Cheng You and Qi Chengyan held hands waiting for the bus, while Zhang Guihua and Yu Liang stood by with large bags.
Qi Chengyan, such a tall man, did not offer to help, infuriating Yu Liang, who spat at him.
Finally, the bus arrived, and everyone rushed on.
Cheng You and Qi Chengyan, young and agile, easily navigated the crowd.
It was difficult for Zhang Guihua and Yu Liang, who were squeezed like a sandwich, fearing the bus would close its doors and leave them behind.
Qi Chengyan and Cheng You, having experienced this in the countryside, found two empty seats and settled in.
Those who boarded later were not so fortunate.
Yu Liang pulled Zhang Guihua over, standing next to Qi Chengyan and hinting with his eyes.
Qi Chengyan remained indifferent, and Cheng You pretended not to see.
Yu Liang's attitude turned nasty. "My mother is an elder. If you won't give up your seats for me, you should at least give them to her, right?"
Cheng You glanced at him, scoffing inwardly.
If she had no morals, no one could guilt-trip her.
She curled her lips coldly and touched her belly.
"Comrade, although your mother is old, she is still healthy and able to stand for a while. But the child in my belly might not be. The doctor said my pregnancy is unstable and there's a risk of miscarriage at any time. If I give up my seat and lose the child, will you pay with your life?"
Yu Liang's face turned red with anger at her shameless words. She didn't look like she had an unstable pregnancy at all.
No, she didn't look pregnant at all!
But the kindhearted elderly people around them began to condemn him.
"There's a first-come, first-served rule when taking the bus. There's no reason to force someone to give up their seat."
"Even if you're giving up a seat, you should find someone healthy. Why would you do it for a pregnant woman?"
"She's not feeling well, so leave her be. I'll give up my seat for you, old woman."
"..."
Yu Liang felt his face burning from their words. He retorted stubbornly, "Even if she can't give up her seat, her man surely can."
Cheng You leaned on Qi Chengyan's shoulder, looking weak.
"I'm sorry, he can't either. He needs to stay by my side to take care of me."
Zhang Guihua tugged at Yu Liang, advising, "We'll be there soon. I don't need to sit."
In truth, she knew it wasn't about wanting to sit, but Yu Liang was simply being lazy.
The bus swayed and stopped, heading towards the outskirts.
When they finally arrived at the military compound, Cheng You felt her legs had gone numb from sitting.
She had specifically checked the bus schedule; the last bus was at five, so they would definitely make it on time.
She hopped off the bus, making no effort to hide the fact that she had been lying.
If she were truly pregnant, she wouldn't be jumping around like this.
Yu Liang's face contorted with rage.
Qi Chengyan's face was their best pass. The guards at the entrance recognized him, and no prior notice was needed.
Cheng You walked in, holding his hand, and clearly received many curious glances.
The Qi family, including Qi Chengyan, had always been the center of attention in the military compound.
The people from Wujing Village only dared to talk behind their backs, but the people here seemed to wear their "disdain" on their faces.
It was as if they were righteous judges who had already pronounced a death sentence.
Cheng You squeezed his hand tightly and smiled, "The environment here is quite nice, but I still prefer the siheyuan."
Qi Chengyan looked down at her, "Then we'll keep living in the siheyuan from now on."
He wasn't sure if he would be able to return to the army.
Cheng You nodded, "After dinner, let's go pay our respects to Grandma. Let her see what a good wife you've married."
Qi Chengyan chuckled, his eyes full of doting.
"Grandma will definitely like you."
Zhang Guihua and her son followed behind them as they walked to the Qi family's doorstep.
Sister Lin opened the door and was overjoyed to see Qi Chengyan.
"Ah Yan is back!" she quickly called back, "Teacher Song, Ah Yan is back with his wife!"
Compared to when he went to the countryside, Qi Chengyan's complexion had improved considerably.
She eagerly stepped aside, only to discover Zhang Guihua and Yu Liang following behind them.
She was suddenly at a loss, unsure whether to let them in.
Before she could react, Zhang Guihua and Yu Liang had already pushed their way in from outside, making Sister Lin a little flustered.
It was one thing for Qi Chengyan to come back, but why did he bring these two people along?
As they stepped inside, Sister Lin hadn't even closed the door when she saw Zhou Qi.
She then remembered it was a reunion day, and Mother Qi had invited Qi Yang and Zhou Qi over.
Sister Lin's heart grew even more uneasy. They were all gathering here.
Cheng You and Qi Chengyan entered the house. This was the first time she met Qi Shengwen, the head of the Yan City Military Region.
His features bore a resemblance to Qi Chengyan's, though Cheng You felt Qi Chengyan took after his mother more.
Mother Qi was still as haughty as ever, impeccably dressed and with her back perfectly straight.
Seeing Cheng You, she glanced at her.
"Sit down."
Before they could sit, Mother Qi's eyes fell on Zhang Guihua and Yu Liang as they entered, and her expression changed drastically.
Her elegant mask shattered.
"You! How did you get in here!"
She was determined to lodge a complaint about the guards at the gate. What kind of riffraff were they letting in?
Zhang Guihua looked a bit embarrassed and put down their luggage.
"We came in with them."
Cheng You blinked innocently, "Auntie, yesterday I thought you seemed very concerned about them and were worried about where they would go. So I brought them over. If they live with us, you can be at ease."
Mother Qi almost couldn't catch her breath. "Who is concerned about them!"
She had wanted to arrange for them to live in the siheyuan precisely because she didn't want these two staying at her house.
And now, Cheng You had brought them back directly.
Mother Qi gritted her teeth and called out, "Sister Lin!"
"Hurry up and throw them out!"
The sudden chaos made Qi Shengwen frown.
Yu Liang didn't want to be kicked out. He forced a fawning smile and lowered his stance, coaxing, "Auntie, we don't intend to impose. Please, just for Zhou Qi's sake, let us stay for a few days. We promise not to cause any trouble."
Mother Qi's forehead veins bulged. She found it annoying to even speak another word to them.
"What do you mean stay? Who gave you permission to stay! This is the Qi family's home, and you have nothing to do with us!"
She had adopted Zhou Qi, but that didn't mean she was going to adopt all of his poor relatives as well.
Yu Liang felt his dignity trampled underfoot, and his face turned grim.
"We are Zhou Qi's relatives!"
Mother Qi sneered, "Get it straight, even though I adopted Zhou Qi, he doesn't have the surname Qi! As long as I don't agree, there's no way he can bring you into our home!"
As she spoke, the atmosphere in the living room suddenly froze.
Sister Lin stood awkwardly at the doorway and called out, "Teacher Song, this..."
Mother Qi looked over impatiently, her face stiffening as she saw Zhou Qi.