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

Chapter 136 Unkind Invitation
I declined everyone's request to continue working overtime tonight. In this dark and gloomy place, it would be unpleasant if someone got injured.

It's just a matter of a few more days, and Wang Chengpeng can't afford to lose that much.

After everyone had gradually dispersed, Wang Chengpeng, who was washing the dishes, noticed that two figures had returned—Xie Feiyue and Zhang Fang.

The two of them looked conflicted, as if they had something to say but couldn't bring themselves to say it.

With a sigh, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said, "Uncle Xie, Aunt Zhang, please feel free to speak your mind. I will definitely help if I can."

After thinking for a moment, Xie Feiyue mustered up his courage and said, "Xiao Wang, we asked you this in private because we wanted to know if we could get takeout if we missed dinner."

"Don't worry, we'll just pack our own portion and definitely won't take any more."

"Just two steamed buns per person, plus some vegetables, will do."

Perhaps because he wasn't good at dealing with people, or perhaps because he felt his request was a bit unreasonable, Xie Feiyue's face turned bright red, clearly extremely embarrassed.

Wang Chengpeng wasn't stupid; on the contrary, he was very smart and naturally knew why the two of them had said those things.

It's simply that they feel bad that they're living a life of luxury outside while their children and elderly parents are suffering at home.

It's just a matter of packing up the food to take home; Wang Chengpeng can avoid washing a few dishes, so there's no need to refuse.

You should agree, but knowing how to agree to the request gracefully is an art.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng said apologetically, "It was my oversight in this matter. Asking my uncle and aunt for help was already a waste of everyone's time, and now I've forced everyone to stay for dinner, which has taken up even more time. It's even more my fault."

"If you want to take it home to eat, that's no problem at all."

"I'm the one who took up your time, so I can't let you suffer any loss. Just pack a normal amount of food."

"I checked today's food consumption. Each person ate about three steamed buns and half a bowl of vegetables. Just pack according to that standard."

At this point, Wang Chengpeng said apologetically, "I'm so sorry to have taken up so much of your time, Uncle and Aunt."

"Please, Uncle and Aunt, hang in there a little longer until the house is completely finished."

"I'll invite all the families who participated in building the house to a meal together, as a way to celebrate."

A person who is so considerate of their family can't be all that bad, so Wang Chengpeng was willing to do them a favor.

However, his words were so beautifully spoken that they only made the two of them feel even more ashamed of themselves.

Finally, Xie Feiyue spoke up: "Thank you, Xiao Wang, for understanding my family's difficulties. It really can't work without a young person to take care of the children and the elderly at home."

"I'll bring my own things to pack tomorrow, so you don't need to prepare anything."

At this point, Xie Feiyue seemed to remember something and said, "By the way, Xiao Wang, what are your plans?"

"It's not very safe to have so many transfers here."

In those days, bricks were a rare commodity; you could usually only apply for some when building a house.

That's why it's not safe to have such a large quantity of bricks here; someone needs to keep watch over them at night.

Even if someone is on night watch, it's not safe, because there's no village or shop in sight, making it difficult for a single household to provide for everyone.

If the other side really has a lot of people, even if someone is on guard at night, they can only watch helplessly as the bricks are taken away.

That is precisely why Xie Feiyue asked this question.

Because of their different combat capabilities, Wang Chengpeng and Xie Feiyue have distinct perspectives on issues.

When Xie Feiyue asked him, he replied nonchalantly, "Of course we can't just leave these bricks here unattended. I'll keep watch here and make sure not a single brick is missing."

Looking at Wang Chengpeng's confident expression, Xie Feiyue's eyes flashed with a hint of worry. He thought to himself that Wang Chengpeng was really a newborn calf who was not afraid of tigers and was a little too confident.

After hesitating for a moment, Xie Feiyue finally spoke, saying:

"It's not safe for you to guard this place alone. When the time comes, you won't be able to fight against so many people, and you really won't be able to do anything about it."

"Xiao Wang, do you know how to use a hunting rifle?"

“My father was an old hunter, and he did leave a hunting rifle at home.”

"If you know how to use it, I can lend you my hunting rifle first."

"With weapons, you'll be much safer standing guard here alone."

A hunting rifle? Wang Chengpeng never expected such an unexpected gain.

Unfortunately, shotguns are quite large, unlike portable pistols, so they can probably only be kept at home for protection purposes.

However, as a precaution, it's always good to have one at home.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng nodded and said, "A hunting rifle? I've never handled one before."

"However, I have used the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle when conducting militia training, so I think the principles should be similar."

Shaking his head slightly, Xie Feiyue said, "That's different, completely different."

"The difference between a gun and a gun is so small that it can lead to vastly different outcomes; they cannot be compared."

"But I don't think you'll be so unlucky as to encounter bandits, after all, the security in our Wangjia Village is quite good."

"After all, Captain Wang's abilities are evident to all; he often leads the militia on patrols in the village."

"I'll lend you the shotgun first, but remember not to fire it recklessly, otherwise you might hurt yourself instead of hitting the enemy."

"Even if an enemy does attack, they won't dare to act recklessly when they see the gun barrel, which will make you much safer."

Faced with terrifying firearms, almost anyone would be afraid, which would actually increase Wang Chengpeng's safety considerably.

Nodding, Wang Chengpeng said, "Okay, Uncle Xie, I'll listen to you. I won't fire unless absolutely necessary."

"It's a bit far from your home. Why don't you ride your bicycle back to get the gun? That would be much more convenient."

"I can take my little sister with me on the way back, so she can go back with my parents and we won't have to go through the hassle of returning the car."

Considering that it was indeed quite far from his home, and with Zhang Fang waiting nearby, Xie Feiyue finally agreed to Wang Chengpeng's suggestion and got on his bicycle.

Walking would be exhausting and would take until the wee hours of the morning, which would be detrimental to tomorrow's production work.

Watching Xie Feiyue ride away on his bicycle, Wang Chengpeng, who was washing dishes, said:

"Father, Mother, I'll keep watch tonight."

"I'm young and healthy, I can handle it."

"Uncle Xie just said he wanted to lend me a hunting rifle, so that even if some scoundrels try to harm me, I can shoot them back."

(End of this chapter)