Cheng You looked at the injury at the corner of his mouth and reached out to gently stroke it.
"Does it hurt?"
Qi Chengyan smiled, "Youyou, it's not that bad. Military training is all about falling and bumping, you get used to it."
He hadn't expected Cheng You to see him.
Cheng You pouted, feeling extremely wronged.
These were clearly things he shouldn't have to endure.
"Why are you so foolish? I don't care about honor, and I don't care if you get promoted. Even if you did nothing your whole life and just cooked for me at home, I wouldn't dislike you. Let's go home."
Qi Chengyan smiled and pulled her into his arms, coaxing her gently, "Youyou, I'm fine, really fine."
He had experienced far more difficult situations, so this was nothing.
"Youyou, don't cry, it hurts my heart."
It hurt more than the wounds on his body.
Cheng You bit her lip, "I just feel bad for you."
She knew Qi Chengyan had his own life goals and dreams.
His decision to return to the military was well-considered, and she shouldn't hold him back.
"I'm fine now, I just suddenly wanted to see you."
"Shall I take you home?"
Cheng You shook her head, "No need. If I send you back, you'll have to come back again, it's too far."
Her mind was in a mess right now and she needed to sort things out.
She also needed to establish a framework for cooperation with the military.
Qi Chengyan rubbed her head and saw her off at the military gate.
He stood outside for a long time after watching her get into the car and drive away, before finally turning to leave.
He returned to the dormitory, and the atmosphere inside immediately became quiet.
No one dared to speak to him, for fear of being ostracized.
Liu Zi walked over, "Brother Yan, do you want to go take a shower?"
Qi Chengyan picked up his clothes and walked out, "Let's go."
Liu Zi asked, "Brother, what does Sister-in-law do?"
Everyone was curious why Cheng You was with Old Master Yun.
"She runs a pharmacy."
Liu Zi exclaimed in surprise, "Sister-in-law is a doctor?"
"No, she only makes medicine."
Liu Zi nodded, "That's still very impressive."
The military had large communal showers, with individual cubicles.
When Qi Chengyan took off his shirt, Liu Zi saw many bruises.
Liu Zi couldn't help but sigh. If it were him, he definitely wouldn't have been able to endure it for so long.
...
Cheng You returned home alone and slept soundly.
When she woke up, the room was pitch black.
It was already dark.
She glanced at the time; it was past nine, almost ten in the evening.
She hastily ate something, then took out her notebook and began to write down the terms for cooperation with the military.
Her intention was to hand over the condensed dew, but the specific quantity and method of handover were issues that required negotiation.
Moreover, "handing over" could not be done without seeking a return.
Sometimes, when you are selfless, you make others uneasy.
Equal exchange is the foundation for long-term cooperation.
Cheng You roughly listed her conditions and didn't go to bed until midnight.
This time, she was determined to make sure Zhou Qi could never recover.
She had probably slept too much in the afternoon, as Cheng You was still wide awake.
Gazing at the sky outside the window, the moon flickered intermittently above the opposite roof.
She drifted off into a daze and woke up the next day to the sun high in the sky, awakened by the sound of her phone ringing.
She rubbed her messy hair and went to answer the call.
"Cheng You, the military wants to talk to you and have lunch. Are you free?"
Cheng You hummed, "No need for lunch, I'll go straight to the military."
"Okay, I'll head over from the Agricultural Research Institute then."
Cheng You tidied herself up, changed into slightly more formal attire, put on a pair of low-heeled leather shoes, and grabbed her bag before heading out.
She had originally thought about buying a bicycle, but later found that taking the bus was more convenient.
She could ride it with money, without being exposed to the elements, and it could basically take her wherever she wanted to go.
She arrived at the military compound again, with a different mood.
This time, she was not Qi Chengyan's wife; she held the bargaining chips.
Old Master Yun had sent someone to wait for her at the entrance early in the morning.
As soon as she arrived, Zhao Jisheng appeared.
"Just in time, I'm not late, am I?"
Cheng You smiled and shook her head, "No."
The two of them entered together and were led to a conference room.
Besides Old Master Yun, there was Qi Shengwen and two other military leaders.
Qi Shengwen almost dropped his jaw when he saw Cheng You.
"Old Yun, what you said..."
"Ah, this is Comrade Cheng You. Please sit down."
The conference room table was oval-shaped. Cheng You and Zhao Jisheng sat opposite the leaders.
The door closed, and the conference room fell silent.
Not to mention Qi Shengwen, the other two leaders looked incredulous.
The person Old Master Yun had described so miraculously was actually a young girl.
Cheng You took out the condensed dew she had prepared. She had put it in a small bottle, which looked unremarkable.
"Old Yun, this is what I want to give you."
Zhao Jisheng looked at it wistfully. He wanted some too.
But this bottle was for the military.
Old Master Yun, without any suspicion, immediately had it taken to the laboratory for testing.
Its specific uses would only be known after the analysis.
"Cheng You, you can now state your conditions," Old Master Yun said.
Cheng You thought for a moment and said, "I need a piece of land to grow medicinal herbs."
She had inquired before; it was difficult to get approval for such a large area, especially near Yancheng.
Old Master Yun was taken aback, "Anything else?"
It couldn't possibly be just one condition.
"There's one more thing." She looked at Qi Shengwen and said slowly, word by word, "I have obtained concrete evidence proving that Qi Chengyan was wrongly accused back then. I demand that the military reinvestigate this matter and clear my husband's name!"
As soon as Cheng You finished speaking, she was met with immediate opposition.
"This matter was already resolved. Reopening it will only damage the military's reputation!"
Cheng You shot a cold glance, "So, are you now choosing to let my husband suffer injustice for the sake of the military's reputation?"
"The military did not wrong your husband, nor did they punish him. He left on his own!"
Cheng You slammed the table, "But it is precisely because of your inaction that you could not silence the gossip, causing my husband to suffer endless humiliation!"
"Comrade, do you have any manners? This is the military, not your home. Who are you banging the table at?"
Cheng You sneered, "I'm banging the table at you. You rejected it as soon as I brought it up. What harm does this do to you? Do you have a grudge against the Qi family, or against my husband Qi Chengyan? At worst, we won't talk today. I won't suffer any loss anyway, but this matter must be thoroughly investigated by the military, or I won't believe there's no place in the entire country where I can seek justice!"