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

Chapter 56 The Filter of Family Affection Shattered
Most of the time, inviting someone to dinner is just a polite phrase, and Wang Jinshan didn't believe that Wang Chengpeng, being so shrewd, wouldn't misunderstand his meaning.

Unfortunately, although he understood, Wang Chengpeng wasn't going to indulge him and immediately said with a smile:
“Great! My cousin dragged me here and I haven’t had a chance to eat yet. I really miss my grandparents’ cooking after not having it for days.”

Wang Chengpeng immediately asked for his grandparents' food instead of his uncle's, leaving Wang Jinshan speechless and wishing he could slap himself hard.

Why did I have to say anything more? This kid is too good at taking advantage of people's goodwill.

To avoid any unforeseen complications and to get rid of Wang Chengpeng as soon as possible, Wang Jinshan could only give an awkward smile and say:
"Nephew, it's really my fault. I forgot that we've already had dinner at home."

"As you know, we cook at home on a fixed schedule and in fixed quantities every day, so there's no way we could have a little bit more."

"By the way, nephew, you came here to pick up your bicycle and return it, right?"

"The bicycle is parked right there. You should take it back and return it quickly."

The same words can have different effects depending on who says them. At least when Wang Jinshan said those words, Wang Chengpeng couldn't ask his uncle to bring him the car.

Seeing that his reinforcements had not yet arrived, Wang Chengpeng thought long and hard and decided to stall for time. He immediately spoke:

"There's no rush to return the bicycle. It's still there; who could possibly break it?"

"I've finally managed to come to my grandparents' house, so I should at least say hello to them before I leave."

"It's only because my cousin called me in such a hurry that I would have come empty-handed."

It was only natural for Wang Chengpeng, a junior, to greet his elders. Even Wang Jinshan couldn't find a way to refute him and could only watch helplessly as Wang Chengpeng walked into the inner room.

"Hey, isn't this my dear nephew? What brings you here today?"

When they met Wang Yinshan, he surprisingly greeted Wang Chengpeng warmly.

With the Wang Tieshan family no longer their prey, Wang Jinshan and Zhao Yuju continued to use their underhanded tricks on Wang Yinshan. In just a few days, he found Wang Chengpeng to be inexplicably more agreeable.

One doesn't hit a smiling face, so Wang Chengpeng also greeted Wang Yinshan warmly, saying:

"I came here unexpectedly and wanted to let my elders at home know."

"Second Uncle, you go ahead with your work. I'll go check on Grandpa and Grandma and then head back."

After dinner, Grandpa and Grandma usually rested in the inner room, so it didn't take Wang Chengpeng much effort to find them. He immediately greeted them warmly.
"Hello, Grandpa and Grandma. I just happened to be here on business today, so I'm sending my greetings to you."

The saying "familiarity breeds contempt" is an age-old truth. Looking at his grandson, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, Wang Degong finally smiled and said:

"Cheng Peng is really filial. He even made a special trip to see this old man when he was passing by."

"Good, good, good!"

"Grandpa won't delay his grandson's business. After you've finished saying hello, you should hurry back. Grandpa is in very good health."

Wang Degong was happy, but Zhao Yuju didn't give Wang Chengpeng a good look.

Thinking about how Wang Chengpeng had ruined her perfect plan for building a new bicycle today, Zhao Yuju gave a cold snort of annoyance and said:
"Greeting? I've never seen anyone greet others empty-handed."

"Those who go out are indeed different; it's as if they've shared their bloodline with them."

Zhao Yuju's words were extremely harsh, even Wang Degong, who was standing next to her, felt displeased and frowned.

Saying nice things to one's own grandson—is this a disgrace to the grandson or to oneself? If word gets out, the whole family will lose face.

It was at this moment that a familiar voice came from outside, saying:
“Father, Mother, you are right. It’s not right to come empty-handed.”

"Cheng Peng left in a hurry and forgot to bring anything." "This is five catties of flour. Although it's not much, it's a token of our family's affection. Please accept it, elders."

The person who came was none other than Wang Chengpeng's father, Wang Tieshan.

After hearing what Wang Chengpeng told Wang Meiyan, Wang Tieshan, though puzzled, ultimately decided to come over.

Since the previous confrontation, he no longer treats Wang Chengpeng like a child.

Although he didn't understand, he felt that Wang Chengpeng must have his reasons for saying that.

After thinking it over, he grabbed some flour he had just bought that day and prepared to go out.

He originally intended to buy this to mix into his cornbread to improve his meals, but unexpectedly it came in handy.

Just as Wang Tieshan was about to leave, he saw Wang Zidong rushing in this direction.

Remembering Wang Chengpeng's instructions, he immediately brought Wang Zidong along and they headed towards the Wang family's hometown together.

Upon hearing that he was going to pick up his own bicycle, and given that it was Wang Chengpeng's order, Wang Zidong did not refuse and immediately picked up Wang Chengpeng's new bike.

This Forever 28 model bicycle was brand new and had excellent performance. Even though it left a little late, it still arrived here quickly, which led to what just happened.

Seeing the white flour that Wang Tieshan brought, Wang Degong was in a great mood and loudly praised his son for being filial.

Only Zhao Yuju grumbled a few words of dissatisfaction: "With so little flour, people who don't know any better would think we're giving money to a beggar."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Zhao Yuju's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the people in front of her to hear.

You should know that when Wang Tieshan divided the family property, he didn't get a single grain of white flour. Now, he brought five jin of white flour to the door and was still ridiculed. Even though he was honest, he was quite resentful.

The filter of kinship must have shattered countless times.

Before the others could say anything else, Wang Chengpeng breathed a slight sigh of relief upon seeing his father arrive and said:

"Grandpa, Grandma, I have other things to do today, so I won't disturb your rest any longer."

"Next time you come, my grandson will definitely bring more things, definitely more than five catties of flour."

Directly confronting Zhao Yuju is definitely not an option, but making sarcastic remarks about her is perfectly acceptable.

As expected, after hearing Wang Chengpeng's last words, Zhao Yuju's face showed a hint of anger.

However, because Wang Degong was there, she couldn't lash out and could only glare at Wang Chengpeng resentfully.

"Uncle Jinshan, what's going on?"

"Why is it that when we lent you our perfectly good bicycle, it's completely broken when we come to pick it up?"

"You rode away on my bicycle in front of everyone, and now that it's broken, aren't you going to give us an explanation?"

Before he even stepped out of the inner room, Wang Chengpeng heard Wang Zidong's furious voice ringing out from the courtyard.

This is a bicycle, the absolute darling of the family.

Now things have turned out badly. He lent the money to Wang Jinshan without taking a penny, but when he got it back, it was broken. Even though Wang Zidong has a good temper, he was furious.

(End of this chapter)