Struggle Life in the 1970s

In the envelope was a letter of resignation written by Chu Ye. The school had promised to compensate her and let her resign on her own in order to make both sides look good.

After Mingzhu finished reading it, her fingers trembled slightly and she didn't know how she walked out of the hotel.

When the white light from the street shone on her body, she finally felt the reality. Chu Ye just left like that? She left without even seeing her for the last time? She didn't even tell her where she was going. What a jerk.

She had said it long ago that she hated Chu Ye the most in her life.

At the same time, at the other end of time, a green train was swaying across the vast land. Inside the train, people were sitting in small seats with tired faces, surrounded by the smell of sweat mixed with the smell of unknown food.

Before leaving, Chu Ye sold a lot of things and finally reduced them to two packages. She traveled between buses and trains all the way. Now that this train has arrived, it is her destination.

"Hey, are you hungry? I have some steamed buns here, would you like some?" Sitting opposite Chu Ye was a girl with a round face and short hair. She broke off half of a yellow steamed bun in her hand and handed it to Chu Ye enthusiastically.

This girl looked a few years younger than Chu Ye. She loved to laugh, and her eyes narrowed into slits when she laughed. She got on the bus at the same station as Chu Ye. Unlike Chu Ye who carried a lot of bags, she only had a small bag on her back. After getting on the bus, she sat there without any shyness and became friends with the person sitting next to her in just a few words.

Her mouth never stopped. She was either chatting with the people around her or taking out various snacks from her small package and eating them.

I don't know why, but she paid special attention to Chu Ye. Not only did she look at Chu Ye from time to time, but every time she took out food, she would ask Chu Ye first.

"Thank you, I'm not hungry, you eat." Chu Ye smiled and waved his hand. The next second, a "gurgling" sound came from his stomach.

The little girl smiled, revealing a row of white teeth. She sat down next to Chu Ye and forcefully stuffed half a steamed bun into Chu Ye's hand.

"Eat if you're hungry. Don't be polite with me. My mom said that you should make more friends when you go out." Seeing that Chu Ye didn't move, she took the other half, took a big bite, and waved it at Chu Ye.

Chu Ye lowered his head, looked at the steamed bun in his hand, thought for a while, and finally took a light bite, then turned his head to thank her with a smile.

"Oh, you're too polite. It's just half a steamed bun. I tell you, you should smile more. You look really good when you smile." The little girl took another bite of the steamed bun and choked a little. She stretched her neck and struggled to swallow.

Chu Ye quickly patted her on the back to help her calm down. After a while, the blush on the little girl's face disappeared. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and turned her head to thank him.

"Thank you, you are such a kind person. My mother is right, good people will be rewarded." She looked sincere and her words were childish and cute. Chu Ye also laughed with her.

"By the way, my name is Xu Pan'er, what's your name?"

"My name is Chu Ye."

"Then I'll call you Sister Chu, and you can call me Pan'er. Your name is so nice, as beautiful as you are!" Pan'er's eyes were shining, and she wanted to eat the steamed bun again, but suddenly she thought of something and paused. She turned her head and asked Chu Ye to hold it for her first. She took out a glass jar containing a brown object from the package, then took the steamed bun, took out the small spoon from the jar, scooped a spoonful and spread it on the steamed bun.

"This is the soybean paste my mother pickled for me. It's delicious. Do you want some?" As she said this, she wanted to reach out her hand enthusiastically, but was gently stopped by Chu Ye.

"Thank you Pan'er, but I prefer eating steamed buns." Chu Ye raised the thing in his hand and leaned to the side imperceptibly.

"Okay, but this is really delicious. I've been eating it since I was a child. If you want to eat it, just tell me." Pan'er looked regretful, but she quickly calmed down, covered the glass jar, and started to eat it with big mouthfuls of satisfaction.

Upon hearing this, Chu Ye smiled and nodded, then gently nibbled the steamed bun in his hand.

When you go out, it's better to be more careful.

But this logic obviously doesn't apply to Xu Paner.

In just a moment of chewing the steamed bun, she revealed all her family assets like pouring beans.

She is the eldest in the family and has two younger brothers. She graduated from junior high school last summer and has been helping her parents with housework and taking care of the children at home.

Today she came to Shenzhen to join her aunt who works in a factory.

"My aunt said that it's easier to find a job in Shenzhen now than to look for leaves on a tree. Not only is the salary high, but the people I'm with are all girls of my age. I can have company to talk to after work, so I won't be bored." Pan'er finished the steamed bun in her hand and smiled as she spoke, like a doll in a New Year picture.

"From the sound of your accent, you don't sound like a southerner. Have you come so far to live with your relatives?" After Pan'er finished talking about his own affairs, he curiously looked at Chu Yelai.

"Well, I'm not from the south. I came here because my relatives found a job for me." Chu Ye thought for a while and replied.

"No wonder, it must be hard for you to travel so far by yourself. Hey, did your relative tell you where to work? If it's close to where I live, we can go together." Pan'er noticed the pretty girl sitting opposite her after getting on the bus. She kept looking at her because this sister was so beautiful.

She swore that the beauties in their village were not necessarily prettier than Sister Chu. Chu Ye smiled after hearing her words, but still refused calmly.

"Okay, then after you find your relatives, if you feel bored you can come to me. Just go to the Wucai Flower Factory to find me." After saying that, she showed her small white teeth, looking very sincere.

Chu Ye was infected by her smile and nodded in response.

When the train arrived at the station, people rushed out of the carriage. Chu Yegang squeezed out of the car with his luggage. He and Pan'er were originally walking together, but they were quickly separated by the crowd of people trying to get on the train.

She simply found an empty space with few people, put her bags at her feet, and stood on tiptoe to look into the crowd. After searching for a long time, she finally saw Pan'er, who was also looking around, as if looking for her, but a moment later, a woman in gray work clothes happily hugged her, and then Pan'er also showed joy and hugged the woman.

Presumably, this is the aunt that Pan'er mentioned who came to pick her up.

Chu Ye withdrew her gaze, felt relieved, turned around and walked towards the exit with her luggage. There was a crowd of people around her, some looked tired, some were excited, but most people were like her, carrying large packages and walking forward expressionlessly.

Someone hurriedly came to Chu Ye's side, glanced at Chu Ye, and his eyes lit up, "Hey, little girl, is this your first time in Shenzhen? Are you here to seek refuge with some relatives? Do you need me to introduce you to a job?"

Now is the early stage of reform and opening up. Although the city of Shenzhen has not undergone any major changes in a short period of time, factory buildings have been rising from the ground in secret. In places that people cannot see, the city is developing rapidly. So naturally, many people have left their hometowns and come to this land to find a way out.

He is the intermediary who recruits people for the factory. Although thousands of people flock here every day, the factory still needs a large number of workers. He recruits people for the factory, and the factory pays him per person.

At this time, Chu Ye had luggage in her hands. The man wanted to reach out to help Chu Ye with the luggage, but she quickly protected him and shook her head to refuse. Seeing this, the man curled his lips and went to ask the person behind him.

Once you get out of the station, this coastal city gradually reveals its true face.

The climate here is warm and humid, not as cold as her hometown, and the wind blowing in her face is mixed with the scent of sea water.

There were low buildings on both sides of the road, and people were walking in a hurry, but their clothes were indeed more fashionable than theirs, at least in terms of color. Her hometown was mostly blue and black, but here the colors were obviously much richer.

There are many tricycles parked on the street waiting to pick up passengers. A fast one has already approached the tricycle, and the driver enthusiastically moved the luggage onto the tricycle.

Across the street, Chu Ye also saw a few blond-haired and blue-eyed foreigners standing across the street. These foreigners were pointing at a place not far away, saying something and communicating with the Chinese people standing nearby.

The people who got out of the carriage with her found their directions one after another. Most of them came to seek refuge with their relatives, but she was a person who was really working hard alone.

She fell into deep thought, wondering where to go next.

"Sister Chu, why are you here? Why haven't you seen the relatives who came to pick you up yet?" Someone patted her shoulder. Chu Ye turned around in surprise and met Pan'er's smiling face.

Next to her stood the woman in gray. She had the same round face as Pan'er. Although the traces of time could be seen in her eyebrows, she still had her eyebrows drawn. Her lips were lightly red. She was obviously a beauty lover. She was wearing work clothes that looked like she had just come out of a factory, but she was very neat. Pan'er's luggage was hanging on her shoulder.

Chu Ye smiled at the two of them in a friendly manner and said, "Almost. I didn't discuss the time with my relatives when I came here."

"Then do you know where they live?" Pan'er asked curiously.

"I should be able to find it." Her words were vague. Pan'er didn't think much about it. Her eyes were full of worry. She turned her head to look at the person beside her.

"Aunt, this is the beautiful sister I told you about meeting in the car. It's her first time to Shenzhen as well, and she's here to live with her relatives just like me!" Pan'er affectionately took the arm of the person next to her and introduced with a smile.

Chu Ye greeted the other party with a smile, feeling quite embarrassed.

"Sister Chu, I'll wait with you! Anyway, I've already met my aunt, so there's no rush for us to leave."

"No, no, this will trouble you too much. My relatives will be here soon, you don't have to wait for me." Chu Ye quickly shook his head to refuse.

Pan'er said a lot more, but Chu Ye rejected her politely. She wanted to say something else, but her aunt beside her took over the conversation. She pointed her finger to the right and said with a smile, "Little girl, don't be afraid. If you can't find your relatives for a while, just walk along the avenue over there. After passing the buildings, there is an industrial plant. I work there."

Seeing that Chu Ye had listened, she continued, "It's like a small town over there, with plenty of hotels, restaurants, and roadside stalls, but there are more factories. But there are also many young people like you, so you can go there first to find a place to stay, and then contact your relatives to pick you up."

Chu Ye thanked him sincerely this time. Seeing this, the aunt said no more and took Pan'er, who still wanted to help, away. The two of them soon disappeared in the crowd.

(End of this chapter)