Chi Wu felt quite content, agreeing to everything his wife suggested, murmuring, "Mmm, whatever you say."

After eating, Chi Wu noticed Cheng Ying seemed reluctant to leave the house, so he headed out alone.

Cheng Ying had nothing to do at home, enjoying a rare, leisurely day—a warm brick bed and idle hands; such days were infrequent.

Even though it was snowing, people in the village still gathered to chat. Otherwise, what would they do all day?

Seeing Chi Wu, everyone's eyes twinkled with amusement. Chi Wu greeted them.

Some of the older aunties and matrons said, "Wuzi, the wind is strong outside. It’s better to stay inside with your wife late at night, understand?"

After they spoke, the group of women burst into laughter. Chi Wu's face immediately flushed red. Although he knew about that incident, he never expected them to bring it up right in front of him. They were far too bold.

Shouldn't it have been an unspoken understanding? Why were they saying it out loud? It was truly excessive.

With little excitement in the village, this news would probably be a source of teasing for a long time.

Chi Wu regretted it. He should have just turned off the lights yesterday. He figured Yingzi would certainly chew him out later.

Chi Wu wanted to beg for mercy, but he felt too ashamed. Yet, if he just left now, when Yingzi came out, he could already imagine what people might say about him.

Facing a group of women with such coarse tongues, Chi Wu truly didn't know what to do.

Being timid and fidgety was hardly the action of a real man. He summoned his nerve and said, "Aunties and Uncles, please don't speak nonsense. Yingzi is thin-skinned; I’ll be the one who suffers later if you upset her."

This was met with another peal of laughter. "Oh, look how a college student dotes on his wife! If I knew, I would have married a college student too."

A nearby auntie scoffed, "Hmph, you think you can pick a college student? Look in the mirror first to see if he’d even spare you a glance."

The auntie next to her agreed, "That’s true." Neither of them seemed annoyed.

Having such a young man to tease was quite entertaining for them.

Chi Wu couldn't decide whether to leave or stay. If he stayed, this group of women might drown him in their chatter.

A considerate auntie interjected, "Alright, you're all ganging up on Wuzi because he’s thin-skinned. What’s wrong with the young couple taking a stroll? Why are you talking like that? It’s only morning, and the news has spread this far already."

That comment was worse than saying nothing. Chi Wu regretted it even more. If he had known, he wouldn't have turned on the light last night for anything.

Why was I feeling so smug? I must have straw stuffed in my head.

The other aunties wouldn't let it go. "Wuzi? Thin-skinned? If he’s thin-skinned, what do you call someone thick-skinned?"

Another auntie said, "Enough already. You’re just jealous because he has talent. Why don’t you two go for a stroll tonight? No one will bother you. Wuzi, you go on; ignore them. Don't worry, no one will say anything serious; they’re just teasing you."

Chi Wu breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Aunties and Uncles. We weren't fooling around outside last night. We were just coming from the Village Head's house. We were chatting with the Third Madam."

Chi Wu immediately felt that saying that was worse than keeping quiet. Hadn't he just confirmed that it was him and Yingzi last night? How could he be so absent-minded?

He walked away then, knowing he couldn't win an argument with a gaggle of women. How dense could he be?

He hoped Yingzi would hide inside for a couple more days; maybe the fuss would die down by then, Chi Wu thought contentedly.

Halfway there, he managed to drag Cheng Ming, who was cycling, to give him a ride for a short distance.

On a heavily snowy day, any vehicle had trouble moving outside, but cycling had the slight advantage of higher safety levels.

It was slow enough that it was hard to crash, even if one tried.

In such a short time, Cheng Ming already knew about the whole incident from last night. "What, were you feeling pretty pleased with yourself last night?"

Chi Wu snapped, "Don't talk nonsense, and definitely don't tell Yingzi, got it?"

Cheng Ming teased, "Fine. You cycle ahead and take me. What couldn't you two manage inside your own house? Why did you have to make a spectacle outside for everyone to watch?"

Chi Wu thought to himself, What did I even do at my own place? I never accomplish anything at home. Who can I tell? Am I having an easy time? "Hurry up and ride, just this once. You absolutely cannot tell Yingzi."

Chi Wu wouldn't dare admit to anyone that the failure was his own lack of skill.

Cheng Ming pumped his legs hard, pedaling the bike. "Why must you go up the mountain on a snowy day like this? You're just making trouble for no reason."

Chi Wu ignored the unlucky kid. The child was too young to understand the flavor of this situation. I’m doing this to please my wife.

Cheng Ming, panting heavily, brought Chi Wu to the foot of the mountain. "Do you want me to wait here for you?"

Chi Wu shot Cheng Ming a disdainful look. "No need." Then he started walking up the mountain.

Cheng Ming scoffed, "Tch. In snow this deep, you couldn't get up even with a tractor. What are you being so arrogant for? Like I want to give you a ride!"

After saying that, he cycled away. If he kept taking Chi Wu, he'd be the fool. He shouldn't have given him a ride at all. What an idiot he was.

Halfway up, Chi Wu encountered Er Ya, pulling a small sled with Er Daye (Second Grand-uncle) on it, accompanied by her pack of descendants.

Chi Wu was overjoyed; he knew Er Daye always had good things. "Wuzi, why did you come out in this weather? Hearing Er Ya's barks, I knew it must be you two coming. I came to meet you."

Chi Wu asked, "Er Daye, is everything alright on the mountain? We came the day before it started snowing, but we got stuck by the snow when we got to the township. Yingzi and I walked back. If only Er Ya had been with us then!"

Er Daye lamented, "Oh, certainly. The phone lines are down too. If I had known, I would have gone out to meet you."

Chi Wu sat down on the sled with Er Daye. Five or six dogs were enough to pull the sled along.

Chi Wu was ecstatic inside. His trip hadn't been in vain after all.

After dropping Er Daye off, Chi Wu explained that with the heavy snow, it was inconvenient for Yingzi and the others to go out, so he wanted to borrow Er Ya and bring her down the mountain for a couple of days.

Er Daye understood immediately; Chi Wu had specifically come up the mountain for the sled.

Er Daye said, "Er Ya can't manage alone. Bring two more dogs; pick the strong ones."

Chi Wu waved goodbye to Er Daye happily. Er Ya, along with two of her strong sons, pulled Chi Wu down the mountain.

Not to mention how spiritual Er Ya was; pulling a sled with her didn't require much technical skill.

Chi Wu felt significantly less pressure. If he brought something fun back, he couldn't very well drop his wife.

The saying that different places require different tools proved absolutely true.

Cheng Ming was still struggling up the slope on his bike when Chi Wu, sitting comfortably on the sled, easily zoomed past him.

Cheng Ming saw the sled overtaking him and flung his cap off. "Chi Wu, damn your ancestors! Wait for me, you bastard!" He had never met anyone so treacherous. Why didn't he give him a ride back? He just abandoned him there!

Chi Wu left a string of clear laughter behind him ahead. "You really know how to curse. I'll tell Grandma later, don't hold back."

Then another burst of clear, bright laughter followed.

Cheng Ming was so frustrated. Damn it, I let anger cloud my judgment. He had trapped himself. But that kid was too heartless. After he took the trouble to carry him so far, wasn't this deliberately trying to annoy him?

He picked up his cap and had to start pedaling with his legs again, feeling utterly miserable.

Chi Wu arrived home by noon. After all, he had a free chauffeur going up and a private vehicle coming back. Being the one pulling the prank felt wonderful.

Cheng Ying was still asleep on the warm brick bed, completely unwilling to get up.

Chi Wu called from outside, "Yingzi, Yingzi, come out and look!"

Cheng Ying finally crawled out from under the quilt. Without even stepping out of the room, she peered through the glass. Good heavens, what an imposing sight! "Oh my, don't move! You’ve done exactly what I wanted!"

Hearing Cheng Ying’s voice, Er Ya let out a coaxing whine.

Cheng Ying jumped out of bed, not even bothering to put on her padded jacket. She truly wanted to jump onto the sled and take a spin right away.

But unfortunately, Chi Wu blocked her at the doorway. Er Ya, having her tether removed, rushed forward and nearly knocked Cheng Ying onto her backside, saved only because Chi Wu grabbed her.

Chi Wu scolded gently, "How can you be so careless? You should at least wear a padded coat."

Cheng Ying retorted, "It’s all because you were calling so urgently!"—a clear deflection.

Chi Wu smirked, "How is it? I knew you'd love it." As he spoke, he went inside and brought out Yingzi's thick padded jacket to drape over her shoulders.

Cheng Ying and Er Ya spent some time admiring the sled before heading out to look at it properly. "This is one Er Daye just finished, it’s much lighter."

Chi Wu nodded. "Yes, Er Daye mentioned that the craftsman from our village made this for him last year."

Cheng Ying exclaimed, "It’s wonderful! Let’s go play on the ice!" For someone her age, it was rare for her to feel this playful.

Chi Wu said, "Let's eat lunch first. Mingzi is behind us; he’ll be here soon."

Cheng Ying was wide awake now, losing all her drowsiness. "I'll start preparing! Today, you’ll see my culinary skills!" With that, she headed into the kitchen, not forgetting to bring Er Ya along.

Chi Wu thought to himself, Your skills really aren't as good as mine, but I won’t complain. As long as my wife cooks it, I'll treat it like a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast.

Cheng Ying put a lot of effort into preparing for the sledding. After all, out on the ice, with the wind and snow, they needed to be well-fed and warm.

The mutton her aunt brought over was being made into a rich soup. That was quite nourishing.

After finishing the mutton soup, Chi Wu felt restless if he didn't go out for a spin.

Cheng Ming, the unlucky soul who ended up being the stepping stone, arrived struggling on his bike just as the two of them were finishing their meal.

Without questioning anything, he grabbed a bowl and started eating.

He had one condition: "I can overlook the excessive things you two did, but you must take me along when you go out to play."

Chi Wu chose to ignore him, finding him utterly lacking in ambition. Did they really need the vast expanse of ice all to themselves? Yingzi would soon grow bored if it was just the two of them. Naturally, the more people, the better.

The three of them went out, Chi Wu naturally holding his wife’s hand. At least Cheng Ming and Cheng Ying couldn't see the unlucky kid's smugness.

Sitting on the snow sled, which was layered with sheepskin blankets, and clutching a hot water bottle, it was hard to feel cold with that setup.

Cheng Ming sat down right in front, only to be kicked back by Chi Wu. "Don't you have any self-awareness? You’re just a passenger, yet you dare sit in the front. Don't you think you’re an eyesore?"

The words were sharp and harsh. Cheng Ming felt intense hatred. Why didn't he have a girlfriend? Then someone could put this kind of pressure on her!

He sulkily wedged himself in the back. Since the sled was built for lightness, it wasn't very wide. Chi Wu said, "Yingzi, scoot over a bit. Otherwise, Er Ya might run too fast and throw you off."