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

At this point, Wang Fucheng stood up excitedly and said:

"In terms of learning... Comrade Wang Chengpeng is even more meticulous."

"Most importantly, he not only studied diligently himself, but also cared about his comrades."

"On the day the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination came, Comrade Wang Chengpeng sorted out all the extra books in his home overnight, saying that he was willing to lend them to everyone free of charge."

"Principal Cao knows how precious books were back then. This child is truly outstanding."

"Not only that, he also organized his self-study notes, which provided a lot of help to other candidates who also wanted to take the college entrance examination."

"To put it bluntly, we're all taking the same college entrance exam, so we're competitors."

"But Comrade Wang Chengpeng is so selfless and willing to share his knowledge without reservation."

"Oh right, I remember he also said something like... something about who came..."

Upon hearing this, Long Yongde seemed to remember something and excitedly added:
"As Comrade Wang Chengpeng once said, knowledge does not need to be kept secret; it can be shared so that more people can acquire it."

"Only when more people acquire knowledge can the country be built into a better place."

Upon hearing Long Yongde's words, Wang Fucheng immediately slapped his thigh and stood up, saying:
"Yes, yes, that's exactly what Comrade Wang Chengpeng said back then."

"Furthermore, Comrade Wang Chengpeng is not just a bookworm; he truly and earnestly fulfilled his promise."

"I wonder if Principal Cao knows anything about Dapeng Sugar..."

Cao Deming nodded blankly, somewhat bewildered, wondering why Wang Fucheng had brought up this seemingly unrelated topic again. He asked in confusion:
"I've seen that Dapeng white sugar before. It's a new type of white sugar that's only been around for a few years. It's really sweet. My wife loves to use it to make steamed buns with white sugar filling for our family."

Upon hearing that Cao Deming had heard of him, Wang Fucheng's smile widened even further, and he said:
“Principal Cao, it’s good that you’ve heard of it. This Dapeng white sugar is produced by our village’s sugar factory.”

“We villagers had no idea how to make sugar. It was thanks to Comrade Wang Chengpeng who applied what he had learned and taught us the good methods.”

"He truly made the whole Wangjia Village better, and enabled all the villagers to have a prosperous New Year today."

At this point, Wang Fucheng's eyes were filled with anticipation:

"In other words, our Wangjia Village platform is too small to fully utilize Comrade Wang Chengpeng's talents."

"If he were given a larger platform, he might be able to make a greater contribution to the country and the people."

Cao Deming was stunned by Wang Fucheng's words and couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"No wonder the candidates from Wangjia Village generally did well on the exams; it turns out there was this connection involved."

At this point, Cao Deming glanced at Wang Fucheng with a strange expression and asked in confusion:
"Captain Wang, could it be that you already knew about that matter beforehand? Otherwise, how could you possibly..."

Cao Deming was trying to say that otherwise, how could Wang Fucheng have prepared so many arguments in advance and come up with so many glorious stories that matched Wang Chengpeng's status as the top scorer in the college entrance examination?

He realized he had said something inappropriate halfway through his sentence and stopped himself in time.

Even as the principal of the No. 1 Middle School, he had only just learned of this explosive news. Wang Fucheng was merely the production team leader of a village; how could he possibly have known about such a major news in advance?

In other words, even without any embellishment, Wang Chengpeng is indeed an outstanding and brilliant comrade.

He had originally wanted to find out if Wang Chengpeng had any outstanding achievements in the village, so he could embellish the story for better reporting later.
Unexpectedly, what he should be thinking about now is not how to embellish Wang Chengpeng's deeds, but whether or not to report the facts.

Wang Chengpeng's story is so exaggerated that it seems unbelievable to most people.

Otherwise, how could Cao Deming have almost asked such an unwise question due to his loss of composure?

Not understanding the intricacies involved, Wang Fucheng asked with some confusion:
"That matter? Which matter is Principal Cao referring to?"

After hesitating for a moment, and considering the amount of reporting material Wang Fucheng had provided, Cao Deming decided to reveal a little information:
"It's not any major news, it's just that Comrade Wang Chengpeng achieved outstanding results in this year's college entrance examination, and he deserves to be commended."

Keenly picking up on the key words in Cao Deming's words, Wang Fucheng pressed further:
"How good is it?"

Although he was prepared for Wang Chengpeng to have good college entrance exam results, Wang Fucheng still wanted to know a more precise answer.

However, Wang Fucheng's inquiry went unanswered; Cao Deming merely made a pointed remark:
"Captain Wang, there are some things you shouldn't be asking about, so you should refrain from asking."

"I have learned most of the details about Comrade Wang Chengpeng, and all that's left is to conduct a face-to-face investigation. I wonder if you have the time?"

The college entrance examination scores for that year have not been released and remain unknown to the test takers.
Furthermore, this is not an era that values ​​pure grades; it places more emphasis on personal character. That's why Cao Deming refused to reveal more details.

Although Cao Deming didn't say anything, Wang Fucheng noticed something amiss in his seriousness and said with a smile:
"It seems that Comrade Wang from our village is quite reliable. He must be the top scorer in the high school, which is why Principal Cao personally came to help."

Looking at the mountain of account books piled up in front of him, Wang Fucheng nodded and said:
“I happen to be free, so I’ll accompany Principal Cao on this trip.”

Nodding vaguely, Cao Deming stood up and said:
"Alright, then I'll leave it to Captain Wang."

In a sense, Wang Fucheng was right; Wang Chengpeng was indeed the top scorer in the college entrance examination.

As Wang Fucheng walked out of the office building, the villagers who had gathered to watch the commotion were still there, blocking the road completely. This annoyed Wang Fucheng, who shouted angrily:

"Are you all just sitting around doing nothing, blocking the road?"

"Watching the show is fine, but please move aside. We need to go somewhere else first."

As the lives of the villagers in Wangjia Village improved and their hopes grew, Wang Fucheng's prestige in the village also rose higher and higher.
With just a simple rebuke, he silenced the crowd, who obediently made way for him.

Judging from the curiosity in the villagers' eyes, they probably won't give up and continue following them.

From a distance, Wang Fucheng pointed to the magnificent-looking building in front of him and said:
“Principal Cao, look at that house over there, that’s Comrade Wang’s home.”

To be honest, Cao Deming was somewhat disappointed when he saw Wang Chengpeng's house.

He had hoped to create an inspirational story of a poor family's son achieving great success.

Unexpectedly, Wang Chengpeng's family was among the best in the entire Wangjia Village.

At least he didn't see two houses that were roughly the same size in Wangjia Village.

Considering that his previous conversation with Wang Fucheng had already provided him with a wealth of material,

Cao Deming didn't pay much attention, treating it as just a routine trip to Wang Chengpeng's house.
He immediately laughed and said:
"It seems that Comrade Wang's family is well-off, which explains why he was able to raise such an outstanding comrade."

"It is said that parents are the best teachers for their children, so I imagine that Comrade Wang's parents must have been very good teachers as well."

Although it's cruel, the fact is that many people win at the starting line.

Putting everything else aside, as long as there is a teacher in the family, the children can enjoy more educational resources than others.

Upon hearing Cao Deming's words, Wang Fucheng burst into laughter:

"Principal Cao, you've guessed wrong this time."

"Don't even mention last year, if you had come a little earlier this year, the Wang family wouldn't be in this state."

"Although Comrade Wang's parents are hardworking, diligent, and helpful, their family's conditions are not even considered ordinary."

"After all, there are just too many people like that. We can pick out quite a few from Wangjia Village alone."

"Ultimately, the Wang family's current success is due to Comrade Wang's efforts."

He deeply understood the saying that "there are beautiful women and riches in books," and studied diligently every day, finally finding an opportunity to change his destiny.

"The method of making sugar from beets alone is ingenious and has completely revitalized production in our Wangjia Village."

"But he forged ahead against the current, without becoming complacent because of his past achievements. Instead, he came up with a new idea: to brew wine using the beet pulp left over from sugar production."

"Although the wine we brew may not be very good or worth much money, it is still a source of income."

"Most importantly, it also solves the problem of having too much beet pulp that is difficult to dispose of, which can be considered a win-win situation."

As the Wang family courtyard drew ever closer, Wang Fucheng wisely kept quiet:

"No matter how much I say, it's useless. As for Comrade Wang, we still need Principal Cao to examine him."

"I won't say anything for now. Principal Cao, please experience Comrade Wang for yourself."

Wang Fucheng's words undoubtedly piqued Cao Deming's interest once again.
Without saying a word, he led the way towards the Wang family's courtyard.

Boom, boom, boom...

The knocking was followed by several loud barks, the alarm bells from Wang Chengpeng's dog that had caught the scent of a stranger.

Just then, Wang Fucheng shouted at the top of his lungs, saying:
"Comrade Wang Chengpeng, Principal Cao from No. 1 Middle School is looking for you. Are you home? Do you have time to receive him?"

Almost instantly upon meeting, Wang Fucheng betrayed Cao Deming, believing that Wang Chengpeng's intelligence would allow him to discern Cao's intentions from just one sentence.

Sure enough, Wang Chengpeng's voice soon rang out in the courtyard:

"Principal Cao? I'm so sorry I didn't greet you properly."

Before long, Wang Chengpeng appeared in front of the courtyard gate and quickly opened it.

Seeing Wang Chengpeng's well-dressed yet overly youthful appearance, Cao Deming nodded in satisfaction.

If Wang Chengpeng were a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties, this news would be far less sensational. Moreover, image is often more important than ability; only a handsome young man like him truly deserves to be the face of the school.

Led by Wang Chengpeng, the three took their seats one after another.

Smelling the rich aroma of tea in the air, Cao Deming couldn't help but pick up the teacup in front of him and take a sip, immediately letting out a heartfelt exclamation of praise:

"How terrible! This is really good tea, better than any tea I've ever had before."

How could this tea be bad? It's a special gift from Song Wenxin.

Faced with Cao Deming's exaggeration, Wang Chengpeng remained unmoved and instead took the initiative to ask:

"Principal Cao is very busy, so I don't think he would come to my small rural town just to waste his time."

"I feel bad about taking up Principal Cao's time. Why don't you get straight to the point and explain the situation so we can resolve it as soon as possible?"

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's words, Zhou Lijun subconsciously frowned, feeling that Wang Chengpeng was being far too impolite.

When a normal person hears Cao Deming's exaggerated words, they would immediately pack up a pound or two of tea and eagerly send it over, instead of getting straight to the point like Wang Chengpeng.

People from the countryside are just country folk; they're still ignorant and unsophisticated. Even if they have some money, they still don't know who you should really be currying favor with.

That's Principal Cao. If you curry favor with him, you'll likely reap huge benefits.

If Wang Chengpeng were to awaken his mind-reading ability and learn Zhou Lijun's thoughts, he would probably burst out laughing.

This week, Li Jun really lacked self-awareness, not knowing who was the host and who was the guest.

They both seemed very capable and had some power, but they were no match for Wang Chengpeng.

Most importantly, their success in becoming the top scorer in the college entrance examination was entirely due to Wang Chengpeng's influence, and it's unclear where they got the audacity to be so arrogant.

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's words, Cao Deming also frowned, his face showing displeasure.

However, he still managed to restrain himself and didn't explode on the spot. Instead, he put on a teasing expression and asked Wang Chengpeng a question:

"Comrade Wang, I did come here to see you."

"But it's no fun to just say it directly. Why don't you guess why I came to see you this time?"

Although Cao Deming spoke very politely, he was clearly trying to trip up Wang Chengpeng.

Wang Chengpeng isn't a god; how could he possibly know why Cao Deming came to see him?

Upon hearing this, Wang Fucheng immediately prepared to give Wang Chengpeng a hint, but was stopped by a look from Wang Chengpeng.

Such a simple question required no hints from Wang Chengpeng at all.

Wang Chengpeng simply didn't like Cao Deming's attitude, so he immediately stood up and said with a smile:
"A fun game, this game is indeed very fun."

"It's just because I got the highest score in the province in the college entrance examination. Principal Cao really doesn't need to hide it."

Wang Chengpeng's words were astonishing, directly shocking everyone present.

Wang Fucheng, in particular, spat out the tea he was holding in his mouth, spilling it all over the table.

After hastily wiping his mouth, Wang Fucheng quickly tried to cover for Wang Chengpeng, saying:

"Comrade Wang loves to joke around with everyone, Principal Cao, you two shouldn't mind him."

"Just say what you need to say. Comrade Wang is a rather serious person and can't stand your teasing."

Hearing Wang Fucheng's words, Cao Deming breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that Wang Chengpeng was just joking with him.

Indeed, I myself had only just received this news; how could Wang Chengpeng, a rural man, have known about it?

I don't know where he got such incredible luck, but he was able to guess such an absurd thing. His luck is just off the charts.

Thinking this, Cao Deming gave Zhou Lijun a look, and the latter immediately stood up obsequiously, saying with a face full of contempt:

"Comrade Wang, you shouldn't joke like that. It won't be good for you if word gets out. People will think you're an arrogant and conceited person."

"Arrogant and conceited?" Wang Chengpeng smiled noncommittally. "When did telling the truth become arrogant and conceited? It seems this comrade's thinking is somewhat different from ordinary people."

"Since you two think I am too arrogant, then there is naturally no need for us to continue our conversation."

"I feel that as a country bumpkin, I really have nothing to do with two comrades from the city. Besides, I have other things to do, so please make yourselves at home..."

Wang Chengpeng is a very humble person who rarely argues with others, but Cao Deming and Zhou Lijun are really too unreasonable.

They clearly benefited from Wang Chengpeng's success, getting a huge advantage from the school producing a top scorer in the college entrance examination, yet they still wanted to manipulate Wang Chengpeng. They wanted both sides.

As for why Wang Chengpeng knew he had won the top score, it was very simple: he knew the score of the top scorer in the province in his previous life, and he also knew roughly how many points he could get.

With the visits of Cao Deming and Zhou Lijun, some seemingly unfathomable truths have actually become quite obvious.

How did you know?
Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's words, the two were first puzzled, then a surge of anger rushed to their heads—Wang Chengpeng was really taking them too lightly.

They felt that Wang Chengpeng was far too arrogant and conceited, completely disregarding them.

Zhou Lijun stood up angrily and loudly questioned Wang Fucheng, who was standing beside him:
"Captain Wang, is this how your Wangjia Village treats its guests?"

"I originally wanted Comrade Wang to benefit from this, but he seems to be a little too unaware of his own limitations."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Lijun began to look at Wang Fucheng with a leisurely air.

In his understanding, if he were to flatter Wang Fucheng with such high praise, the latter would surely fawn over him.

Wang Fucheng is the village's brigade leader. It would be a piece of cake for him to force Wang Chengpeng to apologize.

No matter how arrogant Wang Chengpeng is, as long as his family are still villagers of Wangjia Village, they will never be able to go against Wang Fucheng, who is their powerful backer.

Faced with Zhou Lijun's aggressive words, Wang Fucheng couldn't help but frown.

Although the other party was a leader from the city, everyone knows the saying that a local official is more powerful than a county official. The education system had almost no connection with the brigade, so it didn't matter if he didn't give the other party any face.

Moreover, on the other side of this scale of judgment was Wang Chengpeng, who made his decision almost instantly.

Wang Fucheng immediately dropped his smile, and even his expression turned serious:
“I think what Comrade Wang said makes a lot of sense. He was just trying to cooperate out of kindness, and he had been communicating with you properly before.”

"It's just that you all seem to have a prejudice against Comrade Wang, and have made things difficult for him on many occasions."

"As the saying goes, if you don't see eye to eye, even half a sentence is too much. Since that's your attitude, I don't think there's any need to continue this conversation."

"Please leave, both of you. Comrade Wang from our village is already outstanding enough. Even without your school's publicity and reports, he would be dispensable."

At this point, Wang Fucheng seemed to remember something, and said with a stern face:

"There's one more thing. Don't spread what I told you before around."

"If I hear anything, don't blame me for causing trouble for your school."

At this point, Wang Fucheng waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down.
"Please go back, both of you. Our Wangjia Village is too small to accommodate two great figures like you."

Hearing Wang Fucheng's merciless words, especially his blunt retraction of the previous conversation, Cao Deming's face turned green with anger.

The importance that Chinese people place on education is ingrained in their bones. If a normal person knew that he was the principal of a high school, they would be eager to curry favor with him. They would not treat him with disdain like these two people in front of them.

Cao Deming coughed lightly, but showed no intention of leaving. Instead, he said meaningfully:
"Captain Wang, you need to think carefully about what you should say and what you shouldn't say."

"If you're so clueless, then in the future, if students from your Wangjia Village want to attend No. 1 Middle School, well..."

Although Cao Deming didn't explain himself clearly, the threat in his words was obvious, and he clearly wanted to use this method to control Wang Fucheng.

However, Wang Fucheng showed no intention of buying it, and said in a calm voice:
“Since No. 1 Middle School doesn’t welcome students from Wangjia Village, there’s no need for Wangjia Village to try to get close to them. It’s not like No. 1 Middle School is the only school in the town.”

"If even you, the principal, only have this kind of quality, then the teaching quality of No. 1 High School can't be that good either. We don't even want to go there!"

At this point, Wang Fucheng's eyes turned cold.

Threatening him, the brigade leader of Wangjia Village, with something like this? Do you really think he's made of clay and has no temper?
Wang Fucheng waved his hand, his tone becoming extremely impolite, and said:
“If you two continue to linger at Comrade Wang’s house, then I will have to consider treating it as trespassing and calling the village militia to arrest you.”

This is outrageous! This is absolutely outrageous!

Cao Deming never expected that even though he was already quite tough, Wang Fucheng beside him was even tougher.

The other party was, to put it nicely, a brigade leader; to put it bluntly, a peasant. How dare they do such a thing and even threaten me?

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about the other person, and even when he was angry, there was nothing he could do.

To avoid being arrested by the village militia on charges of trespassing, he was angry, but he could only stand up indignantly.

However, just as Cao Deming was about to leave with Zhou Lijun, Wang Chengpeng suddenly called out to them as if he had remembered something:
"Wait a minute!" (End of Chapter)