The old woman couldn't shake her unease about keeping such a large sum of money sitting around with Haozi; it felt far too risky. She quickly retrieved it, bringing Yang Zhi along.

Chi Yong and Chi Wu were outsiders, and at this moment, the old woman was perfectly clear on that distinction. At least there were still two thousand yuan—enough for her granddaughter's dowry could be saved after all.

The few people in the room stared blankly at the two thousand yuan; that was two whole stacks. Yang Zhi asked, sounding a little dazed, her voice slightly shaky, "What should we do?" Cheng Ying and Chi Yong both looked at Yang Zhi.

Their own money? What else could they do but hide it?

What a clueless question. Even Chi Yong felt his wife couldn't handle big matters.

She was nowhere near as capable as their daughter, though their daughter’s knack for stirring things up wasn't exactly ideal either. The old woman said, "Yingzi, does anyone else know about this?" Cheng Ying replied, "No one else knows.

I told them the money for the tiger skin was all given to the production team." The old woman turned to the other, "Wuzi, did you tell anyone?" Chi Wu mumbled, "No, I didn't dare." Who would he dare tell? Besides his own father, Chi Wu didn't have a single confidant other than Cheng Ying.

The old woman sighed. "These days, it’s hard for every family.

If everyone were doing about the same, there'd be no issue. But if one person suddenly shoots up, it’s not a good thing; everyone will covet it, and behind your back, they might not even praise you.

Not to mention anything else, your paternal aunt has been relentless. You signed the papers, but she's still plotting to get the money back.

What do you think she cares about? She cares about the money.

So, this is how it is settled. This two thousand yuan, I repeat my words, is for Yingzi’s dowry in the future." Chi Yong quickly chimed in to show support, "We listen to Mom.

The money Zhi and I earn is enough for us. Once the children grow up and our mountain operations get going, we won't lack money." The old woman softened her tone.

"Don't be angry. If there's a real emergency, we aren't completely inflexible, but this money is still best left for Yingzi." Cheng Ying pleaded, "Grandma, can we take some out for our family to use?

We don't need all of it." The old woman scolded, "You child, how little you understand! Say something happens and you two are slow-witted, and you fall in with bad people—what am I to do?" She couldn't finish the sentence, refusing to consider any unfavorable possibilities.

Cheng Ying insisted, "Grandma, now that we have money, shouldn't we at least finish building the courtyard wall? Never mind anything else, just having that sense of security when coming and going would be something." Having money but no courtyard wall gave Cheng Ying a profound sense of insecurity.

The old woman looked at the stack of money; she truly felt uneasy. She knew she wouldn't sleep soundly no matter where she hid it.

Her granddaughter wasn't entirely wrong. Chi Yong reasoned, "We shouldn't touch this money if we can avoid it.

Our family is too conspicuous right now. People are watching everything we do.

If we make big moves, they'll definitely suspect something is up here. It's not that we are stingy; just for the sake of having a quieter life, we should bear with it for now." Chi Yong was right.

He was the man, steadying the situation, thinking things through thoroughly. The old woman conceded, "Wuzi's father is right." Cheng Ying countered, "But later, when Mom and Uncle go to work in the township, it will just be Grandma here alone.

Without a wall, I worry." Cheng Ying deliberately omitted herself from the immediate concern; anything she said now would sound hollow. When it came time for school, she wouldn't go, and no one could stop her.

Cheng Ying added, "Besides, I see so many people from the village leaving for work, and only children and the elderly are left. If wolf cubs came, there wouldn't even be anything to stop them." Chi Wu burst out laughing.

"I knew it! You want the wall because you’re afraid of wolf cubs, you coward!" Cheng Ying was furious that Chi Wu had hit the nail on the head.

So what if she was afraid of wolves? Angrily, Cheng Ying shot back, "Mind your own business!

What’s wrong with a wall? It defends against wolves, thieves, and Second Aunt!" After Cheng Ying finished, Chi Wu just stared at her.

Chi Yong looked up, momentarily stunned. How well this child thought things through—she was truly practical.

Yang Zhi snapped out of her daze and gave Cheng Ying two light thumps on the back. "You shameless child, what are you saying?

How can you speak ill of elders like that?" Then she turned to her mother-in-law, "Mom, please don't take offense at Yingzi; Yingzi didn't mean it that way." The old woman glanced at her daughter-in-law, that unsophisticated woman. What didn't she mean?

It was the second daughter-in-law's petty mindset that caused everyone to be so guarded, even turning it into a slogan! She glared fiercely at Cheng Ying.

How could such a thing be spoken aloud? Even if they did what she suggested, it should remain a silent understanding.

Chi Yong lowered his head and said with suppressed emotion, "Yingzi is also right. Everything else is nonsense, but I really worry about Mom being home alone.

Why don't we do this: tomorrow, I'll go to the village, consult with the village head, borrow a few dozen yuan, and we can hire people to put up the courtyard wall first." Cheng Ying nodded; this was brilliant! This solution was perfect.

But why was her stepfather’s voice so strained? Cheng Ying looked closely at Chi Yong’s face; it seemed slightly contorted.

The old woman considered that the family couldn't always be under everyone's watch. Since the whole family agreed, they would do it her way.

"You decide, then. From now on, I won't manage household affairs.

I'll just watch the house and cook. You two handle outside matters." Chi Yong objected, "How can that be?

We don't know anyone in the village; who would recognize us? If anything comes up, isn't it all based on your reputation?" Cheng Ying turned aside; this was flattery.

The old woman insisted, "I'm getting old. You two run things from now on; eventually, you have to shoulder the responsibility." Chi Yong agreed, "Alright, if we can’t manage it, we’ll bother you again." The old woman took out a cloth bundle, unwrapping several layers.

"This is the money I saved over the last six months. You take it." Chi Yong refused, "We'll handle the errands, but you keep the money.

Don't push it away. You manage the household more carefully than we do.

The children are still young, and there will be many expenses ahead. We spend lavishly; how much will we leave for the children?

Just use this to worry a little more about the kids." Cheng Ying looked at her stepfather, thinking how different this man’s mind was from others; how could he make such an argument that was so hard to refuse? Her grandmother had fallen for it.

"Fine, then I’ll hold onto it." Yang Zhi said nothing but looked quite pleased. Cheng Ying thought, Silly Mom.

However, Cheng Ying did sneak a glance at the money in the old woman's hand—it looked like over a hundred yuan, quite a bit. She wondered when her grandmother had saved that much.

Cheng Ying remarked, "Is this enough for building a courtyard wall?" Chi Yong explained, "The construction itself isn't too much trouble; the villagers are all neighbors, and they'll help out, no one will ask for money. But the lime and stones—we’ll need a cart to haul them back.

And feed and bedding for the animals—that will cost money." Cheng Ying thought that was true; how convenient it would be if they had a vehicle. If their place were more isolated, she could use her space to run a trip and gather these things without effort.

Alas, that wasn't possible. She should let her stepfather manage it.

She was truly sitting on a pile of gold and starving herself, she thought. The old woman concluded, "Alright, everyone go back to your rooms and rest.

Yingzi and the others have been running around for two or three days; let them rest." Then she looked at Chi Wu. "Don't follow the girl around causing trouble for everything.

Good thing nothing happened this time; if something had gone wrong, what would you have done?" She was indeed venting her anger. Chi Yong patted his son’s shoulder; you deserved it, see if you’ll change your ways next time.

The matter between the old woman and her granddaughter was not something one could casually interfere with. However, seeing his eleven-year-old son accompany the little girl to the township to buy tiger skin and bring back money, Chi Yong felt nothing but pride.

Most children wouldn't have that capability. Of course, exactly who was leading whom was not worth fussing over.

Yang Zhi wasn't idle. After all that exertion, she decided to start cooking first.

Once everyone had left, the old woman opened the cabinet, bundled the money and the tiger skin together in cloth, and placed them deep inside. Then she sat on the kang and asked, "Yingzi, were you frightened?" Cheng Ying replied, "Grandma, you wouldn't believe it.

When Wuzi and I arrived at the township, we clung to each other and cried, feeling as safe as when we returned home." The old woman felt immense pity for her granddaughter. "You daring girl!

It was such a big deal, why didn't you tell Grandma? If something had happened to you, how could I face your father?" Cheng Ying quickly reassured her, "Grandma, don't overthink things; I was just rambling." The old woman confided, "Yingzi, Grandma needs to tell you.

I have never felt secure about your father's situation. When your father wasn't by your grandfather's side, my heart was unsettled.

Now that I see your father is in his own place, there's no need to worry. I can finally sleep soundly.

It was Yingzi who thought things through completely; Grandma never considered having your father stay in his own territory." Cheng Ying understood. Her grandmother had always suffered over the fact that her own son wasn't buried in the ancestral grave.

Wasn't this arrangement a form of psychological comfort? At least the old woman felt much better now.

Cheng Ying was truly exhausted. She hadn't felt her shoes hurting when she was running, but now the soles of her feet were throbbing with pain at the slightest touch.

Cheng Ying rubbed her feet. With the worries finally lifted from her mind, she relaxed and drifted off to sleep.

The old woman looked at her granddaughter, then at her dirty little feet, fetched a basin of water, and gently wiped them clean. She then sat beside her granddaughter, fanning her.

Who knew what the old woman was thinking. Chi Wu lifted the edge of the door curtain, glanced at the atmosphere inside the room, and quietly slipped in.

He was holding the shoe Cheng Ying had lost. The old woman saw Chi Wu but said nothing.

Chi Wu circled once and slipped out. The old woman watched him go, understanding the child well enough.

If you had to say what was wrong with Chi Wu, deep down, the child was undeniably Chi Yong’s. The old woman found it hard to look at him favorably.

But if you asked what she found pleasing about him, it was just one thing: this child was completely devoted to Yingzi and treated her well. That single point could overshadow every other dislike, such was the old woman’s nature.

Thinking further, although the idea was Yingzi’s, without Wuzi acting as her loyal follower, the girl could never have managed it alone. And speaking of which, if someone else had been accompanying Yingzi, they might not have been so single-mindedly loyal.

The two children, at least, had companionship. As for Yang Zhi, if she really wanted a child with Chi Yong, the mother-in-law had no right to object.

As long as Yingzi was well and they treated Yingzi well, that was what mattered. The old woman could see now that since the two of them had gone to the township, they wouldn't necessarily stay in the village.

Chi Yong spoke nicely, but the truth was, he didn't value this meager family legacy. The old woman pondered this; perhaps it was better if they looked down on it.

Her granddaughter had said they would marry sons-in-law into the family later—she didn't particularly need them anyway. Children grow up and can’t be separated from their parents, or they'll carry emotional scars.