"Cheng Ying, you're being too flashy. You should wait until the imperial examination results are announced before buying new red cloth,"

The old man sighed dramatically, "I know, right? I'll just keep my money from selling fabric and go around town with Grandpa later. Let's see who dares to look down on us itinerant herbalists."

Cheng Ying tugged at the old man while chuckling, "Even if I somehow became someone important, my background is still what it is."

"Uncle," *Ugh*, "It's getting late. Go to sleep first. We can discuss anything in the morning."

Yang Zhi finally spoke after a long silence, "There's another matter we should address now."

The uncle glanced at his sister and immediately sensed this was serious business.

Yang Zhi noticed both elders were waiting for her to speak up. After all, it *was* their home. "Cheng Ying is getting engaged."

"Who's the child?" The old man asked quickly.

"Have you investigated thoroughly?" Uncle questioned.

Auntie interjected, "Was this initiated by them or through an introduction?"

Miao Miao chimed in, "Can we trust their character?"

Everyone focused on these key points.

Chi Yong cleared his throat, "My son - the family background is solid, no need to inquire further. Both children are willing. My parents will visit for the formal betrothal soon enough. You can trust them."

Cheng Ying raised an eyebrow in approval - this stepfather surely worked in document compilation at his workplace.

Auntie suddenly came out of her daze, "Wu Zi? That's great! Since they grew up together, we know each other well. This is a match made in heaven..."

She rambled on before trailing off awkwardly as the heavy silence became unbearable.

Miao Miao interrupted with a frown clearly displeased, "Can't be evaluated that easily."

Chi Yong glanced at the young man who looked no worse than his own son - this nephew-in-law was practically useless. *Why must my poor nephew handle everything alone?*

He thought to himself, *When I married into their family it didn't take this much effort. Now they're treating my precious granddaughter like a real challenge.*

He hadn't even noticed how determined the unlucky child had been all along - if only he'd realized earlier, maybe things could have gone differently.

Yang Zhi blushed while explaining, "The two children suddenly decided to set their engagement date..." Before finishing her sentence, she turned bright red from lying poorly.

Uncle looked at his elder sister skeptically, "Mother, what exactly is your concern here?"

Chi Yong replied, "Grandmother is delighted and places great importance on this union."

Yang Yi declared seriously, "The child was raised by my mother-in-law. As long as she's content with her choice, we don't have any objections. However, if Cheng Ying faces mistreatment in the future - be it from who or whom - I'll personally confront them." His words were resolute and firm.

Chi Yong muttered under his breath about nephews-by-marriage being born just to irritate their brothers-in-law... "Certainly. Not only will you beat him, but I'll join right in too."

He wondered where justice would lie if *his* own son ever suffered mistreatment.

Did Wu Zi even realize he'd dug himself a hole? Chi Yong had firsthand experience of how being publicly betrothed through the Cheng family could cripple one's dignity - just two years there had left him with lasting humiliation.

Cheng Ying woke up early, knowing her grandfather would take her out for his special outing. She accepted this duty with resolve, given it served his peculiar hobby.

As she spotted Miao Miao nearby, she asked, "Why are you up so early?"

Miao Miao scowled, "Do you think only *you* get special treatment?"

Cheng Ying patted the poor kid's head sympathetically, "Sweetheart, how many years have you endured this? Don't worry - our family has thick skin. People will forget about it soon enough."

She genuinely pitied Miao Miao. How could Grandfather be so relentless? While their gate might display red banners, it felt like a public announcement to the whole village. *How many years old is Miao Miao anyway?* At such a tender age with fragile emotional resilience, not developing psychological trauma from all this harassment was quite commendable.

"Stop touching my head! I only get taken out when I have good grades!" Miao Miao protested angrily, clearly annoyed by Cheng Ying's condescending tone.

Cheng Yun shook her head in disapproval - the boy had definitely been brainwashed by their grandfather.

After all, growing up watching Grandfather and Cheng Ying (make a fuss) together, Miao Miao naturally considered it an honor to finally get his turn. Though he sometimes felt shy... And what was that look on Cheng Ying's face? It felt like she looked down upon him! Enraged by the perceived slight, Miao Miao snapped, "Congratulations for finding someone who'll take you!"

The boy's words were brutally sharp - neither Auntie nor Uncle had such a habit of being unnecessarily cruel.

Cheng Ying beamed, "Thank you! And congratulations to *you* too on not having to worry about marrying me! Did you secretly develop feelings for some girl and that's why you're so eager for me to wed? Have you been worried I'd never marry and stuck yourself onto you instead?"

Miao Miao's face cracked under the pressure, blushing furiously as he glared at Cheng Ying. "You're just making things up! Why are you so annoying!"

Then he ran away quickly - typical of a sensitive young man struggling to control emotions.

The grandfather held tightly onto his red banner and sighed, "You're bullying Miao Miao too much."

Cheng Ying replied, "He's grown up now and no longer as cute. Remember how adorable Miao Miao used to be? Beautiful, obedient and affectionate. Now he still looks good but that's about it. I wonder who the unfortunate one will end up with..."

Grandfather grumbled, "Are you supposed to say such things?"

The two of them worked on hanging banners at the front gate. Originally the grandfather had climbed onto a stool while Cheng Ying guided him from below. Now their roles were reversed - Cheng Ying stood on the stool as Grandfather held it steady for her.

Cheng Ying checked the banner, "Is this okay? Don't let it hang crookedly... I still need to get back up there!"

While helping his granddaughter with the banner, he continued chatting with her. "Up a bit more, Cheng Ying. Tell me what's going on?"

Cheng Ying stepped down from the stool and both sat together at the gate. From start to finish, they hadn't kept anything hidden from Grandfather - it was truly admirable how he'd gone to such lengths for his daughter.

His treatment of her had been equally generous although inevitably biased toward his own child over his granddaughter. After all, there were no perfect solutions in life.

Cheng Ying felt genuinely content having him around. Without his care and support, she and her mother wouldn't have achieved their current situation.

Grandfather sighed, "That poor kid really needs a good scolding. I didn't see it coming from Wu Zi - this boy must be scheming like a wolf! But looking at Wu Zi himself, he seems decent enough to cherish you. Are you really not going back to school?"

Cheng Ying shook her head, "Nope. My grandmother is old now. We've lived together for years and even if I wanted to study without her nearby, my heart just wouldn't settle down. Besides, if my granddaughter here doesn't attend university, it's fine. But if she *does* go to the best one possible... where would there be space for this?"

She paused thoughtfully before continuing, "People should appreciate their blessings. This is good enough."

Grandfather nodded in agreement, "Exactly! People must have a conscience. Don't worry - I'll still hang red banners for you. Your grandmother will definitely scold me later but as long as the child remembers kindness, that's sufficient. Why would good things be monopolized by one person? This is just fine."

He added with determination, "I'll speak to your parents about it."

Cheng Ying smiled faintly, "Don't worry - I can handle this myself!"

Grandfather chuckled, "Thank goodness we have a granddaughter-in-law who can show off. Girlie, you actually got something good here!"

Cheng Ying laughed heartily as she internally appreciated her fortune.

Grandfather continued solemnly, "To be honest, since the moment you mentioned wanting to marry, my heart hasn't been at peace. Who in their right mind would want to give away a fine young man? I've kept an eye out for people around me all these years - plenty of decent men but whenever they heard about 'marrying out,' they'd just shake their heads pessimistically. That worried me greatly about your marriage prospects. But now that it's Wu Zi, I finally feel at peace. There really isn't a better choice than Wu Zi."

He paused before concluding, "Such an ambitious child, so capable yet also attending university - girlie, you must appreciate this good fortune! It's truly remarkable even though the poor kid handled the whole matter rather poorly..."

Cheng Ying remained silent but found comfort in conversing with Grandfather. Her chest felt lighter and more open now.

Noticing his granddaughter seemed down, he approached slyly while holding up one hand. "Girlie, do you know how much medicine Wu Zi's been dealing with over the years? At least this much..."

Cheng Ying looked at him in surprise - had she shown such a strong fixation on money that her grandfather now used it to comfort her?

She mimicked his actions by stretching out one hand and flipping it twice, "There's at least this much my granddaughter has collected as well."

The elderly man stared wide-eyed before declaring, "Then Wu Zi is the lucky one!"

Cheng Ying laughed with him. The two of them looked like secret agents exchanging coded messages. Suddenly feeling much better emotionally, she thought to herself...

Grandfather chuckled, "Time moves so fast these days! Everyone talks about ten-thousand-yuan households now. When I hold money in my hand at night, I sleep happily and feel superior to others. But it turns out even my savings aren't significant anymore!"

Cheng Ying comforted him gently, "Don't be discouraged - compared with me you're just slightly behind! But think about the whole village, the entire town... how many people have a granddaughter like mine?"

Grandfather looked at his granddaughter thoughtfully. "Exactly! Who else could match your talent? Wu Zi is great for you and I can't find anyone more suitable than him. Be content."

Cheng Ying replied, "You still want to drag me out there to show off. I need to go home and prepare things already. Even if I'm not content, we must set the engagement first - otherwise when you go out people might throw rotten eggs at you!"

Grandfather scoffed, "Who dares? It's no longer those days! If even Cheng Ying is unsatisfactory with Wu Zi we can just replace him. I don't care if they throw rotten eggs anyway - back then what kind of insults didn't we endure?"

Chi Yong had been sitting in the courtyard for hours listening to this most unusual conversation that spanned such wide-ranging topics... It was time to stop Grandfather before he said something else! This engagement decision came with so much effort!

"Father, Cheng Ying - how come you two woke up so early?" He asked.

Grandfather looked at Chi Yong happily, "Why have *you* woken up this early too?"

Chi Yong replied, "Yang Zhi needs to return home early to help out. Father, we'll visit again tonight when our schedule allows it. Fortunately the drive is only half an hour now - I must say the new road has made things much more convenient."

Grandfather nodded in agreement. "Indeed! Just look at how good life has become!"

Cheng Ying exclaimed, "Alright then, let me go get Miao Miao. With us standing here we'll be the Golden Boy and Jade Girl! Let Grandfather enjoy this moment properly!"

Grandfather beamed proudly, "My granddaughter with my grandson... finally achieving something! Who dares to look down on me now?"

Chi Yong offered to fetch firecrackers for them while Cheng Ying stood beside Miao Miao at Grandfather's side. As Chi Yong lit the fireworks in the doorway, they created a loud *pop pop pop* sound that woke up all the neighbors.

Grandfather immediately began showing off with both grandchildren by his sides. The neighbors had probably grown accustomed to this spectacle and just said "Congratulations!" politely.

The Yang family patriarch was now quite proud - look at their car parked at the gate! There were only a few such vehicles in the whole township!

Their children are truly accomplished!

Auntie smiled, "You two go on first. When your uncle gets his day off tomorrow we'll come along to help out as well!"

Cheng Ying replied gratefully, "Thank you Auntie - I'll come pick you up tomorrow then!"

Chi Yong drove away with his wife and daughter.