Seeing her grandson's attitude, Old Mrs. Chi felt quite disappointed. Looking at Cheng Ying next, Old Mrs. Chi felt like both her grandsons had been spirited away.

Old Mr. Chi came over, "Let's go. Be careful on the road. If you ask me, you should take the bus. Otherwise, I can arrange a driver for you."

Clearly uneasy, Chi Wu picked up the little fatty beside him. "No need."

He turned and walked away. His strides were long and quick, his manner so brisk that Cheng Ying thought someone must be chasing them.

Cheng Ying smoothed things over for the two men. "Grandpa Chi, don't worry. Wu Zi drives very well."

With that, she waved and left. It had to be said, her own mother was the most carefree; she didn't even see the children off.

Once they were out of the provincial capital, Cheng Ying made Chi Wu pull over and switched to driving herself.

Chi Wu wasn't entirely convinced about Cheng Ying's driving skills; few girls nowadays knew how to drive.

But thinking of their own old tractor, Chi Wu mused that Ying Zi was probably the type who knew everything.

Driving with Cheng Ying felt like this: few cars and few people on the main road, she could just speed as much as she liked. It was fantastic.

They didn't hit a single traffic jam the whole way.

Chi Ye, that wild child, watching his older sister drive, actually squeezed to the front. "Sister, you're so beautiful! Drive faster!"

Chi Wu couldn't be bothered with this flatterer. He grabbed the child. "Hold on tight!"

Cheng Ying said, "Little Fatty, I want to, too. But this car is too old. At this speed, how about I buy a car later, and then I'll take you out to play?"

Little Fatty piped up, "When you get back, Sister, buy the car, okay?"

Cheng Ying loved hearing this. How much trust the little fatty had in her. "Okay, when we get back, I'll buy a car."

Chi Wu snorted coldly. He knew this kid was just here to deliberately annoy him.

Seeing that Cheng Ying hadn't paid him any attention the whole way, Chi Wu launched a personal attack on Chi Ye. "If it weren't for you, we could have been there by noon. Look at how late we woke up; we'll probably only arrive tonight."

The little fatty grinned cheerfully. Arriving at noon or arriving at night made no difference to him; plus, he got to ride in Sister's car. "Sister, I'm hungry."

Chi Wu got angry. He spent even more time at home than Cheng Ying did. Why was the little fatty sticking only to Ying Zi? "If you're hungry, go to the back. I packed some food for you."

The little fatty refused to go to the back, clinging to Cheng Ying instead. "Sister, I'm hungry."

Cheng Ying didn't have the same reservations with the little fatty as she did with the Chi family members. This was her blood relative. "Hungry? What do you want to eat? Why don't we find a small diner and eat something before we go?"

Chi Wu interjected, "Do you want to get home at midnight?"

Cheng Ying pulled the car to the side of the road. Chi Wu moved to the front to drive, while Cheng Ying led the little fatty to the back. The two of them took out steamed buns, eggs, pickles, and little snacks Old Mrs. Chi had made, and started their lunch.

Cheng Ying occasionally stuffed pieces of food into Chi Wu's mouth in the front.

Chi Wu felt that if Ying Zi kept feeding him this way, his stomach might be able to eat all the way there without bursting.

Just so Ying Zi would feed him, Chi Wu was willing to play the role of the Second Brother—no matter how much he ate, his stomach wouldn't tear open.

When Cheng Ying was driving, Chi Ye clung to her. When Cheng Ying wasn't driving, he was still sticking close to her in the back. The two of them were pointing things out and chatting lively in the back.

Chi Wu felt a little sour in his heart. Was this what blood relation meant?

No matter what, as a distant cousin, he couldn't compare to Little Ye, who shared the same mother as Cheng Ying.

Cheng Ying had been a little worried initially, afraid the child would be hard to handle, crying and complaining later on. She hadn't expected Little Ye to trust her so much.

Cheng Ying's heart softened. Children, truly, were adorable creatures.

Of course, this only applied to clean, pretty, and well-behaved children.

After eating his fill, the excitement from the journey wore off for Chi Ye. He didn't get carsick at all; he just curled up in Cheng Ying's arms and fell asleep.

Holding the heavy, chubby child, Cheng Ying remarked, "I'm benefiting from Little Fatty's presence; I didn't even get carsick."

Chi Wu, finally having time to be addressed by Cheng Ying, snorted coldly. "Little Fatty is annoying."

Cheng Ying looked at Little Ye. "He's his own child. Even if he’s annoying, he’s lovable. I never expected someone like your father could give birth to such an obedient, sensible, and endearing child."

What kind of evaluation was Cheng Ying giving Chi Yong with that remark? Chi Wu really couldn't chime in on that sentence. Cheng Ying was indirectly saying Chi Yong wasn't that great, wasn't she?

Chi Ye slept for quite a while, over two hours, before waking up. After waking, he needed to pee and have some water, and then he was simply glued to Cheng Ying, quiet and not throwing tantrums.

This made Cheng Ying's heart soften even more.

When they reached the section of road in their county town, Cheng Ying pointed out the trees lining the road to Little Ye. "See those? All those trees came from our mountain land."

Chi Ye asked, "Sister, when we get back, will you take me to see our mountain plot?"

Cheng Ying didn't answer immediately. It wasn't that Sister wouldn't take him; it was that Grandma wouldn't allow it. "We'll see if there's a chance. It's winter now, nothing much to see. Wait until the Chinese New Year or summer vacation when you come again, and I'll take you."

"I'll listen to Sister," Chi Ye replied. The child was too good; he was too endearing, knowing not to make things difficult.

By the time they reached Grandpa's house, it was already dusk. Cheng Ying felt her back and waist ache from sitting, and she quickly stretched her arms and legs after getting out of the car.

Chi Wu grumbled, "If you two hadn't fussed, we would have been here earlier."

Cheng Ying retorted, "You got what you wanted; you didn't miss dinner."

They knocked on the door, and then came the familiar voice of Auntie. "Oh my goodness, Ying Zi is here!"

Cheng Ying found that voice incredibly warm—her maternal aunt! "Hey, Auntie, I brought Chi Wu and Little Ye."

Auntie took the child and ushered the three children inside. "Dad, Yang Yi, Ying Zi is back!"

Her loud voice, as usual. As expected, when Cheng Ying pushed the door open, Grandpa was standing at the entrance, wearing his house slippers. Cheng Ying's eyes turned a bit teary. "Grandpa!"

Chi Ye, nestled in Auntie's arms, obediently followed suit. "Grandpa."

The old man exclaimed, "Ah, ah, good, good, come in quickly!"

Chi Wu stayed outside to unload the car, helped by Miao Miao, that little rascal.

Uncle asked, "Ying Zi, your mother and them aren't back?"

Cheng Ying explained, "Mom couldn't get away; work is too scheduled. Wu Zi's dad also couldn't manage, so just the three of us came back."

Auntie said, "You all sit down first; Auntie will go make dinner for you."

With that, she turned briskly and left.

Cheng Ying placed Chi Ye on the kang (heated brick bed). "Say hello to Uncle."

Chi Ye looked at Yang Yi and said, "Uncle."

Yang Yi was quite pleased looking at his sister's child. With this child, his sister's life would truly stabilize. "Little Ye, Uncle hasn't seen you since you were little. You probably don't remember Uncle, right?"

Little Ye smiled shyly. "Uncle."

Grandpa pulled Little Ye close, examining him for a long time. "He looks like Wu Zi's father."

Cheng Ying pursed her lips and smiled. Who else would he look like? If he looked like my father, that would be ghosts manifesting.

Cheng Ying stayed at Grandpa's house with the old man for a day. Chi Ye and Miao Miao got along well. Only then did Cheng Ying, reassured, leave with Chi Wu to return to the village.

Seeing the little chubby kid standing at the doorway, Cheng Ying felt a pang of worry. "Little Ye, Sister will be back soon. You play with Miao Miao."

The little fatty's eyes welled up with tears, but he still nodded obediently. "I'll wait for Sister."

Cheng Ying felt heartbroken. It was all Old Mrs. Chi's fault, that troublesome woman. If it weren't for her, why didn't she just take the little fatty with her? She completely forgot that her own old lady also didn't want the little fatty returning to the village.

Chi Wu said, "Enough. This is his maternal grandfather's house; what is there to worry about?"

Cheng Ying got into the car. "It's just that the child hasn't been away from family."

Chi Wu slammed the accelerator and sped off. I'll show you worrying.

When the two returned to the village, the villagers greeted them from afar. "Ying Zi is back! Where is your grandma?"

Cheng Ying replied, "Grandma didn't come; she asked me to come back and check on my First Uncle and Second Uncle."

Ying Zi's words were subtly malicious. The First and Second Uncles hadn't gone to see the Old Madam, but the Old Madam sent her granddaughter to check on her sons. If those words got out, it would ruin the eldest and the second brothers.

Cheng Ying continued greeting people like this all the way. Before even getting to her own house, she went directly to First Uncle's place.

She carried in the bags of gifts she brought. "First Aunt, Grandma asked me to come see First Uncle, and you too."

First Aunt's mood immediately brightened upon seeing the gifts. "Ying Zi is back! Come in quickly! How is your grandma?"

First Uncle looked displeased on the surface, but hearing his wife's words, he listened carefully. It was his own mother, after all.

Cheng Ying said, "Grandma is doing fine. We had her checked at the hospital before coming to the city. Nothing is wrong; she just misses you all."

First Uncle asked, "Why didn't your grandma come back?"

Cheng Ying explained, "Grandma gets carsick and can't handle the journey. First Uncle, if you have a chance, you should come stay in the provincial capital for a couple of days."

First Uncle remained silent. It sounded so easy to say. First Uncle was a bit annoyed; which old lady travels this far back and forth?

First Aunt saw her husband's expression and quickly interjected, "Oh, not everyone can make that trip. Only your Grandma would go through such trouble at her age, all for your sake."

Cheng Ying inwardly agreed; her own old lady indeed did everything for her sake. "Why wouldn't she be able to go? First Aunt, I'm studying in the provincial capital now; I'll be a city person from now on. If First Uncle visits, isn't that just visiting relatives? What's inconvenient about that?"

Cheng Ying looked at First Aunt and continued, "First Aunt, if Ming Zi doesn't get into school, and he ends up working in the city later on, don't forget to have him visit our home, okay?"

First Uncle's face darkened. Was she looking down on them? Why would her son just end up as a migrant worker in the city? This girl was infuriating.

Cheng Ying felt that being a good person was hard. Who was she doing this for? Wasn't it because Grandma told her to make sure Ming Zi and the others studied hard? She had only come to provoke First Aunt.

First Uncle finally said, "Don't worry. Since you can get into a university in the provincial capital, Ming Zi and the others will certainly do well. When that time comes—"

He didn't finish the sentence. First Uncle was already unhappy about his son visiting Ying Zi's place. After a long pause, he added, "Naturally, they will show filial piety to your grandma in the future."

First Aunt added, "When the time comes, it will be more convenient for Ming Zi and the others to see your grandma, too."

Chi Wu stood by the side without saying a word. These people had never been good to Ying Zi; they only cared about their relationship with the grandmother.

Cheng Ying felt that at least in the future, Ming Zi would have to thank her. If he managed to make something of himself, it would be because First Uncle and First Aunt were forced into it.

Otherwise, with Ming Zi's limited abilities, it would be truly difficult.

Cheng Ying said goodbye to First Uncle and went to Second Uncle's house. That was much easier. She directly told Second Aunt that children who study well were great.

And if Dun'er and the others succeeded in studying in the provincial capital later, they could directly live at her place—it would save them a lot of money. For this reason alone, Second Aunt would definitely make her children study hard. Think of how much worry that would save!

Second Aunt treated Ying Zi with the gentleness of a spring breeze. "Ying Zi, stay for a meal at Second Aunt's house. Second Aunt will cook something delicious for you."

Cheng Ying thought to herself, the tables have turned in just a few years—thirty years in the east of the river, thirty years in the west. But Ying Zi really didn't dare eat Second Aunt's cooking. Her RP...

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