Chapter 1: A Family of Four

1979 marked the third year since the resumption of the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), and the first year that 10% of the English score would be included in the total score.

As soon as the headlines appeared on New Year's Day morning, long queues formed outside the Xinhua Bookstore in Er Tiao Hutong, Beijing.

It was a rare day off, so Luo Yan got up a little later than usual. When she saw the newspaper, it was still too late, so she could only hold her Chinese textbook and slowly move forward at the very back of the line.

When it was her turn, the sales clerk spoke first: "Only 'English Pronoun Usage' is left, would you like it?"

In the past two years, English was only used as a reference for college admissions, so Luo Yan didn't pay much attention to it. But this time, she didn't care about the consequences, tucked the book under her arm, and rubbed her frozen hands: "How much?"

Salesperson: "Forty-six cents."

The city is now full of unemployed youth, which has led to many public security problems, the most prominent of which is the prevalence of petty theft.

When Luo Yan took out her money, she felt like a thief, quickly pocketed the change, carried the two books to her bicycle, put them in the basket, pulled her scarf up to cover her nose, and rode home in a hurry.

Liu Yinfeng happened to be going out and had just reached the entrance of the alley when she saw her daughter in the distance. In the blink of an eye, the child was right in front of her.

She said, "Slow down, be careful not to fall."

Luo Yan slammed on the brakes: "Mom, where are you going? I'll give you a ride."

The rusty parts made a screeching sound, and Liu Yinfeng instinctively tilted her head back: "No need, no need. Did you manage to buy the book?"

Luo Yan: Yes.

Liu Yinfeng: "Then go back to your studies. There are some crispy fried dough twists on the table. Eat them while you read."

Luo Yan hummed in agreement, but forgot the second half of her sentence when she got home. She greeted her father and went back to her room to read.

Luo Xinmin also had a day off today. He turned off the radio, put away the half-eaten sunflower seeds, and tiptoed out to watch his old friends in the alley play chess.

It wasn't until lunchtime that he knocked on his daughter's door: "Yanzi, lunch is ready."

Luo Yan responded and took the book outside to eat and read at the same time.

Liu Yinfeng and Luo Xinmin, the couple, had gotten used to their daughter seizing every opportunity to study, so they didn't disturb her and even chewed very quietly.

Her parents were not talkative people to begin with, but for some reason Luo Yan felt it was too quiet. She looked up and left and right, then suddenly realized, "Isn't my brother coming back for dinner?"

Liu Yinfeng: "You forgot, today is Jianguo's wedding."

Luo Yan ignored anything unrelated to her studies, letting it go in one ear and out the other. She simply said "oh" and didn't reply. Suddenly, her eyes felt a little uncomfortable, so she rubbed them with the back of her hand.

Seeing this, Luo Xinmin said, "Are your eyes hurting from reading? Your health is important. You should go to bed early tonight. I see the light in your room is on until midnight."

Luo Yan: "Many people in my class study until two or three in the morning, so I'm considered an early sleeper."

"How can I endure this?" Liu Yinfeng said. "Health is the foundation of everything. There are still six months until the exam."

Luo Yan didn't like to worry her parents, so she said, "Okay, I'll go to bed early tonight."

She kept saying she wanted to eat breakfast, but actually she would hide under the covers with a flashlight and read books that night.

At times like these, she feels grateful to have a room of her own.

Compared to the less than four square meters of living space per capita in Beijing last year, the Luo family's living space is relatively spacious.

Because Luo Xinmin had distinguished himself on the battlefield in his early years, but lost his left hand and his left foot was also not very convenient, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the organization arranged for him to work in the logistics department of the No. 8 State-owned Cotton Mill.

Once people settle down, they naturally want a home, so he used his disability pension to buy these three east wing rooms in courtyard number 13, Fengshou Hutong.

When he moved in, he didn't have any spare money, so he divided the left room into two uneven parts. The one with better lighting was used for living, the one further inside was used as the kitchen, the middle one was the living room and dining room, and the right one was the master bedroom.

This pattern remained unchanged until he got married and had children, until 1977 when Luo Hong, who had been sent to the countryside for six years, returned to the city.

The brother and sister were both big kids, so it was obviously not suitable for them to sleep in bunk beds. Therefore, the family divided the large room into two smaller rooms with wooden boards.

Considering that Luo Yan is still in school, her room is larger, with an extra desk compared to her brother's room, and the window faces the yard, allowing for better lighting.

However, this also has a drawback: you can hear even the slightest rustling noise in the yard, especially at night when it's very quiet.

Luo Yan, with her sharp ears, heard familiar footsteps, jumped out of bed, and opened the door.

Luo Hong planned to tiptoe into the house, but as soon as he entered, he and his sister made eye contact and started talking at the same time.

One: "Still not asleep."

Another one: "How much did you drink?"

Luo Hong locked the door from the inside and flicked his sister's forehead with his finger: "Don't worry, she's not drunk."

He didn't look like it, so Luo Yan said, "Then you should go to sleep early."

"Wait a minute," Luo Hong grabbed his sister's arm and took out a handful of bright red candy from his pocket, "Here you go."

Luo Yan spread her hands out, palms facing up: "Thank you."

She lowered her head slightly, and Luo Hong couldn't help but want to pat the back of her head, like coaxing a puppy.

Luo Yan glanced at her brother sideways, snorted, and went back to her room, swinging her braids vigorously.

Luo Hong smiled, raised his arm to smell his own scent, went into the room to change into clean clothes, lay down on the bed, and soon started snoring.

The siblings' room had virtually no soundproofing, but Luo Yan didn't find it noisy; she just envied her brother's good sleep.

She put down the book, but her mind was still preoccupied with the words she had just memorized. With her eyes closed, she repeatedly recited the vocabulary words she had just learned. She didn't know what time it was before she finally drifted off to sleep, but unfortunately, she didn't sleep soundly and woke up early.

Luo Yan's eyes were a little blurry, but she forced herself to throw off the covers, get up, wash, and wake herself up before starting to review her studies.

Knowing her daughter was an early riser, Liu Yinfeng specifically asked her before going out to buy groceries, "What would you like to eat for breakfast?"

Luo Yan sat on the bed with her knees bent, her neck and below completely covered by thick cups. She stretched out her hand to turn a page of her book and then pulled it back in: "I want to eat fried dough sticks."

As Liu Yinfeng wrapped the scarf around her neck, she said, "Okay, I'll make you a pot of soy milk too."

Hearing that made her hungry, Luo Yan nodded several times, but after her mother left, she focused her attention back on her book.

Before long, the whole courtyard was bustling with activity.

The Chen family, who live in the main house, are four generations living together. The Wu family in the west wing has just had twins. The Li family in the back house has recently been having disagreements and can start arguing at the slightest provocation.

The water pool in the courtyard is communal, and this is the peak time for washing up and cooking. People are talking so much that it's hard to tell who's who.

Luo Yan could only tell that her father had also gotten up and was greeting the old man of the Chen family.

The old man is getting on in years and his hearing isn't very good, so you have to shout to talk to him, which is like adding fuel to the fire in a pot of boiling water.

The brief tranquility she had gained from waking up early vanished. Luo Yan hadn't yet mastered the skill of remaining oblivious to the world around her in the bustling city, so she could only put down her book and go to the living room for a drink of water.

The living room door faces the yard. When Luo Xinmin came in, he pushed it open, and the wind rushed in.

He said, "You're up?"

Luo Yan hummed in agreement: "Dad, does your leg hurt today?"

Luo Xinmin was shot on the battlefield. After the fragments were removed, his bones did not heal properly. To this day, he walks with a limp and cannot tolerate the cold. But he has gotten used to it over the decades: "It's alright. The medicine prescribed by your Uncle Zhang is somewhat effective."

Before liberation, Grandpa Zhang was a well-known traditional Chinese medicine doctor in the area, but his family had many complicated overseas connections. He was sent to a cowshed for reform during the Cultural Revolution and was only rehabilitated and returned to Beijing last year.

Everyone goes through birth, aging, sickness, and death. As soon as he returned, a long line formed at the door, which made Luo Yan want to fill all her college applications with medical school.

However, she was afraid of blood. Just thinking about those bloody wounds gave her goosebumps, and she rubbed her hands together.

Luo Xinmin thought his daughter was feeling cold: "You should wear your military overcoat at home too."

Luo Yan: "It's not that cold."

She checked the time again, then knocked on the door to wake her brother.

Luo Hong's heart pounded as his younger sister pounded on the door.

He jumped out of bed and flung open the door: "Get up, get up!"

His face, however, clearly said, "Not awake."

Luo Xinmin was an orphan, had been alone for half his life, and had only two children. He spoiled everyone.

He said, "If you can't get up, just ask for a day off."

Luo Hong shook his head: "They've been cracking down on discipline lately; they don't even allow people to go out for baths while on sick leave."

He works as an apprentice in a bicycle factory. His parents spent a lot of money and used their connections to find him the job so that he could return to the city. He hasn't been officially hired yet, so he naturally has to keep a low profile.

Luo Xinmin: "Does your factory have a lot of people faking sick leave?"

Luo Hong buttoned up his cotton-padded coat: "If we can get a note from the hospital, we won't have our wages deducted. But if we do a lot of work, we don't get bonuses, so everyone's enthusiasm is low."

Luo Xinmin: "How can that be allowed? That would be taking advantage of the country."

His tone was full of disapproval, and Luo Hong laughed: "Didn't you just tell me to take leave?"

Luo Xinmin said seriously, "Taking a day off occasionally is fine, but if it happens too often, I will criticize you."

He has physical disabilities, and the factory actually takes good care of him. However, he has almost never missed a day of work in the past two or three decades, and he never asks others to do things for him at home that he can do himself.

Luo Hong's personality was somewhat influenced by his father: "Don't worry, I will never shirk my responsibilities."

That's good. Luo Xinmin nodded in satisfaction and was about to speak when Liu Yinfeng returned from buying groceries.

She brushed the dust off her clothes with a towel hanging by the door, saying, "There are spare ribs tonight, so come back early for dinner."

Luo Xinmin took the vegetable basket from her hand: "Are you having such good luck today?"

Indeed, the supply has been even tighter in the last two years, especially during the lean winter months.

Liu Yinfeng rubbed her hands together: "They said it's almost Chinese New Year, so they took out all the meat stored in the freezer."

Time flies, another year has passed.

Luo Xinmin was about to say a few words when he was interrupted by a loud crash of something being smashed.

The family of four looked at each other in bewilderment. Luo Yan picked up a still-warm fried dough stick and took a bite: "Mom, hasn't Aunt Li decided who to give the job to yet?"

She doesn't mean to meddle in other people's business, but it's just that who can stand her making such a fuss every day?

Liu Yinfeng doesn't have to go to work and has been staying at home almost all the time in this cold weather, so she naturally knows the inside story: "The reason for the big argument is that it was decided to give the prize to Jianjun."

If you can't treat everyone equally, no wonder there's been more frequent falling and fighting in the house these past two days.

Luo Yan stopped caring about what happened next, finished her breakfast in a few bites, and said, "I'm going to school."

She was rushing around so fast that she didn't hear a single word of her mother's words, "Ride your bike slowly."

A note from the author:

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