Chi Wu was completely sober now. "Whatever concerns you have, I am one hundred percent set on getting married, and it's all for you, not a single thought otherwise."

Look at his attitude, his resolve, the sheer intensity of his devotion. Even the fiery Cheng Ying felt a blush of shyness creeping in. Why was this young man so direct? Why did he have no sense of subtlety? And yet, why did his forthrightness make her feel so surprisingly comfortable?

Chi Wu continued, "Say it then. What else is troubling you? The savings passbook, the cash, movable assets, real estate—I laid it all out for you just now. Aside from the loose change in my pocket, I’ve left nothing behind."

Look at that level of cooperation. What Cheng Ying had mentioned to the old woman was practically a jest, yet Chi Wu had prepared everything. A good man wasn't Zeng Xiaoxian; a good man was Chi Wu.

Cheng Ying looked at Chi Wu, sat up straight, rubbed her hands together, and then rubbed them again. She felt an overwhelming sense that she was bullying a child; she couldn't bring herself to act. Wasn't this just asking her to stand down?

Perhaps this question genuinely needed to be discussed in depth.

Chi Wu felt it was utterly wrong that the other person still had doubts about someone like him. "What is your problem? If you don't make it clear, neither of us is sleeping tonight."

Cheng Ying sighed. "After you've kept me up half the night stirring things up, sleeping was probably out of the question anyway."

Chi Wu pressed, "Just pretend I’m wildly excited about getting married. Are you excited too?"

Cheng Ying hesitated, "I wanted to ask you, um, well, what do you think about having children after we marry? Um, are you... capable?" This question felt deeply insulting.

"Chi Wu, how can you speak like that?" His face flushed scarlet, and he started stammering, "I can do anything, I am very capable!"

Cheng Ying felt this wasn't a question solved by discussion; generally, it was solved by action. But with Chi Wu’s current state, it was clear he was only talking a big game with no intention of following through. Was he capable or not?

Cheng Ying looked at Chi Wu, who was completely cocooned under the quilt. She genuinely worried. This boy was too easily embarrassed.

When discussing such matters, did one really need to wrap oneself up like a sticky rice dumpling? She felt as if their roles should have been reversed.

This realization was profoundly unsettling.

No wonder people talked about trial marriages; now it seemed absolutely necessary. Cheng Ying truly didn't see any room for change in her relationship with Chi Wu. No matter the situation, her marriage to him was practically set in stone.

What difference did it make if they consummated the marriage a day earlier or later? More importantly, with her own reputation remaining clean, no one would believe her even if she called the whole thing off. Cheng Ying felt this heavy burden she carried wasn't entirely deserved.

Cheng Ying looked at him and said, "Why don't we try?" This suggestion carried absolutely no flirtatious undertone; it just slipped out naturally.

Chi Wu’s face wasn't red; it was purple. Staring at Cheng Ying considering the issue with such composure, Chi Wu blurted out one stark sentence: "I don't dare."

Then he pulled the quilt over himself and curled up to sleep.

Cheng Ying’s vision briefly darkened. What did that mean? She didn't even know how to process her emotions.

Could he really be so irresponsible? If Chi Wu said he didn't dare on the wedding day, Cheng Ying felt she might just smash her head against a block of tofu.

Inside the quilt, Chi Wu slapped his own cheek. Keep up the act, you’ll die from it eventually. He was practically sick over that little incident during the engagement—daring to admit nothing, terrified Cheng Ying would think he was reckless and promiscuous.

Now, with Cheng Ying asking this question in the total absence of any romantic atmosphere, he was certain she was testing him. She had brutally crushed his nascent fantasies.

Chi Wu felt that even the quilt couldn't hide the thoughts swirling beneath.

He pinched his own hand, filled with regret. Are you even a man? How could you admit you don't dare? You’ve completely disgraced yourself.

Sharing the same heated brick bed, the two spent a restless night tangled in mutual anxieties.

The next morning, both emerged with dark circles under their eyes and set off to manage their respective wedding preparations. Although Chi Wu had claimed he would handle everything, Cheng Ying still had her tasks. Since they met, the household responsibilities had never fallen squarely on one person’s shoulders.

With a large house and significant property, being a hands-off bride was simply impossible.

Chi Wu went out to procure supplies while Cheng Ying consulted the old almanac with the grandmother, determined to select the absolute best day.

The old woman said, "See? I told you we should have found a diviner. A wedding day can't just be decided by us. It’s a major event!"

Cheng Ying replied, "No need, Grandma, you know everything. We don't need an outside expert for this."

The grandmother was delighted. "That's true, picking a good day, I can manage that myself." Then she yawned widely. "Oh, hearing about you two getting married, I didn't sleep a wink all night. Now I'm a bit sleepy."

Cheng Ying urged, "Then let's set the date quickly, and you can rest."

Cheng Family Grandmother teased, "Why the rush? Is my granddaughter desperate to marry?"

Cheng Ying touched her face, smoothed her hair, and held her head high. "With my looks, why would I need to be desperate? There are only men I look down on, not men who look down on me. If I made a public call, there would be a hundred, if not a thousand, waiting to marry your granddaughter. I just want to marry now."

The grandmother scoffed. "It amounts to the same thing, doesn't it? Someone has to get married."

Cheng Ying realized arguing with the grandmother was pointless; they both wanted the marriage to happen. "Grandma, Chi Wu and I still have school. Marriage is a big deal, but we have to do it during the break, otherwise, when do we stop? Besides, if we hurry during the break, maybe we can even arrange for a great-grandchild for you! We need to move quickly."

The grandmother’s face stiffened. "I might be getting muddled, but I still have some sense of propriety. How can you be so shameless? Is that something a girl should say? I’m not rushing, why are you in such a hurry?"

Saying this, the hand flipping the almanac moved rapidly. "Let’s use this day. It’s the very first auspicious day of the year!"

Cheng Ying glanced at the calendar. She claims not to be eager for a great-grandchild, yet she had flipped through the pages multiple times until settling on a date immediately after the mention of one. "Marriage in the first lunar month? Isn't it said that marrying in the twelfth month is better?"

The grandmother retorted, "It’s this late already. Marrying in the twelfth month? You’d have to give me time to prepare!"

Cheng Ying smoothed it over. "It won't be much trouble. Just a small meal for our family to celebrate warmly. Let’s do it in the twelfth month. Take another look."

The grandmother paused. "Really, just a family meal? Yingzi is getting married. I see city weddings are so lively. Don't you feel slighted?"

Cheng Ying quickly responded, "Grandma, you said it yourself, those are city people. We aren't copying them. When we got engaged, the village even held a feast. Do city people do that? We won't compare ourselves to them. Besides, our family is taking in the groom. If anyone is slighted, it certainly isn't us."

The grandmother immediately countered, "Then we certainly can't slight Wu Zi!"

Cheng Ying felt like a complete fool. She had forgotten that her grandmother cherished Wu Zi even more than her own granddaughter.

Cheng Ying immediately turned and appealed to the old woman, "The key point is we must save face for Wu Zi. He came to our home to marry in. If we make a huge fuss, people will talk. If Wu Zi is thin-skinned, he’ll be mortified."

The grandmother, for once, seemed to understand the logic. It made sense—since the groom was joining their household, why draw unnecessary attention? "Oh, this way is fine. Wu Zi has come to our home, but I treat him as my own grandson. What do you mean by making a fuss or not? You’re just trying to cause trouble."

With that, the grandmother walked away. Despite what she said, if Cheng Ying suggested canceling the groom-taking-in arrangement, the grandmother would be the first to object loudly.

Cheng Ying didn't want to argue anymore. She realized that old people often become self-centered; all the good things belong to them, and all the bad things are someone else's fault. Recently, the grandmother was becoming an expert in unreasonable arguments. "Fine then. I'll go to their house. I’m better at talking things over, right?"

The grandmother’s eyes weren't very clear, but she still managed to glare at her granddaughter. "Can something already decided be changed casually?"

See? When it mattered not to be confused, the grandmother was perfectly lucid.

The grandmother conceded. "Alright, the twelfth month it is. But you have to invite your maternal grandfather. This is your wedding. Your grandfather has worried over you for years. If you marry, I need to explain it to him, so no one can say I'm unreasonable. That old man might cause a scene right at our front gate."

Cheng Ying looked at her grandmother and said, "Grandma, you aren't muddled at all, are you? Are you?"

The grandmother snapped back, "I was never muddled. Stop trying to trick me. Oh, right, should we send some ceremonial money to Wu Zi's grandmother? You know, getting married without a matchmaker in between—it feels like we’re just making do."

Cheng Ying sighed. "Forget it, you should just pick the date quickly so Wu Zi can make arrangements. Nothing can be done until the date is set."

The grandmother mused, "There are only a few days left. How about the twenty-sixth? If we wait, it’ll be too close to New Year’s."

Cheng Ying agreed instantly. "The twenty-sixth it is! It’s great that it’s close to the New Year; maybe our whole family can celebrate together. This date is wonderful!"

With that, she turned and left, not giving her grandmother a chance to regret the decision.

Cheng Ying had made up her mind. If she was scared of marriage, the best thing was to get it over with quickly. Otherwise, she felt like she was hanging from a rope, suspended between two points, an agonizing suspense. Cheng Ying even feared she might regret it herself and call off the wedding, which would be a total farce.

As if summoned, Chi Wu walked in from outside just as she finished speaking, having heard every word. "Well? Are you that eager to marry me?"

Cheng Ying shot back, "Yes, extremely eager. Didn't you hear? I told you I could only truly 'handle' you after we were married. What if I scared you off before then? I’m anxious to bite you a couple of times."

Chi Wu slung an arm around his fiancée. "I’m not afraid of being handled, wife. Feel free to come at me boldly."

Cheng Ying looked at him and immediately started teasing. "Does your school have a special course on developing a thick skin? I haven't noticed any other skills, but your audacity has become exceptional lately."

Chi Wu groaned. He felt he had somehow tainted an entire cohort of people. "You can pick on me alone. Don't cast such a wide net; you're shaming my whole school now."

Cheng Ying pouted. "It’s set for the twenty-sixth. I plan to tell Mom and Dad, and Grandma and Grandpa. Just our immediate family celebrating quietly. Absolutely no big fuss. I still remember how exhausted I was during the engagement celebration; it gives me the shivers."