That evening, as the elder couple retired, Cheng Ying let out a sigh of relief; at least the outsiders were gone.

She knew her own mindset was off, needing adjustment. Here, everyone but her was family.

Yang Zhi asked, "Yingzi, how is Grandma? Is your health good? How is your spirit?"

Cheng Ying replied, "Everything is fine, don't worry, Mother. If anyone dares annoy Grandma, she can still scold from one end of the village to the other, and still make a round at the village committee office."

Yang Zhi reached out and tapped her daughter lightly. "Who are you talking about?"

Cheng Ying asked, "How are you, Mother? Wu Zi said you were studying; it’s not tiring you, is it?"

Yang Zhi responded, "No, it's quite relaxing. Learning something is better than staying cooped up at home. You don't know, if Wu Zi's father hadn't let me go out, the maids at home would have nothing to do. I can’t sit still."

Cheng Ying could understand and imagine her own mother's diligence.

She didn't need others to enslave her; she enslaved herself. This was truly nobody else's fault.

The family of four sat in the living room, but it felt entirely different from their own heated kang; there was no ease, no lingering comfort.

Cheng Ying asked, "Uncle, how is your work going?"

Chi Yong replied, "Uncle's work is going well, you don't need to worry about it."

Cheng Ying pouted. "Such good work, and you haven't even managed to secure a decent apartment, still squeezed in with your parents. Uncle, your job has no prospects."

It wasn't Cheng Ying trying to demoralize Chi Yong; with a lifetime job, one should secure better housing. How could he have such little ambition?

Chi Yong blushed. Why was this child so sharp-tongued? "Even if Uncle has the ability, I can't just cast Mother and Father aside to arrange housing for myself."

Cheng Ying countered, "My mother, and my mother's future children, will need a place to live. They can’t possibly be squeezed in with Chi Wu later, right? Uncle, if there's a suitable place, try to get one. Buying a small plot of land is fine too. Then Mother can take the child out."

Chi Yong said, "You child, why don't you wish us well?"

What he said was earnest. But his daughter was also right; they couldn't have the two children crammed together in the future.

Cheng Ying felt she might have gone too far, but it was genuinely out of goodwill. "Fine, I won't talk about it anymore. Tomorrow I'll go with Mother for her prenatal check-up."

Chi Yong scoffed, "Why do you need to tag along? I accompanied your mother through the examinations; it's fine."

Cheng Ying clarified, "I'm going ahead to build connections, so people will pay more attention to my mother later."

Chi Yong hadn't really considered that. They usually only gave the celebratory money after the baby was born.

This daughter—"Why do you know everything? Go to sleep now."

What a worry. Running into a daughter like this was worrying.

At home, Cheng Ying shared a room with Wu Zi. Here, even if Chi Wu had fought for it, no matter who it was, they had arranged a room for Cheng Ying.

And it was a private room.

Yang Zhi had happily informed Cheng Ying that she had prepared the room during her vacation just for this.

Cheng Ying had noticed the three-bedroom, one-living-room layout when she first arrived.

Her own mother hadn't even given birth yet. If she had a child here, forget herself, even Chi Wu wouldn't have a place to stay.

Wouldn't she end up sharing a room with the nanny?

But since her own mother had gone through such trouble to arrange it, Cheng Ying said, "It's really beautiful."

Yang Zhi asked, "Do you like it?"

Cheng Ying replied, "It's just not very practical; this fabric isn't sturdy."

Yang Zhi, heavily pregnant, patted the bed with one hand, which startled Cheng Ying.

Then she heard Yang Zhi say, "See? Wu Zi and I both said the same thing, but your uncle insisted that girls like this kind of thing. Look at him, a man, what does he know?"

Cheng Ying looked at her mother, utterly speechless. Really. Who didn't know how to smooth things over? I am your daughter.

Still, Cheng Ying could self-comfort. Regardless of whether the items were perfectly to her taste, the thought of Yang Zhi, Chi Yong, and Chi Wu going shopping together to get things for her warmed her heart.

If the three of them hadn't wanted her to come, they certainly wouldn't have gone out shopping to buy her things together.

Cheng Ying wrapped an arm around her mother. "Mother, you're pregnant, why get agitated? Are you doing well?"

Words spoken in front of others didn't count; what the mother and daughter shared privately was the real truth.

Yang Zhi hugged her daughter back. "Mother is fine. I'm not as useless as you think. I understand. I’ve just failed you, failed your Grandma."

Cheng Ying sighed. She couldn't represent Grandma to comfort her mother about this issue.

But deep down, she was happy that the woman who refused to give up her life at this crucial moment could be happy. "As long as you are well, you have done right by everyone."

Yang Zhi whispered, "Yingzi..." Her voice was husky; she was about to cry.

Cheng Ying thought to herself, six months apart, and her own mother had become so sentimental.

Was it the city water that nourished people better, or was it specifically nurturing delicate, sensitive nerves?

Cheng Ying asked, "Mother, the way I treated Chi family's Grandma today, I hope it hasn't made things difficult for you?"

Yang Zhi replied, "What happened? I thought Wu Zi's Grandma was very nice, and I was quite happy."

Cheng Ying looked at this happy woman and felt a pang of envy. That was true fortune.

And as for the Chi family's old madam, Cheng Ying couldn't detect any happiness on that high and mighty face. She didn't know how her mother's mind worked.

Thinking back, the Chi family's old madam must have felt more stifled than she did.

Cheng Ying explained, "My attitude today was a bit stiff, a bit awkward—like someone unwelcome. I didn't try to cater to Wu Zi's Grandma."

Yang Zhi dismissed it. "Did you? It doesn't matter. You're just a child, why think so much? Wu Zi's Grandma is very good. Yingzi, you don't need to dwell on it."

Cheng Ying mused, "Mother, you have such a broad heart. You usually don't pay attention to things like this, do you?"

Yang Zhi affirmed, "Yes, I don't dwell on it. What kind of big deal is this? It's not like we're starving or freezing."

Cheng Ying stared blankly at her mother. She felt a moment of silent mourning for the Chi family's old madam on behalf of her mother.

Your daughter-in-law is truly magnanimous.

Perhaps she didn't need to explain her intentions to her mother.

Grandma had discussed it with her for half the night. All that effort regarding her attitude—had it all been in vain?

Cheng Ying remembered Grandma discussing three options with her:

One was to flatter the Chi family's old madam, keeping her attitude humble, since her mother was in their hands.

The second was to be neither servile nor overbearing. They felt this might come across as too aloof.

The third was to be a bit more assertive, establishing that her mother had a strong backer, creating an aura that would deter others from causing trouble.

They ultimately decided the third option was the most reliable.

Grandma wanted Cheng Ying to come and gauge the Chi family's reaction, ensuring things didn't go sour. Her mother shouldn't be made to look too easy for country folk to manage, lest the other party disrespect her mother later on.

All that careful planning, and her mother felt nothing about it.

Cheng Ying had nothing more to say to Yang Zhi, her mother. "Mother, as long as you are well is enough. I'm going to sleep."

The whole process had been too long; she needed rest, or she wouldn't be able to keep up with her mother's train of thought. She could only conclude that she was falling behind.

When Cheng Ying woke up the next morning, she brewed two bowls of thick, sticky millet porridge for her mother.

When served, the entire room was filled with fragrance.

At breakfast, everyone watched Yang Zhi drink the porridge.

The Chi family old man thought to himself, this girl holds a grudge. Why did she only make such a small amount when cooking in the early morning? Was she truly saving everything for his wife?

Chi Wu commented, "Yingzi, this porridge smells wonderful. Make more tonight, I want some too."

Cheng Ying replied, "How can you compete with a pregnant woman? Besides, this is country fare; it’s not fit for the city. I wouldn't dare bring shame upon us."

The Chi family's old madam maintained a dignified and graceful posture throughout. After eating, she set down her chopsticks and left.

One wrong step, and every step followed. The little girl had managed to grasp the string.

It felt irritating. Was she someone who craved food? But she couldn't stand the lack of spirit in the family.

Chi Yong remarked, "Yingzi, this porridge is different from the usual."

Cheng Ying explained, "Of course it's different. This is something that can only be gotten during this specific season. I used tender corn that still had its husks on."

Yang Zhi couldn't finish hers. "Grandma will feel bad. How did you dare break off the cobs?"

Cheng Ying reassured her, "It's fine. Grandma doesn't know. I planted them myself on the mountain, saving them for roasting. I brought Mother a bag too. You must eat them quickly, or they'll age in a couple of days, and the taste will change."

Yang Zhi hummed, smiling beautifully at her daughter.

Chi Yong thought that in the months he'd taken care of his wife, he hadn't been as thoughtful as his daughter was now.

So, this was what his wife enjoyed?

Chi Yong quickly said, "Yingzi, later Uncle will properly learn from you."

Cheng Ying corrected him, "Grandma told me this. Mother craved this when she was pregnant with me."

Chi Yong realized it was probably better not to pursue this porridge matter any further.

Cheng Ying stayed at the Chi family's for three days and gained a thorough understanding of the Chi family's old madam. She was indeed quite aloof, which meant she was actually easy to deal with—provided her own mother understood this dynamic.

Then again, why bother arguing with the old madam just because her words were sometimes impolite?

Cheng Ying left feeling satisfied. She had intended to stay for her mother's delivery, but seeing how attentive Chi Yong was to her mother, Cheng Ying felt it was necessary to step back and give her stepfather a chance to earn his wife's complete trust.

Therefore, her own daughter needed to retreat to the sidelines.

She didn't have Chi Wu see her off, nor did she bring many things—just two black-and-white televisions, acquired at scrap metal prices. All of this was kept secret from the Chi family. Cheng Ying didn't want them thinking she had gone to the city to collect junk.

Furthermore, Cheng Ying felt a severe lack of funds. If she had plenty of money, her mother could certainly live more comfortably.

When Cheng Ying wrestled the two heavy televisions off the vehicle, her maternal uncle was already waiting by the station. Chi Wu had specifically called Yang Yi's workplace to ensure that Cheng Ying, a young girl, wouldn't face the trouble of loading and unloading the items alone.

After returning from the provincial capital, Cheng Ying briefed her uncle and aunt about her mother's condition. She left one TV for her maternal grandfather and then hurried home.

Her own grandmother was waiting for news. Her aunt mentioned that she would go over to help for a month when her mother went into labor.

Cheng Ying looked at her aunt and thought that with the Chi family's old madam's temperament, her aunt wouldn't last a day.

The key was incompatibility—the clash of their qi—but Cheng Ying didn't dare voice it.

Her aunt was a blessed woman; she had never had to deal with a mother-in-law.

The aunt looked at her niece's strange expression. "Miao Miao, what is your sister's expression? Mother feels something is very wrong."

Miao Miao was busy wrestling with their large red fish in the yard, not saying a word.

Cheng Ying took the other television straight to her second grand-uncle on the mountain. She dared not bring it into the village. If people knew she had bought it at scrap prices, her mother would be endlessly pestered by the villagers.