Help others? It's better to help yourself - Chapter 1

As the lunch bell rang, Xu Jing’an quickly packed up her things and grabbed her lunch tray to head to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was on the west side of the teaching building, and she hurried over.

If she went later, there would be a lot of people, meaning long wait times, and by the end, there would be more soup than vegetables.

When she rushed into the cafeteria with her tray, there was already a sizable queue ahead of her. Xu Jing’an was resigned; despite her enthusiasm, she had never been first in line.

“There’s always someone better,” she thought, reflecting on how this saying might have originated!

Standing in line, there wasn’t much to choose from in winter. In the cold season, it was usually cabbage or radishes, with the occasional potato, onion, or carrot (the latter two depended on luck).

The school had both boarding and day students.

Boarding students, who lived far from home, ate all three meals at school. Their household registrations and food supplies were managed by the school.

Every month, these students provided the school with food or money vouchers, and the school issued a large, printed meal ticket. From the first day of each month to the last, students had to present breakfast, lunch, and dinner vouchers for each meal.

Day students like Xu Jing’an, who lived close to home, could eat there. Those who lived farther away or had busy families could only have lunch at school.

Staple foods could be bought in the cafeteria, but most were brought from home (in cold weather, items could be placed in a communal steamer to be warmed up). So, in most cases, students only needed to get their vegetables.

After getting her vegetables and retrieving her steamed bun from the steamer, Xu Jing’an finally squeezed out of the crowd, only to find the line had moved 5 meters away.

Holding her meal tray, Xu Jing’an turned to find a place to sit. The cafeteria had a limited number of tables and chairs, and those who arrived late had to stand.

The walls were covered with slogans: “Corruption and waste are severe crimes,” “One bowl of porridge, think of its difficulty to obtain,” “Every thread, remember the difficulty of material resources.”

“Xu Jing’an—Xu Jing’an—over here!”

Xu Jing’an turned towards the voice and saw her classmate Wang Jingjing waving at her.

Although they weren’t in the same class, they had become close friends who shared secrets.

Xu Jing’an quickly walked over, and Wang Jingjing shifted to make room. “Hurry up and eat, it gets cold fast in winter!”

They ate in silence, as the cafeteria was crowded and noisy; you had to shout to be heard.

After washing their trays, the two of them sighed with relief, as if they had been through a battle.

“Jing’an, my mom said there’s defective fabric without coupons at the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow. Do you want some? If so, remind Auntie to come around 10 in the morning,” Wang Jingjing whispered into Xu Jing’an’s ear.

Xu Jing’an quickly responded, “Yes! Definitely need it, thank you, Jingjing.”

“No need to thank me. We’re friends, no need for that. Each person can only get 3 feet maximum; no more.”

“That’s plenty.”

These days, getting fabric without coupons is a big deal. “What more could you want?”

Xu Jing’an wiped her hands on her clothes. “Let’s hurry back to class; it’s really cold outside!” The two held hands shrank their necks and jogged back to the classroom.

Upstairs, they parted ways. Xu Jing’an returned to her seat, lay her head on the desk, and turned her face to the wall, finally feeling relieved.

Xu Jing’an had been in this world for three months.

Before coming here, nothing special happened—she went to bed one night and woke up the next day to find the whole world had changed.

Confused for a while, she hurriedly got up to help with housework, washing dishes, and other chores, urged by her family’s hurried footsteps and calls.

Her second sister, Xu Jingping, kept urging, “Third sister, hurry up, we’re going to be late!”

Xu Jing’an quickly grabbed her backpack and ran to school with Xu Jingping.

On the walls of the school were written, “Education serves the proletarian politics, and education is combined with productive labor.” As soon as they entered the school gate, they parted ways. She went to a corner, looked at the name and class on the book, and realized she was in Class 3 of the first year of high school.

After finding her seat, she listened attentively in class and, after a month of anxiety, finally felt a bit at ease.

Life was tough for the Xu family. The school provided subsidies for students from poor families, allowing them to apply for free or reduced tuition. Xu Jing’an wanted to apply but found that there were many families even poorer than hers.

Xu Jing’an was just an ordinary person, and the original owner was the same.

The Xu family worked at a machinery factory, with four children; she was the third. An older brother, an older sister, and a younger brother.

Although some neglect was inevitable, every family with many children faced similar issues. In any family, there is always a child who is less favored by their parents.

Xu Jing’an didn’t take it too seriously. This was 1963, and graduating high school in 1966 meant she could find a job quickly and avoid being sent to the countryside.

Family relationships were distant, so she planned to just live her own life. As a married woman, she didn’t have much to do with the family anymore.

Unexpectedly, last night her elder brother mentioned he had a girlfriend, a temporary worker from the First Cotton Factory named Xu Duoduo.

It sounded familiar like she had heard it somewhere before.

Xu’s mother was very pleased. The family was poor.

Only Xu’s father and mother worked. Both were at the machinery factory: Xu’s father earned about 30 yuan a month, and Xu’s mother earned 18 yuan a month in the cafeteria.

No one was born from a rock crevice.

Her grandmother received a fixed pension of five yuan per month, and her maternal grandmother was often ill, constantly sending messages for Xu’s mother to visit. If anyone asked about it, it was usually because they missed their daughter.

Xu’s mother had to occasionally visit, because of the pressure from her sister-in-law and nieces and nephews waiting on the street.

They all said, “The child’s aunt came to visit the old woman.”

“My mother-in-law loves her daughter so much; she gets anxious if she doesn’t see her for a few days!”

Neighbors watched, and as long as Xu’s mother was still alive, she had to put up with it. What else could she do?

Every mother who favors her sons can think of various ways to benefit from her married daughter.

Added to that were the weddings and funerals of relatives and friends, supporting four children, and the family had no savings.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent the eldest, Xu Jianguo, to work as an apprentice at an oxygen machine factory. They would have sent him to a steel plant or the current machinery factory for a formal position, as big factories offer better benefits.

Xu Jianguo now earns less than 20 yuan a month. The family’s house was only about 30 square meters, divided into three small bedrooms, barely enough to live in.

There was no extra room for a wedding chamber, so finding a match for the eldest son was challenging.

Unexpectedly, Xu Jing’an had a dream that night!