Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

It's hard to imagine how Yang Qiuju, a skinny and small girl, survived the extreme cold of around -40 degrees Celsius at night.

It's no exaggeration to say that compared to Yang Qiuju's life now, Huang Baoguo's family was quite fortunate back then.

There's an old saying that goes, "There are no hardships a person can't endure, only blessings they can't have." And you have to admit, that's absolutely true!

After putting on her shoes, Yang Qiuju asked Wang Yi, her voice hoarse and strained:

"Class monitor, where are you going?"

Wang Yi said:
“I asked my older brother to find you a job at a pharmaceutical factory. It includes room and board and you get paid. It’s just that you definitely won’t be able to continue your studies.”

Hearing this, Yang Qiuju nodded heavily, still very flustered and nervous, and said:
"Thank you, thank you, class monitor."

What's remarkable is that Yang Qiuju didn't shed a tear or show any particular desire to go to school; she simply listened obediently to Wang Yi's arrangements.

This 15 or 16-year-old girl displayed a strength that even adults might not be able to achieve, which shows what Yang Qiuju had been through!
Yang Qiuju's belongings, besides a very thin quilt, consisted of a military green satchel covered with patches. The five large characters "Serve the People" on the satchel were now mostly obscured by the patches, leaving only the word "Service" visible.

Wang An frowned and stared at the two characters for a long time, then suddenly turned to Huang Zhong and said:
"Xiao Zhong, go to the trunk of my car and get that green backpack."

The main issue was that Wang An felt extremely uncomfortable seeing those two words. Yang Qiuju was already in such a miserable state, so who was she supposed to serve? Who could possibly serve her? Wasn't Yang Qiuju one of the people?
Huang Zhong agreed and turned to run outside.

Soon, Huang Zhong ran back carrying a sturdy-looking work cloth backpack.

Wang An took the backpack, walked to Yang Qiuju's side, threw the backpack on the bed, and said:
"From now on, this bag is yours. Use it to carry your things."

Yang Qiuju was startled by Wang An's actions, but she nodded and obediently emptied out everything from the tattered bag.

When Wang An saw what she emptied from the tattered bag, his brows furrowed even deeper.

The items Yang Qiuju emptied from her bag included a broken fountain pen without a cap, a fountain pen that looked usable, several pencil stubs, a broken wooden ruler with paint chipped off to the point of having no markings, and two packets of paint for making ink.

There were also two neatly folded but tattered pieces of cloth, which appeared to be Yang Qiuju's undergarments and trousers.

Finally, there were old newspapers folded into long strips.

Judging from the shape of these newspapers, it can be determined that they were used by Yang Qiuju as a substitute for sanitary belts.

At that time, sanitary napkins were not yet widely available, but supply and marketing cooperatives sold special sanitary belts. At the very least, one could use straw paper, which was highly absorbent and somewhat similar to toilet paper.

But Yang Qiuju was something else; she actually used old newspapers!
Wang An looked at the word "service" and found it increasingly irritating.

So Wang An said nothing, picked up the tattered satchel, turned around and stuffed it into the stove.

Wang Yi and Huang Zhong naturally didn't say anything about Wang An's actions, while Yang Qiuju stared blankly at the stove, then at the brand-new backpack in her hand, before turning around to continue packing her things.

As Yang Qiuju packed up the pile of broken stationery and was about to pack up the two tattered pieces of cloth and the long strips of old newspapers, Wang An frowned and stopped her, saying:

"Alright, alright, forget about all this junk, forget about your luggage and clothes too. You'll get new ones when you get to the factory."

Yang Qiuju touched the quilt and mattress, whose original color was barely discernible, with a regretful expression. She then stuffed the two tattered pieces of cloth into her backpack before obediently nodding and saying:
"OK."

Seeing that Yang Qiuju seemed to have nothing left to pack, Wang An said:
"Alright, let's go." After saying that, Wang An turned around and walked outside. Huang Zhong glanced at Yang Qiuju, then turned around and followed Wang An out.

When Yang Qiuju came out of the dormitory, she was wearing an old headscarf that had been starched and faded badly.

Although I don't know where she got that headscarf, it was washed really clean.

It's actually quite obvious that if Yang Qiuju had a change of clothes, she would be a pretty clean young woman. As for why her face, arms, and wrists were so dirty, Wang An knew that this was Yang Qiuju's way of disguising herself.

Because a young girl lives alone in the dormitory, the biggest problem is actually safety. If some scoundrel or bachelor were to target Yang Qiuju, the consequences for her would be unimaginable.

This kind of thing happens everywhere.

Yang Qiuju stood next to Wang Yi, the squad leader, with her head down. She dared not get on the motorcycle or the GAZ, and she was completely at a loss.

Wang An rolled down the car window and called out:

"Hurry up and get on the motorcycle, Yang Qiuju. It's so cold on a motorcycle."

Yang Qiuju rushed over in a panic, touching and fiddling with the car door, her face full of anxiety but she didn't know how to open it.

Wang An turned around and called out to Wang Yi, who had just gotten on his motorcycle and was about to kick it, "..."

"Xiao Yi, what are you looking at? Get your classmate settled first, then kick the motorcycle, and you'll be on time."

Wang Yi glanced up, then propped up the motorcycle again and ran over.

After Yang Qiuju got into the car, Wang An called to Wang Yi and Huang Zhong and said:
"You two come with me."

After saying that, Wang An turned the steering wheel and drove off the campus.

As he exited the gate, Wang An greeted the gatekeeper before driving straight towards the supply and marketing cooperative.

Although the pharmaceutical factory provides food, lodging, and work clothes, it does not provide luggage, bedding, underwear, socks, or any other daily necessities.

As the saying goes, "If you're going to do a good deed, do it all the way." Since Wang An has already promised his younger brother to settle Yang Qiuju in, then he might as well make sure to take care of her in every way.

On the one hand, Wang An was genuinely rich, and on the other hand, Yang Qiuju was truly pitiful.

Upon arriving at the supply and marketing cooperative, Wang An did not ask Yang Qiuju's opinion. Based on Yang Qiuju's figure, he bought her two sets of single-layer shirts and trousers, two sets of thermal underwear, several pairs of underwear, several vests, several pairs of socks, a cotton overcoat, a pair of thick cotton trousers, a pair of cotton gloves, a pair of cotton shoes, and a pair of canvas shoes.

In addition to these clothes and shoes, I also bought her a lot of sanitary napkins, several kilograms of biscuits, and several kilograms of steamed rice cakes.

All sorts of things were packed into a sack.

Of course, the main problem is that cotton-padded coats and trousers take up a lot of space.

After buying the goods, Wang An drove Yang Qiuju, with Wang Li and Huang Zhong, two burly men on motorcycles, following behind, straight towards the pharmaceutical factory. (End of Chapter)