Chi Wu was utterly dumbfounded. "You're taking that? Everyone in the village knows that's your dowry, the one your father traded his life for. You... you..."

Cheng Ying shrugged. "You just said it’s my dowry. What’s wrong with using it first?"

Chi Wu looked at Cheng Ying, on the verge of tears. If the old lady found out, she’d surely beat him to death. He felt like he’d boarded a pirate ship.

Still, Chi Wu understood the gravity of the situation. "I'll take you back. This thing—it can’t be touched."

Cheng Ying replied coolly, "Too late. I already cut the tiger's head off. Even if you take me back now, it won't be a whole tiger skin anymore."

Chi Wu plopped down onto the ground, feeling an urge to just weep for a while. This was clearly headed for a severe beating.

Cheng Ying walked over. "It's not as serious as you think. The old lady just wants a memento. I kept the tiger's head for her. Let’s hurry up and go, or what else will we even manage to do once we reach the county town?"

Chi Wu’s eyes were red-rimmed. "Can this thing really fetch five hundred yuan?"

Cheng Ying countered, "We have to try. This thing is valuable, and to the right person, it’s worth even more." Honestly, Cheng Ying wasn't exactly sure how much a tiger skin could fetch.

"You've killed me," Chi Wu groaned.

Cheng Ying felt, too, that Chi Wu seemed to be constantly set up for disaster by her. This poor kid, why did he have to run into me?

Cheng Ying thrust two bundles into Chi Wu’s arms. "I’ll take you part of the way. You really are timid."

Chi Wu retorted, "I’ve never seen anyone bolder than you. You’re setting traps! You wouldn't have taken that liquor to trade for cash, would you?"

Cheng Ying thought, Well, the little brat sees things pretty clearly. "How much is that liquor worth? Even if we trade it, it might not be useful. We'll just take it to Grandpa."

Chi Wu relaxed a bit, then started feeling anxious sitting on the back seat. "Will we get lost? Do you really know where the county town is?"

For an eleven-year-old boy, this shock was enormous.

It was his first time coming to the township, and now it had turned into a trip to the county seat,

all on a bicycle, carrying a tiger skin worth so much money.

Chi Wu's heart was trembling violently as he squeezed the tiger skin tightly to his chest. "What if someone robs us? There are so many bad people out there."

Cheng Ying snapped, "Shut up! Why did I bring you? If someone tries to rob us, you fight them off for me!"

Chi Wu glanced at his small frame and promptly shut up.

Cheng Ying felt that scaring a child wasn't quite right, so she decided to soothe him instead. "Don't worry. We haven't even reached Grandpa's house yet. What are you worried about? Besides, once you visit Grandpa this one time, you’ll have the route memorized. I study so well; do you think I can’t remember the way to the county town? And there are police in the county town—no bad people. Relax."

That was just meant to placate Chi Wu; Cheng Ying didn't entirely believe it herself.

Never mind the era of incomplete legal systems, even when the law was fully established, did society ever truly lack bad people? Weren't there always one or two disruptive elements lingering around?

Therefore, keeping vigilant against scoundrels was a constant necessity. Cheng Ying felt even more uncertain inside.

Why are there so many bad guys?

Chi Wu let out a breath. The tension gave way to sleepiness. He leaned against Cheng Ying’s back, drifting off. The boy’s reaction clearly showed he’d been frightened.

Cheng Ying thought that when they returned, she should remember to give Chi Wu a charm to ward off the fright.

By dawn, Cheng Ying arrived at Grandpa’s house.

Cheng Ying told Chi Wu to get off the bike. "Wait here. I need to hide these bundles first; Grandpa mustn't see them."

Chi Wu held on tight, refusing to let go. "No way! How can you hide something this valuable? What if it gets lost?"

He wouldn't let Cheng Ying take it away for anything.

Cheng Ying was furious; this kid was being so petty.

Cheng Ying put on a stern face, glaring. "What do you suggest we do then?"

Chi Wu had no good ideas either, gripping the bundle in Cheng Ying's hand and the bicycle firmly. "You go ahead, I'll watch the stuff here."

Seeing Chi Wu act so possessive made Cheng Ying angry. On second thought, since she didn’t have her spatial storage, where could she safely hide these things?

Cheng Ying yanked her hand free from Chi Wu’s grip. "Don't be ridiculous!"

She snatched the bundle and walked off. If I put it in my space, it won't even fart!

Chi Wu was so anxious his forehead broke into a sweat. This wasn't his village; if it got lost, he wouldn't even know where to look. How could the girl be so audacious?

When Cheng Ying returned, she saw Chi Wu practically scratching at the door in anxiety. She thought, Well, at least this child is worried about me, so she started comforting him. "Relax, it’s fine. You said I hide things well; have you ever found anything I hid? If even you can't find it, isn't that the safest place?"

That analogy was quite vivid.

Chi Wu insisted, "That's different! That's in our own home. This is somewhere else! Let me tell you, once we get to the city, you have to listen to me."

Seeing Chi Wu sweating with worry, Cheng Ying spoke to him like placating a child. "I’ll listen to whatever you say, relax. Hurry up and knock on the door; we still need to leave."

Chi Wu’s mind was full of worries. Why wasn't the girl anxious? "What do we tell them when we leave? We still need to fool Grandpa."

Cheng Ying was an adult; deceiving people with white lies was something she was adept at. "Relax, I've got this. You don't need to worry about this part." Benevolent lies were basically a necessary skill to master.

Chi Wu sighed in relief, then tensed up again. "Don't talk nonsense. What if Grandpa, Aunt, and our mother all talk together and you slip up? That would be disastrous."

Cheng Ying looked at Chi Wu. No wonder this kid has two white hairs; he worries himself sick. She wondered if he really thought this secret could be kept forever.

Cheng Ying, however, had already steeled herself for consequences. When the land transfer documents needed signing, she’d have to sign them. I'm just waiting to get a beating.

Cheng Ying glanced at Chi Wu, saying nothing. It was better for the child to remain innocent.

At least his heart was filled with impossible hope.

She knocked on Grandpa’s door. Auntie saw the children and made a fuss. "Oh my goodness, Yingzi, Wuzi! Why are you here so early? You must have gotten up in the middle of the night!"

Cheng Ying thought, Is that a welcome or not? Saying 'Oh my goodness,' I'm your granddaughter, okay?

To lighten the mood, Cheng Ying joked, "You’re mixing up the generations."

Auntie’s face stiffened, and she slapped Cheng Ying across the cheek—a slap much harder than Grandma's. Cheng Ying winced. Ah, there was a reason people said words shouldn't be spoken carelessly. She had brought this upon herself.

Auntie scolded, "You little rascal, you try to take advantage of everyone!"

Chi Wu, watching Cheng Ying, stopped feeling nervous. She deserves that much for asking for it.

Auntie’s naturally loud voice, shouting like that, startled everyone inside.

Grandpa soon appeared barefoot, wearing only a large undershirt and shorts. It was clear this was his usual sleeping attire.

Grandpa asked, "Yingzi, what’s going on?" It wasn't entirely strange for him to ask; the children were quite early. Relatives visiting in the countryside didn't usually arrive that early. Grandpa was startled—he hoped nothing bad had happened.

Cheng Ying was careful not to alarm the old man. "We came to the township to play." She established the cover story clearly.

Cheng Ying noticed Grandpa exhale in relief. They had been frightened by so many late-night disturbances in those years; they never meant good news.

Uncle called from behind, "What's all the ruckus? Hurry up and let the kids inside."

Chi Wu’s face flushed. The commotion was too great. Even if they were welcome, this level of welcome seemed excessive.

Auntie took both children’s hands and led them inside. "Why are you two up so early?"

Cheng Ying explained, "We were so excited we couldn't sleep. We got up in the middle of the night, but Grandma got annoyed watching us, so she kicked us out."

This was half-truth, half-lie, but close to reality.

Grandpa was delighted to hear this. If his granddaughter didn't care for visiting him, would she be too excited to sleep? This was a silent victory. "Yingzi, did you miss Grandpa? Why haven't you visited in half a year?"

Cheng Ying replied, "Yes, I missed you! But I had school. Once vacation started, I urged Wuzi to bring me over."

Grandpa nodded. "Good. Stay here with Grandpa for a while. I know your Yingzi is famous now. Everyone in the township praises you. Oh, you have no idea, everyone in the village asks who the child is who scored so well."

Cheng Ying teased, "Grandpa, aren't you secretly gloating?"

The old man raised an eyebrow. "Why would I gloat secretly? I tell everyone directly, 'That's my daughter's girl!'"

When the old man said this, the movement of his eyebrows was quite dramatic.

Cheng Ying found it refreshing; he was genuinely happy, genuinely exhilarated.

Chi Wu watched the old man’s mouth hang open, thinking, This is a bit much.

Auntie chimed in from behind, "It’s true! Your Grandpa is about to hang a red banner across the front gate!"

Cheng Ying quickly covered Chi Wu’s mouth. "Keep it low, keep it low! We need to be discreet."

Grandpa boomed, "My granddaughter is capable, why should I be discreet? I want the whole township to know that the top scorer is my own granddaughter!"

Cheng Ying feigned embarrassment. "Oh, I’m sorry. What if I don't do well next year? Then you’ll lose face."

The old man chuckled heartily. "Oh, that's my granddaughter for you! Yingzi, are you already planning to get first place again next year?"

Cheng Ying heard his words and questioned him, "So you think I'll just quit after one year?"

What kind of mindset was this old man operating under? Completely unprogressive.

The old man’s mouth widened in laughter. "Hahaha, oh my goodness! Our family's ancestral grave has finally sprouted a thistle!"

Cheng Ying shot him a look. What kind of thing is that to say? Even if a thistle sprouted, it would be from the Cheng family's ancestral grave, wouldn't it?

Grandpa said earnestly, "Yingzi, if you need anything, tell Grandpa. As long as it lets me show off every year, I’ll give you whatever you want."

Cheng Ying thought, Your ambition is quite high.

Uncle interjected from behind, "Yingzi, don't listen to Grandpa. You don't know, when Grandpa was learning to read, it was incredibly difficult for him; he wasn't naturally bright when it came to academics. When he heard people talking about someone learned, he felt resentful. Now that our family has produced a top scholar, your Grandpa's back is straight."

Cheng Ying could imagine that someone who had to rely on questionable remedies like dog-skin plaster must have been quite old. In that era, studying must have required a slow mind.

The old man glared at his son. "Yingzi, I’ll buy red cloth and hang up banners later. You can’t let Grandpa lose out! That red cloth is expensive. Hanging it for just one year would be a loss. You have to let Grandpa hang it every year, understand?"

Cheng Ying promised, "Don't worry. I can't promise for later years, but for elementary and middle school, I'll definitely give you something to show off about."

Auntie remarked, "You child, how can you be so thick-skinned? You can't talk like that when you go out."

Grandpa glared at her. "What we have is strength; what we have is prestige! Can others brag like that?"

Cheng Ying felt wronged. So the old man also thought she was just boasting.

The old man quickly said, "Hahaha, that's not what I meant."