December passed, officially ushering in the year '77.
Looking out at the white snow, Cheng You clenched her fist.
This year would bring new changes.
"What are you looking at? Aren't you cold?" Qi Chengan closed the window.
Cheng You turned back, hooked her arms around his neck, and hung onto him.
"It's snowing again."
Qi Chengan held her and walked inside. "Let's soak our feet first, then sleep."
"You soak with me."
She changed to a larger tub, and their big and small feet went in together.
Qi Chengan's feet were large, not at all like Cheng You's delicate and small ones. They were covered in countless scars.
Cheng You's playful mood surged, and she tapped his instep.
"If you don't write back, your parents must be furious."
Qi Chengan thought to himself, of course. It had always been like this since he was young.
In the eyes of outsiders, he was far more outstanding than Zhou Qi, possessing an aura of his own.
But all these auras had become mistakes.
"I don't care about them."
Cheng You giggled, her happiness stemming from their anger.
Although she had never met them, Cheng You had already formed a rift with them.
Qi Chengan gently pinched her small face. Seeing that their feet were sufficiently warmed, he picked up a towel to dry hers before going out to pour more water.
"Don't think too much, let's sleep."
Cheng You rolled around on the bed, burrowed under the covers, and gave him a seductive glance.
"Come up quickly."
Qi Chengan chuckled, slowly dried his hands, and followed her onto the bed for an intimate moment.
...
The next day, Lin Yunian came to find Cheng You again.
He was there to inquire about the number of people she had recruited.
"After screening, there are forty left."
Lin Yunian asked, "Forty. Can they all go to the pharmaceutical factory?"
"If the pharmaceutical factory needs them, they can."
Lin Yunian clapped his hands. As expected, Cheng You was reliable. He had been worrying about recruitment.
"Then you teach them for now. After the new year, when the pharmaceutical factory is built, they can start working. Tell them that if they're willing, they can sign a contract with the factory now. Twenty-five a month, with various benefits."
There were still two months left at most.
Cheng You nodded, "Okay."
After discussing this matter, Lin Yunian added, "I've been thinking. Since you're unwilling, the pharmaceutical factory won't force the issue. But I wonder if we could cooperate to develop a medicine."
Cheng You had said that the final step of pharmaceutical production had to be her responsibility.
Then the preceding steps could be handled by the pharmaceutical factory.
This way, it could be considered cooperation.
Cheng You thought for a moment and said, "How about a miscarriage prevention pill?"
"Miscarriage prevention pill?"
"Yes. It's newly made, but we haven't started selling it yet. But we can supply the pharmaceutical factory with at most two hundred bottles a month."
This quantity was definitely not a lot, but it was Cheng You's limit.
Yang Yunian was overjoyed. "What kind of miscarriage prevention pill is it? Can you show us?"
Cheng You brought him a bottle from inside. "Take this back and take a look."
Yang Yunian put away the miscarriage prevention pill. "Alright then. Please help register here to see how many people are willing to go to the pharmaceutical factory. I'll bring the contract another day."
Cheng You got up to see him out and then went to inform everyone about the pharmaceutical factory.
"If any of you want to go, come and register with me."
The response she received was silence.
Cheng You looked at them curiously. "What's wrong?"
Yang Tianle exclaimed in surprise, "Can we... can we really work at the pharmaceutical factory?"
Everyone knew about the pharmaceutical factory, but no one had ever thought of it in this way.
Cheng You smiled. "Otherwise, why would I recruit so many people? My True Benevolence Hall doesn't need them."
The crowd cheered. So, from the very beginning, they were recruited to work at the pharmaceutical factory.
Everyone felt fortunate. It was good that they had come to Cheng You from the start.
It was good that they hadn't been perfunctory and had learned diligently.
Otherwise, where would they have known about such a good opportunity?
Most people decided to go to the pharmaceutical factory, with only a few choosing to stay and help Cheng You.
This outcome was exactly what Cheng You wanted.
After registering the list, Cheng You noticed that many people had gathered outside, watching the excitement.
Cheng You asked curiously, "Do you need something?"
Zhang Yunmei walked in and said, "Cheng You, I heard they can work at the pharmaceutical factory? With such good news, why didn't you keep it for our village folk?"
The villagers outside nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. You were raised in Wujing Village, so why are you favoring outsiders?"
"Working at the pharmaceutical factory, the salary is twenty to thirty a month, right?"
"Even if it's not twenty to thirty, I'd work for ten yuan!"
Listening to their words, Cheng You felt a sense of irony.
When she had been recruiting people earlier, they hadn't said the same thing.
"I'm not favoring outsiders. I intended to recruit from our own village from the start. I even had my father send out notices to you. I waited for a few days, and not a single person came to sign up. According to you, even if I couldn't recruit people in our village, I couldn't go elsewhere?"
The faces of those outside showed some guilt.
It was Cheng Tianhua who had said that working for Cheng You was for free and without pay.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have stayed away.
Zhang Yunmei said unwillingly, "But you didn't tell us you were recruiting for the pharmaceutical factory."
Cheng You chuckled and took a few steps towards them.
"It's strange, but when I recruited people in Qili Village, I also didn't tell them it was for the pharmaceutical factory, and yet so many people signed up. I find it strange that the people of Qili Village support me more than you do."
She put away the list and turned to them. "Director Yang will bring the contracts in a couple of days. You all need to sign them. After signing the contract and starting work after the new year, you will be official employees of the pharmaceutical factory."
Everyone couldn't help but cheer. Following Cheng You was always the right choice.
These people were all from Qili Village, which made the villagers of Wujing Village envious and jealous.
Unable to reason with Cheng You, they went to confront Cheng Tianhua.
A barrage of questioning descended upon him.
"Didn't you say Cheng You's ventures had no future and that people would be working for her for free?"
"She's recruiting for the pharmaceutical factory!"
"She's your daughter, how can you not know anything!"
"The pharmaceutical factory is coming to sign contracts in a couple of days, and all the recruits are from Qili Village. There isn't a single spot for our Wujing Village!"
"..."
From their words, Cheng Tianhua understood the situation.
No wonder Cheng You had recruited so many people; it was at the request of Yang Yunian.
Cheng Tianhua was furious, feeling deceived.
If Cheng You had mentioned the pharmaceutical factory from the beginning, would he have said the same things to the villagers?
"This can't be blamed on me. Cheng You never mentioned the pharmaceutical factory. If she had, I wouldn't have kept it from you!"
After sending the crowd away, Cheng Tianhua vented his anger, forcefully kicking something at his feet.
"What have I done to deserve such a daughter!"
Song Yulian dared not speak, fearing she would be caught in his rage.