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

Chapter 206 is surprisingly excellent?

For Wang Chengpeng, washing and peeling potatoes and radishes is a piece of cake.

He didn't even prepare anything; after being weighed, he immediately started his movements.

Soaking potatoes and radishes in clean water and rubbing them vigorously will remove most of the dirt from their surface.

Although there is still some left, it is a stubborn stain that can only be removed by peeling.

Before anyone could react, Wang Chengpeng had already begun the second step: peeling the skin.

What was clearly a clumsy kitchen knife came to life in Wang Chengpeng's hands, turning it into an exquisite little knife.

In just one minute, Wang Chengpeng had finished processing the potatoes.

The peeled potatoes are a perfect golden yellow, without a single stain, and look incredibly tempting.

91%!

The village wasn't entirely illiterate; based on the weights from the two weighings, someone quickly calculated the flesh retention rate of Wang Chengpeng's potatoes.

Potatoes have thin skins, so their meat yield is naturally much higher than that of radishes. Therefore, the average meat yield of potatoes is 89%.

No more, no less, it perfectly matched the results during the competition.

Considering that the potatoes Wang Chengpeng selected were extremely ugly, strictly speaking, the results this time were even better than when he was recruiting.

After all, Wang Fucheng had arranged for people to clean up these ugly potatoes beforehand when he was recruiting, otherwise it would have been too unfair to the people who came to recruit.

Shocked by Wang Chengpeng's excellence, some villagers immediately exclaimed in amazement:

"My God, it's still 91%."

"I originally thought that if Wang Chengpeng could get around 89% this time, it would prove his excellence, but I didn't expect him to give us such a huge surprise."

"It's hard to imagine that his hands are so dexterous, and he handles the kitchen knife perfectly."

"I really want to go and ask him for advice, to ask him how he managed to do this."

"Although I didn't get a job this time, as long as the sugar factory thrives, there will definitely be another recruitment opportunity. Learning in advance will definitely not be a loss."

When someone is so outstanding that you can catch up with them, it inspires a desire to surpass them.

However, if the goal is too outstanding, it will not inspire anyone to take on the challenge.
Then all that's left is the single thought of studying; that's how this person is.

His words struck a chord with everyone, and someone immediately echoed them:
"indeed so."

"If I had some doubts before, after seeing Wang Chengpeng's actual performance, all I have left is to believe him."

"Captain Wang is right. If someone with such ability fails to get a job because of controversy, the reputation of Wangjia Village as jealous and intolerant of talent will be hard to shake off."

"Hey, look! While we were discussing this, this radish has already been put on the scale?"

88.2%.

This number is not Wang Chengpeng's limit, but it is the limit for Luo Bo.

Radishes are not like potatoes. Even small radishes, which have a relatively high flesh yield, don't have much flesh after peeling.

A meat yield of 88.2% is an extremely high level.

If you average it with the meat yield of potatoes, it's roughly 89%.

Wang Chengpeng's outstanding achievements were like a heavy hammer blow, slamming down on those who doubted him.

Didn't they think it was impossible to achieve an 89% score?
They didn't necessarily think Wang Chengpeng cheated; this perfect answer sheet was the best irrefutable proof that Wang Chengpeng hadn't cheated.

If you are not envied by others, you are a mediocre person!
For some reason, they remembered what Wang Chengpeng had just said, and their faces turned bright red. They were too ashamed to stay there any longer.

It's truly shameful that they've become such jerks who are jealous of talent.

If it weren't for the sheer number of people questioning Wang Chengpeng, leading them to believe that "the law doesn't punish everyone," some might have already fled on the spot.

The result was obvious. Wang Fucheng immediately picked up the microphone and said triumphantly:
"Comrade Wang has proven his abilities with facts, and I believe everyone should now understand the fairness of this recruitment process."

"In that case, the result of this recruitment is settled: the top thirty people in the test will be selected as the first batch of workers for the sugar factory."

"The sugar factory is currently in a state of disarray and needs to be rebuilt. This is also the most difficult time. I hope everyone will not complain and will work hard to make the sugar factory even better."

"With the sugar factory as the village-run factory in Wangjia Village, I believe the villagers' lives will get better and better."

"In that case, everyone, let's disperse."

"There's plenty of work to do in the fields, but we don't have time to waste here."

Normally, Wang Fucheng would have ended his story here.

But someone just wouldn't let him have his way, and stepped forward, saying:

"Wang Chengpeng has proven his strength, but Wang Tieshan and Liu Chunhua have not yet proven it."

"Using Wang Chengpeng's abilities to prove their worth is simply utterly unreasonable."

At this point, the only person who would still jump out is Kong Xiu. She's still thinking about getting someone off the list so she can get on it herself, so she's naturally not willing to give up.

Wang Chengpeng's entire family of three made the list. Since Wang Chengpeng can't be removed, it would be fine to remove one of the other two.

However, just as Kong Xiu was making her own plans, she heard Wang Fucheng's furious shout:
"Enough, Kong Xiu, what exactly do you want?"

"One moment I have doubts about this person's grades, the next I have doubts about that person's grades."

"What, has Wangjia Village become your personal fiefdom now? You have to make all the decisions?"

"So you mean to say that everyone on the list has problems, and you're going to keep questioning them one by one?"

"If Wang Tieshan and Liu Chunhua prove themselves, are you going to question the second-place finisher and ask him to prove his own abilities?"

If Kong Xiu continues to act so unreasonably, will Wang Fucheng, the production team leader, have any face left?

Therefore, he had to plug this loophole and leave Kong Xiu speechless.

To everyone's surprise, when faced with Wang Fucheng's reprimand, Kong Xiu simply said with a nonchalant expression:
"Since it's an announcement, as a member of Wangjia Village, I naturally have the right to question it."

"If you don't allow us to question it, then don't post it at all. I don't know who you're trying to provoke us with your anger."

This angered not only Wang Fucheng, but also the other villagers on the list.

They dutifully completed the recruitment test for the sugar factory, eagerly preparing to become workers, only to be met with Kong Xiu's unreasonable and disruptive behavior.

Peeling requires the right timing, location, and people – all are essential.

They don't have Wang Chengpeng's abilities. If they were to do it again, their results might not be as good as the first time.

Thinking this way, Kong Xiu immediately became the target of public criticism and was verbally attacked by other villagers.

"Kong Xiu is really shameless; she actually intends to question everyone one by one."

"This test was conducted in front of everyone, so the results can't be faked. How can we let her continue to question it? Otherwise, this recruitment process will become a joke, and other villages will laugh at our Wangjia Village."

"Wang Chengpeng has proven himself with his strength and demonstrated the fairness of the list. It's outrageous that Kong Xiu is still so relentless."

"But what Kong Xiu said is absolutely right. Since the announcement has been posted, the villagers have the right to question it. Captain Wang is really having a hard time dealing with this kind of shrew."

"Don't worry, who is Captain Wang? He's a local official with many years of experience. Do you think he'd be afraid of a troublemaker like Kong Xiu?"

"..." It has to be said that things have escalated to this point, and the recruitment process is showing signs of turning into a farce.

Looking at Kong Xiu, who was clearly stubborn and inflexible, Wang Fucheng said with a livid face:

“Okay, it’s your right, Kong Xiu, to question it. That’s perfectly fine.”

"But if you really intend to raise questions, the burden of proof lies with the person making the claim, so please provide your evidence."

"Without evidence, we could not have wronged someone who was genuinely participating in the test without cause."

The self-proving trap is the most terrifying trap. How can a person prove their innocence in an era without even surveillance? It's simply a pipe dream.

So Wang Fucheng was too lazy to waste words with Kong Xiu and directly asked her to produce evidence, otherwise he would not accept her unreasonable arguments.

In response to Wang Fucheng's words, Kong Xiu resorted to shamelessness:

"You can't question something without evidence; there's no such thing as a free lunch."

“Now I’m raising questions to the village, and even if we need to find evidence, that’s the village’s business.”

With a cold laugh, Wang Fucheng thought to himself, "Do you think I can't handle this troublemaker?" He immediately said:

"Fine, so you're going to question it?"

"Yes, Wangjia Village accepts your question."

"But if the person you're questioning proves their ability and that their achievements are genuine, then the village shouldn't have any problem dealing with you for spreading rumors and slander, right?"

"To be fair, each person you question will have three chances to prove their abilities. As long as they achieve the required score once, there will be no problem."

"Alright, now you can tell me who you're questioning."

The reason why rumors and slander are rampant is because the cost of spreading rumors and slander is too low.

As expected, Kong Xiu immediately shut up as soon as Wang Fucheng finished speaking.

How could she be sure who had a problem and who didn't?

If she questions the wrong person, and ends up not only failing to get the job done but also getting herself into trouble, then she'll be truly devastated.

Just as Kong Xiu was about to back down, Wang Tieshan stepped forward.

He still had that honest, unassuming look, but now his face was filled with righteous indignation, and he said:

"I do things honestly and live an upright life, but I never expected to be wronged like this."

"Kong Xiu, don't you think there's something wrong with my grades? Then I'll confront you. Do you dare to stand up?"

Even honest people have their tempers, especially since this involves Wang Tieshan's family, so he naturally wouldn't back down.

Now Kong Xiu could no longer pretend to be dead, and could only bite the bullet and say:
"I didn't, I didn't say that, I don't know."

"Oh, right, I just remembered that I haven't fed the chickens at home yet, so I won't get involved in your business."

"I'm leaving first, goodbye."

Like a stray dog, Kong Xiu slunk away.

This time, however, she offended a large part of the village, and her future days are definitely not going to be easy. She is a perfect example of someone who tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead.

Kong Xiu left, and this time there were no more dissenting voices; the list of recruits was thus finalized.

Rural people don't have that much free time; the reason they gather here is because hiring is a major event for each family.

Now that they knew the result and had seen the spectacle, they all went back to do their own things.

On his way home, Wang Tieshan still felt somewhat insecure and muttered to himself:

"Son, do you think we're dreaming? How come all three of us got jobs at the same time?"

"Could it be that when you went to talk to Captain Wang, you misstated the number and said three instead of one?"

Wang Chengpeng looked at his father speechlessly and quickly corrected him:

"Dad, don't talk nonsense. What connection? We got those jobs based on our own merits."

"Didn't you answer the test questions yourselves? Didn't you peel the potatoes and carrots yourselves?"

After being reminded by Wang Chengpeng, Wang Tieshan suddenly realized what was happening and said:

"That's right, we got these jobs through our own hard work and didn't use any connections at all."

Nodding in satisfaction, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said, "That's right."

"Don't talk nonsense anymore. If someone with ulterior motives hears this, they might report you. Let's see how you confront them then."

Wang Tieshan, who had just been tricked by Kong Xiu, was still a little scared and subconsciously covered his mouth, saying:

"I understand, I definitely won't say anything out of line."

"You guys really know Kong Xiu, she's like a mad dog, biting anyone she sees, even though our family of three has never done anything to offend her."

With a chuckle, Wang Chengpeng burst out laughing and said:
"Dad, you said it's a mad dog, so does it need a reason to bite people?"

Wang Chengpeng had an excellent memory and had already memorized the data on the leaderboard, so he naturally understood why Kong Xiu would bite anyone she encountered.

He secretly thought it was fortunate that he hadn't withdrawn from the recruitment drive, otherwise he would have let this mad dog get away with it.

At the same time, Wang Chengpeng was also somewhat relieved, thinking to himself that he was lucky to have jumped out to protect his family from the fire when he saw the situation was not right.

Otherwise, if Kong Xiu had been the first to question Wang Tieshan and intended to have him go on stage for a retest, the outcome today would have been uncertain.

His own father was an honest man, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, how could he possibly have the courage to remain unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before his eyes?

Influenced by the crowd, even with three chances, there is a high probability of underperforming, thus confirming the rumor that there is something fishy about this recruitment.

Then it'll be like mud falling onto your pants—even if it's not shit, it'll still look like shit.

Seeing the smiles on his parents' faces, Wang Chengpeng immediately felt that all his planning over the past few days had been worthwhile.

Although working in a sugar factory wasn't particularly easy, it was definitely much simpler than earning work points.

In addition, the sugar factory was right near their home, which was very convenient, making it an excellent job for their parents.

With Wang Fucheng and Wang Zhong protecting him, he figured his family would be safe even if he went away to university.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said, "Dad, Mom, getting a job is such a wonderful thing."

"Since it's getting late, you guys don't need to go to work today. Let's have a big meal together at home to celebrate."

Wang Chengpeng's words were exactly what his parents wanted, and they immediately agreed with a smile. The family then walked home chatting and laughing.

……

Wang Chengpeng and his family were extremely pleased with themselves regarding the sugar factory's recruitment of workers.

Wang Yinshan was also overjoyed to have received a job offer.

Little did he know that right after the recruitment results were announced, someone had already set their sights on the job that his family had worked so hard to obtain.

(End of this chapter)