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

Chapter 158 Arrival (Part 2)

When Wang Chengpeng asked the question, the burly man didn't answer directly. Instead, he looked Wang Chengpeng up and down and muttered:
"He's tall, a bit thin, very handsome, looks very young, and seems easy to fool."

After completing the feature recognition, the burly man quickly drew a conclusion, saying:
"You are Wang Chengpeng!"

"My name is Zhu Hong. I'm here to help you train your dog, as agreed."

"Oh right, my dad said he gave you our dog whistle too. Take it out and let us compare."

No wonder Zhu Weiguo himself said that his son was a bit dim-witted; it certainly seems to be true.

Judging from Zhu Hong's tone and attitude, anyone who didn't know better would think he was there to seek revenge on Wang Chengpeng, rather than to repay a debt of gratitude.

Looking at Zhu Hong's towering figure, Wang Chengpeng thought to himself that this investment was indeed the right one.

Even if the opponent isn't the person I remember, they'll at least be very capable and able to provide some assistance.

After opening the courtyard gate and asking Zhu Hong to wait a moment, Wang Chengpeng soon came out with the Zhu family's ancestral dog whistle.

I don't know what kind of wood this dog whistle is made of, but it looks quite antique and feels very sturdy in my hand.

On the side furthest from the sentry post, a small character "朱" is engraved, indicating its status as a family heirloom of the Zhu family.

Zhu Hong picked up the dog whistle, looked at it, and sniffed it before carefully putting it away, saying:

"Yes, it is indeed the dog whistle passed down in our Zhu family. It seems I haven't come to the wrong place."

"Where's the dog? I'll go train it for you right now."

Looking at the sky, which had completely darkened, Wang Chengpeng was utterly speechless. Training the dog at this hour was just too...

Thinking of this, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said, "It's getting late today, and I'm afraid there won't be enough time to train the dog."

"Anyway, there's no rush. How about this, you rest first, and come back to train the dog tomorrow?"

Faced with Wang Chengpeng's suggestion, Zhu Hong rejected it without hesitation, saying:
"No, dogs need to be trained from a young age. If we delay this long enough, they won't be trained properly!"

After saying that, Zhu Hong walked directly into the yard and headed straight for where the three puppies lived.

Perhaps sensing the pressure emanating from Zhu Hong, the three puppies huddled together, emitting a menacing warning.

However, how could such a warning possibly frighten Zhu Hong?
He went straight to the doghouse and, as if catching chicks, picked up Big Yellow and Little Black in each hand.

Do you want to bite?
The three puppies, as if they possessed some kind of spiritual power, stared intently at Wang Chengpeng, eager to know the answer to his question.

If Wang Chengpeng agrees, the three of them will definitely bite Zhu Hong without any mercy.

Shaking his head slightly, Wang Chengpeng dissuaded the three little ones from their loyal act of protecting their master, and then loudly rebuked them:
"Comrade Zhu Hong, didn't your father tell you to listen to me when he summoned you here?"

"If you're so unruly, then I'm sorry, my family can't accommodate someone as important as you."

Even the most capable subordinates are useless if they don't obey; they'll only bring trouble upon themselves. Therefore, Wang Chengpeng issued an ultimatum to Zhu Hong.

Wang Chengpeng guessed correctly. Zhu Weiguo knew his son's temperament and naturally gave similar orders before coming.

However, Zhu Hong didn't take Wang Chengpeng seriously because he looked kind and thin.

Without saying a word, Zhu Hong's eyes were full of resentment as he stared intently at Wang Chengpeng, seemingly intending to intimidate him with his imposing presence.

Unfortunately, Wang Chengpeng, who was capable of hunting wild boars on his own, was not afraid of Zhu Hong's glare. He even glared back without fear, and the two began their silent battle.

In the end, Zhu Hong was the first to give in. Both morally and logically, Wang Chengpeng had been kind to him, and if he went too far, he wouldn't be able to get past this hurdle.

With his head drooping, Zhu Hong said sullenly, "My father did say something similar, telling me to listen to you after I came here."

"You dare to look me in the eye, so you've got some skill. I'll listen to you then."

“But if you mess things up and delay the dog training, it’s not my responsibility if the dog isn’t trained properly.”

Seeing that Zhu Hong was still unconvinced, Wang Chengpeng also became interested. Taming this stubborn bull would be a great help to him.

What Wang Chengpeng needs to do now is to find a nose ring that can control the other party and make him obey his every word.

Direct military suppression?

This is indeed a very good method. After all, although Zhu Hong looks strong, he has no trace of martial arts training, and Wang Chengpeng has plenty of ways to defeat him.

However, this would be rather pointless and might even undermine Zhu Hong's confidence.

After all, it is obviously more fulfilling to protect a "frail" person than to protect someone who is more capable than oneself.

This could even become Wang Chengpeng's trump card at crucial moments.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said, "You seem a little unconvinced?"

Turning his head away, Zhu Hong said in a muffled voice, "I'm not unconvinced, I'm completely convinced."

“You gave me money and saved me. My dad also told me to listen to you, so I will listen to you.”

It seems that Zhu Hong is indeed very impressed and wants to see Wang Chengpeng's methods for himself.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng told Zhu Hong to wait for him where he was, while he went to the storeroom and soon returned with a relatively long rope and a wooden stick.

Under Zhu Hong's bewildered gaze, Wang Chengpeng threaded the hemp rope through the wooden stick, folded it in half, and then began to wrap it around the stick, circle after circle.

After doing all this, Wang Chengpeng said to Zhu Hong, "I know you are indeed somewhat resentful of me and are not truly listening to me."

"How about this, I'll ask you a question. If you answer it correctly, we'll call it even, and you won't have to force yourself to stay here."

"But if you answer incorrectly, you must listen to me sincerely."

Scratching his head, Zhu Hong said with dissatisfaction, "I've already said I'm convinced, why don't you believe me?"

"You scholars always speak in a convoluted and roundabout way."

"Are you just taking advantage of my lack of education by asking me questions?"

"How about you arm wrestle me? I'll give you ten chances. If you can beat me just once, I'll wholeheartedly work for you."

Shaking his head slightly, Wang Chengpeng said, "Of course I wouldn't take advantage of your lack of education. I'll just ask you a very simple question."

"See this rope and stick? I'm asking you, if I pull the rope, can I pull it out? Is the stick caught in the noose?"

"I won't bully you. Just like arm wrestling, I'll give you ten chances."

"If you can answer correctly just once, I will not only not force you to stay, but I will also give you another hundred yuan for travel expenses."

Zhu Hong looked at Wang Chengpeng as if he were a fool, and thought to himself, no wonder his father said this young man was easy to fool, that he would actually rush up to give money to him.

I just watched him walk through the rope that was wrapped around the rope. How could I possibly answer such a simple question wrong?

Zhu Hong shook his head vigorously and said, "Yes and no."

"If I answer correctly, I won't take your travel expenses, and I'll still help you train the dog, but I'll leave right after I'm done." "As for the hundred yuan you gave me? Don't worry, I'll pay you back when I earn the money."

The phrase "I'll pay you back when I make money" might sound like a perfunctory remark to someone else, but when Zhu Hong says it, it has a magical power that makes people believe it without a doubt.

Wang Chengpeng was very suspicious. Given how easily the other party was deceived, he would be lucky if he didn't lose everything, let alone earn money to pay him back.

But none of that matters. Now that Zhu Hong has taken the bait, we just need to proceed according to the plan.

Nodding, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said, "I didn't realize you had such a sense of loyalty. Okay, I'll do as you say."

"Alright, now you have to answer my question: is this stick caught in a noose or not?"

Upon seeing Wang Chengpeng agree, a hint of joy flashed in Zhu Hong's eyes. He, Zhu Hong, was a man destined for great things; he couldn't possibly follow Wang Chengpeng, a scholar with no strength to even kill a chicken. He immediately said with great certainty:
"It's secured, hurry up and pull it off so I can help you train the dog."

"Dogs are different from people; nighttime is the best time for training them, since there are more thieves at night."

Without saying a word, Wang Chengpeng simply pulled the rope quickly. To Zhu Hong's astonishment, the rope passed right through the wooden stick and was caught in Wang Chengpeng's hand.

Upon realizing he had answered incorrectly, Zhu Hong exclaimed in surprise:
"Are you kidding me? There's definitely something wrong with this rope and stick!"

He wasn't trying to cheat; he simply felt that Wang Chengpeng's behavior was beyond his comprehension and that there was definitely something wrong with it.

Faced with Zhu Hong's questioning, Wang Chengpeng directly handed over the wooden stick and rope, saying:

"You can check and see if I've tampered with anything."

"Of course, if you can't handle the game, just admit defeat and I'll let you go."

"Just consider what you just said about the bet as bullshit."

For someone as single-minded as Zhu Hong, keeping promises is absolutely his number one life principle.

He immediately took the wooden stick and rope, and while inspecting them, he said:

"I, Zhu Hong, am a man of my word. As long as you haven't done anything wrong, I will absolutely keep my promise."

“There’s definitely something wrong with this rope and stick. I don’t believe I could be wrong.”

Although Zhu Hong was very confident, the examination results left him dumbfounded, because no matter how many times he looked at it, the stick and rope were just ordinary sticks and ropes, with no trickery whatsoever.

At this point, Zhu Hong fell completely silent, returned the wooden stick and rope to Wang Chengpeng, and said:

"I must have misread it just now. Let me try again. I'm sure I can answer it correctly this time."

Zhu Hong was incredibly grateful that Wang Chengpeng had foolishly given him ten chances.

Whether you get the answer right or wrong, even if you're just guessing, it's impossible to be wrong ten times in a row.

Without hesitation, Wang Chengpeng tied the rope around the stick again and asked Zhu Hong:

Do you think the rope is caught on the stick or not?

To ensure Zhu Hong could see clearly, Wang Chengpeng deliberately slowed down the rope winding speed this time.

That is precisely why, the moment Zhu Hong asked the question, Zhu Hong confidently gave his answer, saying:

"It's trapped! This time it's definitely trapped!"

However, no matter how certain Zhu Hong was, he could not change the fact that Wang Chengpeng had pulled the rope away from the side of the stick with a gentle tug.

Zhu Hong stared at Wang Chengpeng as if he had seen a ghost, his face full of disbelief, and muttered:

"This is impossible, this is impossible!"

He then regained his confidence, as if he had seen through Wang Chengpeng's trick, and said:
"I have eight more chances. There's no way I can answer wrong even once!"

Or perhaps the rope can't even be caught on the stick, so all I need to do this time is answer that it can't.

Thinking this, when he pulled the rope for the third time, the stick got stuck on the rope, making it impossible for Wang Chengpeng to pull the rope out completely.

"I'm sorry, you got it wrong again."

Wang Chengpeng's voice was normally quite pleasant, but to Zhu Hong at this moment it sounded like the whispers of a demon, sending shivers down his spine.

However, his stubbornness was also incredibly strong, and he quickly began his fourth response.

"You got it right." "I'm sorry, you answered incorrectly."

……

"You didn't get it right." "I'm sorry, you got it wrong again."

Seeing that Zhu Hong was completely unaware that his chances had been used up and still wanted to try again, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said:
"You've used up all ten chances. Unfortunately, you've lost this bet."

"From now on, you have to listen to me. If I tell you to go left, you go left; if I tell you to go right, you go right. Are you willing to accept the consequences of your bet?"

Although it's unclear what Wang Chengpeng's abilities are, he seems to be able to make a rope either lasso a stick or not.

But Zhu Hong was a man of his word, and quite straightforward, he said directly:

"Although I don't know what tricks you played, a loss is a loss, and a win is a win."

"I'm willing to accept defeat, and I'll listen to you from now on."

In a sense, Wang Chengpeng's ability to outmaneuver Zhu Hong proves his skill.

Zhu Hong reached into his pocket and pulled out a brand new dog whistle.

The wood of this dog whistle is very new; it was obviously made recently.

Zhu Hong handed the dog whistle to Wang Chengpeng and explained, "I have been gifted since I was a child and can hear sounds that ordinary people cannot hear."

"This dog whistle was specially made to utilize my special skill; it can emit a very unique sound."

"Others can't hear this sound, but I can."

"If you encounter danger, just blow this dog whistle, and I will come to your rescue immediately."

It was quite a surprise that Zhu Hong possessed such unique abilities.

After thinking it over, Wang Chengpeng finally decided to put the dog whistle away.

He never thinks he has too many trump cards.

If you find yourself in a situation where you can't speak up but you absolutely must let Zhu Hong know that you're in danger, this "silent" dog whistle might be the key to breaking the deadlock.

Looking at Zhu Hong, who was now completely submissive to him, Wang Chengpeng nodded in satisfaction and said:
"You must be a capable person, so let me see what you're capable of."

"These three dogs are yours to train. You can give them free rein, and you can even start training them now."

(End of this chapter)