Cheng Ying began to fret. This wooden shack simply wouldn't survive the winter, yet she couldn't bear to let anyone in to see the wealth of treasures scattered across the mountain; her current security measures were simply insufficient. This truly worried Cheng Ying.

"What are you worrying about?" Second Uncle said. "Your Second Uncle, your maternal uncle, and I can build a stone house right here. Besides, people will find out about this sooner or later. I'll get a few small dogs later to keep watch."

Cheng Ying nodded. That was the only way.

However, finding a small dog in the village was hard now because of the town's campaign to eliminate stray dogs. Even Er Ya was hidden up in the mountains, barely returning to the village. Moreover, since villagers rarely saw Er Ya, those who did see her with Cheng Ying in the village claimed the dog was formidable, while those who saw her running wild in the mountains were spreading rumors that wolves were on the mountain. After all, apart from her tail, Er Ya’s build was remarkably similar to a wolf’s—only Er Ya was even fatter than a wolf.

"Second Uncle, let's wait until after my exams to deal with this," Cheng Ying said. "But we can't start building until after the rainy season. I wonder if it will be cold living here in the winter."

"What's there to fear?" Second Uncle waved his hand dismissively. "There's plenty of firewood here; just burn a bit more. It's not like we're building a grand mansion with tiled roofs, just a simple earthen house—it’s no trouble."

"Second Uncle, during the winter..."

Second Uncle waved his hand again. "It's all the same wherever I stay, as long as I have peace and quiet. Besides, I wouldn't trust anyone else with this place. People I don't know, people whose background I haven't checked. Let me tell you something off the record, Cheng Ying: now that your mountain property is established, no one should speak a word about it. People's hearts nowadays are not like those of the old generation. I say, aside from your maternal uncle, you should just keep quiet about everything."

He only said this to Cheng Ying, not to her grandmother or anyone else, hinting at sowing discord within her own family.

"I understand, Second Uncle," Cheng Ying replied. "On this mountain land, I trust no one but you. Just look after it as if it were your own. When we finally have money, I'll find you two helpers."

Second Uncle scoffed. "There's no wonder your grandmother calls you a spendthrift. You haven't even earned the money yet and you're already planning to spend it. People aren't just found lying around, you know. It would be better to just raise two more dogs."

Cheng Ying nodded. "I know. I will definitely find trustworthy people."

Second Uncle thought to himself, The girl is clever, but where exactly will she find so many trustworthy people? "Alright, it's getting late. Hurry back. You have school exams tomorrow, don't you?"

"Mm, I'll go now. Second Uncle, please warm up your dinner tonight," Cheng Ying said.

With that, Cheng Ying briskly descended the mountain. Er Ya bounded along behind her, only turning back when they reached the bottom edge of the mountain, right where the village began. Cheng Ying had to call her back up to the mountain; she dared not let Er Ya wander too far, for if the dog were beaten to death by someone, Cheng Ying’s heart would break. Er Ya was becoming more human-like every day.

Watching Er Ya run until she was out of sight, Cheng Ying mounted her bicycle and rode home.

Grandma had already prepared dinner and was waiting for her granddaughter. Inside the house, the usual crowd of children sat watching television. "Grandma."

Grandma scolded, "Aren't you taking your exams tomorrow? Why aren't you reviewing at home? I swear, you never keep anything in your mind."

Cheng Ying smiled. "Your granddaughter has a good brain; she doesn't need all that fuss."

Then mother and daughter sat down to eat. Grandma even went inside and made room for the others, but no one came forward to partake in their food.

Grandma sat in the courtyard sighing. "Don't you think Wu Zi's father really conned us? If I had known that thing would be screaming all day and cost money, I would have let him beat me to death before I bought such a bothersome thing!"

Cheng Ying shook her head and smiled wryly. Her own dear grandmother had been deeply troubled lately because she had discovered that watching TV wasn't free—it required paying an electricity bill. It was partly because the village was far from the township that the electric company only collected fees every three or four months.

When Grandma went to pay the bill, her heart ached fiercely. Seeing that other households only owed a few mao, she threw a fit: "How dare you cheat me! Why is everyone else's bill so small?"

The collector explained patiently, "As you said, Grandma, how much power does one light bulb use? But look at your big television—doesn't it consume much more electricity than others?"

From then on, Grandma winced every time she looked at the TV, realizing it was a money-draining device. Three months of electricity cost over three yuan, a full two yuan more than others! What depressed Grandma most was that she hadn't even mentioned being afraid of the cost to discourage the village children from coming to watch. She was enduring it through gritted teeth. Every time Cheng Ying saw Grandma turn on the television for the visiting children, it was like watching Grandma’s internal struggle played out.

"Grandma, it will be fine after the autumn harvest," Cheng Ying reassured her. "Third Aunt said the village chief plans to buy the Third Aunt a TV after the harvest so she doesn't have to have her grandson carry theirs over every day. I heard those families working in the lumber yard are buying TVs too. If that happens, who will be watching at our house? Besides, if you cook two fewer eggs for me, that'll cover the electricity bill. Don't worry so much."

Grandma retorted, "Easier said than done. If you stop eating eggs, how would you grow up so radiant and lively? I can't just find that money from somewhere else!"

Cheng Ying deliberately thrust her face forward. "I think I'm quite pretty too, Grandma. Look at my face—oh, it’s so tender!"

"You shameless thing! How can you say such things about yourself? What have I done to deserve raising such a creature?"

"Grandma, you said it first!"

"I wasn't praising you! Just quiet down!"

Cheng Ying thought her grandmother was becoming more unreasonable with age. "Grandma, I have something important to tell you. I have my exams tomorrow—it's for middle school entrance."

This news was like a bombshell dropped in their laps. Grandma slammed her bowl down with a clatter. "What? You're entering middle school? You finished the third grade?"

Cheng Ying calmly continued eating before replying, "I’m covering the third, fourth, and fifth grades all at once. Don't we still have Wu Zi's father's books in the west room? While you all watch TV, I read the books. It’s all fine; don't worry."

Grandma frowned deeply. "Just because you say it's fine doesn't mean it is! How can you be so headstrong? Who did you discuss this with? It must be Grandpa! I’ll go find him!"

"Grandpa doesn't know. Grandma, just wait for the good news. Don't worry; starting middle school at my age is perfect."

Grandma felt helpless. Dealing with such a willful, disobedient granddaughter—what could she possibly do? For the first time, she deliberately put on a stern face, not at Cheng Ying, but at the children watching TV. "My Yingzi has exams tomorrow. You all need to sleep well tonight. We can watch tomorrow instead."

Cheng Ying thought, Half a year's worth of electricity money wasted! This is just asking for trouble. "Grandma—"

"Nothing is as important as your studies, nothing! I know what matters. If you really manage to test into a university, I wouldn't just offend the people in the village; I'd offend everyone in the township, and I can handle that!"

Cheng Ying obediently went to bed. Grandma fanned her for half the night, her internal turmoil something Cheng Ying could never fully grasp. The old woman wondered if it was because she was getting old and her perspective had broadened, or if she was simply too permissive with her granddaughter, unable to bring herself to discipline her. But then again, everything her granddaughter undertook was done soundly and methodically. Perhaps it was best to let the child follow her own ideas and pursue them.

When Cheng Ying woke up the next morning, Grandma had prepared an immense breakfast, boiling over ten eggs. "Take these for the road. Exams are a big deal; don't let yourself go hungry."

Cheng Ying looked at the table full of eggs and felt a deep sense of unease. If she hadn't had confidence, she might have failed every subject! Why would Grandma prepare a table full of 'zeros' (a homophone for eggs in this context) first thing in the morning? Grandma clearly didn't know this superstition. "Grandma, don't worry."

"Why don't I go with you?" Grandma suggested.

Cheng Ying looked at Grandma's small feet. She truly couldn't bear the thought of her climbing ridges and scaling hills. "If I carry you, I won't have the strength left to answer the exam questions! You just stay home and wait for my good news. I'll be back right after the exam. Don't be nervous. Is there anything you need me to buy from the township? I heard a new supply store just opened there, and they have nice things."

Grandma huffed, "Stop it! All you think about is spending money, spending money! I don't even want to talk to you. Today, forget it. Hurry up and go to your exam so you aren't late!"

Then Grandma saw her granddaughter off at the door. Despite complaining about her spending, she pressed two yuan into Cheng Ying's hand. "Buy yourself something nice if you see it. I thought the braided rope that Er Ya wears is quite nice; get one for yourself."

Cheng Ying shivered dramatically. Forget it! Tying that clump of stuff onto her head... She couldn't figure out where her grandmother saw beauty in that style. Cheng Ying felt her sense of aesthetics had been severely wounded. When would Grandma’s taste ever improve? "I'm leaving now. I might cut my hair when I get back—it’ll be much cleaner and cooler."

This finally angered Grandma. "You dare! I'm telling you, if you cut your hair, I will fight you! Do you hear me?"

This warning faded into the distance with the sound of the wind. Cheng Ying thought, If I don't scare her a little, who knows what she'd try to put on my head? There wasn't even shampoo in the village, let alone the township. Her long braid was not easy to maintain. Never mind that Grandma wouldn't allow it; Cheng Ying wouldn't let anyone cut it either, considering all the rice water she used to care for it.

Grandma watched her granddaughter's silhouette disappear on the bicycle, forgetting all about how she might score on the exam. She muttered, "I hope this girl doesn't come back with half a head of hair! She's going to drive me to my grave; why can't she be less troublesome?"

After muttering, she dusted off her trousers and went inside. But she remained restless; until Cheng Ying returned with her long braid intact, Grandma’s heart wouldn't settle.

It turned out Cheng Ying arrived at the school a bit early, thanks to her grandmother fussing so much that morning. Cheng Ying didn't go to her maternal grandfather's house; she stopped directly at the township center. She pushed her bicycle into the school grounds, reported to her teacher, and checked in.

The teachers and the principal placed significant importance on this student who had only attended school two or three times in half a semester. "Student Cheng Ying has arrived! How is your health?" Nowadays, regardless of the teacher, the first thing anyone who knew Cheng Ying asked was about her well-being.

"Thank you for your concern, Teacher. My health is much better, and the exam should be fine, though I can't sit for too long."

The teacher shook her head sympathetically. The principal asked, "Student Cheng Ying, are you confident? If you regret it, I can still arrange an extra set of papers for you to test only for the third grade."