Chapter 305: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 305: The Times Have Changed

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Wang Dashan called the insurance company, explained the car's situation to them, and after they understood, they gave him a clear answer: since he accidentally burned the car himself, the insurance company would not pay.

For this situation, Wang Dashan was actually mentally prepared.

Insurance companies are not fools; they are better at calculating than anyone, so naturally they would not compensate for such a loss. If they paid for this, everyone would "accidentally" burn their own old cars, wouldn't they be driven to coughing up blood?

Facing this situation, Wang Dashan felt helpless and angry. If someone else had burned his car, he would definitely go beat that person up, but unfortunately, the person who burned his car was his biological father. Besides getting angry and scolding a few words, what else could he do?

Asking him to pay was even more impossible!

The little savings at home were still needed to build a new house.

Finally, Wang Dashan called a tow truck and had the car towed to a repair shop in the county town for maintenance.

The repair shop looked at the situation and gave a quote.

"Fortunately, the engine wasn't burned, but this chassis and the body probably both need major repairs. Here's what I'll do: ten thousand yuan, and I'll fix it for you within a week."

Hearing this, Wang Dashan was immediately shocked and surprised.

"It's that expensive?"

He didn't understand cars and didn't know the market price for repairs.

But he definitely felt ten thousand yuan was too expensive.

After all, the car's total value was only seventy-something thousand yuan.

Now repairs needed ten thousand.

It was really too expensive.

"That's not expensive, it's the market price. Don't look at your car body not being completely burned black, but the entire body needs all new paint. Just for the paint, one door costs five hundred yuan. For the whole car, I'll charge you four thousand yuan. Is that reasonable? The various lines in the chassis, many were burned. I'll check them all for you, troubleshoot and fix them, one thousand yuan. Is that reasonable? I'll replace the damaged parts and tires for you, reconnect all the lines, and restore it to its original appearance, five thousand yuan. Is that reasonable? Added up, ten thousand yuan is already a fair price; I'm not making much off you."

The repair shop owner said this.

Wang Dashan naturally couldn't fully believe what he said.

He asked:

"Eight thousand yuan, will that work?"

Wang Dashan thought, if not, he'd go ask elsewhere.

Unexpectedly, the repair shop owner agreed readily in one breath:

"Fine, eight thousand it is. You give me a three thousand yuan deposit first, and pay the remaining five thousand after it's fixed."

Seeing the owner agree so readily, Wang Dashan was surprised.

He knew he had been tricked by the repair shop owner. The owner must have seen that he knew nothing about cars and deliberately quoted a high price. Going elsewhere might not even need eight thousand; five, six, or seven thousand could fix it.

They say car repairs are deep waters, and this time he finally saw it for himself.

But he was too embarrassed to take the car away, after all, he had offered the price of eight thousand yuan himself.

If he backed out now, it wouldn't be decent.

In the end, he could only leave the car there and tell the owner to hurry up and fix it. He'd come pick it up in a couple of days. The owner nodded eagerly like a chicken pecking rice, promising to fix it as soon as possible.

Wang Dashan took the bus home, feeling depressed.

This made him have no mood for the holiday.

He thought, if he had known, he wouldn't have gone home. If he hadn't gone home, he wouldn't have run into such unlucky things.

"How much is the repair fee? I'll pay you back."

Just as he got home, Wang Zhanggen took the initiative to ask Wang Dashan this.

Wang Dashan said with a stern face:

"Pay what? Be more careful in the future. I originally came back happily for the Mid-Autumn Festival, but you've made me lose all mood!"

Wang Zhanggen was left speechless by the retort. He could only smoke in a depressed mood and didn't ask anything more.

In the blink of an eye, it was evening.

The moon on this year's Mid-Autumn Festival was especially large and round.

It was a pity that the whole Shanggou Village was quiet and still.

Nowadays, young people who go out to work rarely return home for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

In Shanggou Village, only the Wang family had returned in relatively complete numbers. For other families, even with several children, usually only one or two came back, and some didn't return a single one.

Even Zhang Zhongtian's son Zhang Zhiqiang didn't come back.

Zhang Zhiqiang's son had only been born not long ago. His wife didn't go out with him either; she stayed home to take care of the child. Even in this situation, with Mid-Autumn and National Day combined for so many days, he still didn't return, saying he had to work overtime.

Now the times have changed. It's not like before. In the past, Mid-Autumn Festival meant reunion; no matter how busy, one would make time to go home. Now, Mid-Autumn Festival seems to have become optional.

Young people nowadays are busy making a living outside. They don't value family reunion as much as before. Actually, it's not their fault. After all, eating others' food means listening to others' management. If others don't give a holiday and require overtime, they can only nod and bow with their heads down.

Poor people have no decision-making authority. They are actually not much different from slaves in ancient times; they can only listen to arrangements. It's just that the method of exploitation nowadays is different and more subtle.

In ancient times, the exploitation of slaves directly restricted personal freedom. Working could only barely provide food and clothing.

Nowadays, the exploitation of the lower class involves housing, medical care, and education, all linked together. Although on the surface your freedom isn't restricted, in reality, an invisible cage always exists, making you work desperately but still only barely get by, with no time to think about anything else.

The Wang family's Mid-Autumn Festival was spent in a depressed mood.

After worshiping the moon according to custom, those who should watch TV watched TV, and those who should play with their phones played with their phones.

Outside was pitch black, without the laughter of children playing with lanterns, chasing, and roughhousing as in the past.

Inside the house was deathly quiet. The mooncakes bought back were cut, but no one ate them.

"You all not eating mooncakes? This is lotus seed paste filling. You all loved eating this when you were young."

Li Xiulan saw that no one was eating the cut mooncakes, so she meddled and asked her three sons.

Wang Dashan was still depressed about the car and had no mood to eat.

"You eat, I don't want to."

Wang Erhai casually took a piece, took a small bite, and then stopped eating.

He had been playing on his mobile phone, chatting with Zhang Xiaoyun on WeChat.

The two's relationship was becoming increasingly close.

It already felt like the honeymoon phase.

Wang Xiaohua ate a small piece and stopped eating, returning to his room to study.

This Mid-Autumn Festival passed by just so plainly.

In the blink of an eye, it was the next day, October 1st, National Day.

National Day had no National Day flavor; Shanggou Village had few children, let alone National Day, even during the Spring Festival it was now cold and deserted.

While eating breakfast, Wang Zhangtian and Zhao Lifen brought the Geography Master over.

The Geography Master was a thin old man over sixty, carrying a toolbox in his hand, looking calm and composed.

He smiled, revealing yellow teeth, looking quite kind.

Wang Zhanggen had discussed with Wang Zhangtian yesterday to dig up the old man's golden bones today, so Wang Zhangtian only brought the Geography Master over early this morning.

Digging up graves requires the Geography Master to be present to help guide; otherwise, if one accidentally breaks a taboo, it won't be good.

"After breakfast, you three go help too. Recently our family's fortune is really too bad; if we want to change our luck, we must all pitch in. Everyone go help your grandfather move to his 'New House,' and he will naturally protect us."

Wang Zhanggen said this to his three sons.