Cheng Ying followed her paternal aunt to pay respects and burn paper money for her deceased father. As for what needed to be said, Cheng Ying had nothing new to offer.

Everything important had been addressed during the last visit, and in any case, actions spoke louder than words. Cheng Ying found a large stone to sit on and rest; thankfully, her padded cotton trousers offered some insulation against the chill, though the entire task remained an ordeal.

Her aunt squatted close to her father’s grave mound, her emotions visibly spiraling. “Yingzi, why don’t you go play over there?

I just want to have a little chat with your dad.” Cheng Ying was on the verge of tears herself. Oh, my dear aunt.

Her niece genuinely didn’t want to leave. Her feet ached, and besides, there were wolves in these hills.

Seeing her aunt’s expression, Cheng Ying dared not utter a word. This aunt looked quick to anger, and wandering around an unfamiliar place, the last thing she needed was an outburst from her aunt.

Gritting her teeth, Cheng Ying silently turned and began walking up the narrow path into the mountainside. Her aunt simply didn't want her niece to witness her crying.

Reaching halfway up the slope, Cheng Ying noticed the pine trees were giants, soaring straight into the heavens, their crowns invisible even when she craned her neck. The forest wasn't excessively dense; it was sparse, suggesting there was certainly room for development.

And indeed, there seemed to be vast potential; the incline wasn't overly steep. Cheng Ying was genuinely taken with this location.

She gritted her teeth and pressed further up the mountain, her soles throbbing with pain. When Cheng Ying reached the summit, she looked across to find a sheer drop, a cliff face plunging down to a frozen, icy river below.

Cheng Ying mused that when the snow melted, this would become a natural transportation artery. The only issue was the scarcity of timber here.

The mountains were broad, but the forests were thin—mostly scrub brush unfit for decent lumber. There wasn't much available for cutting.

Cheng Ying circled the peak, descending via a path on the opposite side, effectively mapping out the entire small valley. The situation was similar on the other side.

While it wasn't a cliff, the rock face was precipitous and difficult to climb. In times of war, this would make an excellent, easily defended bandit’s lair.

Hard to attack, easy to hold. From her vantage point, Cheng Ying surveyed the valley floor.

The ground seemed quite expansive. Cheng Ying wasn't skilled at estimating acreage, unsure of the exact figures.

She began thinking of the saplings and ginseng roots stored in her private space. If she could cultivate them in this valley for just a few years, what a bounty that would be!

She could genuinely fill sacks with ginseng and haul it away. Cheng Ying was seized by ambition; this was the place.

The only problem was how to secure it. Then there was the distant, melodious wailing—like opera singing—which seemed to have quieted down.

Cheng Ying breathed a sigh of relief; that sound had been too relentlessly rhythmic. She started to worry about the valley not belonging to her.

“Yingzi!” Her aunt called from below. “Coming!

Coming, Aunt, I’m right there!” Cheng Shengxia, short-tempered as ever, snapped at her niece, “What are you running off for, you little brat? A wolf cub will snatch you away!” Cheng Ying thought to herself, So, Auntie is unreasonable too.

Who was it that told her to leave? And who was it crying their heart out all alone down there?

Truly, Cheng Ying finally understood what real weeping entailed. Her aunt was just like the ones on television, talking and crying simultaneously.

Cheng Ying had been momentarily stunned by the intensity of it earlier. So her aunt possessed that kind of talent.

Her emotional range was remarkably unrestrained. Cheng Ying gained a new appreciation for her aunt; people like that usually knew how to throw a tantrum.

From now on, it was best to provoke her aunt as little as possible. “Aunt, let’s go home now.” Cheng Shengxia huffed, “You heartless girl!

Are you going back with that basket empty after all that?” Saying this, she briskly started gathering firewood along with Cheng Ying. Cheng Ying felt miserable inside.

Carrying a basket of firewood all the way back from here—what a pointless chore! I must have had a bad dream, she thought, why is my day so tragic?

No, she shouldn't have agreed to come with her aunt yesterday to suffer like this. Cheng Shengxia led her niece back, Cheng Ying trailing behind, burdened by the small basket.

She felt utterly miserable; her feet truly hurt. Now, they were beginning to feel numb.

How much pain would it be when the blisters finally broke? Cheng Ying was weeping internally the entire time.

They had only just left the mountain, and there was still so far to go to reach home. Cheng Shengxia didn't lack sympathy for her niece; she simply believed that a basket of firewood was a minor issue for a girl her age.

What she didn't realize was that Cheng Ying had been living too comfortably lately, her skin too soft. A full basket of firewood was genuinely a heavy burden.

This was because Cheng Ying had the cheat code of her spatial dimension; others usually used such spaces as mere transport devices. For now, that was its primary function, which Cheng Ying had only employed on a small scale a few times, always stealthily.

Fortunately, just as they exited the mountain pass onto the dirt road, they spotted a Model 28 bicycle. Cheng Ying’s spirits immediately lifted.

Her stepfather was truly someone who managed to be everywhere. He never displayed overt flattery, yet he was always thoughtful and considerate, making one feel as if basking in a spring breeze.

“Uncle, you came to meet us?” Cheng Ying said with unprecedented enthusiasm. This display deeply displeased Cheng Shengxia.

Why was her niece so happy to see this man? Chi Yong replied, “Mm, your mother was worried you and your aunt would get tired, so she asked me to pick you up.” Cheng Ying nodded.

That was well put; he was deflecting praise, attributing the kindness to her real mother. “That’s wonderful then, Aunt and I are saved the trouble.” Cheng Shengxia snorted, unwilling to speak much.

“Saved what trouble? I’m fine walking.” Cheng Ying felt her aunt was too blunt; such a person was ill-suited for domestic maneuvering.

“Aunt, please, sit down. My foot hurts.” Cheng Shengxia felt pity for her niece.

“You sit on the bike and go ahead. I’ll walk back.” “Aunt, how can that be?

I’ll walk with you,” Cheng Ying insisted, limping slightly as she walked beside Cheng Shengxia. To be honest, though her feet were blistered, it wasn't bad enough to truly require a limp.

Cheng Shengxia looked at Cheng Ying’s exaggerated gait with concern. Chi Yong interjected, “Shengxia, from now on, I’ll be like your elder brother.

Please ride the bike.” Cheng Shengxia frowned; how could this man be settling in so comfortably in their house while she was expected to walk? “Well, hurry up then!” Cheng Ying sat in the front seat as before, with Cheng Shengxia walking behind, carrying the basket.

However, Cheng Shengxia dismounted as soon as they reached the edge of the village. Cheng Ying suddenly understood why her aunt refused the ride.

Villagers were quite conservative; young women and wives rarely spoke more than a few necessary words to village men they encountered, let alone sitting on the back seat of a bicycle with one. No wonder her stepfather had said he would be like her elder brother from now on.

What an ordeal. At least she would get to ride the bike right to the doorstep.

Chi Yong asked, “Does your foot really hurt that badly?” Cheng Ying’s expression darkened considerably. What did he mean, really hurt?

In her stepfather’s mind, she must be making things up. Did he think so poorly of her character?

This was genuine pain! Cheng Ying felt deeply wronged.

As soon as she got off the bicycle, she pulled off her thick cotton shoes, not even bothering to hide the state of her socks. Even without removing her socks, the yellow fluid seeping from her burst blisters was visible.

Chi Yong was aware that his son possessed a pair of new socks, and he also knew that his son’s recent behavior had been influenced by this new pair, making him somewhat… endearing, to put it mildly. But seeing the yellow fluid clinging to his daughter's sock, Chi Yong frowned.

He had just assumed the girl was being clever to get Cheng Shengxia a seat; it turned out she had genuinely been suffering. He quickly scooped up his daughter and carried her to the eastern room’s kang bed.

The old woman asked, “What’s wrong?” Chi Yong said, “Grandma, the girl’s feet are blistered.” The old woman took Cheng Ying’s small foot into her hand, her expression softening with concern. “Oh my, how did this happen?

In our rough and rustic home, how did we raise such a delicate thing? How can you be like this just from walking a few steps?

Oh dear, does it hurt?” Cheng Ying looked at her grandmother’s face and decided she could ignore anything she said, because the hands removing her socks were so cautious, worried about causing further pain. “It’s because you spoiled me so much, Grandma.

Who else is there to blame?” The old woman didn't have the heart for an argument. “Go quickly to your wife’s room and fetch something anti-inflammatory so we can treat the girl’s foot,” she instructed Chi Yong.

Cheng Ying didn't want to see her grandmother worried. “It looks bad, but it doesn't hurt unless I touch it.” The old woman sighed.

“Yingzi, don’t blame Grandma for being harsh, but once this heals, you’ll be walking outside every day for me, toughening up the soles of your feet. What will you do when you start school otherwise?” Cheng Ying worried too; hearing this meant the school certainly wasn't nearby.

“Why didn’t they blister this badly before? Are your shoes ill-fitting?” “They feel quite comfortable,” Cheng Ying replied.

The old woman stooped down and picked up the cotton shoes that Chi Wu had brought in earlier, feeling the inside with her hand. Then, she lightly tapped Cheng Ying’s back with the shoe.

“You troublesome girl! What were you showing off for?

Why did you pull out the straw padding inside?” Cheng Ying admitted, “I was wearing socks, so I took the straw out.” The old woman was exasperated. “Serves you right, serves you right for being smug!

What do you know?” She looked at Cheng Ying, torn between affection and irritation. “That straw is a treasure!

It’s much better than those useless socks of yours. If you had kept the straw padding in, would your feet be ruined like this?” Cheng Ying didn't understand why padding with straw would prevent blisters.

The old woman climbed off the kang, heading out the door while still holding Cheng Ying’s shoes; it was clear she was going to pad them with straw for her granddaughter. Cheng Ying offered a bitter smile.

Even with a layer of cloth inside, when she pulled her feet out of the shoes, they were instantly dusted with straw shavings. That was why Cheng Ying had been removing the straw earlier.

It seemed she’d be wearing straw-stuffed shoes for the foreseeable future. When Cheng Shengxia returned, she saw the large blisters covering her niece’s pale soles, echoing the grandmother’s words.

“Oh my, I said we had raised a pampered young lady in this house, how can she be like this after just a few steps?” Cheng Ying thought, This is kicking me when I’m down. The old woman snapped, “You say less!

You’re the one who led her astray. None of you are worry-free.” The aunt fell silent.

Her niece had gone out with her. “Yingzi, does it hurt?” “It doesn't hurt unless I touch it,” Cheng Ying replied.

Cheng Shengxia pressed on, “Everyone in this village walks everywhere on foot. None of them are like you.

Just because the family finally has a vehicle, you’ve become spoiled?” Cheng Ying was close to tears. Can you die if you don't humiliate me?

“Aunt, can we stop talking about it?” The old woman snorted. “Stop bothering Yingzi.

She’s just like you; she took out the straw padding in her shoes and brought the suffering upon herself.” Cheng Ying suddenly brightened. “Oh, Aunt!

You did that too? I thought I was the only fool!” Cheng Shengxia became annoyed.

“How old are you to be bragging? Serves you right!”