RIRW – Chapter 78

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On the way back, the two of them went to pick up Zuo Shuisheng and return to the production team together.

Zuo Shuisheng had been sitting in Secretary Zhang’s office for quite a while, constantly praising Zuo Dacheng. He was good in every way—he had been an apprentice in the provincial capital, had knowledge and experience, and was literate. After all, how could an illiterate man find an educated wife? He was honest and hardworking, and during the busy farming season, his work output was worth that of two people.

Secretary Zhang had no objections. Zuo Village was different from other villages—it had been very united over the years.

Zuo Village used to be a clan village, and after the Four Olds were abolished, the clan structure was broken. Although Zuo Village was no longer the same as before, the strong sense of unity remained. If the commune assigned someone as the team leader and the people of Zuo Village didn’t agree, it would be difficult to get any work done.

Zuo Shuisheng took a drag of his cigarette and handed one to Secretary Zhang. “This was brought to me by Yiming. That kid is really sentimental. He’s going to be Zuo Dacheng’s son-in-law in the future, you know.”

As Secretary Zhang smoked, any hesitation he had disappeared. He had a deep impression of Shen Yiming. Even though Shen Yiming had returned to the city, Secretary Zhang had kept in touch with him.

He believed this young man was extraordinary. Take his return to the city as an example —Secretary Zhang had originally fully supported Shen Yiming going back, but Shen Yiming declined and recommended someone else instead. Later, Secretary Zhang found out that the person he recommended was from a cadre family in Beijing. Because their elder had been implicated in political struggles, they had been sent to the countryside early on.

Secretary Zhang couldn’t figure out why Shen Yiming would help someone from a fallen cadre family, but he didn’t believe it was a coincidence. Otherwise, why would Shen Yiming, out of so many people, specifically recommend this person? What surprised Secretary Zhang even more was that, while even he, as the commune secretary, didn’t know this person’s background right away, Shen Yiming had somehow figured it out.

On the other hand, after Shen Yiming declined the nomination, Secretary Zhang received a call from higher-ups, instructing that Shen Yiming must not be given the spot. That’s when Secretary Zhang realized that someone was suppressing Shen Yiming, preventing him from returning to the city.

Just when Secretary Zhang thought Shen Yiming wouldn’t be able to return, he suddenly did—and in a way that no one could stop him.

As a local official, Secretary Zhang considered himself to have some foresight. He believed that someone like Shen Yiming would go far in the future, so it was wise to build a good relationship with him.

Thus, it was decided that Zuo Dacheng would take over Zuo Shuisheng’s position. After the autumn harvest, Zuo Shuisheng would collect the votes, and the decision would be finalized.

Zuo Shuisheng walked out of the office feeling refreshed, got on the tractor, and took a satisfying drag of his cigarette. “Dacheng, you should stick by my side and learn as much as you can from me.”

Hearing this, both Zuo Dacheng and Zuo Dan knew that the matter had been settled.

Zuo Dacheng remained calm. He remembered what his daughter had said—this had to go through a vote and be chosen by the people. There was no guarantee he would be elected, so he couldn’t get ahead of himself. If he wasn’t chosen, it would be embarrassing.

Zuo Dan, on the other hand, was quite happy—not because Zuo Dacheng was becoming an official, but because with him in that position, it would be easier next year to implement land distribution and household-based production contracts in Zuo Village. Once that was in place, promoting the contract system would be much smoother.

She had always had a vision—to make Zuo Village different from other villages. She felt that life here was comfortable, and the people were harmonious. She wanted to ensure that everyone could have a good life. She didn’t want Zuo Village’s children to become left-behind children in the future.

Since this matter wouldn’t be settled until after the autumn harvest, no one mentioned it after returning to the village. Even Grandmother Zuo wasn’t told, fearing that she wouldn’t be able to keep the secret. Only Li Hui was informed.

Li Hui had mixed feelings. She had always thought of herself as a burden, believing that she had caused trouble for the Zuo family and led to her brother-in-law losing his position as team leader. She had lived with guilt for years, always feeling indebted to Xu Fengxia.

Now that Zuo Dacheng was going to be team leader, Li Hui finally felt a little relieved. Since she was his wife, his success also meant something to her. It also confirmed what the former team leader had said—that her background wasn’t entirely to blame for what had happened to her brother-in-law.

“After the autumn harvest, I won’t have much time. I’d like to go visit my parents now while things aren’t too busy, and bring them some grain,” Li Hui said softly to Zuo Dacheng after dinner, taking advantage of the moment when Zuo Dan was outside watering the fruit trees. The grain was just an excuse—the real reason was to share the good news with her parents.

Her parents had worried about the Zuo family all these years, fearing that she was suffering because of her family’s political background. Now that the family was doing well, she wanted to let them know so they wouldn’t worry. Besides, with the busy harvest season approaching, she wouldn’t have another chance to visit anytime soon.

Zuo Dacheng wanted to go with her, but he was too busy. The former team leader was mentoring him, and he would also need to help oversee the autumn harvest. He couldn’t leave now. “Leave early tomorrow and try to come back as soon as possible.”

When Zuo Dan returned from watering the fruit trees and heard this, she asked, “Where is my mom going?”

The couple hesitated, exchanging glances. They were still cautious about mentioning the farm in front of their daughter, remembering how much she had suffered when she delivered medicine there last time. They didn’t want to bring up painful memories.

Zuo Dan frowned in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

Li Hui hesitated and said, “I was thinking of going to see your grandparents. The last time we visited was before the New Year, and it’s been over half a year since then.”

Zuo Dan immediately thought of the Li family at the farm.

Since she had never spent time with them and because of Su Xue, she didn’t feel very close to the Li family and had never thought about visiting. But seeing Li Hui’s reaction now, she realized her mother was worried that she might dislike the Li family.

“Mom, I’ll drive the horse cart and take you there tomorrow. It’s such a long way, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting you go alone.”

Li Hui was quite surprised—her daughter was actually offering to take her to the farm.

Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui quickly exchanged glances, and he laughed, “If Dandan is taking you, then I’m at ease.” He had always believed that his daughter was filial and sensible. There was no way she would hold a grudge against her grandparents just because of past issues.

Now that their family was doing well, they could afford to bring more food to the farm. They couldn’t bring too much fine grain, not because they were unwilling, but because they worried that it might cause trouble if the farm authorities made an issue of it. Instead, they brought a lot of coarse grains to at least ensure the elders had enough to eat. They also packed some vegetables and pickled food. With the horse cart, transporting everything was much easier.

“Mom, my grandparents used to be intellectuals, right? You must have studied a lot too,” Zuo Dan recalled that her maternal grandparents had been university professors, and her uncle had also worked in education. However, she didn’t know much about them because the Zuo family rarely spoke about the Li family.

Thinking about her school days, Li Hui became nostalgic. “I got into university and studied for one semester, but I never graduated… But it doesn’t really matter since I never got to use that education anyway.” As she reminisced, she saw a vision of her younger self—wearing a blue jacket and black skirt, carrying books across the campus. The memories felt distant, almost blurry.

Seeing Li Hui lost in thought, Zuo Dan quickly changed the subject. “Mom, what did my grandparents and uncle do before?”

Li Hui snapped back to reality and proudly said, “Your grandparents were professors at a provincial university. Our whole family lived in the faculty apartments—those were real buildings! And your uncle was a great student. After graduating, he worked in the education department. If it weren’t for what happened, he would have had a bright future.”

Zuo Dan sighed. They had been a true scholarly family. If not for the turbulent times, she and her brother Zuo Cong might not even exist.

Traveling by horse cart was much faster than walking. Normally, it would take Li Hui an hour or two on foot, but now they arrived in less than an hour.

Clothes really make a difference—today, Zuo Dan was wearing the green military uniform Shen Yiming had given her, complete with a cap. She looked sharp and stylish, and even the guards at the farm gate were more respectful than usual.

When they entered the farm, the Li family was still working. Zuo Dan handed the farm manager a few eggs, and he immediately ran off to call the Li family over, muttering to himself about how the Zuo family’s little girl had suddenly become so tactful.

Thanks to the farm manager’s help, the Li family was able to return early. When Grandmother Li saw Li Hui and Zuo Dan, she wobbled over quickly. “Why are you here again? I told you not to come! And you even brought Dandan.”

She looked at Zuo Dan with concern. “Dandan, is the wound on your head all healed?”

“Grandma, I healed ages ago! You can’t even see the scar anymore,” Zuo Dan said, tilting her head to show her.

She noticed that her grandmother had a gentle and kind demeanor, much like her mother. Just looking at her made Zuo Dan feel closer to her.

Grandfather Li smiled as he approached. “Dandan went through a lot of trouble for me.”

Of course, Zuo Dan remembered—she had been injured while delivering medicine for him. But she couldn’t just brush it off, so she grinned and said, “If I don’t care for my grandparents, who else should I care for?”

Her words delighted Grandfather Li, making him beam with joy. He hadn’t felt this happy in years.

Meanwhile, her uncle, Li Wenchang, remained silent on the side. Zuo Dan glanced at him and called out, “Uncle.”

Only then did Li Wenchang give a slight nod.

Seeing his reaction, Zuo Dan recalled what her mother had said before—her uncle had a rift with Li Hui because of Su Xue. She now had a better understanding of the situation.

When the family entered the house, Grandmother Li saw all the supplies Li Hui had brought and kept shaking her head. “You still have children to feed at home—why bring so much here?”

Seeing that Li Hui was about to speak politely, Zuo Dan grabbed her grandmother’s hand. “Grandma, how can you say that? Even if we, the younger generation, eat less, we should make sure the elders are well-fed. You and Grandpa are working hard here, and my mom is at home crying all day. We can’t bear to see you suffering like this.” Zuo Dan would never do a good deed without letting the other person know about it—she was no “Lei Feng”.

In the future, if the Li family comes out of this difficult situation, Li Hui and the family will definitely need to stay connected. Zuo Dan needed to start building those ties now.

Grandmother Li, listening to her, had tears welling up in her eyes. She realized that, if anyone had suffered over the years, it was actually her daughter. Even though the family was struggling, they were struggling together. But Li Hui, her daughter, had moved to the countryside alone without any support. She had endured hardships alone without anyone to speak up for her. Despite that, she still worried about them.

“You’ve really had a hard time,” Grandmother Li said, wiping away her tears.

Grandfather Li remained silent, not saying anything.

Zuo Dan quickly tried to comfort them, “But please don’t cry. It’s rare for us to be together as a family. If you start crying, then it’s my fault for saying the wrong thing. Grandma, Grandpa, please don’t worry about Mom. Life at home is much better now. My third uncle built us a new house, a big one, with blue bricks and tiles. My dad keeps saying that if you ever leave here, you can come live with us. He’s even been talking about how he’s getting the attention of the old team leader and might be promoted to the big team leader. If you really do come to live with us, no one will dare to bully you.”

These words struck a chord with the Li family elders. They weren’t afraid of hardship; they were afraid of being looked down upon or bullied wherever they went.

Even Grandfather Li had tears in his old eyes and quietly wiped them away.

Although Li Hui didn’t know when her husband had said such things, she had no doubts about what her daughter said. She believed that Zuo Dacheng, her husband, was just the kind of man who would say such things. “Dad, Mom, Dandan is right. Don’t worry about us. Everything is fine at home.”

At this point, Li Wenchang, Zuo Dan’s uncle, couldn’t hold back anymore. His face flushed as he said, “Xiao Hui, if Dacheng becomes the big team leader, can he bring Xue’er to the city?”

Li Hui froze when she heard this.

Zuo Dan was also stunned. She hadn’t realized that the position of big team leader held such power.

Grandfather Li and Grandmother Li furrowed their brows. Grandfather Li spoke up, “Wenchang, don’t trouble Dacheng.”

Li Wenchang wiped his face. “I know… but Xue’er is my only daughter. As a father, I can’t help but feel guilty that I’m not around.”

“It’s not your fault, Uncle. Every parent’s heart aches for their child…” Zuo Dan sighed deeply. “But unfortunately, my dad can’t help either. It’s not that he doesn’t want to; it’s just beyond his reach. Su Xue is no longer in our production team. She’s been moved to a more remote team, the Mountain Hollow production team.”

“What?” Li Wenchang looked at her in surprise.

Grandmother Li also asked, “What’s going on?”

Zuo Dan sighed again. “There was a female intellectual who fell ill. She insisted that this other female intellectual had been engaging in improper relations. The health center issued a certificate saying there was nothing to it, but she wouldn’t let it go. She caused a scene at the old team leader’s house and even tried to stir up trouble at the commune. She wanted the commune to arrest the woman and hold a public struggle session. The commune didn’t want to deal with the trouble, so they transferred her to a more remote production team.”

“Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!” Grandfather Li, furious, slammed his hand on the table. He hadn’t been this angry in a long time. The mention of “public struggle session” brought back painful memories of the past, and it angered him even more. Their family had already suffered enough; now, their granddaughter was trying to bring the same suffering to someone else.

“How could this happen? How could Xue’er do such a thing? Did the commune make a mistake?” Li Wenchang was incredulous.

Zuo Dan said, “Uncle, the commune and the production team wouldn’t collude to deceive people, right? Besides, what does this matter to her? She caused trouble for no reason, and it didn’t benefit her at all. Instead, it almost ruined that female intellectual’s life. We’re all female intellectuals; why make things worse for each other?”

Li Hui also explained, “That’s exactly what happened. The situation escalated quite a bit, and the commune even sent people to take them to the Mountain Hollow team.”

Grandfather Li and Grandmother Li’s faces darkened. As educated intellectuals, they were a gentle couple who didn’t like causing trouble or hurting others. They were deeply disgusted by Su Xue’s actions.

“I’m angry too,” Zuo Dan said indignantly. “She had the guts to cause trouble, but she didn’t have the courage to secretly visit her own father. Just thinking about it makes me mad.”

Li Wenchang: “…”

Because of Su Xue’s actions, the Li family’s mood remained tense. The only thing they could take solace in was that their daughter and granddaughter were both dutiful and sensible. Life at home was getting better, and seeing that gave them hope.

Before leaving, Li Hui gave some food to the neighbors next door. Unfortunately, no one was home, so she left it at their house with a note.

“Mom, who’s this for?” Zuo Dan asked after they left the farm.

Li Hui smiled. “It’s for your dad’s elder. He used to be an officer in the army. I heard he even fought against the Japanese. Your dad respects him and tries to take care of him.”

Well, it was a lucky coincidence. Zuo Dan thought to herself, who says good people don’t get their reward? Honest and kind people like Zuo Dacheng and Li Hui might unexpectedly help someone important.

At the farm, Grandmother Li and Grandfather Li stood at the door, looking into the distance. Grandmother Li sighed, “Seeing how sensible Dandan is, I can finally relax. Our Xiao Hui has made it through. I hope Dandan will always be a good daughter to her mom. Xiao Hui has suffered so much for her.”

“Enough, don’t bring up the past,” Grandfather Li said, silently walking into the house with his hands behind his back.

The weather was getting warmer, and Zuo Cong also returned from the county. He didn’t rest, immediately following Zuo Dacheng and his wife to work in the fields.

Zuo Cong was good-looking and educated, and when he returned to the village, he caught the attention of the new female intellectuals.

It was inevitable—good-looking people always attract attention, especially when they are educated intellectuals from a family with a relatively good background. He was basically the “diamond bachelor” of Zuo Family Village.

Even Wei Xiaohong secretly started getting closer to Zuo Cong.

When Zuo Dan noticed this, she quickly intervened. If Zuo Cong really got together with Wei Xiaohong, she felt like she would rather hit her head on a brick.

So, after Wei Xiaohong indirectly expressed her interest and asked Zuo Dan to help set them up, Zuo Dan immediately gave her a stern look. “You’re someone who plans to return to the city, right? How can you set your sights on someone in the countryside? Think about your older sister—she will definitely marry a city worker, maybe even someone from a cadre family. Although I’m Zuo Cong’s sister, I have to say, you’re just not suited for him!”

Zuo Dan tried to persuade her earnestly, “You’re such a good girl, you should find someone just like you so you can live a happy life together.”

Wei Xiaohong didn’t expect Zuo Dan to speak so kindly about her and felt that what Zuo Dan said made sense. Zuo Cong was great, but he was from the countryside, and she was bound to return to the city eventually.

Zuo Dan then asked her, “By the way, you must have sent that letter a long time ago, right? Why hasn’t anyone sent the money yet? I went to the commune to ask, and they haven’t heard anything.”

When Wei Xiaohong heard this, her expression soured, and she angrily said, “They must be unwilling to send us money, even though they promised to take care of us. They said they would help, but now that we’ve reached out to them, they won’t send a thing.”

Zuo Dan comforted her, patting her on the shoulder. “Don’t be too upset. After all, your older sister is probably getting married soon, and if she wants to marry well, she’ll need a decent dowry.”

This really hit Wei Xiaohong where it hurt. She and Wei Xiaojun were in dire straits, and yet, her family was thinking about preparing a dowry for her older sister?!

A few days later, Wei Xiaohong and Wei Xiaojun came to find Zuo Dan again. Both were shy and embarrassed to ask her for stamps and envelopes to write another letter. This time, their words were even harsher, “If we don’t see any money in a week, we’re cutting ties for good!”

Zuo Dan watched them write the letter, seal it, and send it off. However, she didn’t tell them that the letter would never reach their family, as their family had already moved.

There was no harm done—after all, she spent all her time in the countryside. How would she know about their family’s move to the provincial capital?

The summer passed, and Zuo Family Village saw a piece of good news.

Zuo Shuisheng’s grandson, Zuo Xiaozhu, had started working as a factory worker in the provincial capital.

This caused quite a stir in the whole Zuo Family Village, comparable to the excitement when the first tractor arrived in the village.