"A Yan wrote home, and I learned of your existence. I hope you won't find my visit abrupt."
What Qi Yang didn't say was that her parents had initially wanted to come, but she had stopped them.
Her relationship with Qi Chengyan was already strained enough; if her parents were to get involved, things would inevitably spiral out of control.
Thus, she decided to come herself.
Setting aside her background, she had a very good impression of Cheng You.
Cheng Tao stood stiffly to the side. So, it was an elder sister.
But why did this sister seem to like Cheng You so much?
Shouldn't she be like a typical parent, trying to break them up?
Cheng You poured tea for Qi Yang. "Sister, please have a seat."
Qi Yang pulled her down beside her. "Don't bother with the chores. I'm just here for a short visit and will be leaving soon."
She took out a familiar jar from her bag. "I heard you made this?"
Her parents looked down on such things, considering them to be of poor quality from the countryside, so she had taken it with her.
Qi Yang, who spent most of her time in the lab, suffered from cracked hands every winter. Even a small crack could cause her immense suffering.
It wasn't until she got this cracked skin ointment that she felt like she had truly come alive.
Cheng You nodded. "Yes, Sister. Do you find it useful? I can give you a few more jars."
"It's very useful! Extremely useful! Several of my friends want to know about it. I've brought a few jars back this time. I won't take advantage of you. Please charge me whatever it costs."
She intended to charge her friends back home.
Cheng You said, "Okay, six mao per jar. How many do you want?"
Qi Yang's eyes widened. "Only six mao? That won't do. It's too cheap. One yuan per jar. Give me ten jars first."
Cheng You: "..." Qi Chengyan's sister was quite the generous patron.
"Sister, six mao is enough."
Qi Yang tutted. "Little Youzi, my colleagues at the lab have money. It's one yuan per jar. This cracked skin ointment is worth this price! I'll leave you my address and phone number later. If it's convenient, you can mail me some more."
Cheng You quickly agreed, "Sure, just tell me when you need it."
She felt too embarrassed to accept one yuan per jar from Qi Yang, especially since the raw materials were sourced at wholesale prices from the daily chemical factory.
The cost was low.
After some thought, she decided to give Qi Yang two extra bottles of hemostatic powder and honeysuckle powder as a bonus.
Seeing that Qi Yang was indeed in a hurry, she took the items and stood up to leave.
"Later, have A Yan bring you to Yancheng to visit. Sister will treat you to delicious food. You don't need to see me out. This is far enough."
Qi Yang waved goodbye and strode away.
Cheng You walked back with ten yuan in her pocket and saw Cheng Tao still there, raising an eyebrow.
"Why are you still here? Quite disappointed, aren't you? This lady is my partner's sister, and she's really nice."
Cheng Tao: "..." Indeed disappointed.
Not only disappointed, but also feeling a pang of discomfort.
Thinking about her situation at Old Zhao's house and seeing how much Qi Chengyan's sister valued Cheng You, that feeling of imbalance returned.
"Oh, right, Cheng Tao. Just as you wished, Sister Yunru is moving back to Old Zhao's house. Are you happy?"
Cheng Tao looked at her in shock. "When?"
Cheng You shrugged. "I don't know, but it's happening soon. The entire Zhao family, even Zhao Yunlin, has invited her. They even said that from now on, all the housework will be yours, and your room will be given to Sister Yunru. You're truly a good person."
Cheng Tao stared at her, dumbfounded, still not understanding what was happening.
She hadn't even been home, so who had agreed to all this!
Cheng Tao quickly turned and ran out. She had to go back and get to the bottom of this.
As expected, the Old Zhao family had another major argument.
But Zhao Yunlin and Wang Hongxia were fighting over it, and Cheng Tao couldn't win against them no matter what.
Cheng You, after some thought, went to stir the pot with Cheng Tianhua.
"Dad, although I dislike you, I still want to remind you. Your relationship with Deputy Director Qian relies on the Old Zhao family. It doesn't look good for Cheng Tao to be living at her maternal home all the time."
"With Sister Yunru about to return to the Old Zhao family, if Cheng Tao doesn't go back to appease Aunt Wang, where will she have a place in that home in the future? It's better to seize this opportunity and quickly have a child with Zhao Yunlin."
Cheng Tianhua: "..." Is this something an unmarried daughter should say!
Song Yulian spat. "Get out. I can see you have ill intentions."
Cheng You feigned innocence. "I do have ill intentions, but I'm only speaking the truth."
Cheng Tianhua was always indecisive. Cheng You had even given him gifts during the New Year, leading him to imagine a lot and believe that Cheng You still acknowledged him.
He took her words to heart to some extent.
"Cheng You is right. Go pack Cheng Tao's things and send her home."
Song Yulian wanted to persuade him further, but seeing Cheng Tianhua's expression, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
Cheng Tao would definitely have a difficult time if she returned now.
Cheng You was satisfied with the outcome. Humming a tune, she walked out. At the door, she met Cheng Tao.
She looked like a defeated hen, disheveled and with her head hanging low.
Especially upon seeing Cheng You, Cheng Tao felt like a clown.
"Oh, looks like you lost."
Cheng Tao glared at her fiercely. "Cheng You, don't get smug!"
Cheng You chuckled. "What do I have to be smug about? I'm just here to watch the show."
Just as she finished speaking, she heard Song Yulian say, "Cheng Tao, I've packed your things. Go back now."
Cheng Tao looked at her with disbelief.
"Mom, in this situation, where am I supposed to go? I just had a fight with Wang Hongxia!"
Even if she went back, Wang Hongxia wouldn't let her in!
Song Yulian couldn't bear it and looked at Cheng Tianhua pleadingly.
But Cheng Tianhua was unmoved. "From the beginning, you haven't fulfilled your duty as a daughter-in-law. Have you ever seen a daughter-in-law in the village dare to fight with her mother-in-law? She's your elder. Hitting her is no different from hitting your own mother!"
Cheng Tao retorted unwillingly. "She bullied me too much!"
Wang Hongxia treated her like dirt.
"No matter what, she's your mother-in-law! She's your elder! Go home now. This is not your home!"
Cheng Tao broke down in tears. At this point, she no longer cared about Cheng You watching the spectacle.
"I'm not going back!"
As a result, Cheng Tianhua threw Cheng Tao's belongings outside. "If you're not going back, then sleep outside. This is not your home!"
With that, he angrily closed the door.
Cheng You raised an eyebrow. He was truly this heartless.
It seemed Cheng Tianhua was just like that, only caring about himself.
Cheng Tao glared at her ferociously. "Are you satisfied!"
Cheng You clapped her hands. "It's okay, not completely satisfied. Cheng Tao, why are you acting so wronged? Zhao Yunlin was your choice, the Old Zhao family was where you married into. Why are you acting like someone is bullying you?"
Cheng Tao gritted her teeth, almost to the point of crushing them.
One day, she would tell everyone that choosing Zhao Yunlin was the right decision!