Qi Chengyan thoroughly disliked such petty tactics.
In the past, it was Cheng Tao who wanted to frame and incriminate, and Cheng You who fought back.
But now that there was no animosity between them, why should she deliberately try to stir up trouble?
She was too willful, making him even doubt if he was merely a whim of hers.
Cheng You bit her lip hard, "Zhao Yunlin colluded with Cheng Tao to betray me. I simply hate them! I don't think I've done anything wrong!"
Qi Chengyan remained silent and turned to leave.
Cheng You couldn't help but follow him, tears shimmering in her eyes.
"Okay, okay, if you don't like it, I won't talk to them anymore. Don't be angry!"
Her legs were short, and even when she ran, she couldn't catch up to Qi Chengyan's swift stride.
Anxious, she tripped and fell to the ground, scraping her palm.
Cheng You's eyes were blurred with tears. She could no longer see Qi Chengyan and began to cry uncontrollably.
She felt so wronged.
But she truly hated Zhao Yunlin and Cheng Tao, and maliciously wished them no good.
"Wuwuwu... it hurts so much..."
Like an injured little animal, she sobbed and blew on her scraped palm.
The more she blew, the more it seemed to hurt, and the more it hurt, the more tears fell.
It was like a floodgate had opened, and she couldn't stop.
Only when a hand appeared before her did she freeze.
Cheng You looked up dazedly, her eyes as red as a little rabbit's, and she had even blown a snot bubble.
She couldn't help but cry out again, feeling utterly embarrassed.
Qi Chengyan sighed helplessly. The anger he had felt was already dissipating.
He bent down to wipe her face, even unceremoniously wiping away her snot bubble.
He then took out some herbs from his back basket, crushed them, and gently applied them to her palm.
Cheng You pouted. After he bandaged her wound, she pulled her hand away.
"Didn't you leave? Why did you come back!"
Hmph!
Qi Chengyan didn't answer and stood up, about to leave.
Cheng You's tears began to flow uncontrollably again, and she sobbed, "I'm hurt, and you're still treating me like this, wuwuwu... so cruel..."
To her accusation, Qi Chengyan could only laugh and sigh helplessly.
"Youyou."
Cheng You looked at him with wide eyes, a tear still on her fair cheek, making her look pitiful.
Qi Chengyan raised his hand to wipe it away. His voice was still low, but his tone had softened considerably.
"Zhao Yunlin and Cheng Tao are already married. If you, because of your relationship with them, disrupt their marriage, and this gets out, what will happen to your reputation?"
This was one of the reasons he found Cheng You willful.
Often, she acted without considering the consequences.
Just like before, before she had broken off her engagement with Zhao Yunlin, she had started to provoke him.
If someone saw it, it wouldn't be good for her reputation.
Cheng You's lips pouted, almost enough to hang a kettle.
"Then you should have said it properly. I'm not someone who won't listen."
Qi Chengyan didn't argue.
With her personality, where she'd take an inch if given a foot, it was unlikely she'd listen if he simply spoke nicely.
He slid his hand under her thighs and lifted her into his arms.
Cheng You was still thinking about the chicken and asked pitifully, "What about that chicken?"
"Take it to Uncle Li's house."
Cheng You was finally satisfied, at least Song Yulian wouldn't get any advantage.
...
Cheng Tao stomped back home, but Wang Hongxia didn't care if she was angry; she immediately told her to do chores.
Cheng Tao wanted to curse her out, but remembering Song Yulian's warning, she forcibly restrained herself.
"Mom, I'm not feeling well today. Let big sister-in-law do it."
Wang Hongxia was about to get angry but saw Cheng Tao holding her stomach, and hesitated for a moment.
Zhao Yunlin had said before that he hadn't touched Cheng Tao before they were married, but no one knew for sure if it was true.
If he had, and calculating the dates, Cheng Tao might indeed be pregnant.
She only had two sons and one daughter. Her eldest son was dull and honest, and his wife, Zhou Yunru, was also a pushover.
Since Zhou Yunru entered the family, all the household chores had fallen on her.
It was precisely because she had ordered Zhou Yunru to wash clothes in the middle of winter that she fell by the river and lost her eldest child.
Although it was said publicly that Zhou Yunru had been careless, Wang Hongxia had always felt guilty.
Zhao Yunlin was her precious child, whom she doted on. She couldn't let his child be harmed.
After some thought, Wang Hongxia said, "Eldest daughter-in-law, go and do the chores!"
Zhou Yunru's expression faltered. Although she was unhappy, she obediently listened.
However, that night, she couldn't help but complain to Zhao Jianguo.
"We are both daughters-in-law of the Zhao family, so why should I do all the housework? I'm not afraid of working, but it should be fair, right?"
Her words struck a sore spot for Zhao Jianguo.
Wang Hongxia's unfair treatment of her daughters-in-law was because the sons held different weights in her heart.
It was fine before Zhao Yunlin was born, but after he was born, she no longer paid any attention to him.
Even though he worked hard and earned work points, he couldn't compare to Zhao Yunlin in any way.
He sighed heavily, "I'll... I'll talk to Mom about it later."
Zhou Yunru shed silent tears. Hadn't she said it before? How many times had she said it?
"Jianguo, let's split the family. Even if we have to live in a thatched hut, I don't want to be here anymore. Let's split the family..."
Zhao Jianguo remained silent.
He hadn't brought up splitting the family before, but the word "filial piety" was heavier than the sky and could crush people.
Every time he mentioned it, Wang Hongxia would cry and make a scene, wishing she could tear him apart, crying that he was unfilial.
"Alright, I'll talk to her again tomorrow. Let's sleep."
Zhou Yunru closed her eyes, feeling exhausted.
She didn't need to see; she already knew the outcome of tomorrow.
As expected, when Wang Hongxia heard him mention splitting the family, she put on her usual act of crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang herself.
After scolding Zhao Jianguo, she started scolding Zhou Yunru.
If Zhao Jianguo hadn't protected her, she would have beaten Zhou Yunru.
Zhou Yunru watched the farce, her heart weary. A sharp pain suddenly shot through her lower abdomen.
Her face turned pale with pain, and she clutched her stomach, slumping to the ground.
Zhao Jianguo, seeing this, roared in panic, "A'Ru!"
He stopped arguing with Wang Hongxia and rushed out, carrying Zhou Yunru.
Cheng Tao pouted and glanced at Zhao Yunlin.
Zhao Yunlin was quick-witted and immediately went to persuade, "Mom, don't be angry. Big brother is just confused for a moment."
"Confused for a moment? I think he's been thinking about it for a long time! It must be because Dad and I are old and disliked, and even our own son doesn't want us anymore!"
As Wang Hongxia spoke, she started to cry sadly.
Zhao Yunlin coaxed her, "How could that be? Big brother is the most filial! Even if he doesn't want you and Dad, I do. I'll support you!"
Wang Hongxia felt a little better.
When she heard Zhao Yunlin suggest she go see Zhou Yunru, her face darkened again.
"I'm not going. It's obvious she's faking it! When she comes back, I'll beat her to death!"
Zhao Yunlin wanted to ask Cheng Tao to go and see as well, but Cheng Tao was still angry and ignored him completely.