Chapter 1

"Bro, I found a five-jin food ticket!"

With a surprised cry, a thin figure emerged from a mountain of garbage. A little girl, who looked to be about five or six years old, held up a food ticket, her dark face beaming with joy.

In this era of planned economy, when food tickets were still in use, a five-jin food ticket could be exchanged for two sesame-seed sprinkled, steaming hot baked buns, enough for two children to have a hearty meal.

"Jiajia, when I save up enough money, I'll send you to school. Old Wang's son said that as long as we can pay the tuition, it's fine!" From about seven or eight meters away, a boy's large head emerged from the garbage pile.

The boy, though with a large head and a small body, looked malnourished, but his eyes were very bright, and he appeared to be about eleven or twelve years old.

"Bro, I don't want to go to school. They call us 'ragpickers,' I don't want to play with them."

The little girl pouted, pulled her feet out of the garbage pile, and came to the boy's side, proudly placing the food ticket in the olive-green shoulder bag the boy was wearing. She patted it with her small hand and said, "What's so good about school? I want to be with my brother. You didn't go to school either, did you?"

"Brother wants to go to school!"

Though the boy was not much older, he was very indulgent with his sister. He patted the little girl's head and said, "Silly girl, how can you not go to school? Can you pick rags all your life?"

"Isn't picking rags all my life pretty good?"

The little girl's eyes were filled with confusion. In her heart, as long as she could be with her brother, that was the happiest thing. The hardships of life and the cold looks she received could not erase her childlike innocence.

"Okay, let's be the king of rags in the future."

Seeing the mist in his sister's eyes, the boy quickly changed the subject. He couldn't explain to her about going to college and becoming successful, even if he did, the little girl wouldn't understand, as he himself hadn't figured it out yet.

Although he no longer mentioned school, the boy was still calculating in his mind. If he could save another 18 yuan, he could send his sister to school.

He had already found out last year that the tuition for the railway primary school, which was one kilometer away from their home, was 76 yuan for the whole year. He had already saved 58 yuan, and only needed 18 more to pay the tuition and enroll his sister.

As for the 30 yuan for textbooks, it could be saved.

Since many families had several children, the older siblings' used textbooks could be reused by the younger ones, so most schools did not require the purchase of new textbooks.

The boy had already collected all the textbooks from grades one to six from the waste station and wrapped them in calendar paper, making them look almost new.

"Jiajia, let's go, I'll get you some baked buns!"

The sky was gradually darkening, and the boy looked at their harvest, shaking his head helplessly.

In the early 1990s, luxury and waste were not part of people's lives. Even used toothpaste tubes were not thrown away.

So the profession of ragpicking, which later made many millionaires, was still a sunrise industry, and most practitioners were just barely making ends meet. The harvest of the brother and sister was predictable.

Picking up a small bundle of rusty iron wire that could still be sold, the boy took his sister's hand and walked out of the garbage pile.

The garbage pile was next to a railway. The setting sun cast long and short shadows on the brother and sister, making them look thin but also giving a warm feeling.

---

"Uncle Hu, this is a five-jin food ticket, give me two baked buns!"

More than half an hour later, the boy, who had already sold the iron wire to the waste station, and his sister appeared in front of a baked bun stand about 100 meters from the railway primary school.

The two children's dirty hands were already washed clean. Although their clothes were old and shabby, their clean hands and faces made them look very different from when they were picking rags.

Especially the little girl, her malnourished face was very delicate, and it was clear that she would grow up to be a beauty. However, at the moment, her attention was all on the fragrant baked buns.

"Xiaofeng, I can afford a few baked buns. Keep the food ticket for yourself!"

The man making the baked buns was in his thirties. Seeing the brother and sister, he quickly took two hot, sesame-sprinkled buns from the oven and placed them in front of the girl, blowing on them to cool them down.

"Brother?" The girl looked at her brother. Having grown up with him, she knew that without his permission, she couldn't take anything from others.

"Be careful, don't burn yourself!"

The boy patted his sister's head and looked at the bun vendor, saying, "Uncle Hu, I don't need the food ticket for rice or flour, so please take it. I found it!"

Although the smell of sesame seeds was tempting, and his Adam's apple was moving up and down, the boy stubbornly placed the food ticket on the counter, determined not to take the buns unless the vendor took the ticket.

"You, why would Uncle Hu not give you two buns?"

Old Hu smiled bitterly. He had known the children for four or five years and knew that if he didn't take the food ticket, the boy would really leave with his sister.

He also believed that the food ticket was indeed found by the boy, as in the past five years, he had never seen the boy take anything from others.

Shaking his head, Old Hu took out an oil paper and another bun from the oven, placed it with the other two, and handed them to the boy, saying, "Qin Feng, Uncle Hu can't take advantage of you. Three buns for a five-jin food ticket. Take them..."

"Thank you, Uncle Hu!"

This time, the boy named Qin Feng did not refuse but took the oil paper, tore off half a bun, and gave it to his sister. Seeing her wolf down the bun, his tense face finally showed a smile.

"What a hard life for this child!"

After the brother and sister left, Old Hu sighed. If his family didn't have three children and a modest income, he would have taken the considerate brother and sister into his home long ago.

Five years ago, the brother and sister came to this suburban area of Cangzhou. At that time, Qin Feng was seven years old, and his sister was only three.

The brother and sister seemed to have come down from a train that stopped here, but no one knew where they came from.

Although Qin Feng was very young, he had a strong sense of self-respect. By picking up garbage, he managed to raise his three-year-old sister alone, and he never stole or robbed. The adults in the area always had a special fondness for this mature child.

Of course, the brother and sister, who were often used as role models to educate other children, were not very popular among the local children. When they delivered waste to the waste station, a group of children would always follow them, calling them "garbage kings."

"Da Huang, here's your dinner."

After walking for more than twenty minutes, Qin Feng brought his sister back to their "home." A large yellow dog with a bald tail silently greeted them, rubbing against their bodies, showing great joy.

Qin Feng poured a bag of pig offal into a basin outside the door and then took his sister inside.

This was a house right next to the railway tracks, with only one room. Due to the change in the railway route, only one train passed through this track daily, so it was no longer a key maintenance area.

As a result, the house where the maintenance workers used to rest had become dilapidated, but fortunately, it was brick and tile, so it didn't leak. Otherwise, the two children wouldn't have been able to survive the northern winter.

Fortunately, in the early 1990s, Cangzhou, with less population movement, had not yet seen the large number of homeless people that would come later. Otherwise, the brother and sister might not have had this cheap house to live in.

"Jiajia, don't drink raw water, it will give you diarrhea. I'll get you some boiled water."

Back in their "home," Qin Feng saw his sister about to drink from the water pipe used to fill the trains and quickly stopped her. He picked up an iron kettle from the corner and poured a cup of water for his thirsty sister.

"Bro, the buns are so delicious!"

The little girl licked her lips, picking up a sesame seed and putting it in her mouth. Her eyes were fixed on her brother's green shoulder bag, knowing there was another bun inside.

"Write your homework well. I'll check it when I come back tonight. If it's all correct, I'll give you a bun as a reward."

Qin Feng took the enamel cup from his sister, drank the remaining water in one gulp, and wiped his mouth. He then took out two textbooks and a stack of used paper from the drawer of a table with a missing leg, which was propped up with bricks, and placed them on the table.

Although he had to pick up garbage every day, Qin Feng had been teaching his sister to read and write since she was five. Now, at eight years old, Jiajia was at about the level of a third or fourth-grader.

As for Qin Feng himself, before his family's misfortune, his father had taught him many characters. With his natural intelligence, he had studied on his own and mastered the junior high school curriculum. If not for wanting his sister to interact with more children her age, there would have been no need for her to go to school.

"I know, brother, come back early!" Jiajia pouted and shook her brother's arm, then obediently sat down at the table with the missing leg.

"Don't run around. If you're tired, go to bed directly."

Qin Feng smiled, turned, and left the house. The sky outside was already completely dark, and the surrounding wasteland was filled with the chirping of insects.

---

PS: The main text hasn't been uploaded yet, but I already have two patrons. Thank you to Fan Le Di, Yu Han, and all the other friends for your support. The new book needs recommendations the most, so please give it your support!