Cheng You's words struck a chord with Cheng Tianhua.
If he wanted to mend their relationship, he naturally couldn't offend her.
He closed his eyes and slowly exhaled.
"Since that's the case, I'll trouble Brother Li to handle it."
Uncle Li smiled and nodded, "No problem."
Song Yulian watched the betrothal gifts with resentment, as if a prize she had almost grasped had just slipped away.
Cheng Tao quickly followed her out and said, "Mom, are we just going to let it go?"
"What else can we do? Your dad isn't saying anything, what can I, a stepmother, do?"
Cheng Tao was full of indignation. So many things, all ending up in Cheng You's hands.
"Then if she marries from Uncle Li's house, will Uncle Li prepare a dowry for her?"
Song Yulian gnashed her teeth, "How should I know!"
Most likely, yes.
After all, everyone knew that half of the money Cheng You earned from selling medicine went to him.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Cheng You put away the items and pulled Qi Chengyan.
"Shall we go get our marriage certificate?"
Qi Chengyan remained still, looking at her.
"My family didn't come, I'm sorry to have troubled you."
He had originally told his sister, but she couldn't get there for at least a few more days.
As for his parents, he had no intention of telling them.
He wondered if Qi Yang had said anything.
Cheng You smiled, "With my family situation, do you feel wronged?"
"Of course not."
He felt that Cheng You was the one who was wronged, to have such a family.
Cheng You pouted, "So, I'm the same as you."
Qi Chengyan held her small hand and tightened his grip.
"I will treat you well, for a lifetime."
Cheng You beamed and tilted her head playfully.
"You have to treat me well. Your money is still in my hands. If you don't treat me well, I'll spend all the money and make you a pauper!"
Qi Chengyan gently stroked her small face.
"It's all for you to spend."
It was a pity that time was too tight to apply for a plot of land and build a new house.
Otherwise, he would have definitely built Cheng You a grand house, so she could marry with great fanfare.
Qi Chengyan was no longer a soldier, and marriage did not require prior reporting. As long as the submitted documents were in order, the marriage certificate would be issued quickly.
Cheng You looked at the stamped red booklet, a simple little book.
But this little book represented the marital bond that tied her life and another man's together.
She pressed her hand against her cheek, her expression dazed.
She was actually married, and to Qi Chengyan.
"Qi Chengyan, I'm your wife from now on!"
"Yes, my wife."
He scooped her up with one arm, lifting her above him, looking up at her.
This girl had pulled him out of the abyss and given him light.
"Cheng You, I love you."
This love was limited by his life.
Cheng You's face flushed, and she leaned down to kiss him on the cheek.
"I love you too, not any less than you do."
Qi Chengyan chuckled, "That won't do. I have to love you a little more."
She could yield on anything else, but not this.
Cheng You huffed coquettishly and ordered him to carry her.
An old woman saw them and covered her eyes, muttering, "In broad daylight, young people these days have no restraint."
Cheng You laughed heartily, her laughter light and cheerful.
"Why should we restrain ourselves? We're married, it's legal!"
She held up the red booklet, wishing she could announce to the whole world that she and Qi Chengyan were married.
Qi Chengyan was infected by her smile, and a doting smile bloomed on his face as he walked forward, carrying her.
They got onto a tractor, and Qi Chengyan said, "Do you want to apply for a plot of land to build a house?"
Cheng You thought for a moment, "No need."
She planned to take the college entrance exam next year and might not stay here long.
Building a house would mean it would sit idle. It would be better to give Sixth Aunt money and buy the current house.
Qi Chengyan nodded, "Whatever you say. Then shall we pick a date?"
Cheng You looked at his leg, "It's better now, right?"
"Yes."
This was something he had never dared to dream of in his life.
Cheng You hesitated, "Will your parents come for our wedding? If they are coming, should we wait to hold the banquet?"
Qi Chengyan kissed her cheek, "You You, you don't need to accommodate anyone. Hold the banquet whenever you want, no need to wait for them."
In other words, Qi Chengyan didn't care if they came or not.
Cheng You nodded, "Then let's go back and take a look, and pick a suitable date."
Of course, the sooner the better.
In the following period, Cheng You began to prepare for the wedding.
She would be married from Uncle Li's house.
The place they were living in now would be considered their new home.
From decorating the house to the number of tables for the banquet, to choosing the menu, every detail was tedious and time-consuming.
Cheng You was so busy that she couldn't even find time to make medicine, so she had to ask Zhang Fuhai for leave and postpone the delivery time.
Zhang Fuhai, of course, would not be unreasonable about such a happy occasion.
Zhenzhen, during this time, followed Cheng You around like a little whirlwind.
"Sister, will he treat you very well?"
"Who?"
Cheng You slowly realized she was talking about Qi Chengyan.
She squatted down to be at Zhenzhen's eye level.
"Yes, he treats me very well."
Zhenzhen's little face was tense. She had put on some weight during this time of good food and care.
"Sister, he won't abandon you and the baby, right?"
Cheng You smiled and shook her head, "No."
"That's good."
Everyone said that she and her mother were abandoned by their father.
She didn't want Cheng You to suffer the same fate.
Her little hand lingered in her pocket. After hesitating for a moment, she took out a watch.
"Sister, I picked this watch up."
She hadn't dared to say anything before, for fear of being scolded.
After thinking about it for a long time, she decided to bring it out.
She knew it was wrong, it was stealing.
Cheng You took the watch. She remembered Wen Jiahao saying it was his sister's遗物 (yíwù -遗物, relic, belongings left by a deceased person).
And his sister was Zhenzhen's mother.
"Do you recognize this watch?"
Zhenzhen nodded, "My mother used to wear it."
Later, when she was sick, to raise money for medical expenses, her mother gave the watch to that man and got five yuan.
Cheng You put the watch back into Zhenzhen's pocket and tucked it away.
"Zhenzhen, since it belonged to your mother, keep it safe."
Zhenzhen bit her lip, "But what I did was wrong."
"It was wrong, so this can only happen once. Don't do it again, do you hear me?"
A spark of spirit appeared on Zhenzhen's face, and she nodded repeatedly.
"I know, I promise I won't do it again!"
Cheng You patted her head and suddenly thought of what Zhou Wenxuan had told her about Wen Jiahao.
Zhou Yunru had told her that Wen Jiahao was introduced to Zhao Lifang by Cheng Tao as a potential suitor.
He seemed good on the surface, but was two-faced.
Zhou Yunru hadn't caught him yet and felt he was a bad person, purely based on her intuition.
But Zhou Wenxuan had subtly mentioned to Cheng You that Wen Jiahao was the only son of his family, and extremely selfish.
But these were not the main issues. He had a secret that was not to be spoken of: he was actually attracted to men.
Zhou Wenxuan had personally witnessed him kissing a man.
In fact, if one really thought about it, this wasn't a big deal.
The problem was that the Wen family knew about this, yet they were still actively finding matches for Wen Jiahao everywhere.
No matter which family's daughter married into theirs, her life would be ruined.