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

Chapter 201 Apologizing in front of the whole village
Sure enough, it's not that the family doesn't enter the house.

Even at this point, Shen Dong still tried to cheat Wang Chengpeng and cover up his apology.

However, Wang Chengpeng was not easily fooled and immediately retorted:
"I was falsely accused of being a criminal, and Uncle Shen thinks such a big deal is nothing?"

"If this is the attitude of both Uncle and Aunt in apologizing, then I'll have to reconsider whether your apologies are truly sincere."

“I can write a letter of understanding, but if it doesn’t meet the requirements, I may not necessarily forgive Aunt Kong.”

"After all, if Uncle Shen's son, Shen Wei, were to be falsely accused and slandered like this, it would be impossible for him to forgive the slanderers so easily."

Seeing that Wang Chengpeng was unyielding and difficult to reason with, Shen Dong finally gave in and agreed to Wang Chengpeng's request.

It's just a matter of talking; even if it's embarrassing, it's better than facing jail time.

Seeing that Shen Dong had agreed to his request, Wang Chengpeng didn't hesitate and immediately wrote a letter of understanding.

However, Wang Chengpeng was not someone who could be easily fooled. The letter of understanding clearly stated that it would only take effect after Kong Xiu apologized in front of the entire village using a loudspeaker.

With this restriction in place, it would be virtually impossible for Shen Dong and Kong Xiu to fool Wang Chengpeng again.

Holding the letter of understanding written by Wang Chengpeng, Shen Dong looked as disgusted as if he had swallowed a fly.

He had thought he might be able to find a loophole, but he didn't expect Wang Chengpeng to block all his escape routes.

If he wanted to get Kong Xiu out of trouble, he could only make her apologize properly.

Without wasting any time with Wang Chengpeng, Shen Dong thanked him and then hurriedly went to Shanghe City with the letter of understanding.

This police station is not like Wangjia Village. If Kong Xiu dares to cause trouble in the police station, even if he has a letter of leniency, he won't be able to get Kong Xiu back if he arrives too late.

However, Shen Dong overestimated Kong Xiu a bit; all she dared to do was act arrogantly in the village.

Once they arrived at the police station, they looked as docile as quails, practically shrinking their heads back.

Sighing, Shen Dong complained, "Old woman, I'm not trying to be mean, but why do you keep saying all this nonsense for no reason?"

“If Wang Chengpeng hadn’t been so accommodating this time, you probably would have been locked up.”

Even if you really want to publicize it extensively, you should at least wait until the matter is truly clear before making any announcements.

"Now that someone has sued you, I have to come and bail you out in the middle of the night."

Kong Xiu was initially somewhat moved by Shen Donglai's redemption of her.

But after being scolded by Shen Dong, Kong Xiu's temper flared up, and she said:
"I did all that for my family."

"Do you know what people in the village are saying? They're saying that our Shen family took over the Wang family's business."

"If we don't crush Wang Chengpeng, how can we hold our heads high in the village?"

"Wang Chengpeng was just lucky this time; he didn't actually commit a crime."

"When he commits another crime, you'll see how I spread the word far and wide."

The Shen and Wang families had no prior animosity, but through Liu Yanran's matchmaking, they were naturally placed on opposite sides.

In the end, Kong Xiu was relatively obedient and promised not to cause trouble again, which relieved Shen Dong somewhat. He said:

"Of course I know you mean well for our family, but some things, if done improperly, can easily backfire."

"When you get back, apologize to Wang Chengpeng through the village loudspeaker, and that will be the end of it."

Upon hearing Shen Dong's words, Kong Xiu screamed in alarm, saying:
"What nonsense are you talking about? How could I do such a thing?"

Now it was Shen Dong's turn to be frustrated. He said, "How could you go back on your word? Didn't you agree to it at the police station just now?"

Kong Xiu glanced at Shen Dong speechlessly and said, "I was just fooling them, how could you take it seriously?"

"Since the letter of understanding has already been submitted, why should I apologize to Wang Chengpeng again?"

"Besides, I had already apologized to him at the village entrance. If he hadn't been so petty, none of this would have happened."

What can we do? There's nothing we can do.

No matter how much trouble Kong Xiu caused, she was still his wife, so Shen Dong could only patiently persuade her:
“Old woman, don’t even think about going back on your word this time. You may not have noticed, but Wang Chengpeng wrote down some conditions on the letter of understanding.”

“If you don’t apologize in front of the whole village using a loudspeaker, then this letter of understanding is invalid.”

“Wang Chengpeng not only wrote down the conditions, but also gave a three-day time limit.”

"It's just an apology, at most a loss of face, which is infinitely better than being arrested and going to jail."

“I know you’ve been wronged, but going to jail will affect your whole family. You still have to do what Wang Chengpeng said.”

"After you apologize, I'll kill the rooster in my house and make soup for you, okay?"

A wise man doesn't suffer a loss he can avoid, especially Kong Xiu, who had already experienced imprisonment and didn't want to be locked up again.

Although she looked humiliated, she eventually agreed.

Seeing that Kong Xiu agreed to apologize, Shen Dong breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Although this would cause the Shen family to lose face, it would also avert a disaster.

Thinking this, he suddenly remembered another question and murmured:
"The only problem now is whether the village will lend you a loudspeaker."

"That's the village's loudspeaker; it's only used for major emergencies."

Upon hearing this, Kong Xiu let out a disdainful snort and said:

"Not lending? As long as it's to apologize to Wang Chengpeng, how could the village not lend it?"

"You didn't see it last time, but Cheng Xiuying was really nice to Wang Chengpeng."

"As expected, they're all surnamed Wang. All they know is how to bully outsiders on behalf of their own family."

Shaking his head slightly, Shen Dong said, "It's no wonder that Wang Fucheng would side with Wang Chengpeng. Last time when Song Zhiyuan caused trouble, there were very few people in Wang Chengpeng's family who supported Wang Fucheng."

"Even if he were to return the favor, he wouldn't treat Wang Chengpeng's family too badly."

After Shen Dong's reminder, Kong Xiu remembered that there was such a thing involved, and immediately cursed angrily:

"That Wang Fucheng is really petty; he still holds onto things from so long ago."

"If he hadn't treated us differently, how could I have gotten into this mess?"

"..."

As the two chattered on and on, they rode their bicycles from Shanghe City to Wangjia Village.

Because it was nighttime and the distance was already quite far, by the time the two returned to their house, it was already broad daylight.

Yawning, Liu Yanran complained with dissatisfaction:

"Making so much noise so early in the morning, can't a person get any sleep?"

She had no sense of belonging to the Shen family, so naturally she wouldn't treat Kong Xiu very well.

If it weren't for Kong Xiu's occasional strange gaze, as if she had seen through everything, she wouldn't have given Kong Xiu the slightest face.

As if she had thought of something, Liu Yanran's expression softened again, and she asked:
"Mom, have you found out exactly what happened?"

"Why was Wang Chengpeng released unharmed even though he had already been arrested?"

Liu Yanran naturally didn't care about Wang Chengpeng's affairs; she was merely trying to subtly inquire about Zhou Xia.

Since it was a fabrication and slander, the police naturally had an obligation to explain the situation clearly to Kong Xiu. Therefore, Kong Xiu knew a little about the matter and said:
"What else could it be? It's just a misunderstanding. Wang Chengpeng didn't do anything to spread rumors or slander."

"As for the deeper details, the police said it had nothing to do with me and didn't tell me."

"Why am I so unlucky to be locked up for no reason? It's a disaster I suffered for no reason."

"Yanran, I'm leaving the house to you today. I need to go get some sleep."

"I didn't sleep all night, it was really tiring."

After saying that, Kong Xiu went to her room by herself, and soon after, the sound of Kong Xiu snoring could be heard from inside the room.

What happened to Brother Xia?

With this thought in mind, Liu Yanran felt even more strongly that she couldn't stay in this house any longer, and immediately said to Shen Dong:

"Dad, is our bicycle still there?"

"I suddenly remembered something I need to do and need to go out for a bit, so I'll take this bicycle first." By the time Shen Dong realized what was happening, Liu Yanran had already ridden off on her bicycle and disappeared from sight, leaving Shen Dong dumbfounded.

Although pregnant women in this era are not so fussy and will help with household chores even with a big belly, none of them are like Liu Yanran who runs out every few days.
Unfortunately, Liu Yanran had already disappeared, so he could only sigh and tidy up the messy room.

……

Kong Xiu slept for quite a long time, and didn't wake up until noon.

She went to the kitchen, found a coarse grain steamed bun, and started eating it as she walked towards the village office building.

Shen Dong's efforts to persuade her overnight had not been in vain; he had finally convinced her that he had to apologize using a megaphone, and she was determined to finish the task as soon as she woke up.

She never wanted to experience that feeling of being in jail again, not even for a single day.

In order to get the Dapeng Sugar Factory up and running smoothly, Wang Fucheng was busy at the sugar factory almost every day, and was not at the village office building at this time.

Long Yongde glanced at the furtive Kong Xiu and frowned as he asked:
"Comrade Kong, this is working time. Why aren't you working in the fields? What are you trying to do, sneaking around here?"

The reason they were acting so furtively was simply because Kong Xiu hadn't yet made up his mind to apologize.

Even though you've decided to do something, people always have a tendency to procrastinate and habitually want to put it off for a while longer.

Unfortunately, Long Yongde had already discovered her whereabouts, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and explain that she had come to the village to borrow a loudspeaker to apologize to Wang Chengpeng.

If someone else wanted to use the loudspeaker to do something, Long Yongde might hesitate.

But since it was an apology to Wang Chengpeng, Long Yongde naturally had no reason to refuse. He didn't want to offend the most important person in the village for something so trivial.

Thinking this, Long Yongde enthusiastically led Kong Xiu to the broadcasting studio and said into the microphone:

"Say whatever you want to say. The village has excellent sound quality; almost everyone can hear you."

"Even people from neighboring villages who live nearby can hear it, so it's absolutely effective for apologies."

Fearing that Kong Xiu might deliberately cause trouble, Long Yongde dared not leave first and could only watch as Kong Xiu stood there helplessly, not making a move for a long time.

Long Yongde had his own things to do and couldn't keep Kong Xiu dawdling here any longer, so he immediately urged her:

"hurry up."

"If you don't want to borrow the megaphone, I'll kick you out."

Urged on by Long Yongde, Kong Xiu took a deep breath and finally made up her mind, saying:
"I, Kong Xiu, hereby solemnly apologize to Wang Chengpeng, a fellow villager."

"I misunderstood him yesterday. I was wrong to speak carelessly without knowing the truth."

"Wang Chengpeng, I'm sorry, please forgive me!"

After uttering the last word, Kong Xiu's face turned a deep shade of liver.

This was perhaps the most humiliating moment of her life. She immediately dropped the microphone and fled without looking back.

……

On the ridges of the field, people worked while gossiping.

Their conversation naturally revolved around Kong Xiu's fabrication of rumors about Wang Chengpeng, which led to her arrest.

After all, this is the only recent event that's been slightly more significant.

"How did things turn out like this? A perfectly normal person was just arrested by the police."

"Comrade Wang is so outstanding, yet she makes baseless accusations against him."

"They even gave her a chance to apologize, but she didn't cherish it. Doesn't she deserve to be arrested?"

"What you said makes some sense, and it does tarnish the reputation of our Wangjia Village."

"It's really not a good thing that someone has been arrested."

"That's true, but Kong Xiu's arrest was entirely his own fault."

“It would be a problem if people like this weren’t arrested; they would corrupt the atmosphere of our Wangjia Village.”

"If everyone keeps spreading rumors, how will we live?"

Just as the two were having a casual conversation, the loudspeaker in Wangjia Village suddenly went off.

After a long silence accompanied by the crackling sound of electricity, Kong Xiu's voice came through the loudspeaker.

Fearing that he would be arrested and taken back to the police station, Kong Xiu's apology this time was sincere and delivered in a very loud voice.

Overheard by the two people who were discussing it, it immediately became the focus of their attention.

"Kong Xiu actually apologized in front of the whole village? Tsk tsk tsk, she really disgraced their family."

"Isn't face something you earn yourself? If she hadn't done something awful, why would she have to apologize like that?"

"In my opinion, she deserves it, she has no choice but to accept it."

"By the way, aren't the Shen father and son working around here? Why don't we go and see their expressions? They must be quite interesting."

Who doesn't love gossip, especially juicy gossip about other people? The two of them immediately went to the restaurant.

Upon seeing Shen Wei, one of them greeted him warmly:

"Hey, isn't this Shen Wei?"

"Listen, your mother is apologizing."

"It's only because Comrade Wang is a kind-hearted person that this matter could be resolved with just an apology from your mother."

Hearing the mockery from his fellow villagers, Shen Wei's face turned a deep shade of liver.

He had finally mustered up the courage to work hard and earn work points to support his family, but he never expected to encounter such a shameful thing.

Unfortunately, he couldn't refute it and could only accept it, since what others said was true.

Seeing that the crowd still intended to surround and ridicule him, Shen Wei couldn't hold back any longer. He angrily threw his tools onto the ridge of the field and ran away.

On his escape, Shen Wei's face was filled with humiliation, and a hint of hatred flashed in his eyes. He murmured softly:
"Mother, how could you make me so embarrassed?"

However, Kong Xiu was his mother after all, so even if he was full of anger, he could not vent it on Kong Xiu.

In this way, he could only helplessly transfer his anger onto innocent people, bitterly saying:
"Wang Chengpeng, you've gone too far!"

"Don't let me catch you doing anything wrong, or I'll make sure you suffer."

With both new and old grudges combined, Shen Wei was absolutely furious.

These people are really ridiculous. They always have problems of their own, but they never reflect on themselves. They always blame Wang Chengpeng for rebelling against them and not obediently letting them trick him.

Shen Dong was alright; he still had some sense of right and wrong and knew that Kong Xiu had indeed done something wrong this time. In fact, it was he who persuaded Kong Xiu to apologize.

The logic was sound, but when surrounded by a crowd, he still felt incredibly agitated.

Unfortunately, he couldn't escape like Shen Wei, which made him extremely frustrated.

I could only use the excuse that I had finally managed to solve a troublesome problem to comfort myself little by little, so that I wouldn't feel so bad under the siege of everyone.

However, judging from his face, which was already flushed with embarrassment, his heart was not as calm as it appeared.

On the other side, Liu Yanran was also feeling very uncomfortable.

She wasn't ashamed because of Kong Xiu's apology, but rather because she felt terrible about the huge losses she had suffered.

The thought that the more than one thousand yuan that should have belonged to her and Zhou Xia had now been taken by the Wang family caused her so much pain that her face contorted.

That's over a thousand yuan, enough to buy several sets of three-wheeled vehicles and even a job in the city.

No, this money can't just stay with the Wang family. I need to go to the city and ask Zhou Xia about the situation!

Thinking this, Liu Yanran disregarded her pregnant belly and pedaled her bicycle as fast as she could, heading towards the city.

Thanks to Liu Yanran's efforts, it didn't take long for her to arrive at the Hongqu Textile Factory where Zhou Xia worked.

The security guards at the Hongqu Textile Factory generally recognized Liu Yanran, who frequently visited the factory, and did not stop her.

Having found her way there with practiced ease, Liu Yanran didn't care about avoiding suspicion and simply knocked on the door of the purchasing office.

(End of this chapter)