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

Wang Chun'an helplessly grabbed Wang Xia'an's hand and whispered a reminder:

"Xia An, you should think this through carefully."

"If we don't run into him, we'll at most lose a day's wages, but if we do run into him, we might end up spending the whole year in jail."

"You've never been inside. Believe me, you definitely won't like what it's like in prison."

Strangely enough, when the family faced difficulties and there was no more profit to fight over, these two brothers, who were originally like enemies, became close and started to stick together for warmth.

Seeing the lingering fear on Wang Chun'an's face, Wang Xia'an quickly stopped herself from taking the step she had taken.

Wang Xia'an thought his brother was right. Could any amount of money be better than going to jail?
They were already implicated because of Zhao Yuju's affair and became a target of hatred in the village.

That's not all; because of their bad reputation, they can't get any work at all.

If they hadn't lowered the price, they wouldn't have been able to finish this job today.

Only Wang Jinshan looked at his two sons, who were still shaken, and Wang Chengpeng, who was standing at his door, with complicated expressions.

He remembered Wang Chengpeng, the little brat who used to follow him around calling him "Uncle".

Wang Chengpeng is handsome now that he's grown up, but he was also a well-behaved and adorable child who was very likable.

In a daze, Wang Jinshan's memory of Wang Chengpeng instantly transformed from a small child into a cold-faced young man, who uttered those nightmarish words to him:
"I want to separate the family!"

The scene startled Wang Jinshan so much that he almost lost his balance, but fortunately, Wang Xia'an caught him quickly.

Wang Tieshan took a deep breath and squinted as he looked at his mud-brick house. The plaster was peeling off faster than he had imagined, and the new mud plaster that had been applied last year had cracked open again, looking just like the wrinkles on an old man's face.

The autumn wind, carrying withered leaves, slipped in through the crooked door frame and swirled on the uneven, muddy ground.

This reminded him of the scene when he visited his father at his second brother's house last month—Wang Yinshan's three bright brick and tile houses, with cement walls that reached the top of the brick walls, glass windows that were polished to a shine, and even the thresholds were inlaid with smooth terrazzo.

The old man sat on a bench in the main room, holding a glass of water infused with malted milk powder that Wang Yinshan had brought back from the county town. A Red Star brand transistor radio sat beside him, a stark contrast to his own situation.

Workers at Dapeng Sugar Factory are highly sought after; just one worker is enough to ensure a good life for Wang Yinshan's family.

In addition, Wang Yinshan's family is hardworking and has earned a lot of work points this year, which can be exchanged for a lot of money.

Thinking of this, Wang Jinshan looked around blankly and asked himself, how did he manage to squander his good days?
Just as Wang Jinshan was lost in thought, he heard his eldest son, Wang Chun'an, scream with delight:
"He's gone, that jinx is gone."

"Father, second brother, let's go out and get to work."

"If we don't work, we might not even be able to eat corn porridge for Chinese New Year this year."

"This year, one work point can be exchanged for more than one yuan. Why didn't we earn more work points when we could earn them before?"

"Don't say anymore," Wang Jinshan sighed. "Things are already like this, all we can do is try our best to live well from now on."

He was also one of those who hadn't worked hard to earn work points. It was too late to regret it now; he could only keep trying.

Fortunately, although Wang Degong did not intend to acknowledge him as his son, he still left the old house for him temporarily out of kindness. Otherwise, his family would probably have no place to live.

The worst off was Wang Chun'an. His wife, Zheng Yafang, had only taken their child back to her parents' home to avoid the storm, but unexpectedly, things became increasingly difficult for the Wang family afterward.

The rumors and gossip, in particular, choked her so much that she never dared to return to Wangjia Village.

A married daughter is like water spilled from a cup; not to mention Zheng Yafang also had a child to support, making her life at her parents' home extremely unpleasant.

When the Zheng family came to see Wang Chun'an last time, they only gave him two choices: either divorce Zheng Yafang and let whoever wanted the child live with them, or marry into the Zheng family and change the child's surname to Zheng.

"Everyone says the villagers of Wangjia Village made a fortune this year because of the sugar factory, but how come my daughter ended up with a family of good-for-nothings like you?"

"Not only did he not earn many work points, but he also squandered the job he had. He's such a stupid pig."

"Either you divorce my Ya Fang, or you move in with her family and become her son-in-law, and the children will take Ya Fang's surname. There is no other choice!"

These are Zheng Yafang's family's original words. It was the first time they had ever seen a wife they had married through proper channels become someone they had to marry into. It was simply the most humiliating thing Wang Chun'an had ever experienced in his life. That night, he felt wronged and cried in his bed.

As for his future, that depends on his choices.

……

Disregarding any blood ties that don't even exist, Wang Chengpeng's relationship with Wang Jinshan's family is worse than that of strangers.

That's why he wouldn't stop at the Wang family's old house.

The past is the past; the place where Wang Chengpeng lives now is the real home for his family!

As he walked, Wang Chengpeng arrived near the village bulletin board.

There seems to be some new information being released recently; a huge crowd has gathered around the bulletin board, making it quite lively.

It's unclear who spotted Wang Chengpeng first, but someone immediately exclaimed:
"Our factory's technician Wang is here. Everyone, quickly ask him if he has any inside information about this recruitment."

Wang Chengpeng instantly became the target of public criticism, basking in the attention of countless people.

Recruiting isn't his job as a technician, so how could he possibly know any inside information?
However, these people weren't about to let Wang Chengpeng off so easily, so he could only bite the bullet and say some platitudes:

"I wasn't involved in the sugar factory's recruitment, but I imagine it's related to sugar production."

"By the way, character is also very important. Sugar factories probably won't hire any random people."

"After all, this Dapeng white sugar is something that will be eaten, so every step is very important. It must not be entrusted to someone you can't trust."

"That's why you should try to dress neatly, so as to give the person in charge of recruitment a good impression."

Amidst the cacophony of voices—"Technician Wang makes sense," "Yeah, I think that's how it is," and so on—Wang Chengpeng quickly squeezed through the crowd to the notice board.

However, they did not notice that after hearing the news that the sugar factory was recruiting, the three pairs of eyes that were full of hope quickly dimmed after hearing his requirement that they come from respectable family backgrounds.

This is a rural area, with countless villagers who have been poor farmers for three generations. People who break the law are actually a minority. Once this tone is set, there is almost no chance to change it.

In other words, a path that was originally full of hope has been completely blocked.

The one who suffered the most was Wang Xia'an, the spendthrift son who used to be a worker at the Dapeng Sugar Factory.

He thought he was just abandoning a nearly bankrupt sugar factory and giving up a job that was dispensable, but he never expected that he was giving up a good job that even people in the city envied.

Taking a deep breath, the three of them forced themselves to stop looking at the bustling crowd and quickly walked towards the work area.

Meanwhile, Wang Chengpeng had already squeezed into the bulletin board and was pleasantly surprised to find that in addition to the news that Dapeng Sugar Factory was recruiting workers, there was also news about distributing grain and exchanging work points at the end of the year.

Although the Wang family no longer lacks these things, this is good news for every villager in Wangjia Village, because it also means that the end of the year is approaching and they will soon be celebrating the most important festival of the year.

Just as Wang Chengpeng was about to leave, a strong hand grabbed his arm. Turning around, he saw none other than Wang Zidong. Wang Zidong patted Wang Chengpeng's shoulder forcefully and teased him with a smile:
"Hey, Pengzi, you bookworm, you've finally decided to go out?"

"Finally, it's time to distribute grain and exchange it for work points at the end of the year. Everyone has some money now. Pengzi, what do you think of my suggestion from last time?"

The suggestion from last time?
Wang Chengpeng has an excellent memory, but he still couldn't recall what Wang Zidong had suggested last time.

Seeing Wang Chengpeng's confusion, Wang Zidong immediately began to mock him mercilessly:

"Everyone says you have a good memory, how could you forget something so important?"

"Didn't I ask you to go shopping for New Year's goods last time? Now that we're free at home, it's a good time to go."

Upon hearing Wang Zidong's explanation, Wang Chengpeng said, somewhat speechless:

"When did you ever ask me to go shopping for New Year's goods? The last time we talked about New Year's goods was when I asked you to guess what I was planning to ask you to do."

"But you're right, it is indeed time to buy New Year's goods."

"If you're planning to go to town, we can go now."

"If you're planning to go to the city, you'll have to go early tomorrow."

He scratched his head in confusion, then realized he had misremembered, and said somewhat embarrassedly:
"Pengzi, I'm sorry, I misremembered this."

"But since the result is the same anyway, the process is somewhat irrelevant."

"Since we're going to buy New Year's goods, we should definitely go to the city to buy the best ones. How about we meet at the village entrance at seven o'clock tomorrow morning?"

Wang Chengpeng shared the same idea and immediately nodded in agreement:
"Okay, then we'll go to the city tomorrow morning."

At this point, Wang Chengpeng said with a hint of helplessness:
"There are too many people here, it's really too noisy."

"I'm going to wander around over there. You stay here and join in the fun."

After wandering around the neighborhood for a while, Wang Chengpeng finally went home.

Seeing Wang Meiyan intently watching television, Wang Chengpeng took the opportunity to whisper a warning:
"Xiao Yan, Zhu Hong and I are going to the city to buy some things tomorrow. What do you want to buy? I'll bring it back for you."

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's words, Wang Meiyan's eyes immediately lit up. She then pulled her small stool back a little to indicate that she wasn't sitting too close to the TV.

After doing all this, she looked at Wang Chengpeng with hopeful eyes:
"Brother, why didn't you take me with you when you went to the city to buy things?"

"I'll be very good. As long as you take me, I promise I won't ask you to buy anything or run around."

Normally, Wang Chengpeng would naturally be happy to take Wang Meiyan shopping.

However, with the end of the year approaching, there are many people around, and it's really difficult to take care of a child with me.

Losing a few things is a small matter, but if Wang Meiyan were to be abducted by human traffickers, Wang Chengpeng would truly be willing to die a thousand deaths.

Thinking this through, Wang Chengpeng immediately began to explain in a low voice:
"Xiao Yan, there are too many people in the city at this time, it's not safe."

"Besides, what do you want to buy? I'll bring it back for you. What's the difference between that and you going by yourself?"

"If you really want to go, I'll take you after the New Year, and you can buy whatever you want."

"Don't worry, your brother has a great memory. I will never forget anything you want."

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's explanation, Wang Meiyan's lips immediately pouted, so high they could hold an oil bottle:

"Fine, I won't go. I don't care anyway."

"I watch TV at home, TV shows that you can't see."

Although she verbally agreed, Wang Meiyan's expression clearly showed her displeasure.

That's true. It's the same thing, but the feeling of buying it yourself after careful selection is completely different from the feeling of someone else bringing it back.

Just as Wang Chengpeng was wondering if what he was doing was too cruel, he heard Zhu Hong's voice in his ear:
"Brother Wang, shall we take Xiao Yanzi with us?"

"With you and me here, what kind of power does that human trafficker have to kidnap Little Swallow?"

"Don't worry, with me protecting you, no human traffickers can get close to Xiaoyanzi."

Hearing Zhu Hong plead for her, Wang Meiyan's eyes lit up again, and she happily said:
"You big liar, you're the only one who's good to me. My brother always bullies me."

"It's a pity you can't make the decisions in my household; your words carry no weight."

Zhu Hong: ...? ? ?
Wang Chengpeng: ...? ? ?
With a helpless sigh, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said:
"Okay, then you can come with us."

"But it's a deal: you can't run around, and you can't shout nonsense."

Seeing that Wang Chengpeng agreed, Wang Meiyan nodded her head like a chick pecking at rice:
"You're my own brother, I'll agree to anything you say."

After saying that, she stopped watching TV and happily ran to her room.

Judging from her appearance, she was probably preparing to buy something for tomorrow.

After all, you want many things all the time, but when it comes time to buy them, you can't remember them at all.

After dinner, Wang Chengpeng told his parents about it.

They didn't have any objections, and then reminded Wang Chengpeng to buy some essential items for the New Year, which brought the topic to a close.

The next day, before dawn, Wang Meiyan urged Wang Chengpeng at the door:
"Brother, how can you be so lazy? It's already six o'clock and you're still not up?"

"If you don't get up soon, all the good stuff in the state-run stores will be bought by others."

Wang Chengpeng: ...? ? ?
It's thanks to the generous use of materials during the construction that the soundproofing in the house is quite good; otherwise, her loud noise would have woken everyone in the family.

Opening the door, Wang Chengpeng saw Wang Meiyan already dressed and said helplessly:

"What's the rush? Dongzi and I agreed to meet at the village entrance at seven o'clock. If we go early, we won't be able to do anything except stand in the cold wind at the village entrance."

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's words, Wang Meiyan was stunned and muttered to herself:

"Then why didn't you say so yesterday? All that getting up so early was for nothing."

"Dong-ge is indeed my brother's friend. He's also a big lazy pig. He's not afraid that all the good stuff will be sold out when he goes so late."

"Waaaah... My pretty little dress, I'll have to see you all later." (End of Chapter)