"Let's not trouble the Captain too much. If it really doesn't work out, we can wait until after the land and trees are allocated, and then see who wants what, and maybe we can trade."

The old woman had her own ideas. Which household wouldn't want the good land? Perhaps they could even get a little extra money from it.

Cheng Ying, however, didn't see it that way. Dealing with the collective was safer.

After all, their future production relied on the mountain output. If the harvest was poor, fine, but if it turned out to be exceptionally good, who knew if someone envious might cause trouble? Exchanging land privately felt very insecure.

But Ma didn't have many good ideas at the time; they could only take things one step at a time. As a mere child, she truly had no power to decide anything.

Cheng Ying said, "If we trade good land for barren mountains, Grandma, we're taking a loss."

This was a subtle hint to Chi Yong: ask for more of the mountain plots. But she couldn't say it outright.

The old woman had long considered it: "The villagers are decent folk; they won't knowingly take advantage."

Cheng Ying thought that might be true for now, but human nature wouldn't remain so kind in the future. Of course, Cheng Ying’s perspective was tainted by the coldness of the city.

Sometimes she felt like she had come to the wrong place entirely.

Yang Zhi was timid. A little hard work was fine; as long as she could muddle through with the crowd, that was enough. "Ma, can you manage?"

The old woman glared at her useless daughter-in-law. "If you're not planting, can't you do something else? You're not needed here, go out and work."

She didn't want to speak to her. This daughter-in-law's mind never seemed to open up.

Yang Zhi sat there silently. It was late at night, and there wasn't much work to be done anyway. If she didn't speak, that was best; no one listened when she did.

Chi Yong said, "These past few days, the villagers have been busy stringing wires, and since the news about the land and tree allocation started circulating, everyone has been hanging around the fields. I reckon they're all thinking about how the land and trees will be divided. Our family is small, and we don't have much say, so I haven't gone into the fields to look."

This was a hint for the old woman to gather some information.

The old woman snorted. "Useless chatter is like rotten meat. When the land and trees are allocated, do you think people just get whatever they point at? That would cause hunger throughout the entire village. Chaos would erupt!"

Cheng Ying chuckled inwardly. Even her stepfather missed a calculation sometimes.

A slight flush finally appeared on Chi Yong’s usually placid face. "Ma, I was thinking of seeing if I could get involved in the land and tree distribution while I’m around the village. Since I’m out herding sheep every day, I’ve wandered over all the hills and fields in the village."

Chi Yong couldn't continue. He didn't know if the old woman would understand that his involvement would be different from others. Besides, wandering around the village meant hearing all the new information.

Cheng Ying didn't know what others understood, but she certainly did.

Her stepfather was aiming for a political career, even if only at the village level. Whether this man was capable of scheming could be seen from this ambition.

The old woman pursed her lips, eyes cast down. After a long moment, she finally nodded. "We can look into it. Those who wander around the village usually have some standing. Whether it works out is another matter."

The old woman was essentially telling Chi Yong that he wasn't top-tier in the village, but he could try. If he pushed hard enough, it might not be impossible.

This evening's family meeting concluded just like that.

After her own mother and stepfather, and after Chi Wu had left, Cheng Ying lay on the kang beside the old woman. "Grandma, Wu Zi said that Uncle is literate. When the village allocates land and trees, there will certainly be writing and measuring involved. Do you think the Captain will use us?"

Cheng Ying’s intention was to suggest that her grandmother push for her stepfather to help the village based on his education; that way, it would be relatively easier for him to get involved.

The old woman seemed distracted.

Yang Zhi called from the outer room, "Ma, I’ve blocked the main door."

The old woman’s expression soured instantly.

Cheng Ying suddenly remembered: the old woman had been listening intently to the sounds outside all evening.

Cheng Ying pondered and immediately understood. They were going to the movie tomorrow night. If her paternal uncles—Big Uncle and Second Uncle—had intended to invite Grandma along, they certainly would have stopped by tonight to say so. But it was already so late, and not a single relative had visited. What did that mean?

It meant they had no intention of taking the old woman.

Cheng Ying sighed inwardly. While Big Uncle and Second Uncle were certainly in the wrong, the root cause lay with her.

She suspected that the uncles believed the old woman favored her too much.

Cheng Ying snuggled closer, leaning against the old woman. "Grandma."

The old woman sighed and then ceased paying attention to anything outside. Instead, she started talking to her granddaughter about her stepfather. "Yingzi, it’s not impossible for him to get involved in the village. Although Wu Zi’s father’s background isn't good, he hasn't caused trouble in the village these past two years, and he is educated. It’s just that Grandma is afraid."

Cheng Ying truly didn't know what other concerns her grandmother had.

She dared not speak for a moment. Cheng Ying understood that one must never pretend to know when ignorant; it only caused problems.

The old woman continued, "With your mother the way she is, if Wu Zi’s father ever manages to make something of himself, can Grandma still keep him in check?"

Cheng Ying felt her grandmother was being incredibly considerate, even worrying about her mother’s future.

But, Cheng Ying thought, even with her own mother as she was, if the stepfather didn't achieve anything, her own mother still couldn't keep him subdued. Why couldn't her grandmother see that?

Cheng Ying said, "Rain is coming, and a mother remarries—it’s only a matter of time. At least if things change now, it’s better than changing later, while you are still here."

Cheng Ying spoke from genuine feeling, completely forgetting her own age for a moment.

Hearing the phrase "a mother remarries," the old woman felt a pang of complicated emotion.

Her granddaughter must have been bottling up grievances to speak with such profound feeling.

The old woman put aside thoughts of her son. "Yingzi, it's alright, you have Grandma."

Then the old woman concluded, "Ah, Grandma has figured it out. Now that we are separate households, you will have to rely on Wu Zi’s father going forward. Others won't help; forget about lending a hand—they’d likely hold a grudge if anything. If Wu Zi’s father is willing, Grandma will give him a push. No matter what, the one who benefits will definitely be our own granddaughter."

Cheng Ying nodded. At least for now, the one who benefited would certainly be family.

Having connections in the capital helped one become an official, but don't underestimate a village—it too has its political center.

However, for the old woman to support her stepfather so strongly, she must have been deeply disappointed in Big Uncle and Second Uncle. Her heart had turned cold.

Cheng Ying said, "Grandma, aren't we one family?"

It was just something to say; Cheng Ying herself didn't believe it, finding the words weak even for comforting the old woman.

But the old woman didn't sense the underlying turmoil in Cheng Ying’s words. Being simple folk, rural people rarely saw truly heartless individuals. The likes of Chen Shimei were characters from plays. If such a person appeared in this honest village, a torrent of gossip would drown them.

In the old woman’s view, someone adopted into the family like Chi Yong, without her approval as the head of the household, could never truly fly high. Furthermore, the old woman didn't believe Chi Yong had any significant background.

So she let out a long sigh. "Grandma is getting older and more backward. She's not as broad-minded as our Yingzi. Yingzi is right; from now on, we are one family."

Then the old woman patted her granddaughter's shoulder. "Go to sleep."

The old woman had come to terms with it, but Cheng Ying couldn't sleep.

Did this old woman genuinely intend to treat her stepfather as one of her own? That would be disastrous; it would be deceiving the old woman's feelings.

Cheng Ying wished she could slap herself twice. Why did she have to offer such misguided comfort?

Cheng Ying was naturally petty, and the more she thought about it, the narrower her mind became. Her stepfather, from Cheng Ying's recent observations, could never remain in this small mountain gully; he possessed great talent.

In other words, staying here was a waste of his brilliance.

Her family truly lacked the sycamore tree capable of housing such a golden phoenix.

Cheng Ying would have preferred that her grandmother and stepfather maintained some distance—a clearer class distinction.

But she was troubled. All night she tossed and turned on the kang like dough being flattened.

The next morning, Cheng Ying woke up late again—a consequence of poor sleep the night before. It was near the New Year, and everyone in the family had already gone out; even Chi Wu didn't come to disturb her.

It was worth noting that since Cheng Ying returned from the city, Chi Wu had given her a handful of wool almost every day. Cheng Ying didn't know how to describe Chi Wu; why was this bothersome child so focused on wool? Chi Wu had said, "Drip by drip makes a river." He truly was someone who knew how to manage his household.

After finishing a bowl of warm porridge, Cheng Ying returned to her room and slipped into the space when no one was around.

Staring at the space before her, Cheng Ying could only sigh. Ginseng seedlings covered the ground, but tragically, there were no ginseng fruits.

Cheng Ying now pulled up ginseng seedlings without much psychological pressure. She casually pulled up a small seedling, and just as she suspected, not only were the root hairs minimal, but the ginseng root itself was too small to be noteworthy. This space was truly unsuitable for harvesting, especially root vegetables. The sweet potatoes here were getting smaller and smaller.

Cheng Ying couldn't decide whether the ginseng or the sweet potatoes were worth more, as her sweet potatoes were clearly evolving toward the purple variety for aesthetic appeal—small, delicate, and brightly colored.

The only comfort for Cheng Ying was that her honeysuckle vines were flourishing. However, harvesting the honeysuckle took a lot of time. And drying the honeysuckle was another issue.

Thinking about it brought on a headache. Other people’s spaces were for wielding golden fingers; hers was designed specifically to make her suffer. Farming here required strenuous effort—how could it be so vexing? She finally had some free time, only to come here and suffer. Without a private space, many things couldn't be arranged freely.

Cheng Ying plucked a few flowers and tossed them into the pond where the big carp swam. These fish were becoming increasingly monstrous. Surprisingly, this was a female, as there were many small fry in the pond. However, her expectations weren't high; like the last time she saw them, none of the fish were suitable for meat.

Cheng Ying figured in another twenty years, these fish would be valuable. Unfortunately, not now. There was no market demand—or rather, people hadn't risen above the basic level of ensuring food and warmth. Therefore, these things were currently useless goods.

Cheng Ying sat beneath a small, newly established pear sapling, looking up at the branch heavy with blooming pear blossoms. She swayed a branch with one hand, creating the effect of falling petals at any moment. Other than the beautiful environment, this space offered Cheng Ying nothing truly useful right now—except for washing wool.

Cheng Ying pulled out the wool from the net bag. This still needed to be dried on the kang. She had accumulated quite a bit more these past few days, making Cheng Ying feel wasteful of firewood.

Cheng Ying estimated the time was about right and glanced again at the space. She considered that besides buying vegetable seeds, perhaps she could buy ginseng seedlings—that might offer a way out.

It could only be said that Cheng Ying was constantly striving for her future, just in ways that were rather disconnected from reality.