Chapter 137

Summer had never paid much attention to or thought deeply about the relationships among the neighbors in their courtyard.

She only knew that the three families in their courtyard got along well, having lived together for over twenty years without any major conflicts or ugly disputes.

Whenever one family had something going on and needed help, the other two families would assist as much as they could.

But now, with the insight from the novel, she could see clearly that Becky's family actually looked down on her family and Henry's family from the bottom of their hearts.

The main reason for this disdain lay in the differences in their parents' jobs and educational levels.

Adam and Ada had better, more respectable jobs and higher educational levels.

In Summer's family, Shaw worked as a laborer at a pickle factory, while Carman was a sales clerk at a food store.

In Henry's family, Alston rode a tricycle for work, and Dana didn't have a job, doing some small side businesses at home instead.

Their jobs and educational levels couldn't compare to Adam and Ada's.

In Adam and Ada's eyes, they were all uneducated and uncultured people.

And such families naturally couldn't raise model children.

Under Adam and Ada's education and influence, Becky and Calvin didn't get along closely with other children in the courtyard; they wouldn't play or hang out with them from a young age.

Becky's family followed many rules, and Becky and Calvin were strictly managed from a young age.

While Becky had her rebellious and mischievous moments, Calvin was always the obedient child, not only in their courtyard but also in the entire street.

Ada took great pride in Calvin's obedience.

In her eyes, no child in the entire street was as obedient or promising as her Calvin.

Even Becky didn't measure up to Calvin in this regard.

When Calvin made that comment about Summer, although his tone was calm and didn't seem disdainful, it naturally carried an air of condescension.

Not wanting to answer and unwilling to lend were understandable, but saying that she wouldn't understand was unnecessary.

Even if she only had a second-grade education, it didn't mean she couldn't understand the concept of college entrance exams.

Standing there, Summer took a deep breath, pressing her lips together as she thought to herself—No, she couldn't continue being looked down upon like this; she had to work harder to prove herself.

With that determination, she didn't waste any more time standing in the courtyard.

She told Shaw and Carman, "Mom, Dad, I have something to take care of in my room."

Shaw and Carman naturally responded, "Go ahead, take care of what you need to."

Summer acknowledged and ran back inside. Ada and Caroline came out carrying basins to wash dishes by the faucet, chatting and laughing with Shaw and Carman.

Back in her room, Summer sat at her desk.

She took out the two new review books she had just bought from the bookstore, turned on her desk lamp, and started to study.

With her job at the factory, her study time was limited, so she had to make the most of every moment.

She wasn't entirely confident that she could get into college, so she didn't plan to quit her hard-earned job but instead aimed to balance work and study.

Summer studied diligently. Shaw and Carman finished their evening routine and were ready to sleep, but she was still bent over her desk, pen in hand, working on her review materials.

Not knowing what she was busy with, Carman came over, knocked on her door, and said, "You need to get up early for work tomorrow. Don't stay up too late."

Summer looked up and replied, "Okay, I'll go to bed soon."

Curious, Carman asked, "What are you busy with?"

Summer smiled and said, "Just reading, a habit I picked up in the countryside."

Carman had no opinion on this, simply advising, "Don't tire yourself out, get some sleep."

It was getting late, so after Carman left, Summer didn't continue studying for long.

She put her books aside, did her nightly routine, and went to bed.

After a day of running errands and a long evening of studying, both her body and mind were tired, so Summer fell asleep quickly.

That night, she had no dreams.

When she woke up, it was early the next morning.

Summer quickly got up, did her morning routine, had breakfast, and headed to work.

Shaw and Carman's workplaces were close to home, a short bike ride away, so the family bike was left for Summer to use.

As she rode out of the alley, Summer thought to herself—she had enough money to buy a new bike. If she got a chance, she would get a ticket to buy one.

But that wasn't urgent right now.

Her priority was to get to the factory.

Yesterday, after completing her grain supply paperwork, Summer had taken a stroll and visited the factory she would be working at, so she knew the way.

Summer's destination was a food factory.

This had been decided when she was still in the countryside, filling out the application forms.

There had been two job options: the food factory and a clock factory. Logan had chosen the clock factory without hesitation, so Summer took the food factory.

The two factories weren't far apart, located on the same street.

Summer had seen that apart from the food factory and the clock factory, there was also a stamp factory and a textile factory on that street.

All four factories were quite large, with many workers.

Even though they worked on the same street, Summer thought it would be difficult to run into Logan by chance.

But this didn't matter to her anymore.

Summer arrived at the food factory, parking her bike outside the gate.

It was just before work started, and workers were trickling in. Summer pushed her bike to the gatekeeper, showed her introduction letter, and asked where to report.

The gatekeeper looked at her letter but didn't answer immediately as another girl approached with the same question, also showing her letter.

After checking both letters, the gatekeeper gave directions to Summer and the girl, telling them where to park their bikes and where to report.

Summer and the girl thanked the gatekeeper together.

They went into the factory together, with Summer parking her bike in the shed.

The girl waited for her briefly, and then they headed to the registration office together.

While walking, Summer and the girl exchanged a few words.

The girl's name was Grace, and she was also from the countryside, reporting to work today.

After learning about each other's backgrounds, Grace looked at Summer in disbelief and said, "You don't look like someone who just came back from the countryside."

Summer smiled and explained, "I was lucky enough to be selected to teach at a school shortly after arriving in the countryside, so I didn't have to do much farm work or endure the elements."

Grace nodded, understanding, "That explains it."

They reached the registration office, went in, and filled out their employment forms.

After completing the paperwork, they followed the process to the factory's clinic for a medical check-up, then went to the main office to meet the head of the publicity department and learn about the factory.

After finishing all the procedures, they were taken to receive their living supplies like bedding and towels and finally settled into the dormitory.

With the dormitory settled, they followed the veteran workers to start their jobs.

The food factory mainly produced canned goods, biscuits, and candies.

Summer and Grace were assigned to the canning production line, working as filling workers.

The work on the production line wasn't difficult, and they mastered it within half a day.

During the lunch break, they followed the veteran workers to the canteen, had lunch, and then rested in the dormitory until the afternoon shift began.

After the evening shift, Summer didn't stay at the factory.

Having experienced living in a rural collective dormitory, she now disliked living in shared dormitories. So she only rested there at noon and went home after the evening shift.

Grace's family had many members and a small house, so she stayed in the dormitory.

In the evening, Summer would ride her bike home, carry her schoolbag to her room, and dive into her review books after dinner.

She didn't think much about other things, focusing on her job during the day and her studies in the evening, pushing her mind to its limits.

After a few days of this routine, Carman and Shaw found her behavior strange.

That night, as usual, Carman went to remind Summer to go to bed early because she had work the next day.

After the reminder, Carman returned to her room.

Shaw, sitting up in bed, asked, "What is Summer busy with every night? She goes into her room after dinner and doesn't come out."

Carman replied, "She's reading."