Cheng You returned home not long after Cheng Tianhua showed up at her door.
What else could it be about if not money?
Sun Xiaowan was beaten by Wang Hongxia because of Cheng Tao.
She clung to this incident, demanding three hundred yuan in compensation from the Zhao family.
Wang Hongxia insisted that Zhao Yunlin and Cheng Tao divorce. If only Cheng Tao were unwilling, she might have found a way to manage.
But Zhao Yunlin also refused, and the matter stalled.
Just then, Sun Xiaowan proposed compensation, and Wang Hongxia used it to pressure Cheng Tao into paying.
If she paid the three hundred, they would agree to Cheng Tao and Zhao Yunlin continuing their marriage.
But where would Cheng Tao get three hundred? She had no dowry, only the money her mother Song Yulian and Cheng Tianhua had given her, which she had almost spent.
To pay this money, she had to beg Cheng Tianhua.
Cheng Tianhua found himself in a difficult position.
His finances had been relatively comfortable. He had been with Jiang Qing for over ten years, and his savings amounted to about two thousand yuan.
Now, after giving Cheng You eight hundred and some money to Cheng Tao, he was left with only one thousand.
In the blink of an eye, half of the money he had saved for so many years was gone.
He felt a pang of pain even at the thought of parting with another hundred yuan from his remaining savings, let alone three hundred.
But Song Yulian was practically on her knees begging him.
"You can't possibly want Cheng Tao to divorce, can you? If she's kicked out, with her current reputation, which good family would dare to take her? Besides, Wang Hongxia keeps saying Cheng You should marry into their family, but you know Cheng You's temperament. If Cheng Tao is forced out of the Zhao family, this alliance would be broken!"
Song Yulian knew exactly how to manipulate Cheng Tianhua.
These words struck a nerve.
If he lost the connection with the Zhao family, how would he maintain his ties with Deputy Director Qian?
He couldn't break it, and he didn't want to spend money, so his only option was to turn to Cheng You.
"You seem to be on good terms with Sun Xiaowan, can you help your father and talk to her..."
"Talk about what? Say that you didn't deliberately prevent her from returning to the city, or that Wang Hongxia didn't intentionally beat her?"
Cheng You almost laughed at herself after saying that.
"Do you really believe there are no lingering grudges between father and daughter? The matter of you trying to sell me to Deputy Director Qian hasn't been resolved yet. How dare you come to me now?" Cheng You said sarcastically.
Cheng Tianhua's face darkened. "I've said it many times, I didn't know about that. I didn't intend to marry you off to Qian Dingzhong! Besides, with Qian Dingzhong's conditions, even if you married him, you'd be the one benefiting!"
"Tch! With words like that, you expect me to believe you never intended to sell me? Listen to yourself, how credible is that?"
Cheng You was tired of arguing. "If you hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have thought of asking Wang Hongxia for compensation! She hit me last time too. Even if I can't get three hundred, I can at least get a hundred yuan, right?"
Cheng Tianhua was furious. "You dare!"
Cheng You said coldly, "It's not that I don't dare, it's a matter of whether I want to! If you don't leave now, I guarantee Sun Xiaowan's compensation won't be three hundred anymore, but five hundred!"
Cheng Tianhua laughed in anger. This daughter of his was truly here to collect debts!
"Fine! Cheng You, you'd better never ask anything of me, your father, for the rest of your life, or I will make you regret what you've said today!"
Cheng You met his gaze with a cold expression, offering no reply.
From now on, no matter what happened, if she sought out Cheng Tianhua, it would be equivalent to seeking death!
After Cheng Tianhua left, Cheng Wenyu emerged from the house, his expression dejected.
"Sister."
He felt disgusted by what Cheng Tianhua had done and chilled by his words, yet he still remembered that he was his father.
But now, he suddenly realized that Cheng Tianhua no longer considered him and his sister as family.
"Don't be unhappy over someone like that. It's not worth it."
Cheng Wenyu said, "Sister, I found out a secret, about Cheng Tao."
Cheng You raised an eyebrow. Cheng Tao had secrets she didn't know?
"What secret?"
Cheng Wenyu hesitated. "Cheng Tao and Dad... have a relationship."
"When did you find out?" Cheng You's face showed no surprise.
Cheng Wenyu looked at her in astonishment. Cheng You's attitude revealed everything; she had known all along!
"I overheard their conversation by accident before."
Although he pretended not to have heard anything, his heart had collapsed.
Cheng Tianhua's image in his mind began to crumble from that moment on.
"Don't worry about this matter for now."
It wasn't time yet, but one day, she would find a way to tear off their last fig leaf.
Cheng Wenyu let out a low hum and looked back at her.
"Sister, I'm sorry."
Before knowing this, he had treated Song Yulian and Cheng Tao as his own family and had done many things that hurt Cheng You.
Cheng You gave a wry smile. Hadn't she, like Cheng Wenyu, treated those two venomous women as family before?
Thinking back now, how was she any better than Cheng Wenyu?
"It's okay, don't overthink it."
After Qi Chengyan finished his work, he came to find Cheng You to go up the mountain.
She told him about Cheng Tianhua.
"He asked me to intercede with Sun Xiaowan, but I refused."
Qi Chengyan said, "He has already paid the money."
Cheng You chuckled. "He must have been furious then."
Three hundred yuan, making Cheng Tianhua part with it now was like cutting off a piece of flesh.
Seeing Qi Chengyan's unruffled expression, Cheng You tilted her head and looked at him. "Don't you think I'm too heartless? He's my own father."
"Some fathers are fathers, but some are not."
At least Cheng Tianhua didn't deserve the title of "father."
Cheng You curled her lips, her eyes filled with mockery.
She sighed and walked up the mountain step by step.
"I used to think he was a good father, at least towards me and Cheng Wenyu, he wasn't bad."
Only later did she realize that it was only because her mother was still alive.
After her mother passed away, the reason he kept her was simply to sell her off at a good price.
Qi Chengyan was silent for a moment before speaking. "Cheng You, there's something I need to tell you. Please don't be angry."
Cheng You glanced at him. "Did you do something to betray me again?"
"It's not me. Do you know if your mother had a dowry?"
Cheng You suddenly felt her feet grow heavy, unable to move.
"Dowry?"
She had never heard of it.
As far as she remembered, after her mother passed away, there was only one thing left for her.
The bracelet her mother had given her with her own hands.
It was only after she was pushed into the river by Cheng Tao and had a high fever dream that she learned the meaning of the bracelet.
But she had never seen any other possessions.
And Qi Chengyan knew about this because Cheng Tao mentioned it today when she came to compensate Sun Xiaowan.
She arrogantly threw the three hundred yuan down. "Is three hundred yuan anything to be proud of! My mother holds Cheng You's mother's dowry. Never mind three hundred, we can afford more!"
She was so smug because at that time, only she and Sun Xiaowan were at the educated youth point, and she wasn't worried about anyone else finding out.