Tang Yu waited with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation for the outcome of the disciplinary review.
In the end, the school gave her a demerit and clarified the situation with Cheng You. Her husband was an officer, and if there had truly been any stain on his character, the military would have already dealt with him.
The school teachers also summoned Feng Xue and gave her a stern lecture for gossiping behind someone's back. Not giving her a demerit was already showing leniency.
Tang Yu was escorted to apologize to Cheng You. Having already faced disciplinary action from the school, she accepted the apology. However, what worried her more now was whether Cheng You would expose her fraudulent enrollment. To address this, she secretly sought out Cheng You.
"My spot was bought. I gave that woman some money, and she voluntarily agreed. We didn't force her. If you don't believe me, I can give you the address. You can go ask her yourself."
Cheng You: "..."
She was also struggling internally, unsure whether to interfere. Since Tang Yu had put it this way, Cheng You decided to act as if she knew nothing.
Upon returning home, after much deliberation, she still told Qi Chengyan about the matter.
"I don't know what to do. Should I report it?"
Qi Chengyan replied, "You don't need to concern yourself with it. If this matter is eventually reported by someone else, it will have nothing to do with you." He explained that while such actions weren't encouraged, the woman had voluntarily made the transaction. Cheng You getting involved might be a thankless task.
"I understand. That's what I was thinking too."
After their conversation, Qi Chengyan needed to go out. Shortly after he left, Cheng You heard Sister-in-law He's voice: "Cheng You, I've dried some honeysuckle. Do you want some? Summer is approaching, and drinking it as tea can help reduce internal heat." Sister-in-law He was from Guangdong province and always enjoyed drinking herbal teas. Cheng You already had several bags of chrysanthemum tea that she had given her.
Smiling, Cheng You walked out. "Yes, please. I'll keep one bag."
Sister-in-law He entered and saw the neatly arranged courtyard. "Oh my, your little green vegetables have already sprouted! That was fast." She always felt that things in Cheng You's yard grew exceptionally well. Even the roses by the wall visibly grew taller.
"Sister-in-law, is there anything else?"
Sister-in-law He chuckled. "Have you noticed? I've gotten fairer."
Cheng You nodded. "It seems so."
"It's all thanks to your Seven-Essence Paste! I want to buy a few more jars."
Cheng You asked, "You've already finished them?"
Sister-in-law He seemed a little embarrassed. "I applied it all over my body, so I used quite a lot." She had indeed become noticeably fairer. Women shouldn't mistreat themselves. Cheng You gave her five jars at once. "No need for money, just take them to use." Sister-in-law He disliked taking advantage and insisted on giving Cheng You a few yuan. "Next time, I'll recommend you to my friends and bring them to your pharmacy to buy." Cheng You smiled and nodded.
Sister-in-law He, still holding the items, stayed and talked about army matters with her. Cheng You attended school and wasn't home often, so she was unaware of many things. "That Deputy Regiment Commander Zhang has been making things difficult for your man several times. He's a petty man who's gotten lucky."
Cheng You was surprised; she hadn't heard about this. However, Qi Chengyan always shared the good news and kept the troubles of the army from her. "An official one rank higher can suppress others. Plus, everyone says that position should have originally gone to Captain Qi, so it's normal for him to feel a bit uncomfortable."
Cheng You smiled. "There's no such thing as 'should have gone to someone.' Such matters are related to opportunity. If my Chengyan could earn a promotion once, he can do it again. It's just a matter of time."
Sister-in-law He patted her hand. "You and Captain Qi are so alike. You truly are a good match."
After chatting for a while, Sister-in-law He's child returned from school, and she had to go home to cook. Cheng You thought for a moment; she didn't seem very familiar with the army. Since Qi Chengyan was back, perhaps she should host a dinner party for everyone.
When Qi Chengyan returned that evening, Cheng You asked about it. Qi Chengyan nodded. "We can. I'll introduce a few people to you then."
"Should we invite Zhang Fuqiang?"
"Yes, and Political Commissar Luo too."
Cheng You hesitated for a moment. "Then should we invite your parents?"
"Let's invite them too." If Political Commissar Luo was coming, it wouldn't make sense not to invite his parents.
Qi Chengyan said, "Let's set the date for the day after tomorrow. I'll help you then." With many guests, it would be too much for Cheng You to handle alone.
The next morning, Cheng You reminded him to send out the invitations.
The day after tomorrow arrived, and Qi Chengyan took a day off to go grocery shopping with Cheng You. There would be many guests, so they needed to prepare a lot of food.
"The braised chicken from last time was good. Should we buy a chicken?" Qi Chengyan nodded. She would handle the shopping, and he would carry the items.
"This fish looks good. It's a shame we don't have a large wok, or a stewed fish would be delicious." Cheng You considered that stewing fish was more enjoyable in winter; it was too hot now. "Let's skip it. We'll buy a carp and braise it." Pork belly was a must; these men all loved meat.
By the time they finished shopping, Qi Chengyan's hands were full. Sister-in-law He had arrived early, wanting to help Cheng You. She was surprised when she saw Cheng You carrying the groceries. "This... Captain Qi knows how to cook?"
Cheng You nodded and smiled. "What's so strange about that?" Sister-in-law He sighed inwardly, thinking Cheng You was truly blessed. "My husband never sets foot in the kitchen." She followed them into the kitchen, only to find there was no room for her to help. "Then I'll just wash the vegetables for you." She could only assist.
She had initially assumed Qi Chengyan would just be helping with odd jobs, but she didn't expect his cooking skills to be quite good. Sister-in-law He once again marveled; her husband couldn't even distinguish between seasonings, let alone cook.
Song Qinglan and Qi Shengwen arrived relatively early. They had wanted to ask Sister Lin for help, but upon seeing Qi Chengyan inside, Song Qinglan's expression immediately soured. "A'yan, you should come out. Let Sister Lin and Cheng You help."
Qi Chengyan glanced at Cheng You. "How about you go out to greet the guests? I'll handle things here."
Song Qinglan chided, "Those are your comrades. Cheng You doesn't know them. You need to go."
"It's fine. We'll go out and meet them when we're done and it's time to eat."
With plenty of helpers, preparing a banquet wasn't difficult. Cheng You specifically borrowed a large table that could seat over a dozen people. Besides Sister-in-law He and her husband, there was another couple Cheng You hadn't met before.
Sister-in-law He introduced them. "This is Commander Feng, and beside him is his wife. By the way, who among you is older?" Commander Feng was already forty, but his wife looked quite young.
Cheng You smiled. "I'm 21." The woman beside Commander Feng extended her hand to her. "My name is Zheng Lei. I'm two years older than you. You can call me Jie (older sister)." Cheng You smiled and agreed. "Sister Zheng Lei."
As everyone sat down, they heard someone calling from outside, "It smells absolutely wonderful. This old man has shamelessly come over." Before Cheng You could react, everyone stood up. Qi Shengwen personally walked out and held the hand of the newcomer. "How come you're here?"