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

Chapter 59 Word of mouth
"No, keep guessing."

Liang Zhongxiao laughed and said, "If things were really that simple, would I have called it exciting?"

Liang Jianshe nodded earnestly and said, "Dad, you're right."

"It must have been Uncle Wang Chengpeng's doing, since he's always been the one using this bicycle, so the problem should be his fault."

"Father, am I right? I could never be wrong!"

Upon hearing this, Liang Zhongxiao finally couldn't help but burst into laughter, saying:

"I knew you wouldn't be able to guess the answer, or rather, almost no one could guess the answer."

"I guess only a few of us who were close by at the time saw the truth."

"On that broken bicycle, there was a footprint that, though blurry, was still barely discernible."

"Judging from the style of these footprints, they should be shoes worn by the elderly. They are even slightly smaller than normal size, usually belonging to elderly women who had their feet bound for a period of time."

The truth came to light, leaving Liang Jianshe speechless and incredulous:

"This... how could this be the old lady's work? This is completely illogical!"

"Wait, Comrade Wang's actions mean that he knew about this matter completely and even helped to cover it up."

"If he didn't do it, and he has evidence, why would he do it?"

Liang Zhongxiao, with a look of utter disbelief and disdain, stared at Liang Jianshe and said:

"I don't know why the old lady did that, but I do know why Comrade Wang did that. He's a filial son, and he must have agreed reluctantly because he was afraid of dragging the old lady into it."

"His father probably had the same idea, so he immediately offered to pay compensation."

"Everyone in the surrounding villages knows about the old lady's ruthless methods of exploiting people. It's really a shame for these filial father and son."

"Even though the family was going through the most difficult time, they were still willing to help the old lady take on this responsibility."

"On the contrary, the Wang family's behavior is chilling. They don't lack money, and they're the ones who ruined the things, yet they want to shift the blame onto the father and son. They're truly heartless."

“Son, you must learn from Wang Chengpeng’s family in the future and be a good son to your parents.”

"As for the Wang Jinshan family? It's best to avoid dealing with them unless necessary."

Liang Jianshe looked at his father, seemingly understanding but not quite, and patted his chest to assure him:
"Dad, don't worry, don't you know whether your son is filial or not?"

"I just don't understand. I think the old lady is quite good to her eldest son, so why is she like this with the third son?"

At this point, Liang Zhongxiao's expression changed, instantly becoming mysterious, and he said:

Do you know why Comrade Wang's father was named Wang Tieshan?

"According to the naming rules, he should be called Wang Tongshan."

Liang Jianshe was taken aback; he hadn't really thought about this question before. He exclaimed in surprise:

"Could it be, could it be,..."

Liang Zhongxiao immediately covered his son's mouth and whispered, "It cannot be said, it cannot be said."

"This is just a rumor that used to circulate in the village. We don't know if it's true or not, so please don't let us spread it around."

"You know how tough the old lady is; she'll always have a point even when she's wrong."

"If there's evidence, that's fine. But if there isn't, and she finds out this came from our family, we're in deep trouble."

Hearing this, Liang Jianshe nodded with lingering fear and said, "Dad, I understand, I won't say anything." "But can you talk about that thing you mentioned before, the one about the footprints?"

The feeling of possessing top-secret information but being unable to share it is incredibly frustrating, which is why Liang Jianshe asked this question.

After thinking for a moment, Liang Zhongxiao nodded and said, "Although few people know about this, it's not like no one knows at all."

"Moreover, Aunt He is a big mouth among those who know the truth, so it will probably spread throughout the entire Wangjia Village in less than a night."

"You just need to tell the other person before you speak to keep it a secret and not spread it around. Anyway, we've said what we needed to say, and we're no longer responsible. Whether they listen or not is their business."

"..."

That night, thanks to the covert propaganda of countless people, the truth spread throughout Wangjia Village.

In addition, Wang Chengpeng's act of helping his uncle borrow a bicycle that morning earned the Wang family a great reputation in the village.

Parents with unmarried daughters of marriageable age were filled with regret, lamenting that they hadn't discovered Wang Chengpeng as a good son-in-law. They thought that if they had married their daughters into the Wang family, they wouldn't have to worry about anything in the future.

Of course, there were also people who were unhappy, namely Wang Jianhua, Wang Zidong's grandfather.

He never imagined that his casual remark would come true, and that some bastards would actually ruin his bicycle.

Although Wang Chengpeng agreed to help fix it or even pay him compensation, he was still unhappy.

His displeasure means someone is going to suffer.

He immediately ran to the neighborhood, leaning on his cane, to spread the word that Wang Jinshan had borrowed his bicycle, damaged it, and then refused to admit it, shifting the blame onto his juniors.

Thanks to Grandpa Wang's tireless promotion, everyone knew what was going on, and at the same time, one thought came to mind: we absolutely cannot lend anything to the Wang family.

Otherwise, it would be like throwing a meat bun to a dog—gone and never to return.

Although Wang Chengpeng agreed to pay for the repairs, there's a big difference between a repaired item and an original one. Nobody wants their perfectly good things to be deliberately damaged.

Overnight, the Wang family's reputation plummeted in the village, and if they wanted to ask for help, they probably wouldn't find anyone willing to lend a hand.

……

Wang Family Courtyard.

Under the dim light, Wang Chengpeng was busy doing something in the yard.

Things can be repaired, but the damage can never be undone.

In fact, Wang Chengpeng had the same idea in mind, which is why he decided to help Wang Zidong repair his bicycle first, instead of sending it directly to the repair shop.

The principle behind bicycles is not complicated; the reason they are so expensive is because of the high cost of materials.

In addition, large-scale industrial production was not yet possible at that time, and transportation was inconvenient, so prices certainly could not be driven down.

After pondering for a long time and consulting the knowledge in the book, Wang Chengpeng finally understood why the bicycle had fallen apart.

It turned out that some parts had become loose due to prolonged use and the bumpy road surface, and Zhao Yuju's kick was just in time.

Even if she hadn't kicked it, the bicycle would have fallen apart sooner or later, and might even have injured the rider.

After tightening all the parts again, the bicycle was considered repaired.

However, Wang Chengpeng was definitely not satisfied with this level of repair. After thinking about it, he decided to buy some tools when he went to town tomorrow and give the bicycle a complete overhaul, so as not to disappoint Grandpa Wang's many good intentions regarding the bicycle.

(End of this chapter)