Jiang Wanqing didn't want the two of them to fight again, and besides, Du Heng was indeed going the same way, so she took his car back.

On the way, he wanted to talk to her about the collaboration, but she cut him off beforehand.

"Let's talk about cooperation later. My blueprint isn't fully finalized yet, but I'll give you an answer then."

She had a backup plan; the more critical the situation, the more she needed to remain calm, broaden her options, and take the initiative.

Her ultimate goal was to set up a factory independently in the southwest, so the biggest factor she considered was freedom.

"Okay... alright, Comrade Jiang, you must not forget that Jiangnan will definitely show the utmost sincerity, and I... I can wait."

Du Heng's last sentence sounded somewhat vague, but if he didn't say it, he would seem too hasty and easily offend people. It was better to remain calm and speak first.

For the rest of the journey, the two chatted casually, without delving too deeply into any particular topic, just passing the time.

Du Heng dropped her off near her place and stopped the car, smiling apologetically.

"Comrade Jiang, I'm really sorry about what happened last time. I won't go to your doorstep anymore, lest Commander Cheng be unhappy to see me."

He was quite self-aware. Jiang Wanqing raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised and delighted, then smiled and nodded.

"Okay, then be careful on your way back, and wait for my message."

"OK!"

As expected, retreating to advance was the right move. Du Heng realized that although Jiang Wanqing seemed to be unyielding on the surface, she was actually quite responsive to gentle persuasion as long as there was no fundamental error on her part.

Du Heng only left after watching her get out of the car and disappear from sight.

She returned to the yard and heard chickens clucking inside. She wondered whose chickens had wandered into her yard.

"Old Cheng! Quickly catch that big rooster, I need to make soup for Cheng Ran!"

That voice… Jiang Wanqing suddenly looked up from her head-down walking position and saw the two elders of the Cheng family. She froze on the spot.

When Cheng Ran came out and saw her return home, he felt somewhat guilty about the situation before him, and his eyes were full of apology.

"You're back, Mom and Dad..."

She shook her head, telling him not to speak yet, and then, maintaining a polite attitude, she greeted him.

"Dad, Mom, why are you here?"

Mr. and Mrs. Cheng dared not look Jiang Wanqing in the eye. Before they arrived, they thought she had done something heinous to Cheng Ran, and even imagined her abandoning her husband and children. But after they arrived, the people in the neighborhood told them how good their daughter-in-law was to their son. In order to let Cheng Ran rest in peace, she even rented a house outside and racked her brains to cook and take care of him every day.

Human hearts are made of flesh and blood, and Cheng Ran is injured now. It's already quite an achievement for Jiang Wanqing to do this much. It wouldn't be good for them to be too harsh.

"Cough cough... Wanqing, you've had a tough time these past few days. But you and Cheng Ran, you didn't even tell the family about such a big thing. If Yuan Nian hadn't told us, we probably wouldn't have known!" said Cheng's mother.

Yuan Nian told them? It seems that woman is still up to no good. She's stirring up trouble from within, getting these two old men to deal with her.

Jiang Wanqing sneered inwardly. She would deal with whatever came her way; it was no big deal. In all these years, when had she ever lost?

"Since she told you, you all believed her?"

"Well... no, that girl is indeed not very presentable, so we came here to see for ourselves what's going on. Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Go tidy up the kitchen, I'll cook for you today."

Knowing she was in the wrong, Cheng's mother quickly ended the conversation, but the hint of guilt in her tone surprised Jiang Wanqing.

It seems they haven't lost their minds yet; this time they finally didn't believe everything they heard. Jiang Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief and put the things down.

Cheng Ran went to the kitchen with her. He hadn't said anything earlier, partly because he was afraid of escalating the conflict and causing something that shouldn't have happened to happen, and partly because he didn't fully understand the situation yet.

His parents suddenly appeared in his photo half an hour earlier. He thought he was still asleep, but they gave him such a big surprise.

In the kitchen, he pulled Jiang Wanqing aside and explained to her.

"My parents will only stay here for two days at most. Don't worry, I'll persuade them to go back. I really didn't know they were coming so suddenly. If I had known beforehand, I definitely wouldn't have..."

Jiang Wanqing trusted him. Not to mention his parents, he only reported good news to her and never bad news. For example, she only found out about his injury after she came to the Southwest.

"Alright, stop talking. They're already here, we can't just kick them out anytime soon. Hurry up and pack up, I'm hungry. Your mom's cooking, so I can relax."

She remained calm and started packing with Cheng Ran. In her mind, she was actually weighing a problem: if Cheng Ran's parents could keep a certain distance from her and not interfere, and let them take care of Cheng Ran temporarily, it would be best for her to go out to work.

She was afraid they wouldn't be so obedient, so she had to observe them for a while longer.

Mother Cheng was honest; she said she would cook, so she and Father Cheng killed a chicken, sent Jiang Wanqing and Cheng Ran to rest, and they took over the cooking.

The house isn't small, but it's not big either. With two more people, it's not too crowded, even though it can fit.

Sounds and the aroma of food came from the kitchen. About an hour later, all the food was served.

The meal consists of four dishes and a soup, including vegetables, meat, and various meat dishes, as well as a bowl full of chicken soup.

Cheng's mother took a large spoon, originally intending to give all the chicken legs to Cheng Ran, but after thinking about it, she decided to give one to Jiang Wanqing.

"You two eat, eat more to replenish your energy, eat more meat, eat quickly."

The sun really did rise from the west; Jiang Wanqing was somewhat flattered.

However, she didn't refuse the chicken leg that was put in her bowl. Why not eat it? Even if she gave it to Cheng Ran, he would give it back to her. There was really no need to keep passing it around like that.

Perhaps it was the sudden change of taste that gave her a sense of novelty, but Jiang Wanqing found the meal very delicious and didn't hesitate to praise Cheng's mother's cooking skills after finishing it.

"You must have learned from the chef at your home in Beijing and come all the way here to cook for us. Every dish is so delicious, it's really great."

"Hmph, isn't that because you don't come back to the Cheng family for meals often and haven't tasted my cooking many times? I've been cooking for decades, how could I be wrong?"

Cheng's mother was proud and aloof, while Cheng's father was relatively calm. He nudged her arm, telling her to eat more and talk less, since whether they could stay or not depended on Jiang Wanqing's opinion.

“Wanqing, you rented this courtyard well. How much does it cost per month? Your mother and I will pay for it. We plan to stay here to take care of Cheng Ran until he recovers. There’s no reason for you to pay for it.”

They paid money as soon as they arrived, just to stay. Their love for Cheng Ran was genuine. Jiang Wanqing put down her chopsticks and looked up.

"You don't need to pay."