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

Chapter 63 Invitation

Shocked, Wang Zidong felt more embarrassed. To refurbish his bicycle like this, aside from the skill involved, the materials alone must have cost a fortune. He immediately asked:

"Pengzi, how did you know my family was planning to refurbish this bicycle?"

"Tell me how much it costs, and I'll pay you right away."

Wang Chengpeng shook his head and refused, saying, "Talking about money hurts feelings."

"Besides, don't I still owe you a hundred yuan? Consider this renovation as interest on your behalf."

"Besides, it was my fault for damaging your bicycle. I often ask you for help, so don't bring up money with me."

Seeing that Wang Zidong was about to say something more, Wang Chengpeng spoke up again:

"Dongzi, you mustn't refuse."

"If you do that, I'll have no choice but to sell everything I own to pay back the hundred yuan you borrowed from me."

Since Wang Chengpeng had already said that, Wang Zidong opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only accept it.

However, he was secretly planning to repay this favor if he had the chance; he wasn't going to take advantage of his brother.

After giving Wang Zidong a few simple instructions that the bicycle could only be ridden after the paint was completely dry, the two of them once again entered into a tense and exciting learning session.

Wang Chengpeng has quite a few books in his room now; even reading one a day would keep him occupied for a long time.

Moreover, one book a day is only enough time to memorize; to fully grasp the knowledge in these books, Wang Chengpeng would need to spend much more time.

In this situation, Wang Chengpeng looked at the radios and electric fans in the room and felt a headache coming on.

There's just not enough time! Repairing these things is such a waste of Wang Chengpeng's time.

If he weren't truly poor, he really wouldn't want to waste his precious time on these trivial things.

If others knew that Wang Chengpeng actually disliked this job that only required working a few hours a day but earned a full twenty-five yuan, they would probably be insanely envious and jealous.

What normal person would treat money so carelessly? This is more than just a waste.

Now, recalling Ji Yongyue's suggestion to take on apprentices that afternoon, Wang Chengpeng felt that it was indeed a good idea.

As long as the person recommended by Ji Yongyue is barely acceptable and obedient, I wouldn't necessarily refuse to accept him.

As for how much of my skills the other person can learn, that depends on their comprehension.

……

Since learning Bajiquan, Wang Chengpeng feels that his health has improved considerably.

Even though I stay up late studying every night, I still feel energetic the next morning.

It was precisely because of this that he became increasingly diligent in learning Bajiquan, almost reaching the point of getting up at the crack of dawn to practice.

It was only four or five in the morning, and Wang Chengpeng had already started practicing boxing in the yard.

Feeling his body gradually becoming stronger, Wang Chengpeng practiced boxing with even more effort.

Realizing it was almost time to start work, Wang Chengpeng took a quick shower, ate some leftovers from last night, and then carried his tools to the fields.

Perhaps because they already knew of Wang Chengpeng's terrifying destructive power, nothing happened today, and no one caused any trouble.

Even the gossip in the fields has fallen silent because nothing new has happened, making it rather boring.

After finishing his work, Wang Chengpeng caught up with Xia Mingyue, handed her the book he had borrowed earlier, and said:

"Xia Zhiqing, thank you for your book."

After accepting the book she had lent out, Xia Mingyue suddenly realized something was wrong. Why did it seem that Wang Chengpeng wasn't going the same way as her?
He immediately asked, "Comrade Wang, why are you going that way? Aren't you going to borrow books?" "Don't be so polite with me. After all, I can only read one book at a time. Just borrow it without worry."

Wang Chengpeng hadn't expected Xia Mingyue to be so enthusiastic, and explained:
“A friend of mine recently gave me a lot of books. It would take a long time just to finish studying them all, so I won’t bother Xia Zhiqing for now.”

"By the way, if Xia Zhiqing needs any books, she can borrow them from me."

"Although my family doesn't have many books, we have a wide variety of them, so there might be some that Xia Zhiqing would be interested in."

Faced with Wang Chengpeng's explanation, Xia Mingyue subconsciously asked, "What? You weren't just brushing me off last time?"

Xia Mingyue immediately realized that her words were inappropriate and lowered her head shyly.

She felt that she had been speaking without thinking lately; these were words she could only keep to herself, and she couldn't just say them out loud.

Wang Chengpeng didn't mind at all, saying, "How could I possibly lie to Xia Zhiqing?"

"There's no time like the present, let's do it today."

"Xia Zhiqing, if you're interested, you can come to my house and see if there are any books you need."

Instead of borrowing the book, she went to a stranger's house to borrow it.

Xia Mingyue is now facing a dilemma, and it seems that neither choice is quite right.

If I don't lend it, wouldn't that mean I look down on Comrade Wang?

If I borrowed it, it would be bad for my reputation if word got out that I was going to a strange man's house to borrow a book on my own.

Just then, An Qiuyun spoke up, saying, "Shall we go to Comrade Wang's house to borrow books?"

"Okay, we'll go right away."

"I would be so grateful if Comrade Wang could invite us to stay for dinner."

You're such a glutton!

Xia Mingyue rolled her eyes at An Qiuyun, but then took the opportunity to back down, saying, "Alright, then I'll trouble Comrade Wang."

"As for Qiu Yun's words, Comrade Wang, you can just pretend you didn't hear them. I'll cook a delicious meal for her when I get back later."

Delicious food? Are you kidding me?

An Qiuyun glared back without hesitation, clearly very unconvinced.

However, she was just joking and didn't delve into the matter further.

Otherwise, if word got out, she would be seen as a shameless, greedy girl who freeloads.

There was silence between them, and to avoid suspicion, the three of them even kept a considerable distance apart.

After all, these two young women are free to date, but Wang Chengpeng already has a girlfriend, so they can't overstep their bounds.

Before long, the three arrived at the Wang family compound. Wang Chengpeng didn't stand on ceremony and simply opened the door to let the two women in.

Although it was a private room, Wang Chengpeng had always kept it very private and didn't have any secrets that he couldn't reveal.

However, the moment Wang Chengpeng opened the door, Xia Mingyue rushed in as if she had seen some great treasure.

It's no wonder Xia Mingyue was so surprised; the books in Wang Chengpeng's room were a treasure trove for someone like her who loves books.

Especially after discovering a book she had long admired, she instinctively picked it up and began to read it with great interest.

Even though the book was tattered and even covered in dirt, she still couldn't bear to put it down.

(End of this chapter)