Era: Rise from the Wilderness

"Yes, officer!"

Fu Chao reacted quickly, immediately taking the lead in responding while secretly giving hand signals to his brothers.

The group of teenagers felt as if they had been granted a pardon, and quickly threw away or hid their "tools" as they could, scattering like birds and beasts.

Director Liu then looked at Li Yunjing, Fu Chao, and Ding Dong: "The three of you, and this one too..."

He looked at the younger brother who was testifying, "Come with me to the station to give a detailed statement."

"As for you..."

His gaze fell on Li Yunjing and Fu Chao. "It's good to act bravely and righteously, but the methods and approaches must be carefully considered. This is a one-time exception."

"Yes, we understand."

Li Yunjing and Fu Chao nodded quickly.

Watching Ma Youcai and the other two being put into a police car and the white Lada being driven away, Li Yunjing's tense nerves finally relaxed completely.

A strong sense of fatigue washed over me, and the pain in my legs became even more pronounced.

Li Wanting walked to his side and handed him a clean handkerchief: "Wipe yourself first. When my brother comes back from Bincheng later, he will personally go to the bureau to discuss this matter. This kind of thing is very simple. My brother will handle it well and won't let Ma Youcai and the other two get away with it."

Li Yunjing knew perfectly well what kind of background Li Wanting's brother had. Her brother was already considered a rising star in the underworld, much more capable than Fu Chao, a novice hoodlum.

Li Yunjing took the handkerchief and looked into the girl's clear and concerned eyes, feeling a surge of warmth and emotion in his heart.

Today's series of events, from the campus to the streets, from the disciplinary office to the police station, have been full of twists and turns. If it weren't for the brotherly loyalty of Fu Chao and the calm assistance of Li Wanting, the consequences would have been unpredictable.

"Thank you!"

"But where did you get that mobile phone?"

Li Yunjing felt relieved and changed the subject.

My brother gave it to me!

Li Wanting shook the heavy, dark mobile phone in her hand, which looked like a thick brick, her tone a little smug and a little helpless, "Yesterday at school... cough, I got the short end of the stick, didn't I?"

"When I told my brother about it later, he was furious. He insisted that it was inconvenient for me to contact him, and that I was afraid I would be bullied again and wouldn't be able to find him. So he forced this on me."

She pointed to the mobile phone that symbolized status and power in the early 1990s, "It was incredibly heavy and ridiculously expensive. I said I didn't want it, but he insisted."

Li Yunjing, Fu Chao, and Ding Dong all stared intently at the "black brick," their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. The tension and lingering fear they felt earlier were instantly replaced by a surge of envy.

"Holy crap!"

Fu Chao was the first to exclaim. He took two steps closer, looking like he wanted to touch her but didn't dare. "Wow, that's a real big shot! Li Wanting! Your brother is just too... too awesome!"

He was so excited he was almost incoherent, his eyes shining as he looked at Li Wanting. "I saw this thing at the county department store last time, it was priced at over 20,000! You had to pull strings to buy it!"

"This...this is like something out of a movie!"

Ding Dong also revealed an unusually eager expression: "Can I make phone calls anytime, anywhere?"

Ding Dong's family was very poor. They had rural household registration in the town, and they rarely even had a landline, let alone a mobile phone.

He was also envious of such good things, but knowing his own limitations, he could only look on with envy.

Although Li Yunjing had been reborn and was much more composed than them, seeing this "antique" in person and considering the current era still filled him with a myriad of emotions.

In the early 1990s, a mobile phone was not only a communication tool, but also a symbol of status and power.

An average person's monthly salary might only be a few hundred yuan, but this thing is equivalent to several years' salary.

Li Wanting's brother casually gifted a phone to his sister who was still in high school; this generosity and doting affection are truly astonishing.

"no!!"

Fu Chao was still clicking his tongue, circling the phone in Li Wanting's hand, examining it as if it were a priceless treasure. "I'm going to call my mom as soon as I get back! I have to buy one! It's so damn impressive! When I'm out and about, if anything happens, I can just 'snap' it out and make a call—that'll be so classy!"

He had already begun to fantasize about the cool scene of himself holding a mobile phone, surrounded by a group of thugs in arcades and video arcades.

Li Wanting felt a little embarrassed by their stares and put her mobile phone into her handbag: "Oh, it's just a slightly bigger and heavier phone."

"My brother said not to use it carelessly, because phone bills are expensive, and to only use it in critical situations."

She glanced at Fu Chao, who looked like he couldn't wait to rush home and ask for money, and couldn't help but laugh, "Fu Chao, there's no way your mom would agree to that."

"Besides, what are you going to do with it?"

"Do you call the arcade owner every day to ask if they have any new games?"

"That's different!"

Fu Chao retorted, "Aura! Do you understand? This is called aura! If this doesn't work, I'm going to go back and pester my mom!"

Watching them bicker, Li Yunjing finally relaxed completely after a tense afternoon, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

The troubles and joys of youth are sometimes so simple and direct; a novel thing can instantly wash away the previous thrills.

"Alright, stop being jealous."

Li Yunjing patted Fu Chao on the shoulder, "Let's focus on the present. We still need to go to the station to give statements."

He looked at his disheveled appearance, then at Li Wanting, "Wanting, I really owe you a lot today. Otherwise... the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"Don't say that. You helped me yesterday, so I can't just watch you suffer."

Li Wanting waved her hand: "Let's go, let's go to the branch office to take care of the important business first. Your leg needs to be checked out at the health center after we leave the office."

Because there is a large state-owned enterprise in the town, a branch office was directly assigned to it.

Li Yunjing vaguely remembers that two years later, his family was allocated a house, and the director of the branch office lived upstairs. A few years later, he was transferred to the county to serve as a leader, and from then on, he rose rapidly through the ranks.

Director Liu had already made the arrangements and gestured for Li Yunjing and the others to get into the 212 jeep.

As Li Yunjing passed by the impounded white Lada, he gave it a cold look.

Ma Youcai and his two companions had been put into a police car, looking dejected and completely devoid of their previous arrogance.

Sitting in the bumpy jeep, watching the familiar yet unfamiliar 1990s street scenes slowly recede outside the window, Li Yunjing leaned back in his seat and let out a long sigh.

The day's experience was far more "exciting" and "dangerous" than he had imagined his post-rebirth campus life.

Fortunately, he had brothers who cared about him, classmates who offered their help, and... a solution unique to this era, crude yet effective enough.

The wound on his leg throbbed with pain, but he felt much more at ease.

At least his parents were safe for now. As for the future, there were monthly exams, sports meets, and many more unknown challenges... He touched the fifty yuan in his pocket and then thought of the coveted mobile phone in Li Wanting's bag.

This era is full of wildness, but also full of opportunities.