To be honest, we don't have a single grain of food left in the house; even the mice have run away from us.

I asked the village secretary if I needed a letter of introduction from the village to travel long distances. The secretary was very generous and immediately gave me a letter of introduction, stating that my name was Chen Yuan and that I was going to Beijing to visit a friend. Then he stamped it with the village committee's official seal.

After receiving the letter of introduction, I felt much more at ease. I haven't traveled far from home much, and I was still quite nervous.

I went to the train station to buy a ticket, and it was the first time I'd ever seen a train ticket that looked like a small cardboard box, about two centimeters wide and four centimeters long. My ticket was for 8:05 AM the next day, arriving at Beijing Station at 12:28 PM.

There was a hand-cranked telephone in the village. I gave the village secretary a pack of Guanting cigarettes before he opened the door to the telephone booth.

He dialed the number for me and then transferred me to the operator's number. A woman answered the phone, and I said I was looking for Tiger. She asked me what I needed Tiger for.

I told her I was Tiger's friend and that I was taking the train to Beijing tomorrow, and I needed him to pick me up. The woman on the other end said she understood and would tell Tiger.

After hanging up the phone, the village secretary asked me what I was going to Beijing for. I said I was going to see a friend to find a way out.

The village secretary said, "Now that reform and opening up have begun, many people have gone to work in the south. Chen Yuan, if you ever become rich, don't forget your uncle!" I laughed and said, "I can't."

I didn't have much to bring, just a few clothes. I found a relatively new set of bedding in the large wardrobe; it was part of my grandmother's dowry, made of good cotton.

The most valuable items were the comb and the somewhat enigmatic (geographical map of ten thousand mountains).

Although I don't quite understand it, it's something my grandmother left me, and it serves as a keepsake.

I sewed the gold medal onto my underwear. Everyone says there are many pickpockets on trains; other things might be stolen, but I couldn't lose this.

I went without food that afternoon, and I was too embarrassed to borrow any more, so I just endured it, thinking that I'd have something to eat when I saw Tiger by noon the next day.

It was from that day that I learned the most unbearable thing in the world is hunger. I thought that if I fell asleep, I wouldn't be hungry anymore, but I was too hungry to sleep. I could only drink cold water from the water tank to fill my stomach.

Lying on the kang (heated brick bed) until late into the night, I felt cold again, so I got off to fetch firewood to heat it. Once the kang was warm, I curled up on it and endured the cold. By morning, I was so hungry I couldn't bear it any longer, so I came up with an idea and knocked on the door next door.

After some discussion, they gave me some roasted sweet potatoes, and I gave the pile of manure in front of my door to my neighbor.

It was these few roasted sweet potatoes that sustained me until I reached the train station and boarded the train on time.

Otherwise, my legs would be too weak to move, and I'd break out in a cold sweat with the slightest movement; I simply wouldn't be able to make it to the train station.

After boarding the train, I eagerly awaited its departure. The train stopped at Changli Station for three minutes, and those three minutes felt like an eternity. As the train finally pulled away, I looked out the window, and my heart finally calmed down.

I'm terrified of poverty, and terrified of hunger.

I'd never been out of town before, let alone ridden a train, and had no idea when the train would reach Beijing. Luckily, the female teacher wearing glasses sitting next to me was also going to Beijing. She said she'd let me go with her and would take me with her when she got off the train.

After a journey of more than four hours, we finally arrived at Beijing Railway Station. The woman led me to the exit, and then she was picked up by a Tianjin Dafa minivan.

I looked around in the sea of ​​people, but I couldn't find Tiger anywhere.

I thought to myself, "This kid probably won't be able to find me, will he?"

Just then, a man wearing bell-bottoms, a white shirt, and sunglasses stood in front of me. I looked closer, and it was Tiger's bastard!

He took off his glasses, looked at me, and said, "Old Chen, it's only been a few days, you've gotten fat! Looks like you've been eating well!"

I looked down at myself and said, "Have I gained weight?"

"You've gained weight, your eyes have gotten fatter," he said. "Your eyes are fatter, but your gaze isn't what it used to be. What's wrong, don't you recognize Comrade Tiger?"

At that moment, I covered my head with my hand and said, "I'm so hungry I have no strength left, and my eyesight is failing. But Tiger, where did you get this outfit? It must have cost a lot of money."

Tiger laughed, took my luggage, and put his arm around my shoulder, saying, "Come on, buddy, I'll take you to a restaurant. Peking duck or hot pot?"

I said, "I'll eat whatever has the most meat. Dude, I practically want to eat you up right now."

Tiger had a tricycle. I threw all my luggage on it and sat in the back. Tiger took me to Donglaishun Restaurant, saying he was going to treat me to a meat dish today.

Tiger and I ate five jin (2.5 kg) of mutton in this meal, and that was just enough to break the ice. If we had eaten freely, who knows how much more we would have consumed.

The restaurant staff were shocked by our appetites. They told us to take it easy, saying that we hadn't had enough oily food in a while, and if we ate too much, we wouldn't be able to digest it properly, and all our money would be wasted.

That was how Tiger and I finally stopped. But after having another big bowl of noodles, my stomach finally felt a little full.

As I lay down on Tiger's tricycle after getting out of the car, I thought to myself, "It's so good to be able to eat my fill."

Tiger was a very skilled driver; he sped along the road with me in tow, ringing his bell as he went. Many people on the roadside cursed at him, but he didn't care at all; instead, he laughed heartily.

Tiger's family lived only two streets away from the Panjiayuan Antique Market, in a courtyard house in a large alley. Five families lived in the courtyard; Tiger's parents had three rooms. They occupied two rooms, leaving one for Tiger. The room was only about ten square meters. After putting in a wooden plank bed, there wasn't much extra space. But Tiger had a solution: he got a tattered mattress from the antique market. During the day, he would lift it up, and at night he would lay it on the floor, so the two of them could still sleep comfortably.

Tiger said, "Old Chen, the place is a bit small, but in Beijing, for us out-of-towners, having a place to stay is already pretty good. We'll make do. In the next few days, we'll find a storefront and open our bookstore. Then I'll eat and sleep in the bookstore, instead of squeezing in here with my parents." I said, "That must cost a lot of money."

Tiger looked around, then went to close the door. Returning, he whispered, "Old Chen, you probably don't know yet, but I sold that hairpin. Guess how much it cost?" I thought for a moment and said, "It'll probably be two or three thousand."

Tiger held up five fingers and said, "Five thousand yuan. A middleman got it. I heard he can double the price by reselling it to foreigners. Damn it, I got ripped off by that bastard. Don't give him that brand; that guy's dishonest. We'll go find foreigners ourselves."

I said, "If you know where the foreigners are, then go find them."

"All the foreigners stay at the Beijing Hotel. Tomorrow, we'll look for a shop, and if we find a suitable one, we'll take it over. In the evening, we'll go to the Beijing Hotel and wait there. These foreigners don't come out in the morning, but they all come out for a stroll in the evening," Tiger said. "Old Chen, there are a lot of rich American women staying at the Beijing Hotel. Lots of gigolos are there trying to seduce them. If they manage to snag a rich foreign woman, they can easily make enough for us to live on for the New Year. Many gigolos have made their fortunes there. I think you have that potential. We can do business while you find a foreign woman, and you can find one too. If a foreign woman takes a liking to you and takes you to America, you'll be set for life." I said, "Doing business is fine, but I'd rather not have a foreign woman. I've heard they smell bad; I'm afraid I'll be suffocated by the stench."

Tiger and I burst into laughter. We laughed so hard we were doubled over, our stomachs ached, and then we lay on the bed, too exhausted to get up.