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

Chapter 311 Xia Mingyue's Invitation

She quickly snatched the mooncake away, then looked at Wang Chengpeng suspiciously and said:
"Is such a trivial matter really worth Comrade Wang coming here in person?"

He shrugged, indicating that he had nothing else on him, and then joked:
"A gift of a goose feather sent from afar is a small gift but carries great meaning. Director Song, you wouldn't be thinking my gift is too insignificant, would you?"

Song Wenxin didn't dare to take the bait and said irritably, "I don't have the guts to be so disdainful."

"Thank you for sending the mooncakes from so far away, but I have other things to attend to, so I won't be able to entertain you anytime soon."

"If you really have something to say, say it quickly; if you don't, leave quickly."

To be honest, Song Wenxin didn't know how to treat Wang Chengpeng, after all, the relationship between the two was quite delicate.

Are we friends? It doesn't quite seem like it.

To say they're lovers? That's even more impossible.

Strictly speaking, the two should be considered allies.

Since we are allies, we should each get what we need and only talk about our interests, without discussing anything else.

Looking at this exceptionally talented young man in front of her, Song Wenxin didn't want to be just a simple ally with him.

For no apparent reason, Song Wenxin recalled the results of her most recent examination.

The doctor, holding the report, looked at Song Wenxin with a serious expression and said:
"Comrade, your condition is quite serious, and I'm afraid it will be very difficult for you to conceive."

"I'll prescribe some medicine for you. Take it as instructed. It won't improve your condition, but it will at least help to improve your health."

However, despite the doctor's ominous diagnosis, Song Wenxin was overjoyed, as she remembered that her previous diagnoses had always indicated that she could never conceive.

It's very difficult, absolutely impossible; these are two completely different levels of probability.

Moreover, the doctor's diagnosis also proved that the prescription Wang Chengpeng had given her was indeed effective.

However, Song Wenxin was bewildered by the grand gift that Wang Chengpeng had carefully prepared.

She had already endured so much criticism about not being able to have children, and now she was being told that there was hope for recovery. She didn't know whether she should be happy or sad.

Does she really have to gamble her own and her family's future on a huge gamble, betting that her future husband won't be a scumbag like Zhou Xia?

Song Wenxin gave up the idea without even thinking about it, but the Song family could not be without a successor. For no reason, she suddenly had a strange idea: to borrow a seed.

However, since it involves borrowing sperm, the seed must be of high quality; otherwise, Song Wenxin wouldn't bother borrowing it.

For no apparent reason, Song Wenxin suddenly thought of a familiar figure, and thinking this, she inexplicably spoke:

"Comrade Wang, are you married?"

She also has her own pride and morals, and does not allow herself to become a third party interfering in other people's relationships, which is why she asked this question.

Wang Chengpeng: ...? ? ?
Looking at Song Wenxin's serious expression, which didn't seem like she was joking with him, Wang Chengpeng felt somewhat confused.

Have their relationship progressed to the point where they can find out about each other's marital status?
As for whether Song Wenxin would like him, Wang Chengpeng wasn't that narcissistic. He wasn't some hot commodity that everyone loved and admired.

Thinking this way, Wang Chengpeng, who didn't want to answer such a private question, immediately stood up and said:
"I suddenly remembered I have something to do, so I'll have to stay and keep you company."

"If I ever need your help again, I certainly won't hesitate to ask."

Wang Chengpeng's hasty retreat was interpreted by Song Wenxin as an admission of guilt. Shaking her head regretfully, Song Wenxin resumed reviewing the documents in her hand.

Since there's no connection between them, she won't force it.

Just as Wang Chengpeng ran out of the office, he bumped into someone. Judging from the person's appearance, he should be an employee of the supply and marketing cooperative.

The person patted Wang Chengpeng on the shoulder sympathetically, and, deeply understanding the situation, said to Wang Chengpeng in a very low voice:
"They say a new broom sweeps clean, and Director Song's fire is certainly burning brightly."

"Comrade, judging from how hurriedly you left just now, you must have been scolded quite a bit. Next time, you'd better not come here unless it's absolutely necessary."

Wang Chengpeng: ...? ? ?
What's going on? He thought Song Wenxin was a pretty amiable person!

However, he wasn't the type to gossip behind people's backs. He nodded perfunctorily and left the office building.

……

On the way back, Wang Chengpeng devoured the steamed buns he had bought in advance, and then rode his bicycle for another hour or two before finally returning to Wangjia Village.

As soon as he arrived near his own yard, Wang Chengpeng saw a familiar figure.

He squinted, looking into the still slightly glaring sunlight, and saw Xia Mingyue leaning against the shady corner of the wall, engrossed in a book with slightly curled edges.

Wang Chengpeng took a few steps closer and saw that she was wearing a faded blue cloth jacket with patches on the cuffs, and a pair of liberation shoes with frayed edges on the uppers.

Her hair was tied into two braids that hung down in front of her chest, and her bangs were wet with sweat and stuck to her skin.

She would occasionally raise her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, but her eyes never left the pages of the book.

Xia Mingyue's family must be well-off, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to bring so many "useless" books over.

However, she was extremely frugal, and her usual attire was very simple.

Wang Chengpeng recognized the book; the cover had two large characters written on it—Politics—making it a political book.

Xia Mingyue was so engrossed in watching that she didn't even notice Wang Chengpeng approaching.

Her fingers gently caressed the pages, as if the book held some hidden treasure.

Seeing this scene, Wang Chengpeng couldn't help but burst out laughing, thinking to himself that Xia Mingyue was truly a bookworm.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng also got playful and deliberately raised his voice, shouting something next to Xia Mingyue:
"Xia, you educated youth, what are you looking at?"

The sudden sound startled Xia Mingyue. She instinctively hid her book behind her back, looking just like a primary school student caught peeking at a comic book during class.

After a moment, Xia Mingyue finally realized what was happening, looked at Wang Chengpeng somewhat awkwardly, and began to explain:

"I was so engrossed in what I was watching that I didn't notice the occasion."

"Comrade Wang, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting."

Even though Wang Chengpeng was the one who was late, Xia Mingyue took the initiative to apologize. This scene amused Wang Chengpeng, who said:
"No, on the contrary, I should apologize to Xia Zhiqing. It was clearly me who kept you waiting."

Carefully putting the books into the cloth bag she carried with her, Xia Mingyue said apologetically:
"No, it's all my fault."

"Comrade Wang specifically told me yesterday to come later, but I still came so early."

Xia Mingyue was rather stubborn, insisting on admitting her mistake. Not wanting to waste time on such a trivial matter, Wang Chengpeng took out his keys, opened his courtyard gate, and said:

"Okay, then it's Xia Zhiqing's fault. If I need your help in the future, I can't refuse."

"Didn't you want to borrow a book from me? Come with me to the warehouse. There are plenty of books there. Take whichever one you like."

Wang Chengpeng was not one to dawdle. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he took Xia Mingyue to his special warehouse for storing books.

The warehouse is quite large, and since it's a new building, it's relatively simple and clean inside.

The only unavoidable thing is the smell of decaying books, after all, the books stored here are all old, some of which are even more than ten years old.

"It's a bit messy here, please don't mind."

As Wang Chengpeng spoke, he casually pressed the switch next to the door, and the orange light instantly illuminated the warehouse.

He was quite knowledgeable and knew that books were best stored away from light, so he even covered the windows with cloth for this purpose.

However, Xia Mingyue didn't care about the mess. The moment Wang Chengpeng opened the warehouse, she was completely shocked by the mountain of books inside.

Under the lights, the contents of the warehouse were clearly visible.

The first thing to be seen was a few simple bookshelves made of wooden planks, leaning against the wall, densely packed with books.

Most of the books were textbooks, including Chinese, Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry, as well as some mimeographed review materials. The paper was yellowed and the edges were curled up.

The sheer number of textbooks, with their high degree of repetition, greatly surprised Xia Mingyue.

She had initially thought that the "many" Wang Chengpeng mentioned was just an ordinary "many," but she hadn't expected it to be this much. She instinctively asked:

"Did you buy all of these from the county town?"

After all, Wang Chengpeng would never have been able to obtain so many textbooks through normal channels.

Wang Chengpeng nodded, squatted down, pulled out a stack of books from the bottom shelf, and dusted them off.

"Yes, when I went to the town's scrap yard before, I learned that these books were going to be shredded and remade. I felt it was a pity, and that they might come in handy, so I spent a lot of money to buy some."

"See, it turns out my idea was right, and it helped Xia Zhiqing a lot."

Xia Mingyue frowned slightly, her expression inscrutable, making it difficult to understand what she was thinking.

She wasn't stupid; she felt there was something off about Wang Chengpeng's explanation. Who would hoard so many identical books just because of one thing—even a book lover?

However, no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't figure out Wang Chengpeng's foresight and could only attribute the matter to a coincidence.

Perhaps Wang Chengpeng is a book lover, so it's understandable that he would buy more books.

Moreover, it's already my good fortune that the other party lent me these valuable books for free, so why should I delve into some trivial matters and maliciously slander them?

Thinking this, Xia Mingyue smiled shyly and thanked Wang Chengpeng:
"Comrade Wang, you are right."

"Those who work hard will eventually be rewarded, and perhaps one day these books will also reward you for your love of them."

"I thought Comrade Wang was exaggerating, but I didn't expect that what you said before was a bit too realistic."

"This is not just a little bit of books; it would be an exaggeration to say that it has a collection of ten thousand books."

"Since that's the case, I won't stand on ceremony and will shamelessly ask Comrade Wang to borrow some books that I need."

As she spoke, Xia Mingyue took out a yellowed mimeographed paper from her cloth bag. The edges of the paper were worn, and there were even a few small tears at the creases.

She gently smoothed the paper with her fingertips; the names of the textbooks she was missing were written densely in neat, elegant penmanship.

Her handwriting was neat and tidy, with each stroke showing care, just like Xia Mingyue herself, who was very upright.

Wang Chengpeng glanced at the warehouse, extended his hand to Xia Mingyue, and said:
"There are so many books here. Give me the list and I'll help you find them. It will save you a lot of time."

After thinking for a moment, Xia Mingyue did not refuse Wang Chengpeng's suggestion and handed over the mimeograph paper.

Xia Mingyue had been clutching the mimeograph paper tightly, and it still retained traces of her warmth. Wang Chengpeng, however, didn't think much of it and directly helped Xia Mingyue find the books according to the list.

He had an excellent memory, and since he had organized most of the books on the bookshelf, he soon found all the books Xia Mingyue needed and piled them up like a solid little mountain.

Wang Chengpeng glanced at the cloth bag Xia Mingyue had brought and said with a smile:
“Xia Zhiqing, your preparation is a bit lacking.”

"Besides, these books are quite heavy. Why don't you ride my bicycle back first? I have something to do later, so I'll pick up the bicycle on the way."

Although Wang Chengpeng's old bicycle could easily seat two people, in this era of strict gender separation, he felt that he should not do anything so ambiguous.

It was very bad for both himself and Xia Mingyue.

Looking at the substantial mountain of books in Wang Chengpeng's hands, Xia Mingyue ultimately didn't refuse his suggestion, saying:
"In that case, I'll trouble Comrade Wang to make this trip."

"But if you come a little later, it's a bit awkward to keep asking you for help. I've prepared some materials in advance, so I can treat you to dinner to express my gratitude."

Want to have dinner together?

Upon hearing Xia Mingyue's suggestion, Wang Chengpeng inexplicably thought of An Qiuyun, remembering that it was also a female educated youth who had treated him to a meal last time.

In just a few short months, everything had changed, and Xia Mingyue was the only female educated youth left at the educated youth settlement.

Without hesitation, Wang Chengpeng readily agreed to the dinner.

He patted his chest and said with a smile, "Alright, then I'll be looking forward to trying your cooking tonight!"

"But we've agreed, don't make it too complicated, just do something simple."

Xia Mingyue smiled and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, I don't know how to cook anything fancy, just some simple home-cooked meals."

"My cooking skills are definitely not as good as Comrade Wang's, but... I'll make sure you're full!"

Wang Chengpeng laughed and said, "Being able to eat my fill is the greatest happiness."

Having worked his way up in this land for so many years, Wang Chengpeng has long understood one thing:
Sincerity is the key to good interpersonal relationships; excessive politeness can actually create distance.

If he refuses Xia Mingyue's kindness, he may seem to be doing it for her own good, but in reality, he is pushing her into the position of a stranger.

After all, Xia Mingyue isn't shameless. If she keeps taking advantage of Wang Chengpeng, she'll probably never be able to bring herself to help him again.

(End of this chapter)