There is also spring for passers-by

The examination time for the Beijing Academy of Arts was October 18, and she had to rush there by then. There was a lot of money from that era in her space, as much as 200,000 or 300,000 yuan, which she had earned from stealing the home of a director of the Revolutionary Committee.

"Dad, I'm eighteen now. I can't just sit there and do nothing. Last time, a young sister-in-law from the city told me there are many job opportunities in the city. I want to find a job there, but they said that you need a household registration certificate to get accommodation in the city. Can you... give me my household registration certificate?"

Grandma Hua blurted out, "Why are you going? Your mom and dad earned money, and we were able to feed ourselves before. Now, three out of the four children in the family are working, so why do we need you to earn money?"

Hua Jianguo hesitated for a moment.

Liu Kangmei woke up with dark circles under her eyes. She stayed in Hua Hua's house last night. The mother and daughter talked all night. She knew everything about her daughter's work in the art troupe. Judging from her daughter's appearance and the fact that she was valued in the art troupe, she would definitely marry a respectable military officer in the future and have a bright future.

"What kind of job are you looking for? Your sister's dancing skills are not good. She came back this time just to learn some more dancing from you."

Hua Hua is not cut out for this. He was lifted up onto the platform and now he can't get down. He can only take the opportunity to go home and visit relatives to learn some skills from his sister.

I'm afraid it's not as good as she said. It's not easy to be the mainstay of a dance stage. Everyone is the same. If you don't dance as well as others, people won't buy it even if your grandmother is a dancer.

It is easy to add icing on the cake, but it is difficult to send charcoal in the snow.

Wen Wan glanced at Liu Kangmei and continued, "Dad, when the eaglet grows up, the eagle will drive her out of the nest and let her learn to fly and live. I'll be eighteen in May and graduated from high school last year. I want to go out and see the world and work. I don't want to stay on the island and be an unemployed young woman. Dad, can you let me go to the city and take the job recruitment exam?"

Liu Kangmei asked, "What will happen to your sister after you leave? You have to teach her how to dance. She's been doing the 'Laundry Dance' for two years. You can choreograph another dance for her. If you can choreograph two or three, that's fine. She's a mainstay of the show. Who can only do one dance?"

She originally choreographed the "Laundry Dance," but when Hua Hua took the exam for the art troupe, she shamelessly said, "Teachers, this is a dance I choreographed myself. If there are any shortcomings, please give me some pointers."

In the early 1980s, there were very few actors who could choreograph their own dances. It was precisely because of this that the examiner gave her high scores. She almost sang all the way and was admitted to the Southern Military Region Art Troupe with the first place in the dance group.

Wen Wan said, "My dancing is nowhere near as good as Aunt Ding's. Aunt Ding is a professional dancer and used to be a mainstay of the art troupe. Later, she retired from the troupe due to a back injury and became a dance teacher at the Southern Province Art College. Compared to her, there's a world of difference. Mom even asked me to teach my sister, but that's ruining her future. Why don't we prepare a generous gift and ask Aunt Ding to give my sister some pointers..."

If the gifts are too small, people might not be willing to put in the effort, and it would cost more to prepare generous gifts.

Grandma Hua thought this made sense. "Is Ding Xiumei willing to teach?"

"As long as the gift is good enough, Aunt Ding is a teacher who trains dance talents for the country. Teaching others is teaching, and my sister is a genius in this field. She has no reason to refuse."

Bah, Wen Wan herself was embarrassed to say it, but Grandma Hua and Liu Kangmei thought Hua Hua was a talent and very amazing. He became the mainstay of the dance group of the art troupe in less than half a year of study. Isn't he a dance genius?

Wen Wan continued, "Mom, just let me go to the city and take the job exam. I heard that apprentices can earn 65 yuan a month now, which is almost as much as your salary. Now the leaders are talking about reform and opening up, and the salaries of those skilled workers will get higher and higher. Once I become a skilled worker, my salary can go up to 120 yuan."

The Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 1979 proposed reform and opening up. Now, in 1981, the three southern provinces are at the forefront of the times, changing with each passing day. There are also art colleges in the south, such as the one owned by Ding Xiumei, but she wants to stay away from the Chinese family.

Grandma Hua said, "You are not allowed to spend the money you earn carelessly. Every month you keep half and give the other half back home."

Have Huasong and Huabai paid the money?

Hua Hua didn't pay either.

Liu Kangmei was worried that Hua Hua had no money to spend, so she wrote letters to show her concern from time to time. When the seasons changed, she bought her imported clothes and sent them to her, saying that young girls should dress appropriately.

The Hua family really treats people differently. They couldn't stand the original owner before, and now they can't stand Wen Wan either. The whole family suppresses the original owner.

Liu Kangmei returned to the master bedroom, took out the original owner's household registration card and her high school diploma, and gave her an extra 5 yuan. "Come back after you take the job recruitment exam. When you come back, buy your sister a pearl butterfly hairpin. I saw a newlywed on the island wearing it yesterday. It looked really nice..."

I have to buy Hua Hua a headdress even if I give her 5 yuan.

"Mom, I asked Mrs. Liang, and she said that hairpin costs five dollars."

Grandma Hua said: "What hairpin is so expensive? It can buy two pairs of sandals. The small one is a little bigger, but it costs five dollars. Why don't you go and rob the money?"

Liu Kangmei paused for a moment, then took out two more dollars and handed them to Wen Wan.

Wen Wan took a look and said, "Mom, I don't have any money. The boat ticket to the city costs two dollars."

Hua Jianguo couldn't bear to watch it any longer, so he took out a Great Unity from his military uniform pocket and handed it to Wen Wan, "Here, if you can't get on the boat back to the island, come back tomorrow and bring all the certificates with you."

"Yes, Dad."

After Wen Wan had breakfast, she did not clean up the dishes because she had to catch the boat. She returned to her little room, took out the two diaries from the drawer, and took away the photo under the glass plate.

One of the diaries was left by her grandmother Ji Meiyu, and the other was her own. Many of the photos contained the original owner's best memories.

She still had a feeling of unreality when she boarded the boat.

When she got off the boat at the city pier, she heard a familiar voice: "Hua Yang, Hua Yang!"

When she turned around, she saw a young man in green military uniform standing not far away.

Wen Wan approached and said, "I'm sorry, I have to rush to take the job recruitment exam. If I'm late, I will miss the entrance to the exam hall."

He is Wang Lei. Because he loved to peek at her dancing, he said he would keep watch for her. Later, because his mother made a fuss, the original owner was beaten by Liu Kangmei with his right leg, leaving him disabled.

Hua Hua was wrong. He harmed his own sister out of jealousy.

Later, Aunt Wang remarked that she hadn't anticipated Liu Kangmei's reaction, to the point of breaking the original owner's leg with a rolling pin. Though uneducated, Aunt Wang wasn't inherently bad; she was just aggressive in her words and actions. Instigated by Hua Hua, she later regretted the incident. Before Political Commissar Wang left for promotion, Aunt Wang slipped the original owner ten yuan, saying she felt sorry for what she had done.

The original owner was really kind. She did not hate Aunt Wang, but she still blamed Wang Lei in her heart. He could have refuted his mother's words at that time, but his silence confirmed the harsh words that Aunt Wang said.