Got it, understood—this is just a useless trinket that only cares about appearances. All flash, no substance. Cheng Ying held the fist-sized sweet potato, and although it looked rather pathetic, it was, after all, a harvest. Better to have lost something than nothing at all. "Go on and boast, boast all you want. What am I going to eat? How am I supposed to survive? Don’t tell me my future involves going to market to buy cabbage seeds and radish seeds?"

Cheng Ying could already picture a delicate young girl spending her days running back and forth between markets, haggling over seeds. No matter how she looked at it, it was destined to be a tragic end. The only thing that might offer a hint—the large stone—remained utterly motionless. It still stood there, as before. Cheng Ying looked up at the space and sighed deeply. Such utter helplessness.

Carry on, then. She dug up the sweet potato vines and tossed them into the pond—at least it was utilizing waste, good for feeding the fish one way or another. She emerged clutching a sweet potato as delicate as a child’s fist. It dawned on Cheng Ying a moment later that the visual aspect of that earlier space had been quite good. Thinking this, she slipped back inside for another look. The chaotic state of the space had changed considerably. The area about two meters above the ground was visually clear, entirely free of mist. Cheng Ying glanced at the pond; it seemed to be at roughly the same depth as the water. Perhaps this was the reason for the change in the space. Does depth on the earth correspond to height in the heavens?

Cheng Ying instantly flashed out of the space. Just in time, she heard activity outside. Chi Wu was back, and he had brought a child with him. It was Dun’er, from her second aunt’s household. Cheng Ying peered out through the window, and her impression of Chi Wu improved considerably. Cooking and cleaning the house—he even looked after children. If this boy grows up well, he'll be an all-around man. I wonder which lucky girl he’ll end up with in the future.

Chi Wu worked methodically. He placed Dun’er inside the courtyard, latched the gate of the wicker fence, and then brought firewood inside to start the stove. Cheng Ying settled back onto the kang, stretching languidly. She didn't know how long she had been lying there, but it was certainly at least two days. Her body felt as if it had rusted over. She needed to go out for a walk soon, but she wondered if Chi Wu's attitude toward her would worsen. After all, this whole incident had escalated rather significantly. She had nearly killed someone over a fish. That must have terrified the child. Cheng Ying felt a little contempt for herself—when had she become so foolish? She wondered how many fish her own family had received and whether they had eaten them all. It was terrible timing to pass out.

Listening to the crackling sound of firewood burning outside, Cheng Ying began to feel drowsy again. The saying that recovery from sickness is slow, like unwinding silk, was certainly true. Her whole body felt weak. In a haze, Cheng Ying heard her second aunt’s voice: "You heartless little beast, why did you leave my Dun’er outside by himself? What were you thinking?" Why was she following the same tune as her own grandmother? Her second aunt usually seemed fine; why such a different attitude today? Cheng Ying listened quietly from the inner room, unsure whether this second aunt was closer to her or to the stepbrother brought home by her father. Her stepfather and his brother were currently wrapped in the guise of saviors. Cheng Ying recalled the moment before she lost consciousness: her stepfather’s character seemed passable. After all, not everyone would risk their life to save someone. That ice ledge was over a meter high; it wasn't just the child who was in danger. Because of this, Cheng Ying’s heart had already tilted somewhat in Chi Wu’s favor.

She listened to the second aunt scold for a long time, while Chi Wu hadn't said a single word. Cheng Ying felt stifled. Even when beating a dog, one considers the owner, let alone the fact that this newcomer brother was biologically related to their mother and daughter. Why was he such a weak child? Did he only dare to act tough toward her? Then she heard the second aunt say, "Look at you! If you’re not happy, what of it? Hurry up and drag your old man out of this house. Our family works our fingers to the bone to earn those two work points, why should we support you? You little brat, I can’t stand the sight of you!"

Cheng Ying’s face darkened. Too many people made a miniature society, which in the old days was commonly called jianghu (the martial world). In jianghu, conflicts were inevitable. Fortunately, Chi Wu wasn't entirely weak. "Aren't you staying at home too? Didn't you stop earning work points? My dad earns seven points, so what? My mom earns nine points. Our two people earning points together easily outweigh what your one person earns." Cheng Ying felt a slight urge to interject—even a cornered rabbit will bite. This boy Chi Wu was capable of handling major tasks. His potential was truly excellent.

The second aunt was clearly furious. "You little brat! Such a glib, venomous tongue, and you dare to talk back! If it weren't for your whole family dragging us down, I’d be earning ten points out there!" Then came a sound of smacking and thrashing. Cheng Ying heard Chi Wu cry out, "Aiya!" Cheng Ying felt conflicted. Could it be that her second aunt dared to hit a child? That child wasn't hers. How could she hit someone else's child so casually? She was anxious, but unfortunately, she had no strength left in her body.

Just then, the old lady entered from outside. The commotion inside the room, the sound of chickens flying and dogs leaping, must have reached the old lady’s ears. After all, her second aunt’s voice was not exactly quiet; everyone nearby probably heard it. Perhaps she was even making a show of it for the old lady to hear. Cheng Ying truly believed the second aunt was expressing her deep dissatisfaction with the household. "What is the second daughter-in-law making such a racket about?" Hearing the old lady’s voice, Cheng Ying felt somewhat relieved. After all, this was her own grandmother. While the old lady’s tongue was sharp, and she had once struck Chi Wu with a fire poker, the place she hit still had some strength left—Cheng Ying had seen it herself. For mischievous children, that was considered kind.

The second aunt's voice became less shrill. "Mother, look! I've just been unwell and resting for two days, and this child is saying I don’t work anymore! All these years, we supported you orphans and widows. Now that I have a husband, things are different! Mother, this life is impossible to live!" This was turning the tables! The second aunt hadn't said anything like that earlier, and she was clearly the one who started the trouble. Cheng Ying listened from inside the room, feeling choked up.

The old lady set down her basin. "Whose family hasn't gotten through it this way? Don't talk about you raising the third son's orphans and widows. The third son's wife hasn't been idle either, has she?" The old lady had at least spoken a word of fairness. Cheng Ying felt somewhat better. At least she and her mother weren't freeloaders. The second aunt pleaded, "Mother, the third son only consumed a little. We scraped by, adding an extra ladle of water when cooking porridge, and my husband and I never complained. But now that Yingzi is sick, you know our entire savings are being emptied! And you still have grandsons to think about! You can’t sacrifice the whole family for her sake." Cheng Ying understood from this that her illness must have cost money. And the turmoil of these past few days might have been too much for her second aunt to handle. If we're talking about verbal sparring, the second aunt was no match for the old lady’s skill. With just two sentences, she silenced the second aunt: "The third son gave his life for this family back then. And for his daughter, you start arguing before you’ve even given anything up. Has your conscience been eaten by dogs?" This was tearing off the polite veneer. The second aunt’s aggressive energy noticeably waned.

In this era of simple customs, a small village meant everyone knew everyone’s business. Those who were not filial would be looked down upon. A couple of years ago, an unfilial person was even denounced and criticized publicly by the production team. Otherwise, with so many mouths to feed, the old lady wouldn't hold the reins of the household. Then Cheng Ying heard the second aunt say, "Mother, you are being unfair. Although the third son sacrificed for this family, wasn't that also for his wife? Besides, that piece of tiger skin..."

The old lady, upon hearing the words "tiger skin," snapped, "Pah! I knew your intentions were crooked; you’re no good! You still covet that little bit of something. I’m telling you, don't even think about it. That belongs to Yingzi! Whether I’m alive or dead, you will never lay a hand on it!" The second aunt’s expression must have soured, her voice turning sharp. "Mother, must you put it like that? Fine, let it be this way, then. At least I won’t be the only one starving to death. I’m not feeling well and can’t go work." Then came the sound of a door slamming shut—the second aunt had likely left. That statement was meant to tell the old lady that she wouldn't be going out to earn work points anymore.

Cheng Ying heard the door opening and her grandmother entering. Of course, she also heard the old lady cursing Chi Wu: "Troublemaker! It’s all your fault, you wasteful child! Aren't you going to go tend the fire?" Cheng Ying looked up and saw her own grandmother standing there. "Yingzi, you’re awake. Does anything else hurt?" The old lady’s mood was agitated; seeing her granddaughter with her eyes open brought her true joy. Cheng Ying sat up, looking at her grandmother, her eyes welling up with unshed tears, filled with grievance. This wasn't an act. Her biological father in her past life hadn't treated her this well; he refused to pay her tuition to support her brother's schooling. She had struggled on her own to get into high school and university. She was still paying off student loans years after graduation. But this old woman had fought this hard just for her. Kinship and sentimentality felt hollow. Cheng Ying knew that regardless of their past relationship, as long as this woman was here in this life, she would treat her well. She immediately threw herself into the old lady’s embrace. "Grandma, did I spend a lot of money? Will our family have no more porridge to eat?"

The old lady knew her granddaughter must have overheard the second aunt's bickering. The old lady stroked her granddaughter's hair. "It’s fine, don’t listen to your second aunt’s noise. It hasn't gotten that bad yet." Cheng Ying looked at her grandmother with watering eyes. "Grandma, really?" The old lady took out a handful of shelled sunflower seeds—all already shelled—and popped them into her granddaughter’s mouth, glancing out the door as she did so, as if afraid someone might see. She motioned with her eyes: Quick, eat. Cheng Ying slowly moved her mouth. These things tasted incredibly sweet now.

Watching her granddaughter chew with enjoyment, the old lady finally began to speak. "The second daughter-in-law throws a tantrum every few days. It’s nothing. Yingzi is big-hearted; we won’t stoop to her level. The medicine you took, your mother gathered it herself on the mountain; it cost nothing. Besides, isn't our Yingzi getting better?" Cheng Ying asked, her voice laced with guilt, "My mother knows how to gather herbs?" She felt lucky she hadn't been poisoned to death. Medicine was not something one could just pick up and use to cure illnesses; even traditional Chinese medicine required precision.

Grandma Yingzi’s gaze was sharp; she knew her granddaughter didn't trust her own mother. The old lady tucked her granddaughter back into the quilt, covering her tightly. "You need to sweat it out properly. Grandma is going out to cook."