"The Sixth Set of Radio Exercises now begins. Stretching exercise, ready—go! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight; two, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..."
"Aimin, Aimin, wake up!"
"Teacher Han! Teacher Han!"
"Stop shouting! Hurry and get Teacher Han to the hospital!"
"Who knows if he broke any bones? We can't move him around. We should call the hospital!"
Han Aimin was jolted awake by the overlapping shouts. Opening his eyes, he saw one familiar yet unfamiliar face after another surrounding him, each looking more anxious than the last. Then a searing pain shot through his elbows and knees.
"Aimin's awake. Make room." A man of around forty visibly relaxed and hurriedly asked, "Aimin, are you all right?"
Unless he was dreaming, the man before him had to be his former colleague and big brother, Zhong Jianyu. He was a military cadre transferred to 985 Factory after leaving the service. Since he knew nothing about technology and the factory had no shortage of political cadres, he had been assigned to teach politics at the Children's Middle School.
The young woman behind Zhong Jianyu, wearing a Floral Plaid Spring and Autumn Shirt, was surnamed Liu—Liu Pingping. She was both a 985 Factory descendant and third sister's classmate from kindergarten through middle school. After graduating high school without getting into university, she had been assigned by the factory to teach English at the Children's Middle School. But she did not hold cadre status, nor was she a formal employee. She was a "collective worker," whose salary and benefits were a tier below those of formal employees...
"Aimin, look at my hand!" Not knowing what Han Aimin was thinking, Zhong Jianyu raised a finger and moved it before his eyes.
The sharp pain in his elbows and knees, the familiar