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

That's definitely not something we can know, but why do I always feel like you already know?

Looking at Wang Chengpeng suspiciously, and considering that Wang Chengpeng insisted on them transferring their files and student status, Xia Mingyue felt as if she had learned some unknown truth.

While Xia Mingyue was somewhat curious about why Wang Chengpeng had such great abilities, she also breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Since Wang Chengpeng specifically invited several people, it means that everyone's performance must have been quite good.

In fact, although no one spoke, Zhu Hong acted as their mouthpiece, asking everyone the questions they most wanted to ask.

Those are college entrance exam scores that determine everyone's fate, so how could they not care?

Knowing that they wouldn't answer even if asked, they refrained from doing anything that would offend people.

After all, today's smooth sailing was entirely due to Wang Chengpeng's influence. If they caused Wang Chengpeng and Tao Zhiyuan to become enemies because of them, they would truly be willing to die a thousand deaths.

After Song Sixi took the initiative to admit his mistake, the matter was simply dropped.

Just as she was about to leave Hetian Town, Xia Mingyue seemed to suddenly remember something and rode off to the side alone:
"You guys go first. I'm planning to buy some girls' things on the way, and I'll be right there."

Since Xia Mingyue had said so, and given that she could indeed ride faster alone, the group didn't wait any longer. They simply slowed down and waited on the road ahead.

Watching the departing figures of the crowd, Xia Mingyue smiled brightly. Instead of going to the market or the supply and marketing cooperative, she went to the newspaper office closest to her.

She has an excellent memory; she remembers things that others can't recall.

Tao Zhiyuan specifically instructed Wang Chengpeng to read the newspaper today, and Xia Mingyue was also very curious about what it contained.

It was already close to afternoon, and today's newspapers had long been published.

Xia Mingyue bought a latest newspaper on a whim, not even bothering to read it, and stuffed it into her clothes before heading towards the nearest supply and marketing cooperative.

Buying things was her excuse; she had to hurry and buy something so that Wang Chengpeng wouldn't suspect anything.

When Xia Mingyue arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative, she found it unusually lively, with many parents-looking people gathered around a shelf, shouting something loudly.

As Xia Mingyue got closer, she discovered that the shelf the crowd was surrounding contained white sugar.

There was a noticeable empty space on the shelf, clearly indicating that everything that was originally there had been sold out.

Just as Xia Mingyue was wondering, she heard an impatient middle-aged woman shout loudly:

"What's going on? Hasn't the Dapeng white sugar arrived yet? I was planning to buy ten bags to take home."

"Hey, I read today's newspaper. It interviewed students who did well on this year's exams, saying that drinking sugar water made with Dapeng white sugar can refresh the mind."

"And that's not all. It's said that this Dapeng white sugar is made by boiling beets."

"Beetroot, isn't that a genius? No wonder he can get good scores on the college entrance exam."

"Sigh, if only I had discovered this secret before the college entrance exam, I could have given my son Dapeng sugar water earlier, and maybe he would have done even better on the exam this year."

The old woman had barely finished speaking when another person chimed in:

"is not that right?"

"I was thinking of giving my child malted milk powder, but I never knew that Dapeng white sugar was the real good stuff."

"Salesperson, hurry up and stock up! I've been waiting for almost half an hour."

……

Amidst the commotion, Xia Mingyue finally managed to get a general idea of ​​what had happened.

But she was even more puzzled: who was this student who did well on the exam, and why would he help promote Dapeng Sugar?

However, she didn't have time to think about it now. She hurriedly asked the salesperson for toilet paper and menstrual pads, and also grabbed a bag of brown sugar, wrapped it in old newspapers, and stuffed it into her car basket.

Wang Chengpeng and the others were still waiting on the road. If she continued to linger here, she would be exposed.

With these documents as proof, Xia Mingyue's sudden departure did not arouse suspicion among the crowd, and she quickly returned to Wangjia Village in a grand procession.

Considering the vehicle issue, Wang Zidong was still responsible for taking Song Sixi back, while Wang Chengpeng and Zhu Hong went with Xia Mingyue and picked up their own bicycles along the way.

Just as Wang Chengpeng was about to ride the bicycle Xia Mingyue had returned, Xia Mingyue stopped him, her face flushed.

"Comrade Wang, please wait a little longer."

Wait? What do I need to wait for to ride a bicycle?
Although somewhat confused, Wang Chengpeng still waited outside for another minute as Xia Mingyue had asked.

It was winter now, and Xia Mingyue breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the temperature should have dissipated. She said:

"Alright, Comrade Wang, you can ride your bicycle now."

"I have very important things to do, so I won't see you off. You should go back now."

As soon as she finished speaking, with the clang of the door closing, Xia Mingyue's pretty face disappeared from their sight.

Seeing this scene, Zhu Hong couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"Why is Xia, the educated youth, so strange? Just like Xiao Yanzi."

At this point, Zhu Hong seemed to remember something and exclaimed:
"Oh no, this is bad."

"I didn't bring back a cake for Xiaoyanzi from town today. She'll definitely be angry if she finds out."

Wang Chengpeng didn't seem to care about this, saying:
“I brought her quite a lot yesterday, she probably didn’t finish it all, Zhu Hong, don’t worry about such a small thing.”

Zhu Hong, however, wilted like a frostbitten eggplant, muttering to himself:

"They're not the same, how can they be the same?"

Seeing this scene, Wang Chengpeng had another question mark in his mind. He thought to himself that he should go home and read books. How come these things are even more difficult to understand than the knowledge in the books?
……

Wang Chengpeng left, and Xia Mingyue had already returned to the house.

Carefully prying open the window paper, she breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that Wang Chengpeng had already left. Like a thief, she cautiously took out the newspaper she had bought earlier from her pocket.

Xia Mingyue quickly scanned the newspaper but didn't see Wang Chengpeng's name at all. She was puzzled. Could it be that she would have to wait until tomorrow to see what she wanted to see?

Just as he was about to give up, she spotted a news article with her sharp eyes, and the words "Dapeng White Sugar" immediately caught her attention.

Based on what she saw at the supply and marketing cooperative today, she no longer hesitated and immediately began reading the article.

But once she started reading, she became completely engrossed, utterly captivated by the document's brilliance. After a while, Xia Mingyue put down the newspaper and murmured softly:

"An outstanding candidate? Comrade Wang? Dapeng White Sugar?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, Comrade Wang Chengpeng, you really know how to surprise people!"

Considering that some people might still attack Wang Chengpeng because of the advertising issue, the newspaper editors and Tao Zhiyuan ultimately decided not to write Wang Chengpeng's full name.

However, this still couldn't escape Xia Mingyue's notice, who knew him very well and quickly deduced Comrade Wang's identity from these clues.

While marveling at Wang Chengpeng's excellence, Xia Mingyue was reminded of her own experiences this year, and immediately stomped her foot angrily:
"You idiot, you're so stupid!!!"

……

The next few days were uneventful, with nothing major happening except perhaps the sell-out of Dapeng white sugar.

After several days, Dapeng white sugar once again burst forth with an extremely formidable vitality, and even the municipal supply and marketing cooperative, which had initially ordered a large quantity of Dapeng white sugar, sold out of stock.

As it turns out, Song Wenxin's decision was absolutely correct. Those who had doubts about the extremely extravagant purchase contract back then, after experiencing the sell-out of Dapeng white sugar, finally realized just how sharp Song Wenxin's judgment was.

Sold out? Of course we need to restock.

The Dapeng Sugar Factory, which was originally idle, was busy for several days because of this incident, with workers bustling about everywhere.

Villagers living at the village entrance can see delivery tricycles belonging to Dapeng Sugar Factory coming and going dozens of times a day, which shows how popular Dapeng white sugar is.

While the booming business was exciting for Wang Yong, it also left him feeling somewhat bewildered.

I haven't done anything lately, and even the factory's sales staff have temporarily put aside their efforts to find customers because of the cold weather. The booming sales of Dapeng white sugar are really baffling.

Perhaps because the matter was so bizarre, Wang Yong specifically mentioned it to his family when he went home for dinner.

Finally, he said somewhat uncertainly:
"Perhaps Dapeng Sugar's luck has finally turned, which is why it has attracted everyone's attention?"

Hearing this, Wang Fucheng sighed and said with a sense of disappointment:

"You little rascal, you haven't learned even a fraction of your father's skills."

"Unable to understand the situation? That must be the work of my good nephew."

"Lucky? Look at your face, it's as black as the bottom of a pot. How can you be lucky looking like that?"

"I also inquired about this matter at the supply and marketing cooperative. It is said that it was caused by a news report."

"That was a report about an outstanding student who said he would drink sugar water infused with Dapeng white sugar to stay alert, which led to the popularity of Dapeng white sugar."

"I think this must have been done by my good nephew. He took advantage of the fact that the college entrance examination was just reinstated this year and that it was a hot topic, so he specially placed an advertisement in the newspaper."

"Tsk tsk tsk, I have to say my nephew is really clever, he actually came up with such an excellent way to advertise."

But after his initial joy, Wang Fucheng frowned and began to complain loudly:

"You guys are so good at just producing and selling, but you don't know that the raw materials for making sugar are hard to come by."

"Oh, so much sorrow!"

"Although we distributed a lot of money to everyone this year, it will definitely be no problem to get the whole village to grow sugar beets next year."

"But given how fast you consume sugar beets, even if I mobilized the whole village to grow them, we might not be able to keep up."

"This is the first time I've realized that selling things too fast isn't necessarily a good thing; it's an experience I've never had in my life."

Seeing Wang Fucheng's worried expression, Wang Yong immediately laughed, finally relieved that he was no longer the only one who was worried.

Perhaps his laughter was too loud, for he soon earned a sharp rap on the head from Wang Fucheng.

"Dad," Wang Yong protested loudly, scratching his head with a pitiful expression, "You just said you were smart and experienced, how come you're acting so confused now?"

"If you have any difficulties, just ask your good nephew. This is such a trivial problem, my master can solve it in no time."

Wang Fucheng slammed his hand on the table and excitedly stood up:
"Hey, you little rascal, you've finally got a brain working for once and given your dad a good idea."

"I'm making a stupid mistake by not using such talented people."

"Although I've been racking my brains for two days and still haven't been able to come up with a solution, I'm sure my good nephew will come up with one in no time."

At this point, Wang Fucheng began searching his home, saying:
"It's not right to keep bothering people empty-handed."

"This time I can't bring those useless, mundane things again. After all, my good nephew's family is not lacking. If I'm going to give a gift, I should give something nice."

When Wang Fucheng's gaze fell upon the large square box in front of him, his eyes immediately lit up:

"This thing is pretty good. I feel like my nephew's family is just missing one."

“It’s not that he can’t afford it, he just can’t find a reason to buy it, so it’s perfect for me to deliver it.”

“I just finished collecting some receipts a while ago. I’ll go to the state-run store tomorrow to buy a new one and then deliver it to him.”

The large box that Wang Fucheng had his eye on was none other than a black-and-white television set, the only one of its kind in the entire Wangjia Village.

Let alone Wangjia Village, even in the city, at this time, being able to afford a television was considered a sign of a well-off family.

When the TV is on, the neighbors all gather around to watch.

It's not just children; adults and the elderly look the same, which is absolutely endearing.

Upon hearing Wang Fucheng's words, Wang Yong's eyes lit up, and he smiled and said:
"Dad, you have such good taste! Why didn't I think of giving you a TV?"

"Although the television is expensive, it's nothing compared to the skill of the master craftsman."

"If we just send it over like that, the master probably won't accept it."

"How about this, we'll say it's an advertising fee paid by the factory to the technician, Master. That way, he'll probably have no choice but to accept it."

The father and son discussed it and just like that, they decided to give away a television.

But while some were happy, others were sad. Wangjia Village was happy, while Cao Deming's side was extremely gloomy.

In the principal's office at No. 1 Middle School, Cao Deming was smoking a cigarette in silence, his expression as grim as if his father had died, muttering to himself:

"What on earth happened? How could a cooked duck fly away?" (End of Chapter)