Chi Yong’s facial muscles were rigid; this was truly audacious. Looking at Cheng Ying, he conceded she had the credentials for such boldness. “Yingzi, let’s keep words like that between us from now on,” Chi Yong could only manage to say.

Cheng Ying, “Grandma, why do you say everything out loud? Wasn't I just placating you?”

This was genuinely embarrassing; the old lady showed absolutely no deference to her.

Chi Wu, “The county town couldn't support you to begin with, so what’s there to be shy about?”

Well, this man held Cheng Ying in too high regard. Far too high. Chi Yong felt the urge to kick someone.

Chi Yong tapped the back of his son's head, just as Cheng Ying unleashed her own volley at Chi Wu, “I’ll smack you dead!”

Honestly, how low-key am I? she thought, why do they make me sound so arrogant?

Chi Wu grew angry. “I’m going to sleep.” Women were so hard to please. Nothing she said was ever right.

Chi Yong was even angrier. “I can’t even be bothered to talk to you. Look, you’re living here with Yingzi and your grandmother, I don't trust you two alone—that’s one thing. But you have to go home and check in, don't you? Wu Zi, tell me how many days it’s been since you came home. With a mother like you, what about your grandfather and grandmother? Aren't you going to visit them?”

Chi Yong had been holding these words in for more than a day. He spoke sharply and hastily.

Chi Wu remained unconcerned. They had only met a few days ago. “Haven’t they all been here already?”

The elderly Mrs. Cheng turned her gaze to the ginseng root sitting on the kang table. The blossoms were truly beautiful.

Cheng Ying inwardly thought, You unlucky child, how can you be so thoughtful?

Yang Zhi thought to herself, Anyone who didn’t know better would think this boy has started a family somewhere else. The things he says.

Chi Yong was so enraged he wanted to strike someone. “How can that be the same? That’s home! When you go back, is it the same as your grandma coming here? You unlucky child, why are you so obtuse?”

Chi Wu waved it off as if it were nothing. “I’ll go back and see them in a few days.”

Listen to that—go back and see them.

Chi Yong glanced at Cheng Ying and the old lady. He couldn't possibly say in front of them, "You belong to the Chi family, that’s called going home."

Saying that would wound the old lady’s heart.

If one were to trace the history, Chi Wu’s relationship with his paternal grandparents was just average. It was all down to terrible timing.

You’d think that with a grandson like Chi Wu, he should have been the greatest treasure of the household.

But precisely when he returned to the city, Yang Zhi became pregnant. That in itself was not the issue.

The issue was that Chi Yong, to secure his wife’s status, had to reveal the details of his own illness to the elders.

Naturally, the moment the old couple’s attention shifted from their grandson to their son’s sickness, when the old lady finally managed to put aside worries about her son’s condition and stopped weeping buckets... Yang Zhi had already given birth. Faced with a newborn grandson, they inevitably overlooked the elder grandson.

Besides, Chi Wu’s heart wasn't truly invested there anyway. He certainly wasn't as comforting as the new baby.

What resulted was truly the work of fate.

Now, for the elderly Mr. and Mrs. Chi to try and pull their grandson back felt genuinely too late.

The young man Chi Wu had long since found ways to fill the void in his affections.

Chi Yong and Yang Zhi left when it was already dark. The old lady said, “We have plenty of space; you should stay the night here.”

Chi Yong thought that if they stayed, his own old lady back home would panic—they’d already spirited away the grandson, and now they were trying to abduct the son too. “No, thank you. Xiao Ye is at home; we should head back.”

Yang Zhi, “Don’t exhaust yourself. I’ll come by often. We’re not far from the hospital.”

Cheng Ying nodded. When she was choosing this house, she had selected it based on these very criteria—how could it be far?

And so, on the eve of the new school term, they saw off Chi Yong and Yang Zhi. The three of them—mother and two children—had a chaotic evening at home.

The first day of school for Chi Wu and Cheng Ying passed without incident. They met classmates, met teachers, and explored the campus.

Then came the mock exam, which was used for class placement.

Naturally, it was also a way to gauge students like Cheng Ying.

Cheng Ying felt she performed well. Chi Wu felt that being placed in the same class as Cheng Ying was a certainty.

Cheng Ying thought that high school was fine; attending classes for a few days would be good. But evening self-study sessions were going to be difficult for her. She was already at that age; there was no need to push herself so hard. She was here to enjoy high school, not to make life difficult for herself.

So, on the second day of school, student Cheng Ying once again submitted a note citing poor health. She would not be attending evening study hall.

Chi Wu complained that being alone in the evenings was dreadfully boring, but as a male student, he couldn't follow Cheng Ying’s example.

Cheng Ying sized up the new classmates; at least none of them were drooling. She couldn’t tell if that constituted progress.

However, looking at them one by one, they still seemed too young, well outside her circle of potential friends. A whole group of little kids.

She couldn’t even tolerate the way these kids spoke. Forget making friends; just interacting would be difficult. Rebirth wasn't easy.

Cheng Ying felt an emptiness in her heart. Could it be that because she was reborn, she had truly skipped the phase of budding youth?

She was already fifteen, nearly sixteen, and hadn't even experienced a crush, let alone first love. Life was lonely!

Cheng Ying was contemplating this issue, and Chi Wu was thinking about it too.

Although the small shop still needed expansion, life was relatively stable now. Perhaps it was time to address the matter between him and Yingzi.

Chi Wu had been thinking constantly about how to make Cheng Ying understand that they were meant to be together.

Of course, Chi Wu had also scouted his classmates. It was exhilarating, absolutely fantastic.

There were hardly any who could stand toe-to-toe with him—no, in Chi Wu’s view, there were none. How could he not be in a good mood?

Hehe, no matter how you look at it, Yingzi’s gaze should be fixed on me. Chi Wu’s eyebrows practically danced with excitement for the last couple of days at school.

Cheng Ying’s gloomy mood couldn't fathom why this boy was so elated. Had he not noticed that in class, Chi Wu hadn't shown any particular interest in any specific girl?

A week passed, and the class placements were announced. Cheng Ying and Chi Wu were both assigned to Class One.

This was proof of her capability. For the first time, Chi Wu’s grandparents saw Yingzi’s true academic level. No wonder their son had been showing off—the girl was truly top-tier everywhere.

Old Mr. Chi looked at his grandson with surging confidence. There shouldn't be such a huge difference between two children born to the same mother, right?

Most importantly, his son was definitely not inferior to others. On this matter, the old man stood tall and proud.

The four of them took gifts for the two children to celebrate.

Comrade Chi Yong also brought several drawings—these were furniture designs he had sketched himself.

Cheng Ying accepted the blueprints with a hint of disdain. Her stepfather was truly trying to shake her down for a favor.

But once she looked at the drawings, she had only one feeling: there was a gap between people, and there were differences in taste.

And Cheng Ying now understood that Chi Yong’s taste lagged a hundred thousand miles behind hers.

When Cheng Ying looked up again, she wore the expression of an attentive, filial, and thoughtful young daughter toward Chi Yong. “Uncle, is there anything else you really like? Later, you can draw it out, and I’ll have someone build it for you and send it over.”

Chi Yong was unaccustomed to this sudden shift in attitude. Just a moment ago, his daughter had looked at him like a beggar; how had it changed so quickly? “No need to trouble yourself so much; this is quite good already.”

Cheng Ying said, “It’s not trouble at all, not a bit. Uncle, I don’t have many relatives, only Grandma, you, and Mom. If I’m not filial to you, who should I be filial to? Are you still being polite with me? If you want something, just draw it down; truly, don't stand on ceremony. Agreed? I’ll come to your place next week to pick up the drawings.”

Chi Yong couldn't fathom why, after so many years, the girl was suddenly remembering to be filial. This was genuinely good news.

If the girl was willing, he did have some things he fancied. It was a pity his current apartment building was too small. Fortunately, they were soon to be allocated new housing, so he could start planning the layout early.

Chi Yong turned and headed home. Old Mr. Chi, after admiring the other people's courtyards, followed along.

Cheng Ying pulled Chi Wu, looking at Chi Yong’s rough sketches. “Your dad is a genius. We’ve struck gold!”

Chi Wu looked at the furniture plans. “We don’t have enough craftsmen. If it takes a whole day to make one chair, and if people actually buy them, we won't have anything to sell.”

The old lady commented, “Your furniture isn't that exquisite; finding craftsmen shouldn't be difficult.”

Cheng Ying glanced at their current furniture. “Grandma, this isn't good enough?”

The old lady scoffed. “In our village, within ten li, there are plenty of old carpenters. If you brought any one of them out, the dowry chests they built would be better than this.”

The old lady said, “Yingzi, let me tell you, your craftsmen are all city folk; they lack dedication.”

The old lady’s insight was truly sharp. Cheng Ying was convinced.

Cheng Ying said, “Grandma, what do you think?”

The old lady sighed. “People are never satisfied. Look at how much money you’ve given! I’ve taken such good care of you, feeding you well, and seeing the scraps in the backyard makes me anxious. Back then, I didn't realize your paternal aunt was so shortsighted in choosing your uncle. When I was preparing a dowry for your aunt, the craftsman I hired wouldn't even treat a piece of wood the size of my fist as precious; they’d piece it together to use it up.”

Cheng Ying felt that although what the old lady said sounded a bit far-fetched, it was likely close to the truth.

The craftsmen’s skills were decent, but if they were more conscientious, a significant portion of the lumber could indeed be saved.

Chi Wu frowned, listening. This was the difference between an insider and an outsider. In the future, when the craftsmen were working, he needed to study the methods thoroughly.

While he didn't need to be able to do the work himself, he needed to understand the underlying principles, otherwise he’d be easily duped. “I’ll call my uncle tomorrow and ask him to find a few veteran craftsmen.”

Cheng Ying said, “Work diligently. Good craftsmanship is never too much. Since the foundation is laid, let’s go big.”

The old lady’s heart rate jumped at the mention of spending more money. “Oh dear, just pretend I didn't say anything. What we have now is quite good.”

Chi Wu confirmed, “Yes, I have to go back to the village anyway. Last time I was back, I asked Second Uncle to find craftsmen at the lumber yard and ordered them to cut down several Red Pines, and I even reserved some timber from the yard to be transported over.”

Cheng Ying asked, “Do you have time? It won't interfere with your studies, or should I go?”

Chi Wu replied, “It’s fine. I’ll have my uncle and Second Uncle get everything ready on that end. I’ll be back in three or four days.”

Cheng Ying worried, “But the space is still too small. If people come, there will be nowhere for them to stay.”

The old lady retorted, “They’re all here to work; do you expect to give every single person their own room? It’s enough space for them to stay.”

Cheng Ying persisted, “Grandma, if we have several craftsmen, they’ll produce a lot of items. We need somewhere to store our goods.”

This was a genuine problem.

Chi Wu reassured her, “Yingzi, don't worry about that. We can let the craftsmen stay in this courtyard first. People in the adjacent courtyard—several households have already been allocated new housing, and I made arrangements long ago. They’ll be moving out by the New Year. For the remaining few households, some rent, some have houses allocated from the original division. As long as we can settle them out, getting the rooms won't be hard.”

Cheng Ying questioned, “You’re not planning to use your position to pressure people, are you?”

PS: Please give me pink tickets! Vote, dear ones. RP