Chi Wu followed Cheng Ying without even asking what the job was, a clear sign that he was too accustomed to being bossed around by her; his subservience was showing. When Chi Wu reached the mountain and saw the trees Cheng Ying had planted, and the saplings stuck into the ground, his eyes turned red.

This girl had gone crazy; how could she have done so much work in just a few days? No wonder her arms were swollen and red.

Looking at Cheng Ying, Chi Wu felt a surge of anger. He didn't know why the girl was pushing herself so hard.

What Chi Wu found most unacceptable was that the girl was doing purely volunteer labor. If saplings took root this easily, the whole mountain would turn into a forest of firewood.

But these were Cheng Ying's results, and Chi Wu didn't know how to tell her that just sticking small branches into the earth wouldn't guarantee their survival. "What are you trying to do?" Cheng Ying replied casually, quite dismissively, "I want to make my dad's living environment look nicer.

It will be pretty once these saplings grow." Chi Wu couldn't hold back. "This won't work.

Just because you haven't eaten pork leg doesn't mean you haven't seen a pig run, right? Haven't you ever watched Mom and Dad plant trees?" Chi Wu still held onto a secret hope: for the girl to sincerely call his father "Dad" one day.

Chi Wu felt he could die in peace then. So, this was his plan: a subtle, gentle guiding hand.

Cheng Ying scoffed, "You don't know anything! This is called propagation by cutting.

Just do as you're told; why so many questions?" Chi Wu was so annoyed his forehead ached. This girl had no idea whether something was good or bad.

Cheng Ying added, "And for the sake of argument, I'm happy doing volunteer work." Then, like a landlord, she forced Chi Wu to start sticking branches into the ground with her. Fortunately, Cheng Ying had the foresight to move the saplings to the more sheltered side, setting aside a large pile.

Chi Wu's job was to move the saplings. Then, he used the shears to cut them into sections, and that was it.

Then, the two of them jammed the saplings into the earth, working like that for half the day. They didn't even lift their heads.

And it wasn't just sticking in the saplings; they also had to pull out the wild weeds on the ground—truly wasted effort. Cheng Ying thought to herself that the places she had worked in the previous two days had been easier, so she must have done the right thing.

With Chi Wu helping, all the difficult, obstructed areas were tackled today. There was a downside, though: Cheng Ying couldn't get to her space to bathe today.

During the noon break for food, Cheng Ying went to the spring, using stones to roughly dam it, forming a small pool. Then, she poured in some water from the pond in her space, mixing it in.

It didn't seem to make a difference; it was all water anyway. Cheng Ying couldn't see any difference.

She called Chi Wu over, and they washed the sweat off their bodies. Cheng Ying intentionally draped a damp towel over Chi Wu's arm, worried he might collapse from exhaustion.

Cheng Ying casually took a packet of honeysuckle from her backpack and steeped it in the small pool. "Wash thoroughly, or your whole body will ache." Chi Wu nearly erupted.

"How can you be so wasteful? That costs money!" He almost wanted to dive into the pool and scoop out all the flowers.

Cheng Ying’s face darkened. He was such a miser.

"It doesn't matter how much it costs if it can't be exchanged for money; isn't that pointless? Hurry up and get in." Chi Wu's face flushed red as he looked at Cheng Ying.

"How can it not be exchanged? I've saved several packets already.

In about half a month, I'll go to the city, and I can definitely get the money back. I estimate if they need it, I can bring back over ten yuan." Cheng Ying scoffed, "Just a few yuan, and you're making a trip to the city?" Chi Wu’s eyes turned red with anger.

"Mom and Dad only earn a few yuan a month!" Alright, Cheng Ying shut up. She admitted she wasn't as sensible as Chi Wu; the key was that their family values were different.

Cheng Ying conceded she hadn't handled the situation well. "Fine, I was just saying." Chi Wu replied, "What you said isn't entirely wrong.

I don't have that much honeysuckle." Cheng Ying raised an eyebrow. Did she lack such things?

"Give me your honeysuckle. I'll keep it for you.

If you leave it out, it will spoil. I'm collecting mine here; you can sell as much as you want." Chi Wu sneered, "You’re bragging." Cheng Ying said, "I wander around the mountain all day at home; I just collect this stuff." Chi Wu brightened up.

"Okay, we'll split it evenly then." Cheng Ying thought: even a mosquito's leg is still meat. Meat within reach—it would be foolish not to take it.

Since Chi Wu was happy to give it, she would keep it. "Deal.

It's settled." Chi Wu asked, "Aren't you afraid of wolves?" Cheng Ying replied, "I'm actually hoping a wolf shows up. It gets so lonely here." With that, she glared at Chi Wu.

"Hurry up and get in!" How big could this little pool of hers be? If they didn't hurry, the water from her space would evaporate for nothing!

Chi Wu looked at Cheng Ying, then at the water. It was really hot.

"Aren't you going to look away? Are you even a woman?" Cheng Ying looked at the blushing ears of Chi Wu and pouted.

She was, at most, a girl, definitely not a woman yet. But she shouldn't make things difficult for a child, especially since the child was old enough to be shy now.

She turned and walked away. With that small frame, she wasn't interested in looking anyway; it hurt the eyes.

What she truly admired was eight-pack abs. She muttered under her breath, "Scrawny chicken; who wants to look at that?" This time, Chi Wu wasn't just red in the ears; his backside was red too—entirely from anger.

He had never met such an infuriating girl. All the pity he felt for Cheng Ying earlier because of how much work she had done just vanished.

Chi Wu, an eleven or twelve-year-old boy who didn't yet understand what a 'good figure' was, examined his own muscles for the first time. Did he really have none?

So, Chi Wu took a little longer bathing, scrutinizing himself from head to toe under the water's surface, and found absolutely nothing imperfect about himself. Only then did he emerge from the pool.

Cheng Ying teased, "I thought you'd married the puddle." Chi Wu snapped back irritably, blaming the girl's lack of taste. "Why didn't you suggest I drowned in there?" Cheng Ying gave him a look of disdain.

"Are you doubting my intelligence? How can someone drown in water that only reaches their knees?" This marked a somewhat unpleasant interaction between them.

Cheng Ying didn't let up in the afternoon; she kept dragging the young boy to work. But this time, it wasn't planting trees; it was diverting water to the woods.

Cheng Ying had decided to go all out; she had finally found a laborer and couldn't waste it. Besides, the water in that nice little pool was from her space, so it couldn't be wasted either.

Moreover, Cheng Ying had concerns. Thinking of the large carp in her space, oh dear.

If she accidentally let out two mandarin shrimp in their own valley, that would be even more trouble. So, based on the principle of 'don't waste, don't stand out, don't attract attention,' Cheng Ying insisted on using up the water in the pool.

Chi Wu followed Cheng Ying, carrying a shovel. They dug a channel along the terrain together, allowing the water from the spring to irrigate the entire patch of cuttings.

Chi Wu remarked, "Even if this patch of your saplings survives, they won't last when the water comes in the rainy season." Chi Wu’s assessment was correct; even on overcast days, this area would flood without a proper drainage ditch. Cheng Ying replied, "You don't need to worry about that.

Later, I'll find a few people to come in and dig the ditch, and build a small weir at the valley entrance. Then this place will look proper." Chi Wu looked at Cheng Ying.

Was this something a child could decide? Also, this grand plan made the project sound too massive for Chi Wu.

Cheng Ying looked at him. "This place is my future dowry; shouldn't I tidy it up nicely?" Chi Wu pursed his lips.

"It's impractical, but if you like it, I'll help you. Even if Grandma disagrees with hiring help, the four summer and winter vacations we have will be enough to get it done." This showed he was a child who had grown up working in the countryside; he understood feasibility.

If he hadn't done manual labor, Cheng Ying’s words alone would have exhausted him, without even considering the feasibility. Cheng Ying said, "No need.

I already told Grandma; once this busy period passes, before the autumn harvest, I can get it done." Cheng Ying's ginseng seedlings were waiting to be transplanted into the woods; she was anxious. Also, before bringing anyone else in, Cheng Ying didn't want people seeing the changes in the valley.

As the saying goes, you fear thieves who covet things more than thieves who steal. Guarding against petty villains must be constant.

Cheng Ying and Chi Wu’s afternoon work was anything but light; they didn't stop until dusk when they finally restricted the flow from the spring again. Chi Wu stretched his back.

"I hope this wasn't wasted effort. You didn't just get misled by someone, right?

Will this really work?" Looking at the ground full of dry sticks, Chi Wu wasn't confident. But seeing Cheng Ying happy, doing useless work was acceptable.

Cheng Ying assured him, "Don't worry. When have I ever done fruitless work?

When I'm free, I'll go pick honeysuckle for you." Chi Wu pursed his lips, pleased. At least she didn't dismiss it as a way to earn money.

Despite being tired all day, Chi Wu regained the comfortable ease he felt when interacting with Cheng Ying. So, on the way home, Chi Wu’s speed was like flying.

Cheng Ying clung tightly to Chi Wu’s undershirt, afraid he’d be thrown into a ditch if she let go. Why was this unlucky boy so excited?

He had energy and nowhere to put it, so he rode so fast. Even Chi Wu didn't know what exactly made him happy, but the feeling of Cheng Ying clutching his shirt and leaning on him stirred his heart.

When they reached the front of the house, Cheng Ying jumped off the vehicle. "Luckily, I don't get carsick.

Otherwise, I might have thrown up all over you. Young man, you can't ride this recklessly, especially in the city; you must not ride so fast, do you hear?" Chi Wu pursed his lips, opened the door, and went inside without acknowledging Cheng Ying at all.

Looking at Chi Wu’s retreating back, Cheng Ying had one feeling: the child had entered his rebellious phase early. He wasn't even in junior high, so why the rebellion?

Children these days matured early, and their rebellious phases started sooner too. Shaking her head, Cheng Ying refused to take responsibility for educating her cousin’s son; it was better to let the adults guide him.

The old lady at home wasn't worried. Having two out was better than having one out.

However, when the two children returned smelling strongly of dirt, she couldn't help but lecture them a bit. Cheng Ying still didn't tell the truth, only telling the old lady they had been running around in the mountains.

She added that they had picked honeysuckle, which Chi Wu had in his hand, so it wasn't a complete fabrication. Of course, the most important thing was getting away with it.

Cheng Ying reassured her, "Grandma, don't worry. The forest rangers patrol the mountain constantly; nothing will happen.

The wolf cubs see people from far away and run; they don't dare come out." Chi Wu ate silently, not speaking. Whether what Cheng Ying said was true or not, others might not know, but he knew best.

He didn't know what kind of trouble the girl was stirring up, leaving him so exhausted. After dinner, Cheng Ying immediately lay down on the heated brick bed to sleep, while Chi Wu insisted on finishing his homework before bed.

And Chi Wu wrote two copies of his homework.