It was in this fleeting moment of looking down that Zhao Yunlin saw that the person washing clothes by the river was Cheng Tao.
He was stunned for a long while.
"Cheng Tao, why are you washing clothes?"
Cheng Tao shot him a look of reproach and resentment. He was too preoccupied with Cheng You, that vixen, to notice her.
Seeing Cheng Tao's hands chapped red from washing clothes, Zhao Yunlin's heart ached.
"Cheng You, why aren't you helping with so many clothes? You always let your sister wash them for you, don't you feel ashamed?"
His righteous accusation made Cheng You feel extremely wronged.
"Always? In total, my sister has only washed them for me twice. Before that, I always washed them for her. It's not 'always'."
She looked at Cheng Tao. "Sister, isn't that right?"
Zhao Yunlin froze, but Cheng Tao had clearly said...
Cheng Tao braced herself and said, "Yes, Cheng You used to help me. Brother Yunlin, you misunderstood."
Zhao Yunlin said "oh" and felt a bit embarrassed.
But he clearly remembered Cheng Tao telling him many times before that Cheng You did nothing at home.
Cheng You couldn't be bothered with him. This was the time to create some alone time for the two of them to let their feelings blossom.
How else was she supposed to break off her engagement with Zhao Yunlin?
Zhao Yunlin took a couple of steps forward, then seemed unable to let go of Cheng Tao, hesitating for a long time.
"Cheng You, I bought movie tickets. The day after tomorrow afternoon, I'll take you to the county town to see a movie. Let's meet at the commune station. It's settled!"
Cheng You ignored him. Who would want to go to the movies with him?
She walked forward slowly, her expression somewhat lost.
She refused to accept her fate and would not wait to be dumped by Zhao Yunlin.
She would expose the ugly side of everyone in the Cheng family before he could.
But to avoid being married off to that lazy drunkard, she had to make arrangements for herself in advance.
After all, she had never worked in the fields, couldn't earn work points, let alone support herself. It would be best to find a patron to leave herself a fallback.
As she walked, she arrived at the educated youth point.
She remembered that the educated youth who had saved her, Qi Chengyan, lived here.
She heard that Qi Chengyan came from Yancheng and had been a soldier, with some background in his family.
The people who had come to the countryside with him from Yancheng, although also from Yancheng, seemed to both respect and fear Qi Chengyan.
Cheng You had only met Qi Chengyan once, and that was from a distance. She only remembered him being tall and strong, with a good physique.
But there were many rumors about him in the village. Some said he made a mistake in the army, while others said he left the army due to a leg injury.
Otherwise, at only 24 years old, he was already a regimental commander. His future should have been bright, so why would he be sent to the countryside?
Suddenly, a female educated youth saw her and her eyes widened instantly.
"What are you doing here!"
Cheng You bit her lip and asked softly, "Is Educated Youth Qi here? I've come to thank him."
The female educated youth rolled her eyes. "Who asked you to thank anyone? You..."
"Xiao Wan, don't talk nonsense. She's here to see Qi Chengyan," another female educated youth stopped her.
Sun Xiao Wan pouted and reluctantly shut her mouth.
The female educated youth who had spoken earlier smiled at Cheng You. "Wait a moment, I'll call him for you."
Then, she shouted towards the male educated youth dormitory.
The door creaked open.
A tall figure came into view, and Cheng You was momentarily stunned.
Before, she had only seen him from afar. Now, up close, she realized how imposing Qi Chengyan's height was.
She couldn't help but tiptoe, being only 1.6 meters tall. He must be at least 1.9 meters?
Looking up, she could only see his firm, well-defined chest muscles.
He was wearing only a white undershirt, revealing his two strong, powerful arms.
Moving upwards, past his prominent Adam's apple, Cheng You saw his smooth jawline.
He had a crew cut, thick eyebrows, and dark, sharp eyes like a falcon's, which seemed capable of swallowing a person whole.
Unlike Zhao Yunlin's delicate features, Qi Chengyan was handsome in a rugged, masculine way, exuding an aura of immense strength.
While Cheng You was still dazed, he had already walked up to her in a few strides.
"What is it?"
A gust of wind blew past, and she caught the scent of shampoo on him.
His hair was still wet, suggesting he had just showered.
Cheng You felt a little nervous. She seemed to hear her heart pounding faster and faster.
"I... I came to thank you. Thank you for saving me."
Sun Xiao Wan scoffed, "Coming to thank him empty-handed?"
Cheng You only then realized she hadn't brought anything.
For saving her life, she should have at least brought some eggs.
She bit her lip. "I'm sorry, I forgot. I'll come tomorrow..."
"No need." The man's voice was very cold.
Cheng You even suspected he hadn't looked at her.
"Yes, yes, I'll bring it to you tomorrow."
With that, Cheng You turned and hurried away.
She pressed the back of her hand to her cheek. It was so hot.
Cheng You suddenly felt that she might have found someone.
Qi Chengyan was an educated youth, and he had saved her. If she could marry him, it wouldn't be bad... in fact, she thought it might be quite good.
Cheng You patted her face. Nothing was certain yet, what was she thinking!
But having a potential candidate had resolved a major issue, and she felt much more relaxed.
When she returned home, she saw Cheng Tao hanging clothes, and Cheng Tianhua sitting beside her with a dark expression.
Seeing Cheng You, he stood up. "How could you ask your sister to wash clothes for you!"
Cheng You covered her mouth, feigning surprise. "I asked my sister to wash clothes? I didn't. My sister said she would wash them for me."
"Even if she offered, you shouldn't have!"
Cheng Tianhua's bias ran deep. If there was a mistake, it could only be Cheng You's fault.
Cheng You shrugged. "Everyone in the village praises my sister for being diligent, saying she always washes clothes for me. If I don't play along, how can I make my sister look diligent?"
"You!"
Cheng Tianhua looked around, searching for a handy tool to beat her.
Cheng Tao made a show of stopping him a few times. "Cheng You, don't argue with Dad. Apologize quickly!"
Cheng You rubbed her arm. It was fair and tender. A blow from that stick would surely leave a bruise.
Her dark eyes darted around, and she said, "Fine, fine. From now on, I'll wash the clothes. Is that okay?"
Cheng Tao breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she was sensible.
"Dad, Cheng You has apologized. Don't hit her anymore."
Cheng Tianhua threw down the stick and angrily cursed, "If I ever see you letting Cheng Tao wash clothes for you again, I'll beat you to death."
Only at home would Cheng Tianhua show such a side.
As long as there were outsiders, it was a picture of a loving father and filial daughter.
After finally coaxing Cheng Tianhua away, Cheng Tao acted like a caring elder sister and earnestly advised Cheng You, "You know Dad's temper. Why did you have to argue with him? If he hit you, how would you go to the movies with Zhao Yunlin?"
Cheng You lifted her eyelids and looked at her. "What movie?"
"Didn't he say he was taking you to the movies the day after tomorrow?"
"Oh, but I didn't agree to it."
Cheng Tao's heart stirred, and she tested, "So, you're not planning to go?"
"Of course not. A man and a woman who are not married, why go to the movies? You'll just invite gossip."
Cheng Tao said nothing more, her thoughts racing.
Cheng You had nothing more to say to them. After dinner, she went into her room and locked the door.
After Cheng Tao moved into the Cheng family, she and Cheng You had swapped rooms.
Cheng You's original room was large and bright, with good ventilation.
The current room was the small utility room that used to store miscellaneous items, fitting only a bed and a wardrobe.
Cheng You took off her shoes and curled up on the bed. If only her mother were still alive.
As she was thinking, a flash of inspiration struck her.
"How could I forget such an important thing!"
Mother's bracelet!
It was one of the few mementos her mother had left her. Later, Cheng Tao said it looked nice and borrowed it to look at.
A few days later, Cheng Tao said the bracelet was missing.
She cried terribly then. Cheng Tianhua comforted her instead, "It's unlucky to keep things from dead people. If it's lost, it's lost."
Only after Cheng You had that dream did she realize the bracelet wasn't lost at all; Cheng Tao had hidden it.