Yang Zhi straightened her chest, a rare sight, and said to Chi Yong’s father, “You’ve traveled so far to get here; please rest up first. We can talk about everything later. Please try some of this; the children whipped it up themselves, and it’s quite good.”

The preserved fruit in the jar that Chi Wu had been longing for was finally on the table, but alas, the mood was gone. Even if they offered Chi Wu an elixir now, he wouldn't taste a thing. The atmosphere at the table was incredibly strained.

Grandpa Chi, seeing how Yang Zhi conducted herself, finally felt a degree of relief. A rural daughter-in-law certainly had her merits, but looking across at Cheng Ying made his eyes ache with displeasure. If she had been a divorced woman without children, a simple divorcee, he wouldn't have been so picky. Having lived through that era, they all knew how hard life could be. But Yang Zhi having a child made her entirely mismatched for his son, in his eyes. The old man felt wronged for his son and carried a heavy guilt.

Cheng Ying, for her part, no longer wished to cause a scene; she did this out of respect for Chi Yong and Chi Wu. She placed a piece of food on the old lady’s plate, "Let's eat first." She said it softly. The old lady looked at her granddaughter and then warmly served the guest opposite, making it clear through her actions and words how close Chi Yong and his family were to them. Some things needed to be laid out in the open, lest they become problematic later.

After such a trying day, Cheng Ying felt utterly exhausted. Yang Zhi carefully tucked the quilt in the west room and politely told the visitor, “It must be difficult for you to see Wu Zi after so long; you must have much to catch up on. I'll go stay with Yingzi and the others. If you need anything tonight, just call for me.”

The old lady looked at Yang Zhi; the wrinkles on her face didn't even move as she replied, “That’s kind of you.” Those three words revealed the depth of her disdain for Yang Zhi.

Yang Zhi said nothing, turned, and left, but she still carried a pot of hot water into the west room and placed it on the cabinet, just in case it was inconvenient during the night.

As for Chi Wu, after dinner, the old lady of the Chi family held his hand and refused to let go. Cheng Ying, the grandmother, and her own mother lay on the kang; they truly had nothing to say. The widow and her mother felt a distinct sadness clinging to them.

Cheng Ying murmured, “Today is quite a day, with relatives visiting. No wonder the magpies were chirping so loudly on the roof this morning; it made my heart flutter uneasily.”

The old lady pursed her lips, wondering if the girl was happy or not—how could the sound of a magpie make one’s heart race with anxiety? Yang Zhi stared at the ceiling, her thoughts unknown. The old lady finally said, “Sleep. It’s not a big deal.”

Cheng Ying thought: You don't know the lingering effects of that era. Never mind that Chi Yong and Yang Zhi had no children together; how many of those scoundrels sent down to the countryside who later returned to the city abandoned the children they conceived? Sigh. Cheng Ying turned over, unable to voice her true feelings to the old lady. It felt as if this family was on the verge of falling apart. “The kang is too hot tonight; it’s making me irritable, I can’t sleep.”

The old lady couldn't exactly fan her granddaughter on a cold night, nor could she send her to peek through someone's window in the middle of the night. Such behavior was certainly not for her granddaughter to undertake.

The old lady firmly stated, “Sleep well. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning. We have adults here; it’s not your business. Rest assured, Grandma is here. The doors of our home are not so easily entered or exited. Ask your mother; remember when your maternal grandfather tried to take your mother and you away? It caused such a fuss, and did I let him succeed?”

What comforting words this was. Yang Zhi let out a soft laugh; the old lady was admitting her own past stubbornness. “Mom, what are you talking about? We live our lives wholeheartedly. What should stay, will stay.” She truly seemed to have let go of things.

The old lady snorted, “I don’t have as wide a heart as you do. You have to look out for Yingzi as well as yourself. You need to make the right choice; this isn't just about you. It won't be easy to find another man like Chi Yong again, do you hear me?”

Cheng Ying nodded along, realizing her own mother genuinely needed the grandmother’s guidance. Otherwise, with her mother’s unassertive nature, she wouldn't secure anything.

Yang Zhi started, “Mom, you don’t know, Chi Yong—” After a long pause, Yang Zhi couldn’t bring herself to finish. “Yingzi, you tell her.”

Cheng Ying thought about the information she had gathered today that she hadn't yet reported to the old lady. “Grandma, Chi Wu is Uncle’s nephew. Uncle has no children and has never been married.”

This news was seismic. The old lady shot up from the kang in one swift motion. Cheng Ying thought, See? I’m not the only one getting agitated. The old lady wouldn't be sleeping tonight. Not only was there the matter of unequal social standing, but they seemed ill-matched in a deeper way. No wonder the visitor looked at their daughter-in-law with such critical eyes; this was the root of it. On this point, their daughter-in-law was indeed vulnerable. Cheng Ying, being such a grown child, couldn't just be hidden away.

Yang Zhi urged, “Mom, lie down quickly. It’s late and cold; don’t catch a chill.”

The old lady felt, for the first time, that her daughter-in-law was calmer than she was; how could she lie down so calmly with news this significant?

Yingzi got up to drape a coat over her grandmother. “Grandma!”

The old lady spoke, “What’s the big deal? I haven't even accused them of marrying under false pretenses yet. Not only are they mismatched in status, but if he had been upfront, our family wouldn't have dared to accept him.”

If Chi Wu and Chi Yong had been present, they would surely have stared blankly at Cheng Ying and the old lady; they were indeed mother and daughter—even their tone of voice was identical.

Yang Zhi felt her face burn. Thinking something privately was one thing; saying it in front of her child and mother-in-law was another. “Mom, what should we do?”

The old lady replied, “Do what needs to be done.”

The old lady hadn't said it in front of her granddaughter, but even if Chi Wu were a bachelor, it was he who had dared to approach their home; it had nothing to do with them. To put her daughter-in-law's mind at ease, the old lady declared, “Ask around the whole village. I was not keen on Chi Yong joining our family; he was the one who stubbornly insisted on coming in. So, it’s his business how it turns out!”

Cheng Ying interjected, “Uncle seems fine, but Chi Wu’s grandmother looked very unhappy.”

The old lady conceded, “That’s true. But come to think of it, I didn't agree initially either. Did anyone listen to my opinion? As long as the two children were willing, it was settled then.” She then looked at her daughter-in-law, “You must treat Wu Zi well. In matters like this, we need to get ahead of things. A man’s heart is tied to the strings of a woman’s apron, you know.” After saying this, the old lady quickly glanced at her granddaughter. That statement couldn't be said in front of the child.

Yang Zhi blushed. “Mom!”

The old lady said, “Sleep.”

In reality, the old lady regretted it. If only she had made Yang Zhi have a child with Chi Yong, that would have been a different kind of bond, tied by a child. Thinking back, she remembered how much trouble she had caused back then; the old lady felt regret even now. Fortunately, the old lady could console herself by recalling Chi Yong’s own flaws; without his meddling, a child wouldn't have materialized so quickly anyway.

Cheng Ying reflected that the current mess was indeed what she had foreseen, just perhaps not this explosively dramatic. Cheng Ying truly hadn't expected that Chi Wu wasn't Chi Yong's son. Speaking of Chi Yong, his fate seemed truly unfortunate to have reached this point. Judging by the visitor's bearing, they were not from an ordinary family; moreover, in this era, an ordinary family couldn’t afford a Jeep.

Cheng Ying couldn't sleep, Yang Zhi couldn't sleep, and the old lady certainly couldn't sleep. As for Chi Wu, he couldn't sleep either; his own grandmother was nearly drowning him in tears.

Meanwhile, Chi Yong was sharing his story with his own elderly father. From when he took the child and fled to this remote valley, to his marriage with Yang Zhi— the old man listening was filled with heartache; his son had suffered, raising a small child alone was not easy. But back then, he hadn't thought of much else, only wanting to get far away, so as not to burden his own parents, and hoping the child could live a better life, just survive. He hadn't realized the hardship of a young man raising a child alone.

The old lady was already weeping uncontrollably. Compared to the ebb and flow in the east and west rooms, their tales spoke volumes about the hardships of the era.

Chi Yong finally said, “Mom, treat Yang Zhi well; she’s a good person and good to Wu Zi. The old lady there has been good to me; it was her efforts that got me the teaching job in the township, and Yingzi is such an understanding child.”

After these words, his own mother’s weeping became unrestrained, wailing loudly. Any hint of sleepiness Cheng Ying had managed to cultivate vanished.

The old lady took a deep breath. Which family had such terrible luck to encounter relatives who were so tactless, mourning as if at a funeral in someone else’s house? If not for the news Cheng Ying had just revealed that was clogging her heart, the old lady would have shouted at them right then. But her mood remained sour: “When people are living their lives, why would they wail like that?” She said this to her own family, and her voice was barely audible.

She was showing great respect for the stepfather, Cheng Ying noted, quickly placating her, “Grandma, I heard that stepfather has had a tough time these years, so that old lady must have had it hard too; she’s heartbroken for her son.”

The old lady snorted dismissively. Yang Zhi felt the trouble stemmed from her: “Mom!”

The old lady retorted, “It has nothing to do with you! If there’s trouble, it’s the trouble your own father brought. How could you marry a man without investigating his background and age? It just shows he’s unreliable. I’ll smash the liquor in the cellar later!” This was the vent for a fire of anger that had been building, fully expressing the old lady’s long-held dissatisfaction with this in-law.

Cheng Ying quickly jumped in, “It’s Grandpa’s fault, not Mom’s fault!”

The old lady knew the truth in her heart. “If your maternal grandfather were here, you certainly wouldn’t say that in front of him.” Cheng Ying’s face flushed; wasn't the old lady just trying to humor her? Why was she taking it so seriously?

Then the old lady sighed with resignation, “Anyone in this situation, after so many years without seeing their eldest grandson, would feel terrible. I won’t stoop to her level.”

Cheng Ying praised, “Grandma is so magnanimous; the one across the way simply cannot compare. Mom was lucky to meet someone understanding. Grandma, when I find a husband in the future, choosing the man is secondary; the most important thing is choosing the family background, having a good mother-in-law is crucial.”

The old lady waved her off. “Come on, who are you trying to fool? You have to spend half your life with your mother-in-law.”

Cheng Ying spoke earnestly, “But a woman and her mother-in-law live alongside each other for half a lifetime. Having a good mother-in-law is very important. If you end up with a mother-in-law like Second Aunt, can the latter half of your life ever be peaceful?”