Chi Yong said, "Mom, no matter whose surname Yingzi takes, she is your child, and the bloodline flowing in her is that of the Cheng family." Though the words were spoken, reality was not so simple; the old lady did not accept it at all. Cheng Ying looked at Chi Yong, then at Chi Wu. The old lady had previously stated that Chi Yong was married in, and his household registration was moved to their home.

Now that the old man Chi had brought this up, wasn't he deliberately challenging his own grandmother? You withhold the household registration of their son and grandson, and in return, they demand your granddaughter change her surname. Neither group of people are benevolent.

Furthermore, an eye for an eye—this was their way of greeting Grandmother. This presented an opportunity to reveal her thoughts, perhaps a unique way of fulfilling her own desires. Cheng Ying spoke, "Grandma, a few days ago I visited Grandpa on my maternal side and told him my intentions.

I don't wish to move to the city like this. My academic performance is good; I can certainly get into a decent university in the future. When I go to university, I can take my household registration with me.

If I'm lucky enough to get into a Capital University, then we'll have a Capital City household registration. Grandma, my surname is Cheng, and my father's surname is Cheng." Cheng Ying's tone was resolute; she was laying all her cards on the table. When she looked at Chi Yong, her gaze held a meaning only he could decipher.

This put Chi Yong in a state of considerable, spiritual discomfiture. The old lady said, "Yingzi, do you realize how serious this is? There's always a chance, a tiny 'what if,' and if that 'what if' happens, your entire life could be ruined." The importance of a provincial capital household registration—the old lady worried her granddaughter might not fully grasp it.

Cheng Ying replied, "Grandma, I understand. I know everything. Do you believe in me?

I can make it happen." Chi Yong pushed aside the other thoughts, saying to Cheng Ying, "Yingzi, your word doesn't count in this matter." The old Madam Cheng turned her gaze toward Yang Zhi. This matter was too momentous; it had to be Yang Zhi who decided. The old lady’s heart was in turmoil: one son was gone, leaving no successor; the other was a granddaughter whose life had barely begun.

In the old lady's mind, the living mattered more than the dead, but her own son truly had so little remaining bloodline. She had fought half her life, offending her daughter-in-law and son, all for the sake of leaving behind this small sliver of her youngest son's lineage. The old lady felt utterly exhausted, body and soul.

From this moment on, Cheng Ying harbored hostility toward the old man Chi. Whether she liked it or not was one issue, but the way the old man used household registration to hold her grandmother hostage was another matter entirely. Did one need a provincial capital household registration to study in the city?

What about all those students studying under borrowed registration? Cheng Ying understood perfectly well; after all, she had seen more of the world than they had. However, she genuinely did not want to move to the city in this manner right now, which conveniently aligned with her own thoughts.

For now, she would simply ignore him. Besides, to avoid causing her own mother distress, she could not spell out the intricacies of the situation to the old lady. Old Man Chi, she thought, I will deal with you when the opportunity arises, and I will make sure you cause Grandmother further distress.

Yang Zhi looked at her daughter, then at Chi Yong. "Mom, I'm not moving to the city either." These words made Chi Yong's face turn extremely grim. How could this person make such a choice so easily?

Had she not considered the feelings of her husband? Was this truly his wife? The old lady looked at her daughter-in-law.

"What are you saying?" Yang Zhi replied, "One should only eat as much as one can manage. What good would it do me to go to the city? You are getting old, Mother, and you can't handle all the chores at home anymore.

I have a job here in the village, and we have land and trees. The three of us won't starve." Chi Wu felt the letter in his hand burning like fire. This felt like a situation where he would lose both a father and a mother—no, a step-father and step-mother.

Could anyone be more tragic than him? Cheng Ying grew anxious. "Mom, what are you saying?

I'm not saying I won't move to the city! I just mean not now. Shouldn't you go first and secure things for me, pave the way?

If I go later, won't I suffer?" Chi Yong's face turned cold. No matter what Cheng Ying said, his expression did not soften. "Zhizi, we are husband and wife.

Did you consult me before saying that? Is this how a family lives together?" This was a man whose affections felt utterly betrayed, now indulging in self-pity. With that, Chi Yong walked out.

In his view, Yingzi's problem was solvable. As a teacher, Chi Yong knew what 'borrowed registration' meant. But he couldn't undermine his own parents in front of the old lady.

However, what Yang Zhi had said felt dishonest to the core. Chi Yong wasn't heartless; how could she make him feel like someone abandoning his wife and child? The most galling part was that he was the one being abandoned.

Yang Zhi’s statement was tantamount to choosing her daughter over him. This struck the man quite hard. Yang Zhi did not flinch when Chi Yong left; she didn't even glance at him.

Addressing her mother-in-law, she said, "I grew up in the village. The furthest I’ve ever traveled is to the city. Once I married, I settled here.

The reason we took Chi Yong in for marriage in the first place was to secure a future for Yingzi. I never intended to move to the provincial capital. I am naturally timid, and I won't adapt to city life.

Mother, later, please transfer Yongzi's and Wu'zi's household registrations to them." Cheng Ying looked at her own mother, wondering what a magnificent woman, what a great mother this was. She was moved, recognizing that her mother was thinking of nothing for herself. It seemed that ever since the old man Chi first appeared that day, Yang Zhi had been preparing for this.

The old lady, who had held some reservations, felt her heart completely let go after hearing her daughter-in-law's words. Where one lived wasn't as important as where one's heart resided. Having lived most of her life, the old lady was sharp enough to see things clearly.

"What nonsense are you talking about? How old are you? When will you finish raising Yingzi?

You have your own path to walk. Yingzi belongs to the Cheng family, and her surname will not change. Furthermore, my granddaughter, regardless of her surname, will naturally be able to move to the city if she is capable in the future.

As her mother, you cannot hold her back. In the future, if Yingzi wants to take me, an old woman, along, that would be a burden, and taking you too would be trouble. I will give you the marriage certificate and the household registration book.

Change whatever needs changing. I will take back the village property; those things will no longer count. From now on, you are Chi Yong’s wife." The old lady handled matters decisively, speaking with sharp brevity.

The old lady had thought this through: if she couldn't control them, she might as well buy their goodwill. At least if some affection remained, they might look after her Yingzi later. As long as Yang Zhi remained Chi Yong's wife, making her the stepfather to Yingzi, even if Yingzi didn't perform exceptionally well academically, she would still have a family of relatives to support her.

Kinship was valuable. What must leave, cannot be kept; let them fly. What must be given up is what one gains.

Cheng Ying looked at the old lady, feeling that if this were a grand household, her grandmother was a formidable matriarch controlling the situation, one possessing considerable depth. Yang Zhi stated, "Mother, I won't listen to you on this. I am Yingzi's mother." Her words carried weight, yet beneath them was a tremor of timidity.

It was the first time she had dared to oppose the old lady’s will to take charge; one could imagine her mother’s heart trembling inwardly. Chi Wu stood by, thinking, No matter how good he is to me, he isn't my real mother. See, when it comes down to it, she still sides with Cheng Ying.

Chi Yong sat alone in the west room, quite gloomy. He sincerely felt he had treated his wife well. Compared to the other men in the village, he was gentle and considerate toward his wife, even knowing how to coax her.

Where else could one find a man like him? Why didn't his wife give it more thought before siding with her daughter? Moreover, listening to his wife's decision, it wasn't simply a matter of one staying in the village and one going to the provincial capital.

His wife must understand the inevitability of long-distance separation. This was what troubled Chi Yong the most: his wife seemed to be choosing separate lives, with no connection left between them in the future. Chi Yong refused to dwell on that distressing word: divorce.

He didn't even want to consider it. He had developed genuine feelings for his wife. Chi Yong had experienced both coldness and warmth; he truly understood how rare it was to meet a warm-hearted person, and even rarer to find someone dedicated to him wholeheartedly.

Although his wife’s heart wasn't entirely focused on him, it was already a great deal. Cherishing her was essential. Chi Yong's mind was filled with all the good things Yang Zhi had done for him.

When they first married, the old lady constantly caused disturbances outside. Yang Zhi, with a pounding heart and blushing face, would cover her head just to get some sleep. Later, when he was ill, his wife shouldered all the household burdens without a word, constantly finding nourishing things for him to eat.

Chi Yong remembered all this clearly. Even the old lady at home, despite finding it troublesome, changed the hot bean poultices on his back several times a day. Chi Yong kept the old lady's transformation firmly in mind.

Flesh and blood are moved by kindness. People hold grudges, but they also remember gratitude. It was rare to find someone as wholly devoted as Yang Zhi, but now that devotion had shifted focus.

Her wholeheartedness was directed toward her daughter. He felt extremely vexed, even angry at Yang Zhi. A woman who didn't know how to cherish such a man was rare; how could she bear to let him go?

A sense of being wronged was also an emotion. Cheng Ying said, "Mom, you have your own life. Your life shouldn't be entirely about me.

You still have Uncle, Wu'zi, and your job. Look, Grandpa taught you his ancestral skills. When we move to the provincial capital, you won't just be a nurse.

You are educated; if you climb higher, you could become a doctor. Maybe then my mother could become the director. If I end up unsuccessful, I can still rely on my mother.

Wouldn't that be even better?" Yang Zhi replied, "I never thought that far ahead, nor do I have such great abilities. But I just know I can't let my daughter be without a mother. If I leave like this, the villagers will criticize my Old Yang family's integrity; it’s just not right." They say stubborn people, when they set their minds to something, become even harder to deal with.

Cheng Ying felt her own mother was being obstinate. "What do you mean by 'leaving like this'? During New Year's, holidays, and breaks, won't you come back to tend to the land and trees?

Are you going to leave all that for Grandma to handle? This is our family's base camp, our foundation. Even if you work in the city, you won't be settling there permanently.

Wherever you go, you are still my mother!" She stopped herself from saying further that she was her grandmother's daughter-in-law, because Yang Zhi was currently the wife of the Chi family, no longer the wife of her own Cheng family. The old lady interjected, "Yingzi is right, Zhizi. If you want to raise your daughter well, you must study properly.

Look at the village women; they watch their own children day in and day out, becoming dull in the process. Can they achieve anything? It’s more important to prepare a way out for the child.

It's the proper thing to take the household registration book and officially change the surname. RS