Cheng Ying didn't truly rest until she confirmed Chi Wu's breathing was steady and his temperature normalized. She hadn't realized she was more anxious than her own son. Such a grown man, why fuss so much? Could a simple cold actually kill him?

When Cheng Ming arrived the next day, he couldn't open his mouth at all; his expression of agony was conveyed entirely through gestures. Chi Wu deliberately cleared his throat with his cool voice, "Hahaha, did you take a mute potion?"

Cheng Ming stared thoughtfully at Chi Wu. Yesterday, this man's loud complaints had eclipsed his own, yet now he was perfectly fine. This defied logic. Could he possess a golden throat? Seeing Cheng Ming’s state, Chi Wu grew smug. "Yingzi specifically brewed water for me last night; she even woke me up mid-way through the night for another drink. See? I'm fine today. Aren't you envious, kid? Hurry up and find a wife to take care of you, then you won't have to suffer like this, miming your words. A man without a wife is useless. Look at the misery you’re enduring, no one pities you, right?"

Cheng Ming glared at Chi Wu, his eyes burning with anger, but alas, he couldn't speak. His sign language was inadequate to express his contempt. Isn't it just yesterday that you were barred from entering the main gate after being disciplined by your wife? Haven't I enjoyed laughing at you enough, you forgetful fool? You sound so eloquent now, but have the guts to be this brazen in front of Yingzi. How could I possibly mime all that in a string of gestures? So frustrating.

Cheng Ming shot Chi Wu a cross look. Chi Wu acted magnanimous. I won't stoop to the level of a mute. I'll indulge you. After all, you are my great-uncle—Yingzi’s elder brother. I must show some respect.

Cheng Ying entered carrying a pot of water, pouring a cup for Chi Wu and another for Cheng Ming. "I forgot to remind you yesterday; look, your throat is hoarse. Drink more. Wu Zi only drank this, which is why his case wasn't as severe."

Cheng Ming shot his sister a look of deep grievance. Indeed, she was quite thoughtless. How could that be something easily forgotten? He snatched the entire water pot over, refusing to give Chi Wu a single drop. "I'll drink it myself."

A man with no one to dote on must dote on himself. "You two are something else."

His voice was ragged, making Cheng Ying wince; just looking at him made her throat ache. "Fine, drink your water."

Chi Wu offered, "I can afford to let you have some leeway."

Cheng Ming felt ganged up on as an invalid. "When are we visiting Old Aunt's place? I’ll come along too, so I have something to say when Grandma asks."

Cheng Ying countered, "Are you sure you don't just want to come along for a sled ride with us? Are you certain your motive is to pay respects to relatives?"

Cheng Ming slapped the kang table with a loud thwack. "What are you saying?" Ouch, his voice was too loud, and his throat pained him again.

Chi Wu bristled, "What are you doing? Dare to slam the table and act tough with my wife? Shall we take this outside?"

Seeing the reliable man behind her, she felt a surge of confidence. Cheng Ying glanced at the physiques of the two men and craned her neck to challenge, "What? Outside then?"

Cheng Ming was frustrated. He had come over first thing in the morning just to invite trouble. He lowered his head to eat. What choice did he have when his voice was gone? And his physique wasn't as sturdy as the other guy's. Besides, Chi Wu had learned skills specifically to avoid losing in a fight.

Chi Wu cast a triumphant glance at his wife. "Don't worry, I'm here. Say whatever you need to say. Discipline him if necessary; the poor kid doesn't know any better."

Cheng Ming seethed with hatred.

Cheng Ying felt childish, realizing she had sunk to this level. She turned to Cheng Ming. "It's impossible today; you need to be able to speak first. Besides, you can't just gesture at Old Aunt, can you? Why don't you drink more water, and we’ll go tomorrow?"

Cheng Ming nodded. "I’ll bring Old Aunt a lot more fish."

Cheng Ying looked distinctly displeased. If you bring fish, what will be left for my household? Why is that unlucky kid so bothersome?

Chi Wu understood the situation from his wife’s expression. "Old Aunt is planning a feast, right? Why don't we just send her a whole sledful of fish?"

Cheng Ying scoffed at this absurd suggestion. "Nonsense." That was her way of disagreeing.

Cheng Ming didn't care about such trivialities. "When you leave, remember to call me." He put down his bowl, grabbed a jar of dried honeysuckle flowers from the cabinet, and left. It wasn't just his throat; all his buddies were in similar states. They shared hardship; they should share prosperity too. He'd start with this.

Cheng Ying sputtered, "Have you ever seen anyone so shameless? Who did he take after?"

Chi Wu glanced out the door at Cheng Ming, then leaned in and whispered to his wife, "Definitely not Uncle Da."

Cheng Ying’s eyes widened. How could that statement be so classic, so accurate? Uncle Da truly didn't have that kind of temperament. How could such a dignified man raise such a shameless son? Perhaps they were complementary opposites.

Chi Wu smirked; only the two of them understood the meaning.

Cheng Ying warned, "Dare to repeat that, and Grandma won't be so kind to you! You even dared to gossip about her son!"

Chi Wu whispered back, "We're just talking between us, aren't we? We are the closest people to each other. If I don't tell you, who else will I tell?"

Cheng Ying felt quite unnerved hearing that. How could this young man conjure up feelings of awkwardness anytime, anywhere? "Since we have nothing to do today, let's go to town first, bring the supplies back, and then go see Second Uncle on the mountain. I don't know what Second Uncle has prepared for the New Year; let's bring him some fish too."

This was clearly a deflection, avoiding the weight of Chi Wu’s "closest people" statement.

Chi Wu was slightly disappointed that Yingzi hadn't fully acknowledged their intimate bond. "Mm, let's see Second Uncle first. Now that you're back, if we don't visit him, the old man will worry."

Cheng Ying replied, "Mm, I’ll listen to you." When the couple left the house, they carried a bag of frozen fish.

Second Uncle greeted Cheng Ying with his usual routine: checking the account book first. Although Cheng Ying’s mountain property had dedicated staff managing it, Second Uncle kept a small ledger for all inflows and outflows. This meticulous nature made Cheng Ying feel that paying him a salary only served to distance their two families.

At noon, Wu Zi took Er Ya hunting in the forest farm and brought back a roe deer. Second Uncle processed it immediately and stewed the venison. He even set aside the best portions for the old lady.

If Cheng Ying hadn't been busy reviewing the accounts, she would have loved to go rambling on the mountain with Wu Zi. By the time the two came down the mountain, they had stocked up so well for the New Year that they wouldn't need to buy anything. Second Uncle had packed a whole sled full of mountain delicacies; Er Ya and the others could barely pull it. Luckily, they were going downhill.

Cheng Ying exclaimed, "Second Uncle, why did you procure so many of these things? Don't do this next year; what if you exhaust yourself?"

Second Uncle said, "Can I just watch these things spoil? Eat up; it’s fine. A little bit of work like this isn't a big deal for us common folk. It’s just an excuse for me to move my legs. You be careful at home; the village hasn't been quiet these past two years like it was before; you know?"

Cheng Ying genuinely didn't know. "What happened?"

Second Uncle explained, "You've only been back a few days, so you don't know. The village had a string of thefts recently. Never mind anything else; just around here, if it weren't for Er Ya and his gang keeping watch, things wouldn't have stayed quiet."

Chi Wu offered, "I'll talk to the forest farm later and ask them to patrol our area more often. Second Uncle, do you need more manpower? Can you manage alone?"

Second Uncle assured him, "Finding an inside mole is more troublesome. I’m fine here; I’m familiar with the forest farm staff, and they come by both places every day. It’s fine. At night, I let Er Ya and the boys loose—who could possibly get in? Don't worry."

Cheng Ying cautioned, "Mm, Second Uncle, please be careful. Losing things is trivial; your safety is what matters."

Cheng Ying considered the public security issue a major concern.

Second Uncle reassured her, "Rest assured. That much ginseng you took out last time—I told people outside you were being profligate, selling it off because you were short on cash. No one knows about the remaining goods, so no one will covet them. Next year, I'll be more careful; just stop people from going near that stretch of mountain."

Chi Wu chimed in, "Oh dear, my wife is earning a reputation for being a spendthrift."

Second Uncle laughed. "Ah, it’s fortunate you weren't staying in the village, or I wouldn't dare speak like that."

Cheng Ying declared, "It’s fine. Even if I stayed in the village, would I care about that? Besides, they've already called me the Cheng Family's Great Foolish Girl. What’s the big deal about being wasteful? You have to have assets to waste them; if you have no home or business, you can't even afford to be wasteful. I’ve always taken it as a compliment to my family’s great wealth."

Chi Wu remarked, "It's rare that you see things so clearly."

After exchanging pleasantries with Second Uncle, the two finally left. Thankfully, when they returned home, Cheng Ming remembered to warm the room thoroughly.

Cheng Ying conceded, "You aren't entirely useless."

Cheng Ming ignored the couple. After drinking water all day, his throat was much better than in the morning. He intended to keep drinking tonight, not caring if he had to get up often during the night. "I plan to set up camp here today."

Chi Wu was instantly displeased. "Why aren't you going home? The east room isn't even heated; where will you sleep?"

Cheng Ming scrutinized Chi Wu. "I’ll sleep in this room. I’ve decided; we’re playing all night, no resting." There’s no room for that here. The speed and urgency of his words showed his absolute rejection of the idea.

Chi Wu countered, "You say we play, and we play? My wife and I need to rest."

The couple spoke so smoothly that Cheng Ying was momentarily speechless. How could that wretched boy be so thick-skinned?

Cheng Ming was deliberately trying to provoke them. "If you don't sleep for a night, that’s fine. It won't kill you. I’m not leaving today, and what’s more, I’ve arranged company for you. Today, none of us is getting any sleep."

Chi Wu slammed the door and stormed out. Who had he offended to deserve this troublesome pest treating his house like his own? "If you’re not sleeping, why don't you go cause trouble at your own home? Why bother stirring things up in my house?" He said this while outside.

Cheng Ming whispered conspiratorially to his sister inside the room, "He needs to be disciplined, look at that temper."

Cheng Ying nearly smacked Cheng Ming. If he doesn't sleep, I want to sleep too! "Just rest," she told him. Just then, people arrived outside. They all had hoarse voices; it was obvious they were Cheng Ming’s good buddies. "Mingzi, Wuzi, open up!"

Cheng Ming’s reply from inside the room was enthusiastic. These were the mahjong partners he had summoned. He completely forgot about whispering about Chi Wu to Cheng Ying and called out directly, "Coming, coming! Did you bring anything? Come in yourself! Do you expect your buddy to roll out a red carpet for you?"

The people outside replied, "We brought it." Back then, mahjong sets were still rare items; not every household owned one. Cheng Ming had gone out of his way to find them.