Chi Wu ate quietly, not uttering a sound. Whether what Cheng Ying said was true or not, others might not know, but he knew best. On the mountain, let alone a human shadow, there wasn't even the shadow of a wolf; the girl herself had complained about the solitude up there.

He wondered what this girl was scheming, causing him such exhaustion.

After eating, Cheng Ying still lay on the kang to sleep as usual, but Chi Wu insisted on finishing his homework before going to bed.

And Chi Wu did two sets of homework.

One set was for Cheng Ying. Chi Wu figured the girl certainly wouldn't do her own homework, meaning he’d have to do it for her every day from now on.

In one week, Chi Wu had helped Cheng Ying immensely around the village.

What Cheng Ying had planned to take two weeks to finish, Chi Wu, working alongside two others, got done cleanly in just two days.

Cheng Ying felt an immense sense of accomplishment looking at the four or five mu of dried branches.

When these things grew, that would be money; oh, she’d be waiting to count money until her hands cramped.

All that remained was building the embankment and setting up her ginseng seedlings.

That required taking things slowly. Too rapid a change was hard for people to accept.

When Chi Wu went to the township, the old lady loaded him up with a whole sack of pickled vegetables alone,

and all sorts of vegetables produced from their own yard—they filled Chi Wu’s small vehicle to the brim.

Cheng Ying couldn't travel by vehicle when she went to the mountains,

so Cheng Ming, the long-term driver, came along to take Cheng Ying there.

Chi Wu rode his bike carrying the goods, watching Cheng Ying ahead chatting animatedly with Cheng Ming, not even looking back.

An inexplicable anger rose in his heart. "He who has milk is mother," that’s what Cheng Ying was, Chi Wu concluded with certainty.

Cheng Ying herself didn't quite know what work she did day after day; in any case, she was busy every day.

The mountain plot was vast, full of endless tasks.

Now, she no longer felt lonely. Wandering alone in the mountains felt quite good.

Looking at the green mountains and clear waters, Cheng Ying felt her spirits broaden.

If she weren't so determined to earn money, Cheng Ying would have thought she had found a secluded paradise to retire to.

She, a small girl, was now strong and healthy; lifting things weighing thirty to fifty jin was no longer an issue. It was all the result of labor.

Chi Wu had indeed helped Cheng Ying that day, but subsequent problems soon arose.

The wild grass by the springhead bloomed with flowers that were especially captivating to the eye.

Cheng Ying wasted a lot of energy over this.

She pulled weeds generation after generation; this thing, in Cheng Ying’s view, was useless and just took up space.

Crucially, it attracted attention. Her very calm spot was drawing a crowd of flower-picking women—what a nuisance that was.

Once she planted the ginseng seedlings later, wouldn't they all be trampled underfoot?

So, Cheng Ying had effectively found herself a new chore: weeding here every day.

Cheng Ying also used water from her spatial dimension to irrigate a pine tree. Observing the pine, she could tell the variety was excellent.

Though Cheng Ying didn't recognize it, she could generally tell this tree was different from the others.

Cheng Ying grew cautious; she wanted to see what effects the spatial water truly had.

Cheng Ying dared not overwater, only watering frequently, sprinkling a bit every few days.

Of course, she had to pull weeds around the base of the big tree as well. The few similar trees near the big one could also benefit.

After two weeks, Cheng Ying hadn't observed any remarkable changes in the big tree, but the habit had set in.

Every few days, she would pour two ladles of water on the tall, old pine.

During this time, Chi Wu went to the city once and even gave Cheng Ying five yuan.

The boy had real skill; he sold that much after just one trip.

Chi Wu boasted that he hadn't just visited the Chinese medicine shops in the city;

he had also visited the ones in the township, and even those in the neighboring township.

Listening, Cheng Ying felt tired just imagining the strain on Chi Wu's two legs.

No wonder Chi Wu seemed to have gained muscle recently; it must have come from all that cycling.

Holding the five yuan Chi Wu gave her felt hot in her hand—this was money earned through the boy's hardship.

Chi Wu was too excited about earning money to sleep; no one was there to share it with him,

so when showing off to Cheng Ying, he was beside himself.

Fortunately, Cheng Ying dismissed him in a few words: "This little bit of money you earn, wait until after this season, and the mountain flowers will be gone. Isn't that great? If you want to earn more, you’ll have to wait until the New Year."

Chi Wu immediately deflated.

When going into the mountains with Cheng Ying, his heart was unsettled; he constantly thought about running off,

constantly thinking about stripping the mountain clean of all the honeysuckle.

Finally, Cheng Ying couldn't bear it and pressed a few honeysuckle branches against the courtyard wall at home.

After the New Year, when Chi Wu had this stuff at home, he would calm down.

By the time Chi Wu snapped out of his excitement, a month and a half had passed.

Working in the mountains with Cheng Ying, he looked at the saplings that had sprouted leaves: "They really all survived? When did this happen?"

Cheng Ying looked down her nose at Chi Wu. "They’ve been under your nose for two weeks, and you only just noticed? You’re blind!"

At the same time, she scorned Chi Wu for being so dazzled by a few yuan.

When her own patch of saplings yielded money, the boy would probably be too delighted to speak.

Cheng Ying pursed her lips, secretly delighted. Counting these saplings now was like counting money. Fantasizing about the future always filled one with hope.

Even if things were a bit painful now, the future was bright.

Besides, the vast majority of working people got by this way—what was this little bit of suffering?

It was tempering the will, and this was tempering the bones.

By the time Cheng Ying had tidied up the plot of land, it was nearly harvest time.

Cheng Ying consulted with the old lady: "Grandma, let’s find a few people in the village to help tidy up our mountain plot?"

The old lady initially thought her granddaughter was just playing around; she hadn't expected the child to stick with the mountain for two months and actually become serious about the land. "Yingzi, hiring people is a significant matter. Let’s wait until your mother and Wu Zi’s father return before deciding."

Cheng Ying felt this wasn't quite right. This was her own family’s land. Cheng Ying could tell Chi Yong didn't like going there much; there was probably some lingering issue.

As for whether her own mother was home or not, it didn't make much difference to Cheng Ying.

So, she brought the matter up again with her grandmother: "Grandma, this isn't a huge thing. Hiring a few people would only take two or three days to finish."

Cheng Ying meant that Chi Yong wouldn't know if he wasn't home.

The old lady looked at her granddaughter. "Yingzi, when a family lives together, major and minor issues should always be discussed. That's what makes a family. Regardless of Wu Zi's attitude, he is the head of the household right now. We need to discuss this with him. You are still young."

Cheng Ying fell silent. She meant no harm; she just felt that her mother and stepfather had a difficult life.

Given such a complicated family environment, it was rare for the two of them to stay together and even develop feelings.

Cheng Ying didn't want to add a burden to their lives because of her.

No matter what, her own father and her stepfather—they absolutely could not coexist in the same sphere.

Moreover, Cheng Ying could see that no matter how open-minded Chi Yong was, he couldn't treat his wife's ex-husband with complete, unseeing magnanimity,

even if he was no longer alive.

Unless Chi Yong had absolutely no feelings for his mother.

But when the old lady brought this up, Cheng Ying knew she had been wrong.

She had forgotten about interpersonal relations in the village.

Hiring people to work, even if you were paying them, involved relying on community connections in the village.

To not discuss such a thing with the head of the household was tantamount to slapping Chi Yong in the face.

Furthermore, Chi Yong would be the one to return those favors in the future.

This matter wasn't something she could simply bypass Chi Yong on. "Grandma, I was short-sighted. I’ll talk to Uncle when he gets back."

The corner of the old lady’s mouth curved up. Her granddaughter was sharp; she understood in two sentences. "No need for you to. I’ll say it. What you are doing is proper business anyway. Yingzi, how is your studying going? Don’t wear yourself out."

Cheng Ying looked up and said with extreme smugness, "Grandma, you don't know. Your granddaughter here usually has the best memory when running wild in the mountains. Don't let my constant rambling in the mountains fool you; my brain hasn't been idle. Just wait, your granddaughter will bring home a big award certificate for you. Be sure to tack it up in the most prominent spot in our house."

The old lady was extremely happy this time. "Don't get ahead of yourself; it only counts when the results are out. You shameless child, don't go outside boasting, or people will call you reckless."

Oh, Cheng Ying felt that if she lived another lifetime, her only wish would be for people to call her reckless.

That was a realm unto itself; recklessness often bordered on romanticism.

Thinking about herself, lugging a hoe around the mountain all day, how could she possibly fit those descriptions?

It was rare for the old lady’s words to strike such a chord.

Pity her; she was barely twelve years old yet already striving for the future. If one isn't a little reckless, youth is wasted—but perhaps she had already passed that youthful state of mind.

When Chi Yong brought the family of three back on Sunday, Chi Wu was clutching a small puppy and shoved it into Cheng Ying's arms: "For you." His mood was very excited.

Cheng Ying examined the puppy, unable to determine its breed. "Where did you get this?"

Chi Wu boasted, "I asked a classmate for it. I'm telling you, this dog's mother was fierce, almost like the tail-tucked wolves we saw. Very imposing!"

Cheng Ying nodded. It seemed the mother dog was likely a Caucasian Shepherd, or maybe a Soviet Hound—yes, quite formidable.

Though the real dogs didn't tuck their tails. "Alright, give it to me."

Chi Wu watched Cheng Ying treasure it, his mouth splitting into an unclosable grin. "I knew you’d like it."

Cheng Ying looked at Chi Wu; the boy did have some consideration, knowing she was up in the mountains long-term, he got her a dog for company.

Cheng Ying touched the puppy; its teeth were still tender. "This one isn't even a month old, right?"

Chi Wu said, "Yeah, about twenty days. Its mother’s milk wasn't enough to eat, or they wouldn't have given it to me. You’ll have to put some effort into feeding it."

Cheng Ying replied, "Don't worry, once it’s with me, I guarantee it will eat its fill better than with its mother."

The old lady was happy to see the whole family back; more people meant more liveliness.

However, upon seeing the puppy, her expression changed. "Fooling around so people can eat their fill, and now you start making trouble. This thing doesn't lay eggs and can't be eaten for meat—isn't it just a waste of grain?"

Chi Wu looked down, having only thought about finding company for Cheng Ying, not about the food issue.

Seeing the puppy beside him, Chi Wu grew quiet.

Cheng Ying looked at Chi Wu and the dog, quickly stepping in to manage the situation herself.

Cheng Ying said, "It's not a problem, Grandma. I’ll eat one mouthful less."