“Mmm, Ma, no need to worry. The Old Man said that the two sisters will look out for each other,” Chi Yong said.

The old woman breathed a sigh of relief. If Yang Zhi was staying with her sister-in-law’s brother, there was nothing to worry about.

Yang Zhi herself let out a breath of relief. She was the one who would feel the most awkward about the whole situation.

For so many years, she had never even left the house.

If her own brother’s wife hadn't sat down and spoken to her at length, Yang Zhi would never have left home.

Looking at Yingzi, then at Chi Yong, and finally at the old woman, Yang Zhi said, “Alright.”

In truth, whether she agreed or not, nobody was really considering her feelings anyway.

Hearing the flat tone in her daughter-in-law’s voice, the old woman knew her in-laws must have spoken to the daughter-in-law beforehand. Otherwise, this stubborn woman wouldn't have changed her mind. Alas, it was all out of necessity.

“Alright, everyone go to sleep. The production team is going to be busy starting tomorrow. They started stringing the power lines from the township to our village the day before yesterday, and they’ll be setting the poles in just a few days. It’s not worth missing out on those work points. Truly, what a busy year this is.”

Cheng Ying thought that it really had been a year of great change.

But life going forward would only get better.

The reason their family was doing as well as they were had everything to do with her stepfather being smooth and knowing how to handle things.

The hardship was temporary; the future was bright. Thinking of that made everything worthwhile.

Chi Yong took his wife and son back to their room to sleep.

Cheng Ying snuggled under the covers with her grandmother. “Grandma, do you think Mom will be okay?”

The old woman replied, “Don't judge your mom just because she’s quiet. She’s steady and diligent. As long as she settles down and learns, she’ll succeed. As for missing home, what woman doesn't miss home? A few months will pass quickly if she bites down and gets through it.”

“Mmm, Grandma. I’ll help you. I’ll wake up earlier from now on. I’ll handle all the small chores,” Cheng Ying said.

The old woman didn't take it seriously. Her granddaughter’s education was the most important thing. Only the children of landlords used to be able to attend private tutoring.

Now her own granddaughter could go to school; rural people placed immense importance on that. “Our Yingzi is sensible. Grandma knew Yingzi would help me.”

Cheng Ying knew her grandmother was just saying that to soothe her.

But in this village, she was the only girl her age—still treated like a child.

Cheng Ying had been outside and seen things. Girls of eleven were treated as adults and expected to work at home.

For families with daughters, when the adults went out to work, the entire household management fell to the oldest girl.

It was only her grandmother who saw her differently. Outside, she would say anything about her granddaughter, insisting she wasn't inferior to any other child.

In reality, she barely let her granddaughter do much work.

Cheng Ying almost felt bad. Her grandmother was purely going out to build a good reputation for her granddaughter.

The night passed without incident. Yang Zhi prepared many things the next day. She even packed a jar of preserved vegetables.

The jar for the pickles was one her own grandmother had retrieved from Great-Grandma Three’s house.

Chi Yong spent the entire day milling around the production team headquarters with the captain, only returning in the evening.

The grandmother spent the entire evening instructing the departing Yang Zhi, going over every detail.

Her final instruction was, “Did you understand?”

The reply was only a blank look from her own mother.

The old woman realized it was like playing a lute to a cow; this daughter-in-law was stubborn and unteachable.

Cheng Ying watched, anxious, but thankfully, she had her maternal uncle there. Her mother was truly blessed, though being a widow wasn't exactly good fortune.

The stepfather said, “Ma, Zhi Zi is a grown woman. Even if she can't express it clearly, she knows what to do. Besides, Yang Yi will be there. Don't worry.” The old woman glanced at her daughter-in-law; it was hard not to worry.

Finally, the old woman put on a stern face. “Everything outside is good, but the atmosphere is questionable. Don't pick up anything improper when you return. You are a mother and you have a husband; you need to be mindful, understand?”

“Ma, I know,” Yang Zhi replied, certainly understanding that.

Chi Yong was satisfied with his mother’s warning. Although his wife was steady, the outside world was wild. The necessary admonishments still needed to be given.

Cheng Ying was inwardly pleased. It was best for her mother to see more of the world, so her heart wouldn't remain entirely tied to her stepfather.

It had originally been arranged for Yang Zhi to cycle to the city by herself.

But Yang Zhi was unwilling, and besides, she wasn't steady on a bicycle.

So the stepfather would take his wife to the city—not all the way, just until the maternal grandfather’s house. From there, the uncle would accompany his mother.

Cheng Ying tallied things up mentally. She could call this a lineage of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.

Her maternal grandfather, uncle, and mother were all involved in medicine, even if their origins were rooted in selling snake-oil remedies.

The starting point was a bit awkward to mention, but as the saying goes, one shouldn’t question the background of a hero.

Among so many esteemed traditional doctors, Cheng Ying didn't believe they all practiced with recognized licenses.

Didn't those whose medical skills were excellent still garner widespread admiration?

Cheng Ying could already envision the small advertisements her mother would post in the future for her specialized proctology practice, and the crowds flocking to her door.

Heh, these were all future capital.

The stepfather was gone for nearly the entire day. Cheng Ying stayed home with her old grandmother and Chi Wu.

The entire brigade was buzzing with energy.

The power lines were beginning to be erected in the village.

As soon as the technicians marked the spots for the utility poles, the villagers didn't wait for the workers to step in. Regardless of the freezing weather, they swiftly dug the holes, just waiting for the poles to be brought in for wiring. This level of enthusiasm was impossible to understand without experiencing it firsthand.

Cheng Ying shook her head. She remembered how troublesome the power grid renovations had been on her own land years ago.

If it inconvenienced someone’s plot of land even slightly, they thought they had struck gold and demanded exorbitant amounts of money.

Look at the hearts of the people now—so pure, and so unified.

Neither Cheng Ying nor the old woman had the physical strength to help much. They followed the captain’s grandmother, boiling water and bringing it over to the workers—acting as logistical support.

The workers commented that at this pace, electrification would likely happen right after the Lantern Festival.

The captain was overjoyed, rallying everyone to put in their best effort. Even though they wouldn’t receive work points for this, the villagers were still enthusiastic.

Cheng Ying and Chi Wu, though not entirely fitting in, were swept up by the grand atmosphere and ran around with the other children.

If you asked Cheng Ying what exactly she was running for, she couldn't say.

She couldn't figure out why her thirty-something-year-old, mature soul was being led into such simpleminded behavior by the general tide of excitement.

When they returned home in the evening, Cheng Ying sat on the heated brick bed after washing her feet. She noticed blisters forming on the soles of her feet.

The old woman became distressed. “Why were you running around so frantically, you silly girl? When the electricity is connected, it will light up for everyone together.”

Cheng Ying winced. “It didn't hurt when I was running,” she admitted.

The old woman tapped her granddaughter’s head lightly, then got down to prepare a basin of hot water. She managed to find some honeysuckle and a type of dried green leaf, which she steeped together, washing Cheng Ying’s feet again.

She instructed her granddaughter, “Stay put tomorrow. Don't run around wildly again. Grandma will go out to hand out water and deliver things. You aren't allowed to run off and play madly!”

Cheng Ying nodded. Given her feet in this state, it would be difficult to go out even if she wanted to.

Cheng Ying sat on the kang, unable to keep still. Her mind was filled with worries. “I wonder how Mom is doing. Does she miss home?”

The old woman looked at her granddaughter’s grown-up demeanor. “She misses it, of course. Your mother has only been gone one day. But then again, Yingzi has never left her mother’s side.”

“I’m just a little worried. Grandma, you know Mom’s temperament. I hope no one bullies her,” Cheng Ying said.

The old woman sighed. “Yingzi, don’t worry. Your mother may be honest, but it’s not easy to bully her. She’s so honest that it’s hard for people to even know how to start,” she offered, speaking from the bottom of her heart, her expression tinged with years of experience.

This seemed to be the old woman’s summation of her experience with her daughter-in-law over the years.

Cheng Ying almost laughed out loud. “That’s true. Unless someone is inherently twisted, most people see my mom the same way. There aren't that many born bad people. As long as Mom doesn't miss home too much, that’s what matters.”

The old woman thought that her granddaughter being in school for a couple of years really made a difference; the way she spoke was so refined.

The old woman pursed her lips, her attitude toward Chi Yong also improved; having a cultured person guiding the family made a difference. “That’s true. Your mother must miss home. She’s never been out before.”

“Luckily, she has her uncle. Oh dear, why do I feel like I’m worrying about a child going out?” Cheng Ying fretted.

The old woman was amused by her granddaughter. “Go to sleep, stop worrying pointlessly. Maybe your mother will come back tomorrow with a tearful face because she misses you so much.”

Cheng Ying knew her grandmother was teasing her.

But it wasn't entirely impossible. “Oh, heavens, what should we do? Grandma, if you miss Mom, I’ll ask Uncle to ride the bike and take you to see her.”

The old woman snorted. The two finally quieted down.

The next morning, after eating breakfast, everyone left.

Chi Wu couldn't stay at home any longer and had vanished early in the morning.

Chi Yong also needed to go help at the brigade; this was the time to build influence, which Cheng Ying understood.

Only Cheng Ying remained at home to nurse her feet.

This was a perfect opportunity! Since she didn't get points from the production team, Cheng Ying hadn't had much chance to enter her personal space. Now was the perfect time and place.

Cheng Ying walked barefoot into her personal space. The first thing she saw was a thick carpet of honeysuckle blossoms scattered on the ground by the pond.

Cheng Ying was so excited—that was money! That could be exchanged for money! She walked over barefoot and immediately started gathering the fallen flowers, filling a large dustpan at home.

Cheng Ying couldn't stop smiling. Even if they weren't useful now, they would be useful in the future.

She then looked at the layer of flowers scattered on the surface of the pond; Cheng Ying felt a pang of heartache that she couldn't scoop them up.

Besides, they had been soaked in water; who knew what effect that would have on their medicinal properties?

The water in this pond was clean, but it still originated from the river. Cheng Ying still didn’t dare drink it.

If it was just water infused with honeysuckle, it would be a terrible waste to discard it.

But washing her feet in the pond? She was too reluctant to ruin it.

Not drinking it didn’t mean it was useless. Everyone in life faces misfortunes. If they were restricted now, they might need it later. It was better to keep the pond clean.

Cheng Ying brought a basin from home into her personal space and scooped up a basin of water from the pool where the honeysuckle lay. She washed her feet under the honeysuckle vines.

Treating herself as the test subject, Cheng Ying felt a bit apprehensive. She didn't know how effective the honeysuckle's properties would be.