Although Old Qiu's family mediated, there were too many villagers with their own differing opinions.
It was difficult to reach a consensus on planting medicinal herbs.
Cheng You had to settle for the next best thing, having those willing to plant sign the contracts.
She made a clear statement beforehand: "When the medicinal herbs are ready for harvest, Zhen Shan Tang will send people to collect them. The contract clearly states that you cannot sell the herbs to anyone else, otherwise it will be a breach of contract, and you will have to pay a penalty."
At this point, someone raised an objection: "Isn't this forced buying and selling? The herbs we grow, of course, we should be able to sell to whomever we want."
Cheng You patiently explained: "Since we provide the seeds and planting methods ourselves, this is not forced buying and selling. If you disagree, you don't have to sign the contract."
"Then we won't sign! We don't want to plant for you anyway!"
Mother Qiu whispered in Cheng You's ear, "He's Cai Tiangui's elder brother. He probably wants to plant the herbs and sell them to Cai Tiangui. The Cai family hasn't signed the contract. I suspect they want to take advantage of your methods and seeds."
This tactic was truly disgraceful.
But Cheng You wasn't a fool. The method of planting herbs in the medicinal herb garden was not the key; the real secret lay in the seeds.
"It's fine. If they don't sign the contract, they naturally won't get any benefits."
After resolving the issues here, Cheng You began to notify the medicinal herb garden to provide seeds and seedlings to the villagers.
Before she left, Mother Qiu stopped her.
"Talk to your grandparents and ask them to come over again when they have time. We need to discuss the wedding."
This was an unexpected joy for Cheng You, "Auntie, you've agreed?"
"Oh, I don't really know your Xu brother well, but seeing how you conduct yourself, I believe anyone you deem good must be decent."
She didn't trust Feng Xianxu, but she trusted Cheng You.
Cheng You nodded, "Then please keep an eye on the medicinal herbs for me. I absolutely won't let the villagers lose money."
"Got it. You can go back now."
Cheng You walked to the village entrance, a path she'd walked countless times before, but today it felt unusually long.
Normally, she relied on Qi Chengyan's car.
Now, she suddenly wished she had her own car.
Taking the bus from the medicinal herb garden back to the compound made her dizzy and nauseous from the bumpy ride, her face paling.
Seeing her weak and listless appearance, Qiu Tingting asked in confusion, "Are you sick?"
She reached out and felt Cheng You's forehead. It was cool, and she didn't seem to have a fever.
"I'll go to the hospital with you."
Cheng You felt she couldn't walk anymore and just wanted to lie in bed.
"No need. I'll be fine after a nap. Maybe it's too hot."
Qiu Tingting looked up at the sky, full of bewilderment. It was a cloudy day.
And it wasn't yet the height of summer, so why would it be too hot?
Qiu Tingting watched Cheng You enter the house, looking utterly exhausted, and felt a pang of worry.
She paced outside the door for a while before deciding to inform Qi Chengyan.
Cheng You had only just fallen asleep when she heard Qi Chengyan's voice in her groggy state.
"I'm so tired. I'll be fine after a nap. Don't disturb me..." she mumbled, rolling over to continue sleeping.
Qi Chengyan changed her into clean, comfortable clothes. Seeing how deeply she slept, he didn't wake her.
There seemed to be nothing unusual about Cheng You's appearance, and she had no fever. Her complexion had already returned to normal.
It would be fine to go to the hospital after she woke up.
Qi Chengyan stayed by her side until it was dark. Cheng You finally woke up then.
After a nap, she felt as though she had come back to life.
She stretched her arms lazily.
She was still a little groggy when she saw Qi Chengyan.
"Why are you back?"
She looked outside and saw that it was already dark.
"Did I sleep for that long?"
Qi Chengyan touched her forehead, confirming she had no fever.
"Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Cheng You shook her head. "No, it's just that the bus was too bumpy on the way back today, and I felt a little nauseous."
Qi Chengyan got up to warm up some food for her. "Next time you need to go there, I'll have someone drive you."
Cheng You hummed in agreement. She had actually felt something was amiss with her body but hadn't paid much attention.
Now that some time had passed, she thought she should probably go to the hospital to get checked.
Qi Chengyan felt the same way, so the next morning, he took Cheng You for an examination.
After the doctor asked a series of questions, they asked her to draw blood.
After a lot of back and forth, the results were confirmed: "Congratulations, you two are going to have a baby. You are eight weeks pregnant."
Before Cheng You and Qi Chengyan could fully process it, the doctor gave them some advice.
"The baby is very healthy and doesn't need any progesterone medication. Just rest well and avoid overexertion."
As they walked out of the consultation room, Cheng You still looked bewildered.
"So... it's happened?"
Qi Chengyan's excitement was no less than Cheng You's, but he was better at controlling it.
He glanced at Cheng You's still flat abdomen. According to the books he had read, the baby was still very small, not even fully formed yet.
Yet, here, a child carrying his bloodline was gestating.
He wrapped his arms around Cheng You, deliberately controlling his strength.
"You're going to have a tough time, Youyou."
This was just the beginning, and it had already made Cheng You so uncomfortable. Childbirth would surely be even more difficult.
Cheng You's lips curved into a smile. "I'm alright, just a little surprised. It was so sudden. I don't know if it's a boy or a girl."
"Either is fine. We'll only have this one. I'll get sterilized after the baby is born."
He wanted to have a child not out of a biological urge to reproduce, but because he loved Cheng You.
He also wanted to see what the child, born of their hopes and love, would look like.
Cheng You didn't reply, lost in thought.
After walking for a while, she finally spoke, "Qi Chengyan, this baby is exactly eight weeks old."
"Hm?"
Cheng You looked at him with a knowing gaze. "Could it have been that time in the car?"
Qi Chengyan calculated the time. It was indeed.
"Probably."
Cheng You gave him a look. So this child was quite adventurous.
Although it was less than three months, Cheng You didn't plan to announce it. She only informed the Feng and Qi families.
Song Qinglan was practically burning incense and offering sacrifices to fulfill her vows. Now, who would dare say her daughter-in-law couldn't have children?
"You need to rest well during this time. The medicinal herb garden is too far, so don't go there anymore."
If she hadn't been afraid of upsetting Cheng You, Song Qinglan would have moved in to take care of her.
Cheng You repeatedly assured her that she would reduce her workload, and only then did Song Qinglan feel relieved.
Sister-in-law He came over early to offer her congratulations and gave Cheng You a lot of advice on what to be careful about during pregnancy.
Cheng You smiled, "Sister-in-law, your news travels fast."
Sister-in-law He said, "It's not me with fast news; it's your mother-in-law who told me."
Perhaps to vindicate Cheng You, Song Qinglan was almost shouting the news through a loudspeaker in the military compound.
As a result, everyone believed that Cheng You wasn't infertile; they just hadn't wanted children before.
"Now that you're pregnant, what about school? Will it be affected?"
Cheng You shook her head. She had considered this point.
"I'm already in my third year. I don't have many classes, so it won't be affected. By next year, everyone will basically be looking for work."
She wouldn't accept the job arranged by the school. She would manage Zhen Shan Tang and the medicinal herb garden, and still have time to care for the child.