Li Ergou looked at the snow-capped mountains and shook his head. "I'm not taking the exam."
Ji Zhaoxi's eyes hurt a little. She rubbed them and asked, "Why?"
Li Ergou's eyes were filled with confusion. "What's the use of the college entrance exam anyway? I see you all taking it, but I don't even know how to read."
"Besides, you've seen my mother. She's getting on in years, and my father is bedridden every day. What will they do if I leave?"
He was born to his parents late in their lives, and all their hopes were pinned on him. If he didn't take care of them, who would?
The educated youths in the courtyard were taking the exam, Chen Yiping was taking it, Ji Zhaoxi was taking it, Qin Du was taking it, and surprisingly, even Li Jun was taking it.
Why was everyone taking it...
Li Ergou kicked the snow at his feet. Would taking the exam really lead to a successful life?
Weren't they all just playing together a few months ago? In the blink of an eye, everyone had scattered.
The deadline for college entrance exam registration was getting closer and closer.
Ji Zhuxin went to the village first to register for Ji Zhaoxi, while Chen Yiping was warming himself by the fire nearby.
Many parents accompanied their children. People were pushing and shoving, and the room was packed. There was a line at first, but it completely dissolved into a chaotic crowd towards the back.
Seeing Ji Zhaoxi standing in the corner holding her documents, Chen Yiping called out to her, "Ji Zhaoxi, come here."
Ji Zhaoxi walked over in confusion. "What's wrong?"
Chen Yiping ignored her, snatched the documents from her hands, and said to the person stamping the forms, "Do hers first."
The person with the stamp didn't even really check her files; he just flipped through them casually and stamped them.
Ji Zhaoxi reached out to take them, but Chen Yiping didn't hand them over, instead looking at the writing on her documents.
"Chen Yiping, what are you doing?" Ji Zhaoxi was a little angry.
Chen Yiping raised an eyebrow and handed the papers back to her. "Your handwriting is so good now. Before, you couldn't even recognize your own name."
Ji Zhaoxi was furious. "I was young back then."
Later, as soon as she got home, she made her older sister teach her.
Ji Zhuxin finished getting the other stamps and came over to find Ji Zhaoxi.
Ji Zhaoxi looked at the staff member. "Does the person have to be here in person? If they can't make it in time, can someone else register for them?"
The staff member shook his head. "No, they have to come in person."
"Alright." Ji Zhaoxi followed Ji Zhuxin out in disappointment.
Ji Zhuxin rubbed her head. "Don't worry. If he rushes back on time, there are still two days left."
Two days would be enough for Qin Du to register.
The logging camp was about to close the mountain for the season, but there was still a lot of quota timber that hadn't been transported to the train station. The roads were covered in ice, making it difficult for ordinary carts to be pulled through, so the logs had to be carried over manually, one by one.
Every log was wet, and each weighed at least two hundred pounds. When the ice-covered wood pressed down on his shoulder, Qin Du's spine let out a muffled crack, and his whole body was forced down a few inches.
He gritted his teeth tightly. He was sweating so much that water could be wrung directly from his clothes. The padding on his shoulder had been completely worn through, leaving blood and sweat mixed together. Every step he took was excruciatingly painful.
The people who hired them kept urging them on with whips.
"Hurry up! Haven't you eaten? All of you, hurry up!"
The ground was covered in thick ice, slippery and hard to walk on. One worker's foot slipped, and he accidentally fell. The heavy log crashed down onto him. He gritted his teeth, curling up in agony.
The log hit the icy surface, and the man with the whip furiously kicked him hard. "If you can't do the job, get out! You've ruined the quality of this wood with your fall!"
After finally carrying it to the destination, Qin Du lowered the log from his body. The skin on his hands had frozen to the wood, and pulling it away tore off a layer of skin.
Qin Du acted as if he didn't notice, just keeping his head down and continuing to carry logs. The man with the whip looked at Qin Du and nodded in satisfaction. "Qin Du, right? Good job."
Qin Du ignored him, and the man didn't get angry.
"He's leaving tomorrow, what should we do?" A pot-bellied man leaned in and asked.
The man with the whip sneered. "Can he leave?"
The money was in their hands. If he wanted to get paid, he would have to stay and work for them.
It had been a long time since they had seen someone with such good stamina, so they definitely had to exploit him to the fullest.
Just then, a worker in tattered clothes walked over. He stood nervously in front of them. "My... my wages haven't been settled yet."
At first, it was ten yuan for three days of work. Later, they said he carried too little and needed to work a few more days to make up the quota. But it had been a week now, and his wages still hadn't been paid.
The man glared at him viciously. "You still have the nerve to ask me for money? I should be asking you for money! Don't you know how many logs you've ruined? Get out of here."
The worker's eyes grew red. "Please just give me my wages. The New Year is coming soon. If I don't get the money, what will my children at home do?"
"I don't care what you do! If you don't get lost, I'll beat you!"
The worker shrank his neck, lowered his head, and left in silence.
The others sat in the snow, eating cold, hard steamed cornbread, washing it down with snow water. As soon as they swallowed, their throats began to ache.
Everyone watched this scene in silence. No one stepped forward, and no one spoke, even though this happened every day.
Qin Du lowered his eyes and popped a White Rabbit creamy candy into his mouth. Looking at the candy wrapper, he couldn't help but think of the way she used to act coquettishly beside him.
"You're leaving tomorrow?" the person next to him asked in a low voice.
Qin Du glanced at him and gave a murmur of agreement.
The man smiled gloatingly and leaned against the wall. "You won't be able to leave. No one ever leaves after just three days."
Qin Du didn't say anything, silently burying the candy wrapper in the snow.
Is that so.
When night fell, Qin Du took large bites of the braised pork from his bag. Ji Zhaoxi had been afraid he would get hungry and had stuffed a lot of food in there.
He needed to eat his fill so he would have the strength to demand his money tomorrow.
On the third day, Qin Du worked just as hard as the previous two days. The supervisor was very satisfied. Young people were truly the best; they had good bodies and could endure hardship.
But as soon as he saw Qin Du approaching him during the break, his expression instantly changed.
Several men were sitting in the factory building, smoking cigarettes.
"No."
Qin Du looked at them calmly. "Reason."
The supervisor let out a sarcastic laugh. "You have the nerve to ask us for a reason? Qin Du, right? One of the pine logs you hauled had a cracked grain. That's meant for building the auditorium. It's state property! You actually owe us money for compensation!"
Qin Du looked at them and asked, "Which one?"
The supervisor froze for a moment, then said in exasperation, "There's so much wood here, how would I know which one?! If you don't want to work, then get lost. Stop your nagging!"
The man who had been holding the whip earlier watched the scene and smiled. "Qin Du, I see you've been performing quite well. Why don't you stay a few more days? We'll give you a bit more money then."
He patted the supervisor next to him. "Sit down, sit down. Why such a big temper?"
The supervisor gave a cold snort. "Fine, I'll listen to you."
Seeing that Qin Du still wasn't leaving, he cursed, "Why aren't you getting lost?"
Qin Du lowered his gaze and stared at them, a terrifying crimson glint in his eyes that made one's blood run cold.
The supervisor's hand trembled under his stare. He glanced at the others, then raised his voice and blustered a few more curses at him to put on a false show of bravado.
