"Grandpa, Mom brought you some fruit wine," Cheng Ying said, but it was better to get to the main point; they were waiting to head into the city, and they couldn't waste time chatting with the old man.

The old man heard this and couldn't argue with his daughter-in-law, "Oh, a fine thing! Bring it here quickly."

Cheng Ying thought that the old man looked like a complete drunkard.

Her uncle became animated, "Sister, this is what Dad likes best. The reason we let you marry Wu Zi's father back then was probably because of this wine."

Cheng Ying thought that the old man's fondness for alcohol made him very likely to marry off his daughter.

The old man scoffed, "Nonsense. But their family's fruit is indeed excellent. It's not the same taste as the Red Fruit Wine from the small shop."

Cheng Ying mused that Grandpa at least had some taste; this wine was truly different from the stuff in the small shop, comparable even to the fruit wines of later generations.

The old man looked at Cheng Ying, "Yingzi, Grandpa here tells you, even if you don't learn anything else, you must learn this skill from your grandma. That way, when Grandpa wants a drink later, I won't have to look at other people's faces. If my granddaughter knew how to make it, Grandpa could drink as much as he liked."

Cheng Ying nodded, "I definitely will learn it."

It wasn't just for Grandpa; Cheng Ying herself was eager for it. "This year I’ll visit Grandma again and make another jar."

The old man beamed, "I’ll send a few jars over to your place later, so your mother stops complaining about not having space. Oh, what a good thing!" He was practically itching to grab the bottle and take a swig right then.

Aunt spoke up, "Yingzi, Auntie has cooked some soup for you both. Drink some to warm up first. Even though it’s June or July, it gets chilly in the early morning and evening." As she spoke, Aunt brought over two large bowls of gādā soup, each with a poached egg floating in it.

Cheng Ying took the bowl and, along with Chi Wu, ate it somewhat distractedly, not standing on ceremony at all. The trip to the city was long; they couldn't manage without a good meal.

Aunt cautioned, "Slow down, don't scald yourselves. Auntie will cook something proper for lunch."

Cheng Ying put down her bowl, "Auntie, please don't trouble yourself; we need to leave now."

Grandpa exclaimed, "What? Leave? Where are you going?"

Cheng Ying explained, "We just came to the village to visit, Grandpa. Don't worry, once school starts, we'll be staying here the whole time; you’ll get sick of seeing us."

The old man was displeased. "That’s the future. So you two just came out to play, not to see me?"

Cheng Ying countered, "How could that be? Didn't we bring you things? And the knee warmers my mom made—aren't those all for you?"

The old man glared.

Cheng Ying appealed, "Just let me relax a bit about your matters. Achieving first place in the exams puts a lot of pressure on me, doesn't it?"

The old man pouted, "Fine, but you can't wander too far. Can you come back for lunch?"

Cheng Ying shook her head, "No, we came with a whole group of children; we don't know when we'll head back."

Chi Wu lowered his head beside her. This girl just makes things up on the spot; where did she conjure up a group of children?

Aunt chided, "You kids, how can you be so ill-mannered? Quickly, call all the children in!"

Chi Wu realized trouble was brewing. Previously, when he followed Cheng Ying, it was just about hiding things; now, they were lying.

Cheng Ying pulled Aunt closer, showing the same warm enthusiasm one might have for a child. "Auntie, no need. They are shy. Wu Zi and I tried to pull them in earlier, but they wouldn't come. They’re waiting for us ahead." Then, turning to Chi Wu, she prompted, "Wu Zi, tell Auntie."

Chi Wu looked at Aunt, then at Cheng Ying, and managed to squeeze out a single, weak, "Mm." He truly wasn't good at fabricating things out of thin air.

The old man grumbled, "Bring them all next time. It’s not like we don’t have space here, or can’t afford food, or can’t afford a cup of hot water."

Cheng Ying replied, "Mm, understood, Grandpa. We'll be going now."

The old man asked, "Can you come back for dinner?"

Cheng Ying looked at the old man with a troubled expression. "If we eat dinner here, what time will we get home?"

The old man pulled out five yuan and gave it to Cheng Ying and Chi Wu. "When you go out, buy something to eat. Don't shortchange yourselves, and ride slowly."

Cheng Ying took the five yuan—that was half a month's wages for her own mother. Grandpa was truly generous to her. Her real Grandpa.

She didn't refuse and tucked it away. Aunt and Uncle walked them both out, almost seeing them off at the village entrance.

Cheng Ying motioned to Chi Wu to start riding quickly; they had to leave before Aunt and Uncle saw that there was no group of children waiting.

Chi Wu was even more nervous than Cheng Ying; he was practically begging Cheng Ying to hurry Auntie up so they wouldn't be escorted to the village gate.

Riding in the cart, Cheng Ying waved to Aunt, "Auntie, go back now. We'll be back after the summer break!"

Aunt called out loudly to Cheng Ying, "Ride slowly, there are lots of kids! Don't fight, but if you do fight, don't be afraid!"

Then Uncle pulled her back. Aunt's voice was so loud that the neighbors probably heard everything. Cheng Ying decided that this philosophy of raising children wasn't suitable for wide promotion.

Cheng Ying felt a new warmth between herself and Aunt; she herself was the type who never lost a fight.

Chi Wu was sweating profusely, all from fright. "How could you dare say that? What if Auntie walked out there and your lie was exposed?"

Cheng Ying teased, "You coward, can't you just cycle faster?"

Chi Wu watched Aunt disappear back inside the house, then made a sharp turn on the bike. "Hurry up and get that thing!"

Cheng Ying was confused by Chi Wu's sudden urgency. "What thing?"

Chi Wu was almost bursting with anger. "The tiger skin! You—you!" This kid was frustrating; how could he forget something so important? Chi Wu was trembling with irritation.

Cheng Ying slapped her forehead, quickly jumped off the bike, and ran to the side. A moment later, she ran back carrying a bundle and hopped onto the seat. "Hehe, I almost forgot!"

Chi Wu felt even more vexed. Forgetting something like this—he didn't feel secure even with the tiger skin in Cheng Ying's hands; he worried she might toss it away while riding.

Once they passed the village entrance, Chi Wu stopped the bike, took a piece of rope from the rear rack, and tied the bundled tiger skin tightly against his own body before setting off again.

Cheng Ying watched his movements and thought, This is even riskier, isn't it? If a robber actually showed up, could I even pull you into the space with me?

Cheng Ying asked, "Aren't you hot? That’s tiger skin, and you’re strapping it right against you."

Chi Wu retorted, "It's better than you being careless with it. Grandma treasures this thing so much. If it were converted to money, fine, but if you lose it again..." Chi Wu stopped talking, letting Cheng Ying imagine the consequences.

Cheng Ying sighed; she truly owed Grandma. This was the dowry Grandma had set aside for her after clashes with her two daughters-in-law.

Chi Wu cycled ahead. Since the roads were dirt tracks with no distinct markers, he asked, "Do you really remember the way?"

Cheng Ying replied confidently, "Don't worry, just keep to the widest road, and you'll be right."

Cheng Ying looked at the path ahead, feeling just as lost. They all looked the same. Oh, once we hit the paved road, I’ll surely find my way, she thought.

Hearing Cheng Ying, Chi Wu wasn't immediately reassured. At every intersection, even a small fork, he had to ask Cheng Ying if they were going the right way. Cheng Ying nodded vaguely from the back. I slept through most of the trip; what the heck do I know? Besides, she had entered the city at night. Still, she gave Chi Wu confidence with forceful replies, "Yes, keep going this way. The wider one is definitely right."

This was pure deduction. More people go to the city, so the road must be wider. Furthermore, she had some worldly knowledge; wasn't there a distinction between a township road and a county road? She just wasn't sure if the roads were marked the same way now.

When the sky grew bright and people started walking along the roadside, Cheng Ying finally relaxed. She signaled Chi Wu to stop, got off, and asked an elderly woman, "Aunty, is this the way to the city?"

The old woman was very helpful. "Oh, dear girl, keep following this road. You'll see the paved road soon. Follow the paved road, and you can’t go wrong!"

The woman's enthusiastic help made Cheng Ying breathe a sigh of relief; there were still many good people. "Thank you, Aunty." She turned back and saw Chi Wu’s eyes were red, shimmering with unshed tears.

Cheng Ying wondered what was wrong with the boy; no one had bothered him. "Did someone bully you?"

Chi Wu gritted his back teeth, "And you still dare to talk? If you don't know the way and you just fool me, what if we get lost?"

Cheng Ying retorted, "Didn't it work out? Besides, we have mouths right under our noses; how could we get lost?"

Chi Wu became even angrier at her attitude. He parked the bike, squatted by the roadside, and sulked.

Cheng Ying felt that for an eleven-year-old boy, he was indeed a little too timid. She shouldn't have scared him like that. "Chi Wu, don't be angry. It’s not that I don't know the way; I was just confirming with the lady."

Chi Wu gave her a cold look. If I trust you again, I’m a fool. He had called himself a fool many times before.

Cheng Ying took out the water flask. "Have some water, and then we should go. If you’re tired, I can ride for a bit."

Chi Wu drank the water, and his temper cooled down. After all, they were nearly at the city; turning back was impossible. Besides, since they were out together, he was the man; he had to protect the girl. "I'm not tired."

Cheng Ying insisted, "You need to rest up. We don't even know if we can sell this tiger skin. If we run into bad people, you’ll have to be the main defense. I’m useless whether running or fighting. You need to keep your strength up, understand?"

What Cheng Ying said made Chi Wu's heart leap. Selling the tiger skin was that dangerous? "Okay, I’ll sit, and you ride." Chi Wu began to worry in his heart: what if they met villains? What if he ran and left Yingzi behind? He decided he had to drag Yingzi along if they needed to flee.

Cheng Ying packed the water flask onto the bike and then rode, with Chi Wu sitting behind. They continued on their way, switching roles.

Cheng Ying hadn't ridden for long before they reached the asphalt road.

Chi Wu exclaimed, "This road is amazing! We can cycle so fast. Yingzi, get off; I’ll ride." This was a typical eleven or twelve-year-old boy experiencing novelty; his mind, full of worries moments before, was completely distracted by this new sensation.

Cheng Ying didn't have much energy to begin with, so she was happy to let Chi Wu take over the physical labor.

Chi Wu cycled on the asphalt road like a maniac. In Cheng Ying's estimation, his speed was easily forty li per hour. His hair was blown wildly around his face. If she hadn't been holding onto his waist, she would have been thrown off.

Cheng Ying thought, It's a good thing there are no motorized vehicles on the road; that greatly reduces the danger.

Chi Wu asked, "How long until we get to our house on this road?"

Cheng Ying said casually, "In a few years."

"Really?" Chi Wu believed her without even realizing it; he had already begun to trust Cheng Ying implicitly.