RIRW – Chapter 75

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After hanging up the phone, Shen Yiming rested his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair, grinning happily.

Sister Chu saw his expression and immediately knew he had just spoken with his partner. Once Shen Yiming had finished basking in his joy, she took a military-issued fabric ration ticket from her pocket. These tickets were specifically distributed within their unit for purchasing clothing.

Since they were part of the military district, the salary wasn’t high, but the benefits were decent—they received clothing allocations every year. Someone of Sister Chu’s age rarely needed a new set of clothes annually, so she usually saved the tickets for her family.

“Yiming, I just received this. It’s getting warmer now—you should hurry up and exchange it for something to send to your partner.”

Shen Yiming reached out and took the ticket, his eyes crinkling with a smile. “Thank you, Sister Chu. I’ll make it up to you when I get my ticket. By the way, Sister Chu,” he lowered his voice, “your sister’s matter has been settled—she’s going to the provincial transportation company. Tell her to prepare for work.”

“So soon?” Sister Chu was pleasantly surprised. Truthfully, she hadn’t put much faith in Shen Yiming. After all, his age was a factor, and he had only recently returned to the city. How could he possibly pull off something like this? But she had still appreciated his willingness to help, so she treated him well.

Now, hearing this news, she felt like it wasn’t real.

Shen Yiming chuckled. “If I agree to do something, I get it done right away. I’ve kept this in mind the whole time.”

“Yiming, I don’t even know what to say.” Sister Chu was so grateful she was at a loss for words. She had begged so many people for help, but in the end, it was Shen Yiming who got it done.

“We’re colleagues—no need to be so formal,” Shen Yiming replied with a warm smile.

At the provincial transportation company, Wei Jingren was shocked when she saw her transfer order. She was being reassigned to a rural town to work as a ticket seller.

Within the transportation system, transfers were common, and employees could be reassigned anywhere as needed.

However, special cases aside, it was rare for an administrative worker like her to be sent to a rural town as a ticket seller. Usually, those positions were filled by local residents, not people transferred from major cities.

Wei Jingren also knew that once she was transferred, it would be extremely difficult to return.

The thought of leaving the provincial capital to work in a rural town made her feel deeply resistant. She didn’t want to go. If she did, she might never be able to come back.

She quickly went to the personnel department to ask about the matter.

The department head, Sister Qiu, frowned when she saw Wei Jingren. Because of Song Gang, many people in the company were familiar with Shen Yiming and had a good relationship with him. They had all been happy when they heard he was supposed to start working there—only for someone else to take his spot.

And that “someone else” turned out to be a cadre’s daughter—Shen Yiming’s half-sister.

When they thought about how Minister Wei had prevented Shen Yiming from joining the transportation company, only to have his own daughter take the position, everyone felt it was outrageous. As a result, no one had any fondness for this seemingly delicate and refined young woman.

She had stolen someone else’s job, forcing Shen Yiming to be sent to the countryside—almost ruining his life. How could she be a good person?

Sister Qiu spoke sternly. “Comrade Wei Jingren, this is an organizational decision. As a worker, you must follow the arrangements and be ready to contribute to society at any time. That is the basic level of awareness required. If you lack even this awareness, how did you even get this job in the first place?”

Wei Jingren’s eyes immediately reddened. She knew Sister Qiu was deliberately targeting her because she had gotten the job through underhanded means.

“Was it Yiming who made you do this?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Sister Qiu found her reaction distasteful. If not for her snatching the position back then, Wei Jingren would have been sent to the countryside long ago. How dare she ask such a thing now?

“You mean Comrade Shen Yiming? He’s not even in our system—he has no authority over the transportation company. Don’t expect him to help you. This is an organizational decision, and the organization needs you. Unless you choose to leave the organization entirely.”

Sister Qiu’s gaze remained steady as she waited for Wei Jingren to make her decision.

Barring any major violations, the company wouldn’t dismiss a registered employee—they could only reassign her. However, Sister Qiu secretly hoped Wei Jingren would quit.

She wasn’t like the young girls who softened at the sight of a pretty face. Some things couldn’t be excused just because someone looked pitiful. She knew exactly how much effort Shen Yiming had put in to secure those two printing machines, which had led to the leadership approving an extra position. Only for it to be stolen. No one would take that lightly.

Wei Jingren bit her lip and stood there for a long time but couldn’t bring herself to resign. Her family had no source of income now. If she lost her job, what would happen to them? Both Xiaojun and Xiaohong had been sent to the countryside—if she also had to leave, staying at home wouldn’t be an option either.

At that moment, she deeply regretted everything. She shouldn’t have approached Shen Yiming. She knew this was his doing—he was punishing her because she had lingered around him and made him unhappy.

She never expected that the once handsome yet quiet boy would change so much.

But now that the organization had made its decision, there was nothing she could do. If her father, Wei Guohua, hadn’t been dismissed, people might have hesitated. But with their family in trouble, no one was willing to help her.

When she returned home and told Du Juan about it, her mother was furious.

“Mom, what should I do? I don’t want to go to the countryside. You and Dad still need me to take care of you,” Wei Jingren sobbed.

“You can’t go to the countryside. If you go, you’ll never come back.” Du Juan knew very well that those who went to the countryside never returned. And both of her children had already been sent there—if this one left too, she would be left alone in the city. “Jingren, didn’t someone at the coal yard pursue you before? Agree to date him, and make it a condition that he arranges a job for you. Even if it’s not a permanent job, a temporary one will do.”

Wei Jingren’s eyes widened in surprise. Because the coal yard had dealings with the transportation company, a union officer at the coal yard had approached her a few times after they met. But she had never agreed. After all, she was someone from the compound, and she could never take a liking to someone from an ordinary worker’s family. Besides, that man looked plain—there was nothing about him that could attract her.

“Jingren, don’t overthink it. Just find a job first. Our family is counting on you,” Du Juan gritted her teeth and said, but deep down, she hated Shen Yiming. Why did he keep lingering like a ghost?

Wei Jingren bit her lip and nodded, but another face surfaced in her mind.

The day before Shen Yiming was sent to the countryside, Sister Chu invited him over for dinner.

Her husband, Xiang Hua, personally accompanied him, and Sister Chu’s elderly parents also came. The whole family was deeply grateful to Shen Yiming. Sister Chu’s younger sister had already received notice from the provincial transportation company—she was to report for work next Monday. With this problem solved, the Chu family felt an immense sense of relief and gratitude.

Xiang Hua even draped his arm around Shen Yiming’s shoulder and declared, “No need for words! You’re a true friend. If you ever need anything, just come to me—no questions asked!”

Shen Yiming clinked glasses with him, took a sip of his drink, and then reminded Sister Chu to make sure her sister continued her studies even after starting work. “It’s always good to learn more.”

Xiang Hua dismissed it casually. “You can’t even take the college entrance exam anymore. What’s the point of studying? Having a job is enough.”

“It’s never a mistake to learn more,” Shen Yiming said with a smile, but he didn’t press further.

Sister Chu, however, believed him. She was an educated person herself and valued studying. It was just a pity that university was no longer an option. “No doubt about it, I’ll make sure she continues learning. She hasn’t even finished high school yet—she’ll study at home.”

After dinner, Sister Chu sent her elderly parents home, while Xiang Hua and Shen Yiming stayed behind to chat. Since Shen Yiming was writing an article about the military, he needed to gather more information.

Once they were alone, Xiang Hua’s tone became more cautious—not because he didn’t trust Shen Yiming, but because what he was about to say wasn’t for outsiders to hear. Lowering his voice, he said, “Brother, there are some things I can’t say outright. But when you write your article, be careful. The military’s been on edge since the beginning of the year. The situation seems strange.”

Even though he wasn’t part of the high ranks, as an officer in the military, he had a certain instinct for shifts in the political climate. Everyone could sense when the wind was changing; they just didn’t speak about it openly.

Shen Yiming raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Like back in the early ’60s?”

“Heh, now that, I wouldn’t know,” Xiang Hua laughed heartily and dropped the subject.

Shen Yiming didn’t pursue it either. Instead, he asked about the daily life of new recruits, planning to include the information in his article.

After leaving Sister Chu’s house, Shen Yiming glanced at the dark blue sky and pressed his lips together slightly. By the time he got home, his grandmother had already gone to bed.

Back in his room, he organized his notes for the day. He looked at the blue dress placed by his bedside, reached out to touch it, and smiled.

Tomorrow, that girl would see him. He wondered how she would react.

Early in the morning, Zuo Dan was restless.

She had been informed that Shen Yiming was arriving today—by the time he reached the town, it would be nighttime. She didn’t really want to pay attention to that scoundrel, but thinking about how far he had traveled, it would be heartless to ignore him. After all, they were in a relationship. Ignoring him completely would make her seem too cold-blooded.

Zuo Dan prided herself on being someone with a sense of loyalty and responsibility. So, she decided to take the communal horse cart to town to pick him up.

And wouldn’t you know it? Without Shen Yiming around, she had even learned how to drive the horse cart by herself.

Relying on others was truly a bad habit.

Just as she drove the cart out from Uncle Mugen’s house, she ran into Wei Xiaojun and Wei Xiaohong. Judging by their expressions, it was obvious they were looking for her.

Sure enough, the two of them ran up eagerly. Wei Xiaohong asked, “Accountant Zuo, are you heading to the commune? Can we come with you? I want to make a call to the city and ask them to send some money.”

Only after coming to the countryside did she realize how tough life was. They had to eat coarse grains, and they were often still hungry. Accountant Zuo seemed like she wanted to help them, but her grandmother was too fierce. If she found out that Zuo Dan had given them anything, she would definitely scold them.

“Make a phone call at the commune?” Zuo Dan raised an eyebrow. That was definitely not happening. She hadn’t brainwashed them enough yet—if they made that call and suddenly changed their minds about staying, all her previous efforts would be wasted.

So, she frowned and shook her head. “You two are being too reckless. How could you just go to the commune to use the phone? Do you know how valuable that phone is? We barely use it for official business. If you show up asking to use it, do you think the commune leaders will be happy?”

“But we had a phone at home before,” Wei Xiaojun protested.

Zuo Dan scoffed, “That was in the provincial capital. You can’t compare it to here. Speaking of which, why did you guys end up getting sent to the countryside? It would’ve been so much better if you had stayed in the city. Sigh, I guess you were just unlucky… Better not use the phone. If you upset the commune leaders, they might never let you go back. If you need money, write a letter instead. I’ll help you send it through the commune. But don’t ask for too much, or your mother might not be willing to send it—she’ll probably save it all for your eldest sister.”

The siblings knew nothing about life in the countryside, so they believed whatever Zuo Dan told them. Besides, they had already noticed that the old production team leader didn’t seem to like them very much. Maybe rural officials just didn’t like city folks. Fortunately, they had Accountant Zuo as an acquaintance.

Believing that Zuo Dan wouldn’t deceive them, Wei Xiaohong tugged on Wei Xiaojun’s sleeve. “Let’s just write a letter.”

“Fine,” Wei Xiaojun agreed reluctantly. He had originally planned to use the phone call to curse out his family.

Since they were in a hurry, they quickly scribbled down their request for 100 yuan. Worried that their family wouldn’t send the money, Wei Xiaojun even added a note: If you don’t send it, we’ll sever all ties.

Zuo Dan glanced at it and nodded. “Good, very assertive. I’ll provide the stamps and envelopes for you. I don’t have much, but this, I can afford to give you.”

The two were grateful—after all, postage stamps and envelopes had to be bought in the county. Without Zuo Dan’s help, they wouldn’t even be able to send the letter.

With their letter in her pocket, Zuo Dan leisurely drove the old horse forward, thinking to herself: If my future children turn out like them, I’d send them right back. But then she reconsidered. No way. No matter how bad Shen Yiming and I are, we wouldn’t raise kids this useless.

Wait—why was she thinking about having kids with Shen Yiming?!

Zuo Dan shivered. Too scary!

By the time she arrived at the commune, it was just past 3 p.m.—still early. So, she decided to take the carriage over to the commune’s coal yard to ask Xu Dapeng for some horse feed.

The coal yard kept a few old horses, so they always had feed stocked up. Her old horse could mooch a meal there.

“Oh, Comrade Zuo Dan is here!”

As she was tying up the reins, a voice greeted her. She turned to see Zhang Baoshu, the big nephew of Secretary Zhang, leaning against a nearby tree with a grin.

As soon as she saw him, Zuo Dan recalled his scandal with Liu Lili and felt disgusted. “Director Zhang, hello, hello.”

Thanks to his uncle, Zhang Baoshu had managed to secure a job at the coal yard as a director overseeing coal mining.

Zhang Baoshu chuckled. “Comrade Zuo Dan, my uncle often praises you, saying you’re a highly capable cadre.”

“You’re too kind, just doing my job.” Zuo Dan didn’t want to talk much with him, so she responded perfunctorily, tied the rope securely, and got ready to find Xu Dapeng. As for this Zhang Baoshu, she had no intention of dealing with him. She hadn’t forgotten that Liu Lili had found herself a backer now, so she would definitely look for an opportunity to take revenge.

“Comrade Zuo Dan, let’s chat for a bit. I’ve also come to understand the production team’s situation…” Zhang Baoshu smiled as he spoke when he saw her about to leave.

Xu Dapeng heard someone calling Zuo Dan’s name and immediately popped out of the office. When he saw Zhang Baoshu talking to her, he quickly called out, “Zuo Dan, why are you here? You’re here to pick up Yiming, right?”

“I’m here on business, picking him up along the way.” Zuo Dan walked toward Xu Dapeng.

Xu Dapeng ignored Zhang Baoshu and led Zuo Dan into the office. Once inside, he glanced back at Zhang Baoshu and then warned Zuo Dan, “That guy is bad news. You’d better not bother with him.”

“Who would bother with him? Disgusting.” Zuo Dan made a face of pure disdain, then patted the desk and demanded, “Serve tea, serve tea! And bring out some sunflower seeds and peanuts. Whatever treatment Shen Yiming gets when he comes, I should get the same.”

Xu Dapeng pouted gloomily. “You two just like to bully an honest guy like me.” Then he turned to fetch the sunflower seeds and peanuts for Zuo Dan.

Even though she had come for business, Zuo Dan ended up hanging around the office the whole afternoon. She handed over Wei Xiaohong and the others’ letters to Xu Dapeng and asked him to pass them on to the mailman. Then, she just sat in the chair, eating sunflower seeds and peanuts, sipping fragrant hot tea, and feeling that life was simply too comfortable. That Shen Yiming kid really knew how to enjoy life.

At six o’clock in the evening, the vehicle arrived on time.

The moment Shen Yiming got off the bus, Zuo Dan jumped off the horse-drawn cart and ran over enthusiastically to help carry his luggage. “You must be Comrade Shen Yiming from the provincial newspaper. Welcome to our area to provide guidance!”

“…And you are?” Shen Yiming looked confused.

“Oh, I’m Zuo Dan, the accountant of the Zuo Family Village production team. Just call me Accountant Zuo. The commune assigned me to pick you up specially.” Zuo Dan smiled politely.

“That’s so considerate of you! Thank you, thank you.” Shen Yiming looked grateful and shook her hand energetically.

Zuo Dan used all her strength to finally pull her hand away, then pointed at the horse-drawn cart. “Hurry up and get in. It’s late, and traveling at night isn’t safe.” Then she led Shen Yiming onto the cart.

Once they left the station, the cart headed straight for Zuo Family Village. By this time, the sky had gradually darkened, and the road was mostly deserted. Shen Yiming watched Zuo Dan driving the cart with a grin. Seeing her somewhat inexperienced driving skills, he chuckled, “I didn’t expect Accountant Zuo to know how to drive a cart, but your technique is a little off.” He reached out, encircling Zuo Dan’s hands with his, adjusting her grip on the reins. “You need to hold the reins a bit tighter.”

Zuo Dan looked at him in horror. “Comrade Shen Yiming, what are you doing? This is harassment of a female comrade! Do you realize that? Be careful, or I’ll report you!”

Oh boy, she was really getting into this act. Shen Yiming smirked and leaned closer. “Since you put it that way, if I don’t do something, wouldn’t I be at a loss? It’s dark, the road is empty, and we’re surrounded by cornfields on both sides…”

Zuo Dan couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Shen Yiming, behave yourself!”

Shen Yiming tugged playfully on her braided hair, his eyes full of amusement. “What? Not playing along anymore?”

“Who’s playing with you? My current identity is that of a small production team official, here to pick up an important guest from the provincial capital. So, dear guest, you need to behave yourself. No touching the grassroots female officials!” Ever since she realized how dangerous Shen Yiming could be, Zuo Dan had made up her mind not to give him any chances to get close. In this era, one should pursue a pure and innocent romance. She couldn’t let Shen Yiming take things too far.

Shen Yiming nodded solemnly. “Since that’s the case, I’ll follow your instructions.”

Just as Zuo Dan was surprised by his obedience, Shen Yiming suddenly lowered his head and kissed her hard on the lips. Then, with his face close to hers, he whispered, “At least using my mouth should be fine, right?”

Zuo Dan couldn’t continue the act anymore and was in no mood to deal with Shen Yiming. She tossed the reins at him. “You drive!”

Shen Yiming took the reins and gently pulled them. The old horse steadily trotted forward.

Zuo Dan was annoyed by how relaxed he looked. She prided herself on having lived in a more open society before, so how could she let herself be teased into submission by a young man from this conservative era? Besides, it wasn’t like Shen Yiming could actually drag her into the cornfields right here on the road.

Her eyes darted around, and she suddenly reached over and pinched Shen Yiming’s waist. “Shen Yiming, has your waist gotten thicker?” Feeling him tense up, she grinned, then squeezed his chest. “Gained some weight, huh?”

She casually poked at him a few more times. She had to admit, he had a good physique. Seeing Shen Yiming clench his lips tightly and remain silent, Zuo Dan burst into laughter.

Suddenly, the cart stopped.

Zuo Dan looked around and realized they had stopped at a bend in the road, with a small hill beside them. The front was blocked from view, and the back was also out of sight.

“What are you doing?”

Shen Yiming reached out, scooping her into his arms. Zuo Dan’s vision shifted from the road ahead to the sky above.

Before she could react, Shen Yiming pressed his lips firmly against hers.

His movements were firm and a little rough. Zuo Dan felt like she was being devoured, struggling to catch her breath.

By the time he let go, both of them were panting, unable to recover for a moment.

Shen Yiming exhaled deeply, stroked Zuo Dan’s cheek, and said in a husky voice, “Be good, Zuo Dan.”

Zuo Dan: “…”

Shen Yiming’s return to Zuo Family Village stirred up quite a commotion.

How could it not? Most educated youths who returned to the city never looked back, eager to leave the countryside behind forever. But Shen Yiming was different—he had barely been gone for long before he came running back. That was rare and full of sentiment.