In the Nineties, She Set Out for Faraway Places

In the factory compound in the 1990s, Su Wan stood at a crossroads in her life.

On one side was the path everyone envied: go through the motions of taking the college entrance exam, get a permanent factory job with a secure salary, help support her family with her monthly wages, and put her younger brother through school. The neighbors and her mother all assumed this was where she belonged.

On the other side was a dream no one believed in: give the college entrance exam everything she had, get into university, leave this factory compound that had trapped countless women, and see the wide world beyond.

Only Su Wan knew what she wanted.

But she and her family were at odds. Some urged her to be content and put her family first, calling her selfish. A rare few encouraged her to seize the opportunity and break free from the shackles of her family.

Her mother clutched the wish she had prayed for at the temple, determined to secure Su Wan a factory job. Her younger brother was already counting on her future wages. The neighbors all agreed in their idle chatter that a girl should sacrifice herself for her family.

Su Wan gripped her pen.

To others, a secure factory job was a safe and steady living. To her, it was a prison that would lock her away for the rest of her life. The college entrance exam was her only bargaining chip. She wanted to choose her own life.

[Overall tone and content notes]

1. A slow burn, delicate, grounded in everyday life, with a focus on inner thoughts.

2. No mindless wish fulfillment, crazy face-slapping, extreme melodrama, or abusive romance.

3. Includes stifling family ties, social pressure, real-life struggles, and the growing pains of personal development.

4. Ultimately healing and fulfilling, with self-redemption and a peaceful, happy ending.

Theme: Stay true to yourself and make your life count.