Chi Wu followed Cheng Ying as they trailed Chi Yong into the courtyard. Seeing the father Cheng Ying described as having issues with his mind, what could Chi Wu say? To him, Chi Yong looked like he’d had too much to drink. Upon entering the yard, Chi Yong didn't speak first. Instead, he circled the two children, then let out a long sigh toward the sky. His whole bearing was awkward; he possessed the air of an ambitious youth full of passionate zeal. "Yingzi! Wuzi! I tell you both, at my age, I never truly expected to have children of my own."

After a long silence, Cheng Ying thought this was his way of telling them not to be jealous, that he wanted the family to be harmonious and united. The stepfather was thinking ahead, preemptively establishing the principle of equality among the children in the parents' hearts. Still, that earlier gesture of his was really quite uncoordinated.

Chi Yong continued, "I am genuinely thrilled, truly happy." Chi Wu thought, No kidding, I could tell you were so excited you were twitching. The two children remained silent, watching Chi Yong. No matter the internal complaints, neither showed anything on their faces.

Chi Yong said, "I was thinking, your mother doesn't seem overly concerned, and I can’t manage all the care by myself. From now on, you two must rush to do the household chores, try to keep your mother from doing them. My health isn't great, and I don't even know if I can have more children later—your uncle feels uncertain about that."

Cheng Ying’s face darkened; Chi Wu felt miserable. Aren't I your child too? Why are you already setting us up as sacrificial lambs before the new baby is even born?

Cheng Ying said, "Uncle, I just got pregnant like this; you worry too much." She turned and walked away. Do you think I’m invisible? Do you forget who my mother is? Did you have to say something so hurtful?

Chi Wu said, "Dad, stop messing around. Grandma said it’s fine; every woman has to birth a litter of children." After saying this, he also walked away.

Chi Yong felt misunderstood by everyone. He needed to get to the city quickly; there was no heavy labor there, and his wife could rest well during her pregnancy. Why couldn’t these two bothersome children understand his desire for a son?

Despite what he said, Cheng Ying never let her biological mother do any work. After all, the stepfather was so earnest, even playing the tragic card and shamelessly claiming his future health was uncertain, suggesting they should be cautious.

Chi Yong saw this and felt utterly comforted. As for the children’s disdain, Chi Yong was thick-skinned, incredibly thick-skinned; he simply didn't notice it.

After seeing off Old Man Yang, Chi Yong didn't go to the city with them because he had been suffering from severe insomnia lately. When one gets older, it’s best not to get too agitated; look, the problem has appeared. Chi Yong had long since shamelessly taken Yang Zhi’s quilt and moved it to the west room. She had told him: the old lady is elderly, and the children are young and thoughtless; they won't know how to take care of her, so he should work a little harder himself.

Cheng Ying snorted, thinking, Anyway, you can’t sleep anyway.

But the result was that Yang Zhi couldn't stand it. Chi Yong’s insomnia made it hard for her to sleep well too. Looking at the man with dark circles under his eyes, Yang Zhi worried, "Mom, maybe we should find a doctor to look at Wu Zi’s dad?"

The old lady’s face was dark. "Look at what? He’s just making trouble for nothing. He’s enjoying good times too much. Go sharpen the sickle and have him go with your Second Grand-Uncle up the mountain to chop firewood."

After speaking, the old lady left, giving Chi Yong two hot flatbreads. "Take these as rations." Then she sent him out the door.

Chi Yong hadn't done manual labor for half a year. Even during the old collective days, he earned only seven fen, less than what the women earned. Physical labor was truly a test for him. But the old lady's word was an imperial decree in the house.

Leaving his pregnant wife, Chi Yong was extremely reluctant. When going out, he repeatedly emphasized to his wife as if he were leaving for a long journey. Then, turning his face, he grabbed Cheng Ying, "Yingzi, your mother doesn't know how to be careful. You watch her closely. Don't let your mother touch fetching water or chopping wood."

Cheng Ying’s face turned black. Did these chores really need a pregnant woman to do them? Did Chi Yong's brain have tofu dregs in it? Seeing that Chi Yong still wanted to linger, Cheng Ying directly grabbed a sickle and headed out. "Uncle, I'm going up the mountain too." This was truly out of desperation; it was better than enduring Chi Yong’s nagging.

Chi Yong turned to look at Chi Wu. Chi Wu pocketed a few biscuits. "I'm going up the mountain," he said, then followed Cheng Ying out the door. Chi Yong turned back to the old lady, but didn't dare say a word. With dark circles under his eyes and yawning, he got onto the cart and drove off.

Cheng Ying looked at her stepfather, thinking, How excited must your cerebral cortex be to hold up like this? Then, indifferently, she and Chi Wu got onto the cart. The family of three went with Cheng Ying’s Second Grand-Uncle to clear the mountain field.

Chi Yong wasn't great at work. Compared to Cheng Second Grand-Uncle, he was worse, even with the elder man’s less nimble legs. Cheng Ying encouraged Chi Yong from behind, "Uncle, my mother and the baby in her belly are waiting for a warm kang bed!" Chi Yong grinned foolishly, "I definitely won't let your mother get cold." He deliberately left off the word 'child' at the end, as he still remembered.

Chi Wu looked at his silly father. The firewood he chopped was wet; how could it even light? However, once Cheng Ying said something like that, Chi Yong could always work hard for half a day. Cheng Ying was like someone dangling a carrot in front of a donkey; she hung a carrot in front of Chi Yong’s mouth.

Chi Wu felt sorry for his father. "Dad, slow down, your ailment requires careful nurturing." Cheng Ying secretly tugged at Chi Wu. "Ailments have priorities. It’s more important for your dad to cure his insomnia right now." Chi Wu said, "You call this curing the illness? My dad will work himself to the point of collapse!" Cheng Ying said, "That would be good! Then he could get a proper night's sleep and stop fussing."

Cheng Ying's philosophy was the same as the old lady's. Chi Wu looked at his hardworking father, then at Cheng Ying. Out of sight, out of mind. He found a quiet spot and started clearing the mountain field himself. Along the way, he gathered a small pouch full of pine nuts under the old pine tree, waiting for mealtime. Cheng Ying ate them with such relish.

After a full day of heavy physical labor, Chi Yong didn't have insomnia. Limp and weak, he collapsed onto the kang. He slept soundly that night; after all, he hadn't worked for half a year. His stamina truly couldn't keep up. To use the old lady’s description, he was like a dead dog, not waking up no matter how loud the commotion outside.

Yang Zhi's expression was conflicted; she didn't know what expression to use. The next morning, Chi Yong woke up, finished breakfast, and was sent off by the old lady. He needed to go to the county seat to send a telegram to his relatives to inform them of the family's decision, so they wouldn't be working for nothing. Also, Chi Yong needed to see a doctor. If Yang Zhi wasn't recently pregnant and still unstable, Chi Yong would have taken her to the city. But in the end, Chi Wu went to the city with his father.

Chi Yong’s herbal medicine was dispensed at the traditional Chinese medicine shop where Cheng Ying and her group bought the tiger skin. The old doctor took Chi Yong's pulse and repeated the same advice: "Your illness requires nurturing. Furthermore, you've been straining yourself terribly lately; you absolutely cannot stay up late anymore."

Chi Wu felt embarrassed. His father's condition was purely self-inflicted, not caused by exhaustion. Chi Yong rubbed his hands. "Doctor, my wife is pregnant. Can you look at my illness?" The old doctor looked at Chi Yong with a strange expression. What was the problem connecting this illness, this child, and this wife?

Seeing the doctor's conflicted look, Chi Yong quickly clarified, "No, no, it's not that. My wife is an honorable woman. I want the doctor to check if my illness means I can have a child, and if it will have any impact on the child?" As he said this, Chi Yong’s heart was pounding. An adult’s health meant a healthy child, something the old lady had stressed several times. These were his own problems. If Cheng Ying was so full of life, but the baby inside his wife was even slightly weaker in health—

The old doctor sighed in relief. "It's good that you have confidence. According to convention, it's difficult for someone with your condition to father offspring. I said difficult, not impossible. If a child does come, they will certainly be somewhat frail."

Chi Yong anxiously asked, "Doctor, do you see any sign of improvement in my condition?" The old doctor looked at Chi Yong, growing more perplexed. An illness treated by conditioning—it was too impossible to see results in just one or two months. Some people nurtured themselves for three to five years without seeing much effect. However, he took Chi Yong’s pulse one more time anyway.

The old doctor asked, "Besides this medicine, have you used anything else?" Chi Yong replied, "No, no, only what the old lady at home uses for my sake. I wear a cotton waist wrap, and inside, I often put hot beans to warm and soothe my lower back. It feels quite comfortable."

The old doctor genuinely didn't believe this could have much effect. But he also didn't believe that the medicine he prescribed could fix the body in just one or two doses. "Cherish it. Let your wife rest well. Having a child will be due to the merit you accumulated in a past life." This statement was highly irresponsible.

Chi Yong felt he should treat Yang Zhi like a treasure, meaning a second child might not even be possible later. Even though the strict family planning policy hadn't officially been implemented, the propaganda was everywhere. Chi Yong understood national policies, but having many sons and grandsons was still a pursuit.

The old doctor specifically looked at the waist wrap Chi Yong was wearing. When Chi Yong returned, he bought Yang Zhi a large pile of things, along with the important medicine prescribed by the doctor. The old lady stared, only saying one word: "Profligate."

When Chi Wu repeated the doctor's words to the old lady, Cheng Ying overheard them. Regarding this result, Cheng Ying had a different realization. Perhaps her spatial water had proven useful. It might not cure everything, but it was steeped with honeysuckle and a bunch of tiny ginseng roots! It seemed it could heal illness. Still, she had to be careful not to harm the old lady by giving her too much.

When Cheng Ying secretly transported water into her own water tank, she added less than usual. After all, no one in the family seemed to have any major issues yet. Cheng Ying felt somewhat gloomy. Without a place to test it, she couldn't know the composition of the water. It was quite vexing. From now on, she dared not give it to her biological mother to drink either. She was pregnant; who knew if drinking it would be good or bad? Cheng Ying almost regretted throwing in those piles of ginseng roots, no bigger than a pinky finger.

Chi Yong, however, was deeply grateful to the old lady. Regardless of whether the doctor said it was effective or not, Chi Yong believed the hot beans had worked. He trusted the doctor’s prescription; the only difference was the waist wrap.