Chi Wu asked, "Should we hire two people to guard the house, people with actual martial arts skills?"

Cheng Ying countered, "It's a society governed by law, what's there to worry about? Look how many people have settled down after all that fuss. Nothing's wrong."

Chi Wu insisted, "I'm never letting you stay home alone again. Don't just hold out; drink this down quickly."

Cheng Ying made a face; she genuinely did not want to drink the bitter medicine. But the intensity of the gaze beside her was too severe. Cheng Ying tipped her head back and swallowed it in one gulp, saving herself the drawn-out agony.

Chi Wu brought water for Cheng Ying to rinse her mouth, tending to her with more meticulous care than Yang Zhi did next to them.

Yang Zhi agreed with Wu Zi, "Exactly! We really should find someone to watch the place; we have quite a few valuables at home." She failed to notice how smoothly their daughter was being attended to by him.

Chi Yong entered from outside, looking at Cheng Ying with a distinctly strange expression. His scrutiny was far too apparent.

Cheng Ying blinked, "Is there something wrong with me?"

Chi Yong didn't know what expression to adopt toward his daughter. "Nothing, really. It’s just that the police officer praised me highly, saying you’re qualified to be named a Top Ten Youth, and they want to use you for publicity and commendation."

Cheng Ying quickly asked, "Which is better, that or being named a Model Worker? Actually, I think if it came down to being a Model Worker, I'd be undeniably deserving."

Cheng Ying really didn't want anyone talking about her bravely fighting off a criminal.

Chi Yong admitted, "I also said that a child shouldn't be praised too much, and since we have some connection, I managed to suppress it. You won’t have any chance to become famous."

Cheng Ying breathed a sigh of relief, though her words feigned disappointment: "What a pity."

Yang Zhi chirped, "Oh dear, why aren't they commending you? Your Grandma would surely praise you if she saw the certificate!"

Cheng Ying truly wanted to say that if her Grandma saw a certificate for bravely fighting a thief, she'd probably smack her first.

The old lady certainly didn't want to see her granddaughter actively seeking death.

It seemed there was still a gap between her own mother and the old lady; their thinking wasn't quite aligned.

Chi Yong continued, "That fatty, the thief. I’ve seen him too."

Cheng Ying and Chi Wu both focused on this issue: "What did he say?"

Chi Yong pursed his lips, finding it hard to articulate. "He apologized sincerely to me."

Cheng Ying scoffed, "That’s no reason to let him off easily. I was hoping to make an example of him to warn others."

Chi Yong deliberated before speaking, "That’s the police matter now; it has nothing to do with us. But that fatty and I were both nearly in tears. Do you know what he said to me?"

Cheng Ying was bewildered; Chi Wu was equally lost. What else could there be to know? That the thief actually had something to say.

Chi Yong looked earnestly at his daughter. "He told me to discipline my child properly, to not let her play with dangerous things, and if I had money, I shouldn't show off—and why would I spend money on two useless dogs?"

Cheng Ying's cheek twitched. "Ugh, I’m such a hothead! And he’s playing the victim first? I’ve never seen a thief act like that. Why didn’t he say his skills were insufficient? Have you ever seen a thief who let himself get that out of shape? He should focus on losing weight first!"

If these two were face-to-face right now, they would probably start fighting.

Cheng Ying spoke fast and heatedly, and this time, Yang Zhi was truly confused.

Chi Yong looked at his daughter. "Perhaps that thief is just incompatible with your stars." With that, he left.

There was something Chi Yong hadn't said: perhaps the thief lacked the ability, or maybe there were things he couldn't accomplish. The fatty, that thief, probably wouldn't stay locked up for long. Ah, well, the child was young and likely wouldn't understand. Better not to say anything.

Chi Wu remarked, "If he weren't a thief, and instead had to argue with you, he might actually be evenly matched."

Cheng Ying declared, "Don't mention that fatty. I am still a patient."

Chi Wu noted, "Look at your energy level. You must be fine. Mom's medicine really works."

Cheng Ying rested at home for two days before returning to the village with Chi Wu.

They still had to fetch Grandma back, after all.

Chi Wu had initially worried Grandma might refuse to return, but upon hearing about the break-in, the old lady couldn't stay away a moment longer and was back within two days.

When Grandma arrived home and heard people saying her granddaughter was so brave she actually caught the thief, she became furious inside.

If the child hadn't been brainless and flown off, why would she dare to confront a thief instead of running away? Who did she think she was?

She couldn't hold it in. She scolded Cheng Ying soundly for two whole nights.

The core message was to make Cheng Ying realize her own limits. Catching a thief? You heedless child!

Cheng Ying swore to the heavens that if anything like this happened again, she would find a safe place to hide and never try to be a hero again.

Only then did she manage to quell the old lady's anger.

However, the treatment Cheng Ying received afterward was first-class. Grandma cooked elaborate meals for her every day, claiming it was to soothe her nerves.

Of course, to outsiders, it was all praise. Grandma valued appearances; she readily accepted compliments about her granddaughter.

As for how she educated her granddaughter—that was an entirely separate matter.

Once the excitement died down, Grandma finally noticed that their courtyard had transformed.

The flowers and plants were a minor issue; the most significant change was the addition of a grinding stone in the back yard.

The old lady adored this thing. When she was in the provincial city, the one thing that made her genuinely uncomfortable was eating corn grits; they always used machinery to grind it. Grandma had eaten it a few times and found it sickening, always saying it wasn't as good as stone-ground.

Cheng Ying had an old, broken grinding stone from outside the village in her spatial dimension. While Grandma was away, she had people move it directly into the backyard.

She claimed she hired people, but in reality, she just found a driver, moved the old stone, hired a stonemason to refine it slightly, and then fussed over the transportation fees coming and going—just wasting a bit of money.

Cheng Ying felt her dimension was rather inconvenient; everything she took out required tiresome back-and-forth logistics, deceiving others and herself. Such a waste of effort!

Chi Wu felt that Ying Zi cared more about Grandma than he did. Just this single arrangement kept the old lady happy every day, and with relatives coming and going, the place was buzzing with life.

The elderly folks who usually hung around the park practicing their vocal exercises stopped selling pre-ground grits and started buying whole corn kernels instead.

They came to their house to use the grinder, just for the fun of it. Cheng Ying looked at the scene and thought this was turning into a rustic farmhouse retreat.

Cheng Ying was absolutely right to bring back the grinding stone. Her grandmother wasn't lonely anymore; she had company all day.

Maybe she should set up a whole grain shop? But buying grain now required complicated paperwork.

Never mind. She was in the second year of high school; school was demanding enough. Better not start anything new.

Before school started, the money earned from Cheng Ying's mountain grove saplings and the ginseng she had dealt with was all collected.

Looking at the tangible items in her hand, Cheng Ying felt exceptionally good. Having these gave her peace of mind. And she had finally seen bills with denominations of one hundred yuan!

Cheng Ying found a newspaper, carefully wrapped the money, and tucked it into her net bag before heading out to the bank to deposit it.

It was still somewhat regrettable that her dimension couldn't recognize currency; it wouldn't store money.

Chi Wu looked at what Cheng Ying was carrying out and thought this was truly characteristic of Ying Zi—the way she stored money had never been sophisticated.

Entering the second year of high school, Cheng Ying dared not be as carefree as before.

She was, after all, someone of established reputation; if her grades were too poor, it wouldn't look good or sound right.

Furthermore, she couldn't let down her grandmother’s reputation.

Chi Wu’s studies were intense, and his schedule was even tighter. Cheng Ying imitated his efforts, diligently studying behind Chi Wu.

Except during Chinese class, when she got distracted watching the male teacher, she was generally well-behaved.

Chi Wu was currently enjoying a surge in popularity. First, his teacher recommended the unfortunate boy to participate in a competition, reportedly a national one.

The boy was already popular at school due to his good grades, looks, and physique.

From then on, Cheng Ying noticed that young girls never stopped clustering around Chi Wu.

Cheng Ying felt jealous. Why didn't any sharp-eyed beauties orbit around her?

But then she considered a gaggle of little brats clinging to her—there was no joy in that. Her taste level simply didn't allow these young things to catch her eye.

She spent her days trailing behind Chi Wu, watching him handle a host of fresh-faced girls, treating it like watching a youth documentary.

In retrospect, Chi Wu’s aloofness, with that slight narrowing of his single eyelid, truly invited a smack.

Cheng Ying finally figured out the trick. In this era, pursuing a man wasn't about saying, "I like you."

It was about saying, "Classmate Chi Wu, shall we strive for mutual improvement together?"

Cheng Ying lamented, why hadn't she figured this out sooner? If she had said to her Chinese teacher back then, "Shall we improve together?" would the male god have understood her meaning? What a strange situation.

Now that she understood, she didn't dare say it, with Grandma looming like a great Buddha watching over her.

Cheng Ying saw three girls that day who came over asking to "jointly improve" with Chi Wu. He really was popular.

Cheng Ying looked at Chi Wu—that hairstyle. Word was, the barber had called the stylist over several times to look at Chi Wu’s hair.

The rest of his appearance was entirely managed by Cheng Ying. She had thoroughly defeated Grandma Chi’s sense of style through sheer action, putting the old woman in her place so she wouldn't feel superior every time she saw Cheng Ying's Grandma.

Cheng Ying didn't bother dressing up herself; she wore whatever was comfortable, nothing overly flashy or outlandish.

But Chi Wu was different. Cheng Ying completely stripped away the clothes Grandma Chi had picked out for him.

If they could make it themselves, she had her Grandma do it. The coarse worker's cloth uniforms were redesigned by Cheng Ying into something resembling designer jeans!

If they could buy it, they bought it at the department store.

After finishing the makeover, looking at the upright, distinguished boy was truly satisfying.

She told Chi Wu to swing by home once, "Tell your Grandma those clothes were put together by our Grandma."

From that day on, Grandma Chi never dared to hold her neck high or look down her nose when speaking to Cheng Ying's Grandma. You aren't unfashionable, you grew up in the city, so what? Your grandson looks much more brilliant in my hands than he did in yours. Your taste is just so-so.

This was a clear, public slap in the face.

Whenever Yang Zhi came home looking a little down, Cheng Ying would have Wu Zi parade around in a new outfit.

It was specifically meant to annoy Grandma Chi, to make her feel inadequate. Cheng Ying could almost visualize the old woman's chest heaving with frustration.

However, Grandpa Chi’s discerning eye was slightly unbearable. He sensed the silent warfare going on.

When Cheng Ying was at the Chi house, she generally avoided looking at Grandpa Chi. Not out of guilt, but because she couldn't be bothered with them.

This had turned into an invisible battlefield.

Naturally, the one who benefited was Chi Wu. Look at how outstanding, how distinguished, how unique he was—the campus heartthrob, absolutely the school's most handsome.

Chi Wu turned back. "Ying Zi, when we go home, can you come with me to buy some reference books?"

Cheng Ying deliberately created distance between them. "Maintain distance, stay away from me. We can walk together after we leave campus to buy the books."

Chi Wu's face darkened. "What's that supposed to mean?"