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

Chapter 222 Arrogant at first and respectful at the end

Long Yongde was quite perceptive of the situation. The moment he saw Wang Chengpeng, he got up and poured himself a glass of cold water.

Although not as refreshing as ice water, it could still help Wang Chengpeng cool down a bit.

Although he didn't know what Wang Chengpeng's abilities were, judging from Wang Fucheng's attitude towards Wang Chengpeng, Long Yongde dared not underestimate this young man.

Especially considering the recent changes in Wangjia Village, Long Yongde even had a somewhat immature guess: could this sugar factory be something that this young man in front of him had created?

After all, Wang Yong always said that he wasn't the one who actually did the work, and that he just benefited from it.

Considering his respectful attitude towards Wang Chengpeng, the answer, though not entirely obvious, was practically a done deal.

While Wang Chengpeng was drinking water, Long Yongde asked curiously:
"Comrade Wang, you're the kind of person who doesn't come here unless there's a reason. I wonder what brings you here today?"

With a smile, Wang Chengpeng explained, "It's nothing else, just asking about the homestead for my second uncle and also reporting the difficulties to the village."

At this point, Wang Chengpeng sighed and said:

“My second uncle is also pitiful. He only has two daughters who are completely unable to inherit the family business.”

"So he did have the idea of ​​finding a son-in-law, and that's why he wanted to build the house a little bigger, since it might be useful in the future."

"It's just that the plot of land the village allocated to him for building a house is too small, and it's obviously not enough."

"So he wanted me to ask the village if they could take into account his family's special circumstances and approve a slightly larger plot of land for his homestead."

It has to be said that Wang Chengpeng quietly changed the fate of many people. Take his second uncle's family for example. In his previous life, they had not divided their family at this time, and they did not have the courage to take in a son-in-law.

After all, who would marry into his family if they didn't have some power?
It was Wang Dani's job that gave him the courage to consider hiring a daughter or son-in-law to inherit the family business.

If an ordinary person came to complain about having too small a plot of land, Long Yongde would have simply dealt with them and sent them away without further ado.

However, since it was Wang Chengpeng who spoke this time, he still had to give him some face.

Shaking his head slightly, Long Yongde said, "Comrade Wang, you know the situation in the village. The approval of homesteads has its own set of procedures."

"For a family of four in a relatively good location, an 80-square-meter apartment is definitely not a small amount."

"If you want to get another 200 square meters approved like before, I think that's really unlikely."

"After all, this is no longer a wasteland, but a good place right next to the sugar factory."

Seeing that Long Yongde seemed to have misunderstood him, Wang Chengpeng explained:

“Village affairs naturally need to be handled officially, otherwise how can we gain the respect of the entire village?”

"I just feel that beyond the law there is no such thing as human sentiment. Under the premise of meeting the requirements, I hope that the village can take care of the people who are really in need as much as possible."

After carefully considering the meaning behind Wang Chengpeng's words, Long Yongde nodded and said:

"Comrade Wang, it's good that you understand our difficulties."

“If everyone were thinking about bending the law for personal gain, this village would probably be in complete chaos long ago.”

“Generally, a family of four can only get a 120-square-meter apartment at most. Considering that Wang Yinshan’s family does have a need, we might as well approve a 120-square-meter apartment.”

"This way, it's convenient for the public and doesn't violate any rules. What do you think?"

Long Yongde's idea coincided with Wang Chengpeng's, and Wang Yinshan's favor wouldn't make him risk breaking the rules to help.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng said to Long Yongde, "Comrade Long, how dare I interfere with your work?"

"However, you are considerate of the people, and I believe the people will sincerely thank you."

It seems this is still a sly fox, unwilling to speak so plainly.

However, this is for the best. It would be bad for him if others heard about it. He nodded slightly, which was his way of agreeing to the matter.

Just when Wang Chengpeng thought the matter was over, Long Yongde suddenly brought up something:

"I'm actually quite envious. Wang Zhong went to work at the town's police station a couple of days ago."

"That's a people's police officer job, the best job ever. It's a pity I don't have that kind of luck. I can only drift through life in the village."

"I heard that Comrade Wang played a role in this matter. I wonder if he had any connections?"

Wang Chengpeng would never admit to such a thing, so he feigned confusion and said:
"Comrade Long, I don't know where you heard such outrageous rumors."

“I’m just an ordinary citizen, how could I possibly have such a big face?”

"If I really had such connections, wouldn't it be better for me to get myself into the police station than to get someone else in?"

Did you guess wrong?
I clearly heard that Wang Zhong got the job at the police station after helping Wang Chengpeng in town. Could it be that Wang Chengpeng really didn't play a role and it was all just a coincidence?
Wang Fucheng isn't stupid; he wouldn't say such things randomly. It's all just Long Yongde's guess and an attempt to trick Wang Chengpeng.

It's true what they say: it's easier to deal with the King of Hell than with his underlings.

But his little tricks were no match for Wang Chengpeng, and naturally, they wouldn't succeed.

With an awkward smile, Long Yongde said:

"The atmosphere in the village has been really bad lately, with such outrageous rumors spreading."

"It's fortunate that Kong Xiu apologized in public, otherwise who knows how things would have turned out."

Wang Chengpeng couldn't help but laugh when he thought of Kong Xiu; he was a classic example of someone who wouldn't listen to reason and would have to suffer the consequences.

They only admit defeat when it's become public knowledge and they've completely lost face.

Having other matters to attend to, Wang Chengpeng did not linger in the village office building any longer.

He left a red envelope, and that was considered the matter he had promised Wang Yinshan.

Looking at the Wang family's old house so close by, Wang Chengpeng hesitated.

It wasn't that he was afraid of the past; he simply didn't know where to begin making a breakthrough.

Seemingly sensing Wang Chengpeng's predicament, just as Wang Chengpeng was pondering, a very familiar voice came from behind him:

"Hey, isn't this my cousin? What brings you to this run-down place today?"

"What? Did you lose your job and come here to cause trouble?"

Looking back, who else could it be but Wang Chun'an?

He was holding a bottle of cheap liquor that he didn't know where he got it from, and he was looking at Wang Chengpeng with an unfriendly gaze.

Hearing Wang Chun'an's words, Wang Chengpeng was a little puzzled. He didn't seem to have any hatred for his cousin who was so pampered.

Even if she had mentioned him before, it was just stating a fact, not something he did to trip her up.

After all, even if Wang Chengpeng hadn't said that, one job couldn't possibly be turned into two jobs and assigned to them.

Wang Chengpeng immediately realized that Wang Chun'an was jealous of him, jealous that he was doing better than him.

Wang Chengpeng was also outspoken, and immediately asked the question that had been bothering him:
"Are you jealous of me?" Faced with Wang Chengpeng's blunt honesty, Wang Chun'an felt insulted and said:
How could I possibly be jealous of you?

"You're just a tiny bit taller and a tiny bit more handsome than me, aren't you?"

"Besides your better score on the recruitment test, in what way are you better than me?"

Seeing the undisguised guilt in Wang Chun'an's eyes, Wang Chengpeng felt utterly absurd.

This cousin, whom he used to admire immensely, is now the one who envies him.

Even with his family's favoritism and a wealthy material life, he was still jealous of Wang Chengpeng, who had not yet taken off.

Even though he was at a disadvantage in job assignments, Zhao Yuju still doted on him so much that she would still be willing to help him find a job whenever the opportunity arose.

Indeed, people should know how to be content, otherwise they will only ever be jealous of those who are doing better than them.

Shaking his head slightly, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said, "It's good that you're not jealous of me, otherwise I would really be a bit troubled."

"It's ridiculous that you, who enjoys the most things, have started to envy others."

At this point, Wang Chengpeng deliberately glanced at the wine in Wang Chun'an's hand and said:

"Tsk tsk tsk, you drink this kind of wine?"

"Not only does it taste bad, it can also harm your health."

Wine was a rare commodity in those days, since brewing wine required grains as raw materials.

If people can't even get enough to eat, how can they possibly have extra grain to brew wine?
Therefore, the wines of this era were either very expensive or very cheap and of very poor quality.

It was obvious that the wine in Wang Chun'an's hand was the latter.

It's not that he doesn't have the money to buy good wine, it's just that his wife is pregnant now, and his family can't possibly support him drinking, which naturally limits his income.

In addition, he was lazy and didn't earn many work points, so he naturally didn't have much savings and could only buy some cheap wine to satisfy his cravings.

After Wang Chengpeng exposed his secrets, Wang Chun'an immediately became furious and said:

“Cousin, I’m your older cousin, so show me some respect when you talk to me.”

"If you really can't speak, that's fine, just shut up."

Wang Chengpeng's verbal attack was not strong, with an attack power of only 0.1. However, Wang Chun'an's defense was even weaker, and it broke through his defense directly.

In his eyes, Wang Chengpeng became even more despicable. He must have known that he hadn't gotten the job and had come specifically to humiliate him.

If it weren't for the fact that he still had something he planned to ask Wang Chun'an for help with, Wang Chengpeng would have definitely taught him a lesson about manners, given his arrogant attitude.

But this is for the best. The more stupid and wicked Wang Chun'an becomes, the more at ease Wang Chengpeng feels in using him.

Furthermore, he wasn't planning to arrange for Wang Chun'an to do anything bad; he just wanted to retrieve his grandmother's belongings, so he had no psychological burden whatsoever.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng's expression became even more amiable, and he said:

"Cousin, don't get me wrong, I didn't come to see you to argue."

"It's better to meet by chance than to invite someone. There's no need for us cousins ​​to be so distant."

"Since I have some time today, how about I treat my cousin to dinner at the state-run restaurant in town, and we can also have a bottle or two of Wuliangye?"

Please go to a state-run restaurant for a meal?

Drink a bottle or two of Wuliangye?
Hearing these two sentences made Wang Chun'an overjoyed, and he couldn't wait to leave. His previous resentment and jealousy towards Wang Chengpeng vanished in an instant.

However, Wang Chun'an still retained some rationality. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke, saying:

"You're treating? Are there any conditions? Or is this some kind of trap?"

Upon hearing Wang Chun'an's doubt, Wang Chengpeng seemed insulted and said in surprise:

"Cousin, we're brothers, what kind of scheme could I possibly have up my sleeve for inviting you to a meal?"

"If you're worried and don't want to go, that's fine too. I'll just consider it saving you money."

Compared to the potential danger of conspiracies and tricks, Wang Chun'an weighed the pros and cons for a long time, but ultimately lost out in the offer of free meals and drinks.

Upon hearing the name Wuliangye, Wang Chun'an felt an urge to throw the liquor in his hand away.

Wang Chengpeng's words may be hard to hear, but they are the truth.

How can the cheap liquor I have compare to Wuliangye, which costs several dollars a bottle?
Thinking this, the scales in Wang Chun'an's heart tipped instantly, and he said:
"Cousin, don't be angry, I'll go, I'll go, okay?"

“How could there be any suspicion between us brothers? Of course I trust you completely.”

"By the way, I'll deliver the wine to your house first, then I'll go to town with you."

Immediately, Wang Chun'an felt he had lost face, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, and he simply threw the wine bottle on the roadside, smashing it to pieces, saying:

“Cousin, you’re right. We’d rather not drink this lousy wine.”

"Come on, let's hurry to town, or there won't be any good food left."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Chun'an showed no politeness whatsoever and simply sat down behind Wang Chengpeng.

He had long wanted to experience this brand-new 28-inch bicycle, but he never expected to ride it at this time.

Feeling the sturdy frame of the old bicycle, Wang Chun'an praised it:

“Cousin, your bicycle is really something else. It feels much better to ride than my dad’s old clunker.”

One moment he was hating Wang Chengpeng, the next he was praising Wang Chengpeng's car. Wang Chun'an perfectly exemplified the saying "whoever feeds me is my mother".

However, considering the cost of a meal at a state-run restaurant, Wang Chun'an's behavior is to be expected.

Even though Zhao Yuju doted on her eldest grandson, she rarely took him to state-run restaurants for lavish meals, and drinking alcohol was absolutely out of the question.

Seeing that Wang Chun'an had taken the bait, Wang Chengpeng readily agreed and immediately rode his bicycle toward the town.

Since his falling out with Fang Weimin, and with Zhu Hong helping out at home, Wang Chengpeng has rarely had the opportunity to go to town.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to treat Wang Chun'an to a meal, he had a rare chance to visit the town again.

Looking at Wang Chun'an, whose eyes were full of eagerness, Wang Chengpeng shook his head slightly, thinking to himself that his cousin really had no cunning at all.

It's no wonder that he grew up spoiled and probably never had the chance to experience setbacks.

But this is good, at least it makes it easier for Wang Chengpeng to achieve his goal.

The things his grandmother left behind should naturally be fought for by him, her own grandson!

(End of this chapter)