The girl replied, "My grandmother is right behind me, she’ll be here soon."

Then the woman, who had been so polite to her own mother just moments before, instantly changed her tune. "Yang Zhi, you pile of chaff, you’ve cleared out most of it, hurry up and make space. Plenty of people are waiting behind you."

Cheng Ying truly found this unfamiliar. Her previous career in the workplace had trained Cheng Ying to greet everyone with a smile, even if she secretly wished to drink their blood and eat their flesh. She had never openly confronted anyone face-to-face. This particular skill—direct confrontation—was one she hadn't mastered.

And the speed at which this woman turned hostile was unnerving.

Yang Zhi, however, was not as flustered as before. "Sister-in-law, don't rush, it'll be ready in a moment."

The woman then began muttering beside them, her face twisted into a permanent scowl, not a single kind word among her complaints.

Cheng Ying frowned as she listened. Drawing closer to Chi Wu, she whispered, "Did our family ever smash their window before? Or maybe even kill one of their children?"

Chi Wu glanced at Cheng Ying. "Didn't Da Yue claim the grinding stone first?"

Cheng Ying didn't grasp the meaning. "What do you mean?"

Chi Wu sighed. "You're hopeless. So many people are waiting to use the millstone. Whichever family’s pole secures the spot first gets to use the stone next."

Cheng Ying suddenly understood. "No wonder your thinking is so advanced, helping your young aunt push the stone—it was to reserve a spot for us, wasn't it?"

Chi Wu scoffed. "You didn't know? Why are you pushing with me now?"

Cheng Ying was exasperated. "My standards of morality are high; I'm serving the people!"

Chi Wu sneered. "Hah. Do you even believe that yourself?"

Cheng Ying was about to retort when she heard the woman beside them escalating her tirade. "Yang Zhi, the little brat you brought, she’s no good. You better keep an eye on her. Who knows if she’ll hit Yingzi’s master? If that happens, you two—mother and daughter—could marry their father and son. That wouldn't be so bad, would it?"

A fiercer person might have already started a fight over such words. Unfortunately, Cheng Ying's own mother was meek; her face flushed crimson with anger, but she remained silent.

It was one of the bystanders who finally spoke up, unable to stand it any longer. "Say a little less, won't you?"

The woman retorted, "She dared to **marry, so what if people talk about it?"

Chi Wu's eyes turned scarlet. He stopped and started to move toward a confrontation, but Cheng Ying restrained him.

Cheng Ying believed that if she really let her verbal skills fly, she could leave the woman speechless in less than two minutes. She was not like her meek mother. "Mom, go back and bring over all of our corn stalks. Since we’re only using it once today, we aren’t leaving."

The woman stared at Cheng Ying, unable to utter a word for a long moment. All she had really wanted was to pressure Yang Zhi into leaving so she could use the millstone. This girl was just too infuriatingly persistent.

After a while, the crowd gathered around the millstone remained silent. Whether anyone was inwardly rejoicing was another matter.

Cheng Ying called out, "Auntie, don't wait. We’ll be grinding corn here all afternoon."

The woman dryly snapped back, "How much corn do you even have? Aren't you afraid of straining your tongue?"

As she pushed the stone, Cheng Ying looked at the woman calmly and stated, "I'll grind the husk remnants first, then I’ll grind the flour. I’m not tired; I'll just turn it around and around for fun."

Pfft. Da Yue, who was following and turning in circles behind Cheng Ying, burst out laughing.

Cheng Ying knew that if this woman dared to fight over the millstone with others, she certainly wouldn't be afraid of her. Once one person in a crowd dared to laugh, the rest couldn't hold back.

The woman planted her hands on her hips, appearing more formidable than her own mother. "You little ragamuffin, you little shrew! Who on earth will dare marry you in the future?"

This was a curse aimed at ruining her chances of finding a husband in the village.

Yang Zhi was displeased. "Sister-in-law, what are you saying?"

The woman shot back, "What? Is your girl a spoiled brat? Can't other people say anything about it?"

Yang Zhi was no match for her when it came to verbal abuse. Even Chi Wu felt anxious for his stepmother.

Cheng Ying interjected, "Whether I find someone to marry or not, I certainly won't be marrying into your family. Who could stand having a shrewish mother-in-law like you?"

Cheng Ying thought to herself: I’m just a ten-year-old girl, what do I have to be afraid of? I can say anything I want. Besides, I have absolutely no intention of marrying anyone in this remote mountain hollow! I’ll infuriate you to death!

The woman had several sons, and Cheng Ying’s words had hit a nerve; if her words proved true, it would be bad for her sons' prospects of finding wives. She managed to restrain herself, realizing that leaving a good reputation for her sons was more important than winning this squabble.

In this era, when rural girls sought husbands, reputation and family virtue were paramount, not wealth. Otherwise, the daughter-in-law would suffer later. If a family only cared about property, their daughter couldn't be of good stock herself.

Yang Zhi watched her sister-in-law remain silent and grew worried. Fights in the village never ended quickly, and she feared her daughter would suffer a loss. She considered asking Chi Wu to run home and fetch her mother-in-law, knowing she couldn't win the fight herself. But why couldn't Chi Wu understand her anxious look?

Chi Wu was too busy suppressing his laughter to look toward Yang Zhi.

Yang Zhi grew impatient, fearing the woman might resort to physical abuse. "That’s enough, let’s go," she said, starting to clear the corn husks from the millstone.

Cheng Ying countered, "Two more turns. I like the fine husks." One had to know when to stop, but that depended on the opponent.

Yang Zhi glanced at the woman, who surprisingly said nothing, yet Yang Zhi still felt uneasy. After grinding two more turns, they began packing up the husks.

Cheng Ying instructed Chi Wu to guard their wooden pole and not let anyone take it while they loaded Da Yue’s corn onto the stone.

The woman sneered. "What, are you going to help them grind their flour now too?"

Cheng Ying didn't sneer; instead, she offered a dazzlingly sweet smile. She took a wooden pole from a woman nearby who had been laughing heartily and swapped it for her own.

That woman smiled widely. "Sister Yingzi is so kind!"

Cheng Ying replied sweetly, "You're welcome." Then she turned to the infuriated woman, who looked ready to claw the wall. "Auntie, we aren't grinding flour today. Take your time waiting." With that, she turned and strode away triumphantly.

Chi Wu watched Cheng Ying, noticing how her eyes had taken on a determined focus—it was like a true beacon for life. Behind them, the sharp-tongued aunt was left fuming, wishing she could scratch the walls. How could this girl be so fiendishly clever, to bring about the defeat of an adult woman?

Victory belonged to Cheng Ying. Following behind Yang Zhi, Chi Wu held his head higher than Cheng Ying did. For years, trailing after his own father, Chi Wu had mostly been pointed at and cursed. This was the first time he felt such vindication. His gaze toward Cheng Ying grew increasingly fervent; she was no longer just a beacon, Chi Wu realized he truly admired her. At this moment, Chi Wu could process so much. Although the girl could be a bit lazy, she wasn't entirely idle—at least she went to gather firewood with him. This girl was a little greedy, but she never forgot to share what she ate with him. And even though the girl was vain, her vanity was tasteful. She looked much brighter than the other village girls, especially her hands. Thinking of this, Chi Wu subconsciously tucked his hands back into his sleeves. Shyness about his hands—this was the second time he’d felt it—dampened some of his excitement.

Yang Zhi felt distressed. She didn't comprehend the situation as clearly as the two younger ones. She felt she had failed, forcing her own daughter to stand up to trouble. Gossip would spread, and how would her girl ever find a husband in the village? Even if she married outside, people would surely inquire about the family situation. She couldn't let a reputation for being aggressive spread. Yang Zhi regretted not leaving immediately—what was losing out on a few more turns of grinding? She was filled with regret and self-reproach. Her daughter would eventually need to marry. The more she thought about it, the less secure she felt.

Yang Zhi was incapable of handling this confrontation herself, so her steps grew more hurried as she decided to go speak with her mother-in-law. However, Yang Zhi cautiously instructed Cheng Ying, "Yingzi, in the future, walk around your auntie if you see her. Don't get into arguments with her. She's a married woman; she doesn't have to worry about her reputation, but you don't have a husband yet. You can’t let her spread rumors about you everywhere." Although Yang Zhi couldn't argue well, she was clear on what her daughter needed to be told.

Cheng Ying found these words distant and irrelevant. She was only ten; why was her own mother already bringing up finding a husband? She felt a fresh wave of bewilderment. In truth, she wasn't taking it to heart at all. She truly had no intention of marrying in this village. Not even a flicker of that idea crossed her mind.

Chi Wu stepped forward to defend Cheng Ying. "Yingzi is doing just fine. Are we just going to let that auntie talk like that?"

Yang Zhi looked at the usually quiet Chi Wu. "You don't understand. You're still young. It's my fault for being incompetent; otherwise, Yingzi wouldn't have had to confront her."

Cheng Ying smiled cheerfully, comforting her mother. "It’s okay, Mom. Who knows what the future holds? Next time I won’t argue with her."

Yang Zhi relaxed. "Backing down doesn't mean anything." The unspoken part Yang Zhi left unsaid was that this was precisely how she had managed her own life all these years.

Cheng Ying nodded along, superficially agreeing with her mother. Inside, however, she thought that this approach to handling people was completely incompatible with her own nature.

Yang Zhi, seeing that her daughter seemed to have taken the advice to heart, pushed open the straw gate and entered the courtyard.

Chi Wu’s face fell. Today was the first time he learned he didn't have to be cursed; he could curse back. To be told almost immediately that this was wrong was too much for a boy who was just starting to gain confidence.

Cheng Ying turned and whispered to Chi Wu, "Next time we won't argue with her. We’ll just slap her silly."

Her words carried immense weight, imbued with a distinct, ruthless force. To Chi Wu's ears, Cheng Ying sounded completely sincere, not like she was trying to trick him. He glanced toward Yang Zhi, who was entering the house by lifting the door curtain. "Do you think Grandma will agree?" Chi Wu was still fundamentally a good, obedient child, aware that matters like this required adult approval.

Cheng Ying immediately cut to the core of his question. "As long as Grandma doesn't say anything, we're good." Her tone held significant conviction.

Chi Wu nodded in agreement. In the time he had spent with Cheng Ying lately, the girl hadn't been wrong yet; her credibility was very high.

The two children remained outside, tidying their things. Cheng Ying was also quietly indoctrinating Chi Wu with some concepts of ruthless pragmatism. People, she mused, weren't necessarily ruined by being changed, but by being changed poorly. If she led this child astray and ended up making him unable to fit in anywhere, how would he ever navigate society? Cheng Ying felt a strong sense of responsibility now that she had started guiding Chi Wu down this path.

For a while, the two lingered under the eaves, listening to the conversation inside, neither entering the house. Yang Zhi was the type who couldn't keep a secret; the first thing she did upon arriving home was report everything to the old woman. Fortunately, while Yang Zhi was incapable of many things, tattling was something she excelled at.