Arriving at her grandfather's house, Cheng Ying saw Chi Ye playing wildly. The boy had disappeared early that morning; after the grave-sweeping ritual, he’d followed Miao Miao somewhere and vanished. Cheng Ying felt a pang of disappointment. She had worried herself sick, only to find the kid perfectly adapted.

"He didn't cause you any trouble, did he, Aunt?" Cheng Ying asked.

Her aunt waved a hand dismissively. "Boys? What boy doesn't cause trouble?"

Grandpa scoffed. "Hmph. Raising kids in the city, you spoil them rotten. You don't know, Xiao Ye never went out to play with others. It's only been a few days since he got out, and he's already gotten dull from being cooped up."

Cheng Ying also thought city folk were detached—living in the same building, yet the children rarely played outside together.

However, she felt "gotten dull" was an exaggeration. "Grandpa, you take care. I'll come back to see you during the holiday. I'm taking Xiao Ye now."

The old man turned away, a hint of reluctance in his expression. What good was it if his daughter married well if she lived far away? It was better when she was closer, when he could see his daughter just by walking a couple of steps. "Go on then, drive carefully."

"Grandpa, if you miss me, have Uncle call, and I'll send Wuzi over to pick you up."

She genuinely felt reluctant to leave; she knew how good her grandpa had been to her.

Uncle waved them off. "Alright, leave early. Don't be late for dumplings with Grandma. Your grandmother is all alone in the city."

Uncle understood his older sister; both places were home. If Yingzi stayed too long, it would be his sister who felt the squeeze.

"Uncle, you need to watch over the mountain more. If anyone wants to buy saplings, just treat it as your own business. Don't be afraid to ask for a high price. Not many people are raising saplings right now; we’re the pioneers here."

Uncle knew his niece was singularly focused on making money. "I know. Don't worry, I won't let you lose out on any money."

"Grandpa, if you need to eat ginseng, just go pull it yourself on the mountain. Don't be polite; our family has plenty."

Auntie felt a twinge hearing that—as if pulling up ginseng were as easy as digging up radishes from the backyard. "That's enough. Wuzi found Xiao Ye. I put some dry rations in the car for you. Be careful on the road. Your grandpa has me here to look after him. If you're worried, just hurry up and go; the road is long, you can't afford to be late."

Uncle called out, "Drive slowly!"

The old man stood at the doorway, his cotton-padded shoes dragging, bare feet showing, not stepping out to see them off. Wasn't he going to walk them out anyway?

Cheng Ying waved, stroking Miao Miao's hair. "Study hard. Sis will wait for you in the provincial capital."

With that, she pulled Chi Ye into the car. The old man would miss her. And she missed the old man too.

Chi Wu reassured them, "Don't worry, Uncle, I'm here."

Cheng Ying couldn't stand the emotional scene. Chi Ye craned his neck out the window, "We're leaving already? I haven't played enough!"

"Don't you miss Grandma? Don't you miss Grandma's painting class?" Cheng Ying asked.

Chi Ye looked conflicted; he truly didn't want to go. "Sis, when can we come back?"

Chi Wu pinched the little fatty's cheek. "Aren't you done yet? If you're capable enough to convince Grandma, I’ll bring you along when I come back in the summer."

"Really, Brother? You're the best!"

Cheng Ying shook her head—a grandmother is better than a mother. "Alright, you woke up so early. Go back to sleep for a while."

Chi Ye was reluctant, focusing intently outside. "Sis, you grew up here when you were little too."

Cheng Ying's eyes shone with pride. "Where Sis grew up is much more fun than here."

"Sis, take me with you."

"Aren't you saying Brother is the best?"

Chi Ye looked troubled. "Sis..."

Cheng Ying covered the little fatty’s face with her hand. "Sleep."

Silence fell, and no one caused trouble anymore. When the three children returned, it was already past three in the afternoon; the drive had taken a long time. When Chi Wu got out of the car, his backside was sore from sitting.

Grandma watched the three children from the doorway. "Oh, you’re finally back. Come inside quickly, it’s warm in here!"

The most comfortable one was Chi Ye. Although the boy was plump, he was small, so he could settle in the car however he liked. Plus, Cheng Ying had brought a comfortable sofa cushion; he adapted instantly. He jumped out of the car and ran straight for the greenhouse.

Grandma held her breath. He was going to ruin his fish again.

"This kid slept the whole way and is energetic now. Grandma, it's fine. Xiao Ye is sensible now; he definitely won't kill the fish before New Year's," Cheng Ying said.

Grandma snapped, "Get lost! If you said less, no one would think you’re mute."

Cheng Ying shut up. She had touched on a taboo for Grandma during the New Year; the old woman had said the word 'death' was forbidden during the holiday.

Chi Wu carried the things his great-aunt had prepared for Grandma. "Grandma, this is from Auntie for you."

"You went to your aunt's house? Ah, good. You're sensible. Look at your aunt, why did she bring me this? Winter is almost over."

"She meant for you to wear it during the New Year. This is from Big Uncle and Second Uncle, too. You don't have to buy clothes anymore; look, you have more than I do!"

Grandma interrupted. "Enough with the chatter. Go lie comfortably on the warm kang and get warm. I know how tiring sitting in a car is."

"Grandma still cares about me the most," Cheng Ying said.

Chi Wu wasn't as lucky; his job was unloading the car.

"Grandma, did you eat lunch alone?" Cheng Ying asked.

"No way. A bunch of people came and went—a mess. It wasn't as comfortable as you two staying at home."

Cheng Ying knew Grandma disliked crowds. "Who was here?"

"They left. Your mother wanted to stay, but I found her annoying. I told her to leave first and that you'd bring Xiao Ye over later."

Cheng Ying chuckled. "Hehe, Grandma, you missed me, didn't you?"

Grandma cut to the important questions. "Did you visit your father's grave?"

"Look what you're saying! How could I forget important business? I even visited Grandpa's grave. It was quite lively. Wuzi and I set off firecrackers at the cemetery for a good half hour. Don't worry."

Grandma nodded. "You always liked to show off, but your father would certainly have liked the excitement."

Saying that, Grandma went inside. Every year around this time, the old woman always felt a little lost. A person with white hair burying a person who died young—it was always hard to let go.

Chi Wu called from outside, "Grandma, I brought our soybeans. Where should I put them?"

What timely interruption. Cheng Ying thought that Grandma wouldn't have time to feel sad now.

"Oh, you brought those things too?"

"Second Aunt brought them, said they were beans from her field, reserved for us."

"It’s a pity they came so late. We don't have a grinding stone here; otherwise, it would be wonderful to make some fresh tofu!"

Cheng Ying secretly thought she had placed an old, unused grinding stone from the edge of the village into her spatial dimension. She had admired the stone initially, thinking of using it for the courtyard wall, but it had gone unused. She hadn't dared to take it out, fearing she'd be mistaken for a thief. She couldn't use it now, though she could sneak some out and claim she bought it to let Grandma taste the freshness. Why was everything so hard?

"Grandma, I also brought our family's preserved sauce," Chi Wu said.

"When did you put that in the car?"

"Wuzi really knows what I miss. I really crave this stuff."

Cheng Ying fell silent; that kid Chi Wu had managed to upstage her again. "Grandma..."

Grandma happily went off to rummage through her sauce jars. "I wonder if your sister-in-law sealed it tightly? If that stuff gets water in it, it’s ruined."

"Don't worry, Grandma. It's fine. I tasted it at home; I miss this flavor too."

Cheng Ying took a deep breath. That kid’s flattery skills were improving. She was twelve percent sure that he had never tasted that sauce at home before. Grandma was really too easy to fool. Her own skill seemed to have declined to let this kid get ahead of her with the old woman.

"Oh my, you drove for almost a full day, and you're still this energetic? You must not be tired at all?" Cheng Ying remarked.

Chi Wu usually kept his lips pressed together because Cheng Ying had once said his lips were thin, meaning he lacked fortune and was heartless. But today, Chi Wu flashed Cheng Ying a brilliant smile. "The moment I see Grandma, I’m not tired anymore."

He then turned neatly and followed Grandma inside, chatting with her about the people and events in the village.

Cheng Ying felt the world was turning bizarre. Had something possessed this boy? Why was he suddenly so talkative?

"Sis, Brother must have been [bottled up/repressed]!"

Cheng Ying nodded in agreement. "Mmm, probably too much repression usually."

After saying that, the two went into the room and slept on the kang. They were exhausted.

When Cheng Ying woke up, it was already lamplight time. Only she and Grandma were in the house. On New Year's Eve, Cheng Ying felt a bit lonely. Every year in the village, Chi Wu would stay with them—mother and daughter—to celebrate the New Year. Moreover, even though visiting those bothersome relatives wasn't entirely pleasant, there was still the liveliness of visiting back and forth during the holiday. Now, it was just the two of them. There was no one to vent frustrations to.

"Grandma, should I set up the firecrackers by the door?" Cheng Ying asked.

Grandma had already prepared the dumpling filling and the dough. "Stop messing around. There are a bunch of kids outside; they won't leave any behind. We'll play with them slowly later. Get up since you're awake, and come wrap dumplings with me."

"Okay, coming right now." If she hadn't been so tired, she shouldn't have let Grandma stay alone on New Year's Eve. Cheng Ying felt a little uneasy about sleeping so late. "Grandma, did Wuzi and Xiao Ye go back?"

"Mmm, they left. Wuzi said he needed to take Xiao Ye back first."

Cheng Ying paused when she heard that, but she didn't say anything. If Chi Wu wanted to stay and celebrate the New Year with her and Grandma, the Chi family elders might not agree so easily, especially since they weren't in the village anymore and traveling back and forth was inconvenient.

Cheng Ying looked at Grandma, wondering if the old woman could understand, though she shouldn't hold out too much hope. "Grandma, how are the fish you bought at the beginning of the year? Didn't the big ones eat them?"

Grandma looked up at her granddaughter. "You really think those shabby weeds and rotten greens of yours can raise fish? I heard others say they feed fish specialized feed."

Cheng Ying pursed her lips. That specialized feed was for the fish in their spatial dimension; this was empirical truth. "See? You don't believe me anymore? Tell me, whose fish are raised worse than ours? Why wouldn't it work? Do you know what that store-bought fish food is made of? Earthworms, rotten fish, chopped-up shrimp—they chop it up and throw it into your water tank. Want to try it? I hear some people even chop up maggots and roll them into balls as fish food. Why don't you try that?"

Grandma looked at the basin of minced mutton and felt sick saying such things on New Year's Day. "Let's just say our fish eat vegetarian food."

Cheng Ying secretly smiled at Grandma’s reaction. "Of course. Our fish are from the retinue of the Buddha of Compassion; they are vegetarian. They can't be compared to those worldly fish."

Grandma looked at her granddaughter, feeling she deserved a good swat. "Shut up. You dare say things like that."

The atmosphere finally became a little more lively. Just then, they heard a creak as the door opened.

ps: Seeking followers, seeking pink tickets. RP