Bai Suli, who had just come out of her room, heard this and curled her lip. "So restless first thing in the morning. She’s not some precious young lady that you need to go out and greet."
Geng Erhong’s expression changed instantly. "I say, Educated Youth Bai, why is your mouth so nasty? We didn’t provoke you, did we? What are you freaking out about?"
As Geng Erhong spoke, she didn’t lower her voice, and all the educated youth washing up in the courtyard looked over.
Bai Suli felt somewhat awkward for a moment. "What did I say that was wrong? We just arrived, and look at her, running around since early morning without a trace. And you were the one who said you’d go out to meet someone; I didn’t misquote you."
Yunyi walked past Geng Erhong and headed straight into the courtyard. Before anyone could react, she kicked Bai Suli, sending her flying. "I told you yesterday, don’t provoke me. Did you just let my words go in one ear and out the other?"
Bai Suli was kicked hard. Clutching her stomach, it took her a long moment to recover. "Chuyunyi, what gives you the right to hit people?"
Yunyi’s face remained cold. "Because of your foul mouth. If you don’t like it, go report me."
Her kick was skillfully delivered. It wouldn’t leave any evidence to cause her trouble, only ensuring Bai Suli would suffer in silence.
Truth be told, she just wanted to use Bai Suli to establish her authority. This way, once she moved to her small courtyard to live alone, people wouldn’t dare to act up in front of her. After all, she had come to the countryside seeking peace and quiet.
Bai Suli, in too much pain to bear, started crying. "Point Leader, Chuyunyi hit me in front of so many people! Aren’t you going to do something?"
Wang Jianhui disliked Bai Suli’s troublemaking tendencies, but he also disapproved of Yunyi’s readiness to resort to violence at the slightest disagreement.
He was about to speak when he heard Yunyi say coolly, "The one who provokes first is to blame. You say I hit you? Where’s the injury? If you want to falsely accuse someone, you need evidence, don’t you?"
With that, she pulled Geng Erhong and started walking out. "If you want to report me, go ahead. I, Chuyunyi, am ready anytime."
Bai Suli was furious. "You all just wait!"
Yunyi didn’t care what fuss Bai Suli intended to make. She would deal with whatever came her way; moving out of the Zhiqing Point and living her own quiet life was what truly mattered.
Geng Erhong, however, looked worried. "Yunyi, you’re too impulsive. Even if you were going to hit her, you should have waited until no one was around. What if she really goes to the village cadres? What then?"
Yunyi walked straight on. "Anyway, she started it, so she brought the beating upon herself. Besides, just because she says I hit her, does that make it true? Let everyone see where she’s injured then."
Seeing Yunyi so unconcerned, Geng Erhong didn’t know what to say.
Soon, the two arrived at Carpenter Yin’s house at the west end of the village. Yunyi called out towards the house, "Uncle Yin, are you home?"
A woman’s voice came from inside. "Who is it?"
Yunyi replied towards the courtyard, "Auntie, we’re the new educated youth. We came to see if you have any suitable furniture."
A well-proportioned, middle-aged woman came out. "Come in."
The woman wasn’t very talkative. She pointed to a shed built by the side of the courtyard. "Everything is over there. See what you need."
The two walked closer. Yunyi chose a set of a table and chairs, and a cabinet for the main room. Anyway, she had her own storage, so these items were just for show, to avoid suspicion. Follow current novᴇls on NoveI[F]ire.net
She also picked a simple three-tier shelf for the kitchen and, lastly, asked for a wicker back-basket.
Geng Erhong kept it simple and chose a small cupboard. It was perfect because the box could hold things, the top could display daily necessities, and it even had a lock.
Just as they finished their selection, Carpenter Yin returned from outside.
Seeing her husband arrive, the woman said, "Dear, these are the new educated youth. They came to pick out some furniture."