The entire village was buzzing with a slight excitement, and even Cheng Ying’s own mother wore a faint air of cheerfulness. At last, the sallow complexion seemed to have faded.

Cheng Ying figured it was the festive atmosphere rubbing off on everyone. The five of them sat on the kang, sipping their congee.

Cheng Ying asked, "Ma, what are we planning to do these next few days?" Yang Zhi brightened up considerably when answering, "Originally, Ma was thinking of heading up the mountain for a couple of days to chop firewood before the New Year, but seeing how much wood you and Wu Zi have gathered lately, our family won't need to worry about firewood this year." Then she glanced toward the old woman, "Right, Ma?" This required affirmation. The old woman looked at her daughter-in-law and nodded.

Clearly in a poor mood, she had no energy to engage with them. Since the old woman hadn't voiced any objection, Yang Zhi felt momentarily liberated and began making plans with vigor.

"Thinking about it, besides tidying the rooms and sweeping the house, and patching the window paper, there isn't much else. Oh yes, Ma still needs to take half a bag of corn residue to be ground." Cheng Ying had seen this before—the legendary grinding stone.

At this time, there were no machines to process grain; the village had one large millstone, which everyone called the nianzi (grinding stone). The corn had to be ground by people manually turning the heavy stone, processing it themselves.

It truly required a lot of effort. Yet, Cheng Ying had heard from people in her previous life that some elderly folks deliberately set up large grinding stones in their own yards when they returned to the countryside, just for that particular taste.

Hearing her daughter-in-law speak, the old woman nodded slightly. Even though her daughter-in-law wasn't overly shrewd, she still had a good grasp of the household chores.

And the schedule she laid out was quite thoughtful. Cheng Ying was chatting casually with her own mother when she interjected abruptly, "Uncle, do you still need to go to the sheep pen every day?" Chi Yong looked up, slightly surprised that this girl would approach him to talk: "Not every day.

Just morning and evening to water the sheep and give them some fodder." After speaking, Chi Yong felt significantly more relaxed. There were few times throughout the year when he felt this comfortable.

Cheng Ying fell silent for a moment, but her mother picked up the thread of conversation for her. Yang Zhi said, "Ying Zi, do you need something?

Or are you thinking of doing something?" Cheng Ying replied, "Nothing, it’s just that I heard the villagers are planning to go watch a movie. I wonder if our family will go." What Cheng Ying said was innocuous, but it made the listeners’ hearts race.

Yang Zhi's face flushed slightly; she actually wanted to go, and she furtively glanced at Chi Yong several times. Chi Yong wasn't overly keen, but his son’s eyes were shining with excitement.

And then there were the glances his wife kept sending his way. It was impossible not to notice.

The old woman ate silently. Chi Yong glanced at his younger daughter, who was clearly waiting for an answer but not too anxiously, and noticed she had also looked at him.

This wasn't him seeking her opinion, but the look in his daughter’s eyes certainly didn't suggest excitement. Chi Yong lowered his head, glanced again at the old woman beside him, and then he understood.

Chi Yong opened his mouth to speak, managing to get the words out just before Yang Zhi could: "Ying Zi wants to go, doesn't she?" Cheng Ying looked up and offered a shy little smile, neither confirming nor denying that she wanted to go. Chi Yong found himself thinking how endearing this girl was, and how shrewd.

Chi Yong continued, "When I came back today, I saw Elder Brother and Second Brother’s families were already preparing their carts." The old woman’s movements noticeably slowed down for a fraction of a second. Cheng Ying glanced over.

Her stepfather—this man was truly astute; she only needed to open the topic, and he knew exactly how to steer the conversation. What would her own mother do in the future?

She lowered her head to eat. Since her stepfather could grasp the implications so quickly, there was nothing more for her to do; she waited for Chi Yong to elaborate.

Chi Yong said, "I looked at our cart; it should still be usable. We can leave a little later, lock up the house, and go together.

How about that, Ma?" Listen to how tactful he was, and how considerate! He was worried that the old woman’s biological sons might come to take her to the movie, so they should leave slightly later.

He was also worried that if her sons didn't come, the old woman might lose face. The phrasing was very subtle.

This was an unwillingness to usurp the opportunity of the eldest and second uncles to take her out. As a man brought in as a son-in-law to the family, Chi Yong understood his position quite well.

Contending for favor with the biological sons? That would be asking for trouble.

So, this man positioned himself perfectly. Cheng Ying figured that within this household, only she and the old woman could truly decipher what he meant.

Sure enough, Yang Zhi looked up, "Why not go earlier? Going with Elder Brother and the others would be nice.

There will surely be many people watching the movie; going early means we can grab a good spot!" The old woman glared at her daughter-in-law. If this wasn't her granddaughter's mother, she would much prefer Chi Yong’s demeanor.

Cheng Ying turned her head away. It was a good thing she had such a considerate man by her mother’s side; otherwise, life would be unbearable.

Forget palace intrigue; domestic squabbles would be like fighting with a broomstick compared to this. Chi Yong cleared his throat.

"Cough, cough, well, I still have to feed the sheep, so we’ll leave a little later. It won't be too late." Chi Wu was so happy he wasn't thinking about anything else; he thought today’s congee was especially fragrant.

Cheng Ying thought her two carefree children were fine, but the old woman was unhappy, likely wondering if her sons would come, feeling uncertain. Yang Zhi didn’t quite understand why her mother-in-law was displeased—she must not want to go.

Yang Zhi started to speak, intending to say they wouldn't go if it made the old woman uncomfortable, "Ma..." Chi Yong tugged at the hem of her clothes from below. The unspoken, "If you don't feel like it, we won't go," was forcibly swallowed.

The old woman looked up at her daughter-in-law, who had called out but trailed off, signaling, Hurry up and say what you mean. Cheng Ying quickly interjected, "Grandma, should we make some dry rations to take?

The road is quite far." This was her way of giving her own mother an opening. Yang Zhi immediately responded, "I'll go do it right now." The old woman tapped the edge of her bowl with her chopsticks.

"Eat. Why are you rushing tomorrow's business?

If every household lived like you, how would you even get by in life?" Yang Zhi sat back down. "Oh." She stopped speaking completely.

Cheng Ying secretly wiped sweat from her brow. Her mother was so obtuse.

No wonder she was always the one getting blamed. The old woman couldn't tolerate any perceived lack of respect for her schedule.

Chi Yong also felt helpless; only he knew the nuances of happiness and unhappiness with a wife like this. People couldn't be perfect in every way.

His wife still had many good qualities. Chi Yong lowered his head to eat, once again thinking his daughter certainly hadn't taken after her mother.

The mother and daughter were clearly not operating on the same level. This girl was so sharp; he wondered who she took after.

After eating, Yang Zhi started clearing the table with the old woman. Cheng Ying watched Chi Yong head to the backyard.

A small, amused smile played on Cheng Ying’s lips. This stepfather was quite something.

It was bold of him to suggest using the cart; Cheng Ying suspected that besides knowing they owned a wheelbarrow, he had never actually seen one. Cheng Ying thought that if it weren't for the sake of the old woman wanting to see the movie, she’d certainly sabotage the wheelbarrow and make him regret bluffing his way through it.

However, damaging the cart would present its own set of technical difficulties. Yang Zhi said, "Ying Zi, come with Ma to operate the grinder (to mill the corn residue)." Not only did Cheng Ying agree readily, but Chi Wu pulled out a stick of wood as thick as his arm and followed behind them.

Cheng Ying said, "Mm, I’ll go with Ma. Hehe, Wu Zi looks like he’s coming to help too.

Grandma, we’re leaving!" The old woman waved her hand dismissively. Why was this girl so talkative today?

Yang Zhi carried half a bag of corn on her back, followed by her son and daughter, heading to the village’s only grinding stone. Since there was only one large millstone in the village, people who needed grain milled arrived early to secure a spot.

Yang Zhi had come right after finishing her meal, but some people had already arrived before them. The three of them had to wait on the side.

Chi Wu complained, "If I had known, I wouldn't have eaten and just come here early to reserve a spot." Yang Zhi replied, "It’s fine, it will be soon. We can’t just let the nianzi sit idle, can we?" Cheng Ying watched the woman in front of them, addressed as Little Aunt, who was placing a wooden stick into one of the holes on the large stone roller and then pushing the roller in circles to grind the corn kernels on the mill base into corn residue.

Cheng Ying had seen this setup in her previous life, but it was truly just decorative; no one had ever used it. Yang Zhi chatted with the woman, "Sister-in-law, are you here alone?

Wait a moment, your sister-in-law will help you push." The Little Aunt was pleasant. "Sister-in-law is so kind.

Your two children are well-behaved; my brats would have already run off somewhere." Chi Wu watched the woman stop. He immediately jammed the thick wooden stick he was holding into another hole on the mill base.

Then he started pushing the roller along with her. Yang Zhi said, "Wu Zi, you and Ying Zi sit here.

I can manage." Chi Wu shook his head while turning the stone, "It's not heavy, I can push it." Then Yang Zhi picked up a small broom nearby and began sweeping the corn residue back and forth on the mill base. Cheng Ying didn't want to stay alone and walked over to put her strength onto the large wooden stick alongside Chi Wu.

Honestly, it was quite interesting. Cheng Ying felt that now that she was here, her thirty-year-old soul seemed to have drifted away during this time.

She was starting to feel more and more like a child, finding novelty even in such a simple task. Could she say that her body and soul were merging well, making her mindset younger?

It was true that more people meant faster work. Before long, the Little Aunt’s corn residue was ground.

The Little Aunt separated the coarse residue (bang zha) and the finer flour (bang mian) into bags. "Thank goodness for Sister-in-law, and Ying Zi and Wu Zi.

Otherwise, I would have been busy until evening by myself." Yang Zhi poured their family’s corn onto the grinding base. "It’s nothing." Her mother was fundamentally someone who wasn't adept at building rapport with others.

Then it was their turn to push the mill. Cheng Ying felt she exerted more force when pushing for their own family than when pushing for others.

Yang Zhi looked at the two children and felt a surge of joy. "You two shouldn't tire yourselves out; I'll push." Chi Wu shook his head and kept working silently.

Cheng Ying added, "You don't need to worry about the corn residue; this part isn't tiring." Yang Zhi felt her life was very happy; her daughter and son were sensible. Cheng Ying could see her mother smiling with deep satisfaction, even though her face was still as pale and malnourished as a withered vegetable leaf.

Soon, several other groups arrived to use the millstone. "Big Sister-in-law, so early?" Each greeting was warmer than the last.

Cheng Ying thought her mother's popularity wasn't hard to understand. Yang Zhi greeted the newcomers with a slight blush, clearly a bit flustered.

Cheng Ying didn't understand what was going on. However, one girl who didn't speak but got straight to work, looking about the same age as Cheng Ying, walked up to the mill base, took a large wooden stick just like Chi Wu had, and inserted it into one of the holes.

Then she started pushing the millstone, working quietly without saying much at all. Cheng Ying thought, I don't know this person, how dare she offer help?

Why is this person as earnest as Chi Wu? The local customs here are too good.