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

Chapter 212 Deja Vu
Faced with Zhao Yuju's renewed verbal promise, Wang Tieshan smiled and said:
"Mother, it turns out to be a small matter, a small matter that only I can handle. I never knew I was so capable."

"Now I'm a little curious about what this little thing is. Tell me quickly, and when I visit you next time, I'm going to make a good laugh at you, brother, for not being able to handle even such a small matter."

Seeing that Wang Tieshan not only didn't take her bait, but also turned the tables on her, Zhao Yuju was at her wit's end. She thought to herself that this third brother was completely unpredictable and unlike the timid and submissive man she used to know.

Moreover, she was extremely familiar with this Tai Chi technique, as if she had experienced it on another person before.

Wait a minute, isn't this the same tactic Wang Chengpeng used to deal with me back then?

Zhao Yuju's eyes widened immediately, trying to see through Wang Tieshan's facade to see if Wang Chengpeng was actually hiding behind it.

I tried every possible way to find a time when Wang Chengpeng wasn't around to look for Wang Tieshan, but why is he still so persistent?
She ultimately failed to see Wang Chengpeng's figure in Wang Tieshan's body, and could only bite the bullet and say:
"Tieshan, there's no need to bring this up again. It would make you seem petty."

She had a plan to get something for nothing, and if Wang Tieshan told others, how could she keep that thousand yuan?
Wang Tieshan, bewildered as to why speaking the truth would seem petty, said:
"Mother, wasn't I doing all that for you?"

“If you have to come all this way to me for even the smallest thing, then it must be because your older brother hasn’t taken good care of you.”

"If we don't have a proper talk with him, won't he bully you even more in the future?"

Seeing that Wang Tieshan was playing games with her, Zhao Yuju felt a chill run down her spine and had no choice but to get straight to the point:
"Of course, you shouldn't talk about such trivial matters at home."

"Here's the thing, didn't your family get three jobs at the sugar factory?"

"I think it's pointless for your family to have so many jobs; it would only make things incredibly difficult for them."

"How about this, I'll have Chun'an and Xia'an take a loss and help you with two jobs, that way you'll have an easier time."

Even though Wang Tieshan might tell the old man about it, ruining her plan to transfer money from one hand to the other, Zhao Yuju still wanted to do it.

At least the thousand yuan saved can be used as capital to donate a job to Wang Jinshan, so it's a win-win situation no matter how you look at it.

Wang Tieshan never expected that Zhao Yuju could say such shameless things so casually. No wonder he could only help with such a "small matter" himself, because his elder brother's family had no ability to get a job at the sugar factory.

We cannot agree to this!

Although Wang Tieshan knew he absolutely could not agree to Zhao Yuju's request, he was at a loss for how to politely decline it.

Just when Wang Tieshan was at his wit's end, a familiar voice rang in his ears, saying:

"Dad, I've brought you your meal."

Turning his head, he saw a familiar figure riding a bicycle to deliver food. Who else could it be but his beloved son?

He immediately waved to Wang Chengpeng and said, "Son, come and greet your grandma. It's not easy for her to come all this way to see me."

The moment Zhao Yuju saw Wang Chengpeng, she suddenly felt a pain in her teeth.

She had inquired and found out that it was basically Wang Meiyan who delivered meals to Wang Tieshan and Liu Chunhua, which is why she dared to come to Wang Tieshan to beg for money as soon as she finished dealing with the division of the family property.

Unexpectedly, she encountered an extremely rare event: Wang Chengpeng came to deliver her food.

After greeting Zhao Yuju, Wang Chengpeng asked with some confusion:

"Grandma, what are you doing here at this hour?"

"I didn't know you were coming, and I didn't bring you any food."

"But it's alright, my dad is tough, missing a meal won't be a big deal for him, you can have his food."

"Oh right, I think I heard Grandma say from afar that you needed my dad's help with something small."

At this point, Wang Chengpeng looked at Zhao Yuju with some disbelief and said:
"Could it be that the 'small matter' you're referring to, Grandma, is just about eating? Your uncle won't even give you a meal, this is really..."

"Don't worry, my dad will make sure you're well-fed even if he goes hungry."

"If you really feel it's not enough, you can eat my mother's portion too, we don't mind."

Wang Chengpeng arrived at just the right time, getting exactly the gist of the story.

Wang Chengpeng silently gave a thumbs-up to his father, who had learned Tai Chi, and immediately started distorting the truth.

The elderly Wang family member was so hungry that he had to come to his younger son specifically to beg for food.
In this day and age, this kind of thing is absolutely big news, and countless ears immediately pressed together, trying to find out the details.

In order to conceal the fact that the trivial matter she mentioned was actually a major work matter, Zhao Yuju deliberately spoke very softly, so that those people far away in the fields could not hear her clearly.

However, it was precisely because of her behavior that she confirmed the rumor Wang Chengpeng had spread: she deliberately spoke so softly about coming to beg for food because she felt too ashamed.

Furthermore, since Wang Tieshan had just taken meat and rice to give to the elderly last week, this matter naturally had nothing to do with Wang Tieshan; it was all the work of his elder brother, Wang Jinshan.

Enjoying the astonished looks from everyone, Zhao Yuju was furious. "You're the beggar! Your whole family are beggars!" she immediately retorted loudly.
"Xiao Peng, even though you are my grandson, you can't just say whatever you want."

“I’m well taken care of at home by your uncle. I haven’t suffered any grievances, and there’s absolutely no way I’ll go hungry. Don’t talk nonsense.”

Wang Chengpeng, however, didn't dwell on such a trivial matter, and instead took the initiative, saying:
"Since Uncle takes such good care of Grandma, why did you specifically come here alone to ask my father for help?"

At this point, Wang Chengpeng deliberately feigned a look of sudden realization and said:

"I understand, Grandma. You're afraid that if you tell the truth, you'll face retaliation from your uncle and suffer even worse punishment when you go back?"

"Grandma, don't worry, feel free to come to our house for meals anytime."

“Although we have separated our families, you are still my grandmother. As long as you come, we will never let you go hungry.”

Listening to Wang Chengpeng's distorted and untrue words, Zhao Yuju felt her blood pressure explode and almost fainted from anger.

After a long while, he finally recovered somewhat and said shakily:

"That's not what you're saying. How could my Jinshan let me go hungry? I came to see Tieshan because of some other little thing."

Other little things?

This word immediately attracted everyone's attention, and some people pressed their ears even closer. What could be so mysterious that Zhao Yuju would make such a small thing seem so mysterious?
Even Wang Chengpeng looked extremely curious and said:

"Grandma, now that you mention it, I'm curious. Aren't you hungry? What little thing do you need to ask my dad about?"

"Tell me quickly, and I'll definitely help you find a solution."

Forced by Wang Chengpeng, Zhao Yuju was now in a difficult position. She either had to slink away, confirming the "rumors" Wang Chengpeng had spread.

They should either reveal the so-called minor incidents to prove Wang Jinshan's innocence.

After weighing the pros and cons, Zhao Yuju gritted her teeth and chose the latter.

Even if both receive criticism, the latter will definitely receive far less criticism. He immediately spoke up:

"I was just thinking that your family got three jobs when the sugar factory was hiring, which was a bit too many, so I asked you to give two jobs to my uncle's family."

"This is entirely because I'm worried that you'll be working too hard in the sugar factory. You mustn't let my good intentions go to waste."

Everyone was expecting to hear some bizarre little story from Zhao Yuju, but they never expected it to be such an explosive story.

It's worth noting that many people targeted Wang Chengpeng, who was ranked first on the list, when the results for the sugar factory job were announced.

Such a valuable job, in Zhao Yuju's words, has become a burden. She wants to help share two of the workload without even asking for help. How can this not be infuriating?

While secretly despising Zhao Yuju, everyone else was eager to see how Wang Tieshan's family would respond to such unreasonable demands.

However, before Wang Chengpeng could even speak, Wang Tieshan firmly gave his answer, saying, "No!"

"We earned this job through our own abilities, how can we just give it to someone else?"

"Everyone should compete fairly. If you don't get a job, it just means you're not good enough. What kind of behavior is it to resort to these underhanded tricks?"

At this point, Wang Tieshan added, "Mom, it's not like we're short of money. If you really want to help your nephew find a job, why don't you just ask the village for a donation?"

"Could it be that you spent all the more than 1,000 yuan in the house overnight?"

At this point, Wang Chengpeng also became "anxious" and said:

“That shouldn’t be the case. My family wouldn’t have given me a single penny when I got married. How could I have spent this thousand yuan so easily?”

"Could it be that the money in the house has been stolen? We should call the police as soon as possible."

"After all, this is a thousand dollars, not a dollar. Losing it would be a huge loss."

You shouldn't hit someone in the face, and you shouldn't expose someone's shortcomings, but Wang Chengpeng just kept picking on Zhao Yuju's shortcomings.

Seeing Zhao Yuju's astonished expression, Wang Chengpeng found it amusing. Could it be that Zhao Yuju was unaware that her second son had already sold her out completely?

Wang Chengpeng's words were like a thunderbolt to everyone, after all, the marriage between Wang Chengpeng and Liu Yanran had caused quite a stir in Wangjia Village and was even once considered a beautiful story.

Everyone knew that Wang Chengpeng's family had suddenly split up for some unknown reason and hadn't received anything from the family, but no one knew that there was such a secret hidden behind it.

Hearing the whispers of the crowd, Zhao Yuju couldn't help but ask:
"How do you know this?"

However, she immediately realized that doing so would undoubtedly confirm the "rumor" that Wang Chengpeng had mentioned.

As expected, with Zhao Yuju's corroboration, the whispers around them became even more unrestrained, and some people even began to speculate more and more brazenly.

Wang Chengpeng had good hearing, and he caught a very interesting remark in the voices:
"The way Old Mrs. Zhao treated Wang Tieshan's family seems to confirm the rumors; he might not be Old Mrs. Zhao's biological son..."

Before Wang Chengpeng could hear two more words, he heard Zhao Yuju's angry roar:

"You people know nothing and just gossip here. Be careful, or I might just run myself over to my death in front of your house."

At this point, Zhao Yuju turned to look at Wang Tieshan and said:
"Tieshan, I'm asking you one last time, are you going to help me or not?"

Faced with Zhao Yuju's questioning, Wang Tieshan, in his normal state, would probably have been too ashamed to lift his head.

It was clearly not his fault, but he was controlled by Zhao Yuju to the point that he dared not resist in the slightest.

However, after glancing at his wife and children who were looking at him with concern, Wang Tieshan this time held his head high and said:
"Mother, your request is really too much, I'm sorry I can't agree to it."

Seeing Wang Tieshan dare to defy her, Zhao Yuju was furious and immediately decided to throw a tantrum and act helpless.

But at that moment, she heard a voice that sounded like heavenly music, saying:

"I can't give up my parents' jobs, but I can give up mine."

Wang Chengpeng was worried about not finding a chance to get rid of this hot potato, but unexpectedly, Zhao Yuju offered him the opportunity on her own initiative.

Of course, he couldn't really give this great deal to Zhao Yuju; it was just a temporary measure.

Zhao Yuju was being a bit too presumptuous. She thought that the job could be transferred so easily, which showed a complete disregard for Wang Yong, the director of the sugar factory.

Even if Wang Chengpeng agrees, whether the sugar factory will accept it is another matter entirely.

If Wang Chengpeng really wants to transfer his job, the sugar factory will naturally accept it.

However, if Wang Chengpeng doesn't want to transfer the job, even if some people go to great lengths to get the opportunity, it will all be for nothing.

However, Zhao Yuju had no idea what Wang Chengpeng was thinking. After hearing Wang Chengpeng's reply, her expression changed immediately, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was all smiles.

Before Wang Tieshan could stop her, Zhao Yuju grabbed Wang Chengpeng's sleeve and asked again to confirm:

"My dear grandson, are you serious?"

Wang Chengpeng gave Wang Tieshan a reassuring look, nodded, and said:

"A promise is a promise, and I, Wang Chengpeng, always keep my word."

However, before Zhao Yuju could even feel happy for half a second, Wang Chengpeng continued:

"Although I agreed, it's not without conditions."

"Don't try to fob us off with some trivial matter. You know better than us whether transferring jobs is a trivial matter or not."

“I can transfer my job to you, but you must sign and seal the agreement to use this job to buy out our Wang family’s responsibility to support us.”

　I wish you all a Happy New Year
　　
　
(End of this chapter)