Though the child was already six or seven, he was still young and naturally drawn to anything novel.

Chi Wu picked up Miao Miao. Who did this kid look like? Why was he so handsome? Chi Wu’s large paws rubbed hard against Miao Miao’s face.

The commotion brought tears to the little one's eyes.

Fortunately, he wasn't trailing after Cheng Ying, calling "Wifey, wifey." "Hmm, later, Brother will take you out to play," Chi Wu soothed.

That single sentence captivated Miao Miao, who didn't even bother to acknowledge Cheng Ying.

Auntie asked, "You two, coming so late, have you eaten?"

Cheng Ying replied, "We're starving, Auntie. You wouldn't believe it; we want to stay in the county town, but they still demand a letter of introduction."

Auntie said, "Staying at the guesthouse does require paperwork, doesn't it? You two are slow. Why didn't you just find a private inn? Talk nicely to people; it’s not that complicated."

Cheng Ying felt she was behind the times; she hadn't even thought of that.

Chi Wu was thinking, I just want to be able to stay with Cheng Ying openly, using that letter of introduction.

I must have that chance. Chi Wu made a firm resolution.

Grandpa’s health was as robust as it had been a few years prior.

Seeing Cheng Ying, he asked the same old question, "Have you decided where you'll go to school?"

Cheng Ying replied, "I still need to think about it." The crucial factor was where she could live most comfortably with the money she had.

Cheng Ying was someone who relished comfort. If going out meant suffering, she would rather stay in the village with her mother. At least her mood would be content.

Auntie interjected, "Alright, eat first. Two pan-fried flatbreads, a bowl of egg-drop soup."

Cheng Ying thought that life was indeed changing; at least they were eating fine grain now, and it was glistening with oil. So fragrant! A few years ago, when Auntie was being especially nice to her, it was just two flatbreads.

Auntie said, "It's good, isn't it? This flour was distributed by your maternal uncle's work unit."

Cheng Ying suddenly realized she hadn't seen her uncle. "Auntie, hasn't Uncle come back yet?"

Auntie complained to Cheng Ying, "Your uncle is on duty today, busy with nonsense all day long."

Cheng Ying asked, "When will Uncle get his official position confirmed?"

Grandpa smacked his lips, "That's hard to say. It depends on how well the right connections are nurtured. It's so hard to get confirmed these days."

Cheng Ying felt she needed to cheer the old man up. "Grandpa, you should be more generous."

Chi Wu glanced at Cheng Ying and continued eating. The old man was extremely wealthy; what did he have to be stingy about?

It wasn't that Chi Wu was nosy; all of Chi Wu’s medicinal herbs had to pass through the old man’s hands. How could Chi Wu earn so much money and leave the old man behind?

It was just that Cheng Ying refused the dividends Chi Wu offered her at first. Later, when Chi Wu started making a fortune, it felt inappropriate for her to ask, seeing how much he was gaining.

Cheng Ying almost slapped herself. Why didn't I just take half back then? Why did I think I was taking advantage of the child? Now look, I’m working for free, just letting that unlucky kid profit.

Grandpa watched the two youngsters finish eating. "Yingzi, are there any buyers for the ginseng on your mountain?"

Cheng Ying had never considered selling it now, so her reaction was slightly surprised. "Anyone buying at this time? Isn't the growing season a bit short?"

The old man glared at the girl. "People will always buy that stuff."

Cheng Ying asked, "Well, what’s the price? If we sell now, won't we take a loss? It's only been a few years; it's just starting to seed."

Grandpa exclaimed, "Oh, girl, you’re something else! What you have now is highly coveted; it’s getting harder and harder to find. Are you buying or not?"

Cheng Ying said, "I'll buy, but not many. I still want to cultivate them for a few more years."

Grandpa nodded, "Okay, I'll give you a heads-up later."

Cheng Ying clarified, "Just know, I don't have much; at most, a hundred roots."

Pfft! Grandpa sprayed out his mouth. "You think that's nothing? I'm telling you, I don't have that kind of pull; if I can sell five plants, that’s great."

Cheng Ying froze. So, the sales weren't that high. No rush, she'd keep cultivating them; someone would eventually beg to buy them. This really wasn't urgent.

Chi Wu offered, "I can ask around for you later."

Grandpa slapped his thigh. "Exactly! We have a ready-made expert in medicinal herbs right here."

Cheng Ying was indifferent; she wasn't overly eager to sell. "Whatever. But don't treat it like selling cabbage; you have to drive a hard bargain on the price for me."

Chi Wu affirmed, "Mm." Since he dealt in medicinal herbs, he surely knew the ropes.

Cheng Ying looked at Chi Wu. "Hey, you say your family is scholarly; didn't your grandmother weep when you went into this line of work?"

Chi Wu replied, "I'm just earning some pocket money; what does that have to do with being scholarly?"

Cheng Ying chuckled. "Heh heh, I was just worried your grandmother was overly sensitive. But Chi Wu is right; even if they're scholarly, it’s a refined quality supported by money."

Grandpa felt the children had insight. Refinement can't be maintained without money. It wasn't just these two being worldly; they were speaking the plain truth.

The two youngsters stayed at Grandpa’s for one night and only went home the next day.

When Chi Wu was younger, he could share a room with Cheng Ying’s grandmother. Now that the child was older, since last year, the old lady had cleaned out the west room for Chi Wu to stay in by himself.

Chi Wu felt quite resentful.

Seeing Cheng Ying bustling around him every day stirred Chi Wu’s youthful heart. He almost lost the motivation to earn money; it was sapping his heroic spirit.

While Cheng Ying was home, she still ran to the mountains every day. Now, Cheng Ying’s mountain plots were mostly cleared.

Trees were planted on the steep slopes, with ginseng underneath. The flatter areas were neat nurseries, sectioned off in squares and strips—a pleasing sight no matter how one looked at it.

A few days later, people from the forestry bureau came again. This time, they didn't go to the mountain but invited Cheng Ying to the bureau office.

It was the same group of leaders from last time, specifically there to discuss the sapling matter with Cheng Ying.

Cheng Ying was beaming, her mouth splitting into a wide smile.

One visitor said, "Young lady, very impressive. We haven't even reached the county seat yet, and your colorful trees have already taken root at the county government offices."

Cheng Ying replied happily, "I’m just delighted. I want the people of our county, and the leaders too, to see the colorful trees of our Dahe Township and appreciate them together."

The visitor smiled. This girl was too shrewd. Those officials who went back to the county government, no matter how they looked at these saplings, were secretly pondering: What kind of connections does this young lady have? She’s already walked into the government's backyard.

They couldn't figure it out and shook their heads. "Young lady, let me tell you. We've looked at some saplings, but they were too far away, inconvenient to transport, and they aren't as large-scale as your nursery. Besides, if we buy them, our county already has its own saplings; we don't strictly need someone else's. However, the price might not be very high."

Cheng Ying replied, "As long as the county thinks highly of them, it’s the good fortune of our Shanghe Village. You name the price; as long as I don't feel like I've been watching over them for nothing these past few years, that will suffice."

Chi Wu frowned; she was going to take a loss. Was it worth it?

Cheng Ying eventually sold one thousand saplings to the forestry bureau for six yuan apiece, and they had to be as thick as an adult's wrist.

Cheng Ying calculated that this covered at least the wages for several years of labor. Moreover, no matter where these thousand saplings were used for greening, they served as an advertisement for her. Wouldn't wealth flow in later?

As long as they had saplings, that was enough.

When she went to the provincial capital the year before last, Cheng Ying had picked up a single branch of a flowering crabapple. Now, in her space, that was a whole nursery plot.

So, once the sales channels were open, wealth would come looking for her.

Cheng Ying still hired people from the forestry bureau. In two days, they supposedly dug up one thousand saplings from the nursery.

In reality, it was only five or six hundred; the rest were saplings Cheng Ying smuggled in from her space. At least the ones in her space didn't require manual digging, saving a significant expense.

Cheng Ying used a tractor to transport them to the forestry bureau, where they were loaded onto large trucks. After that, it was no longer Cheng Ying’s concern.

Cheng Ying roughly calculated that, by current market rates, this batch of saplings represented instant riches.

Although the actions weren't overtly conspicuous, the tractor's constant coming and going alerted the villagers.

That Cheng family simpleton’s mountain plot saplings are actually worth money. So, children must be filial. If Cheng Ying hadn't been filial, would she have managed to turn such a barren place around? Now that Cheng Ying was filial, even the desolate land was paying off—this was gratitude for the child's devotion.

Consequently, the village atmosphere was good, though her Eldest Aunt and Second Aunt felt a pang of envy.

The Eldest Uncle said nothing, but his life wasn't as eventful as the girl’s; he felt uncomfortable about it.

The Second Uncle, however, was genuinely pleased. "Yingzi, do you need Second Uncle to help?"

Cheng Ying replied, "No need. The county bought some saplings here, and the forestry staff dug up the ones they needed and took them away. Everything is fine now."

Cheng Ying was willing to explain a bit more to her Second Uncle.

Second Aunt chimed in, "Oh, our Yingzi is so capable! Dun [Second Uncle's name, likely a nickname], you must learn well from your sister from now on."

Cheng Ying smiled sweetly. Second Aunt was a good person. Her disposition and thick skin were something most people couldn't possess.

Cheng Ying was ecstatic when she sent Chi Wu to collect the payment.

This wasn't illegal profiteering; it was the hard-earned fruit of three or four years of labor. Even though it was only six thousand yuan, it proved that the three thousand she initially spent to acquire the mountain plot was worthwhile—look, the money was earned!

When no one else was around, the three of them—mother, son, and daughter-in-law figure—sat on the kang, watching TV, looking at the pile of money. Cheng Ying gloated, "Grandma, you used to hit me with the feather duster back then! Look, the money is here now, isn't it?"

Chi Wu rested his head near Cheng Ying’s leg, thinking, It’s fine just being this close. There was always a faint scent of honeysuckle, and Chi Wu was utterly intoxicated.

The old lady scoffed, "What are you showing off about? How much do you think you earned? Subtract the hard work your Second Uncle put in these past few years, and you're still short a few hundred."

Cheng Ying countered, "Grandma, I still have a mountain full of saplings left!" Not to mention the ginseng.

Grandma Cheng said, "Do you think everyone in the world is a fool? Who would come and buy that trash that's all over the mountain?"

To Grandma Cheng, buying saplings here was just plain foolish; that stuff was everywhere on the mountain; why buy it?

Cheng Ying was furious. Why couldn't the old lady see things clearly? "Are you saying your granddaughter is cheating people?"

The old lady didn't speak, but her meaning was clear enough. Seeing Cheng Ying get angry, the old lady conceded, "It’s not that you’re cheating people, it’s just that the buyers are a bit silly."

Chi Wu chuckled. The meaning was essentially the same.

Cheng Ying huffed, "Grandma, I’m not talking to you anymore."

Cheng Ying felt utterly drained. This old woman was an enigma; she didn't even trust her own granddaughter. It was too hurtful.

The old lady looked at her granddaughter, then at Chi Wu. "I'm just telling you both not to think only of the good things. Why can't you, girl, ever listen to unwelcome advice?"

Pfft, Chi Wu laughed. "Grandma, don't let her get to you. She made money, she's showing off, and she's probably feeling all sorts of things inside. Let's just ignore her. Grandma, I went into the mountains and brought back a lot of wild grapes. Can you make some grape wine for me?"