RIRW – Chapter 64

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The educated youths were serious this time. No matter how much Zuo Shuisheng lost his temper and told them to leave, they refused to go—they were determined to confront him. Their commotion attracted many people from Zuojiatun, who gathered at Zuo Shuisheng’s doorstep to watch the spectacle.

Because of the disturbance, Zuo Dacheng didn’t even have time for lunch before rushing over to Zuo Shuisheng’s house. He was now a driver for the production team, a small-time cadre within the team. Since trouble was happening in the team, he couldn’t ignore it. Zuo Dan and Li Hui followed him, worried that Zuo Dacheng might suffer a loss.

When the three of them arrived, a crowd of villagers had already surrounded the scene. They managed to squeeze in and saw four people standing in a row with a determined air, as if they were ready to fight Zuo Shuisheng—the so-called reactionary force—to the bitter end.

The captain’s wife sat at the doorstep, her face dark with anger. As for Zuo Shuisheng, he stood at the door, smoking one cigarette after another, completely silent. It was clear that he didn’t want to deal with these kids.

Zuo Dan glanced at the troublemakers and thought they were incredibly lucky. If it weren’t for Zuo Shuisheng being a good person, they would have already suffered serious consequences.

To be realistic, if Zuo Shuisheng didn’t agree, even their high-ranking parents from the provincial capital wouldn’t be able to take them back. At this time, while connections with higher-ups were important, grassroots cadres also had significant authority.

If the team captain refused to sign off and release them, they would have no choice but to stay in the production team. Unless future policies allowed for their return to the city, they would have to obey the captain’s decisions.

What? Their parents wouldn’t agree? Too bad—just one accusation of bureaucratic misconduct could cost them everything. If high-level officials tried to pressure small local cadres, wouldn’t that be the very definition of bureaucratic abuse?

Standing next to Zuo Dan, Li Hui was also in a foul mood. As soon as she saw Su Xue among the troublemakers, her frustration grew.

Previously, she had only heard rumors about Su Xue stirring up trouble. Aside from worrying that Su Xue’s actions might get them labeled as reactionaries, she hadn’t given it much thought. But now that she was witnessing this child standing there, fearlessly confronting the team’s cadres, Li Hui felt a headache coming on—she even felt repulsed.

She couldn’t understand how her sister-in-law had raised this child. How could she be so reckless? Usually, Su Xue was too afraid of being implicated to even speak to her own aunt. Yet now, she had the courage to stir up trouble? If she was really so fearless, why didn’t she go visit her grandparents and father at the labor camp?

Li Hui had a soft personality, but she wasn’t stupid. There were some things she didn’t dare think about, but once she did, she could figure them out. This child was too indifferent to family ties—she was selfish and willful.

Even though she was her only niece, Li Hui found it hard to like her.

“Captain, we need the truth!” Li Hongbing shouted, her face full of righteousness, looking like a martyr ready to die for a cause.

Idiot. Zuo Dan twitched her lips.

“Yes, we need the truth! Why was Liu Lili allowed to return to the city?” Su Xue shouted. The only thing she cared about was this—why was Liu Lili, despite her mistakes, allowed to go back to the city while she had to suffer here?

Li Hui couldn’t stand it anymore. “Dandan, I’m dizzy. I need to go back and sit for a while.”

Zuo Dan understood her feelings and reassured her that nothing serious would happen here. Once Li Hui left, Zuo Dan noticed Shen Yiming standing not far away, arms crossed, watching the people in the center of the crowd.

Zuo Dan realized that his gaze was cold and indifferent, as if he were watching a group of fools.

Noticing that Zuo Dan was looking at him, Shen Yiming turned his head, glanced in her direction, and smiled.

Zuo Dan made a fierce, playful grimace at him. Shen Yiming grinned and walked over.

Zuo Dan stepped out of the crowd, and the two stood at the back. She whispered, “Aren’t you worried they’ll stir up real trouble?” After all, this situation wouldn’t hold up under scrutiny.

Shen Yiming chuckled, “Would worrying help? The production team is involved—I’m just an educated youth, what can I do? Besides, they won’t be able to cause much trouble. They’re just a bunch of naive fools who’ve never suffered hardship. They think that just because they lived comfortably at home, they’re important wherever they go.”

“…Shen Yiming, you must’ve suffered a lot in the past,” Zuo Dan said, pretending to look at him with sympathy. “Otherwise, why do you look like a piece of coal briquette?”

Shen Yiming sighed, “As long as you understand. Be nicer to me from now on.”

Great. Now he was taking advantage of the situation.

Zuo Dan stopped talking to him. She could tell—Shen Yiming truly wasn’t worried. He was completely at ease.

In the crowd, Zuo Shuisheng finally lost his temper at these young troublemakers. He pointed toward the main road in the village and ordered them to get lost. If they had complaints, they could take them to the commune.

Surprisingly, this actually stunned the educated youths for a moment. But soon, the ringleaders, Li Hongbing and Li Chenliang, recovered. Why should they be afraid of going to the commune? That was exactly where they wanted to go!

So, the group squeezed out of the crowd and headed back to their living quarters to pack up, grab some dry food, and set off for the commune.

Li Chenliang even ran back to find Zuo Dacheng, asking him to drive them there in his tractor.

Zuo Dacheng glared at him with a dark expression.

“My dad won’t take you. You’ll have to go on your own,” Zuo Dan said. She didn’t want to put Zuo Dacheng in a difficult position.

Seeing her standing next to Shen Yiming, Li Chenliang felt bitter. He thought Zuo Dan had completely betrayed their friendship and sided with Shen Yiming.

“Comrade Zuo Dan, we are standing up for justice,” Li Chenliang declared.

By now, most of the crowd had dispersed, and Zuo Dan figured it was time to have a proper conversation with this fool.

“I don’t know anything about justice,” she said. “I only believe in the truth that the commune and production team have shown me. What you’re doing now is challenging the commune and the production team—you’re reactionaries.”

Li Chenliang almost spat blood in anger. “We’re just resisting injustice! That doesn’t make us reactionaries!”

Zuo Dan nodded. “Fine, I won’t argue with you about that. Let me just ask you one thing—do you know what ‘yin-yang haircut’ means? Do you know what happens if Liu Lili really did what you accuse her of?”

“If she did, she’d lose her long braids. One side of her head would be shaved bald while the other still had hair. Picture that for a moment. And that’s not even the worst part—she’d have to wear a tattered shoe around her neck and be paraded through the streets, dragged to the commune for public denunciation. People would throw stones at her, even beat her. Anyone who wanted to hit her could do so freely. If she died, well, that would just be her bad luck. But if she survived, it’d be even worse. Because every time the team held a meeting, she’d have to go through it all over again. Anyone could make her life hell.”

“That’s the outcome you’re working so hard to achieve. You should be thrilled—you’ll get to watch this scene every day.”

Zuo Dan finished speaking and gave a small round of applause. “So? Wasn’t that exciting?”

Li Chenliang’s face had been pale the whole time. After she finished, he swallowed hard and said, “…We didn’t mean it that way.”

Zuo Dan smiled. “How would I know what you meant? I’m just telling you to trust the production team and the commune. If Liu Lili had really done something like that, there’s no way she’d be allowed to return to the city. Her fate would be exactly as I just described. The fact that she was able to go back means the commune and the production team investigated and found out the truth. If you still want to stir things up, go ahead, but my dad won’t take you there. If he did, it would mean he, like you, was dissatisfied with the commune and the production team.”

Zuo Dacheng wasn’t happy about his daughter talking too much with these troublemakers. They were just a bunch of reckless fools who didn’t know better—he didn’t want his honest daughter getting influenced by them.

“Dandan, let’s go home and eat.” Then he called to Shen Yiming, who was standing nearby. “Yiming, you come too.”

Shen Yiming didn’t even spare Li Chenliang a glance. He simply took a few steps forward, waiting for Zuo Dan to catch up, and then followed Zuo Dacheng home for lunch.

Li Chenliang watched the three of them leave, still thinking about Zuo Dan’s words.

What exactly was he trying to do?

After the family finished their meal, they got ready to go to work.

When they arrived at the threshing ground, they were surprised to see that the educated youths who had planned to stir up trouble hadn’t gone to the commune to file a complaint. Instead, they had quietly shown up for work.

Zuo Shuisheng’s expression improved slightly, but he was still angry and showed no kindness toward them. The rest of the villagers from Zuojiatun also treated them with cold faces.

This was already the second time these educated youths had caused a disturbance. These city kids really didn’t know how things worked—even the production team and the commune’s words didn’t matter to them. They made a fuss whenever they wanted, acting bolder than the old landlords and reactionaries. Even those former landlords were keeping their heads down now.

Feeling the hostility from those around them, Li Hongbing was deeply uncomfortable. She tugged at Li Chenliang’s sleeve. “I don’t get it—what exactly are you trying to do? We were doing fine, and we were about to go to the commune! Now you’re backing out halfway, and all our efforts have been wasted. Look at these people—they’re treating us like we’re the problem when it’s the production team and the commune that are unfair.”

Li Chenliang, looking deflated, hunched his shoulders. “What’s the point of making a fuss? Even if we got Liu Lili dragged back from the city, it wouldn’t do us any good. She didn’t really hurt anyone—if she went back, she went back. What, do you really want to drag her back here just to be publicly denounced?”

“She deserves it! Either way, if you won’t go, I’ll go by myself. Tomorrow, I’m going to make trouble,” Li Hongbing fumed. Even if she had to go alone, even if the momentum was weaker, it was better than doing nothing.

Li Chenliang didn’t respond. He was feeling lost and uncertain.

After the work assignments were handed out and the group dispersed, Zuo Dan was called over by the old team leader.

She glanced at Shen Yiming and noticed that he had already left. So, this was a private conversation meant just for her.

The old team leader, Zuo Shuisheng, was clearly exhausted from dealing with all the trouble stirred up by the educated youths. When he spoke to Zuo Dan, his voice was weary.

“Sigh, there’s always something happening in this village. Dandan, our production team’s accountant has been transferred to the commune. I remember you learned bookkeeping from Comrade Shen Yiming before. Even the commune praised Yiming’s accounting skills, so if you learned from him, you must be good too. I want you to take over as the brigade accountant.”

…Zuo Dan hadn’t expected the old team leader to call her over for this. And why was the brigade accountant suddenly transferred to the commune?

The previous accountant was Zuo Jianjun, the son of Zuo Mugen and also Zuo Shuisheng’s nephew. He hadn’t even graduated from middle school, but among his generation, he was considered one of the more educated ones. He had been in charge of the accounts for a long time. However, after Shen Yiming arrived, he gradually stopped doing much work, leaving most of it to Shen Yiming.

And yet, he still managed to get transferred to the commune…

Zuo Dan quickly understood—this must be Shen Yiming’s doing.

Feeling deeply moved, she looked at the old team leader with gratitude. “Uncle Shu, I’m so touched! I never expected you to consider me for this! I’m really happy that everyone trusts me… I’ll definitely do a great job!”

Now was not the time to be modest. If she hesitated, Zuo Shuisheng might actually think she wasn’t capable and give the job to someone else instead. People these days were too straightforward for their own good.

Zuo Shuisheng was very pleased with her confidence. “Alright then, it’s settled. Tomorrow, I’ll officially announce it. From now on, you don’t need to work in the fields anymore. Focus on transitioning the work with Jianjun so he can report to the commune as soon as possible. They’re in urgent need of people over there.”

Zuo Dan nodded eagerly.

When she arrived at the fields, she saw Shen Yiming working. She grabbed a small hoe and ran over to him.

Shen Yiming glanced at her.

Lowering her voice, Zuo Dan asked, “Shen Yiming, was this your doing?”

“This was the production team’s decision,” Shen Yiming replied seriously.

Ha! Trying to act like a do-gooder without taking credit? Fine, if he didn’t admit it, then she wouldn’t have to thank him.

“Absolutely, absolutely! The production team’s decision is wise and brilliant. They have such a keen eye, spotting a shining talent like me among so many people,” Zuo Dan shamelessly praised herself.

Shen Yiming immediately laughed. “Zuo Dan, when will you stop messing with me?”

“The day I finally annoy you to death, I’ll retire.”

“Then you better never retire in this lifetime. I wouldn’t want you to be a widow,” Shen Yiming said, squinting his fox-like eyes.

The next day, two major events happened in the Zuojiatun production team.

The first was that two female educated youths, Li Hongbing and Su Xue, skipped work. It was rumored that they had gone to the commune to file a complaint. This nearly made Zuo Shuisheng so angry that he collapsed on the spot.

The second was that the old team leader, Zuo Shuisheng, gathered the entire production team for a meeting and officially announced that from that day forward, Zuo Dan would be the new brigade accountant of the Zuojiatun production team.

The first piece of news was shocking, but the second nearly made everyone’s jaws drop.

Of course, no one could argue with the decision. There were simply too few young people in the village who had any education. Other than Zuo Cong, Zuo Dan had the highest level of schooling. And just as the team leader had said, she had previously learned bookkeeping from Comrade Shen Yiming. In fact, during the last grain collection, it was Zuo Dan and Shen Yiming who had done the accounting together.

If anyone were to take over the position of brigade accountant, there really was no one more suitable than her.

“Our Huanhuan can do the job too! Why wasn’t she chosen? That girl Dandan’s mother comes from a bourgeois background—how can she be a cadre? If she can be a cadre, then my Hongjun wouldn’t have been removed in the first place!” Xu Fengxia was the first to raise a fuss when she heard the news. She had never believed what Zuo Shuisheng had said last time. Her husband, Zuo Hongjun, had been doing just fine—how could it have been a unanimous decision to remove him? It was all Li Hui’s fault!

Zuo Shuisheng was already furious from dealing with the educated youths’ trouble. Now, his decision was being challenged by Xu Fengxia, making his face darken even more. “The matter of your husband, Zuo Hongjun, is in the past. We won’t discuss it anymore. As for Dandan becoming the accountant, we are basing this decision on her ability. Her family background is irrelevant.”

“How can it not matter? I don’t accept this! If she can do it, then my Huanhuan can do it too!”

Zuo Dan quietly whispered to Grandmother Zuo beside her, “Even if I weren’t doing the job, Sister Huanhuan definitely couldn’t either. If she keeps making a scene like this, none of us from the Zuo family will get to do it.”

Just as she finished speaking, Grandmother Zuo had already rushed forward, storming up to Xu Fengxia and landing two hard slaps on her face, leaving her stunned.

The people of Zuojiatun: “…”

Zuo Dan quickly ran over to back up her grandmother. “If you ask me, it doesn’t matter who becomes a cadre—it’s all the same as long as they’re from Zuojiatun! We all carry the surname ‘Zuo,’ and we’re all working for the good of our village! The team trusts my ability, so I’ll do everything I can to handle this job well. Aunt, how can you oppose the team’s decision just because of your personal grudges? Are you even one of us from Zuojiatun anymore?”

“She doesn’t care about our village or the Zuo family! Xu Fengxia only cares about her own Xu family!” Grandmother Zuo scolded, then pointed at Zuo Hongjun. “If you still have any sense, you should divorce her and kick her out of Zuojiatun!”

Zuo Dan quickly stepped in to calm her down. “Forget it, forget it, Grandma, don’t stoop to her level. The old team leader and the rest of the village see everything clearly—one person’s complaint won’t change the decision.”

“That’s right, that’s right! Second Aunt, don’t get angry,” others quickly stepped in to mediate.

But Grandmother Zuo couldn’t swallow her anger. How could she? The Zuo family was finally on the rise, and now Dandan was about to become an accountant—a position of honor! And yet, at such an important moment, Xu Fengxia just had to stir up trouble. She was trying to humiliate the Zuo family! If this opportunity were really lost because of her, how many people would mock them?

With a dark expression, Zuo Shuisheng finally spoke. “Enough! Stop this nonsense. The team’s decision is not something that a single person can overturn. Don’t follow the example of those troublemaking educated youths—none of them are decent people!”

The educated youths attending the meeting: “…”

With Zuo Shuisheng having spoken, the matter was settled.

From now on, Zuo Dan would be the production team’s accountant, earning a fixed monthly salary of ten yuan. On less busy days, she wouldn’t even have to work in the fields. Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui were so emotional that their eyes turned red. Li Hui was so excited that she couldn’t focus on her work all morning. She wanted to go to the supply and marketing cooperative at the commune to see if she could get some meat to cook a celebratory meal for the family. But then she thought about how Dandan had just become a cadre—if she took leave now, it might not look good. So she had to hold back her excitement.

Xu Fengxia watched the Zuo family celebrating happily, gritting her teeth in anger. The slap marks on her face were still fresh as she walked behind Zuo Hongjun, muttering, “Why does she get to be the accountant? It’s so unfair! Zuo Shuisheng must have taken some kind of bribe from them. Otherwise, why couldn’t you have become the team leader back then?”

Before she could finish, Zuo Hongjun suddenly turned around and slapped her hard across the face. “If you bring up that matter again, you can go back to your Xu family!” His face was flushed with anger.

Before, he had doubted Zuo Shuisheng’s words, but today, he fully believed them.

If that girl Dandan could become the accountant, then why couldn’t he have become the team leader? The truth was that others simply didn’t want him in that position.

Zuo Hongjun’s face burned with humiliation.

After the meeting ended and everyone left, Zuo Dan and Shen Yiming were asked to stay behind.

Since Zuo Jianjun was in a hurry to report to the commune, there was no time for him to train Zuo Dan. Given that Shen Yiming had already helped with a lot of accounting work before, they simply decided to have him teach her. After all, the two of them were courting, so it would be convenient.

The production team’s accountant actually had an office—though it was just a room in the grain storage house. Zuo Shuisheng also used it as his office, but since he still had to work in the fields, he was rarely there.

When the two arrived, Zuo Dan diligently wiped the desk and organized the documents. For the next year or so, this place would be her domain.

After tidying up, she looked at Shen Yiming and asked, “Isn’t it almost time for you to return to the city?”

She had long understood that being appointed as the accountant in the middle of all this chaos with the educated youths wasn’t the most ideal timing. But she also knew that Shen Yiming was in a hurry to secure this position for her—because he didn’t have much time left in the village. That’s why he was so eager to pave the way for her.