Cheng Tie was about to graduate from vocational college this year, studying to be a teacher, which in the village was considered top-tier, right up there with Cheng Ying and Cheng Ming.

In today's rural areas, few families are wealthy enough to drain their entire savings to send a child to school.

No wonder Auntie had grown increasingly proud; she had something to boast about. Her two sons were successful; naturally, she could afford to be arrogant.

Cheng Ying wasn't as familiar with Cheng Tie as she was with Cheng Ming. By the time Cheng Ying arrived, Cheng Tie was already in junior high, so they hadn't mixed much with the younger ones.

Because of this, among the brothers, Cheng Tie and Cheng Ying were the hardest to strike up a conversation with.

Seeing Cheng Tie, Cheng Ying was the first to speak. "Big Brother, you’re graduating this year. Where are you planning to work? Do you have anything in mind?"

This didn't sound like a younger sister asking; Cheng Ying felt like she was questioning a junior.

Cheng Tie, naturally shy, hadn't spoken yet, but his face had already flushed red. "Not yet. I’m waiting for the school assignment. Graduates from previous years were assigned pretty well; I probably won't be sent too far."

Cheng Ying felt a flicker of concern. If he just waited passively, without pulling some strings or making connections, his job placement might not be ideal. Even staying in the township would be better than being sent further out.

However, it wasn't easy to suggest this to someone who blushed just from speaking. He was clearly a good kid, unfamiliar with the ways of society and development trends. Despite his age, compared to Chi Wu, this boy was quite immature.

Cheng Ying decided it would be better to discuss it with Cheng Ming later.

No matter how one looked at it, Cheng Ming seemed to understand social nuances better than Cheng Tie. This brother was suited for the path of a scholar.

Cheng Tie wouldn't make it in the rough-and-tumble world.

Cheng Ming was easygoing. Since leaving for university, he hadn't spent much time with his own brothers. Moreover, the brothers usually studied away from home, so outside of summer and winter breaks, there were few chances for them to spend time together.

The current dynamic was that of familiar strangers.

To bridge the gap, Cheng Ming started with the kind of casual chatter he used with his buddies: "Big Brother, are you seeing anyone?"

Cheng Tie was getting old enough that if he were dating, he should probably be engaged.

Only someone as bold as Cheng Ming would ask so directly, which showed how thick-skinned he was.

Cheng Tie was unusually rendered speechless, looking shy but with a spark in his eyes. Cheng Ying saw a sign of hope—it proved the saying: "A dull turnip can still be spicy inside." Even the honest Cheng Tie was in a relationship.

Cheng Ming became energized. "Brother, you really have a girlfriend? Why haven't you ever brought her home? Has Mom seen her? Have you set a date for the engagement?"

Cheng Ying realized that Cheng Ming was actually the more anxious one, seemingly more worried than his older brother.

Cheng Tie was grilled into silence. He hadn't told anyone about this. How could these kids be so sharp-eyed?

But then, it was clearly an issue. "I haven't told Mom yet. And you absolutely can't mention it, understand?"

It seemed things weren't smooth sailing. Cheng Ying picked up on it; there was something fishy going on. If they were well-matched, Cheng Ming would have no reason not to bring her home.

Cheng Ming scratched his head. "Yeah, there are difficulties."

Cheng Tie looked a bit glum. "I said don't talk about it!" Then he turned to Cheng Ying, Chi Wu, and Cheng Shuan. "Don't mention it, understood?"

Cheng Ying felt that sharing a secret genuinely brought people closer; she could sense the blood tie between these brothers. Could he threaten her with a fierce look now?

Cheng Ying said, "We definitely won't say anything, but you have to make sure Dunzi doesn't spill it."

Cheng Tie looked worriedly at the ten-year-old Cheng Dun'er. Could he trust a little kid's promise?

Cheng Tie looked gloomily at Cheng Ming; it was all his fussing that started this.

Cheng Ming thumped his chest and guaranteed, "I'll handle it."

Then he immediately tossed the problem to Cheng Shuan. "Shuan'er, you take care of it. Your brother will definitely listen to you."

Cheng Shuan, now in high school, was simple and blunt with Dun'er. "If you dare tell anyone, I'll beat you up later, got it?"

Cheng Ying watched the group of brothers speechlessly. These were her brothers? Why did they seem so lacking in intelligence?

Even the little Cheng Dun'er knew enough to ignore them sometimes.

Cheng Ying said, "Big Brother, Grandma will definitely come back for the engagement party. She’ll probably be thrilled to know."

This was definitely true. The old woman cherished her eldest grandson, the youngest son's child. Among all the grandchildren, Cheng Tie was undoubtedly the one Grandma adored the most.

But in those days, she couldn't manage to give everyone enough attention. Coupled with the special presence of Cheng Ying, the old lady had even less time for her eldest grandson.

Cheng Tie was still hesitant, his face showing anything but joy. "We'll see about that."

Chi Wu didn't want to meddle in other people's messy affairs. Besides, what kind of people were his Eldest Uncle and Aunt? Perhaps it was better for their family not to get involved. If they did, Auntie might even suspect they were plotting against her precious eldest son.

Chi Wu said, "Yingzi, I wonder who the Old Aunt's child will look like." The topic immediately shifted.

Cheng Tie, Cheng Ming, Cheng Ying, and even the youngest, Cheng Dun'er, all breathed a sigh of relief.

Cheng Ying laughed it off. "Hopefully, they look exactly like Old Aunt!"

Cheng Dun'er, the only one not understanding why they hoped the child resembled the Old Aunt, asked, "Doesn't it look the same no matter who it resembles?"

Chi Wu, Cheng Ming, and Cheng Ying all looked gravely at their youngest brother.

Cheng Shuan said, "It's not the same. You don't know."

Cheng Ying kicked him, interrupting. One shouldn't gossip behind people's backs; if Old Aunt found out, she would surely lecture them. Cheng Dun'er was little and guileless; if he let something slip carelessly, it would be messy.

She clarified things with Cheng Dun'er. "You don't know. Your cousin Feng'er looks like Old Aunt, so naturally, we hope our little cousin looks like Old Aunt too. Isn't it nice if Old Aunt looks like our family?"

Cheng Dun'er replied like a little adult, "But he's Old Aunt's husband's child; he doesn't have the surname Cheng. Why do you care who he looks like?"

This little one had just schooled five adults.

Cheng Ying shut up; this kid was a nuclear deterrent.

Cheng Dun'er's mouth clearly took after Second Auntie.

When the group arrived at the Old Aunt's house, Cheng Dun'er finally understood his older siblings' earlier worries when he saw the chubby baby at the Old Aunt's place.

Cheng Dun'er stood rooted to the floor, daring not to look at the plump child on the kang, tugging on Cheng Ying’s clothes. "Sister, who does he look like?" he asked, clearly worried sick.

If there hadn't been so many people around, Cheng Ying would have thrown his own earlier words back at him: He doesn't have the surname Cheng, why do you care who the child looks like?

Seeing Cheng Dun'er's face etched with worry that could curdle milk, Cheng Ying offered a neutral remark: "He looks like you."

Old Aunt chimed in, "Isn't that right? Our boy looks like his cousin."

Even Old Aunt's husband agreed. "That's true. Look, he’s just like Dun'er when he was little."

That was a good answer. Cheng Dun'er now wanted to see what he looked like as a baby.

Cheng Ying thought to herself that perhaps Old Aunt's husband was happy that his child took after the Old Cheng family looks.

By the time the group returned from visiting the Old Aunt, the brothers had mostly broken the ice. It had truly been an opportunity to build camaraderie.

However, it was clear that Chi Wu mingled with them better than she, his own sister, did. That was the difference between men and women.

Cheng Ying felt that these men were exclusionary, especially toward her as a female.

Familiarity breeds closeness. After that shared experience of visiting relatives, not only did Cheng Ming frequently come over to bother Chi Wu and her, but Cheng Shuan also dropped by twice.

Combined with Cheng Tie's adult sorrow, the courtyard was getting crowded.

Forget Chi Wu, who wished for alone time with her; even Cheng Ying was starting to worry. This place was turning into a hub.

Who knew when the adults might swoop in and dismantle everything?

Especially after learning that the girl Cheng Tie was seeing was an outsider from another village, someone who didn't have a job and stayed home. Cheng Ying felt utterly vexed.

Setting aside the issue of suitable social standing, based on her understanding of Auntie, how could she let the son she'd painstakingly supported marry a village girl? Wasn't that asking for trouble?

Cheng Ying's heart trembled. She confided in Chi Wu behind closed doors, "We're leaving right after the New Year, come rain or shine."

Chi Wu didn't grasp his wife's slightly gloomy distress. "Do you miss Grandma?"

Cheng Ying sighed, "I don't want to be wrongly accused by Auntie. If this thing explodes later and implicates our family, she’ll surely claim I stirred things up because I couldn't stand to see them doing well. How unjust! I won't even have been present for the beginning, and the blame will be dumped on me."

Chi Wu looked at his wife; she genuinely wasn't interested in drama. "I agree with you. Watching them cause this fuss isn't good; the news will spread eventually. Auntie is not someone to mess with. Their situation is unlikely to succeed."

Cheng Ying sighed, "Alas. Looking at Cheng Tie, he's not a decisive person. I think this will blow up sooner or later. Setting aside everything else, he can't even handle Auntie. Why would a man who knows he lacks the ability provoke a woman? If this news gets out, it won't hurt Cheng Tie much, but this girl won't find a decent match in the village—maybe not even in the ten surrounding miles."

This was why the old woman had been so concerned about Cheng Ying’s reputation back then. In the village, a woman's reputation was everything.

Chi Wu dared not let Cheng Ying continue; otherwise, she might bring up unpleasant memories.

He had actually used village gossip to his advantage back then. Standing before Cheng Ying now, he always felt a little less confident, a bit guilty. "That's true, of course. Not everyone is as capable as I am, able to settle everything once they set their sights on a woman. Yingzi, right? You never had to worry about our engagement, did you? See how smoothly everything was arranged from start to finish?"

Cheng Ying looked at Chi Wu, scrutinizing him from head to toe. The handsome young man was quite the sly fox. "Yes, it took quite a bit of effort, didn't it? Too bad for you. Should I give you a banner?"

Cheng Ying thought to herself: Just wait, Chi Wu, one day I'll get you back. Do you think Sister is so easily tricked?

Chi Wu understood from his wife's expression that her words were insincere.

They had spent too long together; in a mere glance, a lowered brow, they could understand each other's thoughts. That was the benefit of sharing a life.

Chi Wu placated his wife. "It was my duty, my duty. A man should be bold enough to act on his intentions."

Since he hadn't actually done much, Chi Wu didn't dare claim to be bold enough to face the consequences.

Cheng Ying snorted coldly. He was actually getting smug. Hmph. He really thinks I have no temper anymore, letting him have his way.