"That's right, you dare mess with Mr. Liu, and we'll take you down first."
At the critical moment, Zhang Yunhao and the others spoke up to support Qi Yang, their eyes like daggers scraping over Wu Yongfei.
Wang Nan had already rolled up his sleeves, looking ready to fight.
Wu Yongfei scanned the room, noticing that besides Yi Chichi's completely calm eyes, everyone else looked like they wanted to eat someone alive.
Instantly, an indescribable sense of grievance welled up in his heart.
"Say something."
Qi Yang, who had him by the neck, shook him a bit when he didn't speak.
The force was a bit strong, making Wu Yongfei feel like his brain was being scrambled, so he hurriedly begged for mercy, "I'll talk, I'll talk, what am I supposed to say?"
Please stop shaking, my neck is about to break.
"Say you won't deliver the sesame candies."
"I won't send them!"
Understanding the situation well, Wu Yongfei shamelessly complied, repeating whatever Qi Yang said, behaving more obediently than a primary school student.
Seeing this, everyone was satisfied.
Qi Yang released his grip on his neck, saying irritably, "You should have had this self-awareness from the start."
Wu Yongfei, truth be told, he didn't want to have this kind of self-awareness at all.
But the minority should comply with the majority, and he didn't want to get beaten up.
Still, he couldn't help but touch his neck and ask dejectedly, "Am I really that bad?"
He directed this question at Yi Chichi.
She scoffed, "There's an old saying, marry a man, wear clothes, and eat food! You can hardly support yourself, let alone a wife. If you were a woman, would you want to marry a man like that?"
"No, I wouldn't."
He replied instinctively, and once he realized what he said, he immediately became dejected, like an eggplant hit by frost.
"Looks like we're destined to grow old alone."
It wasn't entirely hopeless; if aiming high didn't work, they could always aim lower.
But—
"Don't you want to go back to the city?"
Yi Chichi found it odd, because in the period novels she had read, the educated youth sent down to the countryside were desperate to return to the cities.
How come it sounded like Wu Yongfei and the others had never even considered it?
"We can't go back."
Wang Nan sighed, "Life in the city is hard too. At least here in the countryside, we can feed ourselves. In the city, people and dogs dislike us."
The 'people' referred to were family members.
Hearing this, Bai Chen and the others, feeling alike in their hearts, started talking.
"Those with connections had arrangements made early on; they didn't get sent down."
"Those without connections can sharpen their heads, but can't get back."
"Those willing to take risks, even if they can't go back, can find another way to live. But people like us, who are neither completely bad nor entirely good, can only muddle through day by day."
This was heartfelt speech.
And indeed, it's true; society is this realistic.
Those with connections who dare to take risks are indeed few.
The rest, who have no connections, are the ones who make up the general populace.
They're unable to be completely shameless, yet can't be entirely dignified, so they can only struggle awake amidst hardships.
"Cherish the life you have now."
Bai Chen earnestly advised, "At least the villagers in Kao Shan Village aren't bad to us."
Though seemingly off-topic, everyone agreed with this sentiment.
At least the villagers in Kao Shan Village complain that they're good for nothing, and only good at causing trouble.
But it stops at complaints. They won't take advantage of them or push them around too far.
Some educated youth in other groups live lives worse than animals, isolated and bullied everywhere, with good looks being a disaster.
Items sent from home are first signed by the local brigade, and how much actually reaches you depends on their mood.
Recalling this, Wu Yongfei sighed, "My mouth often gets me into trouble, but I haven't been beaten to death thanks to the kindness of the local leaders."
"I think you're quite aware of things. Why can't you control your mouth sometimes and say things that annoy others?"
Yi Chichi really couldn't understand his thought process, so she asked.
Wu Yongfei sighed, "Do you think I like it? But my mouth is faster than my brain."
This was his way of saying he couldn't control himself.
Everyone had no solution to this.
Yi Chichi could help him change, but after glancing at Wu Yongfei, she ultimately gave up on the idea.
Just then, they arrived at the post office.
"I'm going to pick up some things at the post office. Do you want to wait for me or head to the station first?"
"Together."
Thus, the group entered the post office.
Yi Chichi thought she was the only one picking up something, but everyone had a package.
Though she had the most.
Seeing the packages brought out by the post office staff, Bai Chen and the others were dumbfounded.
Zhou Qiuyu stammered, "Chi...Chichi, did you empty your whole house?"
"No."
Yi Chichi didn't even look up while verifying the documents. After thanking the postal staff, she prepared to move the packages.
Just as she reached out, a large hand appeared and grabbed the package, tossing it onto a shoulder.
Looking up, she saw Bai Chen carrying the package.
At the moment their eyes met, he flashed a toothy grin, "We'll help you."
Yi Chichi, "…Thank you!"
Then, the large packages were divvied up among the male educated youth.
The women, including Yi Chichi, took the smaller ones.
After leaving the post office, the group headed straight to the bus station.
But there was no bus at the moment, and it wasn't clear how long they would wait.
Qi Yang checked his watch, frowning.
"It's two o'clock."
The elderly were returning at three; if the bus arrived soon, they could meet up with them.
"Let's hope the bus arrives quickly."
The minutes ticked by, and soon it was two-thirty, but still no bus.
Just then, Wang Nan nudged Yi Chichi's hand, and when she looked over, she asked quietly, "Chichi, do you want to go to the restroom with us?"
"Sure!"
So, the four of them informed Bai Chen and the others before leaving.
When Yi Chichi came out of the restroom, she looked a bit green around the gills, and upon seeing that Wang Nan and the others hadn't come out yet, she moved to a less windy spot to wait.
The wind at the spot was too strong and unfriendly to her sense of smell.
In the less windy spot stood a young couple.
The man was dressed in a wool suit, with a pen clipped to his chest pocket; the woman wore work clothes, with a red scarf draped around her neck, covering most of her face.
Only a pair of charming almond-shaped eyes were visible.
They didn't speak, and with the distance of half a foot between them, Yi Chichi assumed they didn't know each other.
Noticing her presence, the two turned their heads to look at her simultaneously.
Their sharp gaze was identical.
Yi Chichi's heart skipped, but she kept her face neutral as she smiled at them, then covered her nose with her hand, muttering softly, "Zhouzhou, hurry up and come out, it stinks here!"
Hearing this, the young couple exchanged a glance and resumed talking and laughing.
But the language they spoke wasn't the Northern dialect, it was from a city in Southern.
However, that wasn't the main point; the main point was their strange conversation.
Yi Chichi overheard mentions of 'eight o'clock', 'delivery at the east forest', and similar phrases.
She pondered over it, her peripheral vision subtly observing their every move.