RIRW – Chapter 56

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Can the real reason for building the house be disclosed? Even if there truly are family disagreements, Zuo Dacheng isn’t the type to gossip about personal matters. So how could he comfortably share such things? Luckily, the family had already come up with a basketful of excuses.

Now that Zuo Chengcai had gone to the county to work as a truck driver, he had officially become a worker. How could a worker’s family still live in a mud house? They had to upgrade to something respectable. Look at the township officials’ families—they had brick and tile houses, didn’t they? Besides, Chengcai was now earning a salary, and borrowing a bit from his coworkers wouldn’t be too much of a strain. Chengcai even said he’d help take care of their elderly mother, so they decided to build the house together. After all, there’s no need for siblings to be too particular about these things.

The villagers were envious when they heard about it. It’s truly advantageous to have a worker in the family. They could afford to build a proper brick and tile house, just like the officials. Meanwhile, people like them couldn’t earn enough for such a house even after ten years of farming. But envy wouldn’t change anything; after all, their family had achieved something. Some even asked Zuo Hongjun why he wasn’t building a house with his second and third brothers. Among the three brothers, two were building houses—why wasn’t the eldest?

Zuo Hongjun mulled over it for a while before replying, “I only have two daughters. Who would the house be for?”

Well, that was a strong and convincing reason. No one argued with it. Only Zuo Qing quietly wiped her tears. If the family could really build a proper brick and tile house, wouldn’t it be for her to live in if she stayed? Why wasn’t she born a son? She even envied Zuo Dan for having a younger brother. If Zuo Huan were a boy, their family could have built a house too. With this thought in mind, Zuo Qing resolved to get married soon. She wanted to bring a husband into the family quickly and have a son, which made her miss Xu Fengxia even more.

While Zuo Qing had this sense of mission about having a son to secure a brick and tile house, her younger sister Zuo Huan didn’t share the sentiment. When she learned that her second and third uncles were building houses, she immediately raised a fuss. Why should they? Their families used to live worse off than hers. Now the second and third uncles could just decide to build houses. In the future, even Zuo Dan would have a brick and tile house to live in, while she was stuck in this run-down place.

Zuo Hongjun, already in a foul mood, became even angrier with his two daughters. One was sulking all day, and the other was kicking up a fuss. He slammed the table so hard it echoed loudly.

Hearing the commotion next door, Zuo Dan felt bad for Zuo Hongjun. With two daughters like these raised by Xu Fengxia, he really didn’t have much to look forward to in this life.

No matter how noisy things got next door, the foundation for Zuo Dan’s house had already been laid.

At this time, there was no need to pay workers. As long as you provided food while they worked, that was enough. Fortunately, the family had enough grain, plus Zuo Chengcai had sent back some pork bones from the city. Li Hui used them to make bone soup, paired with cornbread. At least there was a hint of meat in the meal.

The design of the house had been discussed earlier by Zuo Dan and his third uncle. Each family had its own plot of private land, so they decided to enclose it, leaving space to plant whatever they liked. As for the house, a small two-story house wasn’t feasible at the moment, so they settled on building a single-story one. Unlike the previous layout of the old Zuo family compound, where the main hall and rooms were separate—requiring one to go from the rooms to the hall for meals—this time, the main hall and rooms were connected. The hall was in the middle, with rooms on both sides. Altogether, there would be four rooms.

This was the first time the villagers were building a brick and tile house, so they were all quite excited. Even if it wasn’t their house, they were eager to see it built. It was something to brag about, too. After all, who wouldn’t feel proud to say they had built a proper brick and tile house?

“This is the tail of capitalism!” Li Hongbing cursed loudly at the educated youth station. These city-born educated youth hadn’t even managed to live in brick and tile houses, but here the rural farmers were building them first. How could this be allowed?

Li Suli and Liu Lili didn’t react much. They didn’t care about the village’s affairs.

Liu Lili, thinking about the information she had gathered, glanced at the agitated Li Hongbing as if looking at a fool. She could have stayed in the city, but she insisted on coming to the countryside to suffer. When she returned to the city, they’d be living in two completely different worlds.

The only person who reacted somewhat to Li Hongbing’s words was Su Xue. When she returned home for the New Year, she mentioned her aunt Li Hui’s situation to her mother. Upon hearing about her sister-in-law’s conditions, her mother advised her to minimize contact. They were so poor, had no real abilities, and, most importantly, it could expose Su Xue’s true background. Reconnecting with such an aunt would bring no benefits at all.

Initially, Su Xue thought the same way. However, seeing that Li Hui’s family was building a house stirred some warmth in her heart. Building a brick and tile house in the countryside wasn’t a small achievement. They must have some savings. She hesitated, wondering if she should try to mend their relationship. At the very least, when they had meat, they might occasionally think of her. It would be better than never seeing a scrap of meat all year round.

Regardless of the reactions at the educated youth station, the new house at the Zuo family’s place was being built with great enthusiasm.

With so many people helping and the house not being a skyscraper, the walls were already up in just a week. The next day, they planned to put up the beams and tiles. As for the courtyard wall, that was even simpler. Although Zuo Chengcai insisted on building a 2.5-meter-high wall, everyone quickly got it done.

Not only that, but the floors inside the house were also laid with bricks, smoothed over with mud to make neat tiles. It was far more level than the old dirt floors.

Bright and airy! Standing inside the house felt entirely different, as if the spirit of the place had transformed.

This was the first impression of everyone who stood in the house after its completion. They closed their eyes, took a deep breath of fresh air, and when they opened their eyes, they all returned to their homes. Envy wouldn’t change anything.

After the house was completed, Grandmother Zuo was the first to step through the door. From the moment she entered, her red, teary eyes never dried. She kept wiping her tears, saying that their family must have the blessings of their ancestors to live in such a good house. Seeing the new house made her forget all about her eldest son and youngest daughter. With such good days ahead, why dwell on unhappy things?

Zuo Dan was satisfied with the old lady’s shift in attitude. To be honest, she didn’t feel any deep familial attachment to her grandmother. After all, the old lady hadn’t shown much affection toward her or the original owner of her body. However, Zuo Dan believed that after her “reformation” of the grandmother, she now played an indispensable role in the family. For instance, she could handle any troublemakers who came around. Thinking about it, Xu Fengxia would probably return soon, so the grandmother had to stay in good health.

Since they didn’t have much to move, everything was relocated in a single day. They had no choice—the roof tiles of their old house had been removed to save materials, and the roof was temporarily covered with straw. If they didn’t move in quickly, it would be a disaster if it rained.

Standing in the main hall of their new house and looking out at the spacious courtyard, Zuo Dan couldn’t help but feel delighted. Their quality of life had finally improved by several notches.

Oh, right, she would have to make another trip to the city. She needed an excuse to bring back some fruit tree saplings. Planting fruit trees in the courtyard would be wonderful. Besides, she still wanted to check on Zuo Cong’s teacher. She wouldn’t feel at ease until she had a look.

For now, though, Zuo Dan had no time to visit the city. The Zuo family production team had officially started spring planting. This was the busiest time of year, second only to the autumn harvest. If the seeds weren’t planted on time, it would affect the next year’s harvest, which directly impacted the livelihood of the entire village. Even if Zuo Dan was usually carefree, she couldn’t justify skipping work during this crucial period.

While Zuo Dan didn’t take leave, someone else did. Just two days after planting started, Liu Lili requested time off and disappeared entirely. The team leader, Zuo Shuisheng, didn’t mind. His policy for educated youths was simple: take leave if you want, but if you don’t work, your work points will be docked. When it came time to distribute grain, you’d simply receive less. So Liu Lili’s absence only caused a stir among the educated youth group, who privately speculated about where she had gone.

“Zuo Dan, how does it feel to live in a new house?” On the first day of work, Shen Yiming came over to chat. He no longer hung around the farm to earn work points. It wasn’t that Zuo Shuisheng didn’t allow it—in fact, he quite liked the cheerful young man. However, Shen Yiming had earnestly expressed his desire to fight alongside the laboring masses on the frontlines in the toughest conditions.

Of course, Zuo Shuisheng wouldn’t actually assign him to the hardest tasks. Instead, he simply grouped him with the other educated youths, as well as young girls and housewives like Zuo Dan, to plant seeds. Coincidentally, Shen Yiming was assigned to Zuo Dan’s team.

Zuo Dan, knowing Shen Yiming’s intentions, believed that these “coincidences” were anything but. Realizing he was deliberately trying to get close to her, she felt a twinge of satisfaction. Being pursued so earnestly by someone as cunning as this old fox was flattering. But that feeling lasted only a moment. With a serious expression, she said, “Comrade Shen Yiming, for us laboring people, it doesn’t matter where we live. Building a house was for the comfort of the elderly; we don’t feel much about it ourselves.”

Shen Yiming shook his head in disagreement. “Zuo Dan, you can’t say that. A brick-and-tile house makes a difference. You should enjoy living in it. You’ll probably live there for three to five years at least.”

Hearing this, Zuo Dan chuckled. Clearly, he was worried about her getting married. She replied, “Don’t worry, I’ll be living here for a long time.” Lowering her voice, she added, “My dad said this house will be mine in the future. Even after I get married, I can still live here.”

Shen Yiming looked at her with a surprised expression, which secretly pleased Zuo Dan. However, the next moment, her satisfaction vanished.

Leaning in conspiratorially, Shen Yiming whispered, “Zuo Dan, you’re not telling me this because… Listen, I’m not that kind of person. I don’t place much importance on dowries.”

Zuo Dan: “…” What does my dowry have to do with you?!

Though their conversation didn’t flow naturally, to outsiders, the two talking closely like this surely indicated a good relationship.

Meanwhile, Li Chenliang and Li Hongbing were gritting their teeth in frustration as they watched the scene unfold.

Zuo Dan noticed that after this day, Shen Yiming would often seek her out for conversations. Even though they rarely agreed on anything, their banter and back-and-forth exchanges could go on for half the day.

After a week of spring planting, Shen Yiming also started taking time off.

To her surprise, she found herself a little unused to the sudden lack of someone to chat with.

It seemed that Shen Yiming and Liu Lili were taking turns requesting leave. After Liu Lili returned, Shen Yiming disappeared. Team leader Zuo Shuisheng seemed to know something about it but, of course, didn’t say a word.

If Shen Yiming’s matter could be resolved, that would be for the best. Zuo Shuisheng wasn’t ungrateful—Shen Yiming had truly contributed to the production team, bringing tangible benefits. In line with the spirit of the educated youth movement, Shen Yiming was genuinely helping the farmers move toward a better life. Although they hadn’t achieved wealth and abundance, they couldn’t expect one person to single-handedly make them rich.

For this reason, Zuo Shuisheng fully supported Shen Yiming’s return to the city.

It wasn’t just him; even Secretary Zhang of the commune supported it. The quota for returning to the city naturally had to go to exemplary educated youths, not to those who caused trouble.

However, the commune wasn’t the only place with educated youths, and not all cadres were aligned. The news of the return-to-city quota leaked before any official decision was made.

Soon, the educated youths at the Zuo family’s production team began holding secret meetings, spearheaded by two troublemakers.

“There’s a city-return quota, and they didn’t tell us?!” Li Hongbing exclaimed angrily.

“Not a word of it reached us. I bet they’re planning to assign it behind closed doors,” Li Chenliang added provocatively. “No wonder some people have been taking frequent trips to the commune lately,” he said with a pointed tone.

Everyone turned to look at Liu Lili, but she remained calm and composed.

Frustrated, Li Chenliang muttered, “What about Comrade Shen Yiming? Did you all forget about him? He’s quite the active participant. I wonder, Comrade Hongbing, if Shen Yiming manages to return to the city, will you be going with him?”

To be honest, though Li Chenliang often found himself outsmarted by Zuo Dan and Shen Yiming, he managed to stir things up among the other educated youths. With just a few words, he redirected all suspicion toward Shen Yiming.

The other educated youths, reminded of this formidable yet often overlooked competitor, grew uneasy. Regardless of their behavior in daily life, everyone shared the same desire to return to the city. Who wanted to stay in the countryside? Even the poorest and hungriest city life was better than this.

Li Hongbing’s expression turned sour. Her ideal scenario was for Shen Yiming to return to the city with her, using her family’s connections as the reason. That way, their relationship could have a foundation for continuity.

If Shen Yiming returned to the city on his own, what role would she have?

Noticing Li Hongbing’s demeanor, Liu Lili intentionally remarked with a sly smile, “Shen Yiming is capable. If he returns to the city, nothing will hold him back. I’m sure he’ll achieve great things.”

Although Li Hongbing felt deeply unsettled, she couldn’t voice it. She certainly couldn’t admit she didn’t want Shen Yiming to return to the city. So she replied stiffly, “If he has the ability to return, that’s none of our business, is it?”

Li Chenliang chuckled knowingly, recognizing her words as insincere. But he didn’t care. He was living comfortably and had no immediate plans to leave. His goal was simply to irritate Shen Yiming. After all, why should that guy always appear so competent and capable? This time, he wanted to see if Shen Yiming could really manage to return to the city.