Zhou Qi cared most about people mentioning his background.
An adopted son would never compare to a biological child.
Madam Qi stared at Cheng You with a complex gaze. This girl from the countryside was not what she had imagined.
She wasn't easy to control.
Even though she had guessed her identity, the girl didn't come forward to curry favor.
Not even a hint of warmth.
"I am your mother-in-law," she announced her identity.
There was no surprise in Cheng You's eyes. She smiled and nodded.
"So you're Qi Chengyan's mother. Did you come looking for him?"
Madam Qi frowned, her displeasure evident.
"No, I came for Zhou Qi's matter."
In other words, she was there to demand an explanation for Zhou Qi.
Cheng You raised an eyebrow at Zhou Qi, a mocking glint in her eyes. *You, like this, still had to cry and run home to your mother for justice.*
She pretended to be ignorant. "Zhou Qi's matter?"
Madam Qi spoke directly, "He had some friction here last time."
Zhou Qi had been full of disdain for Qi Chengyan's wife at home. Madam Qi wanted to see if Cheng You was truly as bad as he said.
Cheng You chuckled.
She glanced back at the people behind her. "This auntie says there was some friction. Did we have any friction with this Comrade Zhou Qi?"
The people behind her shouted in unison: "No!"
"What friction? It was purely that your son is ill-mannered."
"He wronged someone and didn't want to apologize, then ran to someone else's territory and shouted."
"He clearly needed Cheng You's help, yet he ordered her around."
"This doesn't look like someone asking for help. Anyone would think he was some heavenly king."
"..."
Cheng You didn't need to say anything. The villagers behind her, one after another, retorted and made Madam Qi's face turn ashen.
Qi Yang watched with amusement.
Her mother, accustomed to a life of ease, had developed all sorts of ailments.
Her perspective was narrow, her temper stubborn. The whole world could be wrong before she would admit she was.
Moreover, she was obsessed with appearances, always presenting herself as aloof and elegant to the outside world.
Now, upon closer inspection, it seemed her mask had a crack.
It was clear she was genuinely infuriated.
Qi Yang felt a pang of filial impiety, feeling a little pleased to see her mother so upset.
Madam Qi's face was ashen. "Cheng You, I only came to speak with you. You don't need to bring so many people to intimidate me!"
Cheng You shrugged. "You're overthinking it. The villagers of our Wujing Village are just warm and hospitable. They're merely explaining a few things regarding what you said. I don't know what Zhou Qi told you, but that's how things happened. If anything, Zhou Qi should be apologizing to us."
As soon as she finished speaking, she clapped her hands to her mouth in mock surprise. "Auntie, you didn't actually bring Zhou Qi here to apologize to me, did you?"
Madam Qi's face turned so red it was almost purple. She could barely restrain herself from lashing out.
Now she understood why Qi Chengyan had married in the countryside.
This young woman was not only beautiful but also sharp-tongued.
"What did Zhou Qi do wrong that he needs to apologize to you?"
Cheng You smiled. "I thought everyone had made it sufficiently clear just now."
Madam Qi turned to Qi Yang. "Are you just going to stand by and watch your brother and me get bullied?"
Qi Yang felt a little guilty when she was suddenly called out.
She rubbed her nose and said, "It's not really bullying, is it? You came looking for us. So what if we retaliate when you try to bully others? Mom, that's being a hypocrite."
Madam Qi was furious. Why had she rushed over to defend Zhou Qi? Why did she dote on Zhou Qi so much?
It was because her own two children weren't close to her!
One was unmarried and spent all his time in the lab.
The other was closer to his grandmother than to her, his own mother.
If that weren't the case, she wouldn't have had to dote on an adopted son.
"Qi Yang, is this how you speak to me?"
Qi Yang looked impatient. She had said her communication style wasn't sweet enough, and she couldn't charm people like Zhou Qi.
As long as she didn't appease her, her mother thought her attitude was bad.
A typical case of being spoiled.
"This is how I normally communicate with people. How else do you want me to speak to you? Mom, this isn't home. You coming to another village to cause trouble is no different from barging in. If there's nothing else, go home for New Year's. Everyone is busy preparing the New Year's Eve dinner."
Uncle Li looked at Cheng You. "Ask everyone to disperse."
It was the New Year. Let's not let things get too ugly.
Cheng You stuck out her tongue playfully. "Alright then, thank you, everyone. There are ten more spots at the pharmaceutical factory. I'll be recruiting from the village later, so you can prepare yourselves and we'll select the best candidates."
In fact, even if today's incident hadn't happened, she would have allocated those spots to the village.
However, she had used this as an opportunity to give them a little something extra.
As expected, upon hearing the good news, everyone smiled and thanked Cheng You, then went back to their respective homes.
With the crowd gone, the courtyard became much quieter.
Cheng You took out the red envelopes she had prepared earlier and distributed them to Zhou Yunru and the others.
"You all should go back now. You must have things to help with at home for the New Year's Eve dinner."
Zhou Yunru and the others thanked Cheng You profusely, showering her with auspicious greetings.
Someone couldn't wait to open their red envelope. Wow! Fifty yuan inside!
They asked incredulously, "Cheng You, is this a mistake?"
Their monthly salary wasn't even fifty yuan!
Cheng You chuckled. "Of course not. This is what you've earned for a year of hard work. Next year, it will only be more. Let's keep working hard together!"
Everyone echoed her sentiments, their motivation to work boosted.
In the countryside, not much money was needed. They usually saved their wages.
With this fifty yuan, they could save up three hundred yuan in a year!
After they had all left, the courtyard was even quieter.
Cheng You was still holding the pork, her slender fingers turning red from the strain.
As she was about to switch hands, her grip suddenly lightened.
Looking up, she saw that Qi Chengyan had taken the pork.
"Is it heavy? I told you to wait for me to pick it up."
Cheng You gave him a playful glare. "You don't know how to pick meat."
These men thought any meat would do, grabbing it casually and not caring if it was short in weight.
Cheng You didn't mind the slight difference in weight, but it was the result of her hard work for the year, so she wanted to get the full amount.
He ignored Madam Qi and Zhou Qi beside them.
"Do you want to go home?"
Cheng You nodded. "I've given out all the red envelopes. Let's go back. We still need to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner."
The two turned and walked away. Qi Yang pouted and followed.
Madam Qi, unable to bear being ignored, called out angrily, "Qi Chengyan!"
Cheng You's face, which had been cheerful moments ago, turned cold.
She felt she had been quite restrained.
But if someone insisted on being aggressive, she couldn't be blamed for being difficult.
"Someone's calling you. Do you want to talk to them?" she asked, looking up at Qi Chengyan.