"People aren't blind, they see clearly," Yang Zhi said, ashamed, "Yingzi, Mom promises to finish all the chores before leaving, so you and your grandma won't have to do them."

Cheng Ying shook her head. A child who knows when they're wrong and corrects it is a good child; these words were impossible to say out loud.

"Alright, Mom, you better hurry inside. Look at the trouble this person brought because of this small matter—it’s all because you didn't handle it properly. If you had just refused Second Aunt-in-law when she was at the door, how could things have escalated to this point? It’s such a slight to Second Uncle."

Having listened at the door for a long time, both Chi Yong and the old lady had the same thought: turning the tables and blaming others was exactly what Cheng Ying was doing; she was scared Yang Zhi would come after her, so she struck first.

If she hadn't stepped out to confront Second Aunt-in-law, would there have been this kind of scene this morning?

The old lady sighed, "Forget it, I can’t be bothered to talk anymore. It’s no use saying anything to the girl. It’s good that everyone now knows your health isn't good, so no one will come asking for your help. I’m sorry to have offended you."

Chi Yong murmured, "Mom, I've caused trouble for the family."

"If you get well, the family can stand strong again. Why do you think all those people outside are speaking up for you and your mother? Is it because Yingzi has good connections, or Yang Zhi does? No. It’s because you are the pillar of this house, because you can hold your own in the village, because you are a teacher. Don't let his Third Aunt-in-law sound so generous; isn't it because her son needs to go to school in the township next year? This old woman sees things clearly, I understand everything, and you need to understand too. Taking good care of yourself is the best support for you and your mother."

Chi Yong looked at the old lady, overcome with emotion. It wasn't easy to find someone who truly understood. "Sigh."

Yang Zhi really was different when she was at home; she didn't even let the old lady do chores. She took everything on herself. Last night, Cheng Ying had already worked on the old lady, insisting she save the chores for her own mother, otherwise, she couldn't settle down. She still had to work for Second Aunt-in-law and wouldn't get any credit anyway.

The old lady made the meals specially today. Chi Wu took Cheng Ying and left with the fish traps—these were made by their own grandmother. Other families had boys who could catch fish in the river, but Cheng Ying lacked that skill. The old lady made these traps; put them in the morning, pull them out at night, and in ten days, they were sure to catch a couple of fish. It was a decent method. The two pushed their bicycles out, carrying two large baskets, and headed to the riverbank to secure the traps.

They crossed the bridge and headed towards the mountain on the opposite side. This was Cheng Ying’s first time coming here, because Chi Wu had told her yesterday that there were more fruits in this area than in their village. They belonged to the forest farm; no one managed them, so they could be picked freely.

As they walked, Cheng Ying could see stacks and stacks of timber. It seemed the logging at the forest farm hadn't stopped. But looking at that wood, Cheng Ying felt that although their own mountain plot didn't have many mature trees, the quality was absolutely better than the timber from the farm. Not to mention, their logs were thicker.

The more Cheng Ying looked, the more she realized the timber on their mountain was significantly thicker. Thinking back, when she poured spatial water onto those trees, she hadn't felt anything at the time, and after a few days, she hadn't paid attention. However, she never stopped watering them regularly. It seemed to be working. The old Korean pines on their own mountain plot looked very thick now.

Cheng Ying’s heart raced. She had to take a good look when she got back to see if the trees had truly grown.

Chi Wu led Cheng Ying to a large grove of pear trees—my goodness, they were absolutely laden with fruit.

Chi Wu boasted, "Not bad, this place, huh?"

Cheng Ying’s eyes lit up with envy. Country folk were the best; why buy fruit when the mountains had so much? "Are they letting people pick them?"

Just then, a forest caretaker walked by. "Kids, come pick some fruit!"

Chi Wu replied, "My grandmother brews fruit wine. We came to get some fruit, Uncle. Are we allowed to pick the fruit here?"

The man spoke readily, "Oh, that’s good stuff, but this isn't the best. Listen, boys, there are wild grapes in that ravine over there. That is what you want for making good fruit wine."

Cheng Ying actually knew about that. She turned to the man and said, "Thank you, Uncle." Then she grabbed Chi Wu and ran. Wild grapes! Forget whether they were allowed to pick them or not, Cheng Ying was determined to get some.

Chi Wu scoffed, "It's just grapes, why are you so excited? That stuff is sour."

"You know nothing! Hurry up, get as much as you can for me!"

Chi Wu thought Cheng Ying had small-minded aspirations. "Hmph, embarrassing."

The two reached the mountain pass and saw the wild grapes covering the slope. Cheng Ying felt like rolling around in them; she was too excited. But the thorny scrub was too dense to push through, and the branches and leaves scratched her face terribly.

Cheng Ying had only picked a few clusters when several scratches appeared on her face. "This stuff looks easy, but getting in here is agony. When Grandpa drinks later, I must let him see my face—it's ruined!"

Chi Wu struggled through, his face also marked with several red streaks. Chi Wu gently held up Cheng Ying’s face, truly heartbroken. "Oh dear, you go wait outside, I’ll do this. A girl only has her face to show; what if it gets ruined?"

This wasn't intentional flirting, Chi Wu hadn't thought of it that way at all.

When Chi Wu lifted her face, Cheng Ying hadn't felt anything, but now, in this atmosphere, Cheng Ying felt like a forty-year-old mother being teased by a young sparrow—it was too undignified. She glared, "Only your face is worth looking at? Sister has talent and beauty; I can hold my own anywhere, understand?"

Chi Wu’s face flushed scarlet. He hadn't processed the second half of her sentence; he was stuck on the first part. He stammered, asking Cheng Ying, "Is my face really okay to look at?"

Cheng Ying looked at the shy boy, and her heart fluttered. What was this? Had this kid really hit his growth spurt? Why did he suddenly become so awkward? "It’s okay, it’s okay, hurry up and work!"

Saying that, she quickly moved far away from Chi Wu. Good heavens, she hadn't watched him closely enough. The boy was growing up. The feeling of watching her child reach maturity was definitely complicated.

Chi Wu snapped back to reality. "Ah, your face!"

Cheng Ying replied, "What about my face? People live by their looks. It’s better to just reincarnate!" This was her attempt to guide Chi Wu toward the correct worldview and philosophy of life; nurturing a man who focused too much on his appearance—could he amount to anything?

Chi Wu didn't notice this lecture. Seeing Cheng Ying still trying to push into the thorny bushes, he directly took out his sickle and chopped down the scrub around her. That cleared the way, and Cheng Ying could pick grapes directly, which was much more efficient than before.

Cheng Ying said, "That's a good method, it doesn't waste time. But does the forest farm allow you to mess around like this?"

Chi Wu looked at Cheng Ying with disdain. "Do you know how big the forest farm is? Do you think they can see all the way here? Besides, we aren't cutting down trees; we are just clearing these branches."

Cheng Ying thought to herself, This is strategic thinking. When did this child become so adaptable? Where was the stubborn youth who once scolded her for not being dedicated to the collective? Was this even the same person? It was all her fault—no, it was all her achievement.

Chi Wu surveyed the terrain and started clearing the area. As soon as he finished clearing a spot, Cheng Ying would come over and finish picking the grapes. They coordinated perfectly. In no time, one basket was full of grapes. Cheng Ying felt unwilling to leave the slope of wild grapes. "Wuzi, take one basket home, and we'll come back for more."

Chi Wu said, "Let's fill these two baskets first, and I’ll take them back on the cart. You keep picking here, and when I get back, we'll get two more baskets. That will be plenty for Grandpa."

Cheng Ying’s eyes sparkled. Chi Wu was truly good at managing household affairs. "Okay, I’ll carry this first basket down. You wait here, alright?"

Cheng Ying wasn't just waiting. When Chi Wu carried one basket down and came back up, Cheng Ying had already filled the second basket. Chi Wu said, "You wait here honestly, and we'll work together when I get back. Don't rush picking, those branches really scratched your face; you won't be able to get married if you're ruined."

Cheng Ying snapped, "Get lost!" Being told she wouldn't get married—that was her biggest taboo across two lifetimes. This life, she was determined to marry well, marry gloriously, and marry comfortably. If she needed a husband, she’d choose one she liked. This boy had touched her raw nerve. As Chi Wu walked away with the basket, he was still worried, so he left the sickle with Cheng Ying.

Watching Chi Wu’s small frame displaying such concern, Cheng Ying sighed inwardly. Whoever marries this boy in the future will be blessed; having suffered since childhood, he knows how to cherish people.

Then she turned back to work.

Alone, Cheng Ying was like a fish in water. She took any unknown plant species she saw and moved them into her space. Crucially, for the wild grapevines, Cheng Ying acted like a bandit. She found one or two vines that weren't too entangled and moved the entire vine, grapes and all, into her space, planting them right beside the pond where the big carp spirit, Chi Zi, lived. Facing the big carp blowing bubbles and the pond full of fry, she said, "I got you a neighbor, nice, right?"

Then, leaving the space, she used the sickle to cut down a few good wild logs from the mountain and moved them into her space to build a trellis for the wild grapevines. Cheng Ying clapped her hands, feeling quite pleased. Goodness, in the future, if she wanted grapes, she'd have grapes; if she wanted wine, she could make wine—so convenient! A few less grapes here didn't matter; they weren't taking that many anyway.

When Cheng Ying exited her space, she didn't slack off. She immediately started picking the grapes and piling them on the ground. When Chi Wu returned, they could just load them up and head home.

It must be said that Cheng Ying was ferocious when working. The physical training from this year, combined with the patience honed over forty years, was remarkable. Seeing the grapes, she was like a dog spotting a bone—no rest at all. In no time, two large piles of grapes had formed. Cheng Ying estimated that two baskets wouldn't be enough to hold them all. After picking the grapes, she simply tossed them onto the ground and then slipped them into her space. At home, they could be mixed in, and no one would realize she had smuggled some in.