The old man of the Chi family rarely saw his old wife regard the issue between the two children with such a positive attitude, and followed up by saying, "The children are grown now, and I suppose they all have their own ideas. Since they trust their own methods, and Wu Zi is confident in himself, that’s enough."

This was a form of comfort, at least; their grandson wasn't as preoccupied with romantic entanglements as they had imagined.

Old Madam Chi retorted, "What does it matter if they trust it? When things go wrong, it’s us who will be shamed."

Chi Yong said, "If I can be shamed alongside the children, that’s a blessing in itself."

Those words struck a chord deep within the old lady. Her son had suffered so much back then; forget shame, just managing to stay alive while carrying such a burden was a miracle.

The car was silent. Chi Yong didn't follow up on his remark. Nor did the old lady respond.

Chi Wu getting into the car broke the quiet tension.

Chi Wu looked outside. "You all go back now. I can take care of myself if there's trouble. Ying Zi, you take good care of Grandma. Uncle Gan, if you’re not busy, have Auntie stay here for a while. That way, the three of you have someone to look out for each other. Cheng Ming, no staying out overnight! Make sure you circle the courtyard to check everything before you lock up every time you come home, understand?"

Cheng Ming's face darkened. Why did it feel like all these tasks were his to handle? "You can be on your way now."

With that, he received a sharp tap from the old lady from behind. Cheng Ying winced for Cheng Ming; it looked like it hurt him far more than it would hurt herself.

The old lady’s blows were getting harder.

Cheng Ming turned around, feeling wronged. "Grandma, you hit me!"

Old Madam Chi snapped, "Serves you right, how do you speak?"

Cheng Ming looked at Chi Wu with indignation. Those unlucky kids were all his fault. Biting him a couple of times wasn't enough to quell his anger.

Uncle Gan waved at Chi Wu. "Don't worry, I'll look after things here, and the company too. I'll take good care of everything for you. I might not be able to expand territory, but holding the fort is certainly manageable."

Chi Wu looked at Uncle Gan, his tone deeply earnest. "That's the small stuff. You have to take good care of Grandma and Ying Zi."

Uncle Gan felt the unlucky kid had no tact whatsoever. His grand ambitions had just been doused with a bucket of cold water.

Ignoring Chi Wu completely, he addressed Chi Yong, who was driving. "You can drive now."

We won't pay you any mind. Cheng Ying turned away, thinking, It’s about time.

Chi Wu transformed into a chatterbox. "Wait, wait, wait! Ying Zi, come here!"

The old man and woman of the Chi family stared at their beloved grandson. Was this the same grandson who wouldn't utter a sound even if they boxed his ears at home? Why was he so talkative now?

Cheng Ying couldn't possibly discipline this boy in front of so many people—neither scolding nor raising her voice was an option. Cheng Ming was her role model; she smiled sweetly and stepped forward a couple of paces. "Is there something else?"

Chi Wu held up two fingers, then hooked them towards himself, gesturing for her to come a little closer.

Cheng Ying wondered if it was some kind of business secret that this crowd couldn't overhear.

She walked two more steps and automatically bent down to match Chi Wu's height from inside the car. "What is it?"

Before she could finish, Chi Wu leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her cheek.

Cheng Ying’s reaction was stunned silence, followed by the thought: How old is this unlucky kid? Kissing someone on the cheek and getting their face covered in drool—his technique is seriously lacking.

Chi Yong, unaware his 'unlucky son' would do something so shameless in front of everyone, accidentally stomped the gas pedal, and the car shot forward.

Old Madam Chi covered her eyes with a handkerchief. Whose ill-bred child was this? She couldn't bear to look.

Old Madam Cheng watched the departing car and thought, Oh heavens above! In broad daylight! Does this unlucky kid want to take his shame right out the front door? Couldn't he have done whatever that was inside the house? Her roar was immense. "Get in here!"

Uncle Gan interjected, "Mom, don't be angry. It has nothing to do with our Ying Zi. You saw it—that Chi Wu was taking advantage of our Ying Zi!"

Cheng Ying straightened up and nodded in agreement.

Cheng Ming’s face was even redder than Cheng Ying’s. This was much more vivid than watching a movie. "I—I should go now." With that, he fled. There was no place for such open displays of affection these days.

In this situation, the common definition would be 'hooliganism.'

The old lady looked at her adopted son, then defended her granddaughter. "They are husband and wife. Is that taking advantage?"

Uncle Gan blinked. "Am I about to lose favor?"

Auntie Gan shot him a sidelong glance. Holding the baby, she said, "Mom, let's go inside, okay?"

The old lady then turned her tirade toward her granddaughter. "You, who have no sense of shame! Did you have to cause a scene right outside the front gate?"

Cheng Ying did find the child a bit troublesome, but she didn't think it was that big of a deal. At most, it was just a peck on the cheek; it meant nothing.

Her face unblushing, she teased her grandmother, "Then next time, I'll remember to do it inside the main gate..."

Before she could finish, the old lady smacked her. "How dare you say such things out loud? What kind of person did I raise? Get out!"

A neighbor who had witnessed the scene had their mouth drop from an 'O' shape back to normal, and then chuckled nearby. "Congratulations, Old Madam. This young couple has such affection."

The old lady's face burned with embarrassment. She quickly ushered her family inside, deciding she wouldn't dare step outside for the next three days.

Old Madam Chi lamented, "Oh, the shame I can’t bear! My skin is getting thinner and thinner!"

Cheng Ying quipped, "It's fine, Grandma. I'll get you a face mask later."

Old Madam Chi snapped, "Get lost! And tell Wu Zi later that our local customs are simple and pure, and this behavior is too damaging to public morals!"

Cheng Ying retorted, "I'm the victim here! I have no face left to show, and you won't even comfort me?"

The old lady glared at her granddaughter. "Go on, get out!" This child didn't even blush. Who on earth did she take after?

Uncle Gan stepped in. "Mom, don't be angry with the unlucky kid. Come on, let's go hold our grandson."

The whole group went inside. Cheng Ying saw the chubby child, finding him adorable. She picked him up and kissed his cheek—soft and sweet.

The old lady watched her granddaughter with a darkened expression. So, this is where the root of it lies.

Cheng Ying sensed the lack of noise behind her and noticed the atmosphere had become strangely heavy. Turning around, she saw the old lady looking at her as if she were something unclean. "Um, well, he's just a little kid."

Uncle Gan looked utterly miserable. "My son! You're molesting him when he's so young!"

Old Madam Chi warned her granddaughter, "You need to settle down from now on. Don't just pucker up and kiss everything you see. You're going to corrupt everyone around you."

Cheng Ying felt she was the most wronged person imaginable.

Chi Wu left for school. Cheng Ying and Cheng Ming both reported to school the next day.

As the semester truly began, Cheng Ying felt she couldn't share the same buoyant energy as her peers. She often couldn't quite grasp what they were talking about, and they probably couldn't understand her. When she got home, there was no one to listen to her chatter.

If she saw something funny, she had no one to share it with. Cheng Ying felt there was a significant, deep generation gap between herself and the contemporary university students.

Although they were all young, few could keep pace with her like Chi Wu could.

Following her usual pattern, Cheng Ying registered her name at the university first. The hospital report clearly stated that student Cheng Ying had poor health since childhood and was unsuitable for participating in various activities.

So, Cheng Ying reverted to the solitary routine she had maintained since junior high.

Cheng Ying sighed. Youth was wonderful, youth was marvelous, but unfortunately, her little bird of youth only fluttered once before flying away, and she hadn't even tasted its essence yet.

Furthermore, this university experience wasn't ideal. When choosing schools, they had completely forgotten to select a specialized major that interested her.

If anything, Old Madam Chi's life was packed full; she was busy from dawn till dusk, seeming even more active than Cheng Ying.

Cheng Ming, meanwhile, had plunged headfirst into the ocean of university studies and was nearly drowning, unable to surface.

In the large courtyard, it was just Cheng Ying guarding the place day after day after school. Both inside and outside the house felt vast and empty.

Cheng Ying felt perhaps she had started her retirement early. The difference between having someone around and having no one was truly palpable.

Cheng Ying’s days became sluggish. Sometimes, indulging in laziness, she wouldn't go to school at all for an entire day. Her days were decadent, leisurely.

This was hardly the vibrant university life; it felt more like being settled into a retirement home.

The only upside was that Cheng Ying finally had time to focus her attention on the house.

Cheng Ying felt that after setting up the house in such a way, it was finally her turn to make some waves.

She spent her days picking the most beautiful fish from her spatial realm and moving them into the large tank—today the same as tomorrow. Since life was dull, she had to stir things up.

After only a few days of this tinkering, Old Madam Chi, who fed the fish every morning, started doubting her eyesight. "The changes in these fish are so drastic! A different look every day. They're losing weight too fast!"

She had picked up the term 'losing weight' from her granddaughter.

Cheng Ying slapped the back of her own hand in secret. You asked for it, you nosy thing. Now Grandma thinks I’m losing my mind.

Cheng Ying stopped bothering with the fish and moved on to the plants. The greenhouse was large, but there were only a few pots of flowers.

The old lady could still count them. Cheng Ying dedicated herself to pruning the bonsai, which could be considered an elegant hobby.

Unfortunately, Cheng Ying’s aesthetic sense was never great.

Pot after pot of flowers and greenery ended up looking completely bare. Cheng Ying sighed; apparently, she preferred this kind of decadent beauty. It was quite perverse.

Fortunately, Cheng Ying had plenty of flowers and plants in her spatial realm. She could swap out the bare ones for similar-looking plants to put back in the pots for the old lady.

But they weren't exactly identical. Within a few days, the old lady began to worry. "Do you think we have a cat near the house? Why are there two missing flower branches? Do you think the cat managed to carry away the broken sprigs? This cat must be possessed!"

To prevent her home from turning into a supernatural tale, Cheng Ying dared not mess with the flowers anymore.

How could life be so uninteresting? How had she spent her time before this?

Why was time passing so slowly?

Cheng Ying pondered what else in the house she could tinker with that wouldn't draw the old lady's complaints.

Cheng Ying often returned early from school, as the afternoons were usually filled with various elective classes, which she never attended.

So, as she walked in the door, the old lady was just leaving and bumped into her returning granddaughter. "Oh, Ying Zi, you're back! I told the opera enthusiasts in the park I'd go listen to them sing. You remember to make dinner tonight, okay?"

With that, the old lady left, her steps brisk and energetic. Cheng Ying thought her grandmother was far more spirited than she was.

Cheng Ying entered the house. She checked the fish tank—all looked fine, each one more spirited than the last. The old lady must have just seen them. Better not cause any more trouble.

Then there were the fruit trees in the yard; they looked good too. The old lady had applied pesticide a couple of days ago, claiming there were bugs on the trees. Cheng Ying decided she shouldn't meddle with those either.

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