Cheng You lowered her head slightly, biting her lip, looking extremely wronged.
"If my sister says it's not, then it's not mine."
Cheng Tao looked at her with utter shock. How could she say something so ambiguous?
"Cheng You, even if the clothes are yours, you gave them to me! Why are you acting like I stole them from you?"
Zhao Yunlin also looked at Cheng You with disapproval. "Cheng You, you really shouldn't have."
Cheng You pulled at the corner of her lips, saying coldly, "As expected, the new replaces the old. You're so eager to protect her already."
Zhao Yunlin was speechless. He tried to speak a few times, but stopped short and chose silence.
He was somewhat disappointed. How had Cheng You become like this?
At this point, she hadn't reflected on herself at all.
It wasn't until Cheng Tao started crying that she said, "Cheng You, if you didn't want to give me the clothes, I can give them back. But you don't have to slander me."
Cheng You put on a spoiled act. "When you were all scolding me for stealing candy, I didn't feel wronged. Now you're feeling wronged?"
Zhao Yunlin's patience snapped, and he scolded her angrily, "Why did we say anything? Because you gave the sugar to the educated youth Qi! Your reputation is bad enough. Doing this isn't smearing yourself? Do you still want to marry into our Zhao family?"
His condescending attitude filled Cheng You with disgust and nausea.
Just as Cheng You was about to speak, she heard Cheng Tianhua's stern voice, "Cheng You, you gave something to the educated youth point again?"
He was angry, not because of the candy, but because Cheng You was shameless enough to still contact Qi Chengyan.
Giving him something was one thing, but letting Zhao Yunlin know was another.
Didn't she know how important the Zhao family was to him?
Cheng You looked at his contorted face. This face only showed kindness when he looked at Cheng Tao.
His gaze towards her was always like looking at a commodity, waiting for the best price.
Just like now, Cheng Tianhua had already condemned her in his heart without needing any explanation.
"From now on, you don't need to go out to forage for pig feed. Just finish the housework! If I ever see you go to the educated youth point again, I'll break your legs!"
With that, he turned back to Zhao Yunlin, resuming his usual kind demeanor.
"Yunlin, this is Cheng You's fault. Uncle apologizes on her behalf. Please don't take it to heart."
Zhao Yunlin felt a little better, but still said, "I'm not trying to dwell on these things, but Uncle Cheng, if my mother finds out about this, she'll definitely be angry."
"I know, I know. I'll send someone to get the white sugar back. Cheng You will absolutely have no further contact with him!"
Zhao Yunlin was finally satisfied. He was at least very pleased with the attitude of Cheng You's family.
Cheng You's expression was icy. She felt disgusted being in this house for another moment.
Just as she was about to lose control, she heard Uncle Li's voice, "What are you all gathered around here for?"
Cheng Tianhua looked over and called out with a smile, "Brother Li, what brings you here?"
As the only barefoot doctor in the village, Uncle Li had considerable authority.
San Leng ran to Cheng You's side. "Sister, what's wrong?"
Cheng You said sarcastically, "Nothing. They're scolding me."
"Scolding you for what?"
"For giving white sugar to the educated youth Qi."
San Leng, not knowing where this came from, asked, "Sent to Brother Yan?"
He suddenly realized, "Could this white sugar be the sugar coating from the hawthorn candies?"
He remembered Cheng You saying that making sugar-coated hawthorn required a lot of sugar.
Cheng Tianhua was taken aback. "Sugar coating what?"
Uncle Li was not foolish, nor was he a child. He naturally understood the ins and outs of the situation.
Everyone in the village said that Cheng You had been embraced by a male educated youth and was no longer pure.
Cheng You was a woman with a fiancé. If she still sent things to Qi Chengyan, wouldn't she be the subject of gossip for no reason?
He took out a piece of oiled paper from his pocket and gave Cheng You what he thought was his gentlest smile.
"Cheng You, I came for this sugar-coated hawthorn. My old mother isn't feeling well and particularly likes the sugar-coated hawthorn you make."
Cheng You was a little surprised and looked at San Leng.
San Leng blurted out, "Uncle Li's old mother is in a bad way, so my grandma gave him hawthorn to sweeten his old mother's mouth."
Uncle Li smacked him, "Whose old mother is in a bad way? You impudent child!"
Cheng You finally understood and realized this was an opportunity.
"If Uncle Li likes it, I could have made more for you. But now it seems impossible. After using sugar once, my father and Aunt Lian are already so angry. How dare I use it again?"
Cheng Tianhua and Song Yulian's faces turned as black as ink. This brat!
Uncle Li raised an eyebrow. "Tianhua, so your family is in such difficult circumstances? It's fine. I have sugar at home. Why don't you come to my house and make it? I'll pay you."
Cheng Tianhua was about to say no, but he heard Cheng You readily agree, "Okay. No need for payment. My dad won't let me go forage for pig feed, so I have plenty of time now."
Uncle Li found it even stranger. "Tianhua, this child wants to work, and you won't let her? No matter how much you dote on your child, you shouldn't spoil her like this."
Cheng You smiled sweetly. "Yes, my dad dotes on me the most."
Zhang Yunmei pouted. "Just now he was almost hitting her. Is this still doting?"
If it were usual, one wouldn't see Cheng Tianhua's ferocious expression.
Uncle Li glanced at her but said nothing.
Cheng Tianhua remained unfazed, pretending not to hear. He said with a smile, "Cheng You has always been delicate. She can't endure foraging for pig feed on the mountain for long, so I told her not to go."
San Leng protested, "Who says my sister can't endure it for long? Uncle, my sister Cheng You is very diligent when foraging for pig feed. Look at her palms, they're covered in blisters. Look at sister Cheng Tao's, there isn't even a scratch."
With this comparison, Cheng Tao seemed like the one who had been pampered, still holding her cold cream.
Cheng Tianhua felt a bit awkward. San Leng's words made it seem as if he were mistreating Cheng You.
"Since Cheng You is willing, then she should continue working. As the production team leader, I should set an example."
Even Uncle Li had to praise him for this statement.
Cheng You sneered inwardly, but maintained a docile expression.
Uncle Li asked, "Cheng You, do you have time now? Come home with Uncle Li and make some sugar-coated hawthorn."
"Okay. I can make other snacks too. I'll see if Grandma likes them."
"Great, let's go!"
Cheng You glanced at Cheng Tao's pale face and followed Uncle Li with a triumphant stride.
Her demeanor was such that if she had a tail, it would probably be wagging in the air.
San Leng also followed her and whispered, "Sister, did they bully you?"
They definitely did!
Cheng You sighed, not confirming or denying. "After all, she's not my birth mother."
A single sentence made San Leng's imagination run wild with images of stepmothers abusing their stepdaughters, filling him with righteous indignation!