Cheng You comforted her for a while, and seeing that she was not in good spirits, she helped her into the house to rest.
She left only after the girl fell asleep.
On the way back, she actually saw Sister-in-law He still chatting, as if she didn't feel the cold.
Sister-in-law He stuffed another handful of melon seeds into her hand, "How is it, is the person still there?"
Cheng You was amused and exasperated, "They've already left, and I didn't let them in."
Sister-in-law He nodded with satisfaction, "This person is an ungrateful wretch, it's not worth it to raise him."
Upon hearing this, someone beside her disagreed, "It's so cold today, to make them kneel, isn't that too heartless?"
Cheng You clicked her tongue, "They gave him two thousand, and you still call that heartless?"
Everyone only saw the surface and naturally said that the elderly couple was heartless.
But upon hearing the two thousand, they all exclaimed in surprise.
They were truly envious; with no relatives or friends, they were given two thousand! Book Pavilion
The person who had just said "heartless" sighed, "If anyone gave me two thousand, I could kneel until dark."
Cheng You couldn't help but purse her lips and smile, "Grandma Lin didn't have to be so heartless to drive him away, it was because of what he did that crossed the line. You all know that Grandpa Feng was a soldier, upright and impartial, how could he tolerate such a thing?"
The person slapped their own mouth, "I misspoke, they weren't heartless, it was Xu Nanxi who was ungrateful."
Seeing that everyone had changed their tune, Cheng You left with satisfaction.
It wasn't the elders' fault from the beginning.
Anyone who messes with someone like Xu Nanxi will be unlucky.
...
With the final exams fast approaching, the academic atmosphere became tense.
Cheng You devoted herself to her studies with utmost concentration.
Cheng Tao had not returned to school since donating the money.
She was supposed to officially start next semester anyway, so the teacher didn't say anything.
With one less person to annoy her, Cheng You couldn't have been happier.
Before the exam, Su Jinwen issued a notice.
"The school wants to organize a visit to the Botanical Research Institute for students after the final exams, where they will volunteer for a day. There are all sorts of rare and exotic flowers and plants. Students can use it for extracurricular interest cultivation. Interested students can sign up."
Cao Yanyan raised her hand, "Teacher, are there any medicinal herbs there?"
Su Jinwen smiled with satisfaction, "Yan Yan's question is very good, and that's exactly what I wanted to say. There are some Chinese medicinal herbs there, so I suggest everyone go for a walk, treat it as a picnic."
They had been in school for a whole academic year, but the class hadn't gone out together yet.
However, given that everyone would be going home for winter break, the number of registered students was likely to be small.
"Please compile the list as soon as possible. The school needs to confirm the number of participants."
Cao Yanyan turned around and asked, "Cheng You, are you going?"
Cheng You nodded, "Yes, I'm free anyway."
Qi Chengyan was not home, and every time she returned home, it felt empty, so she was a little reluctant to go back.
Cao Yanyan said, "Then I'll sign up too. Yun Bao, what about you?"
Fang Yunbao nodded, "I'll go too."
The three of them happened to live nearby and didn't need to rush to catch a train back to their hometown.
However, there weren't many students like them, so only a dozen or so people ended up signing up.
Cao Yanyan was well-informed and had heard some things about Cheng You and the Botanical Research Institute.
When her father mentioned it, she found it thrilling.
"Cheng You, what exactly happened? Was the Mu Xi grass really lost?"
Perhaps due to the previous incident, the research institute was now afraid to release any news about the Mu Xi grass.
Cheng You shook her head, "It wasn't lost, I even went back."
"Fortunately, why did they entrust such an important thing to you? It was ridiculous."
Cao Yanyan felt that it was unreasonable from the start.
If they made such a hasty decision from the beginning, then they shouldn't blame Cheng You when something went wrong later.
Cheng You smiled meaningfully, "I'm not sure either."
Cao Yanyan chose the Chinese medicine pharmaceutical major out of interest and was very interested in the precious Mu Xi grass.
She asked Cheng You many questions.
"I wonder if we'll be able to see the Mu Xi grass at the Botanical Research Institute. What does it look like?"
Cheng You's literary knowledge wasn't very high, so she didn't know how to describe it.
"It just looks like ordinary grass by the roadside, the kind you would never notice."
Cao Yanyan: "... That's as good as saying nothing."
Cheng You chuckled, "You'll know when you see it."
In the following days, Cheng You focused on preparing for the final exams.
After the final exams, she felt completely relaxed.
Although it was university, because Su Jinwen was very strict, Cheng You's feelings about the final exams were similar to when she was in elementary school.
Nervous and excited.
After the exams, everyone was packing up their belongings to go home.
Cheng You tidied up her bedding and put her things into the cupboard.
"Cheng You, has your man returned yet?" Fang Yunbao asked.
"Not yet."
Cao Yanyan looked worried, "I heard there's going to be a fight, I don't know if it's true."
The border was too far away; by the time she heard the news, it might have been a long time ago.
The country prioritized peace and avoided war if possible.
But in this situation, it seemed like a fight was inevitable.
Cheng You shook her head, "I don't know."
She could only try her best to control herself and not think too much.
"Cheng You, can I come to your house to play then? I've never been inside the military compound before."
Fang Yunbao was very interested in that solemn and mysterious place.
Cheng You smiled, "Even if Qi Chengyan is home, you can still come over to play."
"Hehe, I don't dare. Your man looks so fierce," Fang Yunbao stuck out her tongue.
After packing their things, the three girls went to a nearby restaurant for a simple meal.
While eating, they heard someone banging a military newspaper on the table.
"It's started, it's started!"
Cheng You didn't read the newspaper much, and when she heard his words, she couldn't help but glance over.
"Damn it!"
Some people around them started to join in the discussion, talking about topics related to war.
Only Cheng You was worried about the man thousands of miles away.
The food that had seemed delicious just moments ago suddenly became unappetizing.
It was already in the military newspaper, so it was likely that a war had indeed started.
"Eat up, and go home after you're done."
The man on the other side, who was discussing heatedly, glanced at them.
He sneered, holding the newspaper, "We men go to the battlefield to defend our country, and these useless women only care about eating!"
Fang Yunbao looked up, "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were going to the battlefield. How is it that your fighting relies solely on your mouth? If you think women are useless, then you shouldn't have come out of your mother's womb."
The man was so angry he almost overturned the table, but his friends held him back.
Cheng You had eaten enough and got up to pay.
"Yan Yan, Yun Bao, let's go after we're full."
The three of them got up and walked out. The man who had spoken earlier spat out the toothpick in his mouth and followed them.
"Mo Zi, don't cause trouble, be careful the boss beats you."
The scar on the man's eye was ferocious, "I know what I'm doing."