Chapter 10: The Bridge Is the Bridge, and the Road Is the Road

“Comrade Zheng, do you mean the same?”

This was the first time Hu Yingying had ever been threatened, and she furrowed her brow as she stared at the person in charge of the educated youth group, trying to gauge his meaning.

“Comrade Hu, as educated youth, we should help each other. But we’re not all in the same boat. You don’t contribute or make an effort, and we really can’t do anything more for you,” Zheng Guoqiang said. His words were completely at odds with his usually simple and honest demeanor, making him appear far more devious and scheming.

“Fine. From now on, let’s each mind our own business—‘the bridge is the bridge, and the road is the road.’ I hope everyone really sticks to that. Otherwise, don’t think I’m easy to bully,” Hu Yingying replied, scanning the room and noting everyone’s reactions before grabbing Li Lin’s hand and starting to leave.

“Yingying, I still have something to say.” Li Lin tugged on Hu Yingying’s hand, giving everyone one last glance. Then, in a gentler tone, she said:

“All of us are from all over, gathered here together. We should be taking care of one another. But instead, for your own selfish interests, you try to bully us new educated youths, and that really hurts my heart.”

“However, since things have been made clear now, whether our lives go well or not, it’s no longer for any of you to talk about.”

“If I hear anyone gossiping or pointing fingers at us in the future, don’t blame us for not being polite. After all, we can still afford to pay for a few injuries if it comes to that.”

“With that said, everyone, take care of yourselves.”

Li Lin flashed a bright smile, waved at everyone, and pulled Hu Yingying out the door.

“Wait for me, I’m coming with you.” Lin Meina, clearly fond of the two women’s bold personalities, ignored the angry glares and ran out after them.

“It’s getting late, and we have work tomorrow, so I’ll head back now,” Han Xue said, waving to the group before turning to leave.

Fang Mingyi and Zhu Liyan didn’t even glance at the remaining people, turning around and walking off without a word.

“What kind of people are they? They threaten us, and yet they’re the ones acting so arrogant. Who exactly is threatening whom here?” Li Dikai was furious, not expecting the two new educated youths to be so bold.

“Alright, they’ve already said they don’t need our help in the future. If they run into trouble, we won’t get involved. No need to get so worked up,” Zhao Li comforted Li Dikai, then turned to Liu Lan and asked, “What about you? Are you eating with us or on your own?”

“I’ll eat with you all,” Liu Lan replied. She was alone anyway, and if she ate by herself, who would help her if she got bullied later? It was better to stick together.

“Okay, since we’re eating together, let’s go over the rules. For the oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar we use for cooking, everyone contributes two yuan a month.”

“The food is stored with me. Firewood is your own responsibility to gather. Water needs to be fetched by the male educated youths, and the cooking is done by the female educated youths, rotating daily. Whoever cooks washes the pots and pans, and everyone washes their own dishes.”

“Also, the vegetables in the yard are grown by us. If you want to eat them, you’ll need to contribute another two yuan per month. If you don’t want them, that’s fine too.”

“One more thing: each month, we have one or two communal meals. Everyone contributes one yuan for that. The pots, pans, and utensils were all bought by us. If you want to use them, you’ll need to chip in one yuan each.”

Zhao Li went over the rules for sharing meals, then added, “Don’t look at it as a lot of money. The good thing about eating with us is that you won’t have to worry about being bullied by the villagers as newcomers.”

Liu Lan and Zhang Qinghua had initially turned pale when they heard they were expected to pay six yuan each month. 

But when they were told they wouldn’t be bullied, they gritted their teeth and reluctantly agreed.

“Well, I’m not going to join in. I feel like I’m eating well enough already, haha. It’s getting late, I’ll go to bed now.”

Sun Xiao was harder to fool than Zhang Qinghua and Liu Lan. Seeing the two of them agree, and realizing he was the only one left, he quickly made an excuse and slipped away.

Zhao Li and the others noticed that someone had run off but didn’t mind.

After all, they were satisfied that two “suckers” had agreed to contribute.

“Alright then, since you’ve both agreed, you can go ahead and hand over your money and food. After all, you’ll need it for tomorrow’s meals, right?” Zhao Li urged them to give up the money and grain, afraid that they might change their minds later.

Liu Lan and Zhang Qinghua didn’t think too much about it. They obediently went inside and brought out the money and grain, handing it over to Zhao Li.

“Okay, now that the money and grain are in our hands, you two can relax. It’s getting late, and you have to work tomorrow, so go ahead and get some rest.”

Zhao Li took the money and asked Zheng Guoqiang to store the grain. She kindly told them to head back to their rooms to rest.

Without hesitation, Liu Lan and Zhang Qinghua turned and left for their rooms.

“Exactly twelve yuan. We’ll each take three yuan, and from now on, we’ll divide it like this every month. But let’s keep it quiet—don’t let anyone know,” Zhao Li said as she took the twelve yuan, splitting it among herself, Li Dikai, Zheng Guoqiang, and Zhou Chunshan, reminding them to keep it hush-hush.

“Got it, I’m heading to bed now. We have work tomorrow,” Zheng Guoqiang said, but in his mind, he was dissatisfied with only getting three yuan. If the three newcomers had paid, each of them would have at least seven yuan a month.

But those three, especially the two girls, were too ungrateful. He would have to find a way to “teach them a lesson” and make them obediently return to the communal meals and pay their share.

Meanwhile, Li Lin and Hu Yingying had no idea that someone was plotting against them. They were stunned as Lin Meina filled them in on the dirty tricks the others had been pulling at the educated youth station.

“Are they treating everyone like fools?” Li Lin couldn’t believe that the people in the front courtyard would stoop so low.

She knew that asking for five or six yuan every month was a huge amount for the educated youths. It was not only a significant sum for them but also could be a whole family’s living expenses for a month in the city.

“Exactly. Otherwise, why would Han Xue, Zhu Zhiqing, and Fang Zhiqing be so disgusted with them?” Lin Meina added, then warned the two, “I have a feeling they won’t give up easily. Be on guard, don’t let them succeed.”

“Don’t worry. We don’t start trouble, but we’re not afraid of it either. If this thing blows up, the ones who’ll end up losing are probably them,” Li Lin said confidently. Given her background with the marketplace, she wasn’t afraid of any schemes. If needed, she could always grab some weapons from the marketplace or take refuge there.

Hu Yingying, relying on her family’s influence, was also unafraid. If they really pushed her too far, she could make one call, and the troublemakers would be sent to the most remote and difficult places. But for now, she was just trying to keep a low profile and avoid causing a scene. So, she decided to take things one step at a time.

“You two are way more ruthless than I was when I first arrived here,” Lin Meina sighed. “Well, I better head back and sleep. Got to wake up early for work tomorrow.” With that, she waved goodbye and went back to her room to rest.

“We should rest too. We need to be quick tomorrow morning,” Li Lin said, pulling Hu Yingying back to their rooms. She locked the door, drew the curtains, and slipped into the marketplace.