Cheng You had never heard such talk before, and she laughed in anger.
"You raised Zhen Zhen?"
Widow Lin covered her mouth and chuckled, "We are all one family. If you raise her, we raise her. What's the difference?"
As she spoke, she couldn't help but glance at Qi Chengyan.
He looked even more handsome after not seeing him for some days.
She and Qi Chengyan were distantly related, though not in the way she had imagined.
Cheng You slammed her chopsticks down. "Cheng Tianhua himself doesn't dare to call himself family to my face. Who do you think you are?"
Widow Lin tutted. "Cheng You, what do you mean by that? Your father and I are married. I am your nominal stepmother. Are we not family?"
Old Mrs. Li fumbled for the unfinished noodle soup within reach and splashed it towards Widow Lin as she spoke.
Only when she heard Widow Lin's scream did she smile with satisfaction.
"My apologies, I'm old, my hand slipped."
Widow Lin was furious, stamping her feet. "Slipped? This old blind woman did it on purpose!"
"Is this your hospitality? You've truly opened my eyes!"
Cheng You sneered, "Even if you are a guest, you are an unwelcome one! I'm telling you this one time: Zhen Zhen's affairs are none of your business. Get out while you still can!"
Widow Lin was in a mess, with noodles still clinging to her hair, dripping noodle soup.
Hearing Cheng You's words, her anger flared up like oil on fire.
"Cheng You, it's fine if you don't acknowledge me, but you can't disown your father, can you? He's your biological father. You're so rich, yet you don't support him, but instead support strangers here. This is great filial impiety!"
Cheng You slammed the table. "Filial impiety?"
She kicked the stool by her leg and walked towards Widow Lin.
"Call Cheng Tianhua over. I want to settle accounts with him and see if he has the nerve to accuse me of impiety! I still give him alimony every month; that's me being kind. If he pushes his luck, I'll show you what true impiety looks like!"
Widow Lin was so scared that she couldn't make a sound, remaining silent for a long time.
After a while, she finally spoke in a hoarse voice, "But he is still your father."
"If I acknowledge him, then he is my father! If I don't, who is he? Go back and tell Cheng Tianhua that if he dares to interfere in Zhen Zhen's affairs again, I won't give him a single cent. If he has the guts, he can sue me. The court will decide how much I give him."
Widow Lin dared not say another word and scurried out sheepishly.
The court's judgment would be the minimum standard, far less than what Cheng You was currently giving.
If she lost her final source of income, it would be a significant loss.
Old Mrs. Li said, "A Yan, hurry and comfort your wife. Why get angry with people like this?"
Qi Chengyan chuckled and righted the fallen stool.
"She has her anger bottled up. If she doesn't vent it, it's bad for her health."
Old Mrs. Li shook her head with a smile. "You just spoil her."
Uncle Li worried about potential complications and wanted Cheng You to take Zhen Zhen away today.
Zhen Zhen hugged Old Mrs. Li tightly, refusing to let go. "I don't want to go."
Old Mrs. Li held her. "It's not that you'll be away from Yan Cheng forever. It's just for a while, and you might be back after the summer break."
Zhen Zhen still didn't want to go.
Since Wen Yan's death, she had been with Grandpa and Old Mrs. Li, developing a strong dependence.
If she left them, she would feel insecure.
Cheng You thought for a moment. The Zhen Shan Tang here had other doctors; Uncle Li didn't necessarily need to stay.
"Grandma, why don't you and Uncle Li accompany Zhen Zhen?"
Old Mrs. Li was also reluctant to part with Zhen Zhen and was tempted by Cheng You's suggestion.
However, she was blind and old. Wherever she went, she would only be a burden, so she hesitated to agree.
Therefore, she waited for Uncle Li's reply.
"Cheng You, would it be too much trouble for us to go?"
Cheng You smiled. "Yan Cheng also has a Zhen Shan Tang. You can still see patients there. How could it be troublesome? If you are willing to go with Grandma, I would be overjoyed. Near the pharmacy, Chengyan has a siheyuan, a spacious courtyard. You can live there."
Old Mrs. Li asked, "Where will you and A Yan live?"
Cheng You replied, "We will live in the military compound."
Uncle Li, seeing that Zhen Zhen truly didn't want to leave and feeling uneasy about her going to Yan Cheng alone, agreed to Cheng You's proposal.
"Then it's settled. We'll pack today and leave tomorrow."
If they couldn't defeat them, they could at least avoid them.
In the afternoon, Yuan Yongguo and Li Fen arrived again.
They carried large bags and boxes, trying persuasion after coercion, employing every tactic to bring Zhen Zhen home.
However, before they could enter, Cheng You blocked their way at the door.
"You are not welcome here."
Li Fen and Yuan Yongguo exchanged glances and quickly guessed her identity.
"You must be Cheng You. I've heard about you from your stepmother. You can call me Aunt Fen."
Cheng You dodged her outstretched hand and said coldly, "No need to be familiar. I have no intention of having any relationship with you. I'm telling you this once, remember it: Zhen Zhen's surname is Li. She is a child of the Li family and has nothing to do with you."
Li Fen's smile faded slightly, and she put down the things she was holding.
"Cheng You, how could I not know if Zhen Zhen is our Yuan family's child?"
"Then how do you know?" Cheng You asked.
Li Fen was speechless and didn't know how to answer.
Her son, Yuan Yuejin, had personally said he liked Wen Yan. It was just that they hadn't ended up together because she had disagreed at the time.
Not long after, news spread that Wen Yan was pregnant out of wedlock.
During that period, Yuan Yuejin was dejected every day.
Li Fen had asked him several times, but he always seemed to hesitate to speak.
This made her and Yuan Yongguo even more certain that Wen Yan's child was his.
It was a pity it was a girl. If it had been a son, she would have insisted Yuan Yuejin marry Wen Yan then.
"If not for our Yuejin, who else could it be? Cheng You, considering we've already lost two sons, please return our granddaughter to us!"
Cheng You was too lazy to argue. "Zhen Zhen's mother never dated your son. I don't care what you heard; it's all false. Besides, why didn't you come when Zhen Zhen was born? Now that your son is dead and there are no heirs, you appear out of nowhere. What do you take Zhen Zhen for, a tool for continuing the family line?"
"How could it be false! Zhen Zhen is our Yuan family's child. I beg you, I'm not lying to you!"
Li Fen threw herself into Yuan Yongguo's arms and began to cry.
Cheng You was cold-hearted and unmoved. No matter how tragically Li Fen cried, she saw it as an act.
She turned and went inside, closing the door with a bang.
No matter how much Yuan Yongguo and Li Fen shouted outside, they pretended not to hear. Instead, they decided with Uncle Li to leave Yongcheng early and depart today!