After the meal, the eldest uncle and his wife took their two sons out; they simply didn't have much in common with Cheng Ying. The eldest aunt also had to check out the school for her Mingzi. Even though Yingzi took first place in the village every year, so what? She still ended up in the same school as her own son.

The eldest aunt felt thoroughly self-assured. The second daughter-in-law was always deferential, which just meant her own son wasn't ambitious enough.

The eldest aunt believed that with two promising grandsons, she could certainly hold her ground with her mother-in-law.

It was the second uncle who stayed with the old lady for most of the afternoon, only to hear the second aunt exclaim, "Oh my goodness, this is a palace! You can even sit down to use the toilet here. I never would have thought of that!"

Cheng Ying understood; if women from the village saw this, they'd likely all have a similar reaction.

The second aunt said, "Later, your second uncle and I should buy one of these to take back. Let them see it too."

Cheng Ying replied, "Oh, you really shouldn't. This thing isn't practical in our village. If you don't press down on the lever, it won't flush."

The second aunt nodded. "That's true, it's not worth it. Forget it then. I've certainly seen the world now. I'll make sure to supervise Shuan'er and Dun'er closely with their schooling. City folk certainly have an easier life."

That’s a mother for you. The blessings she couldn't enjoy herself, she wanted her sons to have. Even if the second aunt was difficult in a thousand ways, she truly loved her two sons. "Second Aunt, if your sons and their wives aren't filial to you in the future, I'll help you give them a good talking-to."

Cheng Ying said this with genuine sincerity. If Dun'er and the others weren't devoted to the second aunt, they would be betraying her selfless devotion to her sons.

The second aunt waved her hand. "Nonsense! Even if they aren't filial, you can't hit them. I have two sons, after all. You shouldn't talk carelessly about daughters-in-law."

Cheng Ying chuckled. Look at the second aunt—sometimes she was remarkably similar to her own grandmother.

After touring the house, they took the second aunt around the provincial capital.

The second aunt’s mouth never stopped moving. Cheng Ying found the experience quite heartwarming.

In the evening, Yang Zhi and Chi Yong came over, and the whole extended family ate together.

The eldest uncle saw Yang Zhi but ultimately didn't say anything. What was there to criticize? His own efforts were mediocre at best.

It was the second aunt who held onto Uncle Gan, Aunt Gan, and Yang Zhi, recounting every sight she’d witnessed, constantly praising how good life was in the city.

When both families saw the old lady had returned to the village, the eldest uncle and second uncle, back when they divided the property, had agreed that Yang Zhi would be responsible for the old lady. They showed up only to check on her when she was ill, saying nothing else.

The second uncle had, however, spoken to the old lady privately. He told her that Yingzi was wealthier than them, so her paying was a kindness, but if she wasn't happy staying there, she should return to the village. He assured her that his wife had changed and would certainly treat the old lady well now.

The old lady knew her second son was straightforward and took his words to heart. She was always lenient with him. "I'm quite well here. Yingzi needs someone to watch over her; people outside say she lives well, but she’s unreliable when it comes to practical matters. Don't worry, my leg will heal with rest."

The eldest aunt and the second aunt each gave the old lady two hundred yuan. This was clearly something the brothers had arranged beforehand so neither would lose face to the other.

The second aunt said, "Take this. It's from your son."

The old lady didn't refuse. It wasn't about the amount; it was about not causing her son to lose face.

Truthfully, the old lady didn't lack this money now.

But she understood that for her sons back home, pulling out two hundred yuan wasn't easy. She considered it thoughtful.

The old lady glanced at her granddaughter, knowing that the things Yingzi bought for them were surely worth more than these two hundred yuan. She understood perfectly. Her granddaughter never accepted anything for free; that was just her nature.

Cheng Ying and Cheng Ming drove them to the station. Cheng Ming was in an even worse mood.

Cheng Ying felt it was necessary to enlighten the teenage boy—even if he was an "old" teenager. "You're too sensitive. Grandma understands things in her heart. Do you think I would actually neglect her in front of you? Am I that foolish?"

Cheng Ming managed a smile. Wasn't that right? In the future, he needed to take better care of the old lady. His own parents had their temperaments; a son doesn't air his father's faults. Cheng Ming couldn't say much here, but he smiled much brighter at Yingzi. Cheng Ming decided he would personally look after the old lady more often from now on.

On the way back, the old lady pulled her granddaughter aside and gave her a thorough rundown of the eldest son and daughter-in-law, of course making sure to tell her granddaughter not to repeat a word of it.

Cheng Ying understood that airing things out with the old lady was much better than letting her bottle things up; at least it prevented her from developing lingering anxieties.

Cheng Ying comforted the old lady. "Just think about your grandson's future. Isn't Mingzi here? At least the eldest aunt left her son here to be filial to you. You should feel content with that, no matter how you look at it."

The old lady pursed her lips for a long moment before finally breaking. "Do you take me for a fool? Is he leaving his grandson here for my filial piety? I know exactly what he's after. That’s my grandson; I wouldn't short him even if I ate less myself. But thinking about the eldest aunt’s scheming, I just can’t be happy."

Cheng Ying thought that her grandmother could not tolerate the slightest injustice. "Grandma, don't worry. The eldest aunt's little venture is guaranteed to lose money. Look how sensible Mingzi is; his face was flushed red all day. He understands things clearly. Once the eldest aunt sends her child to you, what she says about him returning won't matter much. When Mingzi graduates, you put in a little effort to find him a job in the provincial capital, and won't Mingzi be right beside you then? Think how much the eldest aunt stands to lose."

This girl, when she hatched a scheme, could be slyly cunning.

The old lady pushed Cheng Ying aside. "Do you think I'm stupid? I’ll spend time, effort, and money to get her son a job, and what benefit do I get? No matter how successful Mingzi becomes, he’ll still have to support his mother. If he brings his mother to the city for a comfortable life, will he bring me along to live there too? Stop trying to fool me; I won't take this supposed bargain."

Cheng Ying countered, "Look at what you're saying—isn't he one of the Lao Cheng family? He's your own grandson. I don't believe you could bear to send Mingzi back."

The old lady retorted, "I'm doing this for my grandson's future, for his career prospects. It's not about taking advantage. I'm not as wicked as trying to outmaneuver Mingzi's mother."

Cheng Ying feigned disagreement. "Oh, how noble you are. I must be so sordid. I was wrong to interfere in your affairs, alright? By the way, no matter how successful Mingzi gets, and even if he wants to bring you over to enjoy life with him, you absolutely must not go. That would be tantamount to defecting to the enemy and betraying the country, do you understand?"

The old lady looked at her granddaughter and smiled. This meant her granddaughter didn't want to be separated from her. The old lady was too proud to admit it. "Then you'll have to sweet-talk me properly. Stop treating me like an idiot you can fool, or I'll start gossiping everywhere."

Cheng Ying grinned widely. "You really think you're a giant panda."

The old lady tossed a throw pillow next to her, playfully knocking her granddaughter away.

When Cheng Ming returned, the old lady doted on him so much that Cheng Ying's teeth ached watching them.

For the old lady, life was most enjoyable when there was conflict. This was clearly the start of a battle with her eldest daughter-in-law.

Despite what the old lady said so brightly, her own grandmother never held grudges for long. Cheng Ying understood that perfectly.

She raised an eyebrow at the old lady. The old lady pretended not to notice, acting clueless.

Cheng Ying thought her grandmother had grown cunning.

Life wasn't bad when defined as having family harmony and increasing wealth.

What wasn't good was that Chi Wu hadn't returned since the last time he left. Cheng Ying had never felt such a profound sense of longing.

To use that overly sentimental phrase: "Entering the gate of lovesickness, one knows the depth of longing."

Cheng Ying felt time dragging by slowly. If her studies weren't so demanding, Cheng Ying would have already driven over to meet her lover.

Of course, she only thought about saying that; she wouldn't dare speak it aloud—she didn't have the nerve.

Evenings alone in her room were when Cheng Ying missed Chi Wu the most, after all, it was their room.

Cheng Ying retreated into her spatial dimension. Now, this space held a new sight: the hen that had turned into a seven-colored mountain pheasant was waddling around near the water pool every day. She hadn't seen it lay any eggs, though.

What amused Cheng Ying was that this seven-colored mountain pheasant constantly favored one leg. She had no idea what it was being so haughty about.

Since realizing Cheng Ying wouldn't break its leg again, the hen had been quite arrogant.

Whenever Cheng Ying entered the space, it would hobble over for a round. Initially, Cheng Ying felt guilty.

It was the first time she had so cruelly broken the leg of a living bird. Every time she saw it, she fed it pine nuts.

Perhaps it had become addicted to the treats. Even after Cheng Ying was no longer riddled with guilt, it still came over every time. And if she didn't give it pine nuts, it wouldn't eat anything. What a shameless creature! Cheng Ying thought this egg-laying-free hen was just like Chi Wu—pushing its luck until it was rewarded.

Once, Cheng Ying was exhausted from exams and hadn't entered the space for several days. When she finally did, she saw the hen drooping its tail near the pool.

Cheng Ying thought, Is it sick? This was the first time such a thing had happened in the space.

She felt its crop; it was completely empty. It was starving itself.

She finally understood: the old hen had developed a temper and resorted to a hunger strike.

It knew she felt guilty and couldn't bear to starve it, right? Cheng Ying was quite annoyed.

But seeing that broken-legged chicken fussing around daily led to a certain affection developing between them.

And life felt richer because of it. When she was busy, Cheng Ying would put the chicken in the sapling nursery of small pine trees. Who knew which tree would yield two pine nuts? At least the old hen wouldn't starve to death.

Cheng Ying considered that when she returned to the village, she absolutely had to move one of the old pine trees from the mountain into the space, just to build a nest for this chicken. Otherwise, when Chi Wu returned and didn't have time to enter the space, wouldn't the old hen be nothing more than a pile of bones?

On Sundays when she was free, Cheng Ying didn't mind the trouble; she would drive the old lady out for excursions, afraid the old lady would become bored to death.

The farthest they drove together was to a town near the provincial capital to watch a local opera. The two of them followed the excitement so closely that when the troupe toured the provincial capital, Cheng Ying followed them from town to town, watching every performance.

Later, people started assuming they were part of the troupe.

The old lady enjoyed it immensely, saying she knew this particular opera by heart and could even sing a few lines herself later on.

When Cheng Ming had time, he would run a few errands for Cheng Ying. In short, both the grandson and granddaughter catered to the old lady’s whims.

Knowing the old lady was getting old and loved excitement, wherever there was a lively event, they went.

Later, a new profession emerged in the city: professional mourners for funerals. And there were people hired to play the role of the deceased's son crying for his parent. Cheng Ming, that mischievous kid, found out about it somewhere, thought the old lady loved excitement, and took her to one of these events to enjoy the spectacle.

In Cheng Ming's view, watching this was no different from watching a grand opera—they all involved loud horns and music.