Riding a bicycle for over ten li wasn't really that far, But that was assuming paved roads or concrete slabs. Given the current condition of the paths, those ten li still took a considerable amount of time.

Just when Cheng Ying felt her backside was about to split in two from the constant jarring, they finally arrived at Grandpa’s house. Grandpa lived in a village larger than her own.

It made sense, considering how remote her own village was, and how far it lay from the nearest market town. Though Grandpa's place was also a village, it was situated much closer to the town center.

As soon as they entered the village, a woman peered out, and the very first words she spoke echoed Cheng Ying's deepest feelings. She heard the woman exclaim, "Oh, Yang Yi, you careless man, why didn't you bring gloves for Yingzi?

How cold her hands must be!" Cheng Ying was so moved she almost cried; her hands had been gripping the handlebars so tightly for so long, exposed directly to the biting wind. If the woman hadn't looked so young, Cheng Ying would have rushed to hug her and called her Grandma.

The overloaded bicycle finally stopped, and her uncle helped lift Cheng Ying down. "Oh, you're right, look at my thoughtlessness, how could I forget?

Is Yingzi cold?" Yang Zhi felt concern too, but hesitated to say anything. The woman stepped forward.

"Hurry inside, Yingzi, come with Auntie. Let’s get you indoors; Auntie will warm your hands." As she spoke, she took Cheng Ying's icy-cold hands and began rubbing them warm.

To be honest, Cheng Ying couldn't feel her hands at all; they were stiff with cold. Yang Zhi interjected, "His Auntie, it’s fine, the child is hardy." Auntie looked at her sister-in-law.

"Sister, let's get inside quickly. Father has been waiting all morning." Then she looked down at Chi Wu.

"Wuzi, hurry up and get inside too." Her uncle responded, "I'll go meet Brother-in-law." Yang Zhi instructed her brother, "You just wait in the market town." The uncle mounted the bicycle and rode off. Cheng Ying felt exhausted just watching him; this feat would qualify him for a long-distance mountain biking marathon champion in modern times.

Auntie urged them, "Sister, hurry up and take Wuzi in; it's warm inside." Yang Zhi, still emotionally stirred by returning to her natal home, grabbed Chi Wu and went inside. She didn't even think about her daughter trailing behind.

This action was noticed by Cheng Ying’s aunt, who frowned noticeably. Her sister-in-law was always kind-hearted, but she shouldn't be so oblivious as to forget her own flesh and blood.

She needed to know who came first. Cheng Ying was pulled along by her aunt, trailing a couple of steps behind as she watched her own mother enter the house.

Her aunt took Cheng Ying's hand and crouched down. "Yingzi, tell Auntie, has your uncle been good to you?" Cheng Ying thought to herself that her aunt was a sharp person, knowing to assess the situation first.

Cheng Ying took in her aunt's appearance, simultaneously noticing the rough calluses on the small hand holding hers. This must be an honest, hardworking woman.

"Mmm." Was that 'mmm' a good sign or a bad one? Auntie's brow furrowed, finding the ambiguity hard to decipher.

Auntie seemed impatient. "Yingzi, tell Auntie clearly.

Has that Wuzi bullied you at home?" Cheng Ying mused that saying Chi Wu had never bullied her wouldn't exactly be a lie; in fact, it often felt like she was the one bullying him. After a pause, she said, "He never bullied me." This answer, she felt, needed to be delivered clearly.

The tension in Auntie's expression visibly eased. "Yingzi, Auntie needs to ask you—is your mother good to Wuzi?" Auntie was clearly worried that her sister-in-law might be prioritizing sentiment over necessity.

Cheng Ying found this question genuinely difficult to answer. She had never seen her own mother treat anyone poorly.

But if she said her mother treated Chi Wu well, given the tone of her aunt’s question—suggesting a fiercely protective woman—it might lead to misunderstanding. Cheng Ying looked at her aunt and answered with careful consideration, "My mom is very good to me, and she is also good to Chi Wu." Auntie became even more perplexed.

Her sister-in-law simply had a nature of being good to everyone. Well, she decided, they would just have to wait and see.

Her niece ultimately had the support of her aunt and uncle; they wouldn't let her down. All this worrying was unnecessary; once she accepted that, her mood naturally lifted.

She looked at Cheng Ying with open honesty. "Yingzi, be a good girl, and Auntie will give you tasty treats later.

Don't tell your mother I asked you about this, understand?" Cheng Ying nodded. You are doing this for my sake; I can tell.

To tell her mother about this inquiry would be foolish. "Mmm, I'll listen to Auntie." She didn't mention that she truly understood the depth of the concern.

Auntie stood up, her smile bright. "Come on, Yingzi, Auntie will show you your little cousin.

He is far naughtier than you were when you were small." With that, she pulled Cheng Ying inside. Cheng Ying could tell her aunt was in a much better mood.

Cheng Ying felt a sense of calm settle over her; it seemed she had a good maternal family line to rely on. The father's side is respected by the uncles, the mother's side by the maternal uncles.

Her own two paternal uncles were likely unreliable, but thankfully, she had this uncle. Before arriving, Cheng Ying had fully expected that her uncle and Grandpa might not welcome her, after all, not everyone willingly arranges a second marriage for their own daughter.

Cheng Ying was quite certain of this fact. Her mother’s remarriage had been orchestrated entirely by her Grandpa.

Although Grandma hadn't explicitly stated it, Cheng Ying was perceptive; she could infer the situation from subtle hints. Therefore, Cheng Ying had always held a very reserved attitude about visiting her Grandpa’s home.

In Cheng Ying's view, she was likely just a burden, a dead weight, dragging down her mother in the eyes of her Grandpa’s family. Seeing her aunt, however, relieved half of Cheng Ying’s petty worries.

One person could reflect the whole picture. It seemed her Grandpa truly did care how she was faring, though, of course, when comparing his granddaughter and his own daughter, his primary concern would naturally be his daughter’s well-being.

Cheng Ying felt that insisting on being treated as the top priority would be sheer foolishness. Judging by appearances, Grandpa’s courtyard suggested he was a man who favored a slightly refined lifestyle.

Cheng Ying noted that the living environment inside Grandpa's house was quite pleasant. It looked like the home of someone involved in medicine, because dried herbs were hanging on the windowsill, even in the dead of winter.

Cheng Ying had seen these in the back room of her own mother's house, so she recognized them, though she had no idea what they were used for. When Auntie led Cheng Ying in, her mother was already seated on Grandpa’s heated brick bed (kang), and from her posture, Cheng Ying could tell this was a woman who behaved very dutifully in front of her elders.

Turning, she saw her Grandpa, wrapped in a threadbare, padded coat against the winter chill, his bare feet near a brazier, tapping his tobacco pipe, his face a roadmap of wrinkles. If Cheng Ying had harbored any lofty, idealized fantasies about her Grandpa, they were utterly extinguished at that moment.

With that appearance, it was difficult even to conjure an image. The key question was: why wouldn't the old man wear socks?

Or at least cover his feet? Why expose them to the elements like that?

Auntie carried Cheng Ying directly onto the kang. Cheng Ying thought to herself that she was already eleven and didn't really need this kind of treatment from her aunt.

Unfortunately, Auntie looked even sturdier than her uncle and proceeded without consulting her, lifting her directly, only then releasing Cheng Ying's little hands. Cheng Ying pursed her lips and was about to greet Grandpa when the old man across from her spoke.

"Yingzi, did you miss Grandpa? Why didn't you come visit during the New Year?" It was the tone used to soothe a child, laced with cautious probing.

Cheng Ying hardly dared look at him. Despite the unimpressive appearance, anyone who had navigated life’s hardships was sharp as a needle.

Cheng Ying lowered her gaze, and when she looked up, all she saw were Grandpa’s feet, where the sinews seemed thicker than the flesh. Then she spoke, her voice soft, "I missed you, but we were busy at home during the New Year, and I was helping Grandma." This statement struck the old man deeply.

His granddaughter knew how to speak. He had, that New Year, essentially burned bridges with his in-laws to secure a second marriage for his daughter.

He didn't care how others judged or spoke; as long as his girl was doing well, people could say what they liked about human nature. At his age, he had seen it all and cared little for superficial reputation; a comfortable life for his descendants was worth more.

By current customs, the old man had taken a huge risk by arranging this marriage for his daughter. Although the state supported remarriage, social customs at this time were conservative.

The old man had certainly been gossiped about when he went out. It was only because he was firm in his resolve that he could face the world so calmly.

But his granddaughter couldn't; he had doted on her since she was small. He couldn't allow the girl to develop resentment toward her own mother.

Hearing his granddaughter's words, however, he worried she might resent him. The old man reached behind him and pulled Cheng Ying close.

"Girl, you mustn't side with your Grandma. That old woman must have been criticizing Grandpa.

How could your Grandpa harm you?" Cheng Ying thought, The old man is cunning, trying to poach me right away. She stared at him with wide, innocent eyes.

"Grandma also said that Grandpa surely looks out for me. Grandpa has always considered my best interests since I was little, telling me to be good to him, to remember his kindness." While this statement was more than half filled with embellishment, it wasn't entirely false; his old wife was a sensible person and had never encouraged Yingzi to resent her Grandpa.

Cheng Ying didn't think she was wrong; after all, modern people valued presentation—from the house, to outward appearance, to their very words—all were parts of that presentation. The old man was so choked up by his granddaughter's response that the smoke from his pipe went straight down his throat.

After a long fit of coughing subsided, Cheng Ying felt a pang of guilt. If she had known the old man could choke on his smoke, she wouldn't have provoked him.

Once Grandpa caught his breath, he said, "Your Grandma has always had foresight. Otherwise, no matter how much trouble I made, she wouldn't have agreed.

Your mother's remarriage would have been meaningless." Cheng Ying thought to herself, Good, just stop talking about that old lady. Cheng Ying lowered her head, leaning on her hand, pretending to be clueless and dull.

Auntie brought out a pile of twists of fried dough (mahua) to appease Cheng Ying and Chi Wu. It was only then that Cheng Ying noticed a small child, perhaps three or four years old, sleeping behind the old man.

The whole body was covered by a small quilt, with only a little head showing. But Cheng Ying found the child endearing.

The little face looked clean and bright, and most importantly, the child bore a resemblance to her own mother. Seeing his granddaughter remain silent, the old man felt a deep sadness in his heart.