RIRW – Chapter 7

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Upon seeing that Zuo Dan had gotten on the cart, the male comrades automatically adjusted their positions.

Although they didn’t say anything, their actions showed some hesitance towards Zuo Dan’s background. Subconsciously, they tried to keep their distance. However, the one who had just spoken in her defense, Shen Yiming, smiled and nodded at her.

Zuo Dan also smiled back, but after looking into Shen Yiming’s eyes, she was momentarily taken aback, then pretended as if nothing had happened and sat on the edge of the cart.

As an orphan, despite being loved by her grandmother, Zuo Dan felt a certain difference compared to other children. This made her naturally sensitive to people’s expressions. She could discern whether someone truly liked her, was being fake, or felt pity, among other emotions.

Just now, she noticed that Shen Yiming, the only one who had been kind to her, though smiling warmly, hid a completely different emotion behind his gaze. It wasn’t genuine friendliness or disdain, but rather indifference.

The cart swayed as it made its way along the road, while several of the female youth talked enthusiastically with Yang Wenxin.

It must be said, Yang Wenxin was good at chatting, boasting about his incredible abilities, claiming there was no one like him in the world. The female youth were envious of his position as a primary school teacher.

Yang Wenxin boasted, “I’ll talk to the commune secretary later, and I’ll make sure to select a few teachers from you guys.”

When the girls heard this, their faces lit up.

“Bah, just talking big,” one of the male youth with a flat-top haircut spat, disdain clearly written on his face.

Zuo Dan, who had been enjoying listening to Yang Wenxin’s boasting, glanced at the boy with the flat-top. He was casually chewing on a dogtail grass he must have picked up along the roadside, his eyes slanting toward the other cart with the female youth.

The flat-top boy was wearing a blue jacket, with slightly dark skin and a defiant look on his face.

Another youth with a round face nudged him, saying, “Alright, Li Chenliang, don’t let others hear you. We’re not in the provincial capital now.”

“I’m not scared of his pretty-boy act,” Li Chenliang sneered. Then, he shot a contemptuous look at Shen Yiming. “I won’t act all fake like some people.”

Zuo Dan glanced at Shen Yiming. He was still smiling, showing no signs of being affected by the comment.

But the tall young man next to him wasn’t pleased. “Li Chenliang, stop bullying honest people. Brother Yiming has a good temper, but I won’t tolerate you. Just because your dad works in the military department, doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. I, Xu Dapeng, am not afraid of you.”

“Hey, can you two stop arguing?” A male youth with glasses, who had been keeping his head down, nervously spoke up.

Before Xu Dapeng could say anything, Shen Yiming stopped him. He then turned to Zuo Dan, who had been watching the scene with interest, and asked, “Comrade, could you tell us more about the situation in Zuo Family Village? We just arrived and would like to familiarize ourselves.”

Zuo Dan, caught off guard by his attention, felt a little embarrassed, but then smiled brightly and said, “No problem. What do you want to know? Our village doesn’t have many people, just about three hundred or so. The one driving the cart up front is our production team leader. He’s a really good person, and he’ll arrange your work for you. By the way, your accommodations have been arranged too. The houses are all bright and spacious…”

She spoke in a simple, straightforward manner, her tone warm and sincere, just like any village girl would.

It was all an act, of course. After all, who wouldn’t play the part? They were all actors in their own way.

However, the four female youth and the five male youth who had come this time clearly weren’t the obedient type. The old team leader would surely have a headache later.

While Zuo Dan spoke in a somewhat disorganized manner, Shen Yiming listened with a smile, showing no sign of impatience. His demeanor made it hard not to think of him as a “good guy.”

Li Chenliang, however, rolled his eyes at the sight and continued to shake his body in mockery.

On the cart ahead, Su Xue watched the two of them chatting happily, her brow furrowing in dissatisfaction. “What’s so great about Shen Yiming talking to some country bumpkin?”

Hearing her, Li Hongbing also turned around and glanced at Zuo Dan, her face growing serious and tinged with jealousy.

Zuo Dan had no idea that she had accidentally become the enemy of the female youth.

Her task today was simply to welcome these youth and introduce them to the situation in the village, so they could prepare themselves mentally and get to work as soon as they arrived.

Therefore, she answered Shen Yiming’s questions thoroughly, without leaving anything out.

No matter what she thought inside, on the surface, the two of them appeared to be having an enjoyable conversation.

After a long and bumpy ride, the cart finally arrived at Zuo Family Village.

Since it was working hours, not many people came to watch, though a few idle children were gathered around, eyeing the big brothers and sisters from the city.

As soon as the female comrades got off the cart, except for Li Hongbing, the others began complaining about feeling uncomfortable.

Seeing their reactions, the old team leader, Zuo Shuisheng, furrowed his brow in frustration.

Fortunately, the male comrades were much stronger. Each one nimbly jumped off the cart, with only the young man wearing glasses carefully climbing down.

The round-faced youth laughed at him, “I told you, bookworm, you’re really useless.”

“Comrade Gao Wei, my name is Su Dai, not bookworm.” The young man with glasses adjusted his glasses.

“Alright, you can rest for half the day today. Tomorrow morning, gather at the old locust tree by the threshing ground to start work. Remember, you must be there by 6:30 AM, or we’ll dock your work points,” Zuo Shuisheng said, his face now stern, without a trace of the earlier smile.

When they heard about the 6:30 AM gathering, everyone started complaining, “Ah, so early?”

“Isn’t it still dawn? We’re starting work this early?”

Zuo Shuisheng was clearly unhappy with their reaction. “Dandan, take the female comrades to the main location and get them settled. Brief them on the situation.”

He then had Yang Wenxin lead the male comrades to their quarters, before getting back on the cart and leaving.

Zuo Dan’s lips twitched. Once the old team leader’s cart had completely driven off, her expression changed. The docile demeanor she had earlier was gone, and she now wore a serious face as she said, “Alright, we’re here. Stop acting so spoiled. Let’s go.”

Seeing Zuo Dan’s sudden shift, the others were surprised.

Zuo Dan said, “Let’s go.” She then took the lead and walked toward the youth camp.

Now that they were here, there was no reason to act like a spoiled young lady. Did they think she hadn’t lived in the city before? She had lived a life far better than these youth, yet she had never been as pampered as they were.

“What’s with her attitude?!” Li Hongbing stared at her in disbelief.

Liu Lili, touching her long hair, was the first to follow. The other three stood there for a moment, and only after seeing that Zuo Dan wasn’t paying attention to them did they reluctantly follow along.

“I say, this girl was just pretending to be all humble earlier,” Xu Dapeng remarked in surprise.

Shen Yiming smiled slightly, carrying his luggage. “Let’s go too.”

The quarters for the female youth had already been arranged by Zuo Shuisheng. It was a simple adobe house, but it was quite bright inside, with two windows facing the sun. However, there was only one room, with a large communal bed setup for sleeping.

“Is this the kind of place we’re staying?” Su Xue complained, showing her displeasure.

“How can we live here? It’s so cramped.”

Zuo Dan smiled without showing her teeth. “This is what we have in the countryside. Some families don’t even have such big beds and have to share with several children. And your bed is two and a half meters long, so it’s more than enough for the four of you. Also, there’s a well outside; you can use the water from there for washing up. But to save water, we don’t wash clothes there; we have to go to the pond in the village.”

Liu Lili raised an eyebrow, “Who’s going to fetch the water for us?”

“Do it yourselves, and you’ll learn to be self-sufficient.”

“How dare you speak to us like that, you troublemaker!” Li Hongbing couldn’t take it anymore.

She looked at Zuo Dan, who had shed all signs of weariness, and thought to herself that a country girl, who was probably a troublemaker, dared to treat them like this. If they were still in the city, her father’s people would have dealt with her already.

Zuo Dan’s expression turned cold. “Comrade, I’ve heard you call me a troublemaker several times. Whether I’m a troublemaker or not isn’t for you to decide. This is Zuo Family Village, not a place for you to run wild.” She shot Li Hongbing a glare. “Alright, I’ve explained everything clearly. I’ll leave now.”

After leaving the youth camp, Zuo Dan felt a bit melancholic.

This was completely different from what she had imagined. Didn’t she hear that the youth sent here should be full of passion and fighting spirit? How could they have such attitudes? It was absurd.

She even started to wonder if there was a grudge between the higher-ups and the old team leader, and they intentionally sent problem individuals here. Other youth in different villages were said to be diligent and simple. She’d heard that many of them had become assimilated into the village life, and their habits were practically the same as the locals.

Looking around to make sure no one was nearby, Zuo Dan walked towards the small mountain behind the village. Once she was sure no one was around, she placed her hand over her chest and murmured to herself, then entered the orchard.

Seeing the ripe fruits on the trees, Zuo Dan reached up and picked a pear, biting into it with a contented smile.

The sweet taste immediately lifted her spirits. Ah, it really was more comfortable in the orchard.

While eating, she took a look around at her orchard. Seeing so many fruits on the trees made her feel a little more optimistic.

Her current situation at the Zuo family was not ideal. Not to mention, she didn’t have her own room, which was inconvenient. She couldn’t keep running outside all the time. If she locked the door, it would cause another conflict like last time.

Moreover, at the old Zuo household, she couldn’t casually take things from the orchard to use.