Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 100 I knew Wang Chengpeng had a problem!

An Qiuyun spoke first, asking Xia Mingyue:
"Mingyue, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

Listening to the gossip around her, she had actually planned to rush out and refute the rumors when those people said it must be Wang Chengpeng's fault earlier that morning.

How could someone as sincere as Wang Chengpeng possibly be messing around outside?

He did take more leave than usual, but each time it was because of an emergency, and it was definitely not because he was doing anything reckless.

What people say is scary!

If Wang Chengpeng hadn't cultivated a lot of goodwill in the village beforehand and gained an excellent reputation, this incident would likely not have ended so easily.

However, given her position, Xia Mingyue felt that if she rushed over and excitedly helped Wang Chengpeng refute the rumors, it would only confirm the suspicion that he was acting recklessly outside.

I could only suppress my impulse and listen carefully from the side.

Fortunately, the final result was good, and not many people said that Wang Chengpeng had any problems.

That's why, when faced with An Qiuyun's question, Xia Mingyue didn't even look up and said:
"How can I look at anything? I don't want to look at anything but books."

"Didn't the scorekeeper tell me not to gossip or spread rumors?"

"Rumors spread everywhere because of irresponsible statements, ultimately harming the parties involved."

An Qiuyun rolled her eyes at Xia Mingyue, annoyed, and said:
"Mingyue, you're really tough."

Others have the right to stand by and watch, but you don't.

"Comrade Wang has treated you to delicious food and lent you valuable books. How can you just sit idly by and do nothing?"

"Others are obsessed with money, but I think you're obsessed with books; all you can think about is books."

"Next time I'm not going with you to borrow books from Comrade Wang. Let's see what you do then, hmph!"

After saying that, An Qiuyun seemed to be sulking, turned her head away, and ignored Xia Mingyue.

The hoe was swung fiercely, as if he intended to slice off someone's head, while he kept muttering:

"Why bother clearing wasteland and planting sugar beets? It's utterly reckless."

"Comrade Wang, please come back soon. Our team can't do without you. I'm so tired."

However, An Qiuyun had no idea that Wang Chengpeng had taken an extremely long leave, and at least here she would hardly see him again.

……

Wang Chengpeng's engagement failed? This might be the only good news Shen Wei heard while recuperating at home.

He even stood up excitedly and shouted, "I knew Wang Chengpeng was up to something!"

"Yanran is really clever. She saw through this hypocrite's disguise at a glance and kicked him aside."

Hearing Shen Wei's confident speech, Zhao the matchmaker only showed a meaningful smile, without any intention of agreeing.

Often, even if you can't directly obtain relevant information, you can always find out the truth by asking around.

Judging from the fact that Wang Chengpeng was able to leave unscathed with the betrothal gifts, the fault in this matter is definitely not his, or rather, his fault is not as great as Liu Yanran's fault.

Otherwise, given the Liu family's character, how could they possibly let Wang Chengpeng leave with the betrothal gifts unscathed?

In addition, the Liu family's gritted teeth when they talked about Wang Chengpeng, and their eagerness for him to discuss the marriage with Shen Wei,

All of this had made Zhao the matchmaker, a shrewd woman, sense something was amiss, and she guessed the truth with a high degree of accuracy.

But what does this have to do with her?
She could gain a considerable benefit simply by introducing this marriage to Shen Wei, that scoundrel, so why bother getting involved in the Liu family's mess?
You should know that the Liu family gave her a full twenty yuan as a reward to help her with matchmaking, and with the additional benefits from Shen Wei's side, Zhao the matchmaker was sure to make a fortune.

Thinking this, Matchmaker Zhao smiled kindly and said, "I don't know the specifics, but Liu Yanran was crying so hard, she seemed to need comforting right now. If I hadn't happened to be passing by her house, I might not have known such shocking news."

"Xiao Shen, I'll just ask you one question: do you still have feelings for Liu Yanran?"

"If you're interested in finding a matchmaker, you'd better hurry."

"As you know, Liu Yanran is undoubtedly the most beautiful girl in our Wangjia Village. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that there's a line of men wanting to marry her that stretches all the way to the village entrance."

"If you act too late, you might not get this good opportunity again."

Shen Wei, unaware of the deception, believed that Matchmaker Zhao was genuinely looking out for him and was deeply moved, saying:

"Matchmaker Zhao, you are a truly good matchmaker, far better than that Zhang matchmaker."

"Of course I want to marry Liu Yanran. Go and talk to her for me now. Don't worry, you'll get your share of the benefits once it's done."

A hint of disdain flashed in her eyes. Matchmaker Zhao thought to herself that this brat Shen Wei, who was still wet behind the ears, was actually making empty promises in front of her. It was like an old lady getting into bed—making the young master laugh.

Faced with Shen Weigang's empty promises, Matchmaker Zhao smiled and said:
"This matter cannot be rushed; we must come up with a plan."

"How much is the bride price, what is the purpose of the marriage proposal, what is the purpose of the engagement, and what is the purpose of the wedding? These are not things that can be explained in a few words."

"I see you're being so vague, Xiao Shen, it seems you're not very fond of Liu Yanran."

"Never mind, never mind, it's all my fault for meddling."

"How about this, I'll go ask around. There are so many young men in the village who want to get married, they should be able to offer a good price."

After saying this, Matchmaker Zhao made a move to leave, but Shen Wei, in his haste, disregarded his hand injury and grabbed Matchmaker Zhao, saying:
"No, no, please don't."

"Matchmaker Zhao, please wait a little longer, let's have a proper talk."

Matchmaker Zhao, seizing the opportunity, stopped again and said:

"Alright, let's have a proper discussion then."

How much dowry are you prepared to give?

"You know the dowry the Wang family offered. If it's too much less, the Liu family will never agree."

"Don't bring up that hundred-yuan dowry you mentioned before, it's embarrassing."

"Putting everything else aside, there are quite a few families who can afford to pay at least two or three hundred yuan."

Zhao the matchmaker's words left Shen Wei completely dumbfounded. He had actually intended to say that the bride price would remain the same, just the original one hundred yuan.

Scratching his head, Shen Wei gritted his teeth and said, "Three hundred yuan. My family is willing to offer three hundred yuan as a bride price."

"However, if the Liu family takes my money, they can't take my things."

Shen Wei's meaning was clear: he didn't want anything except three hundred yuan.

Three turns and two rings? Dream on!
Zhao the matchmaker glanced at Shen Wei with some hesitation, then quickly weighed the options in her mind, deciding whether or not to go through with the deal.

In fact, when the Liu family approached her for matchmaking, she had already laid out her bottom line: three hundred yuan was barely within the Liu family's acceptable range.

However, if she wanted to gain some benefits for herself, she couldn't let Shen Wei handle the matter at the lowest possible price.

Thinking this through, Matchmaker Zhao said with some difficulty, "Three hundred yuan is neither a lot nor a little."

"I can ask around for you, but I doubt it will work out."

(End of this chapter)