I was forced to start the second round because I was raised in poverty

Chapter 241 They Don't Love You

Ye Li and Su Cheng also took out some gifts from the trunk, which were the leftover items for Su Tianyan.

One bottle of Tianye tea, one bottle of Moutai, and two cans of tea.

But when they arrived at the store, they found that the door was locked.

"Huh? Your dad went out?"

"No way..." Zheng Jiawei wondered. His father's legs were not very strong, and he could only walk with a limp, so it was impossible for him to go far.

Moreover, the lock was hung from the inside, which means it was locked by his father.

"It must be closed down."

Zheng Jiawei pushed the glass door forward slightly, squeezed through the crack, and called out, "Dad? Dad? It's me, Jiawei. Open the door."

No matter how much Zheng Jiawei called into the door, no one answered him.

Zheng Jiawei's first reaction was... Could something have happened to his father?

Su Cheng's first reaction was the same as Zheng Jiawei's: "Do you have your key? I'll hold the door open for you, see if you can open the lock from the outside."

"Row."

Su Cheng pushed hard against the two glass doors, while Zheng Jiawei reached his chubby little hand through the middle of the doors and finally managed to unlock them with great effort.

Zheng Jiawei was the first to rush in, followed closely by Su Cheng and Ye Li.

Seeing that Zheng Jiawei had already entered, Zheng Guotao slowly and deliberately asked, "Who is it?"

"Dad, why did you lock the door?"

"What if I don't lock the door?"

"This person asked me to weigh the eggs, that person asked me to weigh the eggplants. There are so many people, how can I possibly manage them all? I also have to label them."

"And this computer POS system, I don't know how to use it."

Zheng Guotao's attitude was very bad, and his tone was very aggressive. He also expressed some resentment towards Zheng Jiawei in his words.

Zheng Jiawei was puzzled: ? ? ?

No.

The electronic scale is right on the table; it's just a matter of pressing a button. Why is it so troublesome?

Isn't this what we usually do?
He's already taught his dad how to do things like cashiering many times, and he's quite proficient at it before!

Why can't I do it all of a sudden today?

Moreover.

Whether it's labeling or computer-based payment, you don't need to move around.

My dad, who walks with a limp, somehow managed to walk a long way around from behind the cashier, lock the door, and then walk back.

This takes much more effort than weighing a scale, right?

"Dad, these two hours at noon are the busiest time. Could you at least tell the customers that you can't handle heavy loads and that you'll only sell cigarettes?"

Zheng Guotao said with a cold face, "It can't be sold."

"Then why didn't you answer when I knocked on the door just now?"

"I was asleep, I didn't hear it."

Before going to meet Su Cheng, Zheng Jiawei specially prepared a meal for his father, cooking dishes in case his father was hungry.

He didn't say anything more, but silently went behind the cashier and took the bowl and ashtray that his father had left behind to wash.

Zheng Jiawei doesn't understand Zheng Guotao.

But Su Cheng saw through Zheng Guotao's true thoughts.

His father's attitude was a complaint that Zheng Jiawei had left him alone in the shop while he went out to eat.

There's nothing else besides this.

Su Cheng and Ye Li exchanged a glance, communicating with each other through their eyes.

Neither of them spoke.

Just from this scene, Ye Li knew what kind of person Zheng Jiawei's father was.

The two stood at the door. Zheng Guotao ignored them at first, but when he caught sight of the Moutai and Tianye in Ye Li's hand, he started talking to Su Cheng.

"You're Xiaocheng, right?"

“Yes, Uncle Zheng, I am Xiao Cheng.”

"Oh my, I didn't recognize you at first! It's been over ten years since I last saw you!"

Su Cheng awkwardly tried to make small talk with Zheng Guotao.

Grass.

Su Cheng was starting to regret coming to see Zheng Jiawei's father.

But I can't not watch it.

He had just asked about Zheng Guotao's health at the dinner table, and it was only a few steps to the store where Zheng Jiawei, who had been drinking, was staying. It wouldn't be right not to check on him and say hello.

Zheng Guotao remembers Su Cheng.

When they were kids, he helped Zheng Jiawei steal candy from his shop.

Aside from that, he couldn't remember anything else about Su Cheng, or rather, Zheng Guotao never allowed Su Cheng into his shop again after that.

"Uncle Zheng, this is for you."

"Xiao Cheng, you're too kind. It's already very kind of you to come and visit."

Ye Li forced a smile and placed the items on the counter.

"Xiao Cheng, is this your girlfriend?"

"No, just a colleague."

"How are you doing now? I heard from Jiawei that you're still in Jingzhou?"

Immediately afterwards, Zheng Guotao began investigating Su Cheng and Ye Li's household registrations, and with very offensive questions.

How's work in Jingzhou? Which company is it? How relaxed is the job, and what's the income?

Neither Su Cheng nor Ye Li dared to say too much; they tacitly agreed that it was only slightly higher than their hometown, around five or six thousand.

If you praise him too highly, Zheng Guotao will become jealous.

As for how much leisure time one has, that requires even more attention.

In the eyes of people like Zheng Guotao, the easier the job, the more they can slack off, the greater the advantage they get, and the better the job is.

People like them have different values from Su Cheng, Ye Li, and others.

So the two of them had to describe how tiring it was to work in Jingzhou, with 996 being the bare minimum and only one day off a year.

But you can't exaggerate too much, otherwise it'll just be playing the victim. There's a limit to how much you can exaggerate.

to be frank.

Dealing with this kind of person is the most tiring, because you never know when or what you might say that will offend them.

When dealing with people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, you have to accept their tendency to flatter, scheme, take advantage, fawn, and be jealous.

When dealing with people at the grassroots level, you have to accept their mercenary nature, shallowness, gossip, and fantasies.

When dealing with the middle class, you have to accept their hypocrisy, snobbery, competitive nature, and vanity.

When dealing with elites, you must accept their arrogance, harshness, and unrealistic ambitions.

When dealing with the top figures in society, you must accept their rigor, indifference, ruthlessness, and decisiveness.

This is a set of methods summarized by Su Cheng.

But that's not enough. If you just grit your teeth and accept their flaws, you won't be able to endure it.

We also need to learn to appreciate.

I admire the contentment and happiness of those at the grassroots level.

I admire the middle class's comprehensive emotional intelligence and their tactful approach to things.

I admire the dedication and perseverance of these elites.

I admire the top performers' intellect, cognition, vision, decisiveness, and tolerance towards humanity.

Su Cheng has always known this principle.

Su Cheng can also mention someone else here.

Zhao Peng.

Zhao Peng and Su Cheng have completely different ways of handling things. He is the kind of person who tries his best to hide his emotions and completely ignores them.

Su Cheng is sometimes willing to accept and appreciate, and sometimes not.

It's all based on my own mood.

Su Cheng was only holding back his temper with Zheng Guotao out of consideration for Zheng Jiawei; he would have lost his temper with anyone else.

Hearing Su Cheng's answer instantly gave Zheng Guotao confidence.

"Jingzhou isn't that great either."

"Xiao Cheng, you can consider coming back to develop your career. Our county is developing better and better now."

Su Cheng: ???
What the hell are you talking about?

They even gave me some suggestions.

Zheng Guotao had no say in Su Cheng's affairs; the only respect he had was earned for him by Zheng Jiawei.

Without Zheng Jiawei, Zheng Guotao would be a cripple in Su Cheng's eyes.

It didn't take long.

After washing the dishes, Zheng Jiawei returned carrying a clean ashtray.

"When are you going to get things done, Xiao Cheng?"

"Oh, Uncle Zheng, we are not."

Zheng Guotao smiled broadly, pleased with Su Cheng's reply: "It's okay, don't be shy, if it's true, then it is. We're getting older, it's time to talk about marriage."

"When you two get things done, just let us know, and Jiawei and I will give you a gift."

Su Cheng and Ye Li could only smile awkwardly.

Zheng Guotao turned to Zheng Jiawei: "Jiawei, they're almost done with it, when are you going to get married?" "Me? Maybe in two more years."

"In two years, we'll both close our eyes and kick the bucket and die. You'd better hurry up, I want to see my grandson while I'm still alive."

Zheng Jiawei was taken aback by these words.

His face was flushed, whether from holding it in or from the effects of the alcohol, it was hard to tell.

Su Cheng had no way to respond to this, and could only stand there awkwardly.

After a few more awkward words, Su Cheng made an excuse that she had something to do and left the store.

As soon as Su Cheng walked away, Zheng Guotao immediately ordered Zheng Jiawei around.

"Look at the cigarettes and alcohol they're holding, are they real or fake?"

Zheng Jiawei was shocked when he heard this.

Why would his father suspect it was counterfeit?
Zheng Guotao completely ignored Zheng Jiawei's question: "Just bring it over and let me take a look."

Zheng Jiawei refused to take it and defended Su Cheng, saying, "Dad, Cheng-ge would never send us counterfeit goods!"

"Why don't you bring it over so I can take a look?"

Seeing that he couldn't get Zheng Jiawei to do anything, Zheng Guotao reached out and took the wine and cigarettes himself, repeatedly examining the barcodes and anti-counterfeiting features.

"Yes, the stuff is genuine."

Zheng Jiawei was speechless after being teased by his father. Su Cheng would never give them counterfeit goods!

"Why is it impossible?"

"Have you forgotten how he encouraged you to steal when you were little?"

Zheng Jiawei: ? ? ?

What kind of old grievance is this?

Zheng Jiawei himself had forgotten, and he felt that Su Cheng couldn't possibly remember either.

Dad actually remembered such a small thing?
“I told you when you were a kid not to associate with people like that, but you just wouldn’t listen.”

Although Su Cheng just said he earned around four or five thousand, or even five or six thousand, Zheng Guotao didn't believe it.

If you earn five or six thousand, can you afford to give away Moutai and Tianye liquor?

That's why he suspected it was fake.

"Dad, stop being so suspicious. Why do you keep bringing up old grievances after accepting the gift, and keep gossiping about others?"

"If you don't want it, I'll return it to them later."

Zheng Guotao's face darkened: "What do you mean?"

"I didn't mean anything by it, Dad. I just feel that doing it this way is wrong."

“I didn’t ask him to give me a gift.” Zheng Guotao glanced coldly at Zheng Jiawei. “You don’t need to return this. You can put it up for sale and see if anyone wants it.”

Zheng Jiawei: ? ? ?

Are they displaying them for sale?
My dad has run a small shop for so many years, doesn't he know the rules?

Selling these cigarettes is against the rules.

"What rule did you violate?"

"What if they confiscate our tobacco licenses?"

"No, it's just a pack of cigarettes."

Zheng Jiawei continued to explain that doing so was illegal.

Zheng Guotao got annoyed: "Alright, alright, stop yelling at me. Okay, I'm not selling it anymore?"

"I'll call Lao Li later and ask him to come and pick it up. I'll give him a discount."

The "Old Li" that Zheng Guotao mentioned also runs a tobacco and alcohol shop, but he specializes in tobacco and alcohol and also does tobacco and alcohol recycling.

Zheng Jiawei had no choice but to sigh silently in his heart.

Ugh--

……

The black Volkswagen Magotan drove at a steady speed on the roads of the county town.

inside the car.

"I'm not saying anything about your friend's dad..."

Ye Liga launched into a tirade of complaints.

Su Cheng affirmed Ye Li's opinion.

Given the family's situation, they're still pressuring Zheng Jiawei to get married within two years.

A bride price, a wedding banquet, a house, and a car are all necessary.

The more rural the area, the higher the bride price, often reaching tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan.

But Su Cheng had heard Zheng Jiawei say that his girlfriend didn't plan to ask for much dowry, just a token amount would be fine.

It's impossible not to take a single penny, right?
According to the tradition of their county, they would still have to give 66,000 or 88,000.

This is already a very low bride price for them.

If you don't buy the five main pieces of metal, you should at least buy the three main pieces.

Even if you don't buy a car, you definitely need to own a house, right?

Su Cheng couldn't imagine Zheng Jiawei and his future wife living with Zheng Guotao.

Weddings and banquets also cost a lot of money.

Given this situation, how should we resolve this?

Applying for a loan?
Are you struggling to pay off debts after marriage?

I dare not have children; I absolutely cannot afford to raise them.

“Let me tell you, if it weren’t for his father’s medical treatment, Jiawei would have been married long ago. He wouldn’t have needed to date for eight years; he would already have a child by now.”

Su Cheng had actually considered whether to advise Zheng Jiawei to make some changes to the current father-son relationship.

It's not that I'm being unfilial, I just want Zheng Jiawei to have an easier life.

but……

You should never, ever tell someone like Zheng Jiawei, "Your dad doesn't actually love you."

This is Zheng Jiawei's deep-seated inferiority complex, a ticking time bomb.

You might think Zheng Jiawei is stupid, but he's actually not.

He understood and knew it.

However, he will not allow anyone to say it to confirm this.

If this psychological veil is removed, they might even go crazy towards you.

They have already developed a people-pleasing personality towards their parents and family members from the bottom of their hearts.

Deep down, they don't accept the idea that they are not loved, so they will keep trying to do all sorts of dirty and tiring work in the family, making financial and time contributions.

All of this is actually an attempt to prove that they are loved and cared for.

"Hey, what do you think about me helping him with that supermarket? Maybe I can improve its business?"

"Uh... just think about it, don't do something that's thankless and difficult."

"What's wrong?"

Do you think his father would agree?

Hmm... he thinks so too.

No matter how good Su Cheng's proposal was, Zheng Guotao would not agree to it and would think that Su Cheng was just messing around.

Su Cheng could already imagine that after they left, Zheng Guotao would berate Zheng Jiawei mercilessly. Zheng Jiawei wouldn't have an easy time for the next two or three days, as Zheng Guotao would use various excuses to vent his frustration about Zheng Jiawei going out to eat.

This situation may occur more often after the proposal is put forward, leaving Zheng Jiawei pleasing neither side.

If Su Cheng brings it up, Zheng Jiawei will definitely agree, but then he will be in a position of being unkind, unjust, and unfilial.

wrong……

Su Cheng suddenly remembered something.

"Huh? What's today's date?"

"January 3rd, what happened?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

Su Cheng muttered to herself: January 3rd, 2016.

Zheng Guotao doesn't have many days left to live.

This New Year is going to be a nightmare.

"I think it would be better if I brought it up with him."

"Why do you have to bring this up? Do you want to be this great philanthropist?"