Song Yulian wanted two or three hundred, Cheng You might have considered it.
When she asked for her mother's passbook, Cheng You thought she was dreaming.
"Then there's no point in discussing it further."
Song Yulian gritted her teeth, "As long as you still carry the surname Cheng, I will never let you have this household registration book!"
Cheng You said nothing and turned to leave.
She went to the educated youth spot and told Sun Xiaowan and the others about it.
Sun Xiaowan said, "If you get married, it wouldn't be right for him to not give you the household registration book, would it?"
Cheng You was stunned for a moment and then realized.
"You mean I should marry Qi Chengyan?"
Sun Xiaowan spread her hands, "You two were going to get married sooner or later anyway. What's the difference between getting married now and later?"
The news hit Cheng You like a ton of bricks.
Of course, she wanted to marry Qi Chengyan, but she hadn't expected it to be so soon.
Moreover, marrying him for this reason felt like using him.
Cheng You shook her head and dismissed the idea.
"I'll think about it again."
Sun Xiaowan hooked her arm around Cheng You's neck and leaned in.
"Don't you want to get married?"
Looking at her sly face, Cheng You felt a little self-conscious.
"What nonsense are you talking about? I just feel like we haven't spent enough time together and don't know each other well enough."
Qi Chengyan was only here by himself. She didn't know anything about his family situation, nor whether his parents would approve.
Sun Xiaowan raised an eyebrow, "What don't you know? You two haven't even kissed, have you?"
Cheng You's face turned bright red, and she pushed her away in exasperation.
"You, a lady, how can you talk like that!"
Sun Xiaowan blinked, "What's wrong with how I talk? Isn't dating all about kissing and hugging? But with Qi Chengyan's personality, he really hasn't done anything like that with you? You're such a beautiful woman, and he's completely unfazed."
"What nonsense are you spouting? Of course, we've kissed!"
Cheng You blurted it out in a moment of haste, and both Sun Xiaowan and Duan Liping looked at her with teasing expressions.
Sun Xiaowan nudged her shoulder, curious, "How did it feel?"
Cheng You rolled her eyes at her, "Find a boyfriend yourself and you'll know."
Sun Xiaowan snorted, "Then what else don't you know? You know all the important things. Anything else, you'll probably only find out after you get married."
Cheng You said, "I don't know what his family members will think."
Duan Liping hesitated for a moment and then said, "Qing Zhiqing's family has some background. They're in the military. I only know of one person named Qi, and their position is already this high."
She held up her thumb.
In Yan City, families with some background would definitely value their daughter-in-law's family background.
Sun Xiaowan, however, felt it didn't matter. "With Brother Chengyan's personality, do you think he cares about what others think? As long as he likes you, nothing else matters."
Duan Liping nodded in agreement, "That's true."
Cheng You didn't want to talk about it anymore. Thinking about the college entrance examination next year, she asked, "I asked you two to study last time, did you?"
Sun Xiaowan nodded, "We did. She drags me to recite books every day, it's so annoying."
She was a poor student, but Duan Liping was different. Every morning, she would get up and pull Sun Xiaowan along to study.
Cheng You reminded her, "Don't be impatient. Just keep at it until next year and see."
Sun Xiaowan pouted. She didn't believe the college entrance examination would really be resumed next year.
But for now, besides this, she didn't know any other way to return to the city.
After talking with them, Cheng You returned to Uncle Li's house.
Before she could enter, she encountered an old man leaning on a cane.
His hair was white, his back stooped, he wore a dark blue cloth shirt, and his expression was solemn.
He was an old man full of a somber aura, as if he never smiled.
Cheng You walked over, "Who are you looking for?"
The old man said, "I'm here to buy something."
"Buy what?"
He took out a jar from his pocket, and Cheng You immediately recognized it as her ginseng pills.
"You want to buy ginseng pills?"
"Yes, this one."
Cheng You nodded, "Then please come in."
The old man followed her into the house and adjusted his reading glasses.
He hadn't visited Wujing Village for a long time and felt the place was somewhat familiar.
It had been so long that he no longer remembered.
As soon as Cheng You entered the house, she called out, "Uncle Li, I remember we have one more jar of ginseng pills left, right?"
All the others had been sold, leaving only one jar.
There were still some ginseng wine, though.
The old man suddenly stopped and said in a deep voice, "Your surname is Li?"
Cheng You was stunned, "Yes, why?"
The old man snorted. He remembered there was only one barefoot doctor named Li in Wujing Village.
He didn't want to trouble Cheng You, a young girl, and waved his hand, "It's nothing, I won't buy it anymore."
With that, he turned and walked out.
Just then, Uncle Li came out of the house and saw his back. He hurried out in a few steps.
"Elder, why have you come?"
Cheng You suddenly realized, so they knew each other.
But the old man clearly disliked Uncle Li. He pushed away Uncle Li's hand and said coldly, "I didn't remember this was your house at first. If I had known, I wouldn't have come."
Cheng You didn't understand and explained, "He came to buy ginseng pills."
Uncle Li had just taken it out from the house and handed it over eagerly.
"This is it, take it. I'll make some more and send it over later."
Unexpectedly, the old man was stubborn and pushed his hand away.
The ginseng pills fell to the ground.
Fortunately, the bottle was sturdy enough that it didn't break.
His lips moved, but in the end, he didn't say a word of apology and turned to leave.
Uncle Li stared at his retreating figure, all the words he wanted to say turning into a sigh.
He bent down, picked up the ginseng pills, and handed them to Cheng You.
"Put it away."
Cheng You wanted to ask, but she didn't know how.
The old man just now must have had a conflict with Uncle Li.
That evening, when Cheng You was carrying foot-washing water into the house to soak Grandma Li's feet, she asked about the old man.
Grandma Li said, "That is your uncle's father-in-law."
Cheng You's eyes darkened. Like Grandma Li, he was an elder who had lost both his daughter and grandson.
"He had only one daughter, just like me. After my daughter-in-law passed away, his wife died of extreme grief."
From then on, he became truly alone.
His hair turned white overnight.
In those days, everyone knew Lin Changhe, the county magistrate of Xing County.
He served the country and the people, with a happy and harmonious family.
But this single setback had struck him so hard that he could never stand up straight again.
Cheng You listened in silence. What had Uncle Li done wrong to lose his wife and child?
Who could feel more pain than him?
This accident caused two families to lose their loved ones simultaneously; no one was at fault.
"Alright, don't mention this in front of your uncle in the future, so he doesn't get upset. Go back soon, it's thundering outside, it's probably going to rain."
After soaking her feet, Grandma Li lay down on the bed, her back to Cheng You.
Her figure looked lonely and heartbroken.