"I'll say it again, you don't need to watch the melons for me." Wang Peng squinted. "The melon field is mine, and I can ask whoever I want to help me."

"Damn it, I'll slap you to death!" Li Guifen broke down and raised her hand to slap him across the face.

"Li Guifen, haven't you made enough of a scene?" Li Guixi stepped forward and grabbed her hand. "This is my home, not a place for you to run wild. Put down my garlic, I'm not giving it to you."

"Second Uncle, don't be angry."

Wang Cheng quickly winked at his mother and said with a smile, "Second Uncle, it's all my fault for not persuading Mom. You can scold me."

"He who takes a gift is bound to be obligated to it," and seeing that her brother-in-law was angry, Li Guifen dared not throw another tantrum.

She pointed at Wang Peng and said, "You just wait, I'll have your dad deal with you."

“Fine, let him come. I’m not afraid of him,” Wang Peng replied calmly.

"Brother, say less, don't make Mom angry." Wang Cheng smiled wryly, "I know you're wronged, just scold me a few times to vent your anger."

"Don't try to morally blackmail me, and don't play the victim." Wang Peng said with a disdainful look.

"Brother, you can say whatever you want about me, I've always respected you!"

"No need," Wang Peng waved his hand.

In his past life, he was tricked by Wang Cheng into giving up his high school admission letter in the same way.

He knelt before Wang Peng and swore that once he got into university and became successful, he would support his older brother for the rest of his life.

As a result, he became the deputy director of the education bureau, but he didn't give his elder brother a single penny, and he didn't even inform his elder brother of his wedding.

At this point, Wang Cheng realized that he would only suffer if he continued to make a scene, so he hurriedly advised Li Guifen, "Mom, let's go home."

Li Guifen glared at Wang Peng, snorted coldly, and carried a bag of garlic home.

When the mother and daughter returned home, she cried and complained to Wang Song.

“Let’s go settle accounts with Wang Peng tomorrow. He’s biased towards outsiders and doesn’t give us any good opportunities.”

"Three pounds of beef! That's an ungrateful wretch!"

Li Guifen felt heartbroken whenever she thought about beef.

Wang Song shook his head. "Let him sell melons to save money first. Once he's sold all his melons, we'll settle the score with him."

"Dad, Mom, don't be angry. My brother is just having a moment of weakness. He'll be fine once he comes to his senses," Wang Cheng said with a smile, trying to comfort his parents.

Li Guifen sneered, "Second brother, don't always speak well of him. When he can't make it out there anymore, when he comes back, he'll have to kneel at the gate for three days and three nights."

“That’s right, we can’t let that rebellious son get away with this.” Wang Song nodded emphatically.

Wang Cheng quietly shook his head. His parents thought Wang Peng would come home and apologize, but I think he may have already made up his mind to leave this family.

...

It was already dark when Li Guixi took her nephew and daughter to Duzhuang.

After walking eight li to Duzhuang, I found the house of Du Geda next door dark and empty; the grandfather and grandson had already left.

There was a note under the threshold of the main room, left by Du Lei, telling him to come visit him in Xinjiang after he sold the watermelons. The note had an address written on it.

"Good lad, you're amazing." Li Guixi patted the watermelon on the truck. "Work hard and try to earn your tuition fees. Come live with me in the future."

"Second Uncle, you should go back now, there's no one home." Wang Peng ignored him.

"Okay, I'll come see you again another day." Li Guixi left with satisfaction.

He returned home and immediately took three catties of beef to his father-in-law's house, which was twenty miles away and under the jurisdiction of Pingcheng. His wife was hiding at her parents' house to avoid the one-child policy.

"A Persian cat?" Li Fang picked up the little white kitten. "Pengdi, is this your cat?"

"Its name is Xiaobai. It will keep you company tonight while I go to the melon patch to watch the melons," Wang Peng explained as he introduced the yard to her.

Tell her where the toilet is, where the kitchen is, and where the food is, then hand her the key.

"Go on your way, I'll bring you food tomorrow." Li Fang carried the white cat into the house.

...

Du Family Melon Field.

The melon shed is shaped like the Chinese character "人" (ren), built of wood, and contains a small wooden bed.

Wang Peng walked around the melon field but couldn't find the hedgehog that was stealing watermelons, so he went into the melon shed to sleep.

In the stillness of the night, with the wind rustling the leaves, he lay in bed gazing at the night sky.

Half asleep and half awake, I heard someone calling me. I opened my eyes and saw a pretty face. It was my cousin, Li Fang.

She held up her rice bowl and said, "Get up and eat, it's time to go sell melons."

"Have you eaten?" Wang Peng sat up and took the braised eggplant rice bowl.

"I've eaten." She handed the chopsticks to Wang Peng. "Buy some toilet paper when you come back; we're out of paper at home."

After finishing his meal, Wang Peng took his bowl back to the village, while Li Fang stayed behind to watch over the melon field.

He took a detour to Ping'an County and continued to set up a stall in the textile factory's residential compound.

There was a middle-aged man who looked unfamiliar. He bought forty catties of melons but did not enter the family compound.

"Uncle, don't you live here?" Wang Peng pointed to the family compound.

"I'm not a textile factory worker," the middle-aged man said with a smile. "My home is in the cotton and linen factory's residential compound. You should come visit us sometime; lots of people want to buy your melons."

"Okay, thank you for helping me promote it, uncle. I'll go whenever I have time," Wang Peng said with a beaming smile.

The cotton and linen factory's residential compound is at least two miles away from here.

He was very happy, which meant that his reputation had been established and customers in the surrounding area were gradually aware that there were melons for sale here.

This is the word-of-mouth effect; as more and more people learn about it, business will improve.

Next, he met several more customers from out of town, and around noon, he finally sold out of watermelons.

Wang Peng went to the People's Department Store to buy toilet paper, and to the farmers' market to buy pork belly and seasonings for making braised pork with mustard greens.

I pulled the cart back to the melon field and saw my cousin sitting in the shade of a tree, enjoying the cool air.

"Sis, eat this first, I'll make you braised pork with mustard greens when I get home." Wang Peng gave her two packets of instant noodles.

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