"I need to check the background of the person who will be my second-in-command," Cheng Ying replied. "Otherwise, it would be quite disgraceful."

Fatty Sun chuckled heartily. "Hahaha, rest assured, absolutely no record. It was all a misunderstanding back then, just a misunderstanding."

"Bringing a wolf into the house!" Chi Wu exclaimed.

Cheng Ying then asked, "What are your thoughts on the compensation?"

Fatty Sun scoffed, "What are you talking about? Does your uncle lack money? Am I doing this for money? Although, if you offer, niece, I'll certainly accept it."

"Mm, we'll start with a six-month trial period. We'll decide on the compensation based on your performance then," Cheng Ying stated.

"Deal. Just watch me. If I don't deliver, I'll quietly gather up those brothers of mine and see which ones can be useful. Niece, it’s getting late, shouldn’t you head back to the east room?"

Chi Wu was so furious he wanted to kick someone. Fatty Sun raised an eyebrow. The deal is done, and I’ll still deal with you, you little brat.

"Look at his character; he can't be trusted!" Chi Wu grumbled.

I'll badmouth you to her too, I thought.

Cheng Ying, sensing the air between the two men was becoming dangerous—they looked ready to fight—intervened. "Wuzi, go to the east room and chat with Grandma. We’ll set off some fireworks later tonight."

Chi Wu’s lips curled into a smile. He then fixed his gaze on Fatty Sun, clearly sending a message: See that? In Yingzi’s mind, I’m not on the same level as you.

Cheng Ying led Chi Wu to the east room, and the old lady followed her daughter-in-law to chat.

Chi Wu and Cheng Ying hovered nearby, flattering the elders. Around ten o'clock, the two went out to set off the fireworks.

Of course, Fatty Sun didn't overhear Chi Wu asking Cheng Ying, "Yingzi, do you prefer fat ones or thin ones?"

"What fat ones or thin ones?" Cheng Ying asked.

"I mean people. Didn't you say you liked someone like Fatty Sun?"

Cheng Ying looked at Chi Wu with disdain. "Do you think I'm stocking up on provisions? Besides, I don't eat human flesh."

Chi Wu brightened. "What kind do you like?"

Cheng Ying glanced over conspiratorially. "Listen, don't you dare tell anyone. Sister likes guys with an eight-pack. If you see someone with a great physique, let me know, and we can admire them together."

Chi Wu got his answer and left immediately. I’d have to be crazy to let you admire other men with me—or rather, let you admire them. Dream on.

The two had just entered the room when they found the old lady chatting animatedly with her daughter-in-law.

The old lady remarked, "The New Year feels more festive back in the village."

Cheng Ying countered, "I think it feels more festive when I spend it with Uncle Gan. In the city, it’s half a pig; in the village, it’s half a pig—that’s a whole pig! I wonder how we’ll eat it all."

Aunt Gan felt a bit embarrassed. Her husband was such a foodie; it never looked good. "Your Uncle just likes to fuss around. But in past years, when it was just the two of us, he couldn't make a fuss even if he wanted to. It’s good that it’s lively today."

See? That’s the model of a good wife, I thought. She gave Fatty Sun such an easy out.

Cheng Ying genuinely understood what Aunt Gan meant. The couple didn't have any children. The New Year must have felt especially lonely for them.

It was just like her own experience—spending so many years celebrating the holidays alone. Seeing other families gathered together was never a pleasant feeling.

Cheng Ying offered, "Auntie, are you planning to host a gathering for the New Year? You should come over to our courtyard."

"Oh, that would be too much trouble. It will just bother Mom. Once the restaurant opens, we can just treat everyone there."

"What's the trouble? Uncle is here, so Grandma doesn't have to work. Besides, if your colleagues come over, I might benefit too. There are so many new housing blocks now; maybe I can sell a few sets of furniture."

Aunt Gan replied, "As long as you don't mind. But I don't have many close friends either; it would mostly be colleagues and leaders from the unit. We can just have a lively time together."

"Oh, you have no idea," Cheng Ying pressed. "If we could wait until February, the peach blossoms in our backyard would surely bloom. Last year, my stepfather entertained his colleagues under the crabapple trees."

"I've heard about that. I’ve known about it for a while. Perhaps I will have to trouble you then."

"You are just being too polite with me, unlike Uncle Gan! Why are you being so formal?"

Chi Wu was watching television next to Cheng Ying, but his entire focus was on her.

The old lady glanced at Chi Wu but didn't scold him. The child rarely got to relax because of his studies; if he wanted to watch TV, let him.

The shameless Chi Wu stared at the television until all three of them were worn out and asleep. Only then did he slip off the kang, turn off the TV, and lie down next to Cheng Ying. He absolutely refused to share a room with Fatty Sun.

It was a mercy that they were in the countryside, where every family's kang was enormous.

The next morning, Cheng Ying saw Chi Wu beside her. "When did you become such a TV fan? Was there a good show on last night?"

Chi Wu opened his eyes to see Cheng Ying and felt his whole day start off well. "It was good, very good."

He was talking about the person in front of him, even though Cheng Ying had some sleep crust in the corner of her eye. For Chi Wu, the beloved obscured all faults; the beauty was in the eyes of the beholder.

Cheng Ying yawned and rubbed her face somewhat ungracefully. "It was really that good? What drama was it?"

Chi Wu blinked. How would he know? "I didn't see the beginning; I forgot."

Cheng Ying got up to fold the bedding. What trash was that kid watching? He can't remember anything after staying up all night. "Alright, get up. We’re going out for a stroll later. We’re turning twenty-nine this New Year, and we still have to go back to the city for the New Year's Eve dinner and make Grandma fuss around again."

Chi Wu looked at Cheng Ying. "Wherever the three of us are together is the New Year. If we get tired, we won't go back."

Cheng Ying looked at Chi Wu. It was impossible not to be touched. If an adult man had said that to her, it would have been even better. Words spoken unintentionally are the truest expressions of the heart. It was clear the boy truly considered her and Grandma family.

The reason she made such a fuss about going back to the city was for Chi Wu, after all, he bore the surname Chi.

Looking at Chi Wu, Cheng Ying thought, It wasn't in vain that I opened my heart to this child. I need to treat him even better from now on.

Early on the twenty-ninth, Cheng Ying and Chi Wu went to pay respects at her biological father's grave. Chi Wu brought fireworks, and the sounds echoed around the burial site.

Second Uncle was terribly worried about accidental fires, but thankfully, the snow in the woods melted slowly. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let the two children cause such a ruckus.

Fatty Sun accompanied them, not for any other reason than to learn more about his mountain plot. One had to inspect the trees on one's land when conducting external diplomacy, after all.

When a person is determined to accomplish something, they can be quite capable. And serious—that seriousness was honed by the era they lived in, naturally, a matter of experience.

Watching the two children liven up the graveyard so much made Fatty Sun yearn even more for children of his own. Who wouldn't want to be remembered after death?

Second Uncle said to Fatty Sun, "Ah, your old brother was fortunate to have such a daughter. He can rest in peace, knowing she is filial and never forgot him."

Fatty Sun commented, "This child gets things done."

"Mm, she’s a good kid," Second Uncle agreed.

Fatty Sun utterly disagreed with the term "good kid." Those two unfortunate children were hardly paragons of virtue. But in front of their family, saying that would be asking for a beating.

Fatty Sun drove the two children back. On the car sat mountain provisions brought by Second Uncle—mushrooms, pine nuts, and the like.

When they returned home, Aunt Gan had already organized things and was waiting for them. The group then left by car.

Cheng Ying glanced at the things piled by the door and wondered how Fatty Sun had managed to build such rapport. It had only been a few days, yet look at the sacks and bags—all grains, given by different people. He was far better off than her.

Her mouth turned slightly sour. Was it a matter of character? How could she see herself as several tiers above Fatty Sun in terms of moral character?

Cheng Ying raised an eyebrow. "When we arrived, we had two cars. When we leave, both cars will be full!"

Cheng Ying continued, "Uncle Gan, you insisted on driving your own car. Were you planning to strip our village bare ahead of time? When the Japanese swept through our village during the war, I bet it was something like this."

Fatty Sun retorted, "You little brat, what are you saying? Your uncle is pure and principled. Don't compare me to that sort of thing; it’s disgusting. This is about character, something you two can only be jealous of."

Cheng Ying picked up a straw mat cover, still damp with tofu water. "How should we transport this?"

Fatty Sun said, "This is good stuff. I'll find a basin inside and put it in there. It might turn into frozen tofu by the time we get home."

"Fine, you fuss around. Anyway, my car is for transporting people; at most, I’ll help you carry some grain. Nothing else is my concern."

"If you carry it for me, I’d be reluctant to let you use your car. Alright, lock up. I’ll load my stuff."

Chi Wu muttered to Cheng Ying, "I finally see it. Fatty Sun is trying to occupy our base area."

Cheng Ying said, "Enough, let's go. Keep your spirits up; it's more than half a day's drive."

After distributing half of Fatty Sun's half-pig to the few close families, nearly half was still left. Cheng Ying certainly wasn't willing to give the rest away; she insisted Fatty Sun take it with him.

Once in the city, even if the city management told her to start a bonfire, Cheng Ying wouldn't dare use pine wood to smoke meat. They didn't have firewood there; they had high-quality lumber—the cost would be too high.

Cheng Ming's family, Second Uncle's family, and the old aunt had already left earlier. Even the village chief was at the village entrance seeing off the old lady.

Cheng Ying commented, "It's different when you come back with us. Grandma still has status."

The old lady barely had time to acknowledge the two children, waving out the window. "Go on, go on. It’s cold outside."

Cheng Ying knew that no matter how good life was for the old lady in the city, she couldn't bear to leave the rustic soil. In the city, the old lady had no sons, and she didn't get along with Third Aunt. The old lady had no real use for the city's comforts; she had left her homeland only for their sake.

Cheng Ying lowered her head, feeling a bit down. How old was her own grandmother, and she still had to follow her through all this trouble? When someone gets stuck in a rut, they tend to overthink things.

The hand of Cheng Ying was clasped by Chi Wu, who was driving. "Grandma, being in the city has its benefits too. At least medical treatment and medicine are more convenient than in the village, aren't they?"

"Mm," Cheng Ying replied.

Aunt Gan, watching the receding crowd from the window, then turned back and saw the two children holding hands from a very conflicted angle. Her heart stirred.

But she acted as if she hadn't seen anything and rolled up the old lady's window. "Mom, next time, if you want me to accompany you here, just say so."

"This is home; of course, we have to come back," the old lady affirmed.

Aunt Gan chatted with the old lady, quickly diverting her mood.

Chi Wu drove attentively, and Cheng Ying's spirits lifted. "Grandma, let's pick up Xiao Ye first. I don't know how wildly this kid exploded the fireworks. You wouldn't believe it; last year when I picked him up, he didn't want to leave at all."

"Be sure to say hello properly to your maternal grandfather, maternal uncle, and aunt. Since we live far away, the relatives become estranged."