Cheng Ying thought that the Old Madam was truly kind to her own mother; five yuan was quite a generous gift in those days.

When their family divided the assets, they only received ten yuan in cash.

Of course, her own mother was also an obedient daughter-in-law; any money she earned from trading medicinal herbs was handed over to the Old Madam without a single penny kept back.

Cheng Ying could vouch for this; the last time they returned from watching a movie, her mother, upon arriving home, immediately gave the money to the Old Madam.

Cheng Ying had never seen anyone less capable of keeping private savings than her own mother.

Silly girl. Cheng Ying looked at her mother with helpless resignation. If only she could be molded like Chi Wu, infused with a bit of cleverness.

It was a pity that compared to Chi Wu, her mother lacked that essential spark of wisdom.

The Old Madam said, “Hurry up and go. If your in-laws are truly hospitable, then you can come back tomorrow.”

Yang Zhi pursed her lips. “Alright, we’ll listen to you, Mom.” With that, she led her son-in-law, daughter, and son, striding out.

Cheng Ying turned back and waved at the Old Madam. “Grandma, I’ll be back soon! If I end up staying over, remember to bolt the door at night and have Great Aunt stay with you for company.”

This was her way of insisting that the Old Madam keep her own Great Aunt at home.

The Old Madam thought to herself that her granddaughter was certainly more reliable than her daughter-in-law. “Enough fussing over me! If you get tired walking, have your mother carry you. Don't let your legs get sore, understand?”

Hearing this, Cheng Ying finally considered something: just how far away was Grandpa’s house?

The way the Old Madam spoke suggested a very long journey ahead, which made Cheng Ying quite displeased.

The current Cheng Ying detested going out because her soles ached terribly from walking everywhere.

The entire village didn’t even have a single bicycle.

Why was everything so poor?

Chi Yong led his son, watching his daughter transition from acting like a miniature adult to her face falling in an instant, causing the corners of his mouth to lift slightly.

She still had a bit of a little girl’s temperament after all. “Alright, if you can’t walk later, Uncle will carry you.”

How was Cheng Ying supposed to respond to that? That wasn't comforting at all!

It seemed the road really was quite long.

Cheng Ying couldn’t bring herself to ask her mother where Grandpa’s house was, for after all, how could an almost eleven-year-old girl—no, she was already eleven after the New Year—not know where her maternal grandparents lived?

Cheng Ying didn’t even spare a glance for Chi Yong; she lowered her head and followed her mother out, marching with the rhythm of an expedition.

Of course, she didn’t forget to turn back every few steps to wave at the Old Madam—it was the cadence of an eighteen-stage farewell.

The Old Madam looked at her granddaughter’s behavior and felt a little embarrassed; rural folk really didn’t make a fuss over waving goodbye.

The Old Madam said, “Go on, hurry up!” Yet, she couldn't bring herself to close the door first, watching her granddaughter walk until she was just a distant figure.

Only after the family was far down the path did the Old Madam latch the wooden gate.

Cheng Ying and her group walked out, actually quite accompanied.

The second day of the New Year was for visiting the maternal home, so it naturally wasn't just Cheng Ying's family setting out. As soon as they left, they encountered several other parties also heading to their mothers' homes. While they weren't all going to the same village, there was a significant stretch of road they shared.

Cheng Ying saw people dotted here and there on the two-meter-wide dirt track, clutching bundles.

Ah, everyone was walking.

Sincerely, Cheng Ying felt that the thing this place needed most was road construction. Imagine how much time this wasted.

Along the way, Cheng Ying listened as her stepfather chatted animatedly with others.

This man could strike up a conversation with anyone, far better than her own mother.

Whether intentional or not, Chi Yong was diligently trying to integrate into this village, attempting to forge strong ties with the villagers. Whatever his ultimate purpose, for now, it benefited Cheng Ying’s family.

So, Cheng Ying simply acted as an observer. If he had the ability, let him make a fuss.

By the time the sun was fully up, Cheng Ying had sweat dripping down her spine.

Yang Zhi looked at her daughter with concern. “Yingzi, Mom can carry you.”

Cheng Ying replied, “No need, I’ll walk. I’m fine.”

Heaven knew she wasn't fine; her soles would probably blister later.

It was fortunate Cheng Ying was wearing the layered-sole cloth shoes her family made. If she had worn boots, she’d have blisters for sure by now.

The thing Cheng Ying had the hardest time adjusting to here was not wearing socks, yet the thing she adapted to most easily was the footwear made by her Old Madam.

Cheng Ying found the Old Madam’s shoes incredibly comfortable, far more so than high heels.

The current Cheng Ying thought back to the three-inch stilettos she wore in her past life and felt they were pure torture.

Chi Wu piped up, “Mom, Yingzi, we still have to gather firewood, which is even more walking than this!”

Cheng Ying shot Chi Wu a glare—was he implying she was slacking off?

Chi Wu said nothing, though his eyebrows visibly twitched upward. Yang Zhi stopped worrying about her daughter.

Cheng Ying continued trudging forward miserably, bitterness rising in her heart. Just wait until I have money; the first thing I’ll do is build roads, then buy a car—no, wait, buying a car first won't work, these roads aren't fit for decent vehicles.

Yang Zhi noticed the sweat beading on her daughter’s face. “Yingzi, we’re almost there. Grandpa’s house isn’t far from the township.”

Hearing this made Cheng Ying’s heart sink. If this was ‘almost there,’ just how far away was this place? She’d been thoroughly deceived!

Chi Wu added, “It won't take long now.”

Yang Zhi confirmed, “Mm, and we pass through the township. When we get there, we can pick up a couple of bottles of wine for your grandpa.”

Cheng Ying’s legs felt weak, and she nearly stumbled.

Was she being told that after reaching the township, there was still a dozen li of walking left?

Why did people treat walking as nothing?

Chi Yong noticed Cheng Ying almost falling. “Yingzi, why don’t Uncle carry you?” After all, she was just a girl, delicate.

Cheng Ying’s face darkened. “No need, walking with Wu Zi is fine.”

In her heart, she swore: Never again. Never again would she stay at Grandpa’s house if it meant walking this far. This was such a trap! Cheng Ying was weeping inwardly.

Chi Wu, however, seemed delighted and walked quite briskly.

After Cheng Ying and the others crossed the ridge—a ridge she had already scaled twice coming out of the village—Cheng Ying finally let out a sigh of relief, feeling as though she had conquered a high mountain. They had finally made it over.

Yang Zhi’s voice was excited. “Oh, Yingzi, your uncle came to meet you!”

Cheng Ying followed her mother’s gaze and saw a figure standing by the roadside in the distance. The most noticeable thing about the young man was the bicycle beside him.

Regardless of what this uncle was like, Cheng Ying felt an urgent desire to rush toward him.

The key point was: no more walking! Grandpa, Uncle—they were all wonderful! Absolutely wonderful.

However, it was rare for her own mother to recognize someone from so far away.

To Cheng Ying’s eyes, the uncle in the distance was just a blurry shape.

Yang Zhi’s face had never looked so radiant as she called out toward the distance, “Yang Yi!”

Cheng Ying thought, no need to ask; that must be her uncle’s name.

The person in the distance waved back at Yang Zhi’s group.

A neighboring auntie commented, “Oh, Yang Zhi is so lucky, someone came all this way to meet you!”

Yang Zhi replied modestly, “Not at all, it’s just my brother, it was a coincidence.”

The aunties traveling with them weren't petty people. “We were actually planning to arrive at your mother’s place before you, since we live closer than your mother’s family. Now look, you’ll surely get there first, you’ve got wheels with you!”

Cheng Ying glanced at the bicycle in the distance. This was what they called having wheels?

What would someone who knew about BMWs think? Such country folk.

Cheng Ying failed to consider that she herself had just been complaining about her aching soles, and only felt relief at the thought of having a vehicle.

In this current situation, a real horse would be far more practical than a BMW.

The uncle across the way called out to his older sister and rode the bike over.

Cheng Ying spotted a face shape from afar that resembled her mother’s.

He was younger than her mother. And this facial structure looked much better on the uncle’s face than it did on her mother’s.

Like her stepfather, he had the appearance of a scholarly, fair-skinned gentleman.

The uncle dismounted and greeted the group of uncles and aunties—he was clearly an outgoing person.

Then he greeted his older sister. “Sister!”

Yang Zhi said, “Yang Yi, why are you here so early?”

The uncle wiped the sweat from his brow. “Dad told me to wait for you all down by the ridge early this morning. Brother-in-law, you must have gotten up very early too.”

The way the uncle called him "Brother-in-law" sounded so natural; in Cheng Ying’s view, her stepfather and her uncle seemed to know each other already.

The aunties nearby chimed in, “We won’t wait for you folks; we’ll get going!”

Then everyone waved, and soon only Cheng Ying’s small family was left by the roadside.

Chi Yong said politely, “Mm, we can walk fast too. Why did you bother making such a long trip just to meet us?”

Before Cheng Ying could figure out how to respond, her uncle scooped her up in one arm.

For a thirty-year-old woman to be lifted up and carried by the hip was truly mortifying; Cheng Ying’s face instantly flushed crimson. She opened her mouth but couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

The uncle asked, “Yingzi, did you miss your uncle?”

Cheng Ying was still unable to speak. Fortunately, this uncle wasn't insistent; he patted her head twice, then directly placed Cheng Ying onto the crossbar of the bicycle.

Cheng Ying thought this crossbar had been specially prepared, as there was a soft cushion tied onto that single metal bar.

Still, sitting there wasn't comfortable.

The uncle instructed, “Sister, you hold Wu Zi and sit on the back. Brother-in-law, I’ll come back for you later.”

Chi Yong nodded. “Alright, walk slowly. Wu Zi and I can walk ahead.”

The uncle said, “No need, just have my sister hold him. This part is downhill, easy to manage. We can’t let the children freeze out here in the cold.”

Yang Zhi took the five yuan from her pocket, gave it to Chi Yong, and holding Chi Wu, she settled onto the uncle’s bike.

Cheng Ying sat on the decidedly overloaded bicycle and they set off. Although her soles didn't hurt anymore, her backside was suffering.

Cheng Ying couldn't decide if walking would have been better or sitting was better—it was a choice between foot pain and buttock pain.

However, the wind facing them was quite cold. When walking, one didn't have to use their hands, but on a vehicle, one couldn't. This was quite the ordeal.

The entire ride, her mother and uncle didn't stop chatting.

Cheng Ying listened as her mother recounted every minute detail of her life to her brother. She mused that perhaps her mother’s temperament stemmed from her upbringing; perhaps her mother had a brother who knew how to care for others, and a father who doted on his daughter.

After passing through the township—which Cheng Ying barely recognized—they were still about ten li from Grandpa’s house.

In truth, cycling ten li wasn't that far, but that was assuming asphalt or concrete slabs.

Given the current road conditions, ten-plus li still took a considerable amount of time.