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

Chapter 159 Changes
Zhu Hong glanced at Wang Chengpeng with surprise and said, "Boss, didn't you just tell me not to train the dog at night?"

Wang Chengpeng rubbed his forehead slightly and scolded, "Don't call me boss, it just sounds so awkward."

"As for dog training, you're the professional, so I won't interfere with your work to avoid affecting your performance."

Wang Chengpeng was not one to act on his own. Since Zhu Hong had explained why he wanted to train the dogs at night, Wang Chengpeng naturally wouldn't interfere.

"Okay, Brother Wang, we'll do as you say."

Zhu Hong kept his word and quickly assumed the role of Wang Chengpeng's underling, obeying Wang Chengpeng's every word.

Just as he was about to go train the dog, his stomach rumbled loudly; he was clearly hungry.

Zhu Hong didn't own a bicycle. Even if he did, Zhu Weiguo would probably have sold it to pay off his debts long ago. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sought help from Wang Chengpeng, who was just a passerby.

So even though Zhu Hong arrived late, considering the long journey, he may have already been traveling for a day and a night.

It's a man!

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng pointed to the kitchen and said, "There are some leftovers in there. If you don't mind, come in and have some."

“If your stomach keeps rumbling and others misunderstand that I’m mistreating you, I’ll kick you out immediately.”

Even though Zhu Hong was a simpleton, he still felt embarrassed in the face of this scene where his stomach was bulging.

However, he didn't follow Wang Chengpeng to the kitchen. Instead, he opened the pack on his back, took out a dry, hard pancake from the middle, and started eating it.

While munching on his food, he said, "My dad told me not to eat your food."

"Brother Wang, just give me a couple of sips of water, and I'll be ready to work right away."

Bring your own food? Zhu Weiguo really doesn't care about his son at all, he doesn't even let him eat at home.

Although Zhu Hong was stubborn, who was Wang Chengpeng? He had a thousand ways to control Zhu Hong, and immediately said:

"What? Are you planning to go back on your word?"

"I just said I was willing to accept the consequences of my bet and would listen to me from now on. How can you go back on your word after only a few minutes?"

"You either listen to me and go to the kitchen to eat, or you take your food and get out of here."

"Do you believe me or not, even if you gave this pancake to my dogs, they wouldn't eat it?"

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng speak ill of his pancakes, Zhu Hong immediately became displeased and said:

"How could that be? My family's pancakes are delicious."

Facts speak louder than words.

Wang Chengpeng broke off some flatbread and put it into the three puppies' bowls right in front of Zhu Hong.

What embarrassed Zhu Hong happened just like that. The three puppies were initially very interested and sniffed around, but after discovering that it was a dry, hard biscuit, they actually went straight back to their doghouse.

They won't eat Zhu Hong's pancakes unless they're hungry.

Now, even with his thick skin, Zhu Hong couldn't say anything more and could only look at Wang Chengpeng awkwardly, unsure whether to go forward or retreat.

Wang Chengpeng didn't mind and directly invited Zhu Hong into the kitchen.

There were some leftover dishes from dinner. If we heated them up a bit, we could give them to Zhu Hong to eat with some flatbread.

Although the pancake tastes so-so, it's still food, and it wouldn't be good to waste it.

Add some water, and it can be considered a delicious meal.

This was Zhu Hong's first day at the Wang family, and since the other party kept calling him "Brother Wang," Wang Chengpeng felt embarrassed to treat him harshly.

After thinking for a moment, he reheated the leftover cabbage and pork dish from the evening and used it as a side dish for Zhu Hong's pancakes.

The stir-fried cabbage and pork, after being reheated once, is not as crisp as when it was freshly cooked, but it becomes more flavorful and has a unique taste.

Especially the cabbage soup, saturated with meat juices, is savory and delicious; just a little bit can transform a dry, hard flatbread into a delicacy.

Zhu Hong didn't stand on ceremony and picked up his chopsticks to start eating.

As the delicious taste of stir-fried cabbage and pork spread across his tongue, Zhu Hong's eyes unexpectedly became moist, as if he had encountered something deeply moving.

Seeing this, Wang Chengpeng asked curiously, "Zhu Hong, why are you crying while you're eating?"

Wiping his eyes, Zhu Hong said somewhat embarrassedly, "This stir-fried cabbage with pork is just too delicious; it actually reminded me of Wangcai."

Wang Chengpeng continued, "Wangcai? Is that your dog?"

Are you sad because you couldn't share such delicious food with Wangcai?

But Zhu Hong shook his head vigorously and said, "Brother Wang, that's not how it is."

"Wangcai was indeed my dog, but the reason I thought of him was because the last time I ate something so delicious was when Wangcai died."

Wang Chengpeng: ...? ? ?
Nothing gives you a greater sense of belonging than a full meal; if there is, it's two full meals.

After eating and drinking his fill, Zhu Hong felt full of energy and, without delaying anything, went to the doghouse to train the dogs.

As soon as Wang Chengpeng returned to the study, before he could even sit down, Wang Zidong curiously approached him and said:

"Pengzi, what exactly happened just now? Why did the rope and the stick change like that?"

With Zhu Hong's loud voice, unless Wang Zidong is deaf, he couldn't possibly not know that Zhu Hong was coming.

Out of curiosity, Wang Zidong came out to take a look and happened to witness Zhu Hong's absurd situation of answering ten questions incorrectly every time.

Knowing that this couldn't be because Zhu Hong was unlucky and guessed wrong ten times in a row, Wang Zidong naturally inquired about the trickery involved.

"It's just a simple technique; the two ropes you pull are different, and the results are different too."

It was just a little trick, and Wang Chengpeng didn't hide it, demonstrating it directly in front of Wang Zidong.

Nodding as if he understood but not quite, Wang Zidong said:

“Pengzi, don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this technique. My intuition tells me that it’s anything but simple.”

"As the saying goes, those involved are often confused while bystanders see things clearly. If it were my first time encountering this situation, I'm afraid I would have been just as easily fooled as that big guy."

"This method can even be used to swindle money..."

Wang Zidong has a good learning ability and can even draw inferences from one instance to another, thinking of many things from one of Wang Chengpeng's methods.

Wang Chengpeng nodded in satisfaction and said, "It's really good that you have this kind of comprehension."

"It's always good to be cautious and to know more, so you won't be so easily fooled."

"Alright, continue reading your book. The review test is coming up soon."

"Since you have so much time, and can even go out to see plays, you must be doing quite well in your studies. You shouldn't need to copy it twenty times, right?"

Wang Chengpeng's sudden change of attitude left Wang Zidong dumbfounded. He immediately buried his head in his book, not wanting to be punished by having to copy the answers twenty times for answering questions incorrectly!
……

It has to be said that since Wang Chengpeng's rebirth, he has found that his family's ability to accept strange things has increased many times over. For example, right now, they are not curious about Zhu Hong's arrival at all. They just told Wang Chengpeng to treat the guest well and then went out to give birth.

Wang Chengpeng was somewhat surprised by Zhu Hong's calm demeanor. Didn't his family worry that Zhu Hong was some outsider he had kidnapped from somewhere?

The only person who seemed to have a problem with Zhu Hong was Wang Meiyan. Every time she looked at Zhu Hong, she was filled with hostility. It was obvious that she believed what Wang Chengpeng had said: that swindlers would come to your door to swindle you.

It's just that Zhu Hong is thick-skinned and doesn't care about Wang Meiyan's gaze at all; otherwise, he would probably have been made to feel ashamed by Wang Meiyan long ago.

It has to be said that having another person in the family always brings about many changes.

At least in terms of food, Wang Chengpeng needs to prepare more food every day.

Zhu Hong's tall stature wasn't for nothing. Looking at the other man's appetite, which was equivalent to that of three people, Wang Chengpeng seriously suspected that the reason why Zhu Weiguo was so poor was entirely because he had eaten Zhu Hong out of poverty.

Fortunately, Wang Chengpeng is quite wealthy, and he can afford to support even one more person.

After all, Zhu Hong wasn't one to freeload. While helping train the dogs, he also took on most of the household chores.

Tasks like fetching water, chopping wood, and feeding chickens were tasks that Wang Chengpeng didn't need to instruct him on; he could complete them very well on his own.

In a sense, Wang Chengpeng essentially hired a free long-term worker by providing meals, so it's hard to say who actually profited.

Especially after Zhu Hong showed off his fish-spearing skills, everyone was extremely satisfied with him.

Behind the Wang family's house is a river, but since it has never been properly used for aquaculture, it only contains some small fish and shrimp.

But for Wang Chengpeng's family, it was a rare delicacy.

For example, the shrimp pancakes that Wang Chengpeng made at noon today were so delicious that they made Wang Meiyan, this little glutton, drool.

Of course, these are just some incidental benefits; Zhu Hong's real skill lies in training dogs.

Three generations of dog trainers—that's no exaggeration.

Big Yellow, Little Black, and Little Gold are all clever and excellent at guarding the house.

After being trained by Zhu Hong, his skills improved even more, and he became even more formidable.

Not only can they guard the house, but they also have the ability to hunt prey.

Whenever the rain stops and the sun shines, Zhu Hong would take his three dogs and Wang Meiyan up the mountain to dig up freshly harvested bamboo shoots.

If you're lucky, you might even bring back a basket full of mushrooms. After stir-frying or stewing them, they become a rare delicacy.

Perhaps because of Zhu Hong's efforts, or perhaps because he never realized the other party was continuing to swindle money, one afternoon, Wang Meiyan actually approached Wang Chengpeng and said:
"Brother, what do you think of that blockhead Zhu Hong?"

Somewhat puzzled by Wang Meiyan's question, Wang Chengpeng asked in confusion, "What do you mean, 'how'?"

“He’s living with us just fine, isn’t he? With his help, the whole family can have a much easier time.”

Wang Meiyan gave Wang Chengpeng a disappointed look and said:
"Who asked you that? I asked you whether you think he's a scammer, and whether we should call the police and have him arrested?"

After a moment's hesitation, Wang Meiyan spoke up for Zhu Hong: "I don't think Brother Zhu is a swindler."

"Although he eats a lot, he is also very capable at work."

"Most importantly, he never mentioned money, so I don't think he's a scammer."

"The real swindlers should only be the old swindlers I met at the market, or perhaps this little swindler has been reformed by me and turned over a new leaf."

The world of children is so imaginative and unrestrained that Wang Chengpeng couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Finally, under Wang Meiyan's murderous gaze, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said:
“Sister, I think you’re absolutely right.”

"Zhu Hong is probably a petty swindler, but we have already reformed him with love, so he won't amount to anything."

"So there's no need to call the police; let him stay here."

After hesitating for a moment, Wang Chengpeng felt that this was not a good idea.

In this day and age, which member of the household doesn't have to shoulder the heavy responsibility of supporting the family?

If Zhu Hong works here, then Zhu Weiguo, that old geezer, must be all alone at home.

In addition, Zhu Hong was doing unpaid work without any pay, so he couldn't even send money home.

With that in mind, Wang Chengpeng decided to let Zhu Hong go home and take some gifts back with him, so that Zhu Weiguo would feel at ease letting Zhu Hong stay here.

Otherwise, if his precious son really disappeared without a trace, wouldn't he come knocking on his door directly?
Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng called Zhu Hong over and said:
“Zhu Hong, you’ve been at our house for half a month now, and the dog is all trained. It’s time for you to go home.”

“Your father is still waiting for you at home. It’s not a good idea for you to stay at my house like this.”

Zhu Hong frowned slightly, his expression practically written all over his face, and said:

“My dad told me to come here, but he didn’t say I had to go back.”

"Why should I go back when I'm doing just fine here?"

Zhu Hong is really heartless. With a sigh, Wang Chengpeng took out the gift he had prepared beforehand and said:
"If I tell you to go back, then go back."

"You are really unfilial. Your father is an old man at home and you are not worried at all."

Zhu Hong looked at Wang Chengpeng speechlessly and said, "My dad is in very good health."

"Without some strength and ability, how could he possibly train those dogs?"

However, seeing Wang Chengpeng's face gradually turn ashen, Zhu Hong wisely kept quiet.

Although he only stayed at the Wang family's house for a little over ten days, his attitude towards Wang Chengpeng had completely changed from initial disdain to now heartfelt admiration.

Furthermore, he already had an agreement with Wang Chengpeng, so it was impossible for him to disobey Wang Chengpeng at this time. In the end, he could only reluctantly return home with a package that was even heavier than when he came.

Conservatively estimated, it will take Zhu Hong at least two or three days to return, as he has no means of transportation.

Watching Zhu Hong's departing figure, Wang Meiyan felt a pang of reluctance towards this "little liar," and said:

"Brother, didn't you say we've already won over that little liar with love? Why are you still kicking him out?"

Often, it is Zhu Hong's stubborn personality that makes him more popular with children.

Although his words may be unpleasant to hear, at least he is straightforward and doesn't mince words.

Only Wang Chengpeng felt somewhat helpless, thinking to himself that his younger sister was siding with outsiders, and said:

“He was moved by our love, but the old liar wasn’t.”

"To prevent the old swindler from coming to our door, we naturally had to send him back first."

"Don't worry, Zhu Hong will be back soon."

Just as Wang Chengpeng had finally managed to explain things to Wang Meiyan and resolve the matter, the village loudspeaker blared out a notice that resounded throughout the entire Wangjia Village.

(End of this chapter)