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

Chapter 157 Dual Roles (Part 2)

Why should I make myself uncomfortable?
Wang Jinshan, who was being stared at by Wang Degong, was extremely uneasy. He didn't know whether to eat or not, and he deeply regretted his seemingly clever move today.

Instead, Wang Yinshan glanced at the beautifully constructed house in front of him and felt a pang of envy. He then said:

"Father, continuing like this is not a solution; it will only make things more embarrassing for the third son."

"How about this, instead of giving this five yuan as a gift, give it as pocket money."

"In this way, we won't be considered to be eating for free, and the third brother's family won't refuse to accept us. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

Damn it, what a win-win situation! That's five dollars of mine!

Under Wang Degong's sharp gaze, Wang Jinshan ultimately couldn't utter a word of rebuttal. As long as he could get through the current predicament, he was willing to spend the five yuan!
Moreover, he felt that even if he gave them the five yuan, Wang Chengpeng's family might not accept it.

In the end, he will gain a reputation for caring for younger generations, which will help him wash away some of the previous bad reputation.

Thinking this way, Wang Jinshan took the initiative to agree to the task. He came to Wang Chengpeng's table, picked up five yuan, handed it to Wang Meiyan, and said:

"Niece, here's your pocket money, take it quickly."

"Whenever you want to eat something good, take some with you and buy it, but be careful with how you use it."

Wang Jinshan dared not use money to test Wang Chengpeng, fearing that the money would be gone forever, so he could only target Wang Meiyan, who seemed easier to fool.

Even as he said this, he deliberately glanced at Wang Tieshan, as if to say, "How dare you let your own son take so much pocket money from me for no reason?"
As expected, Wang Tieshan seemed to feel that it was inappropriate for Wang Meiyan to accept so much pocket money so casually, and was about to speak up to refuse on her behalf, but Wang Chengpeng stopped him first, whispering a word of advice:

"Father, my sister is not young anymore. She should be able to make her own decisions about her affairs."

"Also, don't you think the number five dollars sounds familiar? It seems like there was something called a gift money that also had this amount."

After being reminded by Wang Chengpeng, Wang Tieshan realized that he seemed to have misunderstood the true meaning of this so-called pocket money.

Some people's hypocrisy has even escalated; they've targeted Wang Meiyan, a young girl, probably to make themselves feel embarrassed to accept the offer and to refuse it on Wang Meiyan's behalf.

By then, they'll have both face and substance, but their own family will be the ones who get ripped off, having been treated like fools and even being blamed for not inviting them.

Thinking this, Wang Tieshan pulled Liu Chunhua aside, said nothing, and handed the choice of this option to Wang Meiyan.

Wang Meiyan is, after all, a child. Whether she chooses to accept it or not, no one will criticize a child.

Moreover, this pocket money wasn't something Wang Meiyan shamelessly asked Wang Jinshan for; rather, it was given to her voluntarily by Wang Jinshan for some purpose.

Under everyone's gaze, Wang Meiyan smiled sweetly and said, "Thank you, Uncle, for the pocket money."

"This is the first time my uncle has given me pocket money. I will definitely spend it frugally as you ask."

After saying that, Wang Meiyan reached out to take the five yuan, but when she tried to take it, she found that Wang Jinshan was holding it very tightly and she couldn't get it.

Looking at Wang Jinshan with a puzzled expression, Wang Meiyan suddenly realized and said:
"So Uncle didn't want to give me this pocket money. Meiyan is also very well-behaved and won't take Uncle's pocket money."

"Uncle, you should keep these five yuan to buy delicious food for your older brother and sister. Meiyan has never taken any pocket money from you before, and she will not expect any pocket money from you in the future."

There were already many people attending the banquet today, and the vast majority of them were close to Wang Chengpeng's family.

He who takes a bribe is bound to be obligated to pay his share.

Having enjoyed so much good food and drink from Wang Chengpeng, they naturally wanted to speak up for him. Various plausible speculations poured out of their mouths, causing the situation to spiral out of control.

"Have you heard? It's been so many years, and Wang Jinshan has never given his niece any pocket money."

"He seemed to be generous today and gave me five yuan, but he never intended to give me any. He held on so tightly that even a child couldn't pull him away."

"They really have a good plan. They probably never intended to give it to their daughter; they were just hoping Wang Tieshan would tell her not to accept it."

"It's one thing to eat and drink for free, but to also claim that there's nothing wrong with you, and to offer gifts and pocket money, you seem very generous, but in reality you don't intend to give a single penny."

"What do you call this? A hypocrite pretending to be virtuous!"

: "..."

Although there weren't many people present, a single spit from each of them would be enough to drown Wang Jinshan.

At this moment, Wang Jinshan's eyes were devoid of any shrewdness or calculation; his face was filled with panic, and he had completely forgotten what he should be doing right now.

In the end, Wang Degong couldn't stand it any longer and shouted:
"Boss, is this how you give out pocket money?"

"Get this done quickly, or you'll embarrass yourself further!"

Wang Jinshan then realized that the most important thing was to give away his pocket money to shut everyone up.

As long as the fact that he was given pocket money is established, no matter what others say, he can refute it as malicious speculation.

Thinking of this, Wang Jinshan forced a smile and said to Wang Meiyan:

"Little niece, how could your uncle not want to give you pocket money?"

"It's not that the wind is strong, I'm just afraid the money won't be held firmly and will be blown away. You can take it with a little effort."

However, when faced with Wang Jinshan's instigation, Wang Meiyan shook her head and quickly retreated, as if Wang Jinshan were some kind of monstrous flood.

If it were an ordinary child, they would probably have accepted it without hesitation; that's five yuan, enough to buy so much candy.

But for Wang Meiyan, who had no worries about food and clothing, it didn't matter whether she accepted the five yuan or not. Her family would buy her whatever she wanted to eat, so there was no need for her to care about Wang Jinshan's feelings.

Since Wang Jinshan was so reluctant to give it to her, and she was so understanding, she naturally couldn't force her uncle to give her this pocket money.

Now it was Wang Jinshan's turn to be embarrassed. Faced with the people's eyes that seemed to want to devour him, he was filled with regret.

He thought to himself that if he had just handed over the money readily, none of this would have happened.

Now it's not him giving Wang Meiyan pocket money; instead, he's begging her to accept it, otherwise they won't be able to get through this ordeal.

Ultimately, Wang Tieshan, considering their brotherly bond, sighed and accepted the five yuan, saying:
"Big brother, thank you for giving Meiyan pocket money."

"The child is still young, so I'll keep it for her for now. She can just ask me if she wants to buy anything."

After handing over the money as if it were a jinx, Wang Jinshan returned to his table in a panic.

However, when he saw Wang Degong's murderous gaze, his heart skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong.

I've spent the money today, but I haven't gotten anything out of it. When I get back, I might be forced to copy the Three Character Classic.

Why am I so unlucky...

What was originally a delicious meal now tasted bland and unpleasant.

Listening to the laughter and chatter of the people around him, Wang Jinshan felt as if he had been abandoned by the world and was completely out of place.

The farce ultimately ended with Wang Degong scrambling to get his descendants home in a sorry state.

He felt that every extra minute he stayed was a loss of face, and after devouring the food on the table in a whirlwind, he didn't linger for even a second longer. Only Wang Yinshan, as he left, glanced enviously at Wang Chengpeng's house, his mind already wandering off somewhere else.

……

After the house construction was completed, Wang Chengpeng's home returned to its former tranquility, a far cry from its bustling activity.

This place is still somewhat remote; even with the roads repaired, not many people usually come here.

Perhaps only when the sugar factory is completed and more people come to work here will this place become lively again.

Considering that Wang Chengpeng's family has two bicycles, their travel will not be affected.

As for Wang Chengpeng, his life became increasingly simple. He spent his days reading in his study, and when he got tired, he would go outside to practice boxing to relax. His life was quite easy and comfortable.

His tutoring class reopened, and every night it would welcome Wang Zidong, his only student.

Although there was a month's gap in between, it did not actually have a significant impact on Wang Zidong's studies.

After all, there are many courses. In addition to subjects like math, physics, and chemistry that require thinking, there are also subjects like Chinese, politics, and English that require rote memorization.

As long as Wang Zidong doesn't slack off and continues to study hard, he will always make progress even without Wang Chengpeng's guidance.

night.

Looking at Wang Chengpeng's brand-new study, Wang Zidong looked left and right, his face full of envy, and said:

"Pengzi, your study is really beautiful."

"Especially looking at the bookshelves full of books, it gives you an urge to learn. Perhaps this is the atmosphere of reading."

Wang Chengpeng glared at Wang Zidong with annoyance and complained:
"I didn't learn much knowledge, but I did learn the sentimentality of a scholar."

"If you like books, just bring them home. As long as you can carry them, I'll give them to you."

After being mercilessly criticized by Wang Chengpeng, Wang Zidong toned it down considerably and said sheepishly:

“You don’t know my house. It’s not like your mansion. It’s so cramped that even living here feels crowded, let alone displaying books.”

"I can only work hard and come here more often to experience the learning atmosphere."

At this point, Wang Zidong seemed to remember something and joked:
"Pengzi, you're so kind to me, giving away such precious books so readily."

"I wonder if Xia Zhiqing will be jealous if she hears what you just said. I remember she said she wanted to buy the book but you wouldn't sell it to her."

Wang Chengpeng's hand moved extremely fast. By the time Wang Zidong reacted, he had already been hit on the head with a sharp rap.

Wang Chengpeng wasn't satisfied with just that, and started yelling angrily again:
"Dongzi, there are some things you can't say carelessly."

"If others hear this, it will damage Xia Zhiqing's reputation, which would be bad."

Taking out a textbook to cover his face, Wang Zidong dared not continue his reckless behavior and began to admit his mistake:

"Brother Peng, I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again."

"I just think you're not getting any younger, you should find a wife by now."

"I think Xia Zhiqing is quite good. She is beautiful and well-educated."

"In addition, you both share a love of reading. If you could be together, it would be a wonderful match."

marry?

Wang Chengpeng had indeed had this thought, but he didn't have a suitable candidate in mind.

As for Xia Mingyue, whom Wang Zidong mentioned, Wang Chengpeng didn't even consider her.

It wasn't that he looked down on Xia Mingyue; he simply didn't want to hold her back and trap her in the countryside for the rest of her life.

He's a reborn person; he knows where the future is headed.
Knowing that these educated youths, who seemed destined to be trapped in the village for life, would soon have a turning point and be able to dedicate themselves to other places in the country that needed them.

In fact, that was exactly the case in her previous life. In the month that the notice to resume the college entrance examination was issued, Xia Mingyue took the opportunity to return to the city.

The once bustling youth settlement was suddenly deserted, leaving only a few people from families with modest means behind, who then devoted their energy to studying.

The National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) is an opportunity that can change the fate of the vast majority of people!

Shaking his head slightly, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said, "It's a bit too early now. If I meet the right person, I can handle it myself. I won't need your help."

"Alright, go read your book."

"I'll give you some practice questions later to reinforce your knowledge. Any questions you can't answer will be copied ten times as punishment."

With wide eyes and an incredulous expression, Wang Zidong stared at Wang Chengpeng and exclaimed:
"Pengzi, I never expected you to be like this."

"I kindly introduced you to someone, and not only did you not appreciate it, you even took revenge on me."

"Have you no shame at all?"

Shameless? I'll show you what shamelessness really means.

Wang Chengpeng immediately straightened his face and said, "Twenty times!"

Now, Wang Zidong dared not be naughty anymore and quickly looked down to review the knowledge points that Wang Chengpeng had just taught him.

That's twenty times, copying it is absolutely agonizing.

……

In the dead of night, just as Wang Chengpeng and Wang Zidong were studying hard, a dull knocking sound suddenly came from outside the door, followed by a few barks from dogs, clearly indicating that a stranger had come to visit.

Who would call their family in the middle of the night?
Wang Chengpeng was surprised and walked straight towards the courtyard gate.

The only family living in this area is Wang Chengpeng, so the possibility of them contacting the wrong person is basically ruled out.

His parents and sister had already gone to bed; Wang Chengpeng was the only night owl in the house.

With three dogs guarding the house, plus Wang Chengpeng's record of single-handedly killing a wild boar, there's no reason to feel uneasy.

To ensure the safety of his family, Wang Chengpeng also put a lot of effort into the protective measures. The fences were basically as tall as a person and could not be easily climbed over.

Looking along the fence, Wang Chengpeng could vaguely see a burly man, as tall as an iron tower, standing outside the gate.

The burly man was nearly 1.9 meters tall and looked very strong, but his face was completely unfamiliar and could not be matched with any face in Wang Chengpeng's memory.

Upon seeing this, Wang Chengpeng asked, "Who are you, and what are you doing at my house?"

(End of this chapter)