Li Ye pulled Li Dayong out of the classroom. As soon as they stepped outside, Li Dayong casually pulled out a pack of cigarettes, handed one to Li Ye, and struck a match to light it for him."Bro, you shouldn't have stopped me just now. That bastard He Weiguo is getting way too full of himself. If we let him off this time, he'll think he can do whatever he wants next time."Others might be afraid of He Weiguo because his uncle was a teacher, but Li Dayong wasn't. His grandfather and his whole family worked in the electric power sector—in a time when electricity was as powerful as political connections, his family wielded influence like a farmer wields a hoe.Still, no matter how powerful Li Dayong's grandfather was, things would get messy if he actually smashed He Weiguo's head open. That was why Li Ye had stopped him."Getting worked up over someone like that isn't worth it—cough, cough, cough!"Li Ye took a single drag of the cigarette and immediately choked on the smoke.What the hell was this stuff?!He held up the cigarette, took a closer look, and then tossed it away in disgust.It wasn't just that it had no filter—the tobacco inside was pitch black, unevenly cut, and mixed with tiny twigs. It was obviously low-grade leftover scraps shoved together to make cheap cigarettes.But before the cigarette even hit the ground, Li Dayong darted forward, faster than a few other classmates, and snatched it up."My bad, my bad—I forgot you just recovered from a fever, so your throat is still sensitive. But bro, this is all I've got. It's not like I can afford fancy Da Qianmen like you."…Watching Li Dayong carefully extinguish the cigarette and tuck it back into his nearly empty pack, Li Ye couldn't help but laugh.Still chuckling, he reached into his pocket—and sure enough, he had a pack of Da Qianmen."Here, smoke mine."Li Ye handed one to Li Dayong, then, noticing the expectant gazes around him, began passing cigarettes around.Several familiar classmates quickly grabbed one, lit up, and began puffing away in satisfaction.Students in this era weren't like the "spoiled little emperors" of the future, casually carrying hundreds of yuan in their pockets, taking girls out for Haagen-Dazs and hotel stays without a second thought.Most students had barely any money—a monthly allowance of just a few cents was normal, and having a few yuan made you a "rich man."With so little spending money, students had to be frugal. The poorer ones rolled their own cigarettes, while a pack of 8-cent "Jingji" or 9-cent "Dazhong" was considered decent for student smokers.If you smoked 1.5-cent Jin Yu, you had status. If you splurged on a 2.3-cent Dafengshou, you'd instantly spark envy and jealousy.And Li Ye?He was the kind of person who constantly sparked envy and jealousy.Li Ye's childhood had been rough.His father and grandfather both lost their jobs, and his mother? He had no memory of her—apparently, she had divorced and disappeared due to some "special circumstances."But once his father and grandfather got their jobs back, they spoiled him rotten to make up for the hardship.His Da Qianmen cigarettes and brand-new Hui Li sneakers were luxury items that other kids could only dream of.In this era, Hui Li sneakers were even more prestigious than Nike and Adidas in the future. If you had a new pair, your looks and confidence instantly leveled up.For years, Li Ye had been living comfortably—until a few months ago, when Lu Jingyao's betrayal shattered his innocent, kind, and confident self, leaving behind a withdrawn, self-doubting, and depressed young man.Li Ye and Lu Jingyao had been high school classmates—a handsome boy and a beautiful girl who fell for each other during their youth.But in this era, even though "free love" was already a known concept, Chinese society was still very conservative and traditional.For high school students in 1981, falling in love was considered "improper behavior."Holding hands? You'd get scolded.Hugging? You'd get expelled.Kissing? You'd drown in a flood of spit from gossiping teachers and parents.So, Li Ye followed the traditional route—he got engaged.Even though China had implemented family planning policies, rural customs didn't change overnight—engagements at 18 were normal, and some of his classmates had even married unofficially at 20.Last winter, Li Ye begged his family to arrange a marriage proposal.The bride price? 120 yuan, a Phoenix-brand bicycle, plus fish, meat, and various supplies.In a small county like Qingshui, this was a sky-high dowry.His grandfather was a veteran revolutionary, now working in the grain bureau, while his father was a workshop director at a fertilizer plant—their financial situation was excellent.Meanwhile, Lu Jingyao's father was just a substitute teacher without a formal position.By all accounts, Lu's family was the one "marrying up."After the engagement, Li Ye's family went all in.They paid for Lu's family to renovate their house and used their connections to help Lu's father get an official teaching position.They truly treated Lu Jingyao like their future granddaughter-in-law.But everything changed when Lu Jingyao got accepted into university.As soon as she received her admission letter, Li Ye's family decided to proceed with the wedding.Excited about his upcoming wedding night, Li Ye rushed to Lu's house to share the good news.In his mind, he had finally overcome all the opposition and was about to reap the rewards of his steadfast love.He even had family-planning supplies hidden away, ready for action.But Lu's family's reaction?A cold, hard slap to the face.The next day, Lu's father showed up at Li Ye's house, holding two large fish, half a pig's worth of meat, and a handful of crumpled bills."Jingyao got into university. She might not return to Qingshui after she starts working. So… let's not hold up your son's future any longer. I've returned the dowry… I still owe you 45 yuan, but I'll pay it back soon…"The outrage in Li Ye's family was unimaginable.If they had just been dating, breaking up would be one thing.But they had gone through a formal engagement, and their relatives had celebrated it.This humiliation—how could they endure it?!Even Xiao Yan from Battle Through the Heavens wouldn't put up with this!Li Ye's father, Li Kaijian, completely ignored Li Ye's pleas for reconciliation—he immediately threw the returned dowry out the door, cursing himself for being blind and calling the dowry a waste, fit for feeding dogs.Then, turning around, he took out his anger on Li Ye.A leather-belt beating left Li Ye's butt so swollen he couldn't even sit."You're in the same damn school—why can't you pass the college entrance exam?!""If you hadn't insisted on marrying that girl, would I have lost face like this?!"Humiliated and injured, Li Ye, despite barely being able to sit on a bicycle, had Li Dayong take him to confront Lu Jingyao.But when he arrived at Lu's house, the doors were locked.It wasn't until Li Dayong started yelling insults at the top of his lungs, drawing in a crowd, that Lu's father reluctantly let them in…And what happened next changed Li Ye's life forever.