Cheng You only wanted to sneer. This was how Cheng Tao had guided Cheng Wenyu step by step to that point.
She got up, changed her clothes, put on her shoes, then opened the door and walked out.
As expected, she saw Cheng Wenyu's face, which was like a palette of colors.
Cheng Wenyu lowered his head guiltily, even though he was afraid Cheng You would scold him.
But strangely, Cheng You washed her face and walked straight out, not even looking at him.
"Hey, Cheng You!" he called.
Cheng You stopped in her tracks but didn't turn around.
"What is it?" Her tone was very cold.
"Didn't you see I was injured?"
Even Cheng Tao cared about him, yet Cheng You seemed to have not seen it.
"I saw it. So what?"
Cheng Wenyu felt a bit wronged. "Why are you like this... I'm injured!"
"And so? What does your injury have to do with me? Did you get this injury for me? For the family? Or for Wujing Village, for the country and the people? If none of those, why should I care about you?"
Not long after, San Leng came running over, carrying a basket on his back, his face beaming.
"Sis!"
Cheng Wenyu immediately felt a sense of crisis and looked at San Leng with hostility.
Who was he calling sis? This was his sister!
Cheng You saw a swollen bump on his forehead and frowned.
"How did you get hurt?"
San Leng chuckled. "I saw two bird nests today and wanted to climb up to get some eggs, but I fell. It's okay, look what I brought you."
He took them out of his pocket: three bird eggs.
His grandmother said it was important to reciprocate.
Cheng You was good to him, and he had to be good to Cheng You for their friendship to last.
Cheng You felt her eyes welling up, wanting to cry.
She hadn't experienced this feeling of being cared for since her mother passed away.
"Thank you, San Leng. I'll take you to Uncle Li, and we can put some medicine on it."
Cheng Wenyu felt even more wronged. He was so injured, and Cheng You hadn't even suggested taking him to Uncle Li.
The bump on San Leng's head wasn't even as big as a bird egg.
Cheng Tao's eyes lingered on the bird eggs, and she spoke, "Cheng You, Wenyu is injured. Give these bird eggs to him to eat so he can recover."
Cheng You scoffed and rolled her eyes at her.
"These are from San Leng. Why should he eat them?"
Cheng Tao frowned. "Wenyu is your biological brother."
"That's right, and my biological brother is not as good as San Leng, who isn't related to me. When has Cheng Wenyu ever gotten bird eggs for me? San Leng, tell them, what are your future aspirations?"
San Leng shouted with full vigor, "I want to be a soldier! To defend my home and country!"
He was only thirteen and not yet of age.
In a few more years, he would enlist when recruitment began.
Cheng You snorted, patted San Leng's shoulder, and gestured with her chin towards Cheng Wenyu.
"Did you hear that? Sacrificing and bleeding for yourself, for your family, for the people, for the country is what's worth it! I admire people like San Leng, who have ideals and persistence." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
San Leng was so flattered he felt dizzy, his ears turning red.
If he had known, he should have brought two more bird eggs for his sister today.
His heart surged like turbulent waves, and he felt like he could fly.
He was determined to work hard and become even better than Cheng You had described!
"Let's go, we'll find Uncle Li."
San Leng grinned heartily and walked forward shoulder-to-shoulder with Cheng You.
At first glance, their backs really looked like those of siblings.
Cheng Wenyu lowered his head dejectedly. Had he been wrong?
Cheng Tao quickly comforted him, "Wenyu, don't listen to Cheng You's nonsense. You're very capable too."
"Where am I capable?"
Cheng Tao racked her brain and managed to come up with something: "You're good at fighting."
Cheng Wenyu remained dejected, thinking about Cheng You's words.
He was good at fighting. He had fought many times, but for whom were those fights? And for what?
He couldn't figure it out, his mind filled with confusion.
Meanwhile, Song Yulian had been in the fields all afternoon and hadn't seen any sign of Cheng You.
She guessed that Cheng You definitely hadn't come to work.
Song Yulian sneered. She had intended to immediately go and complain to Cheng Tianhua.
But after taking two steps, she couldn't help but stop.
It would be better to wait until after the harvest and let Cheng Tianhua see Cheng You's zero work points himself.
Then, she wondered how Cheng Tianhua would punish Cheng You.
Having made up her mind, Song Yulian sat under a tree and chatted with others.
She was still sitting with Zhang Yunmei and her group.
"Tianhua originally wanted Cheng You to come and help, but that girl disappeared somewhere, and I haven't seen her all day."
Her words implied how lazy Cheng You was.
But Zhang Yunmei was very vindictive. She hadn't forgotten their previous argument.
She retorted without hesitation, "On such a hot day, you're not working in the fields, and you expect Cheng You to work? Old Cheng is getting worse with age. When Jiang Qing was around, she never made Cheng You work."
Every word pierced Song Yulian to the core.
Song Yulian gritted her teeth. "My Cheng Tao also went up the mountain to gather pig feed."
"Tch! Can Cheng Tao compare to Cheng You? What was your family's living condition when you brought up Cheng Tao? Are they the same? Besides, if you let Cheng Tao come, I'd be happy to go gather pig feed myself!"
Zhang Yunmei gave her a sidelong glance. Everyone knew gathering pig feed was easy.
Song Yulian's lips twitched several times, but she couldn't force a smile, so she simply darkened her expression.
"Zhang Yunmei, you're really different now. Anyone who didn't know would think Cheng You was your daughter," she said sarcastically.
Zhang Yunmei spat. "Can't help it, I'm naturally full of justice. When I see injustice, I like to say a few words, especially to wicked stepmothers like you."
Song Yulian couldn't stand it anymore. She put her hands on her hips and stood up, glaring at Zhang Yunmei.
"What do you mean by that? Zhang Yunmei, I'm telling you, speak with a clear conscience! Ever since I married into Old Cheng's family, Song Yulian has never done anything to wrong Cheng You. Don't push me too far!"
Zhang Yunmei's anger flared up. She wasn't afraid of Song Yulian at all and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Your Cheng Tao is trying to snatch Cheng You's marriage! Isn't that wronging her? She's already sent the face cream. Does anyone not know? If she had to drag her into Zhao Yunlin's bed, then that would be snatching?"
Song Yulian was also protective of her own. Hearing Zhang Yunmei speak so maliciously, she couldn't hold back.
The two women began to fight, neither giving way to the other.
The people around them quickly moved away, watching the spectacle from the sidelines, with no one stepping forward to break up the fight.
Zhang Yunmei fought with people every few days; they were used to it.
However, this time it was with Song Yulian, which was quite novel.
Everyone knew that Song Yulian, like Cheng Tianhua, was a cheerful and good-natured person on the outside.
She never even said a harsh word, let alone fought.
"Old Cheng, your wife is fighting with someone! Go take a look!"
Cheng Tianhua was startled, his heart filled with shock.
"What?"
"Sister-in-law Yulian is fighting with someone. Go take a look!"
Cheng Tianhua hastily put down what he was holding and ran towards the fields.