Cheng Ying also felt these two elders were far too stingy. But she didn't hold a grudge; life was hard enough for every family right now anyway. What could her own mother possibly give them? However, Cheng Ying hurried back primarily to tell her mother not to give money to her male cousins. It was enough for their Old Grandmother to make a gesture herself; why should their mother give handouts when no one gave anything back to them? Cheng Ying knew her own mother had asked the Old Grandmother for fifty cents just yesterday, planning to give each of those children one dime. What a waste. There was no corresponding return! Cheng Ying hated being taken advantage of the most. Now, when it came to her own mother and the Old Grandmother, Cheng Ying considered them her own people. How could she stand by and watch her own side suffer a loss? So, this matter had to be stopped right here on their side.

The Old Grandmother didn't say anything in front of the children, after all, they were young, and their own family situation was unique. Who knew if Yingzi might need to rely on the eldest branch later? "Look at you arriving so early, the others haven't even eaten yet; you're blocking their rice bowls!" Cheng Ying giggled, "Grandma, what food do we have in our house? I'll go look outside." The Old Grandmother replied, "It's almost time to eat. What are you looking at? Go do whatever you need to do." Cheng Ying turned and left the room, whispering behind her grandmother's back, "Mom, this is the trinkets my Eldest Aunt and Second Aunt gave me. Look, do we have any food? Prepare something for Mingzi and Dunzi; we can't look bad." Her stepfather watched Cheng Ying and Chi Wu from the threshold. He helped his wife start the fire, saying nothing. This man always only added bricks and tiles where they truly mattered. Chi Yong looked quite pleased with his son. Yang Zhi said, "Silly child, why are you worrying? Mom already prepared everything, don't worry." Cheng Ying thought, If I don't worry, I won't nag you, "Mom, what did you prepare? Let me see." Yang Zhi thought that her daughter never trusted her as a mother, and she wondered what she had done wrong to make the girl so distrustful of her. She pulled five dimes from her pocket, all crisp one-dime notes. "Look, Mom prepared this long ago. When they arrive, I'll give each one a dime." Cheng Ying looked at the dimes in her own mother’s hand, feeling so conflicted. What kind of nature did her mother possess? She had already told her that the Eldest Aunt and Second Aunt had given her things. If it were anyone else, they would have already adjusted their strategy and tactics in their mind. Only her mother remained so honest, so generous. Cheng Ying felt a sense of powerlessness. If it weren't the first day of the Lunar New Year, Cheng Ying would have sighed deeply. The Old Grandmother was superstitious about that and had long ago warned her granddaughter not to sigh today.

Chi Wu looked on with longing; a whole dime! That was truly something respectable. "Yeah, Yingzi, what Mom is giving them is very good." Cheng Ying shot Chi Wu a look, annoyed. How could one family produce two idiots? What was wrong? Chi Wu was glared at for no apparent reason and turned to look at his own father. Had he upset Cheng Ying over something? Chi Yong remained silent, continuing to stoke the fire. Silly son. Cheng Ying turned back to chat with her mother, subtly planting the seed, "Mom, perhaps that's not quite right. Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle are just starting out; they must be short on cash. If Eldest Aunt didn't give us New Year money, it's because she is so concerned with appearances. She is the principal wife of our Eldest Branch; giving Mingzi and the others a dime each—wouldn't that slap Eldest Aunt in the face? How embarrassed would she be later?" What Cheng Ying said showed genuine concern for others' troubles. Chi Yong coughed twice by the side, then addressed the three pairs of eyes watching him, explaining, "The fire just caught, I was choked by the smoke." With that, he lowered his head to tend the fire, refusing to engage further, letting the three of them—mother and children—sort it out. His son truly needed guidance, especially having a girl like that to compare him to; his son looked so foolish sometimes. Cheng Ying thought, Go on bluffing, choked by smoke. But for a family to live together, they needed some understanding. Letting her stepfather adapt to her a bit was also a form of early integration. Besides, how could an entire family be composed of saints? Someone had to manage the household affairs.

Yang Zhi suddenly understood. "Yingzi, is that true? How did I not think of that? No wonder Grandma always reminds me. You two, come scoop out the dumplings. I'll go to Grandma's room to find something appropriate to give them." Saying that, she walked away. She realized she needed to be much more thoughtful about social obligations from now on; she wasn't as sharp as her child. Yang Zhi felt quite ashamed. "Your Eldest Aunt has always treated me well. If Yingzi hadn't reminded me today, wouldn't I have wronged her? From now on, Mom will be careful." As she spoke, Yang Zhi had already entered the other room. Chi Wu glared at Cheng Ying. "We don't have that much stuff in our house." Cheng Ying kicked Chi Wu on the foot. This boy, such a blockhead, couldn't even figure out such a small matter. All those days of guidance were wasted. Cheng Ying felt this boy was becoming more and more dense. "Five dimes, how much food can that buy?" Chi Wu understood basic arithmetic. He immediately fell silent, resolving that in the future, he would certainly use this logic to calculate things. Unintentionally, Chi Wu was running further and further down the path of being too simple.

Cheng Ying spoke those words to Chi Wu quietly, but Chi Yong certainly heard them. He couldn't help it; being in his prime, his hearing wasn't bad. Perhaps spending more time with the girl meant his son wouldn't need his direct education anymore. Subtle influence was often more effective than direct teaching. Otherwise, why would those great clans always talk about 'heritage'? That heritage was meant for subtle cultivation. His daughter's cultivation in this regard was truly excellent. And his son was learning quite a bit from it. Chi Yong watched his younger children's interaction without uttering a word, continuing to stoke the fire. His mood was bright and sunny; spring hadn't even arrived, yet Chi Yong already felt a warm springtime feeling.

Today's dumplings had been prepared the night before. Even eating them for the second meal in a row, Cheng Ying didn't feel sick of them; eating them every day would be great. Just as the family finished eating dumplings, the first visitors of the New Year arrived. The first group was the Village Head's eldest son, bringing a group of children to pay respects to their Old Grandmother. It must be said that their grandmother was quite old in the village, although there were few in the village as ancient or senior in lineage as the Third Great-Grandmother. Their grandmother gave the entering children small handfuls of the dried sweet potatoes and pine nuts she had prepared. The Village Head's children were older now, past the age for receiving New Year money; they were just stopping by for a visit. It was just a formality, and the children were all quite happy. After this group left, the Old Grandmother's face was clearly displeased. Cheng Ying knew why: her Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle hadn't been the first to pay respects. In rural customs, there were rules. All the younger generation of a single family should pay respects to the village elders together. It looked better and was more lively, showing the family was harmonious and prosperous. From the way the Old Grandmother casually scanned outward, Cheng Ying could discern her thoughts.

Chi Yong was dressed quite smartly today. Although his clothes were old, they hung on him cleanly, exuding a certain air. This was something the native villagers couldn't match. He almost looked like a scholar, needing only a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. Chi Yong said, "Mom, Zhi, why don't we two go visit Big Brother and Second Brother's homes?" Her stepfather was sharp; he had said exactly what was on the Old Grandmother's mind. But their Old Grandmother was more level-headed than her stepfather imagined. "Wait a moment. I'm still here. Your Big Brother and Second Brother will be here soon; you can all go out to visit the village together then." Chi Yong nodded and said no more. He had just given the Old Grandmother a way out. He wasn't overly concerned about the specifics of who he paid respects to first. In Chi Yong's view, paying respects to anyone didn't make him inferior. For an outsider, integrating into an environment, especially a tight-knit and conservative village, was difficult. Having moved around to several places over the years, he knew the hardship of putting down roots. If he hadn't married Yang Zhi, he wouldn't have had a single family to pay respects to. He had been in this village for several years now. The people here were clannish, and not just ordinarily so. Chi Yong had chosen this remote place because it was better for raising the children, and constantly moving had become too hard for him while raising them. In the blink of an eye, he had begun to feel the urge to settle down here. Alas. An unspeakable resignation, an ineffable bitterness.

Cheng Ying announced, "Eldest Uncle is here, Second Uncle is here too." The corner of the Old Grandmother's mouth curved slightly; her mood improved significantly. Yang Zhi went out to the courtyard to greet them. "Big Brother, Second Brother." She didn't even say "Happy New Year"; she just lifted the door curtain. The Eldest Uncle's expression had improved somewhat today. The Second Uncle was always subdued in front of their Old Grandmother. "Mom," the two brothers greeted her together. The Old Grandmother said, "You came so early. Rest a while. You three brothers can go wander around the village." The Eldest Uncle, sitting on the heated brick bed, flushed slightly. "Mom, when we came over, we stopped by the's house, so we won't go anywhere else now." The Old Grandmother warmed her hands over the brazier, paused, then said, "Is that so? Zhi, your Big Brother and the others have already visited. You two couples can go around the village, go ahead, no need to stay here and keep us company." Chi Yong maintained the same placid expression. "Big Brother, Second Brother, you sit. We'll go out for a stroll." With that, he led his wife out to pay New Year visits. This year, they needed to properly tour the village. You couldn't hit a smiling face. Since he wanted to integrate into the village, he needed to build good relationships. "Yingzi, Wuzi, let's go together!" Chi Yong was in such a good mood that his voice was a few notes higher when he spoke. Cheng Ying saw her Old Grandmother starting a conversation with her son and Chi Wu, and they headed out. As for the Eldest Aunt and Second Aunt, and the children who came in afterward, since the Old Grandmother's room had food, they didn't need to host anyone anyway. Besides, the New Year money the Old Grandmother gave her grandsons was her business; Cheng Ying never cared about that, unlike her own mother. Those were Grandma's grandsons. She cheerfully followed behind her mother and stepfather for their rounds.