In many small towns in China, the most disgusting thing isn't poverty, but the lack of boundaries in people's malice. What people call "social interactions" is really just a disguised way of prying into others' privacy—gossiping about every little detail of each other's lives, turning other people's personal matters into topics for dinner conversation. At the table, they'll say things that hit your sore spots in a passive-aggressive way, and seeing you upset makes them happy. They even call it "just joking around" and tell you not to take it seriously. If you dare to react negatively, you'll immediately be labeled as unsociable or pretentious. They can't stand it if you have boundaries or your own opinions, and will force you to join them in gossiping; otherwise, they won't let it go. This kind of emotional blackmail, done under the guise of "eliminating evil," is even more suffocating than open malice.