RIRW – Chapter 6

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As soon as Zuo Dan finished speaking, a sarcastic sneer came from the back of the wagon.

Zuo Dan didn’t need to turn around to know who made the noise. The one driving the cart behind them was Uncle Shuisheng’s cousin, an honest old farmer who would never make such a sarcastic sound.

It was undoubtedly that “unique” Teacher Yang.

Zuo Shuisheng heard it too but, knowing they were on their way to handle important matters, decided to pretend he hadn’t.

As for Zuo Dan, she was determined to ignore such people entirely. She didn’t even bother turning her head.

Seeing Zuo Dan’s attitude, Yang Wenxin immediately felt slighted. A bad element from a capitalist family—what right did she have to treat them, the educated youth sent down to the countryside, with such disdain?

And talking about “ideological work”? Was she even qualified?

At this moment, Zuo Mugeng, who was driving the cart behind them, cracked his whip loudly. The sudden jerk of the cart startled Yang Wenxin so much that his face turned pale.

Zuo Mugeng grinned quietly to himself. No one from the Zuo family will stand to be bullied like this.

Terrified by the jolt, Yang Wenxin clung tightly to the edge of the cart, too scared to let his mind wander again. Falling off the cart would be too humiliating.

After nearly two hours of travel, the cart finally arrived at the town.

At the station, a line of horse-drawn carts had already gathered. These carts came from various villages to pick people up. Some wealthier communes had even sent tractors, making the cart drivers look on with envy.

Even Zuo Shuisheng, puffing on his tobacco pipe, couldn’t help but stare at the shiny tractors with a hint of jealousy. “When will our village ever afford one of these iron contraptions? Even if the commune buys one, we could borrow it when we need it. Then we wouldn’t have to rely on these two old horses again.”

The Zuo family’s commune, Dahe Commune, had poor soil quality. After turning in the grain quotas, what was left barely sufficed to feed the villagers. Sometimes, they couldn’t even meet the quotas, so there was no spare money for such expensive equipment.

Seeing the team leader’s envious look, Zuo Dan thought to herself, The commune’s grain production isn’t high. I wonder how planting fruit trees would fare? If they could develop farming, the villagers’ lives might improve.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t feasible for now. The collective system was still in place, and decisions couldn’t be made by just one person—not even the team leader.

It was still 1974. The economic reforms were several years away.

“Here come the trucks!”

Zuo Dan’s musings were interrupted by the loud shouts of the crowd. Looking up, she saw several large Dongfeng trucks driving into town. The trucks were covered with heavy tarpaulins, and their fronts were decorated with big red flowers. A banner hung below, reading: “Welcome Educated Youth to Xiaoshan Town.”

As the trucks arrived, the crowd picking people up became lively.

Normally, they wouldn’t be this enthusiastic, but with the busy farming season, every extra hand mattered. The sooner they returned, the sooner they could harvest the crops, saving them from being ruined by rain.

Amid the commotion, Zuo Dan watched curiously as young people began stepping off the trucks one after another.

A name caller began announcing loudly:

“Li Guo’an, Su Cuicui, Liu Min—assigned to Shanxia Village. Is anyone from Shanxia Village here?”

“Here, here!” An old man immediately pulled over a bullock cart.

The three educated youth hesitated, eyeing the dirty bullock cart, but under urging, they climbed aboard reluctantly.

“Uncle, when are we going?” Zuo Dan asked curiously, seeing Zuo Shuisheng sitting still and unfazed.

Zuo Shuisheng calmly took a puff of his pipe. “What’s the rush? Let them wait a bit. Don’t you know these city kids are arrogant? If we go too early, they’ll look down on us. Let them stew for a while and realize how formidable Zuojiatun is.”

The old team leader even knew how to assert dominance. Zuo Dan couldn’t help but look at him with admiration, which Zuo Shuisheng enjoyed immensely, puffing on his pipe even faster.

Being stuck at the back of the group, they couldn’t see the commotion up front or know whether their assigned youth had been allocated.

Meanwhile, at the front, Director Hou, who was responsible for assigning the youth, was shouting hoarsely. Seeing no one from Zuojiatun had come forward, he turned to a group of educated youth standing nearby.

“Zuojiatun is far from here. They’re probably not here yet. Just wait a little longer.”

“Huh? How far is it? Is it convenient to get to town? Don’t tell me we’re being sent to some remote mountain village!” one young woman with a ponytail complained loudly.

“Comrade Su Xue, what are you shouting about? We came to the countryside to answer the call, not for a vacation. How can you complain about the location? Where’s your sense of duty?” A short-haired girl with a stern expression chastised her.

Su Xue scoffed. “I was just saying. What’s it to you? Li Hongbing, don’t act all high and mighty just because your dad’s part of the revolutionary committee. My family has a strong revolutionary background too, so don’t think you’re better than me.”

Li Hongbing’s face turned red with anger. “We’re a team. Don’t be the one to undermine it.”

“Who are you calling an underminer?” Su Xue snapped.

Seeing the argument escalate, Liu Suli quickly tried to mediate. “Alright, stop it. Arguing won’t look good in front of others. Let’s stay harmonious.”

“Mind your own business,” Su Xue retorted angrily.

Watching the quarrel, Liu Lili, with her charming demeanor, smirked subtly.

While the two women bickered, a group of male youth eating dry food nearby noticed the commotion. One tall man frowned but continued eating, uninterested in intervening.

The others exchanged glances but chose to ignore it. With their destination approaching, they didn’t want trouble. Besides, this wasn’t the first time these two had clashed. They didn’t have the patience to get involved.

“Why’s it so noisy over there? What’s going on?”

As the group was still happily chatting, a loud voice suddenly shouted, startling the women who were in the middle of their conversation.

Everyone turned towards the sound, and they saw an elderly farmer, wearing a liberation hat, a gray jacket, and a face weathered by the years, glaring at them.

“Who is that?” Several of the young intellectuals exchanged glances.

Director Hou, who had just sent off a group of people, heard the commotion and rushed over. When he saw Zuo Shuisheng, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I was wondering when you’d show up. The other villages have already left, but you guys were the last ones to arrive.”

Director Hou glanced at the young intellectuals, feeling a bit displeased. He had seen what had happened earlier when there was some commotion, but now that they were about to be sent to the village, he didn’t want to make things more difficult for the young people.

No wonder Chairman Mao wanted these young ones to go to the countryside to learn; with their attitude, they certainly needed some training.

Zuo Shuisheng sighed and said, “Other villages are using tractors, but in our village, we only have two old horses. Who knows how many trips they’ll be able to make. Can we compare?”

Director Hou, sharp as ever, immediately understood that Zuo Shuisheng was complaining and trying to get some benefits from the town government. “No more complaining. Let’s get the young intellectuals back to the village so they can rest after their long journey,” he waved dismissively.

Zuo Shuisheng then turned to look at the young intellectuals and smiled broadly. “Well, you all look energetic and full of spirit. What great prospects! Thanks to the leaders for assigning us such good young talents. Our Zuo Family Village will be lively from now on.”

Zuo Dan, standing next to him, gave him a thumbs-up in her mind. This old man seemed so honest in the village, but it turned out he was quite the shrewd one.

He was clearly commenting on the earlier commotion caused by the young intellectuals.

Sure enough, Zuo Shuisheng continued, “Don’t worry, kids. Once we get back to the village, you can vent all your energy as you like. Our village has plenty of opportunities. Let’s go, we’ll get on the cart and head back to rest. You’ve had a long trip, haven’t you? Don’t worry, once we’re in Zuo Family Village, we’ll be like family.”

Su Xue, who had been caught in the act earlier and was feeling conflicted, saw the hay spread on the cart and asked, “We’re sitting on this?”

“This is it. Dandan, you and a few of the other women get on the cart first,” Zuo Shuisheng instructed with a wave of his hand.

Zuo Dan leaned forward and smiled, leading a few women onto the cart. “Comrades, don’t worry. The hay was put on this morning, and it’s new this year. It even has a fresh scent.”

Li Hongbing, holding her head high, was the first to get on the cart. Zuo Dan thought she looked like a courageous martyr heading off to battle.

Next, Liu Suli got on the cart, followed by Liu Lili. Finally, Su Xue reluctantly climbed aboard. However, when she did, she glanced at Zuo Dan, her eyes flickering for a moment.

Zuo Dan raised an eyebrow but didn’t pay much attention. Once everyone was on the cart, she climbed aboard as well.

While waiting for Zuo Shuisheng to arrange for the male intellectuals to get on the cart, Zuo Mugen and Yang Wenxin were also driving their cart over.

Earlier, when Yang Wenxin noticed they hadn’t yet received anyone, he insisted on going to the town to buy something. Zuo Mugen had to take him, but thankfully, it didn’t waste much time.

Zuo Dan now instinctively disliked Yang Wenxin. She could tell he looked down on her, even despised her.

Zuo Dan understood why. Her relationship with the Li family was well-known in the entire commune, and naturally, Yang Wenxin knew about it. To someone like him, a “proper person,” she became the embodiment of evil and corruption.

She didn’t feel the need to explain anything to people like him.

Yang Wenxin saw Zuo Dan sitting at the front of the cart and frowned. Just as he was about to say something, his eyes landed on the female intellectuals sitting behind her, and his expression immediately brightened.

“Comrade Zuo Dan, let’s swap seats. This side is all women, and if the road is rough, someone will need to help. You’re a woman, so it might be hard for you.”

Zuo Dan glared at Yang Wenxin, instantly understanding what he was up to.

She wasn’t going to agree to this. “It’s fine, we women will sit together, it’s more convenient.”

When Yang Wenxin was rejected, his face darkened. He sneered and said, “Fine, Comrade Zuo Dan. I won’t fight with you for the seat. After all, as someone from a capitalist background, this might be your only chance to sit with such a ‘good’ crowd.”

“What? She’s from a capitalist family?” Li Hongbing stared at Yang Wenxin in surprise.

Yang Wenxin nodded. “Yes, her grandfather’s family is undergoing farm reform.”

“How can we allow someone like that to be with us? We came to the countryside to learn, not to be surrounded by bad elements like her. This is dangerous!” Li Hongbing shouted angrily.

The other women also looked at Zuo Dan with complicated expressions, clearly not wanting to be around her.

Zuo Dan curled her lip, realizing how hard it was to explain things to people like this.

Fine, if they wanted to stay with someone like Yang Wenxin, she wouldn’t stop them.

“Why haven’t we left yet?” Zuo Shuisheng, along with a few male intellectuals, came over and was ready to board the cart. Seeing the awkward expressions on everyone’s faces, he asked suspiciously.

Li Hongbing immediately began shouting, insisting that she refused to be near “bad elements,” and if necessary, she’d rather walk to Zuo Family Village to show her determination.

Zuo Shuisheng, hearing this, glared at Yang Wenxin as if he wanted to stab him with his eyes.

This little bastard was bullying people right in Zuo Family Village.

No matter what, Zuo Dan was still a member of the Zuo family—our ancestors are important!

“I see what you’re trying to do. It’s only the first day and already causing trouble,” Zuo Shuisheng was genuinely angry. He had been preparing for the arrival of these city kids for days, even bringing in two intellectuals to help, only to be rejected.

Seeing the team leader truly angry, Li Hongbing felt a little scared. Though her father was part of the Cultural Revolution group, a county official was still more powerful than her father’s role, so it was better not to offend people. Though she couldn’t argue back, she still held her head high, determined not to give in.

The other female intellectuals also looked at Zuo Shuisheng with rejection.

The atmosphere grew tense and awkward.

Zuo Dan smiled and said, “Team Leader, I also suggest Comrade Yang Wenxin sit with the female comrades. You don’t know, Comrade Yang Wenxin is good at making the women feel comfortable. If he sits with the women, he’ll be in his element. I’m sure he’ll make them so happy that they’ll be laughing in no time.”

When the women heard the last part, their faces stiffened. What did she mean by making them laugh? Was that even appropriate?

“Pfft,” a few suppressed laughs came from the cart next to them.

“Old Team Leader, let this comrade sit with us. The cart is mostly women, and it’s better to balance out the weight, so the horses won’t struggle.”

Zuo Dan looked over and saw a man with a neatly parted hairstyle and a smile that made him seem approachable.

Zuo Shuisheng, evidently having just spoken with this man, immediately called out his name. “Comrade Shen Yiming is right. The horse is getting old and can’t handle too much. Dandan, you sit with the men this time. Women are strong nowadays, no need to worry.”

Zuo Dan didn’t mind sitting with the men. She didn’t want to make things difficult for Zuo Shuisheng. She had come to pick people up, not to cause trouble. She didn’t want to put him in a tough spot, and she didn’t want to embarrass Zuo Dacheng, who had worked to help her.

“Alright,” she said with a smile and climbed onto the cart where the men were sitting.