Liu Wendong felt as if a huge boulder was pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe.
He and Xu Niannian came from neighboring villages, not far apart, and had been classmates from elementary school all the way to high school.
They were lucky, as the college entrance examination had been reinstated.
Given Xu Niannian's ambition, he thought she would definitely take the exam, but unexpectedly, she did not. Instead, she just graduated.
As for himself, it was because he did not pass the exam.
He planned to take it again the next year.
But his family's situation was not bad, with a father who was a director in a factory—a position that paid more than being a teacher.
So his dad did not plan to let him continue studying for the exam; he wanted him to work at the factory, taking the opportunity to promote him. When the time came for retirement, a few meals with the factory leaders would secure his advancement.
