After all, this was their territory. Zhao Jisheng understood the principle that a strong dragon couldn't suppress a local snake.
They had misunderstood in the first place, so an apology was in order.
But Zhou Qi, with his neck stiff, refused to apologize no matter what.
"Teacher, why bother with them? Villagers are just crude and unreasonable."
In Yancheng, Zhou Qi had never been treated with such injustice.
Apologizing to Qi Chengyan was absolutely out of the question for him.
Zhao Jisheng was exasperated with him; every word he spoke only fanned the flames.
Cheng You directly picked up a basin of water and doused Zhou Qi.
"You're actually right. I've always been ruthless, and everyone in Wujing Village knows it!"
Zhou Qi, caught off guard, was drenched like a drowned rat.
His face darkened, and gritting his teeth, he spat out, "You shrew!"
Cheng You smiled at him, "If I'm a shrew, then what are you? Since you look down on villagers, why did you come to our village? You refuse to admit your mistakes when you've done something wrong, and you're still so arrogant. People like you, who lack basic manners, are truly rare."
Zhou Qi's face turned red at her words, especially with Qi Chengyan watching.
Unable to deal with Cheng You, he turned to Qi Chengyan, "Are you just going to watch your wife treat me like this?"
Qi Chengyan raised an eyebrow. "Quite good."
He actually felt quite pleased.
Of course, he didn't take Zhou Qi's words to heart, but Cheng You's defense made him extremely happy.
After all, even his parents had never acted this way.
Cheng You dropped the basin and looked at Zhao Jisheng.
"You should leave quickly. Don't force me to call people to drive you out."
Zhao Jisheng was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead. He explained to Cheng You, "Zhou Qi's words are a bit harsh, but he's not a bad person..."
"He insulted my husband, and now he doesn't even dare to admit his mistake. You call that not bad? You're old, and you truly have moments of misjudgment."
Although Lin Changhe didn't know what had happened, seeing how angry Cheng You was, he assumed Zhou Qi must have done something wrong.
He said earnestly, "Young man, live with integrity. You need to know when to be firm and when to be humble. Admitting a mistake and apologizing is just that. Even though you're young, you need to discern right from wrong."
With a few more words of persuasion from Zhao Jisheng, Zhou Qi reluctantly apologized.
Cheng You was only勉强 satisfied. "You can leave now."
Even after the apology, she still disliked Zhou Qi.
She wished she could have driven them away right then and there.
However, Zhao Jisheng didn't move. He quickly said, "We've come here to find someone."
Lin Changhe asked, "Who are you looking for?"
"We're looking for a young lady named Cheng You. We were introduced by Director Yang Yunian, and we want to buy some medicinal herb seeds from her."
Zhao Jisheng believed that the medicinal herbs from Qili Village were extraordinary.
Finding such high-quality medicinal herbs made him feel that the trip was worthwhile.
Later, after inquiring in Qili Village, he learned that they were planting medicinal herbs for the first time.
Moreover, they used the same planting method for different herbs, which was completely unsuitable.
To be able to cultivate such quality medicinal herbs with such rough farming methods was simply astonishing.
He soon thought that perhaps it was the seeds, which prompted him to rush over.
Cheng You directly refused, "No."
Even if she had them, she wouldn't sell them, but she genuinely didn't have any at the moment.
Zhou Qi scoffed, "How do you know you don't have any? We're not looking for you, we're looking for Cheng You! And we're not taking them for free; we're paying to buy them!"
He actually felt this trip was unnecessary. He had already learned that Cheng You bought them from Yancheng.
So, they could have just returned to Yancheng.
Zhao Jisheng was unwilling and insisted on coming to see Cheng You's medicinal herb seeds.
That's how the previous incident occurred.
Zhou Yunru, standing nearby, found it amusing. They didn't know the person they were looking for was right in front of them.
"Cheng You, could you come and take a look at this medicinal herb for me?"
Cheng You agreed and turned to walk over.
Zhao Jisheng and Zhou Qi were dumbfounded. So, they had offended the person they were looking for as soon as they arrived.
Zhao Jisheng looked at Zhou Qi helplessly. He seemed steady usually, but his temperament had completely changed since coming here.
"Comrade Cheng You, Zhou Qi was wrong. I apologize on his behalf. I wonder if you have any..."
"No, I'm not lying to you. I truly don't have any medicinal herb seeds."
The ones Qi Chengyan bought for her before had all been sent to Qili Village.
In any case, all the seeds she had were planted.
Zhao Jisheng was not petty and knew that Cheng You genuinely didn't have any at the moment.
"Could you tell us where you bought these medicinal herbs from?"
Cheng You replied, "Of course, but I must warn you that buying from others is a waste of effort. The seeds won't be comparable to mine, and the medicinal herbs grown will naturally be different."
Zhou Qi thought she was boasting and was quite dismissive.
"Do you think anyone would believe that if you said it?"
Cheng You was not even twenty years old. Did the experts at the agricultural research institute know less than her?
"If you don't believe it, it's because you're ignorant and narrow-minded. I grew these medicinal herbs myself, so how could I not know?"
Zhou Yunru also couldn't stand Zhou Qi. She said, "Cheng You, if they want to buy, let them buy. It's not your time that's being wasted anyway."
Cheng You nodded and turned to look at Qi Chengyan.
Qi Chengyan's expression was indifferent. He crossed his arms and leaned against the side, stating an address.
Zhao Jisheng actually had the same thought as Zhou Qi. He believed that Cheng You, being so young, couldn't possibly have cultivated the seeds.
After getting the address, they prepared to take their leave.
Zhou Qi walked up to Cheng You and maliciously said, "Cheng You, when you married him, didn't you even do a background check? Do you know why he left the army?"
"Do you know that when he was in the army, he got involved with a comrade's wife, got her pregnant, and then refused to take responsibility, which led to his dismissal from the army?"
Qi Chengyan's face visibly darkened, his fists clenched, and veins bulged on the back of his hands.
Cheng You stared at Zhou Qi steadily, her mind already guessing his identity.
He was likely the child adopted by Qi Chengyan's parents, his half-brother.
Qi Chengyan never spoke ill of others behind their backs, but Qi Yang had mentioned him to her.
Zhou Qi was good at flattering his parents, acting one way in front of them and another in front of Qi Chengyan.
A typical two-faced person.
Cheng You rubbed her wrist, then suddenly raised her hand and slapped Zhou Qi with all her might.
Zhou Qi had never expected her to resort to physical violence and took the full force of the slap.
She had truly used a lot of strength, causing Zhou Qi to stagger, his head tilted to the side.
His fair face visibly reddened and swelled.
After the slap, Cheng You calmly washed her hands.
"Excuse me, I find you dirty."
Zhou Qi was not a magnanimous person. He had always been petty, let alone being slapped.
His eyes widened, and he aggressively lunged at Cheng You.
"I don't have a habit of not hitting women!"
However, before he could reach Cheng You, Qi Chengyan grabbed his shoulder, immobilizing him.
"You want to fight?"
His thin lips curved into a sneer, his eyes mocking Zhou Qi, his demeanor distant and cold.