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

Chapter 288 Returning with a Full Load
Wang Xia'an couldn't swallow his anger at Wang Chengpeng. His fury made him completely disregard Zhao Yuju's feelings, and he was determined to borrow the cloth ration coupon from Wang Chengpeng, even if it meant going against her wishes.

He had a wicked plan; all he could think about was borrowing the cloth coupon and not returning it, which would mean Wang Chengpeng would lose a cloth coupon.

In addition, Wang Chengpeng ran out of cloth coupons today and couldn't buy anything, so it was a waste of time and a wasted trip.

To put on a brave face even when you're not.

Liu Xihua cast a disdainful glance at Wang Xia'an, inwardly mocking him.

A salesperson is the best at reading people and knew that Zhao Yuju didn't want to buy the shirt at all, probably because her family wasn't well-off.

Under these circumstances, if Wang Xia'an still insists on buying this white polyester shirt, isn't that just putting on a brave face?

Under normal circumstances, she will not get involved in customer disputes or act as a witness for others.

However, it would be different if the person who came was Wang Chengpeng, who was a big spender who had just spent more than a thousand yuan at the state-run store, and she would be willing to do him this favor.

If Wang Chengpeng spends tens or hundreds of yuan at her place, then she'll have good performance records, and maybe she can even get an excellent rating at the end of the month!
Wang Xia'an probably never imagined that her attempt to appear more important than herself would not only fail to win the salesperson's favor, but would instead earn her ridicule.

Hearing the two men's drastically different words, a hint of worry flashed in Wang Chengpeng's eyes, and he said:
"Cousin, I think you should listen to Grandma."

"I'm willing to lend you this cloth coupon, but Grandma doesn't seem to really want it."

Zhao Yuju glared at Wang Chengpeng, wanting to curse, but dared not utter a word.

After all, she couldn't out-argue Wang Chengpeng, so how could she possibly out-argue Wang Xia'an?
Faced with Wang Chengpeng's persuasion, Wang Xia'an gave him a knowing look and said bluntly:

"You just don't want to lend me cloth coupons, so why did you pretend to be rich when you were just now?"

"It's her business if she doesn't want to lend it. As long as I'm willing to lend it, I'll lend it in my name, Wang Xia'an."

Liu Xihua was shocked to hear Wang Xia'an's outrageous remarks.

She felt that the world must have gone mad to let her hear such anti-heavenly words.

A big customer who just spent over a thousand yuan is trying to put on a show? This is the funniest joke she's heard all year!
Wang Xia'an, oblivious to his ridiculous actions, instead looked at Wang Chengpeng with a smug expression, like a victor.

He even thought to himself that Wang Chengpeng's audacity in coming to the state-run store probably meant he didn't know that Dapeng Sugar Factory was about to go bankrupt and his parents were about to lose their jobs.

I won't tell him this kind of thing. I'll just wait until the day Dapeng Sugar Factory really goes bankrupt. Then I'll definitely make a special trip to Wang Chengpeng's house and laugh at this family's poor judgment.

Nodding noncommittally, Wang Chengpeng said, "Since my cousin really needs this cloth coupon, then I'll lend it to you."

At this point, Wang Chengpeng looked at Liu Xihua with a face full of apology and said:
"Salesperson, could you please do me a favor and be a witness?"

"Don't worry, I definitely won't let you do this for nothing."

Wang Chengpeng's words were more than just hints; they were practically explicit statements.

Liu Xihua nodded with delight and said, "Serving the people is the mission of our state-run store, and I am happy to help you with this."

The rest was much simpler. With Liu Xihua as a witness, Wang Xia'an successfully borrowed the cloth coupons and bought the Dacron shirt he wanted.

Only Zhao Yuju looked disgusted, as if she had swallowed a fly. The Wang family didn't have much money right now, so how could they spend more than ten yuan on a piece of clothing? This was simply wasteful.

Unfortunately, Wang Xia'an earned the money himself, and he borrowed the cloth coupons. He wouldn't listen to his grandmother, so she was completely helpless.

All I could do was watch Wang Xia'an's jubilant expression and console myself, since he earned the money himself and could spend it however he wanted.

Once he finishes buying clothes, he can go back with me. If I can persuade this little devil to go back, I'll have accomplished a great feat.

However, just as Zhao Yuju was thinking that, Wang Chengpeng's devilish voice rang out again:
"Cousin, you're really something, managing to earn so much money."

"How about I guess how you make money? You're not just selling that bicycle you rode off on, are you?"

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's words, Zhao Yuju's heart skipped a beat.

When she arrived earlier, she was wondering why she hadn't seen the bicycle that Wang Xia'an had ridden away. At the time, she assumed that Wang Xia'an had parked it somewhere else, but she never thought that this was also possible.

After all, what does this bicycle mean to the Wang family? She didn't believe Wang Xia'an wouldn't know.

However, just as she looked at Wang Xia'an with hopeful eyes, she heard an extremely terrifying voice, which came from Wang Xia'an himself:

"how do you know?"

"I sold that bicycle for a full thirty yuan. I'm really smart to be able to sell a pile of junk for that price."

Hearing Wang Xia'an's boastful words, Zhao Yuju almost vomited blood.

Although the Wang family had used that bicycle for several years, Wang Jinshan treasured it very much and maintained it extremely well.

Even after hearing that Wang Chengpeng was refurbishing Wang Zidong's bicycle, he couldn't resist refurbishing his own bicycle as well, spending at least ten or twenty yuan on it.

However, Wang Xia'an sold this bicycle, which was worth at least a hundred yuan, for only thirty yuan, and he was even smug about it.

It's like a child selling off their grandfather's land without a care in the world!
Zhao Yuju's face immediately turned extremely ugly. She grabbed Wang Xia'an and said in an icy voice:

"Wang Xia'an, come out with me quickly, I have something to ask you."

If there's still time, she'll sell everything she owns to redeem that bicycle.

Wang Xia'an was somewhat confused, but after seeing Zhao Yuju's stern expression, she ultimately did not resist and obediently followed Zhao Yuju out of the Xinfeng Clothing Store.

But halfway there, he seemed to remember something and turned to look at Wang Chengpeng behind him. Judging from the smug look on his face, he probably thought he had done an excellent job and surpassed Wang Chengpeng by a lot.

However, when he turned around, he saw a scene that shocked him to no end.

Wang Chengpeng casually rummaged through his bag and pulled out a large handful of cloth coupons.

That wasn't all; after shopping for so long, Wang Chengpeng had already decided which clothes he wanted to buy.

After quickly tapping a few times, Wang Chengpeng waved his hand and said with great gusto:

"Give me one of each of the clothes I just ordered, in the right size."

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's words, Liu Xihua knew she had made the right bet, and immediately began to serve Wang Chengpeng with an ingratiating expression that Wang Xia'an had never seen before.

That expression was so bright, it was completely different from the coldness he showed when serving Wang Xia'an!
Thinking back to her previous scheming, Wang Xia'an felt that she was as ridiculous as a pig.

If he knew that Wang Chengpeng got the money to buy these things because of the trouble he caused, his expression would probably be even more interesting.

The anger burning in Wang Xia'an's heart made him eager to do something to vent the pent-up frustration in his chest.

By the way, I'll have to go and cause trouble for that clueless sugar factory when I get back.

It's just a lousy job that's tiring and pays poorly, I don't care.

Little did Wang Xia'an know that by having such a dangerous idea, he was destined to face a tragic fate.

After all, he didn't have the ability to get a second chance from Wang Chengpeng!

Wang Chengpeng's family is small, only five people at most.

However, even if each person is provided with two or three sets of clothes, that is still a huge amount.

Looking at the mountain of clothes piled up in front of him, Wang Chengpeng felt a little embarrassed. He scratched his head and said:

"Salesperson, I don't think you offer home delivery service, do you?"

"I can't possibly take all those clothes back with me, this..."

Liu Xihua knew that Wang Chengpeng was definitely not the kind of person like Wang Xia'an who would put on a show of wealth when he was not. He genuinely felt that the clothes were a bit too heavy to pack.

Therefore, her expression was extremely sincere, and she even apologized to Wang Chengpeng, saying:

"Comrade Wang, I'm so sorry, it was our service that wasn't good enough."

"Don't worry, let me think of another way, see if there's any solution."

Wang Chengpeng already had a solution in mind, and said:

"Since the installation technician was going to deliver the goods to my house anyway, could you please contact him and see if he can deliver these clothes as well?"

"I won't let the master work for nothing. I'm willing to give you an extra ten yuan as a reward for your help in coordinating things for me."

At this point, Wang Chengpeng pulled out another 100-yuan note from his hand. The brand-new banknote gleamed brightly under the light.

Liu Chunhua was overjoyed; she never expected such a good thing to happen.

Wang Chengpeng was referring to giving her the money as a reward for her help in coordinating the matter.

In other words, Wang Chengpeng only needs to provide the money; how she handles the matter is entirely her own business.

If she agreed to this for free, then the whole ten-yuan note would be hers.

While this scenario is unlikely, earning half is still a very reasonable goal.

Thinking this, Liu Xihua's smile widened, and she readily agreed, saying:

"Comrade Wang, feel free to pick and choose. I'll take care of returning the clothes to you."

"Since you bought so many clothes this time, we are afraid that we cannot check them all in a short time. Our store will provide an extra week of inspection service."

"If you find any problems within a week, as long as you haven't worn it yet, our store can replace it for free."

Nodding in satisfaction, Wang Chengpeng said happily, "Your store's service is really good."

"If I have any purchasing needs in the future, I will come to your store first."

The communication between the two parties was pleasant, and for a time, both host and guest were happy. The only pity was that Wang Chengpeng's originally bulging bag had become noticeably shrunken.

However, money is meant to be spent, and as long as it improves your family's living conditions, spending any amount of money is perfectly justified.
After all, Wang Chengpeng is capable of earning more money.

After selecting some clothes and settling the bill, Wang Chengpeng rode his bicycle home.

Of course, on his way back, he didn't forget to stop by the grocery store to buy some snacks and other things. He figured Wang Meiyan would be very happy when she got home from school.

When Wang Chengpeng returned home, he found only Zhu Hong sitting in the yard enjoying the cool air, his fan practically turning into a fan.

When building the house, Wang Chengpeng specially found someone to transplant a pomelo tree so that he could enjoy the shade under it, which was quite comfortable.

Especially when I see those heavy pomelos hanging on the tree swaying in the wind, I feel a strange sense of joy.

When autumn arrives and the pomelos turn yellow, this feeling intensifies—it's the joy of a bountiful harvest.

Upon seeing Wang Chengpeng return, Zhu Hong immediately stood up and walked straight towards the well.

As he walked, he kept saying, "Brother Wang, you're finally back."

"Have a seat for a while, I'll go cut the watermelon for you."

Zhu Hong has been with the Wang family for quite some time now. It's only natural that he went from being reserved at the beginning to integrating now, since everyone in Wang Chengpeng's family is a very good person.

While munching on a watermelon, Zhu Hong looked at Wang Chengpeng with a somewhat uneasy expression.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally mustered up the courage to speak and said:

"Brother Wang, don't you have anything for me to do?"

"I feel like I'm just freeloading when I'm idle at home all day."

Looking at Zhu Hong with surprise, Wang Chengpeng said speechlessly, "Everyone else tries to find ways to be lazy, but you actually take the initiative to find things to do."

"Didn't you help tidy up a lot of things at home? You also chopped the firewood. Why do you feel like you didn't do anything?"

Scratching his head, Zhu Hong said somewhat embarrassedly, "It's not that I didn't do anything, it's just that the things I did were too simple and didn't match my treatment at all."

"Putting everything else aside, I don't even know how much I spend on food every month, yet I haven't accomplished anything worthwhile."

"I finally managed to get some things done, but then I ran into that mess. I'm such a useless person."

Although Wang Chengpeng easily resolved the previous matter, and Zhu Hong was even sent out by Wang Chengpeng himself to carry out the mission, he still felt somewhat guilty.

If you're not there when it matters, aren't you just freeloading?

Wang Chengpeng patted Zhu Hong on the shoulder heavily and said with a smile:
"That incident happened so suddenly, don't forget about it."

"Besides, what can you do if you stay? Are you more powerful than the gun in my hand?"

At this point, Wang Chengpeng got up and went back to the living room, took the hunting rifle hanging on the wall, and pressed it directly against Zhu Hong's chest, saying:

"No matter how good you are at fighting, what use is it against firearms?"

"It's actually the best thing that you weren't there last time. Otherwise, if you hadn't listened to my instructions and had acted recklessly, you might have gotten yourself into trouble. Not only would I have been in trouble, but Uncle Zhu would have had to bury his child."

Zhu Hong was Zhu Weiguo's son born late in life, so there's a significant age gap between them. Wang Chengpeng's statement is definitely not wrong.

With a muffled groan, Zhu Hong raised his chest, nudged the hunting rifle, and said defiantly:

"Nonsense, I'm the most honest and obedient person."

"If something really happens, I will definitely follow orders and won't act recklessly."

(End of this chapter)