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

Chapter 76: Ruthless and Unrighteous
In fact, Liu Yanran's request was so unreasonable that even she herself felt it was somewhat excessive.

She was just making exorbitant demands, intending to keep Wang Chengpeng hanging so he wouldn't skimp on the bride price.

Unexpectedly, Wang Chengpeng not only accepted all the requests, but also agreed to the unreasonable demand for an additional recorder.

For a fleeting moment, Liu Yanran was slightly touched by Wang Chengpeng's doting affection, and even had the thought that it wouldn't be bad to just live with Wang Chengpeng.

However, this idea was quickly extinguished by her reason.

These were all bought with borrowed money, and they do not represent the true strength of the Wang family at all, nor do they prove anything.

Who wants to help the Wang family pay off their debts? I don't want to live that miserable life where I don't know where my next meal will come from.

After the initial感动 (feeling of being moved) faded away, all Liu Yanran had left for Wang Chengpeng was a perfunctory reply:

"Cheng Peng, you're so good to me."

"Now that we've covered the important points, it's best if we part ways for now, as agreed."

Liu Yanran was in a hurry to go to the city to meet her lover in secret, so she had no time to waste with Wang Chengpeng here.

But how could Wang Chengpeng let her have her way? He feigned curiosity and asked:
"Yanran, judging from your appearance, it seems you're planning to go out?"

"It's not safe for a beautiful woman like you to go out alone. Why don't I go with you so we can look out for each other?"

"Don't worry, I have my own bicycle. We don't need to ride the same bicycle, so there won't be any gossip."

Besides, it wouldn't matter if they rode the same bicycle; everyone in Wangjia Village knew that Wang Chengpeng was about to marry Liu Yanran.

The claim that she was afraid of causing gossip was just Liu Yanran's way of placating Wang Chengpeng; only the naive Wang Chengpeng from his previous life would believe it.

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's request to go along, Liu Yanran subconsciously frowned, her eyebrows sharp as knives, as if they could pierce through Wang Chengpeng's body.

However, even when faced with Liu Yanran's sharp gaze, Wang Chengpeng seemed completely oblivious, ignoring her completely and looking at her eagerly, as if waiting for her reply.

Wang Chengpeng's self-inflicted embarrassment, coupled with his flawless excuse, infuriated Liu Yanran, yet she was utterly helpless.

In the end, she could only sigh helplessly and say, "I have no plans to go out."

"I just dressed up nicely because I'm so excited about marrying you soon."

"But I think you're right, girls should be careful to protect themselves, so I'd better keep a low profile."

"I'll go back and change my clothes now, Cheng Peng. If you don't have anything else to do, you can go back first."

"I'm waiting for the moment you bring betrothal gifts to marry me!"

Prostitutes are heartless, actors are unrighteous, and prostitutes who can act are both heartless and unrighteous.

Wang Chengpeng didn't feel sad at all because of Liu Yanran's performance; on the contrary, he felt pleased to have watched such a good show.

After all, Liu Yanran's appearance is not bad, and coupled with her clumsy acting, she is no less than some well-known comedians.

Wang Chengpeng lingered around the Liu family's gate for a while longer, until Liu Yanran had changed into her everyday clothes and completely given up on going out. Only then did he slowly leave.

There are still more than ten days left. If I can just be patient a little longer, the Liu family will get the retribution they deserve.

……

It was already close to noon, and there wasn't enough time to go to the fields. After thinking it over, Wang Chengpeng decided to go home first, fix the things he had brought back last time, and then go to town.

Time waits for no one, and you need to prepare well in advance if you want to find a tape recorder, even a second-hand one.

Especially since Wang Chengpeng planned to get it for free, it would take him some time to repair the tape recorder himself, since his tape recorder repair proficiency was a pitiful 0.

Even from a distance, a rich, fresh aroma of flour began to waft into Wang Chengpeng's nose, making his mouth water.

Although Wang Meiyan's cooking skills were not particularly outstanding, she was still a child who helped with household chores every day, and she was capable of handling the basic tasks.

Especially after adding a lot of flour, the steamed buns are even more fragrant and sweet, and their plump, yellow appearance is incredibly tempting.

Since he was at home and didn't need to hide anything, Wang Chengpeng picked up the pre-cooked meat slices and started eating.

With the gifts from Shi Ren and He Quan, he didn't need to go to town to buy food this time.

With a bite of meat and a bite of cornbread, Wang Chengpeng devoured the food in front of him like a giant beast.

No wonder they say the poor are scholars and the rich are warriors; those whose families don't have the means really can't afford Wang Chengpeng's eating habits.

After dinner, it was time for repairs, and Wang Chengpeng immediately went into the room and got busy.

However, before he could finish his work, a loud banging sound came from outside the courtyard, as if the person who came had some deep-seated grudge against him.

As soon as Wang Chengpeng opened the door, he saw his grandmother, Zhao Yuju, smashing the gate of their yard. Her face was twisted into a hideous, demonic shape from the excessive force she was using.

With a heavy sigh, Wang Chengpeng thought to himself that he had already shown leniency towards the Wang family out of consideration for family ties and had not taken the initiative to cause them trouble.

But unexpectedly, trouble kept coming to their door. First it was their uncle Wang Jinshan, and now it's their grandmother Zhao Yuju. Do they really think they're made of clay?
The moment Zhao Yuju saw Wang Chengpeng, she seemed to have found an outlet for her anger and began to shout loudly:
"Wang Chengpeng, what are you standing there for? Open the door!"

"I don't know how they raised me, I just don't have any sense of propriety."

It's hard to believe that these words came from my own grandmother.

Without getting angry, Wang Chengpeng opened the courtyard gate and asked in a gentle voice:
"Grandma, what brings you here today?"

Zhao Yuju sniffed hard, but instead of answering Wang Chengpeng's question, she followed the aroma to the kitchen.

With a clang, Zhao Yuju quickly lifted the lid of the pot with a skill far beyond her years, only to find a few leftover corn buns from lunch.

"Grandma, have you been abused at home? You've starved yourself to this state."

"Don't worry, even if we separate, I won't let you go hungry."

"You can eat the corn buns in the pot first. If it's not enough, I'll steam some more. I will never let you go hungry."

Wang Chengpeng naturally knew what Zhao Yuju was looking for—the source of the meaty aroma.

Unfortunately, how could he possibly make such an obvious mistake? He always prepared only what he could eat, never leaving a single piece of meat for anyone to eat.

Moreover, Wang Chengpeng provided a reasonable explanation for Zhao Yuju's behavior.

Unfilial children and grandchildren, an old lady who goes hungry—there's no better gossip in the countryside!

(End of this chapter)