Cheng Ying emerged from the spatial pocket and, seeing the late hour, began preparing to start a fire for cooking.

Of course, she also took the time to spread out the dried sheep wool on the kang (heated brick bed). This stuff, one wouldn't dare dry outside even in the summer, let alone the dead of winter.

Just as Cheng Ying had gotten a large pot of water boiling, Chi Wu burst back in, eyes bright with excitement, "We need to hurry up! Lots of people are already setting off!"

Cheng Ying looked at the agitated Chi Wu. "Setting off for what?"

Chi Wu exclaimed, "To watch the movie! Didn't you forget? Today we go to the township to see the film!"

Cheng Ying genuinely couldn't recall. "It's still so early, why the rush to go now?"

Chi Wu paced nervously in a tight circle. "But we have to get to the township! Of course, we must leave early to grab a good spot!"

Cheng Ying could not fathom Chi Wu's enthusiasm. To her mind, trudging dozens of li in this bitter cold was simply asking for trouble.

Chi Wu was practically beaming. Cheng Ying watched him, thinking that if the old matriarch weren't keeping order, Chi Wu would have probably bolted after the first villagers leaving. "We still need to pack some provisions. I wonder what we should make to eat."

Cheng Ying felt a slight pang of worry. "We have to eat lunch anyway, so making porridge first is a safe bet."

Cheng Ying scooped a ladle of hot water into the washbasin sitting outside.

She then watched Chi Wu meticulously washing his hands in the basin.

When Cheng Ying glanced over, she was surprised. How old was this kid, really, to be so fastidious? Washing his hands looked like the most serious business imaginable. Why so solemn?

When Yang Zhi returned, she was carrying a basket on her back.

"Ma, where did you go?" Cheng Ying asked.

Yang Zhi replied, "Since we're going to the township today, I took a quick spin up the mountain to see if I could find anything. We can take it along; maybe we can even make a little money back with it."

Cheng Ying peered into her mother's basket. A few scattered, dry twigs—she genuinely wasn't impressed.

Yang Zhi set down the basket and began washing her hands to help her daughter cook.

Cheng Ying suggested her mother take a rest. Yang Zhi wouldn't hear of it. "Let's eat early, then leave early. If we're too late, what good will anything be?"

Cheng Ying could only conclude that everyone, except her, was quite keen on seeing this movie.

When the old matriarch came back, her mood was noticeably down.

Cheng Ying didn't know why. "Grandma, you went to Third Great-Grandma's house, right? Are we walking over there to meet up with her?"

The old woman grunted. "Your Third Great-Grandma said she'll come fetch us after we eat, so we can travel together. Might as well have company on the road."

Cheng Ying inwardly wondered why Grandma wasn't happier then.

The old matriarch instructed, "Yingzi, take those sweet potatoes from the cellar and bake them slowly over the banked embers in the stove. We can take them on the road as snacks."

Chi Wu’s mouth curved into a suppressed smile; he looked thrilled. He immediately followed Cheng Ying to help out.

It wasn't until mealtime that Chi Yong finally returned, lugging a thick bundle of wood.

Cheng Ying realized her stepfather must have been gathering firewood.

Yang Zhi looked happily at the large bundle of pine wood. "This is good; we'll have something to light the way tonight."

Cheng Ying said, "We have the kerosene lamp."

Cheng Ying was immediately shot a sharp glance by the old woman. Cheng Ying felt entirely innocent. Why look at her like that?

Yang Zhi spoke up, "Why is your child so clueless about being practical?"

Cheng Ying felt wronged. Didn't you just say we'd have something to light the way? It turned out the old woman had remembered the kerosene again.

Yang Zhi explained, "This is old pine heartwood your uncle brought back. This stuff makes excellent torches."

Cheng Ying knew pine was flammable, but she hadn't realized the core of pine could be used as a torch. Still, she knew to keep silent about what she knew; they wouldn't ask, and they'd understand how things worked tonight.

Chi Wu, having washed his hands, began pacing around the yard again with renewed excitement. Cheng Ying almost wanted to kick him twice.

After the family ate, Chi Yong quickly dismantled the arch cart from the backyard and brought it to the front.

Yang Zhi filled two flasks with hot water and placed the baked sweet potatoes, retrieved from the stove’s embers, into a cloth sack.

Yang Zhi also brought out another basket, filled with items she intended to trade.

Chi Yong tied the pine wood he’d collected onto the cart. Everyone was bustling around, all focused on their trip to the movie that evening.

The old matriarch called Cheng Ying into the house to watch the door for her.

The old woman started concealing things on her person again. Just like Cheng Ying had thought, with everyone going to the movie, the village would be empty—the perfect time for thieves. So, one needed to hide things well.

"Grandma, so many people are going to the movie; carrying it all on you isn't completely safe," Cheng Ying suggested.

The old woman nodded. "You have a good head on your shoulders, granddaughter. I won't take everything, but I can't leave it in the cabinet either. Later, I'll stick the valuables deep inside the chicken coop."

Cheng Ying was internally amused; the old lady’s methods for hiding things were always so unique.

"Grandma, aren't you afraid of a chicken thief?"

The old woman showed surprising confidence. "That's the production team's people; nobody dares."

Alright, Cheng Ying conceded. This was something an outsider couldn't possibly understand.

When Cheng Ying and her grandmother finished their preparations and stepped out, her stepfather and biological mother were already ready.

The old matriarch remained silent, and no one spoke.

Their own old lady seemed oddly pensive, staring out toward their own yard as if lost in thought.

Cheng Ying mused that they could have gone over to find Third Great-Grandma themselves; why wait for her to come to them? In this small place, Third Great-Grandma held a status equivalent to a high-ranking court lady—she was the Captain’s mother.

Cheng Ying couldn't figure it out, but Chi Yong did. "Yingzi, you and Wu Zi go out and see how many people have already left for the township. You can walk together for company; it’ll be more interesting if you're chatting and laughing along the way."

Cheng Ying looked at her stepfather, failing to grasp the underlying meaning.

Yang Zhi slapped her thigh. "That's right! Let Yingzi and Wu Zi go with Ming Zi and the others. It's better than getting lost in the chaos at the township and getting bullied."

Ah, now Cheng Ying understood. This was a roundabout way of asking her to check if her paternal uncles (First Uncle and Second Uncle) had left yet. Her mother must have spoken the intention without realizing it.

Seeing the old matriarch leaning against the yard gate, Cheng Ying knew: Grandma was thinking of her sons.

Cheng Ying beckoned, and Chi Wu followed her out. However, there was significant disappointment, immense disappointment: both her First Uncle's and Second Uncle's houses were locked up. It was clear they had departed long ago.

Cheng Ying got a headache; how was she supposed to report this to her grandmother?

Everyone knew the uncles had become distant from the old woman, and that distance was directly related to her (Cheng Ying). If the old woman hadn't worried about her granddaughter's feelings, would she have allowed a rift to grow between her and her sons?

At that moment, Cheng Ying vowed she would be incredibly filial to the old woman in the future, and that filial piety would extend to her uncles as well.

Chi Wu rushed off, burning with anxiety, afraid they would be later than everyone else. This was the carefree spirit of youth. Cheng Ying realized she could never be so carefree.

Cheng Ying walked listlessly, not wanting to see the look of disappointment on the old woman’s face.

When the two returned, their yard was bustling. It wasn't just Third Great-Grandma's family; several households known to be close to the Captain were also preparing to head to the township.

The old matriarch’s mood instantly brightened. Seeing her granddaughter return, she said nothing else. "Good, you're back. Let's set off too."

She hadn't asked a single question about whether her two sons had left already.

Cheng Ying realized why: their return, just the two of them, told the whole story. No need to ask.

The Captain's mother, who was nearly seventy, was sturdy, as rural people who worked the soil tend to be. "Yingzi, ride with Third Great-Grandma in the cart later."

Cheng Ying knew this woman was good friends with her own grandmother; the two families were close entirely because the two elderly women got along so well. Even though her grandmother was of a different generation than Third Great-Grandma, they treated each other like sisters, speaking with no reservations.

Addressing the older woman, Cheng Ying said, "Third Great-Grandma, I will ride in your cart later. You mustn't trick me."

The old woman laughed heartily. "Yingzi is getting prettier and prettier!"

With that, the group set off.

Both the grandmother and Third Great-Grandma had bound feet and walked slowly, so once they were outside the village, they took seats on the carts.

Captain Cheng Shan, being filial, personally pushed his mother's cart. His sons, already in their twenties, followed close to their father, ready to lend a hand at any moment.

Chi Yong, alone and thin, pushed the old matriarch’s cart as well.

Cheng Ying was thankful this arch cart wasn't too heavy, or her stepfather might not have managed the dozens of li.

The village paths weren't wide, but two arch carts could travel side-by-side.

Captain Cheng Shan was in his early forties. Cheng Ying called his wife "Grandma" too.

Yang Zhi walked behind the Captain's wife, with the two arch carts leading the way.

Cheng Ying, tiring of walking, shuttled back and forth between the two carts. She worried her stepfather might not have the strength to push two people alone, and besides, they couldn't keep riding on the Captain's cart. So, she kept moving between them.

Third Great-Grandma remarked, "Niece-in-law, this later son of yours is just as filial."

The old woman was advanced in years and spoke without restraint; she said whatever she meant to say, and she had the status to do so—her son was the Captain, after all.

Cheng Ying’s grandmother sighed. "Isn't that the truth? Wu Zi’s father is good, just a bit slight of build. But Wu Zi’s father can read. Big Brother, you’ll need to pay attention; if there’s a suitable task, let Wu Zi’s father run a few errands for the team."

Third Great-Grandma replied, "Yes, having someone who can read is good. If I hadn't insisted Shan Zi learn a few days of schooling, how could he be where he is now? Wherever you go, people who can read always get ahead."

Cheng Shan considered it for a long time; it seemed like a difficult request, but he was too polite to outright refuse the old woman. "Old sister, how about this: after the New Year, let Yong Zi be a representative? He can help with marking out fields and trees or something."

This was exactly what the old matriarch had hoped for. Securing this result was worth leveraging her reputation. She was quite satisfied. "Having any job at all is good. I owe you a debt for taking care of him all these years; I must thank you for your help over the years."

Chi Yong, who hadn't spoken a word the whole journey, finally opened his mouth. "I haven't been in the village long; I don't have the authority to be a representative. Captain, if you don't mind, I can stay by your side, hold the ropes, and run errands. That kind of work suits me fine, and no one will criticize me." Measuring land required stretching ropes. To a scholar like the Captain, Chi Yong’s words showed good sense and awareness of his place.

Cheng Shan looked at Chi Yong, growing more pleased the more he looked. He truly was a different sort of person, understanding when to advance and when to retreat. "Yong Zi is right. If you don't mind, you can help pull the ropes and keep track of the accounting." Chi Yong replied instantly, "That would be wonderful."