Cheng Ying was still in a daze even after returning home. She kept pondering the state of her intelligence.

Had it truly declined? Why did she only realize after washing the wool that she could have saved it until summer?

Why? Why must she suffer?

Cheng Ying felt deeply aggrieved, attributing it all to her brain being frozen. It was just so cold, after all.

If washing the wool was suffering, then carrying Dong Cheng’s icy clumps of wool all the way back was pure torment. In this weather, the wool froze almost instantly after being pulled from the water.

This stuff couldn't be seen by others, either; the two of them had to hide it secretively. Such a huge lump of ice—how were two people with nothing to conceal it?

Cheng Ying did have a Space, but could she use it now? Upon arriving home, that kid Chi Wu, in order to hide the wool, had soaked nearly half his padded jacket.

The boy was willing to go all out; when they saw someone halfway there, Chi Wu shoved the icy lump right inside his coat. In the dead of winter, Cheng Ying felt her heart ache watching him.

Was it worth all this for a pair of socks? If he’d ever seen real treasures, a good cuff to the backside would teach him a lesson.

But seeing Chi Wu looking so manly, so responsible, and trembling from the cold, Cheng Ying couldn't bring herself to hit him. The key issue was that, by comparison, she might not be a match for him.

If she missed, she’d likely get disciplined by this brat instead, so Cheng Ying switched to verbal instruction instead. After all, schools didn't advocate corporal punishment anymore.

She’d guide this boy properly later; asking for money was fine, but his life and health were far more important. Cheng Ying snatched the icy wool from Chi Wu’s arms and carried it to the backyard, muttering, "Tell me, why doesn't your brain turn?

If you get sick, the money spent on medicine will cost far more than a pair of socks." Chi Wu stuffed a towel inside his soaked jacket, his lips purple, shivering as he spoke, "Who said? Our mother can cure sickness, and the medicine is dug up from the mountains—it’s free.

Besides, I’ve never seen socks for sale. Where would I buy them?" Cheng Ying was so choked with anger she almost sputtered.

There was no reasoning with this country bumpkin. Cheng Ying thought Chi Wu valued his life less than his wealth.

This boy looked so upright and genuine, yet he could go astray so easily. He was too easily led astray.

Cheng Ying regretted it; she should have let this stubborn boy stick to his own ideas. Educating this tiresome child, Chi Wu, would have to wait.

It couldn't be done in a moment. "Alright, hurry up and get inside to warm up." At least the wool she washed herself couldn't be spoiled.

Besides, no matter how she washed it, the wool still carried a distinct odor. Anyone visiting would smell that sheepish scent, making people think they were secretly eating mutton at home.

This problem had to be solved first. Seeing Chi Wu still standing there, she said, "You go warm up inside first.

I'll go hide these things." Chi Wu nodded. "Okay, you go hide them.

I trust your hiding skills; I’ve never found anything you stashed, so others probably can’t either." Saying that, Chi Wu climbed onto the kang to warm himself. His padded jacket was too wet, making him uncomfortable and cold.

But hearing those words made Cheng Ying’s blood run cold. When did this boy ever rummage through her things?

And so silently? She never knew.

To be honest, her Space only contained a bit of wool—truly, nothing else. Did this kid Chi Wu have nothing better to do than go rooting around?

She felt fear, lingering dread. Cheng Ying’s embarrassment turned to anger.

"You dared to go through my things?" Chi Wu burrowed into the kang, taking off his jacket and crawling under the quilt. "What are you talking about?

I just brought back the wool, and I had nowhere to put it. I thought I could put it with yours to save trouble.

But I’ve never found where you put your wool. Where exactly is it?" Chi Wu was genuinely puzzled.

The house was so small; how could this girl hide things so effectively? Cheng Ying’s head ached with anger.

She really couldn't hoard private things; the boy’s mind was focused entirely on that. Fortunately, Chi Wu was young, and his thoughts weren't too complex.

Cheng Ying warned, "You behave yourself! It’s none of your business where I put it." Saying this, Cheng Ying went out.

She locked the door to the East Room, picked up the wool frozen into ice clumps, and entered the Space. Cheng Ying placed the wool in a mesh bag, submerged it in the pond for a quick rinse, and then pulled it out.

What a convenient device this was. She grabbed a handful of wool, brought it to her nose to sniff, confirmed there was no residual odor, and began wringing the wool dry.

She turned and exited the Space. Cheng Ying completely lifted the rush matting on the East Room kang.

She placed a board underneath and started working. Spreading the wet wool all over the kang, Cheng Ying reflected that since Chi Wu knew she hid things he couldn't find, she couldn't afford to slip up on these minor details in the future.

Under no circumstances could the matter of the Space be discovered. An anomaly invites suspicion—Cheng Ying understood this deeply.

Few people would grasp her situation. Therefore, this wool had to be dried quickly so she could lock it away in a cabinet.

Since she couldn't store it in the Space during the New Year period when visitors were frequent, anyone seeing this pile would cause trouble. This kid Chi Wu was specifically designed to create trouble.

After finishing the wool, Cheng Ying broke out in a sweat. Just spreading it out wouldn't suffice; she had to quickly light the kang fire and heat it up, otherwise, she and Old Granny would have nowhere to sleep that night.

Cheng Ying got off the kang to start the fire and also had to shovel a basin of coals for Chi Wu to dry his padded jacket. After this flurry of activity, Cheng Ying felt her arms ache.

Why should only Chi Wu get to lie on the kang while she suffered jointly in the cold water? Cheng Ying felt utterly resentful.

This was the most tiring day since her rebirth. Chi Wu, in the West Room, wrapped in his quilt and warming himself by the brazier, was in a much better mood.

The girl outside was quite efficient when working; more capable than the young wives in the village, he thought. Chi Wu couldn't quite articulate his feelings.

The fact that someone was busy working for his sake made him feel quite good. Chi Wu held out the hands that had been soaking in water for a long time and examined them closely.

At least his hands looked better after these few days; the dark dirt was no longer visible between his fingernails. Compared to the girl's hands, his were still lacking.

No, they were vastly lacking. Chi Wu’s good mood caused the corner of his mouth to lift slightly.

Then he picked up his padded jacket and continued to roast it by the fire, hoping it would dry quickly before Old Granny returned. Cheng Ying, alone in the East Room, took out the yarn she had spun in the Space over time and piled it on the cabinet.

Looking at the large mound of yarn, she felt troubled. No wonder Chi Wu had spoken up.

Unbeknownst to them, the two of them had accumulated so much yarn. It was a feat that the flock of sheep hadn't gone bald yet.

Staring at the pile of things, she worried. Worrying when she had things, and worrying when she didn't.

It looked like over ten jin of yarn. It wasn't just Chi Wu who was perplexed; Cheng Ying herself couldn't figure out where to hide all this yarn.

It was a good thing she always carried a ball of yarn to knit a vest for her own Old Granny. She hadn’t thought things through completely.

Fortunately, Chi Wu was simple-minded and said whatever he thought. If it had been her Old Granny, she probably would have grown suspicious.

Cheng Ying put two large balls of yarn into the Space. The rest she placed on the cabinet.

Then she considered that their house only had this one cabinet; there was truly no room to hide things. If anyone saw, their whole family would be in deep trouble.

She casually put another two balls of yarn into the Space. Old Granny didn't know how much yarn rope they had twisted anyway.

As for Chi Wu, she decided to let him think she was better at hiding things than he was. When Old Granny returned, Chi Wu had already half-dried his padded jacket and was tending the fire outside.

Old Granny didn't see her granddaughter, but then she saw the closed door of the East Room, and she immediately understood her granddaughter was holed up in there. She pushed the door open—good heavens!

The entire East Room was filled with white mist, pure water vapor! Old Granny looked at the wool drying on the kang and smiled faintly.

These two troublesome children—they were trying to freeze the sheep to death, weren't they? Why couldn't they stop shearing?

Then she looked at her granddaughter, squatting on the ground, lost in thought. "Ying'er, what's wrong?" Cheng Ying cried out, "Grandma, what should I do?

I have no place to put it!" She pointed at the several large clumps of yarn piled on the cabinet. Old Granny looked at the things and thought it was terrible suffering—more importantly, the production team’s sheep were suffering!

In the middle of winter, how many sheep must they have sheared to get this much yarn? Fortunately, spring was coming soon, and most of the winter had passed.

Old Granny touched the silky wool and looked at her granddaughter’s hands, realizing she must have suffered quite a bit. In the summer, few people could wash wool to this degree, let alone in the winter.

Old Granny said, "If you know there's nowhere to put it, stop bothering those sheep! How can you be so greedy, wanting the cat's meat when you haven't had enough?

That’s enough! Don't set your sights on those sheep anymore.

Come on, give it to Grandma. Grandma will hide it for you." Cheng Ying nodded.

She had been waiting for her to step in and finish the job. Then Cheng Ying complained a little about Chi Wu, "It's all because of that clueless Chi Wu; he only cared about this bit of wool." Cheng Ying truly felt the boy lacked originality.

Old Granny tapped Cheng Ying’s forehead lightly. "Do you expect great accomplishments, relying on this?" Cheng Ying felt embarrassed, knowing the old woman looked down on their petty thievery.

She also felt it was beneath her dignity—it was only because life was so hard that they had no choice. Cheng Ying looked up, thinking of her own future development.

"How could I focus only on this? Your granddaughter has grand ambitions!

In the future, I'll have you riding in a sedan chair. This [yarn] is just for the New Year, to knit you a vest, right?" Old Granny smiled warmly.

As long as her granddaughter's heart was in the right place, that was what mattered. She had seen the knitting needles her granddaughter fiddled with every evening and hadn't expected it was all for her.

Old Granny’s mouth curved into a smile. "Our Ying'er is so filial.

But don't overwork yourself; Grandma worries about you." At this moment, Cheng Ying did not forget Chi Wu. "Don't just praise me.

Wu Zi twisted all the yarn. Although it’s not as even as what your granddaughter twisted, he did more of the labor." The key point was that Chi Wu was the one who procured most of this wool; she had only managed enough for two pairs of socks.

Old Granny responded, "Is that so? He’s the one who pulled the wool, right?" Cheng Ying giggled and nodded emphatically.

Yes, exactly. Old Granny understood perfectly.

Old Granny shook her head. "Tell him later that he’s done enough.

People need to celebrate the New Year, and the sheep need to celebrate the New Year too. Don't strip them bare."