RIRW – Chapter 65

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Shen Yiming moved the chair next to the table, ready to hand over the work to Zuo Dan. Hearing her comment, he immediately smiled, his eyes narrowing into crescents, and reached out to tug on Zuo Dan’s braid, which was one of his favorite things to do.

“It’s good to have a smart partner. You don’t need to say anything, and they just understand.”

Zuo Dan swatted his hand away, annoyed. “When are you leaving?”

“I’ll start working at the beginning of May, but I’ll need to leave by the end of April.”

“It’s already late April, no wonder you’re in such a hurry,” Zuo Dan glanced at him sideways. “You’re really something. Just as things were going down in Zuojiatun, you still managed to get Uncle Jianjun moved to the commune.”

Shen Yiming smiled confidently. “I helped Secretary Zhang a lot. Liu Lili’s issue was caused by his nephew. If this blew up, it would be a big problem. You should avoid going there too often, stay alert. You might not be the most beautiful, but who knows, they might be picky.”

Zuo Dan shot him a glare. “What do you mean I’m not that good-looking? When my skin gets better, I’ll be a little beauty too.” She then thought of what Shen Yiming had said, and looked at him with a curious, gossiping expression. “You weren’t saying anything before, but now you’re bringing it up. Let me guess. Did you advise Liu Lili and the old captain to settle things, and then the matter was kept quiet? Secretary Zhang must be grateful to you. As for the old captain, he didn’t want things to get out of hand, and Uncle Jianjun was transferred to the commune… Liu Lili wasn’t paraded through the streets, and she even went back to the city. Everyone benefited.”

Looking at Shen Yiming, Zuo Dan was once again impressed by his ability to control the situation. It seemed like all three parties had to listen to his arrangement, be manipulated by him, and in the end, all of them would thank him, and even give him a big position as a brigade accountant.

“What about Liu Lili? What kind of benefits are you getting from her?” Zuo Dan felt that every time Shen Yiming handled things, he aimed for perfection. If there were benefits involved, he absolutely wouldn’t miss out on any.

“Her benefits… you’ll see in the future.” Shen Yiming reached out and pinched her smooth cheek.

“Zuo Dan, I’ve told you so much, don’t you think you should fulfill one of my little wishes?”

Zuo Dan rubbed her cheek where he had pinched her, unwillingly saying, “I already guessed half of it myself!”

Shen Yiming stroked his chin. “If this wish isn’t fulfilled, I won’t feel at ease leaving.”

Zuo Dan sighed, “What wish? Say it, let me hear it.”

“Let’s go explore the little woods,” Shen Yiming suggested seriously. “There aren’t any little woods like that in the provincial capital, and you won’t get another chance.”

Zuo Dan nearly choked and then looked at him with disdain. “Shen Yiming, who did you learn this from? Such improper thoughts, and you speak about it so smoothly. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

Shen Yiming replied, “Last time I went to pick firewood in the small woods, I saw someone there… I thought they looked pretty happy.”

No wonder! Zuo Dan thought to herself. Looking at Shen Yiming’s face, she felt like he needed a lesson. Reaching out, she pinched him. “Behave yourself. If you keep messing around, I’ll set your backyard on fire.”

Shen Yiming sighed. “What a pity…”

The work in the production team didn’t require much handover. It was mainly about how much grain had been collected, how many work points were owed, how much money each family needed to pay to the team, and how much money the team should distribute to each household. All these things were recorded in the ledger. As long as the ledger was handed over properly, there would be no problem.

Looking at the pile of worn-out ledgers, Zuo Dan greatly missed computers. If there were computers, she could enter all this data into the system in a minute, and it would be clear at a glance. She wouldn’t have to suffer through these cluttered, messy ledgers.

Indeed, nothing was easy. The only difference was whether it involved using your brain or your hands.

Luckily, Shen Yiming could stay for another week, so Zuo Dan planned to drag him into helping her reorganize the old ledgers.

After working the whole day, the two of them managed to reorganize the oldest and most damaged ledgers. Zuo Dan felt like her hands were about to break from all the writing.

“Alright, let’s go home and have dinner.” As the sun set, Shen Yiming got up from his seat, glanced at the fading sunlight outside, and urged Zuo Dan to head home.

Zuo Dan also couldn’t take it anymore. She packed everything up, locked it in the drawer, and together, they locked the office door and went home.

Before even entering the yard, they could already smell the delicious scent of meat.

In the morning, there was no time to buy meat. After hastily having lunch, Li Hui took the opportunity during her lunch break to run to the supply and marketing cooperative at the commune and finally managed to get the last bit of meat scraps. It wasn’t the best meat, but her cooking skills were good. She steamed a bowl of meat and made a bowl of soup. Paired with some homegrown vegetables, it looked fairly hearty.

“Eat up, eat up. Yiming and Dandan, eat more. You must have worked hard today. Thinking takes the most effort, much more tiring than working in the fields.” Zuo Dacheng said with the experience of someone who had been through it.

Grandmother Zuo added, “How is being a cadre tiring? This is a good thing. So many people can’t even get this opportunity. If someone hears you say that, they might hold a grudge.”

After being scolded by Grandmother Zuo, Zuo Dacheng chuckled awkwardly and continued to encourage everyone to eat.

If it weren’t for the fact that Shen Yiming had to teach Dandan work tomorrow, Zuo Dacheng might have brought out a bottle of wine to drink with him. He was so happy today. His daughter had actually become the accountant in the brigade! This was something they hadn’t even dared to dream of before.

After the meal, Grandmother Zuo went back home. She was older and had gotten used to going to bed early.

Li Hui was still preparing to clean the dishes when Shen Yiming stopped her. “Aunt, don’t worry about it yet. I need to talk to you and Uncle Dacheng about something.”

Li Hui looked at him curiously, then sat down with Zuo Dacheng. “Yiming, what is it?”

Zuo Dan thought to herself, He’s about to leave, and he’s here to say goodbye to you.

“Uncle Dacheng, Aunt Li, I want to marry Dandan.”

“Pff—” The water Zuo Dan had just taken a sip of sprayed out.

Li Hui and Zuo Dacheng were both stunned and stared at Shen Yiming. This was so sudden!

Zuo Dan quickly wiped her mouth. “What? Shen Yiming, aren’t you about to leave?”

Li Hui and Zuo Dacheng were both shocked and looked at Shen Yiming in disbelief.

Shen Yiming spoke with sincerity. “The truth is, I’ve wanted to marry Dandan for a long time, but I’ve always been too afraid to bring it up. I want to give her the best life, but I have nothing here…” His voice was full of melancholy.

“It’s fine, we have a house.” Zuo Dacheng said.

Zuo Dan sighed.

Shen Yiming was moved. “Uncle Dacheng, I know you don’t treat me like an outsider and don’t mind me. But I can’t do that. I’m a man, and I want to give Dandan a better life. So I’ve been waiting, waiting for the right time, until I can be qualified to propose to her.”

“So, you’re leaving?” Li Hui asked.

“Yes, Aunt Li. I’ve made some connections and can go back to the provincial capital. I received the news recently, and I’ll be leaving in a few days. Once I settle down there, I plan to marry Dandan.” He then turned to look at Zuo Dan, who had a blank expression, “Of course, this is something I have to consider Dandan’s feelings on. I didn’t plan to bring it up so suddenly, but when I thought about leaving, I got anxious, so I mentioned it now.”

Zuo Dan: “I don’t believe you.”

Li Hui and Zuo Dacheng were both stunned by the news. Shen Yiming was going back to the city… No, Shen Yiming wanted to marry Dandan… Which of these was more important? Of course, it was the marriage part. But Yiming was going back to the city…

“Mom, Dad, Shen Yiming…” Zuo Dan covered her eyes, choking up. “I know you both mean well, but I can’t be so selfish. Yiming just got to the city, and now he’s rushing to marry me, a country girl. How bad would that look?” Her eyes reddened as she looked at Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui. “The most important thing is, I have a rural household registration, which means I can’t even get the supply grain! You don’t want me to starve, do you?” Seeing Zuo Dacheng about to speak, Zuo Dan quickly added, “Dad, don’t say anything about sending grain or giving us subsidies. That would be a slap in the face for Shen Yiming. He’s too proud to eat food grown by his father-in-law, right? Isn’t that right, Shen Yiming?”

Shen Yiming decided to stop pushing. His goal had been achieved, and he didn’t want to linger on it. “Dandan is right… There’s no point in my rushing this. But I believe in my ability. After a few months, I’ll be stable, and I’ll make sure Dandan doesn’t have to worry about food or clothing.”

“Don’t rush too much, take it slow and steady,” Zuo Dan reminded him. “I can wait a year or two.”

“I think we should at least make an engagement or something,” Shen Yiming said. “I’m just worried about what people might say. I don’t mind what they say about me, but I can’t let people talk about Dandan.”

Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui hadn’t thought about these things yet, but hearing Shen Yiming’s words reminded them. The idea of getting married and Shen Yiming moving to the city seemed less important now. What mattered was how to protect Dandan’s reputation. After all, there had been cases in the past where educated youths went to the city and abandoned their wives. They trusted Shen Yiming’s character, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to marry Dandan. But others might not believe that. What if they said Dandan was abandoned by Shen Yiming? How would she live in the village then? After all, she was still a cadre in the production team.

Zuo Dan said coolly, “People who get married and have children can still run away. What difference does an engagement make?”

Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui were silent.

Shen Yiming thought for a moment. “How about this? I’ll take Dandan to the provincial capital to meet my family. That way, Dandan will meet my elders, and it will be official. No one will be able to gossip anymore.”

This idea seemed good. Both Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui were satisfied. Those educated youths who ran away often did so because their families in the countryside didn’t know their address in the city. They had never met their relatives in the city. That’s where things went wrong. If Dandan went and met his family in advance, this wouldn’t be an issue. After all, making an engagement with someone nearby involves this step, the only difference being the distance.

Zuo Dan chuckled. So, this is what he was planning. First marriage, then engagement, and as a last resort… meet the parents!

Since the first two steps didn’t work out, this last idea was the easiest and safest. Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui naturally had no objections.

“Isn’t this a bit too fast?” Zuo Dan said.

“This is the only way, otherwise, I won’t feel at ease leaving. I don’t want people talking about you,” Shen Yiming said with concern.

Zuo Dacheng said, “It’s not too fast. People who live close to each other often get engaged and married within a month. Some people even decide after just a few days of meeting.”

Li Hui added, “Then I’ll have to prepare some gifts. Yiming, what does your grandmother like to eat?”

Shen Yiming quickly responded, “Uncle, Aunt, don’t go out of your way. My grandma just loves to see Dandan, she doesn’t need anything else.”

Zuo Dan: “How good-looking am I?”

The matter was basically settled. Zuo Dan didn’t protest much. She knew that no matter how much she resisted, Shen Yiming would get what he wanted. Plus, she also wanted to take the opportunity to visit the provincial capital and see for herself. It was just meeting his grandmother, after all. If his grandmother didn’t like her, that would be perfect. She could then come back and explain things to Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui, and even if Shen Yiming treated her well afterward, Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui would no longer support him.

Once the matter was settled, Shen Yiming suggested leaving. Zuo Dan personally saw him out of the yard. As they reached the outside, she pinched his arm. “Shen Yiming, you’re quite something, scaring people with just a few words!”

Shen Yiming rubbed the spot she pinched, looking a little aggrieved. “If I had just said I was leaving from the start, your parents would have lost sleep all night. I had to make them understand my resolve. Besides, I knew you’d oppose it.”

Zuo Dan forced a smile. “Are you still thinking that maybe if I didn’t oppose it, it might just happen? Then you’d get a wife for free. How nice of you, thinking you can get a partner for nothing and still get a free wife. You want to take all the good things for yourself.”

“No matter what my ideas are, my main goal is to make sure your parents are at ease,” Shen Yiming said solemnly.

Zuo Dan chuckled, “Don’t try to play your tricks in front of me. I see right through you. If you don’t behave, when I go to your house, I’ll make sure your grandmother dislikes me so much that she’ll prefer not having me around. Do you believe that?”

“I don’t believe it,” Shen Yiming shook his head firmly.

“Why don’t you believe it?” Zuo Dan puffed her cheeks. “I really can make that happen.”

Shen Yiming suddenly lowered his head, and with only a finger’s distance between them, before Zuo Dan could pull back, he cupped her head in his hands, and she felt a warm sensation on her forehead.

“Zuo Dan, you don’t know how much people like you!”

Shen Yiming laughed, let go of her, and quickly ran off.

Zuo Dan stood there, holding her forehead, watching him run away… After a moment, she realized she had just been teased!

The decision for Shen Yiming to return to the city was set in stone. The next day, Zuo Shuisheng went to the commune to discuss how to handle the issues with Li Hongbing and Su Xue. He saw Shen Yiming’s transfer order, sent by the provincial military district. The military and local government were different, and many times, military decisions couldn’t be interfered with by the government.

Old Captain Zuo Shuisheng was both happy and worried. He was happy for Shen Yiming, but worried for himself.

After returning from the commune, Zuo Shuisheng asked Shen Yiming to come over to his house to discuss things.

“Yiming, these two female educated youths really know how to cause trouble. They even threatened the commune, saying if the commune didn’t handle it, they’d report it to the county government and even the provincial government. Secretary Zhang is having a headache over it.”

Shen Yiming lit a cigarette for the old captain and reassured him, “Among these two educated youths, Li Hongbing’s family is from group. But her father has always been just and selfless, otherwise, he wouldn’t have supported her going to the countryside to join the production team. My suggestion is to transfer Li Hongbing to another place so she can deeply experience the needs of the people. Let her mature from the ground up.”

Zuo Shuisheng sighed. “I’d love for her to leave. Just don’t know where to send her.”

Shen Yiming said, “I remember Secretary Zhang mentioned that the Ninth Production Team doesn’t have any educated youths. The conditions are tough there, and they need educated youths even more.”

Zuo Shuisheng understood Shen Yiming’s hint. The Ninth Production Team also had a nickname, Shankwo Village Production Team. As its name suggested, it was far from the commune, and the conditions were much harsher.

“You’re right. Shankwo Village needs these intellectuals more than we do,” Zuo Shuisheng immediately decided.

Was he reluctant? What was there to be reluctant about? This woman caused too much trouble. If she kept it up, both the commune and the production team wouldn’t be able to finish their tasks.

Once the major issue was resolved, Zuo Shuisheng felt relieved. When he heard that Shen Yiming was asking for leave to get a letter of introduction to take Zuo Dan back to the city, he didn’t hesitate to approve it. He even felt he hadn’t misjudged Shen Yiming. He was a man of his word. Even though he was returning to the city, he still cared about Dandan. He wasn’t like other educated youths who, as soon as they talked about returning to the city, immediately abandoned their rural partners.

Soon, the news spread quickly around Zuo Jiatun. Oh, maybe I should say there were three pieces of news. The troublemaking female educated youths were going to be sent by the commune to Shankwo Village to support rural construction. This news was generally welcomed. Nobody liked troublemakers, especially those coming from the city. If they couldn’t work, they’d cause trouble instead. The sooner they left, the better. It would save the production team’s food.

The second piece of news wasn’t so happy. Comrade Shen Yiming was going to return to the city. After returning, he wouldn’t be coming back. Zuo Jiatun Production Team was losing a capable intellectual. Everyone in the village began discussing this. Some people started to wonder, now that Shen Yiming was leaving, wouldn’t Dandan be abandoned?

Before they could discuss Dandan being abandoned, another rumor spread: Shen Yiming was planning to take Zuo Dan to the city to meet his elders!

Those who had been preparing to gossip had nothing more to say. They were going to meet the elders, which meant marriage was likely. If they really got married, Zuo Dan would become a city person.

At home, Xu Fengxia ground her teeth in frustration, “Why is her luck so good?” Then she turned to Zuo Huan, who was sulking, “You better cheer up and keep an eye on Yang Wenxin. I believe he’ll be able to return to the city one day. He’s much better than Shen Yiming. Shen Yiming just has better luck. He’s nothing special.”

Zuo Huan puffed her cheeks and said, “I don’t even have a new outfit. How can I face him?”

“Didn’t you just make one? Fine, we’ll go get some fabric tomorrow and make you some clothes,” Xu Fengxia said, holding her breath. She couldn’t believe Zuo Dan would keep having good luck. Moreover, she didn’t believe that after Shen Yiming returned to the city, he would still care about Dandan, the country girl. He was probably just indulging in the novelty of it, but eventually, he would forget about her completely.

At the Zuo family home, Li Hui was busy packing Zuo Dan’s things. They would be leaving tomorrow, so the gifts she needed to bring had to be prepared, and Dandan’s clothes shouldn’t be shabby. After all, they were going to the provincial capital. Li Hui, thinking back to the days when she had stayed in the provincial capital, felt a bit nostalgic. Looking at her grown-up daughter, she couldn’t believe how quickly the years had passed.

“Let’s get a set of green military clothes for her another day so Dandan can wear them. She’ll look very spirited in them.”

Zuo Dachen laughed, “Exactly. The last photo was really good. She looked great in the uniform.”

When the photo was mentioned, Zuo Dan couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

The family of three was busy at home when they heard a knock at the gate.

It was evening, and usually, no one would visit at this time. Zuo Dachen said, “It must be Yiming.” He quickly ran out to open the door.

But when he saw the person at the door, his brow instinctively furrowed.

“Let me in to talk, uncle,” Su Xue softly requested.

“Are you not afraid of people finding out about your relationship with your aunt?” Zuo Dachen asked. This was the first time Su Xue had come to their house; it was really unusual.

“Uncle, I was wrong before. I really made a mistake. Please let me come in and talk,” Su Xue said, her eyes red from crying.

Li Hui and Zuo Dan, hearing the noise, came out and saw the confrontation at the door. Su Xue tried to step in, but Zuo Dachen blocked the door.

When Li Hui saw it was Su Xue, her face didn’t show any joy. If Su Xue had come over before, she would have been happy. But after all the trouble Su Xue had caused recently, Li Hui couldn’t be happy. Especially since she knew why Su Xue was here. She wasn’t here to visit her aunt; she was here to ask her to speak on her behalf.

When Su Xue saw Li Hui come out, her eyes brightened. “Aunt, please, help me talk to the old captain. I don’t want to go to that Shankwo Village. They say there’s hardly any food there, and the conditions are tough. It’s also far from the commune.”

Everyone in Zuo Jiatun knew how far it was. How far? It took a day and night to reach the town’s commune. The road was so bad that even tractors couldn’t get through, and they had to use horse carts to transport people, walking part of the way themselves.

Hearing this, Su Xue felt hopeless.

Zuo Dan looked at her and said, “The commune arranged for you to be here before. If you weren’t comfortable, now they’re just moving you to a different place. My mom speaking on your behalf won’t help. She’s not the commune secretary. What she says doesn’t count. To put it bluntly, if my mom went to the commune, she might not even meet with the officials.”

Su Xue’s face turned pale. She cried out in desperation, “Aunt, please. My dad has no other children.”

“Your uncle hasn’t complained about working on the farm,” Zuo Dan retorted. “Shankwo Village is tough, but people still live there. If you work hard, you won’t starve. It’s just far from the commune, so it’s not convenient for you to cause trouble. And honestly, it’s still better than places like the Great Northern Wilderness, Yunnan, or Tibet. Many educated youths went there and worked for over ten years. They were all honest, hardworking people. Didn’t they go there too?”

Su Xue couldn’t argue with Zuo Dan. Her lips moved a few times, but she didn’t know how to respond. She could only helplessly look at Li Hui. “Aunt…”

Li Hui sighed deeply, “Dandan is right, everywhere is tough. If you live your life well, it will get better and better. Shankwo Village isn’t that scary. They live near the mountains, and they eat more meat than we do. When you’re about to leave, I’ll prepare some food and supplies for you.”

Su Xue was about to say more, but Zuo Dan furrowed her brows, “Before people knew about your relationship with my mom, you could go to Shankwo Village. But after they find out, you probably won’t be able to go there. You’ll have to go to the farm to be with Grandpa and Uncle. I heard some people were directly assigned to the Tibet region.”

Hearing this, Su Xue didn’t dare to speak again. She knew many educated youths with her background were sent directly to the border regions.

Seeing her response, Zuo Dachen and Li Hui didn’t want to say anything more. She only wanted to take advantage, but once there were negative consequences, she didn’t dare to associate with them anymore. What could they say to such a child?

They just hoped that when she went to Shankwo Village, she would behave properly and not cause any more trouble.

Zuo Dachen directly shut the gate.

After leaving the Zuo family, Su Xue looked at the closed gate and clenched her fist tightly.

The next morning, Zuo Dan and Shen Yiming set off for the provincial capital. This time, they didn’t have a vehicle and walked there. As they left the village, Li Hongbing and Su Xue also took a horse-drawn cart to Shankwo Village. Li Hongbing wasn’t happy about going, but she had no choice. The militia from the commune had come to send them, and they could only reluctantly go.

“Hey, aren’t you afraid that after she goes back to the city, she’ll ask her dad to get revenge on you?” Zuo Dan tugged at Shen Yiming’s sleeve. She knew that next year, Li Hongbing’s father would be in serious trouble, but Shen Yiming didn’t know. He was still daring enough to provoke Li Hongbing. He was really bold.

Shen Yiming chuckled lightly, “It’s hard to say whether her dad will even recognize her by then.”

“What do you mean?” Zuo Dan asked, curious. “What are you scheming?”

Shen Yiming looked around and then mysteriously pulled Zuo Dan into a nearby cornfield. At this time, the corn hadn’t grown yet, but the stalks were quite tall.

Before Zuo Dan could react, she was pulled in. “What are you doing?”

“I’m telling you a secret. How can we talk about such big things on the main road?” Shen Yiming said confidently.

“Then hurry up. I’m not comfortable staying here,” Zuo Dan urged. A cornfield, a lone man and woman…

Shen Yiming lowered his head. “Let me tell you…”

Before Zuo Dan could even understand, she suddenly felt Shen Yiming’s face coming closer. As she instinctively stepped back, his lips landed heavily on hers.

Then Shen Yiming quickly let go of her and ran out of the cornfield. “That’s what I was scheming!”

Zuo Dan stared wide-eyed, covering her lips, then suddenly pushed through the corn stalks and chased after him. “Shen Yiming, I’ll bite you to death!”