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

Chapter 326 Additional Investment
On the way, Song Sixi couldn't suppress his doubts any longer and asked Wang Chengpeng:

"Comrade Wang, are you so sure your investment will pay off?"

With a noncommittal smile, Wang Chengpeng instead asked about Song Sixi:

"What? Comrade Song, do you lack confidence in yourself?"

"All I've done is give up some textbooks. Consider it a failed investment. It's not a big loss for me."

Originally, it was Song Sixi who asked Wang Chengpeng the question, but he never expected to be outmaneuvered.

Should I force myself to say I'm confident I'll pass the exam, or should I say I'll try my best?
Neither of these two answers seems to be a good one.

While Song Sixi was struggling with his decision, Wang Chengpeng had already taken him back to his home.

It was the same warehouse, but this time the person who was shocked was Song Sixi.

Looking at this room full of books, covering all kinds of subjects, it was like an endless mine.

Song Sixi suddenly understood what Wang Chengpeng meant earlier; with so many books, Wang Chengpeng could easily make many more investments.
Even if it's because I'm not good enough that he failed to invest in me.

But as long as Wang Chengpeng invests enough times, someone will eventually succeed.

If one year isn't enough, try two; if two years aren't enough, try three…

Trading such low costs for potentially high returns is a sure-fire way to make money.

After quickly clearing out some textbooks he urgently needed, Song Sixi bowed directly to Wang Chengpeng and said:
"Comrade Wang, thank you for your gift."

"I will study hard and try my best to make your investment pay off, after all, getting into university is also a very important thing for me."

Song Sixi wasn't too stupid to understand Wang Chengpeng's meaning so quickly, and he was worth Wang Chengpeng's additional investment.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng continued:

"I'm somewhat surprised that you're so pragmatic."

"In that case, I will give you another chance."

"If there is anything you don't understand, no matter what subject it is, you can ask me, and I will answer it to the best of my ability."

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's promise, a hint of surprise flashed in Song Sixi's eyes.

In his view, Wang Chengpeng's words were a bit too outrageous, since he wasn't talking about just one subject, but all subjects.

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses; there is basically no omniscient or omnipotent person in the world, even in high school courses.

However, he was worried about not finding someone to study with and make progress together.

Since Wang Chengpeng took the initiative to speak, and given the ease with which things could end, he wouldn't be so tactless as to refuse Wang Chengpeng's kindness.

Thinking this, Song Sixi expressed his gratitude, saying, "Comrade Wang, thank you very much."

"If I encounter a problem I don't understand, I certainly won't hesitate to ask you a question."

"Time is precious, I need to go back to my studies, and I'm sorry to disturb your rest, so perhaps we should part ways here?"

Song Sixi, as expected of an educated man, spoke with refined manners.

However, he had been working in the countryside for many years and his body had long been worn down by the heavy physical labor. Even his face showed signs of aging, which made him look somewhat out of place.

Seeing that Song Sixi was about to leave, Wang Chengpeng did not stop him and accompanied him to the courtyard gate.

Just as Song Sixi was about to disappear from his sight, Wang Chengpeng seemed to suddenly remember something, called out to Song Sixi, and said:

"Song Zhiqing, I hope you can do me a small favor."

Faced with Wang Chengpeng's request for help, Song Sixi naturally couldn't help, so he immediately returned the favor by replying:

"I will certainly help Comrade Wang with his favor. Just tell me what you need, and I will definitely not refuse."

After hesitating for a moment, Wang Chengpeng finally spoke, saying:

"Director Song, if possible, I would like you to keep an eye on Luo Wenbin for me. I have a feeling that after suffering such a big loss, he is unlikely to let it go so easily."

"As a reward for your help, I would like to give you another piece of advice: leave the educated youth settlement as soon as possible and find a place to sponsor your work. That is your best option right now."

"Those educated youth are all disqualified from taking this year's college entrance examination. How do you think they will view you, who is still eligible to take the exam?"

“Even if you were once in charge of the educated youth settlement, once interests are involved, you are still the one who will be ruthlessly abandoned.”

With a slight frown, Song Sixi never expected Wang Chengpeng to say such a thing.

After careful consideration, he realized that Wang Chengpeng's words made a lot of sense.

After Xia Mingyue's incident, now there are very few people in the educated youth settlement who are qualified to take the college entrance examination.

In this situation, if I bring a large number of textbooks back to the educated youth settlement, what will those educated youth who have just suffered setbacks think? It's something that's obvious even to a child.

Thinking this, Song Sixi immediately stopped and said:
"Thank you for the reminder, Comrade Wang. I did indeed overlook something in this matter."

At this point, Song Sixi gave a bitter smile and said:

"But this is not something I can decide. Although I am the only male in the family, I am not the only one. Otherwise, I wouldn't have ended up being sent here."

"I really don't have the money to find someone to rent a room, so I can only make do with living in the current educated youth settlement."

"As for Luo Wenbin? Don't worry, as long as I'm still at the educated youth settlement, I'll keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't retaliate against Xia, the educated youth."

"In this matter, Xia Zhiqing was also a victim. She chose to help everyone selflessly and donated all her books, but in the end, she almost ended up being hated by everyone because of a small misunderstanding."

"If it weren't for Comrade Wang's spirit of sacrifice and his upholding of justice, I really don't know how this matter would have ended."

The educated youth who were sent down to the educated youth settlements were either unwelcome at home or had no choice but to go to the villages.

In addition, after being away from home for a long time, feelings naturally fade, so it's only natural that Song Sixi would be broke.

After all, wealthy educated youth like An Qiuyun and Xia Mingyue were a minority; the vast majority lived a life of hardship.

After listening to Song Sixi's story, Wang Chengpeng thought for a moment, took out fifty yuan from his pocket, and spoke up:

"Here's fifty yuan, enough for you to find a decent place to stay in Wangjia Village."

Before Song Sixi could refuse, Wang Chengpeng interrupted him and continued:
"Don't rush to refuse. This money isn't something I'm giving you for free. You'll have to give me an IOU."

"Don't say thank you. I just don't want my investment to go down the drain." "With the environment of the educated youth settlement and the work points you need to earn every day, no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to get into university."

After glancing at Wang Chengpeng with a hint of hesitation, Song Sixi finally gritted her teeth and accepted the money from Wang Chengpeng's hand.

He understood that everything Wang Chengpeng said was true, and if he still wanted to change his fate, he couldn't be pretentious at this time.

Song Sixi bowed to Wang Chengpeng again, his eyes filled with gratitude, and said:

"I will never thank you enough, Comrade Wang. I will always remember your kindness."

"I am not qualified to say anything about repaying you now, but if I ever become successful, I will repay your kindness today even if it means sacrificing myself."

Song Sixi had a bit of a scholar's spirit. After writing the IOU, he left with the textbooks he had borrowed from Wang Chengpeng.

He knew that it was better to prove himself with actions than to just talk a good game.

He couldn't help Wang Chengpeng with anything else right now; the only thing he could do was keep an eye on Luo Wenbin, as a way of repaying Wang Chengpeng's kindness.

……

Wang Chengpeng's home was quite a distance from the educated youth settlement, and without a bicycle, it was already dark by the time Song Sixi returned to the settlement.

Touching her empty stomach, Song Sixi went to the kitchen, only to find that there wasn't a single thing to eat.

After simply cooking a corn porridge, Song Sixi chuckled to himself, thinking to himself that karma had really come quickly. He had previously dismissed Wang Chengpeng's words, but he hadn't expected to be put to the test that very night.

Regardless of how much he had done for the educated youth settlement and how much benefit he had fought for for these educated youth,

After becoming one of only two educated youths qualified to take the college entrance examination, he naturally became the target of everyone's attacks.

He had even thought of an excuse for the other party; "I accidentally forgot" would be a foolproof way to say it.

Shaking his head slightly, Song Sixi thought to himself that after finishing his work tomorrow, he would have to find a place nearby that could take him in.

He was afraid that if he stayed in this educated youth settlement any longer, he would never have a peaceful life.

Thinking this, Song Sixi subconsciously looked at the books she had just borrowed from Wang Chengpeng, thinking to herself that these things couldn't be exposed to the light of day yet.

If they really knew that I easily obtained something they couldn't get even through despicable means, plus that I also had the qualification to take the college entrance examination that they didn't have,
Who knows what these educated youth might do?

Thinking this, Song Sixi blew big gusts of air into the freshly cooked corn porridge.

After the corn porridge cooled down a bit, he added some cooled boiled water and gulped it down, thus finishing his dinner for the day.

Back in her room, Song Sixi noticed that the atmosphere had become eerie and eerily quiet from the moment she stepped inside.

I'm no longer one of them!
Ignoring the eerie atmosphere in the room, Song Sixi put away the borrowed books and picked up her only book to read.

Although he had read this book countless times, he could always gain something from reading it again if he looked at it carefully.

Song Sixi's seat was in a very strategic position, right next to the main entrance.

Sitting here, he can not only isolate himself from the other people in the room, but also see the situation inside the educated youth compound through the crack in the door, which is a win-win situation.

Just as Song Sixi was engrossed in reading, he heard heavy footsteps outside the door.

The person who could return at this time was naturally Luo Wenbin, the one who had been punished.

Wang Fucheng had no intention of letting him off easily. After confirming Luo Wenbin's punishment, he immediately sent him to the village toilet to fetch manure.

To avoid going to jail, Luo Wenbin dared not speak out and reluctantly began his work for the day.

However, carrying manure is not an easy task. It is not only dirty and smelly, but also requires a lot of physical strength.

It's summer now, and there are so many mosquitoes, it's really annoying.

Wearing too many clothes makes him hot, while wearing too few clothes inevitably leads to mosquito bites, making Luo Wenbin's life miserable.

In this situation, even if he puts in his best effort, he won't finish his work until after 8 or 9 p.m.

It was precisely because he was seething with anger that Luo Wenbin deliberately stomped his canvas shoes loudly to attract Song Sixi's attention.

Back in the courtyard, Luo Wenbin subconsciously looked toward Xia Mingyue's residence.

If Xia Mingyue hadn't betrayed him, he wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state.

As expected, the lights were still on in Xia Mingyue's room.

She usually stays up very late reading, and now that the college entrance examination is approaching, how could Xia Mingyue possibly slack off?
The thought of Xia Mingyue studying diligently in her room, surrounded by countless textbooks, preparing for the college entrance examination, made Luo Wenbin so jealous he wanted to go crazy.

Why is it that, despite both being sent-down youth, Xia Mingyue can comfortably read books in her room and work hard for the college entrance examination?

He himself could only do dirty and tiring work such as shoveling latrines, his whole body covered in filth, smelly and disgusting.

Why is it that Xia Mingyue, also a sent-down youth, has so many textbooks to review, while I can't even find one, and I even lost the chance to take the college entrance examination?

Thinking this, Luo Wenbin looked at Xia Mingyue's room with eyes full of jealousy.

The flames of jealousy burned fiercely, as if they were about to completely incinerate Luo Wenbin.

However, he had just been punished, and given that this was happening in public, he wasn't quite bold enough to actually do that.
In the end, he only glanced at Xia Mingyue's room with reluctance before turning around and returning to his own room.

Upon hearing Luo Wenbin's knock, Qi Xuan rushed forward as if welcoming a hero, exclaiming:
"Brother Luo, you're finally back."

"Don't worry, we've saved your dinner for you."

"Three whole coarse flour buns will definitely fill you up."

The moment he opened the door, he was hit by a strong, foul stench. He instinctively pinched his nose and muttered:

What smells so bad?

He then saw Luo Wenbin's ashen face, and instinctively couldn't find it:
"Brother Luo, please don't misunderstand, I, I, I..."

He ultimately failed to achieve anything, and instead, unable to bear the stench emanating from Luo Wenbin any longer, he spoke directly:

"I have something to do, I need to go back inside first."

"Brother Luo, I recommend you take a shower outside before coming in."

"If you find it inconvenient, I can help you get your toiletries."

(End of this chapter)