The heavy snow stopped on New Year's Day.
After the New Year's countdown, Qin Jianzhong paid a visit.
His face was full of joy; there must be good news at home.
Cheng You smiled when she saw what he had brought, "What's this for, made a fortune?"
"Happier than making a fortune!"
Qin Jianzhong put down his items and said excitedly, "Cheng You, I took my wife for a prenatal check-up today, and the doctor said my wife's pregnancy is stable! She's over six months now, and in a few months, the baby can be born. You are the benefactor of our entire family!"
Originally, at over three months, the doctor had already considered it a miracle and predicted the child wouldn't last until four months.
Now, not only was the pregnancy stable, but the baby was also healthy.
Especially since Qin Jianzhong and Wang Fang had always felt they owed Cheng You and her husband, their gratitude doubled.
Cheng You genuinely felt happy for him, "Congratulations. Did you come here just to give me gifts?"
Qin Jianzhong smiled and said, "More than just that. I heard you're applying to a university in Yan Cheng and plan to open a branch of the grocery store there?"
Cheng You hadn't thought about it yet, as the grocery store had only been open for a few months.
However, seeing his eager expression, she asked, "Do you want to go?"
It had been agreed from the start that he would have a share in the grocery store.
Qin Jianzhong not only helped Jiang Dingcheng with sourcing goods but also contributed capital.
However, he didn't want too much, only taking a ten percent profit.
"Yan Cheng has many large hospitals; I want to take my wife back there to give birth."
He thought that since the past incidents had subsided, living in a more remote area, perhaps no one would recognize him and Wang Fang.
Although Yong Cheng was his hometown, he spent more time in Yan Cheng.
In fact, he was more familiar with the latter.
Another reason was that he felt that following Cheng You would not lead him astray.
"Alright, I'll discuss this with my uncle. See if they can go to Yan Cheng with you to help. When do you plan to go to Yan Cheng? We can travel together."
Qin Jianzhong quickly refused, "No, no, we haven't decided yet. We'll contact you after we get to Yan Cheng."
Cheng You didn't insist, thinking he was very protective of his wife.
After Qin Jianzhong left, she realized he had said "go back there to give birth."
"Was he from Yan Cheng before?" Cheng You murmured to herself.
Qi Chengyan walked in, taking off his coat.
"Talking about what?"
Cheng You grumbled, "Nothing, just that Qin Jianzhong. He seems to have been in Yan Cheng before, I wonder how he ended up in Yong Cheng."
Qi Chengyan didn't overthink it, "Everyone has their own unspeakable difficulties."
Cheng You nodded. She had initially intended to ask next time, but hearing his words, she felt it was better not to pry into people's privacy.
...
Another year passed in busyness. Essentially, after New Year's Day, everyone began preparing for the Lunar New Year.
Some, however, thought that before the New Year, they should work harder and earn more money.
This was the case for Zhao Jianguo and Zhou Yunru.
They decided their barbecue restaurant would not close and would remain open during the New Year.
It was winter, and there were exceptionally many customers at "Zhou Zhou Barbecue."
For warmth, the restaurant had heating, making it comfortable to dine.
Since the iced drinks didn't sell well in summer, Cheng You taught Zhao Jianguo how to make lamb offal soup.
The soup was rich and white, with a strong pepper aroma. Drinking a bowl in winter made one feel warm all over.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Jianguo had a talent for it and, by analogy, made lamb soup.
For those who didn't want barbecue, there was also copper pot hot pot.
Before the New Year, Cheng You also visited.
She wanted to eat barbecue and, being too lazy to do it herself, came with Qi Chengyan.
As soon as they ordered their food, they saw Zhao Yunlin and Cheng Tao enter.
They looked at each other, and Cheng You didn't intend to speak.
Cheng Tao originally wanted to talk to her but was stopped by Zhao Yunlin.
"You need to change your temper. Even if you're in Yan Cheng later, it's best not to clash with them."
Cheng Tao scoffed. She had money now and was confident, fearing nothing.
"Why should I be afraid of them?"
Zhao Yunlin said in a low voice, "Of course, you must be afraid. Brother Chen told me which people in Yan Cheng are not to be provoked, and the Qi family is among them."
Cheng Tao was stunned, "The Qi family? Qi Chengyan's family? Yunlin, are you foolish? He's a cripple, what can he possibly do?"
He couldn't even return to the military and had to rely on Cheng You for support.
Zhao Yunlin thought she had a narrow vision.
Although Qi Chengyan was useless, he had a family.
"His father is Qi Shengwen, a high-ranking official in the military. You haven't heard that name, have you?"
Cheng Tao's eyes widened in shock.
It wasn't just because of Qi Shengwen, but she suddenly remembered the plot from the book.
The original work was a male protagonist novel, and Zhao Yunlin was the protagonist, so there would naturally be supporting characters.
She hadn't recalled it before, but upon hearing the name "Qi Shengwen," memories flooded back.
In that case, wasn't Qi Chengyan the villainous overlord from the original novel?
If Zhao Yunlin in the book was destined to dominate the business world, then Qi Chengyan in the future would be the center of power in the military.
She looked sharply at Qi Chengyan, which was truly shocking.
"Cheng Tao, what are you thinking about?" Zhao Yunlin called out to her.
Cheng Tao was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Yunlin, will you love me forever? I left my home and followed you to Yan Cheng, with no one to rely on. What if you fall in love with someone else?"
Zhao Yunlin tightly held her hand and comforted her, "What are you thinking? We've endured so much hardship together before. With money now, I'll only treat you better."
Cheng Tao suddenly felt a sense of melancholy.
Having been in Wujing Village for so long, she had almost forgotten the original plot.
As the male protagonist, he would naturally have many female companions.
And with a male protagonist, there would be a female protagonist, but the problem was that she wasn't the female protagonist!
The reason Qi Chengyan was a villainous overlord was that he was eliminated while competing with Zhao Yunlin for the female protagonist.
She glanced back at Cheng You, feeling a sudden pang of sympathy.
With her watching Zhao Yunlin, he absolutely wouldn't fool around with anyone else.
Most likely, the original female protagonist would end up with Qi Chengyan.
Cheng You was probably the cannon fodder original wife in the novel, working for others' gain.
Her gaze happened to be caught by Cheng You.
Cheng You, with sauce smeared on her lips, looked utterly bewildered, not understanding the meaning of that look.
She had money and a loving husband; she didn't understand what there was to pity.
"Baffling," Cheng You muttered.
Qi Chengyan, worried about skewers pricking her, helped her remove the meat to eat.
Hearing her words, he looked over.
"What's wrong?"
Cheng You gestured with her chin towards the other side, "They must be bad-mouthing us."
Qi Chengyan curled his lips slightly, not saying anything.
Childish temper.
"Eat up, I'll order another bowl of soup."
Cheng You loved soup, especially peppery soup.
She really liked lamb offal soup like this.
After finishing the barbecue, Cheng You was content. It was already dark outside.
This was the inconvenience of a small town; it was pitch black once it got dark, and you couldn't see anything.
"If only there were streetlights," Cheng You said, leaning on his back.
Qi Chengyan hummed, "There will be in the future."
Their country would not remain stagnant forever.