In 1975, in a remote village in northern China, the system of collective labor and work points was still in place. A strong laborer could earn at most ten points a day, worth less than ten cents. Supplies in the village were scarce. Buying cloth required ration coupons, as did buying grain, and even salt and soy sauce were rationed. Secret trading was considered “profiteering,” and getting caught meant having one's goods confiscated and being publicly denounced. Even so, some villagers quietly traded home-raised eggs and grain for hard-to-find daily necessities. Lin Jianguo, 22, was a member of the Hongqi Production Brigade in northern China. Standing 1.85 meters tall, he had taken on the responsibility of supporting his family at an early age, since his father died young and his mother was frail. Quiet and reserved but highly capable, he had inherited carpentry skills and had secretly learned to identify medicinal herbs from his late maternal grandfather. He was dependable and never took advantage of others. His only weakness was his young siblings and his mother, who had suffered from a chronic cough for years.
This protagonist is so cowardly.