"Hmph, say it or don't, suit yourself," Cheng Ying muttered. In any case, this stepfather wasn't reliable, and she had long wanted to switch to a more secure one.

But thinking it over, Chi Wu was too single-minded; the child hadn't seen much of the world yet.

That woman looked like someone easy to deal with, thin-skinned, and someone who still cared somewhat about appearances.

Otherwise, why would she be afraid of a couple of words from them?

It was likely this woman was scared off this time, and in the future, she wouldn't dare to orbit around Chi Yong. There would be no need for a second confrontation.

Cheng Ying was quite adept at handling such thin-skinned women.

The key was that she benefited from the current social climate. If this were an era where mistresses and concubines ran rampant, a couple of sentences wouldn't scare anyone away. This was only because the social atmosphere was better; for women who destroyed families, words alone could drown you—one person's spit could make you utterly repulsive. A few years ago, people were still paraded through the streets; how could this woman not be afraid?

Besides, Cheng Ying’s words made it clear that her grandmother was formidable and utterly unrestrained. What did a woman fear most? Losing face. Especially unmarried girls—they cared about reputation more than anything. Cheng Ying spoke from hard-earned experience. Back then, she had cared too much about propriety, thinking it shameful to be dumped, and hadn't caused a scene, bottling everything up until she nearly suffocated.

Now, Cheng Ying felt a certain pride. To be dumped for a man—that should be something to be proud of, implying at least that the man had served her diligently, meaning her taste wasn't entirely off. But why had she been so foolish back then? Why had she let it kill her? She only regretted her past short-sightedness and narrow-mindedness.

Cheng Ying was not happy, having thought too far ahead. She shook her head. "This matter is up to you. Handle it well, or you can wait to change mothers."

Then she left, not even sparing Chi Wu a second glance. Cheng Ying clearly didn't consider such a woman a big deal. More importantly, she trusted Chi Yong wasn't the type to lose his head over a woman. Her stepfather, no matter how one looked at it, had abandoned his wife for his future prospects, not for beauty or selling out his territory. This counted as a kind of approval. If Chi Yong knew his daughter's thoughts, he would likely tremble with emotion.

Chi Wu watched Cheng Ying leave, feeling vexed. He didn't want a new mother, nor did he want to spend every day trailing someone. He felt like he was becoming a bad person, a villain. Furthermore, Cheng Ying had left looking distinctly unhappy; he couldn't figure out how he had annoyed the girl. She changed her mood so suddenly, yet he hadn't even refused to do what she asked.

Cheng Ying returned to the village. This time, no one was working in the fields. Although her maternal uncle's crops were harvested, once they reached home, there was still work to be done; the follow-up tasks were quite arduous. Moreover, it was the autumn harvest season, and people were in the fields from dawn till dusk. Cheng Ying walking alone wouldn't be scary; safety wasn't an issue.

The only thing bothering Cheng Ying was her little cousin tugging at her clothes, insisting on coming along. Cheng Ying looked at her little cousin; she truly couldn't bear to leave him. Taking him home was absolutely out of the question; she still had things to do. Bringing the boy home would just create trouble for Grandma. She would have to hand him over to Grandma, and then her second aunt would surely have something to say. If Grandma couldn't even look after her own grandson, how could she be trusted with someone else's child?

So, Cheng Ying rubbed her little cousin's head. "Miao Miao, be good. When it snows later, I’ll take you home to play, and I’ll watch you specially then." By then, she would have time to look after her little cousin personally.

After she finished speaking, the little cousin started crying, his nose running. He was upset she wasn't taking him.

Grandpa couldn't stand it anymore. "Yingzi, it’s so nice here. You aren't going to school, and Grandpa isn't forcing you, is he?"

Cheng Ying said, "No, Grandma is home alone. I have to go back. It’ll get cold in a few days, and I need to help Grandma tidy up the house. Besides, I have to come back for exams in a few days. Miao Miao, stop crying, or big sister won't want you anymore."

Miao Miao said in a childish, possessive tone, "You are my wife, so who else would you want if not me?"

That voice warmed Cheng Ying's heart. "Oh my, the wife of our Miao Miao in the future will be so blessed. Look at Miao Miao’s spirit!" Then she pulled out a dime. "Go buy some candy."

Miao Miao extended his chubby hand, took the money, wiped away his tears, and turned to leave without a second glance.

Cheng Ying thought to herself, This rascal kid. He only loves whoever feeds him. He was just pretending earlier. She thought that the boy's future wife would suffer and that she needed to correct this notion—a wife wasn't something you could just trade money for. "Grandpa, who did Miao Miao take after with this?"

Grandpa’s face darkened. "Go, go. Seeing you upsets me. How can you trick a child like that?"

Cheng Ying retorted, "Why don't you say Miao Miao has weak willpower? He gave up his 'wife' for a dime!"

The two bickered, glared at each other, and then Cheng Ying left.

As it happened, Cheng Ying was blessed. As she left the village, she ran into someone who knew her maternal uncle, and he gave her a ride all the way to the township center. After leaving the center, she bumped into Cheng Ming, who was coming into the center to buy things. Cheng Ying felt ecstatic. "I told you, I'm having a lucky streak for a few days! I don't even have to walk!"

Cheng Ming quipped, "You're having a lucky streak; I've just become your carriage again."

Cheng Ying replied, "Giving you a chance to show off. In the future, if you don't graduate with a degree, I won't even consider letting you be my driver. What are you doing in the township center?"

Cheng Ming said, "Just keep dreaming," after his mocking. Then he answered Cheng Ying's question. "We finished the autumn harvest, so I came to buy some meat to treat the people who helped us. You can't let people work for nothing, can you?"

"You hired help?"

"Exactly. We cleared the firewood mountain to make more fields; we simply couldn't manage on our own."

"That's great. With so much grain harvested, we won't have to worry about starving."

Cheng Ming laughed along. "How is your studying going? Can you keep up?"

Cheng Ying assured him, "No problem at all."

Cheng Ming asked, "Yingzi, why aren't you staying in the township center with Third Aunt?" He had been holding this question in for a long time, always believing that his sister surely couldn't be as important to Chi Wu’s Third Aunt as Chi Wu was.

Cheng Ying replied, "I'd rather stay in the village with Grandma."

Cheng Ming fell silent. This involved adult matters. If their own parents had cared about Grandma half as much as Cheng Ying did, then Cheng Ying wouldn't need to worry about the old woman. But if Grandma had cared half as much about him as she did for Cheng Ying, their own parents would certainly treat Grandma better. This was an unclear, messy debt. By the time it reached Cheng Ming and Cheng Ying's generation, most people didn't want to dig into it, but their parents still couldn't get over that hurdle, so they didn't visit Grandma very often.

Cheng Ying changed the subject. "Mingzi, why aren't you in school?" She didn't want Cheng Ming to get caught up in such tangled family relationships.

Cheng Ming said, "Not many are in school yet. It will probably start after the harvest."

Cheng Ying thought that the temporary primary school didn't emphasize academics much anyway; study time was generally arranged around farm chores. It was already hard enough to produce two talented scholars. "Aren't you starting junior high after the New Year? Can you manage like that?"

"Why not? Didn't Brother manage this way?"

"That’s true," she conceded, then added, "I won't be able to hitch a ride after the New Year."

"You're still staying at home? Yingzi, you really should be with Third Aunt in the township center. Look how prettily all the girls in the town dress."

Cheng Ying said, "I think I'm much prettier than the town girls."

Cheng Ming couldn't argue, but he had to admit his own sister wasn't bad-looking—as long as she wasn't wearing those flashy floral jackets.

When Cheng Ying got home, her own grandmother didn't even bat an eye at her truant granddaughter. This girl never seemed to be in school. "You're back? Come look at the fabric your aunt sent back yesterday. Grandma will make you a padded jacket with it."

Cheng Ying’s first thought was, "Grandma, it isn't flowery, is it?"

The old woman replied, "A little girl should wear bright, flowery things; otherwise, she isn't pretty."

Cheng Ying felt like she was in deep trouble. In these times, everyone only had one padded coat, meant to be worn from winter into spring. This meant she would look gaudy all winter long—it was mortifying! But seeing her grandmother's face full of delight, Cheng Ying kept quiet, deciding to treat it as pleasing her elder with fine clothes. Anyway, she was still young; hopefully, no one would remember her in a garish padded coat when she grew up.

Cheng Ying’s mood was low. "Grandma, have you been eating well these past few days?"

The old woman replied, "What's not good about it? Don't worry."

Cheng Ying understood. Even though her paternal uncle's family had connections, they hadn't even called the old woman over for a meal. This made Cheng Ying very unhappy. It was such a small disagreement; why was her paternal uncle, a grown man, being so petty and holding onto it? Cheng Ying rolled up her sleeves, grabbed the kitchen knife, and went out.

The old woman quickly put on her shoes and got off the kang. "What are you doing? That troublesome child has gone crazy, even grabbing a knife!"

Cheng Ying declared with great momentum, "Killing a chicken!" Our family isn't lacking in food! We don't need to rely on your family for a bite of meat! I’ll fatten Grandma up myself! Cheng Ying was holding a burning anger, intending to compete with Cheng Boss (the eldest uncle).

Cheng Ying moved quickly, reaching the chicken coop made of bound sorghum stalks in a few strides. But how to catch a chicken, let alone how to kill it, was a high-level problem! Cheng Ying had only ever watched; she had no practical experience, and her hands were shaking slightly. She squinted, aimed at the big rooster, and swung the knife.

The old woman rushed over and snatched the knife away. "Oh, you troublesome child! My hen just started brooding, and you startled her! Look at this commotion, louder than the devils entering the village! You’ve scared away all the eggs for tomorrow!" Waving her off, she pushed Cheng Ying out. "You troublesome thing!"

Cheng Ying didn't get a chance to practice, and crucially, she couldn't bring herself to strike with the knife. "Grandma, you catch a rooster, and we'll stew it!"

The old woman scoffed, "Am I lacking food for you? Why make such a fuss today? Wait until Sunday when your mother and the others come back, and Grandma will stew one for you."

Cheng Ying looked at her grandmother. She was unhappy that Grandma was thinking about her own parents even when cooking a chicken meant for them. Wasn't it all for her sake? "Grandma..."

The old woman softened. "Did Yingzi suffer a slight? Did your mother not give you something to eat?" Then, defending her: "Your mother isn't that kind of person." And finally, answering herself: "Was it Wu Zi who ate something that you didn't get a share of?"