Chapter 1

"Xiao Bo, get up quickly, or it will be too late."

This familiar and affectionate voice woke Han Bo, who opened his sleepy eyes to see a brand new set of furniture in front of him, emitting a faint smell of paint.

Looking around, the walls were as white as jade, and the ceiling was made of plaster with a unique design. Under the stainless steel window, there was a brand new desk, piled high with neatly arranged books.

Confused and disoriented, his mind was a mess.

It wasn't a sense of familiarity, nor was it unfamiliarity; everything felt very, very distant, as if he had slept for decades, like a long dream. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember what he had dreamed about.

Just as he was dazed, a short-haired, pregnant woman wearing a fine-patterned short-sleeved shirt entered the room and urged, "Go wash your face, brush your teeth, and eat breakfast. Get your graduation certificate and dispatch certificate ready. Don't be late for your first day at work, or the leadership will have a bad impression of you."

This was his older sister, Han Fang, who had graduated from junior high school and was a teacher at the town's kindergarten. She had just gotten married during the Spring Festival.

Her husband, Li Taipeng, had lost his father early and had several brothers, making their family situation difficult. The marriage was actually a case of him moving in, and after the wedding, they lived here. Their new home was right across from the living room...

Han Fang took out a stack of documents from the drawer and carefully checked each one, as if afraid of making a mistake.

It was July 21, 1996, and the date was circled several times on the calendar. Han Bo remembered that today was a very important day. He was going to report to the county silk factory, transfer his household registration, grain and oil relations, and organizational relations to the factory. Once everything was settled, he would have a formal job and become a true city dweller.

The allocation wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either.

He didn't get to stay in the provincial capital, Jiangcheng, or get assigned to a prefecture-level city like Nangang. He also wasn't sent to remote, poor areas.

As for what a chemistry undergraduate could do in a silk factory, that wasn't something he could worry about. The state allocated jobs, and the personnel department decided. They would give you a job, regardless of whether it matched your major or whether you liked it.

The same applied to the units. They had to accept the newly allocated college graduates, regardless of their abilities or qualities. Some were quite good, like doctors and teachers, who could match their jobs. Others were not so lucky. There was a college graduate from a few years earlier, even a master's degree holder, who was a role model for the town's high school students for five or six years. He could write chemical formulas from one end of the street to the other, but ended up being assigned to a junior high school in a neighboring town as a physics teacher because his field was too advanced.

The county silk factory wasn't a small town factory; it was one of the few state-owned enterprises in the county. With thousands of employees, the factory manager was on the same level as the town party secretary.

Moving to the city, he would work and live in the county town.

After ten years of hard study, he had finally made it. He had truly achieved the goal of a carp jumping over the dragon gate. Han Bo felt a surge of emotion and hurriedly put on the new clothes his sister had prepared for him.

Washing his face, brushing his teeth, and shaving, he had to look presentable, and he was busy doing so.

"Taking a bus would be faster, but you'd have to walk from the station. The silk factory is at Sili Gate, and it might take more than half an hour to walk there. It's so hot, and you'd be exhausted. Your brother-in-law will take you, be careful on the way, and don't lose anything in your bag..."

His father was a carpenter with a skill, but he was still a farmer at heart.

His mother couldn't read or write, and if it weren't for his father going out to do renovations and taking a group of apprentices, she would never have left Sigon County. She wasn't diligent in her studies and didn't get into a vocational school or a teacher's college. She was afraid of high school and ended up being a teacher at the kindergarten, still a farmer.

His younger brother was ambitious, winning awards from first grade all the way to high school and getting into a university without retaking a year. In the past five years, the town had produced no more than twenty such students, a source of pride for the Han family, known far and wide.

Now that he had graduated and was assigned to work in the county, he had changed his fate through his own efforts, truly bringing glory to the family.

With his parents working outside, Han Fang couldn't ignore things.

Picking up the clothes Han Bo had changed out of, she leaned against the door and whispered, "Xiao Bo, there are many female workers at the silk factory. I'm not against you dating, but at your age, you should be careful. You're a party member, not an ordinary worker. Bad behavior can affect your future."

"Don't worry, I'm known for my good conduct and won't mess around with anyone."

What future could a chemistry graduate have in a textile factory? But one shouldn't be too greedy. Being able to move to the city and have a job was already quite good. Han Bo was content.

"Siblings know each other best. I know you're a good person, but I just wanted to remind you."

Han Fang put down the clothes and pulled a chair to sit beside him, "Actually, during your college years, many people wanted to introduce you to someone. We didn't know where you would be assigned, so Mom and I didn't agree to any. Now that you have a formal job, you can't delay any longer.

Whether you find someone on your own or through the unit's leadership, you should consider a match of equal status. No rural household registration, no matter how beautiful, as it would harm your future children. The household registration follows the mother, you know. If it's a regular worker, consider someone from the county, preferably a cadre..."

Farmers discriminating against farmers might sound ironic.

But it wasn't her fault. The gap between urban and rural areas was too large. Rural areas were truly poor, and farmers were truly struggling. Fertilizer and pesticides kept rising, but grain prices remained unchanged. Various fees, like the three levies and five unifications, were a heavy burden, leaving farmers with no harvest despite a good year.

If not for being forced, his father wouldn't have left home at middle age to do renovations.

A tree dies when moved, but a person thrives when moved.

Now it seemed his father's decision was right. He had a few apprentices working in Donghai City, earning from a few thousand to tens of thousands of yuan a year. It wasn't as hard as farming, and the income was dozens of times higher, even envied by the party secretary and town mayor.

These days, missile engineers earned less than tea egg sellers.

At the silk factory, he would earn a few hundred yuan a month, but if he didn't go to work and went out to do carpentry with his father, the whole family would be disappointed. To them, a cadre at the silk factory was still a cadre. The Han family had produced only one cadre in decades, and he couldn't give up that position to be a carpenter.

Feeling a bit lost about his future, Han Bo sighed and continued to shave while listening to his sister's nagging.

"If the unit assigns you a dorm today, don't come back. Have your brother-in-law come back and help you move your luggage. The thermos and washbasin are best if provided by the factory. If not, we'll buy new ones..."

In the countryside, being a ten-thousand-yuan household was a big deal.

His father's renovation business made money, and the Han family wasn't just a ten-thousand-yuan household; they were a hundred-thousand-yuan household!

At their wedding, they had twenty-six tables, with Yuxi cigarettes and Jian Nan Chun liquor for the guests. The wedding candy included chocolates and white rabbits from Donghai City. Among the dowry, the most noticeable were a new Qianjiang 125 motorcycle and a new Chunlan 50 scooter, one for each of them, causing a sensation in the town.

As Deng Xiaoping said, the Han family was among the first to get rich. His sister envied city people but also looked down on them, perhaps just for the household registration.

"I know, I'll be careful. You should be careful too. With your big belly, you shouldn't ride a motorcycle, and it's best not to sit."

"Do I bother you?"

"How could I think that? You're my sister, my own sister. Once I settle in and get a big dorm, I'll take you to the county to enjoy yourself. We can visit the People's Park; it's been years since I've been there, and I wonder if it's still the same."

"I've been to Donghai and Jiangcheng. The county only has a few streets, not much to see. But I'm satisfied with your thoughtfulness. Work hard. As a college graduate and a party member, it's not impossible for you to transfer to a government agency. When you become a big cadre, I'll benefit from you."

Han Bo joked, "What kind of benefit do you want?"

"Why should we do the same work but get different pay? Why should they get full medical coverage while I have to pay out of pocket? Why should they have everything in retirement while I have nothing? I just want to be a regular employee, don't pretend you don't understand."

"Do you want me to abuse my power?"

"What's the point of being a cadre if you don't use your power? The monthly salary is nothing; you'd be better off learning carpentry from Dad." Han Fang put her hands on her hips, speaking confidently.

The social climate was like this, and it wasn't her fault. Han Bo laughed, "Okay, but only when I become a big cadre."

Outside, the sound of an engine could be heard. His brother-in-law, Li Taipeng, had returned from the market.

He was actually his father's apprentice, starting at age fourteen. Since then, he had spent more time at the Han family home than his own. He was a true insider.

For the past five or six years, he had been working in Donghai.

After his marriage, his parents didn't want the couple to be separated for long, so they didn't let him go. Now that his sister was pregnant, they wouldn't let him go at all.

Notably, his marriage was largely due to Han Bo.

Raising a son to support the parents, his parents hoped their son would succeed but also worried about adapting to city life in old age. Having a son-in-law was different; they would have someone to take care of them in their hometown and in the city.

"Xiao Bo, I met the brick factory manager, Wang, at the market. He asked when you're free and wants to invite you to dinner." Li Taipeng took off his helmet, shook his slicked-back hair, and wore a new set of clothes, looking very sharp and handsome. No wonder his sister agreed to this arranged marriage.

"Manager Wang wants to invite Xiao Bo to dinner?" Manager Wang was a big figure in the town, and Han Fang was skeptical.

"More friends mean more paths."

"A fence needs three stakes, and a hero needs three helpers. Whether they joined the army, became cadres, or studied elsewhere, as long as they're from Sihetown, Manager Wang will invite them to dinner. That's why he has friends all over the world and can get things done more easily." Li Taipeng, who had worked at Manager Wang's house, was familiar with the situation.

"Leaders are different. Xiao Bo, learn from him. Dad said on the phone that when you're out, you need to be open and not be stingy with money."

Han Bo had spent three and a half years in the provincial capital and half a year interning in another city. During the summer, he either participated in activities organized by the school's Youth League Committee and Student Union or visited classmates. He only came back for a few weeks during the Spring Festival each year.

Suddenly stepping into society and starting a new life, Han Bo felt a bit unaccustomed. He wondered how the once simple family had changed so much due to the reform and opening up.

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