Chapter One: Crossing Through

“East is Red, the sun rises…”
The distinctly old-fashioned song outside woke Han Li from his sleep, as it had done many times before.
He opened his eyes helplessly, rolled over, and stared blankly at the dim room.
After so many days, he no longer needed to pull back the curtains to know that the sky outside was, at best, barely beginning to lighten.
While Han Li was lost in thought, the sounds of his mother and elder sister preparing breakfast drifted in from outside.
He dressed sluggishly, listening to the radio, then sat at the edge of his bed, still gathering his wits.
At that moment, his mind was filled with a deeply unreal feeling, prompting him to unconsciously recall everything once again.
Who could have imagined that, just over a month ago, he was living in the technologically advanced twenty-second century?
Although he was a typical university graduate who found himself unemployed—oh, and a seasoned homebody to boot—
because he had stayed up late forging a piece of equipment in a game, when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the Seventy-Three-Year Four-Nine City.
Not only did he have both parents, but also two elder sisters and a younger sister—a large family.
Though four or five children per household was normal in this era, few families could match theirs in living conditions.
Pure white flour buns were a rare treat, but their mixed flour buns always had more white flour than most others.
Every so often, they could even enjoy some meat, all thanks to his present family circumstances.
Han’s father—Han Fugui, a name with a hint of uniqueness—was named thus because, back then, his grandfather’s family was so poor that the name promised a better future.
Now, he was a city bus driver, earning more than sixty yuan a month with bonuses included.
Though city bus drivers didn’t have the extra perks of long-distance drivers, the job was far safer and more secure.
In those days, most freight truck drivers carried guns, and even so, accidents were frequent every year.
Han’s mother, Zhang Pingping, grew up in a turbulent society; her father hoped his children would grow up safely and peacefully.
She worked as a clerk at the neighborhood committee, earning less than thirty yuan a month, but her work kept her busy.
Han’s eldest sister, Han Chunhong, twenty-one years old, benefited from their father’s position: the city bus company looked after employees’ children.
She became a bus conductor, securing an iron rice bowl for herself.
Her monthly salary was 22.5 yuan, of which she handed over 19 yuan to the family; the remainder was all she could spend freely.

Han’s second sister, Han Chunxia, aged nineteen, was luckier. She graduated high school just as the supply and marketing cooperative was recruiting.
Her best friend’s father happened to be a senior manager there, so they got wind of the opportunity ahead of others.
The two took the exam together, and, by coincidence, were both hired.
Han Chunxia, now, like their father, was gloriously one of the “Eight Key Workers”—a shop assistant.
In this era, becoming a shop assistant was akin to having ancestors bless you from above.
She was new to the job, earning only 19.5 yuan per month, but her benefits were excellent.
Every so often, defective goods would be distributed internally—cheap and not requiring ration tickets.
Since she was a newcomer, their mother generally didn’t let her compete with others for these items.
But the money she was required to hand over was non-negotiable; each person could only keep three yuan a month as pocket money.
Both sisters had tried to resist their mother’s “exploitation,” but, like Sun Wukong unable to escape the Buddha’s palm,
their mother easily retorted: “Don’t want to eat at home anymore? Don’t want to live here?
As the elder sisters, shouldn’t you contribute more so I can save for your brother?”
Being the only son, Han Li’s sisters and younger sister were thoroughly trained by their mother to be submissive.
Such dynamics were commonplace in that era: to avoid being bullied in their marital homes, a woman had to stand firm herself,
and her family needed to be strong—this is where brothers truly mattered.
If a sister was mistreated by her in-laws, her elder or younger brother would beat her husband for real.
If the in-laws refused to apologize, neighbors would gossip that their family lacked backbone.
Should a son misbehave or be unfilial in the future, the maternal uncle would intervene, and neighbors would cheer.
Thus, for most women, brothers were their true protectors.
But after the implementation of the one-child policy, such customs gradually faded from public view.
As the only son, Han Li lived comfortably, enjoying a life where clothes and food were always provided.
He never had to do any housework; since middle school, he even received fifty cents a week as pocket money.
From his memories, he deserved this treatment. In middle school, a neighbor gossiped about his eldest sister.

Han Li not only tricked their youngest son into a sack, but also led others to smash all the windows in their house.
That neighbor had three sons; Han Li was badly beaten by all three.
Though he later retaliated with help from classmates, he suffered greatly, bedridden for days.
His father spent a long time smoking that day, then took him, along with a large gift package, to pay respects to a master.
This master’s surname was Li, a native of Hebei, trained in traditional Xingyi boxing.
He had been a transport team driver, but after an accident during a night run, he fought off eight attackers,
though he was injured and left with a limp. Unable to drive, he was reassigned as a gatekeeper at the bus company.
Due to the special circumstances of the era, and with so many people going hungry, few dared to practice martial arts.
So Han Li easily became Master Li's disciple; the details of his training can be skipped here.
His youngest sister, Han Chunying, was his twin—the two started school at age six: five years of elementary, three years of middle school, two years of high school.
This year, they had just graduated high school, a time that worried the family most.
According to regulations, apart from children already employed, each family could only keep one child at home; the others had to go to the countryside for “re-education” by poor and lower-middle peasants.
But in 1973, urban workers were already saturated, especially in the heart of the nation—Four-Nine City.
High school graduates were considered talented, but in Four-Nine City, that meant little.
Young people searching for work in factories were everywhere; eight out of ten were high school graduates.
Even the children of ordinary cadres couldn’t get jobs; any available slots in factories were reserved for insiders.
PS: (The “Eight Key Workers” are: shop assistant, driver, postman, childcare worker, barber, projectionist, cook, and troupe member.)