The second uncle's wife stood her ground. "My children's lives are fate too. We can't sacrifice our whole family for the sake of one girl's life. I won't allow it."

Cheng Ying felt her own mother’s body stiffen.

Cheng Ying didn't know what her mother was thinking—was she about to abandon her to worry over someone else's child's fate?

Even though this illness was fake, the emotion was real. To be cast aside like that, Cheng Ying found it somewhat unbearable. "Mom, am I beyond saving?"

Yang Zhi looked at her daughter. "You can be saved. Mom won't let Yingzi suffer."

Then, turning to the old woman standing there, she declared, "I will save my daughter. I will go to the production team and borrow money."

The elder uncle's expression soured; their entire family would have to share the debt. In those times, every household was in the same boat; how much could they possibly borrow?

Not to mention grain, that life-saving necessity. This topic was heavy.

The atmosphere in the room was unusually stifling.

Cheng Ying wasn't particularly sad, after all, the two people she was most deeply connected to by blood had both proven themselves to her.

As for the others, it wasn't that Cheng Ying had grown cold-hearted; if it were her own situation, she wouldn't have wanted it either.

Truly, Cheng Ying never thought of herself as perfect or magnanimous. Everyone was just human, not some saint.

It was just that, at critical junctures, a shred of conscience might emerge.

This couldn't be helped. They were born simple, nurtured by nature—that couldn't be changed.

Starving oneself to save someone else's child—for a petty, selfish person, the only upside was that their demands on others wouldn't be high.

There was a kind of twisted tolerance.

And she could truly empathize. She completely understood her second aunt's position.

Grandma Cheng Ying’s hand, pausing over the keys, faltered for a beat. She hadn't expected her daughter-in-law to cause such a scene, but her own son maintaining this attitude was surprising.

That was his niece. The old woman’s triangular eyes and thin lips now held a hint of genuine hurt. "Eldest, what do you say?"

For the old woman, after her husband passed, the eldest son was her sky. She never imagined this sky wouldn't offer the protection she expected for her niece.

The old woman could hardly believe it; she wanted to hear her eldest son state his position directly.

She needed her son to declare his stance.

Cheng Ying's elder uncle, hearing his mother's question, stepped forward a couple of paces and squatted down by the wall of the east room. His shoulders seemed slumped, making him look utterly unreliable.

Whatever Cheng Ying's elder uncle said, she wouldn't blame him. This was a man whose back had been bent by the weight of life.

Cheng Ying's elder uncle, Cheng Shengdong, was the man responsible for the household. With his father gone, his mother remained; as the eldest son, the decision now rested on him.

He was an honest man who had spent his life wrestling with the soil, yet he had never eaten his fill.

Yingzi was the only blood relative left from his deceased younger brother, but he had his own sons to consider, an entire family to support.

If Yingzi had been healthy, Cheng Shengdong, as her uncle, would have been willing to raise his niece.

It was all starvation anyway; one less mouthful of congee could sustain the girl.

But now, it wasn't about one mouthful of congee; it was about risking the entire family's livelihood for the girl, with no guarantee of success.

If possible, Cheng Shengdong never wanted to have this conversation, never wanted to be the head of the family, because it involved matters of life and death.

Looking into his mother's eyes, Cheng Shengdong spoke with a rough voice. "Ma, perhaps we should wait and see. Maybe Yingzi will be better by morning."

This was a choice. Sometimes, words didn't need to be too explicit.

Watching her elder uncle squatting by the wall with his head down, Cheng Ying thought that sometimes silence was a statement, especially considering his previous words. Honestly, Cheng Ying wasn't terribly pained.

She admitted that in the few days since she had possessed this body, she hadn't developed deep feelings for this uncle.

But her stepfather had only been acting in that role for a few days, and he was the one who risked his own life to pull her out of danger.

Cheng Ying privately believed this was a matter of character. It turned out that not just the educated men of the time had questionable character; her own uncle's character was also lacking.

Cheng Ying felt her perception was flawed; she couldn't generalize people by groups anymore.

Grandma Yingzi just sank onto the dirt floor with a thud. Her eldest son—this was her eldest son.

Cheng Ying's mother burst into tears. A person's heart reveals whether it is red or black at moments like these.

Her own daughter, her own heartache. Cheng Ying's mother's face took on an unprecedented firmness.

Clutching her daughter's hand tightly.

Cheng Shengdong, seeing his mother sitting on the ground, quickly got up and helped her. "Ma, what's wrong? Get up quickly, don't scare your son."

Grandma Cheng Ying grabbed her son's hand. "Eldest, your brother only had this one daughter, this last shred of bloodline left. Can you bear it? Have you forgotten how our Mingzi survived?"

This wasn't bringing up old wounds, but the old woman needed to know why her son could be so heartless.

If your son hadn't had the third brother, he might not have grown this old. How is it that when it comes to the third brother's child, you are so cruel? You are the child's uncle.

Cheng Shengdong helped his mother sit onto the kang bed. In response to her question, he remained crouched on the ground, saying nothing. Some things needed no words; tacit agreement was a silent choice.

Cheng Ying's mother, Yang Zhi, stepped forward. "The child can't wait; illness won't wait. Eldest brother, my daughter and I..."

Yang Zhi choked up here. If she hadn't been driven to this point, she wouldn't have wanted to speak. She had some skills; she truly hadn't burdened the family much these past few years, and with the work points she earned, she could have supported her daughter alone.

It was just that a widow in the countryside needed a man in the family for protection.

She took a breath. "Eldest brother, Ma, tell us honestly, are my daughter and I truly dragging the family down? If you don't help me, I will treat my daughter's illness myself."

Then she shouted toward the outside, "Chi Wu! Go find the mule cart at the production team!"

Chi Wu, standing outside, answered readily, "Yes!"

Cheng Ying's expression brightened considerably. At least Chi Wu's agreement felt, in Cheng Ying's heart, as bright and clear as Chun Lei's. Among her own family, besides her grandmother and mother, there was actually someone who wasn't calculating profit.

The second uncle's wife stepped forward and blocked the doorway. "No one goes anywhere! What are you saying? Without us, could you, a widow, have raised the child this long? Look, you're biting the hand that fed you! All those years of hardship and toil haven't counted for anything, and now you want to drag the whole family down with you!"

The second uncle called out toward the door, "Say less!"

Cheng Ying thought this was going to be a lively evening, and she was the one who ignited the excitement.

Looking at her own mother and grandmother, she felt a pang of pity, but this confrontation had to happen. Otherwise, this whole family, if involved, would surely cause her mother to suffer further losses.

Grandma Cheng Ying slapped her thigh. "Enough! I see clearly now. You are all a bunch of heartless bastards! You've forgotten Sheng Qiu's kindness! You have no conscience!"

The elder aunt kept silent. The second uncle's wife tried to speak up but was silenced by a glare from her husband.

Her elder uncle remained squatting on the ground, wetting his lips nervously.

The old woman’s face hardened; she was someone who could endure trials. "Second son, go call the captain. If you won't save my Yingzi, I will. We are splitting the family!"

Hearing this, the second uncle's wife’s face, peeking through the crack of the door, flushed red. She was clearly excited; she had likely hoped for this moment for ages. It was rare for someone reduced to mere tatters to glow so vibrantly.

Cheng Ying glanced over secretly; even the elder aunt’s expression seemed relieved.

The second uncle was an honest man and couldn't articulate anything. "Ma..."

The old woman was decisive after all. She waved her hand dismissively. "Go."

The elder uncle stood up from the ground and paced the room floor. "Ma, how can you do this?"

The old woman replied, "If not this way, should I just watch Yingzi suffer? Fine, I know all of you. I got through that era; this isn't an issue. When a tree grows large, it sprouts branches."

Cheng Ying thought her grandmother was quite capable; she could phrase it like that.

Before long, the second uncle returned with the captain.

The captain was a man in his forties; more than half the families in the village shared the surname Cheng.

Entering the room, he first checked on the old woman. "Sister-in-law, it's so late, what's the matter?"

The old woman rose and spoke respectfully to the most influential person in the village. "Brother, the children are grown. I need you to be a witness. Today, we are dividing the household."

The village officials here dealt with this kind of matter often throughout the year; he was used to it.

When children multiply, conflict is inevitable. He sighed. "Alright, Sister-in-law, don't get agitated. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

Then he pulled out an old ledger and a pen. "Sister-in-law, tell me how you wish to divide things."

Grandma Cheng Ying was calculating; she had likely planned this in advance. "The houses—when your elder brother was alive, he sorted those out. They are separate courtyards; each gets one. That doesn't need my division; they stay where they are living now."

The captain nodded. The old man was a capable person when alive; he had ensured the children had separate residences, unlike other families where brothers had to squeeze into one house.

The old woman continued, "The household items, pots and stoves, they all have their own. In a moment, we'll divide the basins and bowls. There is some grain in the cupboard; we'll divide that into four shares."

The captain nodded and looked at the two brothers standing by. "Do you two have any objections?"

This was directed at the eldest and second sons; Cheng Ying’s mother was largely disregarded.

The elder uncle and the second uncle shook their heads. "We listen to Ma."

The old woman said, "It’s almost New Year. Brother Captain, you divide the work points from the team directly. Whoever earned them, allocate them to that household. My share goes to me."

The second uncle's wife was immediately unhappy, knowing that if she had known this, she wouldn't have stayed there all day. She had forfeited a whole day's worth of points.

The captain confirmed, "Sister-in-law, that is fair."

Grandma Cheng Ying concluded, "That's all I can do now that I'm old. There's also some money, which will also be divided into four shares."

The captain said, "Mm, understood."

Grandma Cheng Ying stated, "That's settled. While the captain is here, I'll divide it now."

The captain asked, "Sister-in-law, everything is divided, but you haven't said what you plan to do. Which son will you follow?"

The elder uncle immediately stood up. "Ma will come with me. I am the eldest; it is my duty to care for the elders."

The second uncle's wife chimed in, "Ma will come with us! We'll share what we eat; we definitely won't let her starve."