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

Chapter 260 Substituting one thing for another
Knowing that Wang Degong had misunderstood him, Wang Chengpeng quickly explained:

"Grandpa, don't overthink it. I didn't come here for this kind of thing. I just want to know more about this bracelet."

"After all, this is my grandmother's belongings. If we can find it, it will be a way to give my grandmother some peace of mind."

"As for you, as long as you are still willing to acknowledge me, then I am your grandson."

"This is not only my attitude, but also my father's attitude."

Tears streamed down Wang Degong's face. He wanted to say something, but his words caught in his throat, and he couldn't speak.

Wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes, Wang Degong took the sketch from Wang Chengpeng's hand and said:

"I do have a vague recollection of this bracelet, but that was many years ago, and now I'm afraid there's no chance to find it again."

"It's also my fault. If I had been more careful back then, I wouldn't have left Tieshan with not even a thought."

"But this is also because I treat Tieshan like my own son and didn't think too much about it."

Clearing his throat, Wang Chengpeng said, "Grandpa, some things are too far in the past to be easily found."

"But since I've managed to find you here, I must have some clues."

"I vaguely remember seeing this bracelet before, but I don't know if you think I should ask for it back."

Wang Degong glanced at Wang Chengpeng with surprise, then said matter-of-factly:

"Is that even a question? This bracelet is your grandmother's keepsake, so you should naturally take it back."

"It really is the world of you young people now. You know more about information that I have no idea about than I do."

"It seems that this bracelet was stolen by someone who went with you back then. Tell me who stole it. Grandpa will stand up for you and get the bracelet back."

At this point, Wang Degong stood up, intending to go with Wang Chengpeng to ask for the bracelet back.

Seeing that Wang Degong's expression didn't seem fake, it seemed that he really didn't know what Zhao Yuju had secretly hidden, and Wang Chengpeng breathed a slight sigh of relief.

What he feared most was that Wang Degong would find out about this matter and get involved, in which case the last bit of grandfather-grandson affection would be hard to preserve.

Wang Degong, who was about to pull Wang Chengpeng out, noticed that Wang Chengpeng was just standing there, motionless. Curious, he asked:

"My dear grandson, didn't you say you were going to find the bracelet? Why are you standing here?"

Nodding slightly, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said, "I'm not leaving, naturally, to find the bracelet."

"Grandpa, come with me, we'll find the bracelet soon."

Under Wang Degong's extremely puzzled gaze, Wang Chengpeng actually led him into the main house and into the room where he and Zhao Yuju lived.

After rummaging under the bed for a moment, Wang Chengpeng quickly pulled out a delicate little box.

The little box even had a delicate little lock on it, but this was no problem for Wang Chengpeng at all. He simply pried it open with a wire.

As the box was opened, an orange-yellow light instantly came into view, which was exactly the bracelet depicted in the drawing.

Although there are some slight differences, this is roughly how it looks.

"This, this, this...?"

Looking at the bracelet that suddenly appeared in front of him, Wang Degong's eyes widened in disbelief. He simply couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.

This bracelet belonged to the woman who died decades ago. How could it possibly be in her own home?
He hurriedly waved his hands, and Wang Degong said in a panic:
"Cheng Peng, let me explain. I really don't know anything about this bracelet."

"I really can't understand why this bracelet would be here. It makes absolutely no sense!"

Wang Degong's panic further proved that he had nothing to do with this matter. Relieved, Wang Chengpeng sighed:

"I don't know why it's here."

“I saw my grandmother playing with this bracelet when I was a child, but I didn’t think much of it at the time. It was only after I found out the truth that I connected the dots.”

"Grandpa, what do you think we should do with this bracelet now?"

Faced with Wang Chengpeng's question, Wang Degong answered without hesitation, saying:

"Since this bracelet is your grandmother's keepsake, it should naturally be returned to you."

At this point, Wang Degong paused again and said:

"As for why this bracelet ended up here, I will give you an explanation."

"When Zhao Yuju comes back, I'm going to ask her what exactly she did back then!"

Faced with Wang Degong's self-talk, Wang Chengpeng instead offered some words of advice, saying:
"Grandpa, I think we should just let this matter go."

"Grandma raised us for so many years. As long as we can get back my grandmother's belongings, I don't want to pursue anything else."

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's words, Wang Degong breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he was willing to help investigate Zhao Yuju's mess,

However, so many years have passed since this incident, and given Zhao Yuju's unreasonable and argumentative nature, it's uncertain whether any results can be obtained.

In the end, it will be his relationship with Wang Tieshan's family that gets damaged.

Thinking this, Wang Degong gave him an extremely apologetic look and said:

“Cheng Peng, take this bracelet. I’ll explain the rest to Yu Ju.”

“These are your belongings, and they should have been kept in your home.”

Faced with Wang Degong's overly ambitious proposals, Wang Chengpeng shook his head and refused, saying:
"Grandpa, it's better not to do this."

"How about this, I'll make a new one in the same shape as this bracelet, and then we can exchange it back. That way, it'll be as if this never happened."

“I don’t care how much this gold bracelet is worth; what I care about is its significance, since it’s the only keepsake left to me by my grandmother.”

How could Wang Chengpeng really be as indifferent as he claims?
Zhao Yuju is highly likely the murderer who killed her own grandmother and the culprit who caused the destruction of her father Wang Tieshan's family. It is impossible for her to get away with it so easily.

Now is not a good time to confront Zhao Yuju. If she just says that she found the bracelet on the ground, without solid evidence, there will be no way to deal with her.

On the contrary, it would alert her and make her wary.

In that case, it would be better to return the bracelet first, and then find an opportunity to directly attack her vital point.

Wang Chengpeng came here primarily to pinpoint the exact location of the bracelet, and secondly to ask Wang Degong to be a witness.

Finally, they secretly retrieved their grandmother's belongings by switching them with other items without anyone noticing.

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's statement, Wang Degong still hesitated and said:
"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

"This already belongs to your family, and you're asking to exchange it for something similar? Aren't you being at a huge disadvantage?"

Shaking his head slightly, Wang Chengpeng said, "It's still unknown how Grandma got this bracelet."

"If it was found, that's fine; we should return it to its rightful owner." "But if it was bought or obtained through other channels, it wouldn't be right for us to simply rob it."

"My idea was a bit outlandish, but it was the best method."

"This way, Grandma won't suffer any loss, our relationship won't be damaged, and we'll get our grandmother's belongings. It's a win-win situation."

Although Wang Chengpeng spoke frankly, Wang Degong still felt something was amiss, saying:

"But that would be a huge loss for you. This is clearly yours."

With a sigh, Wang Chengpeng continued to explain:
"Grandpa, don't you want our family to live in harmony?"

“I said at the family meeting that since we are family, we shouldn’t be too petty. Otherwise, how are we any different from outsiders?”

"I don't feel like I've been taken advantage of at all. This is clearly a win-win situation for everyone."

With a sigh, Wang Degong finally agreed to Wang Chengpeng's proposal, saying:

“Cheng Peng, what you said makes some sense.”

"But you can't pay for all of this; I also need to contribute a portion."

"After all, I bear some responsibility for losing this bracelet."

"Thirty yuan, I'll give you thirty yuan, as a way for me to atone for my past mistakes."

At this point, Wang Degong's emotions had become quite agitated, but Wang Chengpeng stopped him, saying:
"Grandpa, what have you done wrong?"

"If you hadn't taken my father in, I probably wouldn't even have had the chance to be born."

At this point, Wang Chengpeng put the bracelet back into the box, locked it, and then put the box back in its original place.

After doing all this, Wang Chengpeng slowly said:

"Grandpa, it will take some time to find someone to make the bracelet, so I won't trouble you for now."

"I'll come see you as soon as the bracelet is finished."

"I hope you take care of yourself and don't overthink it."

“From beginning to end, none of these things have anything to do with you; at most, you were kept in the dark.”

"As the saying goes, ignorance is no excuse, so there's really no need for you to be so hard on yourself."

However, the more magnanimous Wang Chengpeng was, the more Wang Degong blamed himself.

Watching Wang Chengpeng's departing figure, Wang Degong was filled with regret and murmured:

“What a good child. How could I have been so blind to see Zhao Yuju’s true colors and let such a good child suffer.”

“Not only my beloved grandson, but also my Tieshan, you have been wronged too much.”

It's no use for Wang Degong to regret it now. The family has already split up, and some messy things have made the relationships between everyone very strained.

He could only hope that Wang Chengpeng would have time to visit him more often, which would at least ease the pain in his heart.

……

On the other hand, after leaving Wang Degong's house, Wang Chengpeng did not go straight back, but instead rode his bicycle to Hetian Town.

Making a new bracelet that is exactly the same would take a lot of effort.

In particular, to achieve a level of realism that is indistinguishable from the real thing, Wang Chengpeng needs to oversee the process.

After all, no matter how vivid the drawing is, it is still just a drawing; the actual product still needs to be inspected by Wang Chengpeng himself.

Borrowing a pen, Wang Chengpeng scribbled on the draft for a long time before updating it to be exactly the same as the one in his memory.

After finding a reasonably reliable state-owned gold shop, Wang Chengpeng handed over the drawing and said:

"Comrade, could you please help me estimate how much it would cost to have a bracelet like this custom-made?"

"In terms of weight, it is approximately 22 grams."

The manager of the gold shop frowned subconsciously as he looked at the sketch Wang Chengpeng handed him and said:
"This bracelet looks rather complicated, and the design is extremely retro, like it's from decades ago."

"It's possible to make it, but such a complicated design would be expensive to make."

"The material cost is about 20 yuan per gram, and the labor cost is at least 20 yuan per gram. Adding them together, such a bracelet may cost around 880 yuan."

"Sir, if you think this price is reasonable, I can take it to the craftsman to see if he can make it."

"However, I still recommend some simpler styles that can be had for around six or seven hundred yuan, and they are actually very nice."

Wang Chengpeng shook his head slightly and said, "My family likes this style. Could you please ask the craftsmen in the shop if they can make it?"

880 yuan? That price is really not low.

Moreover, if Wang Chengpeng's requirements are to be met, the labor cost will only be higher.

Fortunately, Wang Chengpeng had made preparations before leaving home; otherwise, he might not have been able to handle such a large transaction.

Such a large deal was a rare occurrence, and Manager Zhou, who had previously received Wang Chengpeng, quickly came out and said:
"Comrade, I asked the craftsman, and he said he can make it, but he can't guarantee that it will be exactly the same, since he hasn't seen the actual product and doesn't know its exact size."

"If you think the price I just gave you is right, then just pay the money, and I'll give you a receipt. You can come back to pick it up in a week."

Upon hearing Manager Zhou's proposal, Wang Chengpeng immediately shook his head and rejected it, saying:
"Manager Zhou, this bracelet is very important to me. Please make sure it is exactly the same as the design."

"Moreover, a week is really too long. It would be best to complete it within the next two days."

It's unclear when Zhao Yuju will remember to move the bracelet, so Wang Chengpeng wants to complete the switch as soon as possible.

In this situation, neither the difference nor the week-long wait was acceptable to Wang Chengpeng.

Seeing that Manager Zhou was visibly getting impatient, Wang Chengpeng immediately spoke up:

"Of course, Manager Zhou is indeed a little embarrassed to go to such trouble."

"How about this, I'll give you an extra ten yuan per gram for the labor fee, and ask the craftsman to expedite it for me, what do you think?"

"If it's inconvenient, the labor fee doesn't have to be written on the invoice, since this is my personal request."

If no invoice is issued, there are plenty of ways to rigage the labor costs.

Seeing that there was a profit to be made, Manager Zhou's eyes lit up, and he said with a smile, "Serving the people is the very purpose of our gold shop."

"Since this comrade has special requests, I will naturally fulfill them."

"Okay, we'll proceed with the plan you just mentioned. We can definitely guarantee the timeline."

"Whether it can be made exactly the same depends on your communication with the craftsman in charge."

(End of this chapter)