ABSTRACT
In the course of family evolution, the number of workers changes often. Sometimes people foresee these changes. A newly married couple expects to lack hands after family division, treading water until their children reach adulthood. In 1988, the family lacked working males, and Fu Guoxi brooded over the situation. He and his wife supported several nonworking youngsters. In Hebei, Guoxi's father taught him the family sideline, making felt quilts for sleeping platforms. Guoxi also learned to handle work cows and sheep, skills that would serve him well later. For Fu Guoxi, the different prospects enjoyed by urban and rural townsfolk are a constant source of irritation. He resents the more limited school and work opportunities available to his children even more than the higher grain prices he must pay. Despite his nod to a new tradition, Guoxi was aware that his children longed for a different life.
