RIRW – Chapter 94

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Being picked up in the middle of the night—it was honestly touching. Zuo Dan was overwhelmed with gratitude toward Comrade Song Gang.

Once they got in the car, Song Gang cheerfully started chatting with Zuo Dan. “I heard from Teacher Zhao that you two are getting married next year. Have you set a date yet? I need to prepare the wedding gift money, you know.”

“Shen Yiming said we’re aiming for National Day, but it’s not confirmed yet. Don’t worry, Comrade Song Gang. We’ll definitely let you know when it’s set. After all, you owe us a wedding gift.” Zuo Dan replied with a playful smile.

Song Gang laughed heartily. “Hahaha, I need to prepare your gift in advance. That’s exactly why I asked. I have to schedule my wedding before Yiming’s—there’s no way I, as the older brother, can fall behind!”

Zuo Dan: “…” Even honest people these days have tricks up their sleeves.

But then she thought about it—Song Gang had been bullied by Shen Yiming since they were kids. Letting him win once in a while seemed fair enough. So she said, “Sure, Yiming and I will definitely get married after you.”

She wasn’t eager to get married early anyway. If she remembered correctly, the big event next year wouldn’t end until the second half of the year. Her knowledge of history was poor, and modern history was even more of a blur—she could only vaguely recall certain years—so she wasn’t sure exactly when it would end.

In any case, getting married in the second half of the year would be ideal. By then, wedding arrangements would be more relaxed, without the need to hold a red book and recite wedding vows like it was some kind of political ceremony.

By the time they got home, it was already late. Song Gang didn’t want to disturb Grandma, so he didn’t even go inside—he just drove off.

Hearing the noise, Grandma came out from the house. When she saw Shen Yiming and Zuo Dan enter the courtyard, she walked over and took Zuo Dan’s hand, leading her inside. “I’ve been thinking about you all day. It must have been a hard trip—come and eat first. I’ve already heated some water for you. After you eat, take a bath and get some good rest.”

“Grandma, you don’t have to worry about us. It’s so late already—just go to bed. Yiming and I can eat on our own. We’re not outsiders, so don’t be so polite with me,” Zuo Dan said sincerely.

She couldn’t stand seeing elderly people wear themselves out. She’d always felt that her grandmother might have fallen ill and passed away because she’d exhausted herself taking care of her.

“Alright, alright. Grandma will go rest. You two should go to bed early too.” Grandma smiled warmly, clearly appreciating Zuo Dan’s thoughtfulness. As she went back inside, she reminded Shen Yiming to make sure Zuo Dan’s bath water was ready so that she wouldn’t tire herself out.

Shen Yiming immediately agreed and personally escorted Grandma back to her room before coming out to eat with Zuo Dan.

Worried that the food might have gotten cold while they were on their way home, Grandma had made flatbreads and porridge and left them in the pot to keep warm. The two of them quickly finished the meal with satisfied slurps.

After filling their stomachs and resting for a while at home, Zuo Dan felt completely at ease. She realized that part of why it was so easy to accept becoming family with Shen Yiming was because every time she came to his house, she felt like she was coming home.

It was comfortable and relaxing.

Shen Yiming finished eating before her. While she was still eating, he prepared the bath water, set up the wooden tub, and even filled it with hot water.

After Zuo Dan finished eating, Shen Yiming said, “Take a walk around the courtyard for a bit, then go take a bath before the water gets cold.” Then he started cleaning up the dishes.

Zuo Dan walked around the courtyard, rubbing her stomach, as she watched Shen Yiming bustling around in the kitchen. She felt pretty satisfied. Honestly, if Shen Yiming could keep his tricks to himself and quietly work hard like this, he’d be pretty attractive.

After walking a few laps and digesting her food, Zuo Dan went to the room and locked the door to take a bath.

The wooden tub at the Shen house was one of those old-fashioned deep tubs—almost as comfortable as a modern bathtub. Shen Yiming had even gone out of his way to have an old carpenter make it for him. Since Grandma was petite, her tub was slightly smaller. Shen Yiming’s tub was a bit bigger. The one Zuo Dan was using was also custom-made by Shen Yiming—perfectly sized just for her.

Lying in the wooden tub, Zuo Dan felt like the Shen family really knew how to live well. They even had personal wooden tubs for bathing. Last time, Shen Yiming mentioned that he was planning to replace his tub with a bigger one after they got married.

As if he was planning to swim in it or something—how big does it need to be? Zuo Dan thought that if Shen Yiming had lived during the Republican era, he’d have definitely been a petit bourgeois.

After finishing her bath, Zuo Dan put on long-sleeved pajamas and a thick military coat before opening the door to pour out the bathwater.

Just as she opened the door, Shen Yiming came out of his room. “I’ll do it,” he said, rolling up his sleeves and grabbing a small wooden bucket to carry the water out.

Watching Shen Yiming pour out her bathwater made Zuo Dan feel a bit awkward. She hadn’t thought much of it before the bath, but this was water she had just bathed in—he was handling her used bathwater!

So, she quickly grabbed another wooden bucket and followed him, hoping to get it done as quickly as possible.

After a few trips back and forth, they finished pouring out the water. Shen Yiming wiped the tub down with clean water before setting it back against the wall.

Just as he was about to head back to his room to rest, he noticed that Zuo Dan’s hair was still a little damp. He grabbed a towel and started drying her hair.

“Make sure to dry your hair before you sleep, or you’ll get a headache. You’re not a kid anymore—why can’t you take better care of yourself? Looks like I’ll have to worry about you more in the future.” He kept drying her hair while lecturing her.

Zuo Dan grabbed the towel from his hands and pouted. “I can do it myself.” It wasn’t like she wanted to sleep with wet hair—it was just that there wasn’t a hairdryer. Toweling it dry took forever.

Fresh from the bath and flushed from the activity, Zuo Dan’s lips looked even redder, and her teeth even whiter. When she pouted, Shen Yiming’s heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t help but lean down and kiss her lips.

“You heartless little thing. I’m doing this for you, and you’re still mad at me?”

“Who’s angry? I was just expressing a little dissatisfaction.” Zuo Dan said righteously, continuing to vigorously rub her hair with the towel. “Comrade Shen Yiming, you must democratically accept my opposing opinion.”

Shen Yiming couldn’t stand watching her struggle anymore, so he took the towel from her hand. “Let me do it. You’ll ruin your hair if you keep rubbing it like that.” He really liked her thick, black hair—whenever she braided it, it made his hands itch to touch it.

Since he was so eager to help, Zuo Dan didn’t bother to argue and just sat on the bed, letting Shen Yiming dry her hair.

As soon as she sat down, Shen Yiming had to lower his head to dry her hair. But once he lowered his head… his gaze accidentally drifted toward her neckline… and then down below her neckline…

He quickly pulled his gaze away, fixing his eyes on the ceiling while his hands kept working on her hair.

“Ow! Shen Yiming, be gentle! That hurts!” Zuo Dan yelped when her hair was suddenly tugged. She stood up in surprise, turning around to express her dissatisfaction. Honestly, it was more comfortable when she did it herself.

But when she turned around, she saw that Shen Yiming’s face and neck were completely red. He was still looking up at the ceiling.

“Shen Yiming, what’s wrong with you?” It was just drying her hair—why such a dramatic reaction?

Shen Yiming took a deep breath before lowering his head to look at Zuo Dan. But the moment he met her eyes, his mind involuntarily flashed back to what he had accidentally seen beneath her neckline just now. And then… his eyes naturally drifted downward again.

No! He couldn’t keep looking! He forced himself to look at Zuo Dan’s face instead. Her face was pale and flawless, her lips red and slightly parted in surprise…

“Dandan, let me kiss you—just one kiss, I promise,” Shen Yiming said as if he were trying to convince himself. Then he lowered his head and kissed her.

“Mm…” Zuo Dan was caught off guard by the sudden kiss. She reached out to push him away, but her hand landed on his chest.

Shen Yiming had just taken a bath and was only wearing thin pajamas under his jacket. Through the thin fabric, Zuo Dan’s hand pressed directly against his chest.

Both of them froze instantly.

Zuo Dan hadn’t pulled her hand away yet, but Shen Yiming’s hand had already started misbehaving. To stop himself from going too far, he told himself not to reach inside her clothes—just to stay outside and touch a little bit.

But then his hand slipped up… and the protective layer was gone! His whole body tensed, and the heat of his kiss deepened.

Zuo Dan was already flushed from the kiss, and with Shen Yiming’s hand on her body, her whole body felt even hotter. Without even thinking about it, she also reached out and squeezed Shen Yiming.

In her mind, Shen Yiming was already marked as hers. If he wanted to get close, there was no reason to refuse. Besides, it actually felt kind of good when he got close—like discovering a whole new world.

Once Zuo Dan started responding to him, Shen Yiming’s mind went completely blank…

“Mmm…” Zuo Dan was starting to have trouble breathing. She pushed Shen Yiming’s face away and opened her eyes, only to realize that at some point, they had both ended up lying on the bed. Her military coat had already slipped off, and Shen Yiming was pressed against her, his hand somehow under her shirt.

He seemed unsatisfied with just touching—he wanted to see clearly what he had glimpsed beneath her neckline.

His face slowly lowered, his eyes drawn toward the half-opened shirt. What lay before him was a field of pale white skin, so bright it almost hurt his eyes.

Then, suddenly, a drop of red fell onto the white skin.

“Shen Yiming! You’re having a nosebleed!” Zuo Dan exclaimed in shock when she saw the blood dripping from his nose. She pushed him away and sat up in bed.

Shen Yiming blankly touched his nose and saw the blood on his fingers. That seemed to snap him out of it. His face instantly turned bright red. He glanced at Zuo Dan, who was still sitting there in a daze, and quickly got up.

“I’m going back to rest—you should sleep early too,” he said, practically fleeing the room.

Zuo Dan sat there in a daze. Then she glanced down at her half-open shirt and the drop of Shen Yiming’s nosebleed on her chest. That’s when it finally hit her—what exactly had just happened between them.

She flopped back onto the bed, covered her face with the blanket, and rubbed her burning cheeks over and over. After a while, the image of Shen Yiming with a nosebleed popped into her mind, and she couldn’t stop laughing.

“Hahaha! Shen Yiming actually had a nosebleed—how could he be so pathetic?”

Zuo Dan rolled around under the blanket, laughing uncontrollably.

The Next Morning when Zuo Dan woke up and got dressed, she was fully prepared to tease Shen Yiming about last night’s incident. But when she went to look for him, he was already gone.

After asking Grandma, she found out that Shen Yiming had gone to work early in the morning—without even eating breakfast.

“I don’t know what he was in such a rush for,” Grandma said while setting the table. “Leaving so early without eating—what if he gets hungry at work?”

As they ate, Grandma kept grumbling about how Shen Yiming had left in such a hurry.

Holding back her laughter, Zuo Dan said, “Maybe he took leave yesterday and wants to catch up on work today.”

“Still, there’s no need to rush so much,” Grandma sighed, shaking her head. “Young people these days really don’t take care of their health. I’ve gotten older, and my health isn’t great. I know how miserable it is to feel unwell. I just hope you kids can stay healthy.”

After breakfast, Zuo Dan helped Grandma wash the dishes, and then the two of them headed out to look at houses together.

Since Shen Yiming had just taken a day off, it was unlikely he’d have time to take her house-hunting. It was better to just go on her own. Plus, it was a good opportunity to take Grandma out for a walk.

Grandma had never gone to see the house Shen Yiming had bought. Since her health wasn’t great, she hadn’t wanted to burden him, and Shen Yiming hadn’t wanted to trouble her either.

Now that she was heading out with Zuo Dan to check out the house, she couldn’t have been happier.

The two of them arrived at their destination by bus. Zuo Dan linked arms with Grandma, and they walked into the alley together.

Once they passed through the alley, they could see the row of houses ahead.

As soon as Grandma saw the houses, she immediately felt satisfied. “You two picked a good spot. The people who used to live here were all wealthy families from the provincial capital. The environment is nice. You and Yiming have a good eye for places.”

“Grandma, the environment here is good. It’ll be great for your health if you live here. When we’re free, the two of us can take walks around the lake. When we get tired, we can come back and sit in the yard, read some books, and grow some flowers. Ah, Grandma, just thinking about it makes me feel so relaxed.”

“Dandan, are you saying I’ll be living with you two in the future?” Grandma asked.

Zuo Dan tightened her grip on Grandma’s arm. “Of course! I’d much rather live with you than with Shen Yiming. If you don’t want to live here, I’ll just move back with you to the old house.”

Hearing this, Grandma couldn’t stop smiling. “You little rascal, you just know how to make me happy. I’m old now—living with you guys would just be a burden.”

“Grandma, you’re not a burden at all. You’re the heart of our family. We’ll need your advice when it comes to important decisions. Besides, you raised Shen Yiming so well—he’s tall, strong, and healthy thanks to you. If he doesn’t take care of you in your old age, I’ll make sure to scold him for you.”

“Alright, alright. As long as you two have this kind of filial heart, I’m happy.” Grandma’s eyes turned red as a contented smile appeared on her face. First, her daughter passed away, and then her husband followed. If it weren’t for the fact that she had to take care of Yiming, she might not have had the strength to keep going. But now Yiming had grown up well, and his wife was such a good girl—there was nothing left to regret. Even if she had to go meet her daughter and husband now, she would go with a smile.

When they arrived outside the house, Zuo Dan took out the key and opened the door. The two of them walked inside and immediately got excited. Grandma looked around the house, inside and out, and then started planning how to arrange the courtyard.

Zuo Dan didn’t offer any suggestions—just looking at how Grandma had arranged the courtyard of her current house was enough to know that Grandma had good taste.

“Grandma, how about we plant a few fruit trees? That way, we won’t need to buy fruit all year round. Plus, the fruit we grow ourselves will definitely taste better than store-bought ones,” Zuo Dan suggested. She felt this was a very practical idea since there were plenty of fruit trees in the orchard anyway.

Grandma nodded immediately. “Yes, yes! We should definitely plant some grapes. Yiming loves eating grapes.”

“Alright, we’ll set up a grape trellis.” Zuo Dan clapped her hands in excitement, secretly amused that Shen Yiming had such a cute preference for grapes.

After finishing the courtyard design, they went to check out the inside of the house. Aside from making a few suggestions about her own room, Grandma left the rest of the house’s design up to Zuo Dan.

Zuo Dan had plenty of ideas, but she also knew that not all of them were realistic. First, the current situation didn’t allow for anything too extravagant. Second, some of the materials they needed weren’t even available right now. So, she decided to keep things simple and elegant.

In the study, she wanted to add more bookshelves and a decorative display shelf. Once things got better in the future, she’d figure out a way to get more decorations. The master bedroom would just need a bed and a wardrobe.

For the living room, Zuo Dan thought a small wooden coffee table and a wooden sofa set would be enough. They could probably find those at a second-hand market—there was no need to buy new ones.

“Grandma, let’s just keep things simple for now. Once things improve, we can upgrade to better furniture.”

“Alright. You make the decisions. We’ll hire someone to fix up the house soon. However you want to fix it, we’ll do it your way,” Grandma agreed without hesitation.

Zuo Dan happily hugged Grandma. “Grandma, you’re the best!” In her mind, if Grandma were anyone’s mother-in-law, she’d definitely be the ideal one.

If she had to choose between living with Grandma and living with Shen Yiming, she’d choose Grandma without hesitation. Grandma was so much better than that little troublemaker Shen Yiming.

After looking around the house, it was almost noon. Since the house was far from Shen Yiming’s workplace, he usually had lunch at the cafeteria. So, Zuo Dan decided not to let Grandma cook. The two of them went to a state-owned restaurant nearby for lunch.

After lunch, Zuo Dan planned to rest with Grandma for a bit and then take her to the mall. She figured all women enjoy shopping—age doesn’t change that. Grandma usually didn’t have anyone to go out with, which was just too pitiful.

While the two women were enjoying their day, Shen Yiming was at work, completely distracted. He even ate lunch absentmindedly, barely managing a few bites.

After lunch, he washed his face with cold water to clear his head. When he returned to the office, his focus was back.

Sister Chu saw him and waved him over to the hallway. “Yiming, I looked into the thing you asked about. Brother Xianghua said that the military district does occasionally replace some jeeps. But they’re hard to get because once they’re replaced, they’re usually allocated to the local city or county government.”

Shen Yiming wasn’t surprised by this news. He nodded. “Thank you, Sister Chu, and please thank Brother Xianghua for me.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. It was just a casual inquiry. But why are you asking about jeeps? Are you thinking about buying one? I’d advise against it—it’s expensive. Besides, you’re still young. Once you get promoted, you’ll be able to use a government car. Look at the editor-in-chief—he gets to use an official car.”

Sister Chu was worried that Shen Yiming was being impulsive. Getting a jeep wouldn’t be easy, and it might even affect his work.

“I was just curious. Riding a bicycle every day is inconvenient, but I wasn’t seriously planning to get one.” Shen Yiming smiled casually.

Hearing this, Sister Chu relaxed. Then she said, “By the way, when you and your girlfriend get married, remember to register early. That way, you’ll have the marriage certificate in time to buy wedding supplies. Some things are hard to find and might need to be brought in from other places. If you need help with anything, just let me know.”

She knew that Shen Yiming only had his elderly grandmother at home, so there wouldn’t be much help from his family. She liked Shen Yiming, and since he had helped her family before, she was happy to return the favor.

Hearing about registering the marriage, Shen Yiming’s heart raced a little. He smiled brightly. “Thank you for the reminder, Sister Chu. I’ll discuss it with Dandan and pick a good day to register.”

Back at his desk, Shen Yiming started flipping through the calendar.

The phone on his desk rang. He answered it while still looking at the calendar. “This is the Provincial Military District News Office.”

A loud voice came through the receiver. “Shen Yiming! You’re back from Zuo Family Village? I called Uncle Dacheng’s house and heard that Comrade Zuo Dan came with you. Let’s have dinner together! It’s been ages since I treated you two to a meal.”

Shen Yiming circled a few good dates on the calendar while replying, “Sure. I’ll bring Dandan with me tonight. We’ll meet you at your place. Dandan even brought some things for Xiao Zuo.”

“Great! It’ll be good for Comrade Zuo Dan to see our provincial coal yard,” Xu Dapeng said cheerfully.

That afternoon, Shen Yiming rushed home from work.

Zuo Dan and Grandma were sitting in the courtyard, happily discussing when to hire workers to fix up the house.

When Shen Yiming walked his bike into the yard, Zuo Dan burst out laughing.

After a day to calm down, Shen Yiming kept his cool and walked over without reacting. “Grandma, no need to make dinner tonight. Dandan and I are going out—Dapeng invited us.”