Cheng Ying leaned into the old woman's embrace. "It won't happen again."

Truthfully, it hadn't been intentional this time. Cheng Ying thought that from now on, she would just live well right here.

After all, it was just life; there was no one waiting for her anywhere. Finally, her heart felt settled.

Cheng Ying’s grandmother looked at the darkening sky and, after sighing again, nudged Cheng Ying toward the west room to sleep. "Yingzi, it's time for bed. Go find your mother."

The old woman's small, triangular eyes blinked repeatedly. She was full of old cunning.

Cheng Ying stubbornly refused to leave.

Clutching the old woman’s thin frame, she wouldn't let go. "Grandma, I’ll sleep with you. I’m not going to that room. I’m not leaving."

The old woman paused for a long moment. "Daughters sleep with their mothers, Yingzi. Be good."

This was clearly telling Cheng Ying to go sleep in the other room.

Cheng Ying hugged the old woman, shaking her gently. "Grandma, Grandma, don't chase me away. I'm only sleeping with you."

The old woman looked at her granddaughter and saw no way out. Her triangular eyes blinked for a long time, unable to clearly explain to her ten-year-old granddaughter why she needed to sleep in the west room.

Facing her granddaughter, the old woman still had a soft spot. "Wait there, Grandma will get your quilt."

This was a concession. It seemed the old woman cherished her granddaughter even more deeply than Cheng Ying had imagined.

Cheng Ying let out a breath of relief. She was her own grandmother, after all.

Eavesdropping was agonizing work. A body that wasn't fully developed yet, coupled with a mind that was more mature, made the suffering worse.

Besides, that was her own mother; she should offer some consideration, shouldn't she?

Even if the old woman didn't say it, Cheng Ying understood exactly why her grandmother wanted her to sleep elsewhere. But this was something she truly couldn't do.

Along with Cheng Ying's quilt came Cheng Ying’s own mother.

Cheng Ying looked at her mother and felt as if she had fallen into water mixed with bitter herbs; no matter how she looked, this woman seemed destined for hardship.

Facing a woman whose first half of life had been bitter and whose second half was surely going to be the same, Cheng Ying’s expression softened considerably.

Yang Zhi’er looked at her daughter lying on the kang and stroked her head. "Is my girl feeling better? Come sleep with your mother in the west room."

Cheng Ying looked at her mother. These words sounded genuinely sincere, not just polite falsehoods.

She figured that since she was out of the room, there was still another child in there; one lightbulb made no difference compared to two lightbulbs. Her own mother was still pretty good to her.

Yang Zhi’er had worked all day and felt utterly drained, exhausted in body and spirit.

After a long silence, not hearing her daughter reply, her anxiety tightened a notch. The child was still blaming her.

Forcing energy into her demeanor, she said, "Yingzi, are you still mad at Mom?" The words sounded bitter and dry.

Hearing this made Cheng Ying’s heart sink. What an oppressed life this woman led.

Cheng Ying thought to herself that even though she was thirty years old, why was she so stubbornly feudal, opposing her parents’ search for a second chance at happiness? It was just that your taste in men was truly awful; the one you chose was doomed to bring you solitude for the rest of your life. If only it could have been someone else.

But she couldn't say that to her own mother. Cheng Ying shook her head. "No, I just want to sleep with Grandma."

Hearing her daughter say this, Yang Zhi’er felt a stinging sadness that brought tears to her eyes. Since Yingzi had learned about her remarriage, this was the first time she had spoken to her like this. She reached out and stroked her daughter's head. "Stop shaking your head, does it still hurt?"

Cheng Ying looked into those eyes, and at the gentle gesture, she thought that after all, this was her own mother, and she still cared deeply for her own flesh and blood. This affection couldn't be faked.

She grasped her mother's hand. For a woman’s hand to be this rough was truly an ordeal. "Mom, you must keep loving me from now on."

This was a form of forced dependence.

Yang Zhi’er nodded so vigorously her head nearly bumped the edge of the kang. "Yes, yes, Mom only has you, my only daughter."

Cheng Ying saw her own mother’s eyes redden. She didn't know how to comfort this woman.

Her own grandmother bustled in. "What are you doing? Still pestering my granddaughter? Shameless, things you can't hold onto!"

A string of local, colorful curses echoed through the room that had just been warm.

Cheng Ying thought that nothing more needed to be said. She patted her mother's hand—nothing more than a simple gesture, women understanding women.

Yang Zhi’er stood up and walked out the door; tears immediately began to fall. After all, this was her own daughter.

Chi Yong came in from outside and saw his newlywed wife standing there with tears on her face. He lowered his head, said nothing, lifted the door curtain, and entered the west room.

Yang Zhi’er wiped her tears with the sleeve of her ao jacket and quickly followed him inside.

This was being caught in the middle; no matter if you were a man or a woman, being in the center was awful. Her own daughter, and now a newlywed husband—Yang Zhi’er was truly a filling sandwiched between two slices of bread. Not to mention an ex-mother-in-law lingering nearby.

Cheng Ying felt quite comfortable sleeping with her grandmother on the large kang.

Having slept too much during the day, she had no sleepiness at night.

Cheng Ying looked outside; the sky had only recently grown dark, yet it was already time to sleep. In this era without electricity, nights without entertainment stretched on endlessly.

Lying with her grandmother on the kang, Cheng Ying sighed inwardly. Today, she had cooked two big basins of porridge, and the entire family of over a dozen people had eaten it all. What appetite was that? It was driving her mad.

Cheng Ying thought about her large family and turned over in worry. She truly agonized over this situation for most of the night.

A rustling sound came. "Yingzi, what's wrong?"

It seemed the old woman hadn't fallen asleep either. She had heard that the elderly sleep lightly.

Cheng Ying snuggled closer to the old woman, seeking warmth—this had almost become a fixation for her. "Grandma, why aren't you asleep yet?"

The old woman stroked her granddaughter who was leaning close, then remained silent for a moment. "Yingzi, you go to sleep first. Grandma has something to do."

Cheng Ying stared wide-eyed in the dark, confused. What could her grandmother possibly need to do in the middle of the night? She truly couldn't figure it out. At least she was occupying a young girl’s body, and it was right to help serve her grandmother. "Grandma, what is it? Do you need my help? Let's hurry up and sleep."

The old woman beside her rose in the darkness. "Yingzi, you sleep first. Grandma will be right back."

Cheng Ying thought that the elderly, as they age, have weak kidneys; Grandma must need to relieve herself. "Grandma, be careful. It’s dark outside."

Cheng Ying’s grandmother reached over and patted her head in the dark. "Our Yingzi is sensible," she murmured, then got off the kang and went out the door. There was no hesitation; she was used to the dark.

Cheng Ying lay back on the kang, contemplating this new life. Although there were many dissatisfactions, at least she was alive. As the saying goes, as long as one is alive, there is hope. So what if life was hard? She hadn't been spared hardship before. Everyone faced setbacks in their lifetime. If only that accursed Heaven hadn't been messing with her, things would be much better.

Thinking this, Cheng Ying's head began to ache again. Cheng Ying had an immature feeling: whenever she thought about that accursed Heaven, her head started hurting. She should try testing this later.

Then, she heard a massive commotion outside, a frantic scattering of fowl and shouting.

Cheng Ying was stunned. What was going on? Such a ruckus in the middle of the night.

She heard the old woman’s voice rise in anger from outside: "You restless things! You ate too much during the day, didn't you, and you still have the energy to cause trouble? Being too full for no reason! All of you, settle down quietly! You troublesome pests!"

Cheng Ying’s mouth hung open in the darkness, unable to close.

The old woman was sounding the alarm in her daughter-in-law’s room—making sure the daughter-in-law and son didn't sleep together! Hahaha, this old woman was too much—haha, too adorable!