Reborn during the early days of China’s reform and opening, the narrator finds himself in the 1980s countryside. In this setting, the past is still a cold reference, yet it is also a fresh start....
Oh my god, is it really okay that you are so charming at such a young age?
Wan Feng waved his hand and patted Xu Meilin on the head: "You are so young, but you are in such a big trouble. Why don't you go and bring food to your father!"
Xu Meilin made a face and skipped away.
Xu Bin had already seen Wan Feng coming in the house and came out to greet him.
"Brother! You're here!"
Wan Feng nodded.
Wan Feng hadn't seen Xu Bin for more than half a year, and this guy had grown a lot taller.
Xu Bin took the gift brought by Wan Feng and let Wan Feng into the house.
Xu Bin's mother was sitting on the kang sewing a hat. When she saw Wan Feng coming, she smiled at him.
"Xiao Wan, here we come!"
"Well! I haven't been to your house for a long time. I came to see you today."
Wan Feng sat on the edge of the kang and picked up a hat that had already been sewn.
This is an authentic traditional hat, very ordinary and without any special features.
"Aunt! How long have you been doing this?"
"More than twenty days."
"How much can you sew in a day? How much money can you make?"
"I can probably sew more than twenty hats a day, and make ten cents on each one."
Twenty hats cost two yuan, which is more than sixty yuan a month. This income is definitely acceptable in rural areas.
Workers in the Wahou factory only earn 30 yuan a month. Even if there are some adjustments to Wahou's wages next year, those workers can only get a raise of about 10 yuan a month, which is only 40 yuan.
Xu Jingmin earned 30 yuan a month as a night watchman in a garment factory, plus his family's monthly income of 60 yuan, so his annual income was nearly 1,000 yuan.
It was only 1983 and this was already the income of a wealthy family.