before. The old team leader frowned when he saw them, thinking that after a holiday, they had forgotten their responsibilities. What’s the point of wearing such nice clothes in the countryside? Isn’t this just wasting clothes? However, the old team leader didn’t really want to get involved with them anymore, thinking that in a few days when work started, they would have to change their clothes anyway.

Before work resumed in the village, the old Zuo family held another meeting to discuss building a house. The first thing to resolve was the foundation. Once the foundation was settled, Zuo Chengcai would go to the brick factory to arrange for blue bricks. If the old team leader asked where the money for the house came from, they would say that Zuo Chengcai borrowed it from his coworkers. The old driver had a lot of money, after all.

Zuo Dacheng was so excited that he grabbed two taels of wine and went to Zuo Shuisheng’s house. When Zuo Shuisheng heard that Zuo Dacheng’s family was building a house, he nearly spat out the wine in his mouth. Of course, Zuo Dacheng had a good reason. “Third Brother said he didn’t want to be neighbors with Big Brother anymore, so he wants to borrow money and move out. I think it’s the same for us. Third Brother isn’t home much, so it’s more convenient for us to take care of Mom together.”

Zuo Shuisheng thought about the events from the previous year and could understand their reasoning. To be reported to the commune by your own family was really uncomfortable. The Zuo family had never had something like this happen before. So he didn’t say much and agreed to the plan.

Having completed his task smoothly, Zuo Dacheng was thrilled and hurried to tell everyone the good news.

Just as he left Zuo Shuisheng’s house, he ran into Shen Yiming.

The boy had changed into his old clothes as soon as he arrived back in the village—his worn-out cotton coat looked simple and sturdy, giving off a sense of reliability. Unlike the other educated youth, who always seemed restless, like they wanted to fly away at any moment.

“Uncle Dacheng,” Shen Yiming called, walking over while carrying some things, his face slightly flushed with shyness.

This was the first time Zuo Dacheng had seen him like this, and he smiled. “What’s up, Yiming? Do you need me to do something for you?”

“I bought a scarf for Aunt during the New Year,” Shen Yiming said, lowering his head slightly, looking embarrassed.

Seeing him like this, Zuo Dacheng understood right away. If it was really for Li Hui, he wouldn’t be this shy. It must be for someone else.

“Why are you so shy? This is such a precious gift.”

“Uncle Dacheng, you’ve been driving us around all the time, and it’s been hard work. Aunt even made dumplings for me during the Little New Year. If I don’t accept this gift, I’ll feel uneasy. I won’t dare accept anything else from you all in the future.”

Shen Yiming said firmly.

Zuo Dacheng thought this kid was very capable. Although the gift was for Dandan, he didn’t say it directly. That way, no one could gossip about it. He was a good kid, considerate about how people might talk about girls. Unlike some of the educated youth who were flashy and always flirting with the female comrades, almost wanting the whole commune to know they were in a relationship.

“Alright, I’ll accept it.”

Shen Yiming added, “Can you not tell anyone it’s from me? I don’t want people to misunderstand.”

“You give a gift and don’t want people to know? Alright, I understand your concerns.” In these times, giving a gift meant worrying about what others might say behind your back.