Face to Face

Neil and his companions gathered in a relatively secluded little park, each holding a bottle of beer in one hand and a large fried chicken burger in the other.

These are the reasons they come here: free alcohol, free fried chicken and burgers.

This seemingly unhealthy diet is precisely what the Working Class loves most. They enjoy high-calorie foods and need some energy to replenish their bodies after a long day at work.

At this time, this food was even more attractive to them. After everyone lost their jobs, everything changed. Their families rarely bought food and instead saved money to deal with emergencies.

The Food Stamps issued by the City Hall provided enough food for their daily lives. Although they wouldn't starve, they really missed the taste.

The people standing in the crowd were loudly proclaiming some seemingly profound truths, such as that what they had lost must be taken back with their own hands, and that the factory owners who usually exploited them should now return the hard-earned money they had squeezed out of them.

It's not that they want to do anything terrible; it's that society is now on the verge of danger, and workers and factory owners should be one.

They usually endure the exploitation and oppression of the factory owners, but at this time, the factory owners should also help them so that everyone can get through the difficulties together, instead of letting them go.

The person also gave some examples, such as in some industrial cities in the north, even if the factories are not operating, the factory owners will still pay the workers the minimum wage to help them get through the current difficult situation.

But look at their boss; the moment they faced difficulties, he kicked them out, completely extinguishing their hopes.

"This is a battle of revenge!" the organizer roared, his shouts quite rousing, and many people joined in.

However, most people remained calm and observed. Workers are not criminals. Although they may seem difficult to get along with at times, they are actually a group of people who abide by the law. Otherwise, they would not silently endure various forms of exploitation without standing up to resist.

Someone suddenly interrupted, asking, "Hick, are you trying to kidnap the boss?"

Hick was the organizer's name. After hearing this, he didn't show much aggression. He just shook his head and said, "Hey guys, listen up. I'm not telling you to commit crimes with me. That's illegal, and we'll go to jail for it."

"Although I heard that they can eat chicken and beef every day inside, the feeling of losing freedom is not pleasant."

"What I want to do is take back our share!" He turned his gaze to his Coworker, who were standing or sitting in the open space. "There's still a warehouse full of raw materials in the Material Warehouse. We'll just open the Material Warehouse, continue production, and then take what we produce and sell it."

"I heard that the Interstellar Trade Company buys back all kinds of goods. We can sell these things at a relatively low price and use the money to compensate him for what he usually takes from others."

"This money should be enough for us to last until the end of the year!"

His voice grew louder and more resolute, "This is what we deserve!"

These statements avoid the most direct criminal acts, although they are still criminal acts, but they are much milder and more acceptable than serious crimes such as assault, kidnapping, and extortion.

Many people were tempted. As factory workers, they knew how much their products were worth. Hick's words made perfect sense; they were simply taking back what was rightfully theirs.

The thought of how dire their recent circumstances were, with even beer and fried chicken becoming luxuries, made some onlookers restless.

The man next to Neil nudged him with his elbow. This was his good friend, and the two were classmates. They had dropped out of high school and started working. According to Federal law, Child Labor was permitted, but there were strict standards in place.

It wasn't illegal for them to work when they were fourteen or fifteen years old, which greatly reduced the burden on their families, and most families did the same at that time.

They went to school together, dropped out of school together, found a job together, and worked as colleagues until two months ago.

"What do you think? Should we participate?"

Neil hesitated. He was a good man, though sometimes he had a bad temper, but he had never committed a crime, which was the template for most men in ordinary families.

They can be savage and rude at times, seemingly capable of killing at any moment. But this is just a facade. Beneath that fragile facade, they are simply ordinary people who can also break down and get hurt.

He took a swig of beer from the bottle, the rich wheat aroma and bursting bubbles making him breathe a deep sigh of relief. This was the most pleasant moment he had experienced since losing his job. "I'm not sure," he said, "But Hick is a member of the union. If the boss gives him trouble, the union will stand up for him."

He didn't finish his sentence, and his expression wasn't very clear, but his old friend beside him understood what he meant. "We're also from the union."

Neil shook his head and continued, "It's different, he's my biological son."

To put it simply, Hick was Labor Union, responsible for organizing the factory's union, and could be considered a representative of the factory's workers.

He not only represented the workers in the factory, but also, to some extent, the face of the Sabine City Labor Union, the state Labor Union, and the Federal Labor Union.

It sounds complicated, but to put it simply, if he gets into trouble, a sufficiently influential Labor Union' union will come to his aid.

But if other people get into trouble, they can only turn to Hick, but this is not Hick's problem. The Labor Union will certainly provide some assistance, but it will not help others in the same way it helped Hick.

"If something really happens, someone will have to take responsibility. I don't want it to be you or me."

Neil finally made his stance clear, but his friends had different opinions.

"Nobody cares about us nobody now. Even if they want to cause trouble, they'll only go after that guy..." Neil's old friend raised his chin, gesturing to Hick, Hick was standing in the crowd continuing to incite others.

"Moreover, this is a good opportunity. None of us know how long these days will last, so we need to prepare for the future!"

Ultimately, Neil failed to convince his old friend, and his old friend failed to convince him either. This was the first major disagreement between the two since they had known each other since the first grade of Elementary School.

Disagreements on minor issues are normal, but this was the first time such a fundamental disagreement had occurred. In the end, Neil left amidst the disdainful and hostile gazes of the people, along with several others.

In the eyes of the remaining people, they became cowards who came to freeload, but they seemed to have forgotten that Hick had organized everyone to come here to hold an event with free food and drinks.

He didn't know if his choice was right or wrong, nor did he know what would happen between him and his old friend in the future, which made him very anxious.

He didn't realize that the reason he hadn't made that decision wasn't because he was afraid of committing a crime, but because he hadn't actually been driven to a dead end.

Hick was right when he told them to leave: Neil, and some others, were not on the same page as those who were willing to take risks. That statement hit the nail on the head regarding the core of the disagreement.

Those people had been forced to the edge of a cliff with no way out, but those who left, including Neil, had not yet reached the edge. They still had more options, which is why they lacked the courage to take a desperate gamble.

He returned home somewhat unpleasantly, and as soon as he opened the door, a nauseating smell wafted from the Living Room. He frowned, which made him miss the taste of the fried chicken, hamburgers, and beer he had just eaten even more.

As the pillar of the family for a long time, Neil's authority was not affected by his unemployment.

He glanced at the kitchen and immediately noticed the bottle of wine on the cabinet. "You bought wine?" he asked, his voice rising several times in that short sentence, revealing his displeasure.

Sera quickly turned around and explained, "Lin Qi is back, and this is a gift he brought."

Neil fell silent immediately, because Lin Qi was his last resort, his final choice, a choice he himself was unwilling to admit.

He suddenly felt a bit lost. He didn't know how to face Lin Qi. If Lin Qi had listened to him back then, they would be no different from the people in the park now, because they would have no way out.

But admitting it would also upset him, as it would mean his decision was incredibly foolish, and as the head of the family, it would be a huge loss of face for him.

Neil didn't speak, and Sera remained silent as she continued preparing dinner. Ten minutes later, the family sat down at the very old but spotlessly clean dining table.

"I don't know if you're used to this, so I added some beans and potatoes," Sera said to Lin Qi, introducing their dinner. She looked a little embarrassed, as if ashamed that she couldn't serve her child a fancy meal.

Before the three of them was a simple dinner. Each person had only one bowl containing a thick, liquid food that looked like feces, mixed with some beans and potato chunks.

Due to a lack of sufficient culinary knowledge, these beans had lost their vibrant green color and turned slightly yellow, making the whole dish look as if someone had defecated in it.

This is what the food redeemed with the Food Stamps looks like after it's been cooked.

Lin Qi raised an eyebrow, picked up a spoon, scooped out a spoonful, pursed his lips, and nodded.

He put down his spoon after swallowing all the food. "I thought I wouldn't be able to eat anymore, but it was much better than I expected."

=①, Lin Qi smelled a fragrance, Neil smelled a nauseating odor. The author subtly and ingeniously used unimaginable methods to explain some issues and positions between father and son in a simple yet profound way, which also subtly echoes the title. It is exquisite and makes people applaud.