Chapter 5

In terms of communication, there is not much to say. Even if one sees through many things, they will never speak them out loud. Members of the team, with their different personalities, need to coexist harmoniously. The person responsible for ideological work has always been him. For someone with a personality like Bei Zhiyi, it is not easy to find an opportunity for conversation

"I am about to be exhausted; I will definitely sleep in bed tonight." He unceremoniously snatched the roasted chicken leg that Victor was eating, and winked at Bei Zhiyi with his gray-green eyes

Generally, when a person chooses to volunteer for the first time, they would not select such a remote island. Victor helped Bei Zhiyi retrieve that half fish.

He Anmu turned his face away to avoid Victor's awkward gaze, and the argument that had only partially unfolded earlier could no longer continue.

Volunteers have their own responsibilities; we will not be here forever, so do not attempt to change their expectations. An ignorant person does not feel pain, but a person with only partial understanding is most likely to develop unwarranted greed.

... ...

He An did not break his promise

Both individuals are quite tall, possessing the robust physique typical of Westerners. However, standing face to face, the aura between them makes Bei Zhi Yi feel somewhat breathless.

Before adding the lemongrass, she served a bowl separately to He An

Therefore, she did not pay any attention to how An and Victor got into an argument

She somewhat understood that this should be the reason for the frequent arguments between An and Victor

Bei Zhiyi has once again damaged a bunch of vegetable leaves

This man has not stopped working since early morning, even during dinner he holds a spoon in one hand and a hammer in the other

Fluent and articulate British English, completely smooth, without any stuttering

She recalled the restless sounds of last night in the hall with An, remembered Victor saying he was an idealist, and thought of the way he had raised one corner of his mouth while drinking the fish stew just now

He is different from us; we are merely passersby on this small island, and we will eventually leave. Therefore, just remember one thing: do not easily give gifts to the islanders

Bei Zhiyi nodded slightly with her lips pressed together

He An took a sip of the stewed fish soup, and the chaotic blend of spices combined with the fishy smell prompted him to quickly shove a mouthful of rice into his mouth

This island, beautiful as if from a fairy tale, also has its own rules

The frown on Menkou and An's brows grew tighter and tighter, while Victor's speech became increasingly rapid. She felt that in the next moment, these two individuals were about to throw punches.

This fish is quite delicious when steamed. Victor pointed to the half fish on the ground, saying, "If it is chopped, it can only be eaten as stewed fish. Add more lemongrass, and An does not eat lemongrass."

"This dish, you don't have it in China?" Victor continued to tease her

However, in the end, she said nothing

"Poverty is the original sin." Victor smiled and said, cruel yet realistic, "On such pristine islands with particularly beautiful natural scenery, there will always be some developers eager to invest money to turn them into tourist attractions. Our presence means that those developers will have to incur higher costs to meet environmental standards when developing these attractions."

He is a madman, wanting to have the best of both worlds. Victor looked at Beizhi and said, "An is a typical idealist; he has great ambitions for this sea area."

Your room will be livable after it has been sun-dried for two more days once the typhoon passes. After hammering in the last nail, he took a sip of the fish stew, smacked his lips, and honestly remarked, "Your cooking skills are quite poor"

Yes. She felt embarrassed, but she did not know how to use basil or how to cook with it.

Victor : `` ... ... ''

A normal person would not use such a method to mediate a dispute

She is truly of no use at all, having run away to this small island to escape reality, constantly claiming she wants to be a volunteer, yet in the end, she can only cause trouble for others

He glanced at her, raised an eyebrow, and said thank you

The rain on the island fell continuously for an entire day

Victor : `` ... ... ''

She just wanted to make some noise to divert the attention of the two, but in her panic, she exerted too much force, and when the fish flew out, her scream was truly heartfelt

"We did not argue." Victor's first reaction was to deny it. He was already a father of two children, and for a brief moment, Beizhi's expression made him think that she was like a child who had witnessed her parents arguing. The comforting words came out without thought, a completely instinctive behavior of a father.

He has been a volunteer for many years and has encountered all kinds of people. He is not meeting someone with a personality like Bei Zhiyi's for the first time.

A'Gai followed behind him, turning back to Beizhi Yi while walking, and bowed with his hands clasped together. Beizhi Yi, blushing, also bent down. When she straightened up, she caught a glimpse of Victor's gaze, and her face turned even redder.

The person who went to open the door was He An, who had an iron nail clenched in his mouth and held a hammer in his hand, which he had just used to secure the window. A large patch on the back of his black vest was soaked with sweat. Bei Zhiyi secretly glanced up at him but quickly lowered her head, her face gradually turning red to the roots of her ears

I squeezed in with Victor. He finally found a stool to sit on and let out a comfortable sigh

Then... she hesitated for a moment, "Why does An want to go out?"

He is not unable to perceive Bei Zhiyi's nervousness; she is not good with words and tends to lower her head when speaking to others. Having been here for a whole day, she has never taken the initiative to speak.

The half fish that was flung to the ground by her, still adorned with silvery scales, bounced on the ground due to its elasticity, leaving behind a pool of blood.

When there are many people, she deliberately hides in the corner; when there are few people, she can reduce her presence to zero

A'Gai stood by in a fluster, unsure of where to place his hands and feet. He could only look anxiously at Bei Zhi Yi, even pressing his palms together and rubbing them slightly in front of her.

She recalled the morning when she went grocery shopping with An, and An's attitude towards the islanders was indeed not very warm, which was quite different from what she had initially thought

The habit of gaining without effort is the most addictive; once this habit is formed, it will make the work of future volunteers even more difficult

Bei Zhiyi finally looked up: "Why?"

When she raised her head due to the commotion at the door, An and Victor were already standing at the entrance, poised for confrontation. Poor Agai stood between the two, wringing his hands and frowning, looking as if he was about to cry

He An : `` ... ... ''

Bei Zhiyi did not respond

He was almost completely soaked, with marks on his hands from being tied with ropes, and his eyes were bloodshot

"I am short, so sleeping on a chair is more suitable for me." She repeated this sentence, this time with a slightly louder voice

Bei Zhiyi was very afraid that these two people would start arguing again, so she hurriedly replied, "Alright, take care."

Bei Zhiyi quickly put the nine-layer tower back into the basket

He returned to the base before the sky completely darkened, bringing back two Thai-style roasted chickens

This is nine-layer tower, a type of basil leaf, which can eliminate the fishy smell when placed inside fish. The roots and stems are of no use; if you pluck all the leaves, it cannot be eaten.

He An ultimately went out.

While Bei Zhiyi was in the kitchen studying and purchasing a large pile of unnamed vegetables and fish, the burly A'Gai, who had stopped her from entering the island yesterday, knocked on the base's door carrying a bag of rice

During the peak season, some tourists come to this island, and they enjoy giving the personal items they bring with them as small gifts to the islanders, especially to the children on the island

Bei Zhiyi bit her lip and closed her eyes for a moment, then picked up the kitchen knife that was ready for chopping vegetables beside her. She forcefully struck the cutting board, and the fish, measuring about twenty to thirty centimeters, was chopped into two pieces. One of the pieces, with excellent elasticity, flew out and struck behind An He and Victor

Victor let out a cold snort

A'Gai, who completely could not understand what they were saying, stood by the door with his hands hanging down, scratched his head, and sniffed his nose in a very honest manner

The hall of the base is somewhat large, and the voices of the three people were drowned out by the sound of the rain. Bei Zhiyi could only infer from their body language that Victor was continuously making gestures to block An from going outside

After Sakura and Yitan returned, the base became extremely lively. The first dinner that Beizhi prepared on the island was nearly finished off in a rush by everyone. Although she merely chopped the fish into pieces and tossed them into the pot, added a bunch of spices introduced by Victor, and then threw in a lot of tomatoes and limes.

After speaking, it became somewhat awkward

She helplessly crumpled an entire leaf into a ball

He An : `` ... ... ''

"I will definitely be back before dark," he said, carrying the bag of rice that A-Gai had brought over to the kitchen, speaking to the air, not knowing who he was addressing.

Victor's words made her realize that even on this isolated island, her so-called escape was nonexistent

I can sleep in the hall

However, Sakura and Yitan, who were responsible for going out to purchase daily supplies, have not returned. Now, she is the only one in the hall, while that towering figure, A'Gai, is continuously looking at her with pleading eyes, his expression appearing helpless and lost.

She absolutely would not dare to intervene in the fight; on one hand, it is because she is not familiar with them, and on the other hand, even if she were familiar, she would definitely not dare to speak up in such a situation

There are no cars or air conditioning on this island, they are unaware of what air pollution is, nor do they know the extent to which ocean pollution has become severe. They have no concept of environmental protection, and their greatest challenge in life is poverty. Our presence has raised the threshold for developers and hindered the islanders' ability to earn money, which is why many islanders do not welcome us. He stated this more bluntly, and after finishing, he shrugged, saying, "In their eyes, we are just meddling in their affairs." After saying this, he shrugged again, "In their eyes, we are just meddling in their affairs."

In such a remote place, the relationship between volunteers and the local islanders is usually not particularly good. He continued to speak to himself in the relaxed tone commonly used during casual conversations

It looks very foolish

Is this your first time volunteering?" Victor changed the subject

Beizhi lowered her head even further

He An and Victor turned around simultaneously, only to see the girl with an almost nonexistent presence holding a kitchen knife in one hand and a fish head that had been chopped in half in the other. The fish head, with its unblinking eyes, revealed bright red gills, and together with the girl, they looked at them with a mix of extreme fear and utter helplessness

However, every word he said is reasonable

Bei Zhiyi's expression was somewhat bewildered; the angle mentioned by Victor was one she had never considered before

She is the kind of person who does not even dare to intervene when she sees her parents arguing

When teaching them English, you must remember that regardless of what they say, there should be no unconditional material gifts. You may use small gifts as incentives to encourage them to learn English, but it is essential to make them understand that these rewards come with conditions

Victor was still upset in his heart about He and An's insistence on going out with A Ge in such dreadful weather, which is why his earlier words were laced with anger and his tone was quite harsh in some places

The loud sound of the kitchen knife chopping on the cutting board, the fish being cut in half with a splat, accompanied by Bei Zhi Yi's small scream.

Even though his words were laden with personal emotions, Bei Zhiyi could still sense a profound sense of powerlessness from what he said

She pinched off another bunch of leaves

You may sympathize with their poverty, but you must not interfere; this is the greatest principle of our team

In fact, we are all merely passersby. Victor looked at the banana leaves outside, which were in disarray due to the strong wind, and said, "So is Ann."