"1, 2, 3... 79, 80..."
"Subtract the cost of flour, lard, meat, and firewood..."
At night, his sister counted on her fingers, occasionally scribbling on a piece of paper.
Without a doubt, Tang Wen and his sister were literate.
There was a free school in the camp. Children under fifteen could attend for three to four hours every afternoon, free of charge for three years.
But very few children went.
In the eyes of the camp's adults, a six or seven-year-old kid could help watch the younger siblings. A couple of years older, and they could be weeding the fields and doing manual labor.
'What's the use of learning to read?'
"I've got the total!"
Beneath the dim oil lamp, Tangtang's eyes shone.
Tang Wen wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light, but he could have sworn her eyes were gleaming with a golden glint.
"Is it 100 Copper Coins?"