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

Chapter 6 Extracting Marrow from Bones
In the era before the household responsibility system was implemented, the only source of income was work points.

The grain they grow is either for their own consumption or for exchange with their neighbors.

That's why Wang Tieshan said without hesitation, "Of course we'll use the work points we earn to pay off the debt."

This perfectly reasonable thing was met with strong opposition from Wang Jinshan, who said:
"No, I don't agree."

“My third brother used his family’s work points to pay off debts, but then he came back to eat at home.”

"What's the difference between this and our whole family helping him pay off his debts?"

"It's clearly his debt, why should we all have to pay it for him?"

“I propose that the work points of the third son’s family be divided equally into three parts: one part to subsidize household expenses, one part to repay loans, and one part to cover living expenses. This is the fairest approach.”

The debt repayment plan, which involved excruciating pain and depleting one's marrow in the previous life, was finally revealed by Uncle Wang Jinshan.

This uncle was extremely cunning, especially when it came to scheming against his own people, and he actually came up with such an outrageous way to pay off his debts.

With the work points Wang Chengpeng and his parents earned, and with a little effort, plus interest, they could have paid off the debt in five or six years at most.

However, according to his uncle, they could only use one-third of their work points to pay off the debt, and Wang Chengpeng's family almost couldn't even pay off the interest with the work points they earned.

That would be a never-ending black hole, constantly eroding the efforts of Wang Chengpeng's family until it completely drained them of their marrow and essence.

In his past life, it was because he agreed to this extremely unreasonable debt repayment plan that his parents were forced to work from dawn till dusk to earn work points.

Ultimately, he exhausted his health and passed away in his forties or fifties, leaving Wang Chengpeng filled with regret.

Suppressing his anger, Wang Tieshan said, "Brother, aren't you going a bit too far with what you said?"

"If we distinguish everything so clearly, what's the difference between us and strangers?"

Wang Jinshan completely disagreed with Wang Tieshan's statement, saying:
"Brothers, let's settle the score."

"What? Are you getting angry because I exposed your true intention of secretly taking advantage of us under the guise of family?"

"As a member of the royal family, I have the right to express my opinion."

"You can shut me up, but you can't stop justice from coming."

"Father, Mother, you be the judge. Aren't the third son's family particularly unethical?"

Once the truth was revealed, Wang Degong, who had originally intended to say something, immediately shut up.

He would never allow such a trivial matter to tarnish his selfless image in everyone's eyes.

Even his own third son couldn't tarnish the image he had painstakingly built up in everyone's minds.

On the contrary, Zhao Yuju seemed to have had her meridians opened up, giving Wang Jinshan an approving look, thinking to herself that so that's how it could be done, and nodded in agreement:
"I didn't think this through enough, and someone took advantage of the situation."

“From now on, you can only use one-third of your work points to pay off your debts, and the rest will be used for living expenses and household subsidies.”

"Such a reasonable distribution plan, I believe you will not refuse it."

Looking at the newly released allocation plan, Wang Tieshan's eyes instantly lost their light, and he muttered:

"This is wrong, this is very unreasonable."

However, having suffered from a lack of education, Wang Tieshan couldn't figure out what was unreasonable or unsuitable about the plan.

With bloodshot eyes, he actually decided to grit his teeth and accept this unreasonable distribution plan.

As long as his son can get married smoothly, he will bear all the consequences!
At this critical moment, Wang Chengpeng finally stepped forward, took his father's hand, and said:
"Dad, don't get agitated. Leave this to me." "Trust me, I can handle this perfectly well."

A glint of light flashed in Wang Chengpeng's eyes, and his gaze toward the group turned cold.

Even after seeing and hearing it again, he was still heartbroken by the behavior of these family members.

Although my second uncle, Wang Yinshan, said and did nothing, it was only because it did not involve his interests.

If you get him to help his family even a little, he will instantly become his uncle's best accomplice, devouring his family until not even bones and scraps are left.

Well, if they hadn't acted this way, I wouldn't have been able to make up my mind to cut all ties with them.

Thinking this, under everyone's gaze, Wang Chengpeng, who had remained silent until now, stood up abruptly and said:
“My uncle’s words make a lot of sense. Even brothers should keep clear accounts. How could we do something like this that would drag our family down and take advantage of our family members?”

In fact, Wang Jinshan sensed the danger the moment Wang Chengpeng stood up.

His words might fool Wang Tieshan, who hadn't read many books, but they might not be able to fool Wang Chengpeng.

However, after hearing Wang Chengpeng's words, he almost wanted to clap his hands in delight.

He had thought that Wang Chengpeng, being a scholar, would be at least a little smarter, but he never expected that he would be just as stupid as his father.

Since that's the case, then don't blame yourself for being ruthless.

After all, such idiots are exploited by others outside, so it's better to let them benefit from their own people.

Thinking of this, Wang Jinshan said smugly, "My nephew has read more books, so he's more sensible."

"In that case, let's do it the way Mother just said."

“Although we will still suffer some losses, we are still family after all. I will accept the small loss, after all, my nephew’s wedding is more important.”

Zhao Yuju chimed in, "That's exactly right. The sooner we settle things, the sooner everyone can get some rest."

"It will take a lot of effort to arrange Cheng Peng's wedding, and we will need everyone's help."

However, just as the Wang family was getting along harmoniously and was about to achieve a happy ending by sacrificing the interests of Wang Chengpeng's family, Wang Chengpeng spoke up again:

"Wait a minute, I think my uncle and grandmother misunderstood me."

"I'm not that shameless. Knowing that my family will suffer, how could I possibly continue to take advantage of them with a clear conscience?"

"Although the current situation is quite complicated, I have a solution that satisfies both sides. Would you like to hear it?"

A win-win situation? Is there a better way than my own idea?

Wang Jinshan, who considered himself a smart man, was the first to disagree, jumping out and saying, "Nephew, it's normal for young people to have ideas, but don't be too arrogant."

“Tell me any good ideas you have, but if they don’t work, don’t blame me for lecturing you as your uncle.”

With a smile, Wang Chengpeng said, "Since that's the case, I'll share my thoughts and ask my uncle for advice."

"Let's split up."

"We will pay off our own debts and will never take advantage of our family in any way."

"That way, no one will lose out. What do you think of my idea, Uncle?"

(End of this chapter)