The journey back was marked by unusual silence.
If the Qiu family had issues with other matters, Feng Xianxu could have said he would change.
But parents were innate, unchangeable.
Zhu Yan and Feng Yaojun had done wrong, but Feng Xianxu could never tell anyone in his life that he didn't have parents.
"Brother Xu, I thought you confessed it yourself," Cheng You glanced at him.
Feng Xianxu shook his head, "I thought you said it."
The old Zhang family came and whispered a few words to Mrs. Qiu, and Mrs. Qiu's attitude changed.
She must have heard it from someone outside.
Cheng You's expression shifted slightly. Looking at Feng Xue in the rearview mirror, her gaze was cold.
"Feng Xue, perhaps you can explain to us?"
Feng Xue's eyes darted away, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Although I went out, I was always with Tingting. What about you? Who were you with?"
Feng Xue lowered her head, "I said it. That aunt was very persistent, and I had no choice but to say it. Besides, it's the truth, and I don't think there's anything to hide. If Qiu Tingting doesn't marry Brother Xu because of this, then I don't think she's truly sincere to Brother Xu."
Cheng You scoffed and said nothing more.
She knew perfectly well why Feng Xue had done it.
When they returned to the military district, before getting out of the car, Cheng You reminded her coldly, "Feng Xue, our family has enough scandals."
Feng Xue's face stiffened, and she responded reluctantly, unwilling to accept it.
"Grandpa, I'm going back."
The old man said nothing, nor did he offer to have someone escort her.
Feng Xue was right; the Feng family's affairs should indeed be explained clearly to outsiders.
But how it was explained, and who explained it, would affect this marriage.
When Mrs. Qiu heard these things from others, it was inevitable that Feng Xianxu would be suspected of concealment.
"Youyou, you should go back and rest too."
Cheng You nodded, "Grandpa, please talk to Grandma well. The Qiu family just disagrees for now. Once they get to know Brother Xu, they'll agree."
The old lady would probably be disappointed to hear that the Qiu family disagreed.
But if they were in their shoes, they themselves wouldn't marry their child into such a family.
Back home, Cheng You sat down tiredly, not wanting to move.
Shortly after sitting down, she saw Cai Xiaoyu arriving.
"I heard you went to propose to Qiu Tingting today?"
They were from the same compound, so it wasn't strange that she knew.
Cai Xiaoyu, acting familiar, walked in, "Looking at your expression, the proposal didn't go smoothly?"
Cheng You lazily raised her eyelids and glanced at her, "Why are you so gossipy?"
"It's not exactly gossip. I know Qiu Tingting, and it's not unreasonable to ask about a friend's marriage, is it?"
Cai Xiaoyu found a place to sit down, preparing to chat with Cheng You.
"Did Qiu Tingting's family disagree? Why?"
Cheng You didn't want to deal with her, "You know Qiu Tingting well, why don't you ask her yourself?"
Cai Xiaoyu hit a soft nail and was a little unhappy.
To her, Qiu Tingting was like the child of another family.
She had envied Qiu Tingting since childhood; she had brothers who doted on her, parents who doted on her, and was even chosen by the art troupe to learn dance.
Seeing her marriage encounter difficulties now made Cai Xiaoyu feel pleased.
Even if she were to ask, it would be to mock her, never to say anything good.
Cheng You was a bit tired and was about to ask her to leave when she heard her say, "Cheng You, are you really not going to cooperate with my father? He sincerely wants to cooperate with you."
"Many people want to cooperate with our Zhen Shan Tang, but I don't have to entertain everyone. Do you have anything else? If not, please leave."
Cai Xiaoyu felt embarrassed, as if she were offering herself to her father.
"If you don't cooperate, then don't. Why speak so harshly!"
Cai Xiaoyu left indignantly, and Cheng You finally felt a lot more peaceful.
She walked quickly towards the exit and almost bumped into the person arriving, luckily they moved aside quickly enough.
Cai Xiaoyu, still upset, raised her head. Before she could utter a curse, she met Qi Chengyan's deep, dark eyes.
His casual glance made her heart skip a beat.
"It's... it's you."
Qi Chengyan nodded politely, "Please excuse me."
Cai Xiaoyu was blocking half the doorway, and if he went in like that, he would inevitably bump into her.
"I refuse. There's plenty of space, can't you go in yourself?" Cai Xiaoyu put her hands on her hips, looking spoiled.
She wasn't a flood or a fierce beast; why was Qi Chengyan avoiding her so much?
Did she bite?
Qi Chengyan's brows furrowed; he was too lazy to argue with her.
He leaped up, grabbed the wall, and climbed over.
This angered Cai Xiaoyu to the point of turning blue.
This was the first time someone had treated her like this, filling her with a sense of humiliation, driving her to turn back and argue with Qi Chengyan.
"What do you mean by this!"
Cheng You watched the whole scene from inside and didn't understand what she was angry about.
"Men and women should not touch. Married couples should pay even more attention to boundaries. He just doesn't want to touch you, so why are you so angry?"
Cai Xiaoyu glared at her indignantly, a multitude of words stored in her belly, but she didn't know how to refute.
After much thought, she dryly said, "He's rude."
Cheng You tutted, "You can't bully my man for being quiet. Is it polite for you to block the entrance to someone's home?"
Cai Xiaoyu couldn't argue with her and, like a child, stomped her feet in anger before turning and running away.
Qi Chengyan, who had just finished training, was covered in sweat. He first took a shower, changed his clothes, and came out refreshed.
He saw Cheng You still standing outside, lost in thought.
"Brother Xu's marriage isn't going well?"
Cheng You told him about the situation in the countryside in broad strokes, feeling somewhat weary of the Feng family's messy affairs.
Qi Chengyan sat beside her, letting her lean on his shoulder.
"Don't overthink it. Brother Xu knows what he's doing."
Cheng You felt irritable. Perhaps it was the gradual warming of the weather, but she always felt a bit off.
She nudged against him for a while, then eyed him.
As if her slow reflexes had finally kicked in, she said, "Qi Chengyan, you're almost thirty. You can't be flirty."
Qi Chengyan: "???"
"You and Cai Xiaoyu have only met a few times, but her eyes were practically sparkling just now!"
Cheng You's accusation was unreasonable, but Qi Chengyan didn't argue and coaxed her, "I won't look at her next time."
Cheng You's eyes widened, "You looked at her just now!"
Qi Chengyan: "..."
They were so close; he wasn't blind.
"There won't be a next time."
Cheng You huffed, "Yan City is so boring."
Her junior year courses were few, and the pharmacy and herb garden were managed by others, so she was basically not needed.
With her newfound free time, Cheng You felt unaccustomed.
"If you're feeling troubled, I can send you to stay at the herb garden for a few days to escape the heat?"
Because Liu Ying often stayed at the herb garden, and the conditions were poor, Cheng You invested money to build an employee dormitory for workers hired at the herb garden.
Although it was only dozens of kilometers away, it was cooler there than here.