A Home for All

The Huangguo Town Teachers’ New Village project is about to get underway. Fang Hua, a rural teacher, and Qian An, a laid-off sugar factory worker, scraped together what they could but still couldn’t afford the required down payment, missing their chance to buy a home. A few years later, one by one, Fang Hua’s colleagues moved away, leaving the teachers’ dormitory nearly empty. One problem after another cropped up in their daily lives, and with no other choice, the family had to move out and rent a place. Qian An went back to his old trade as a construction worker while looking for new job opportunities. To outsiders, the family of three seemed to have it easy: both adults had an income, and while they weren’t rich, at least they lived comfortably. In reality, chances to buy a home kept appearing and slipping away. The three of them fretted over not having enough money for a house while doing their best to improve their current living conditions...