Twenty cents for a steamed bun, ten cents for cabbage—that was his noon meal.
Though it was called a steamed bun, it was as hard as a rock, made with coarse sweet potato flour, corn flour, and sorghum flour, with perhaps only a touch of wheat flour, as it was especially dry to eat. But he knew, being able to chew and swallow was already quite good; it was certainly better than the famine times back in the '40s.
Considering Long Gang's age, by the time of the 1977 college entrance examinations, he would be in his thirties, so he had to lay a solid foundation over these twelve years.
As for whether or not he'd participate in the '77 exams, that would depend on the circumstances then.
Right now, the most pressing issue was how to separate himself from this family, for every time he returned to that home, he felt an especially heavy oppression.
