Cheng You smiled, "It means I have a connection with the Xu family."
Yuan Chunmei held her hand, her eyes red.
"Shaohua has mentioned you many times, saying how wonderful you are, Cheng You jie. I should have visited you at Zhen Shan Tang much earlier, but my health has been too poor."
Perhaps some of Cheng You's actions were just a small gesture to her, but they had truly saved the Xu family from dire straits.
She was sincerely grateful.
Cheng You clasped her hand back, "You are an elder, it's I who should be visiting."
Old Master Feng immediately decided, "Sister-in-law, I'll hand all the items over to you. Whether you keep them for yourself or distribute them, it's entirely up to you."
Returning the items was an internal matter for the Xu family, and he had no right to interfere.
As for Xu Nanxi, who would bother with someone who could forge their own grandfather's will?
Feng Yaojun and his party were like drowning dogs, being chased out of the ward.
With so many people gone, the ward finally quieted down.
Yuan Chunmei smiled, "You must have found this amusing."
Old Mrs. Lin chuckled and shook her head, "If there's anything to find amusing, it's my own family, isn't it?"
She had only two sons, and neither amounted to much.
At least Yuan Chunmei had Xu Boyan and Han Shaohua.
After resolving these troublesome matters, Xu Boyan brought up the idea of bringing his father and his elder brother and sister-in-law's ashes back to Yancheng.
Old Master Feng took it upon himself to handle the matter.
"Just bring them back. I'll take care of the cemetery arrangements."
Following this, Xu Boyan went home with the two elders of the Feng family to retrieve some items.
The old master had left many things stored there. Although they weren't monetary assets, they could fetch a high price.
But they were, after all,遗物 (relics), and Xu Boyan had no intention of selling them.
Yuan Chunmei looked at the items he brought back and picked out a pendant.
It was crystal clear and felt warm to the touch.
"This is for you, thank you for all your help during this time."
Cheng You tried to refuse, but Yuan Chunmei directly put the item into her pocket.
"I know you didn't help us for this, but if you don't accept it, I won't be able to sleep tonight."
Cheng You had no choice but to accept the gift.
"Although this pendant isn't large, the jade quality and color are excellent. I have a bracelet that seems to be made of the same jade," she said with a smile.
Yuan Chunmei was surprised, "You have one too? This jade is rare. Back then, our old Xu had to trade other things for this with your Grandpa Feng."
Her health had not yet recovered, and after chatting for a while, she grew tired.
Cheng You took the opportunity to bid farewell, not wanting to disturb them further.
Xu Boyan personally escorted her out and expressed his gratitude again for her help.
Cheng You tilted her head, "Brother-in-law, you're being too formal. We're partners now."
Xu Boyan smiled and nodded, "Then I won't see you off. Please take care."
Cheng You waved goodbye and headed straight for the bus stop.
With only a few days left until the New Year, Cheng You began her preparations to attend Sun Xiaowan's wedding banquet.
She prepared a generous red envelope of a thousand yuan for Sun Xiaowan and set off early in the morning for Sun Xiaowan's home.
She was to accompany Sun Xiaowan as they waited for Song Jingtang to come and fetch her.
When Cheng You arrived, Sun Xiaowan had already finished her makeup and was wearing a bright red wedding dress.
Her hair was styled in an updo at the back, adorned with exquisite hair ornaments.
Cheng You first presented the red envelope, "Happy wedding, and may you have many children soon."
Sun Xiaowan felt the thick stack of bills and was surprised.
"Cheng You, you didn't need to give so much."
Duan Liping said with a wry smile, "This makes my red envelope seem so small."
Cheng You put her arm around her shoulders and smiled, "When you get married, I'll give you a big red envelope too, Liping!"
Not only did she give a red envelope, but she also bought a pair of gold earrings and a large gold bracelet.
Sun Xiaowan immediately removed her stud earrings and put on the ones Cheng You had given her.
She wore the gold bracelet on each wrist, which looked very regal.
In those days, few people could afford such heavy gold bracelets.
She wore two of them by herself.
When Song Jingtang arrived to pick her up, the bride's family downstairs played games with him, and only after a while did they let him come up.
Sun Xiaowan quickly slipped on her high heels and went out to open the door.
Duan Liping busied herself, saying, "I'm the one who hid the high heels!"
"No more hiding, no more hiding. If you keep hiding them, how will I ever get married!"
Duan Liping and Cheng You could only smile wryly.
In the meantime, Song Jingtang had already come upstairs and was carrying Sun Xiaowan down.
He had specifically borrowed a small car from a friend, wanting Sun Xiaowan to have a grand wedding.
The newlyweds were to go to their marital home first, and then to Dong Shun Lou to receive guests.
Cheng You had not yet seen Sun Xiaowan's newly purchased house, so she followed along.
The location was quite good. It was an apartment building, but because it was on the first floor, it came with a small courtyard.
There were no obstructions in front, so the natural light was excellent.
Sun Xiaowan sat on her own bed, beaming with joy.
She was now the mistress of her own home.
"What do you think, Cheng You? It's not bad here, is it? I picked it out myself!"
Cheng You smiled and nodded, "It's excellent."
Duan Liping said with envy, "I wonder when I'll be able to afford a house."
"You don't necessarily have to buy one. When your unit assigns you a house in the future, that will be yours too," Cheng You patted her shoulder.
As the three of them were chatting, the door was suddenly pushed open.
Tang Yu entered.
She was Song Jingtang's cousin, after all, and was naturally expected to attend the wedding.
However, she didn't look particularly happy, especially upon seeing the disliked Cheng You.
"My aunt said they're preparing to go to the hotel."
Sun Xiaowan said, "Oh, I'll be right there after I change."
Tang Yu's eyes widened, "Change clothes? You have multiple outfits for your wedding?"
Sun Xiaowan curved her lips, "Not many, just two. One wedding dress and one for toasting. Your cousin wanted to buy me more, but I felt I couldn't wear too many, and it would be a waste."
Tang Yu pouted, looking displeased.
"You're being too wasteful, you don't know how hard my cousin works to earn money!"
Sun Xiaowan snorted, lifting her chin, and looked at her provocatively.
"My cousin is willing to buy them for me, what can I do? Is that wasteful? I'll be even more wasteful in the future!"
Tang Yu, angered, shouted, "Aunt, you should control your daughter-in-law!"
Tang Jing quickly walked over, looking at her impatiently.
"What are you shouting about? Today is your cousin's wedding, you should be happy!"
Tang Yu pointed at Sun Xiaowan and shouted, "She bought two wedding dresses, and those gold bracelets, she has two! She doesn't care about her cousin at all, it's too wasteful!"
Tang Jing had already seen the gold bracelets earlier. Upon hearing that Song Jingtang had bought them, she couldn't help but feel concerned.
"Xiaowan, don't mind Tang Yu's bluntness, but life isn't lived like this. From now on, your and Jingtang's money will be managed by me, to prevent you from spending it carelessly. And these gold ornaments, you can't wear them all the time, so you can put them with me."
The more Tang Jing spoke, the more pleased she felt.
Once they were in her hands, whether or not to return them was entirely up to her.