The story of Li Fen and Yuan Yongguo's thousand-mile search for relatives soon made headlines in the newspapers. In an era with few entertainment options, the only way to relax after a busy day was to buy a newspaper, sit down with a cup of tea, and read. Most families didn't even own a television and relied on newspapers for the latest news and a bit of amusement.
In Ruan Tianyang's portrayal, Yuan Yongguo and his wife were portrayed as pitiable elders who had lost two sons consecutively. Their only granddaughter had been snatched away by someone with influence in Yancheng, who refused to return the child to them. The heartbroken couple had spent their last savings just to bring their granddaughter back home. Were they in the wrong?
Although Cheng You was not mentioned in the article, the newspaper had circulated throughout the military compound, leading everyone to speculate if the granddaughter "Zhenzhen" mentioned in the news was indeed the child Cheng You had brought back. After all, the names matched.
Zhenzhen was having a wonderful time playing at the Qi family's. Song Qinglan treated her like her own granddaughter, buying her a wide array of toys for girls, covering everything imaginable. With so many children in the compound, she certainly wasn't lacking playmates. However, after the news was published, more and more people began to ask her, "Why don't you go home with your grandparents?" Zhenzhen found this baffling; she had no grandparents. Some children even sternly accused her, "You're doing the wrong thing! You should go home with your grandparents; they are so pitiful!" Zhenzhen stopped playing with them and ran home.
There, she saw Tang Jing chatting with Song Qinglan. Upon seeing Zhenzhen run in, Tang Jing smiled and said, "This must be Zhenzhen, right? Oh my, she's so pretty, a little beauty in the making." Zhenzhen instinctively disliked her and turned to go inside. She then overheard Tang Jing telling Song Qinglan, "This child isn't biologically yours, why keep her? Haven't you read the newspaper? Those couple are so pitiful, they're practically on the streets looking for their granddaughter." Zhenzhen stopped in her tracks. So, it had been in the newspaper. But why were these people so morally confused? She wasn't the Yuan family's granddaughter at all!
Song Qinglan threw the newspaper down and said coldly, "Did these people explicitly name Cheng You as the one who snatched their child? Did they say their granddaughter is Zhenzhen? In other words, even if they were referring to Zhenzhen, how do you know what they're saying is true?" Tang Jing was taken aback by Song Qinglan's retort. "They didn't name names, but it's quite clear from the article. Everyone now knows their granddaughter is with you. Cheng You can have children, so why are you raising someone else's child!" "It's my business! What concern is it of yours? Let me say it again, Zhenzhen has no relation to that Yuan family. They are talking nonsense. You'd be better off taking care of your own messy affairs! Get out!" Song Qinglan's stern words drove Tang Jing out. Song Jingtang hadn't returned to the military compound since marrying Sun Xiaowan, nor did he allow Tang Jing to visit him there. It was laughable that Tang Jing had the leisure to concern herself with other people's affairs.
Zhenzhen hesitantly walked over, "Auntie Song, will I be sent back?" Song Qinglan wanted her to call her Grandma, but Zhenzhen felt it was too much of a generational leap and insisted on calling her Auntie Song. Song Qinglan waved her hand, "How could that happen? You have no relation to the Yuan family. Not to mention that your sister Cheng You wouldn't send you away, but even if she did, it's not the Yuan family who would raise you!"
After leaving Song Qinglan's, Tang Jing turned to find Cheng You. First, she earnestly advised Cheng You a couple of times to have a child soon. Then, she brought up Zhenzhen's matter. Tang Jing was not the first person to advise Cheng You to send Zhenzhen back that day. Cheng You, having endured it all, finally lost her patience. "Aunt Tang, my grandmother is eighty years old this year." Tang Jing was confused, "What does her being eighty have to do with me?" "It has nothing to do with you, I'm just telling you that she's lived to be eighty because she never meddles in other people's business. You should be more careful," Cheng You said with a cold expression. Tang Jing's face contorted, "I came to offer you good advice, and you're cursing me!" Cheng You sneered, "It's not a curse, it's a warning not to meddle!" Tang Jing had two sons herself. Her elder daughter-in-law had left, and Sun Xiaowan didn't allow her to interfere, which led her to start concerning herself with other families' affairs. "Cheng You, I'm your elder, after all. Could I possibly harm you?" Cheng You retorted, "Can't you, Aunt Tang? Your family's situation in the compound is a cautionary tale for all of us. Don't you have any self-awareness?" Tang Jing was speechless. Her face turned red with anger, but she couldn't find a retort. "You! You'll regret this sooner or later, just you wait!" Cheng You rolled her eyes. "In other words, what concern is it of yours whether I regret it or not?" Tang Jing spat and left, her face full of resentment.
Cheng You looked at the land in the courtyard, where every patch suitable for planting had been filled with Muxi grass. She clapped the dirt off her hands, feeling a sense of accomplishment. Every so often, she would take cuttings to the herbal garden to propagate. The Muxi grass there had already begun to take shape. In the next few days, she had to prepare for the school competition, and next month was the final exam. She also needed to figure out how to resolve Zhenzhen's situation. Cheng You ran a hand through her hair in frustration, her mind a jumble of thoughts. She temporarily set aside other matters and focused wholeheartedly on preparing for the school's Traditional Chinese Medicine competition. She successfully managed to support two others, Cao Yanyan and Fang Yunbao, and they advanced to the semi-finals. The semi-finals and finals would be held next month, giving her some breathing room. Su Jinwen had been closely monitoring her progress and had shared some news: the winning group would have the opportunity to participate in the Yancheng Pharmaceutical Symposium with the school. She hoped this opportunity would fall to Cheng You, allowing Cheng You to attend with her.
"Cheng You, there's a performance tonight. I'm taking Zhenzhen to watch, are you coming?" Song Qinglan asked as she walked in. Upon entering the room, she saw Cheng You tinkering with the Muxi grass, which no longer surprised her. Initially, she had thought Muxi grass was a rare item, but after seeing it so often, Song Qinglan felt it looked much like weeds by the roadside. Cheng You replied, "Yes, should we go early to secure seats?" "No need, this is a慰问演出 (comfort performance); we can only sit in the back." The performance was for soldiers returning from the battlefield. "By the way, Auntie, did Ruan Jiqiu and Cheng Yan know each other before?" Song Qinglan quickly realized what she was asking and hastily clarified, "No! They've never spoken! Ruan Jiqiu's family is looking for a husband for her, but this girl is ambitious and focused entirely on her dance, she doesn't want to get married." Cheng You hummed, and hearing this, she could essentially rule out Ruan Jiqiu targeting her because of Qi Chengyan. She had done some investigating in her spare time over the past couple of days. Sister Jin had personally witnessed Ruan Jiqiu taking the Yuan Yongguo couple away. And the news article was written by Ruan Jiqiu's brother, Ruan Tianyang. "Enough talk, you get ready to go watch the performance." "Okay."