These past few days, Cheng You had been inundated with news about Tang Jing.
Still, it was for the best that Tang Jing had been admitted to a mental hospital; at least Sun Xiaowan wouldn't be bothered anymore.
On the last day of the holiday, Cheng Tao found Cheng You again.
She wanted to borrow money from Cheng You.
After a moment of silence, Cheng You asked, "What do you need money from me for?"
"I want to buy train tickets to take the child back to the countryside."
For all these years, she had strived relentlessly, hoping for an effortless life, a life of superiority.
In the end, all her efforts failed, and she had to return to the countryside dejectedly.
Last night, Qiu Desheng returned, and for once, he didn't hit her, because Qiu Yingxun was getting married.
He was reportedly marrying the daughter of the director of Huichuntang Pharmaceutical Factory.
Before Cheng Tao came to find Cheng You, she had secretly taken a look.
The woman was incredibly ugly. Cheng Tao felt she was bad enough herself, but she was still better than this woman, even if their backgrounds couldn't compare.
She went to find Qiu Yingxun and questioned him, asking why he was treating her this way. He had promised to take her away, so how could he go back on his word and find such a woman?
What did Qiu Yingxun say?
He said, "She can have children, which makes her infinitely better than you."
At that moment, Cheng Tao truly felt her heart being gouged out.
She suddenly realized that no man would despise a woman who couldn't have children.
She was truly tired and didn't want to struggle anymore, so she decided to take her daughter back to the countryside.
No matter how heartless the Old Zhao family was, they wouldn't disown their granddaughter.
Cheng You scoffed, "You're not planning on clinging to Qiu Yingxun anymore?"
Cheng Tao lowered her head. "I know you look down on me."
"Have you ever done anything worthy of my respect?" Cheng You retorted coldly.
Cheng Tao bit her lip and recalled past events. She was indeed nothing but a joke.
"So, are you going to lend me the money or not?"
Cheng You took a breath and gave her the money.
Considering their past sisterhood, this would be the last time she did something for her.
Cheng Tao clutched the money in her hand, her palm burning.
She blinked her sore eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "Cheng You, I really hate you!"
Cheng You smiled coldly. "Thank you, I hate you too."
Cheng Tao's departure had no impact on anyone; time continued to tick by at its unhurried pace.
In the blink of an eye, it was December, and Yancheng welcomed its first snow.
At the same time, good news arrived from Qi Yang.
Qi Yang and Xu Boyan, after being separated for many years, finally found their way back to each other. In her thirty-second year, she welcomed her first baby.
With her pregnant, Song Qinglan became even more anxious, subtly urging Cheng You and Qi Cheng'an to have a child.
Cheng You wasn't in a hurry; such things couldn't be rushed.
Fortunately, Song Qinglan was busy taking care of Qi Yang, so she didn't have much time to see Cheng You.
Cheng You had already handed over all the Mu Xi grass from the medicinal herb garden.
As for how it would be distributed, that was no longer her concern.
From then on, the name Zhen Shanhall became incredibly popular in Yancheng with lightning speed.
After handing over the Mu Xi grass, Cheng You became quite idle.
Chen Qin was in charge of the pharmacy, so she didn't have to worry about it.
Her days consisted of attending classes at school and eating and drinking, living a life of supreme freedom.
Because she was close to Cheng You, Fang Yunbao became the center of attention at school, feeling like she could walk all over people.
She now stood tall, proudly refuting all those who had once accused Cheng You of selfishness.
"Do you know that Qiu Yingxun is going to be a live-in son-in-law?"
For gossip, Fang Yunbao was the most reliable source.
Cheng You paused her writing and asked, "A live-in son-in-law for whom?"
"A director at Huichuntang, named Pei. You've probably never seen his daughter; she's even fatter than I am."
Cao Yanyan sized her up. "You're alright, you're not fat. Your figure is quite moderate."
Fang Yunbao had a round face and was only slightly overweight, belonging to a curvier build.
But her slightly fleshy physique was healthy; she personally felt it was better than being skin and bones.
Fang Yunbao beamed, holding her face. "Thank you, Yanyan~"
Cao Yanyan rolled her eyes. "I'm not comforting you; I genuinely think you're not fat."
Fang Yunbao chuckled. "But that Pei Lanlan is really fat! Her waist is twice mine!"
The flesh on her face was so condensed that her features were barely discernible.
When Fang Yunbao first saw her, her initial impression wasn't ugliness, but rather unhealthiness.
Due to her weight, Pei Lanlan was extremely self-conscious and rarely left her home.
Cheng You asked, "Her father, Pei Kesheng?"
"Yes. She and I were elementary school classmates, but her health doesn't seem to be very good. She's three years older than me."
Because she was so fat, no matter how large a dowry Pei Kesheng offered, no one was willing to marry her.
So he compromised and decided to seek a son-in-law who would live with them.
He only had one daughter and was reluctant to marry her off into another family, so having a live-in son-in-law was perfect.
The problem was that it had taken him two years just to find a suitable son-in-law, and he had only recently settled on Qiu Yingxun.
Fang Yunbao pouted. "He's definitely after the Pei family's wealth."
Cheng You offered no comment. Everyone could see it clearly, and Pei Kesheng himself must have known.
But for a marriage, one always sought something.
"Has your classmate ever considered losing weight?" Cheng You casually chatted with her.
Fang Yunbao said, "She tried. She started gaining weight in fourth grade, and then in fifth grade, she stopped coming to school. I heard she went three days without eating, drinking only water, and fainted from hunger, yet she didn't lose a single pound. It's really strange; she doesn't eat as much as I do..."
Cheng You had never encountered such a symptom. Hearing Fang Yunbao describe it, a flicker of curiosity was sparked in her heart.
However, curiosity was just curiosity; it had nothing to do with her.
After the matter of Mu Xi grass, pharmacies from all over the country sought cooperation with Zhen Shanhall, except for Huichuntang.
Pei Kesheng and Chen Qin had a falling out. It was better if they didn't see each other; when they did, it was always with sarcastic remarks, neither giving way to the other.
Even though he knew there were profits to be made, Pei Kesheng was unwilling to cooperate with Zhen Shanhall in any capacity.
Their animosity was plain for all to see.
Yet, for Pei Lanlan's wedding this time, an invitation was sent to Zhen Shanhall, and Cheng You received it.
"This isn't for you; it's for Chen Qin!" Pei Kesheng said, looking down his nose.
Cheng You didn't understand. "Director Pei, since you dislike Brother Chen so much, why are you inviting him to the banquet?"
Wouldn't that be inviting trouble?
Pei Kesheng smiled coldly, his hands clasped behind his back.
"He always says my daughter can't get married. Today, I'll show him if my daughter really can't get married!"
With that, he turned and left.
His words were somewhat nonsensical, and Cheng You listened with a muddled mind.