Twenty cents for a stead bun, ten cents for cabbage—that was his noon al.
Though it was called a stead bun, it was as hard as a rock, made with coarse sweet potato flour, corn flour, and sorghum flour, with perhaps only a touch of wheat flour, as it was especially dry to eat. But he knew, being able to chew and swallow was already quite good; it was certainly better than the famine tis back in the ’40s.
Considering Long Gang’s age, by the ti of the 1977 college entrance examinations, he would be in his thirties, so he had to lay a solid foundation over these twelve years.
As for whether or not he’d participate in the ’77 exams, that would depend on the circumstances then.
Right now, the most pressing issue was how to separate himself from this family, for every ti he returned to that ho, he felt an especially heavy oppression.
The parents of the Long Family worked in agriculture; his elder brother hadn’t yet married, and his eldest sister was married and occasionally returned ho to ask for things, because she wasn’t doing well.
His elder brother was selfish, caring only for himself. Although they ate from the sa pot now, once he got married, he would split from his parents.
After all, his parents’ later years weren’t going well: his father had been in prison, his eldest brother was selfish, his daughter frequently ca ho asking for things, and his youngest son, spoiled and pampered, was forbidden from doing anything; unable to shoulder burdens or carry loads, he proved to be the most useless after his parents were gone.
If they had treated Long Gang well, perhaps their old age wouldn’t have ended with no one to care for them. But the first item in the original mission line given to him was to stay away from that wretched girl, the second was to split the family, and the third was to stay away from them at all costs—he clearly despised them deeply.
Being an outsider himself, naturally, he felt no affection towards this family, so fulfilling the original’s wishes wasn’t much of a problem for him.
However, moving from city A to city B now required an introduction letter from either a large brigade or a work unit; without it, he couldn’t even leave the door.
It was also because of this, and because money was tight, that he couldn’t just casually leave this temporary ho.
Actually, the main reason the original wanted him to leave this place was likely he didn’t want to have any chance encounters with that wretched girl, right?
Among Long Gang’s connections, there was one person who might be of so use, his master, Chang Youwei.
Chang Youwei lived in the factory’s residential compound, and their wood processing plant was a longstanding factory in the area, providing for over a hundred people. It was the largest wood processing factory in the town, and Master Chang, an experienced craftsman, was highly valued by the factory manager due to the ticulous workmanship of the furniture he made.
He knew the canteen wasn’t easy to get into, so he didn’t plan to pose this difficult question to himself. Therefore, the only way out was to leave this place, to beco an apprentice elsewhere, even if it was far and conditions were harsh?
Thus, after work, Long Gang carried fresh white radishes and carrots to his master’s ho, revealed his true intentions of wanting to venture out, and inquired whether Master Chang had any connections for this. Now, he didn’t have the ans to provide his master with fine alcohol and tobacco, but if given the opportunity, he would definitely take good care of him.
Master Chang looked at the glistening radishes, quite surprised because he rembered Long Gang as a very frugal person, usually extrely stingy with his als—of course, this was a matter of necessity, wasn’t it the sa in every household now?
Hearing now of his desire to leave and venture out, even if it involved moving to a remote place, it felt sowhat off.
"Child, has sothing happened to you?"
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