Cheng Tao's words inevitably stirred a sense of pity in Cheng Tianhua.
This child hadn't grown up by his side since she was young, so he felt a twinge of guilt.
He patted Cheng Tao's head and comforted her, "You are my biological daughter, and of course, your father wants to see you married well."
It was a pity, though, that swapping Cheng Tao and Cheng You would likely invite ridicule.
"If that's the case, why... can't it be me who marries Zhao Yunlin?" Cheng Tao ventured.
Cheng Tianhua suddenly narrowed his eyes, beginning to scrutinize his daughter.
He recalled how everyone had been saying recently that Cheng Tao had snatched Cheng You's fiancé, and he had defended Cheng Tao.
But now, it seemed, was she truly indifferent to Zhao Yunlin?
Cheng Tianhua had to reassess this daughter of his.
Cheng Tao said softly, "Dad, I know why you value this marriage with the Zhao family so much; it's because they will be beneficial to your future. But if Cheng You marries him, with her rebellious nature, do you think she will help you?"
Cheng Tianhua's expression turned utterly cold. He had considered this.
But Cheng Tao's coveting of this marriage was clearly not a new sentiment.
He felt an unpleasantness in his heart.
"Dad, I know what you're thinking, but I truly never intended to snatch Cheng You's things. It was Brother Yunlin who actively proposed to marry me."
Surprise flickered across Cheng Tianhua's face. "He said so himself?"
"Yes, but I didn't want to steal Cheng You's marriage, so I kept stopping him. But now Cheng You is alienated from the family. Even if she marries into the Zhao family, she won't be one with us, which offers no benefit to you, so I've been worried. We are both your daughters, and of course, I want to help you."
Her heartfelt words touched Cheng Tianhua deeply.
In comparison, Cheng Tao seemed much more sensible.
The problem was, swapping daughters for marriage, it just wasn't proper.
Cheng Tao saw his doubts and smiled, "Dad, swapping marriages without reason is unfair to Cheng You, but what if Cheng You is in the wrong?"
Cheng Tianhua's heart stirred, his eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?"
"Cheng You seems to like educated youth Qi more. If we find an opportunity to bring Cheng You and educated youth Qi together, wouldn't that be a happy ending for everyone? Letting her marry someone she likes would be treating her fairly, wouldn't it?"
Cheng Tianhua weighed it in his mind.
Who married Zhao Yunlin made no difference to him; the key was reputation.
But if Cheng You had a prior affair with educated youth Qi, then the family couldn't be blamed for marrying her off to Zhao Yunlin.
Cheng Tianhua smiled and said, "Cheng Tao, if Zhao Yunlin personally proposes to marry you, and Cheng You truly doesn't want to marry him, then this marriage will naturally be yours."
This was essentially leaving the decision to Cheng Tao, but the outcome had to satisfy him.
Cheng Tao hadn't expected to turn misfortune into fortune today, with Cheng Tianhua relenting.
"Dad, I definitely won't disappoint you."
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a bang as Cheng Wenyu walked in from outside.
"I'm starving, Sister, is there anything to eat!"
Cheng Tao's expression flickered. He shouldn't have overheard anything, right?
She studied Cheng Wenyu's expression. He seemed the same as always, not noticing anything.
"Yes, I'll get you a couple of baked flatbreads."
As Cheng Wenyu sat down, he saw the scorched braised pork on the table and immediately lost his appetite.
"Forget it, I won't eat. It looks like pig slop. I'll go take a bath first."
Anger surged through Cheng Tianhua. "What kind of attitude is that? No matter how unappetizing it is, your sister personally cooked it!"
Cheng Wenyu wasn't afraid of him at all. He chuckled, "Dad, so you also think the food is unappetizing?"
Cheng Tao: "..."
"If you don't like the dishes, then eat a flatbread."
Cheng Wenyu took his clothes and went to take a bath. "I'm not eating, it's too much."
As soon as he closed the door, Cheng Tianhua's angry voice was heard, "Don't mind him, he won't starve to death!"
Cheng Tao, however, felt a little uneasy. Fortunately, after much probing, she found no abnormalities in Cheng Wenyu, and her heart finally relaxed.
...
Cheng You rested for two days, being well-fed and cared for at Aunt Six's home.
She ate meat one meal and fish the next, to the point where she felt embarrassed.
It wasn't until San Leng told her, "All these fish were sent by Brother Yan. He goes to the riverbank every day, saying fish soup is good for wound recovery. Sister, I think Brother Yan definitely has feelings for you."
Cheng You playfully chided him, her expression shy.
"What nonsense are you talking about."
San Leng said boldly, "I'm not talking nonsense, he definitely has feelings for you."
Cheng You ignored him and said, "Shall we go to the mountain to dig for wild ginseng?"
It was cloudy today, not too hot.
"Okay!"
Without a second thought, San Leng ran to get the tools.
He hadn't gone to check for the past two days, mainly worried that someone else would find it first.
After informing Aunt Six, San Leng followed Cheng You up the mountain.
When they finally reached the spot, the two discovered that the wild ginseng was gone!
Only a muddy pit remained, and the surrounding grass clearly showed signs of someone having been there.
"How could it be gone? Who dug it up?"
San Leng was greatly disappointed. He had only been two days late, and it was already dug up?
Although Cheng You felt a sense of loss, she quickly understood.
This place was hidden, but it wasn't impossible for others to discover it.
"Let it be, perhaps we just don't have the luck."
They hadn't found it the first time, and now they had missed it.
San Leng's temper flared, and he kicked a tree, his face full of unwillingness.
"If I had known, I would have come up myself."
But digging up wild ginseng was such a joyous thing. He didn't want Cheng You to miss out, so he had decided to wait for her.
Who would have thought that in these few days, someone else would have dug it up?
Cheng You smiled, "It's okay, if we could find this one, we can find a second one. Let's go."
At worst, she could come back and look after her injury healed.
San Leng followed her down the mountain dejectedly. On the way, they met Qi Chengyan and told him about the wild ginseng.
Qi Chengyan subconsciously looked at Cheng You. Seeing that she wasn't particularly unhappy, he felt relieved.
"Things like this depend on fate. If it's gone, it's gone. We'll find another next time."
San Leng grumbled, "Why do you talk like Sister Cheng You?"
Cheng You smiled and changed the subject, "Educated youth Qi, I heard you're going to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow?"
Qi Chengyan could drive a tractor, which was a great skill, as there was only one tractor in the village.
Whenever the village needed to send something, Qi Chengyan was the one who drove.
"Yes."
"Can I go with you? I want to buy some shampoo and hitch a ride on your tractor."
Qi Chengyan nodded, his gaze dropping to her waist.
Her frame was slender, especially her waist, which was like a delicate embrace.
"Is your injury healed?"
Cheng You giggled, a triumphant smile on her face. He was indeed very worried about her.
"It's almost healed. I hope it won't leave a scar."
Qi Chengyan's eyes flickered, but he remained silent.
Whether a scar was left depended on individual constitution. If it truly left a scar, she would likely be very upset.