Zhao Yunlin indeed went to find Cheng You. He went to several places before finding out that Cheng You was at Uncle Li’s house.
He was already extremely agitated and impatient from searching for her.
Upon learning she was at Uncle Li’s, he thought, just as Cheng Tao had said, she was finding ways to be lazy.
When he arrived at Uncle Li’s house, Cheng You was just collecting the dried medicinal herbs and putting them into the house. She was sitting under the eaves, contemplating how to prepare the two pigeons.
Just as she was thinking, she saw Zhao Yunlin walk straight in, his face a mask of fury.
Uncle Li was sitting in the courtyard, yet Zhao Yunlin didn't even greet him.
“Cheng You, your father asked you to work, and you’re here being lazy? It’s a good thing your father is the production team leader, otherwise, you’d starve sooner or later! Compared to Cheng Tao, you’re not even as good as a single strand of her hair.”
The veins on his forehead bulged as if he were expending all his energy to belittle her.
Cheng You, having been berated by him, naturally refused to accept it.
She jumped up directly, but still not as tall as him. Feeling her presence insufficient, she stepped onto a low stool beside her.
“What I do is none of your business! Zhao Yunlin, I’ve caught you now. You and Cheng Tao have been colluding for a long time, waiting to shift the blame onto me! I’m telling you, the engagement can be broken. I never liked you, I even detest you, but you think you can shift the blame to me? Not so easily!”
Zhao Yunlin felt incredibly wronged. “If you hadn’t fallen into the water and been embraced by the male educated youth, I wouldn’t be in this situation!”
Cheng You spat, hands on her hips, acting incredibly haughty.
“Pah! You’re the one who’s pathetic, don’t use me as an excuse. You and Cheng Tao are truly a scumbag and a bitch, hypocritical and a match made in heaven! And you dare to talk about educated youth Qi? I was quite happy to be embraced by him. You’re not even as good as him, not by a single thread!”
This was the first time Zhao Yunlin had been belittled so utterly.
He had been doted on at home since childhood, and then, with the help of relatives, he secured a job at the supply and marketing cooperative, a position many envied.
Of course, his excellence was only within Yangshu Village.
He couldn’t compare to the educated youths who came from Yancheng.
But being spoken to like this by Cheng You, he refused to accept it.
“How am I inferior to him? Yes, my family background can’t compare, but did he earn that himself? It was given by his parents! Besides that, he’s a rough, uncultured boor, how can he compare to me?”
He was the man dreamed of by many female comrades.
Fair-skinned, handsome, and with a stable job.
Cheng You’s eyes widened, unable to tolerate him saying anything bad about Qi Chengan. kuAiδugg
“He’s rough and uncultured? Educated youth Qi has masculinity, that’s a real man! You, a ‘white-cut chicken,’ dare to compare yourself to him? He’s better than you in every way! Good physique, good looks, good family background, good temper, everything is better than you!”
Cheng You was like a furious little white rabbit, her fur standing on end, her face flushed red, clearly extremely angry.
Zhao Yunlin gritted his teeth and sneered, “Good! Very good! Since that’s the case, even if the engagement is broken later, you can’t blame me!”
At this moment, his loathing for Cheng You had reached its peak.
Why couldn’t she be as docile and obedient as Cheng Tao? Such a beautiful face wasted.
Cheng You, on the other hand, detested his hypocritical demeanor. He had already been colluding with Cheng Tao, yet he could still feign an air of loyalty.
Zhao Yunlin turned around and only then saw Qi Chengan, who had appeared in the courtyard at some unknown time.
His sun-kissed skin and robust physique reminded him of how Cheng You had just described him.
‘White-cut chicken’? This was a normal man’s physique!
What masculinity, tall and burly, that was just rudeness.
Looking at those muscles, those fists the size of sandbags, Cheng You’s frail body wouldn’t withstand a single punch from him.
“Hmph!”
He let out a heavy snort, trying to push past Qi Chengan. He pushed but found he couldn’t move him.
He awkwardly withdrew his hand, walked around him, and left, looking quite like a hasty retreat.
Cheng You let out a chuckle, her smile as beautiful as a flower.
Suddenly, her eyes met Qi Chengan’s, and her face suddenly burned. She suppressed her smile.
Had he heard everything she just said?
Her mind went blank for a moment, unable to recall what she had said.
“Educated youth Qi… I, I, I… I’ll go cook!”
With that, she turned and ran into the kitchen.
Uncle Li raised an eyebrow, looking like he was watching a show, his eyes darting between Qi Chengan.
That Zhao Yunlin was clearly unreliable. Breaking off the engagement was only a matter of time.
If it were Qi Chengan… that wasn’t impossible either.
Looking at the pair, from an outward appearance, the man handsome, the woman beautiful, a perfect match.
Uncle Li suddenly laughed heartily, feeling that the air was filled with a sweet aroma, making him incredibly comfortable.
“Go inside and help, help Cheng You with the pigeons.”
Qi Chengan silently walked in, watching Cheng You washing a pot by herself, as if she were about to dive into it.
“I’ll kill the pigeons.”
Cheng You was startled, her small mouth open as she looked at him, “Oh, oh, the pigeons are over there.”
Qi Chengan picked up a pigeon and went out. He glanced at Cheng You inadvertently, her red and tender ear tips echoing in his mind.
Her words seemed to still ring in his ears.
“Educated youth Qi has masculinity…”
“Good physique…” He glanced at his arm, wondering if he could train more.
“Good looks…” Tsk, the weather had been hot recently, would he get tanned?
“Good family background, good temper…” These two could be ignored.
Uncle Li squinted at him. Despite his cold and stern demeanor, he could discern a hint of romantic yearning.
It was truly strange.
Qi Chengan handled the pigeons skillfully and quickly. In no time, two pigeons, their feathers completely plucked, were laid out.
Cheng You pointed to one of them, “Chop this one up, we’ll make soup with it. I’ve started a charcoal fire for this one, and we’ll roast it later.”
Compared to chicken, pigeons were much smaller.
But if they were prepared in the same way, Cheng You felt it would be a waste.
After the pigeon was cut into pieces, Cheng You put the meat into a clay pot.
Nourishing medicinal ingredients like yam were available from Uncle Li, so there was no need to buy them separately.
For the other whole pigeon, she directly added seasoning to marinate it.
When the time was almost up, she placed it on the grill to roast.
The entire courtyard was filled with the aroma of pigeon, making one’s mouth water.
“Tsk, tsk, things with more oil are delicious.”
Old Mrs. Li scoffed, “Even with more oil, you couldn’t make this taste.”
Uncle Li sat leisurely, leaning in the courtyard to enjoy the shade. Beside him was mugwort that Cheng You had already burned, which could ward off mosquitoes, making it extremely comfortable.
“Mom, I don’t need to cook it myself.”
He hadn’t experienced such a life in many years.
If his son were still alive, he would also be of an age to get married.
If Cheng You were his daughter-in-law, he would only have a life of leisure ahead of him.
What a pity, he lacked the fortune.