Yang Zhi shifted the pork knuckle closer to herself. With the blistering heat of July and August, this was hardly suitable fare.

The old lady’s eyes lit up upon seeing the knuckle. “It’s the New Year? How do we have this?” She immediately picked up a piece for herself.

Seeing the old lady’s delight, Yang Zhi felt that Wuzi’s strenuous effort hadn’t been entirely in vain. She nudged the knuckle closer to the old lady.

Cheng Ying said, “Grandma, if you wanted some, why didn’t you tell us? I would have bought it for you long ago.”

Chi Wu added, “Grandma, there’s also chicken knuckle and duck knuckle outside.”

Cheng Ying frowned upon hearing this. If she hadn't quickly taken a sip of her small spinach soup, she might have thrown up.

The old lady nodded, chewing as she spoke, “It’s the New Year, it’s New Year every day.”

Cheng Ying glanced at the old lady, realizing she seemed to be slipping back into confusion again lately.

Yang Zhi chimed in, “Isn’t that right? If you’re happy enough, these two will make it New Year for you every single day.”

The old lady ate with intense concentration, ignoring everyone else.

Chi Wu looked on anxiously. Why wasn’t his wife eating? If you don’t want the knuckle, why are you biting my arm? Honestly.

When the old lady finished eating, she turned and spotted her granddaughter. The clarity of Qingming suddenly returned to her. She speared a large piece of meat and handed it to her granddaughter. “Eat, Yingzi, good stuff.”

Cheng Ying thought to herself, These two people who usually treat me the best—why are they actively undermining me while I’m pregnant?

Chi Wu, however, saw clearly that Yingzi truly disliked eating it. If he had served it to her himself, she would have at least pretended to like it. This time, she hadn’t accepted even a single morsel; it was clearly distaste.

Following the old lady’s lead, he took a piece of the knuckle. “Grandma, if you don’t give me any, I’ll be mad!”

The old lady smiled sweetly at Wuzi. “Wuzi, you like it? It’s all yours. Eat it up. After you’re done, go change the water for the fish outside. Yingzi can’t work; we spent a long time on it and still haven’t managed to switch it out.”

Sister Rong felt she couldn't swallow another bite. That fish surviving until tomorrow would be a miracle earned over eight lifetimes.

Chi Wu thought, My wife is pregnant; she should avoid heavy labor. “Grandma, I’ll do it for you. Yingzi is clumsy. Next time you need something like this done, just call me.”

This was all just appeasing the old lady.

Cheng Ming put down his rice bowl and chopsticks. “I think I’m finally escaping the sea of suffering. If I have to watch the two of you fuss like this every day, my heart aches. My grandmother is such a good, sensible person, but you two are spoiling her into a modern-day Empress Dowager Cixi.”

This meant he thought Cheng Ying and Wuzi were leading the old lady astray.

Only then did Chi Wu notice Cheng Ming sitting nearby. Cheng Ming’s focus was entirely on his wife and the pork knuckle; he hadn’t spared any attention for anyone else. “Where are you going? How long will you be gone?” He caught the shift in tone.

Cheng Ming declared, “I’m moving out. I’m never staying with you all again.”

Chi Wu replied casually, “Moving out? Alright, but you have to wait until Yingzi has the baby.”

Cheng Ming’s face flushed purple with anger. “Chi Wu, let me tell you, this is too much! I just started university, and you roped me into staying here to guard the house and watch your wife. Now I’m about to start my internship, and you want me to watch over a pregnant woman? Do I have any personal life at all?”

Chi Wu countered, “Just consider it advanced graduation—you can be our family’s private doctor. Right now, with Yingzi like this, we desperately need a doctor. How can you move out when we need you the most?”

Cheng Ming said stiffly, “Thanks, brother, but I’m not an Obstetrician.”

Chi Wu waved a hand. “It’s fine. Understand one principle, understand them all. As long as you’re a doctor living here, I’ll be at ease.”

Cheng Ming slapped his chest in exasperation. Does ‘understand one principle, understand them all’ apply here? He was effectively just a household talisman.

He looked at Cheng Ying, who was pointing her finger at Chi Wu, trembling with suppressed anger. “Aren’t you going to say something?” Cheng Ming expected Cheng Ying, who was from the same professional background, to explain the logic to Chi Wus.

Cheng Ying agreed, “Wuzi is quite right. Even setting me aside, there’s still Grandma, right? Could you bear to let a half-baked doctor like me, who’s pregnant, constantly look after Grandma? How about this: you keep your house for now, and I’ll hire people to renovate it nicely for you; you can stay here temporarily.”

Neither of these two is decent people! Cheng Ming felt utterly miserable.

Cheng Ming couldn't argue logic with them, but he remembered his own grandmother was sitting right there. “Fine, you better set me up with a presidential suite!”

Cheng Ying almost blurted out that his house was too small, that renovation space was limited—at most, she could guarantee him a presidential-level bathroom. But seeing how angry Cheng Ming was, she said nothing.

Cheng Ming worried. He was a surgeon, yet he was being treated like an OB/GYN. Once their child was born, could he finally move out? Would they try to keep him around as a pediatrician? No, he needed to integrate into work quickly and find his own footing, or he’d be ruined if this continued.

A promising young man being completely derailed by Chi Wu.

Cheng Ying suddenly asked, “Oh, right, how is my job going? Where is my internship?” As a woman who had graduated over a month ago, this thought was certainly late. Couldn't she be more proactive?

Cheng Ming thought about the exhausting effort he put into securing his internship and job—who could he complain to? Was he perhaps adopted?

Chi Wu assured her, “Don’t worry, everything is arranged. I guarantee your wife will have a great place to work after the baby is born, and her internship scores will be top-notch, definitely higher than Cheng Ming’s.”

Cheng Ming felt a surge of resentment. “You’ve got some nerve!”

Chi Wu boasted, “My wife is inherently more capable than you. No matter how specialized you are, can you professionally deliver a baby? My wife can. That’s our primary research project.”

Cheng Ming felt he shouldn't waste another minute being there.

Cheng Ying felt he had exaggerated a bit. “Keep it low-key, keep it low-key. It’s fine if my scores are slightly below Cheng Ming’s; let’s not crush his spirit.”

Chi Wu scoffed, “Hmph. Even if my wife can’t find a job, don’t worry, we’ll open our own hospital.”

Hearing this, Cheng Ying had a sudden, sharp realization. “I think you should treat Cheng Ming better.”

Seriously, if their family were to open a hospital, the ones who would suffer and be overworked would likely be no one else but Cheng Ming. Cheng Ying worried for him.

Chi Wu replied simply, “That’s true.” Both he and his wife came from a trading background; sometimes, they understood each other’s meanings without a word needing to be spoken.

Yang Zhi looked at the children who weren't even at the table eating and felt troubled. “You all eat first. Yingzi is pregnant; eat well.”

The old lady boomed, “Eat, eat more! We don’t lack meat in this house.”

Cheng Ying’s face fell. She didn't want to eat meat. She looked at the old lady. “Grandma is the one who cares about me the most. Are you done eating?”

The old lady replied, “Done, I finished long ago.”

Cheng Ying suggested, “How about Wuzi takes you to change the fish water now? What do you think?”

To get his wife something she might enjoy eating, Chi Wu rolled up his sleeves and headed out with the old lady.

The old lady was full of energy and fussed over the fish until two in the afternoon.

After lunch, Cheng Ying spent a long time sitting by the cool spot at the doorway with the two of them. Only when the old lady was thoroughly satisfied did she praise Chi Wu, “He really is more sensible and capable than Yingzi. Look at how Chi Wu handles these things right away.”

Cheng Ying glanced sideways at the half-dead fish in the tank. She only thinks that because she ran into me, someone who specifically cultivates fish in a separate dimension. Otherwise, so much good stuff would have been ruined by her.

Chi Wu said, “Grandma, just watch this.”

The old lady declared, “It’s good, look, the water is all new.”

Cheng Ying remarked, “These fish are so lucky. Grandma, you take better care of them than you do me.”

The old lady patted her lower back. “Oh dear, I’m getting old. I need to go rest.” Saying this, she let Sister Rong help her inside to sleep.

Cheng Ying checked the sky—great, it was just starting to cool down. The old lady had been bustling all morning.

Cheng Ying casually dipped her hand into the large tank, stirring it and adding a bit of spatial water. Otherwise, those fish really wouldn't see tomorrow’s sun, perhaps not even tonight’s moon.

Chi Wu wondered why his wife needed to stir both tanks if she just wanted to play with water.

He glanced at the fish in the tanks; they looked much livelier. His wife might not cause fish to sink like a fallen beauty, but the effect was certainly better than the alternative.

He picked up his clothes, preparing to say goodbye to Cheng Ying and head to the company. He was busy. “I’m leaving.”

Cheng Ying asked, “Aren’t you going to rest for a bit? You haven't even had your nap yet.”

Chi Wu said, “I have to support the family! I have to support my wife! I have to go!” He grabbed his bag and hurried out. He hadn't accomplished much serious work all morning; if the boss disappeared in the afternoon, the employees would complain.

Cheng Ying felt that earning money now was even harder than when they were just trying to fill their stomachs. At least back then, the two of them were together. Now, to chase a little money, they barely had time to be with each other.

Of course, Cheng Ying essentially decided that Chi Wu hadn't really been with her for the entire morning.

Cheng Ying felt that her current life, supporting both the elderly and the young, carried a strong sense of urgency. She had finally settled down in this new era.

Although the little one couldn't be carried out for a stroll yet, and the old one was a bit muddled, these were the people she cared about.

Cleaning up the messes left by the old lady daily, dealing with the old lady’s various troubles—Cheng Ying found it quite joyful.

Moreover, it was particularly interesting. Perhaps when she was old, she might be like this too. If she could find descendants who didn’t despise her, her life would be truly complete.

The little one inside her belly also frequently made its demands known. Cheng Ying felt life was luxurious. Getting sick from morning sickness and then immediately returning to normal, nothing was interrupted.

Cheng Ying even thought, Isn't this wonderful? I won't go into the spatial dimension if I can help it. Never mind that the dimension didn't have the power to revive the dead; even if it did, Cheng Ying felt that living alone without this family around would be pointless.

So, whether she had the dimension or not was unimportant. Early that morning, she heard the old lady bustling outside. “Why isn’t she laying eggs?”

Cheng Ying went out yawning. “Sister Rong, why are you up so early?”

Sister Rong forced a bitter smile. “Last night, when the old lady collected eggs, she was short one. She’s been making a fuss since early this morning. These hens are temperamental about laying eggs. You know how much this upsets the old lady.”

Cheng Ying suggested, “How about I take an egg from the kitchen and put it in the hen’s nest?”

Sister Rong hesitated for a long moment before speaking. “Did you think I hadn't tried? The old lady spotted it right away and said this egg had no residual warmth; it wasn't laid by this chicken. Plus, the old lady said she didn’t hear the hen cluck at all.”

Cheng Ying laughed until she choked a little. “How is she not muddled at all? If anyone calls my grandma confused again, I’ll have something to say about it.”

Sister Rong sighed. “You’re still laughing. The old lady is staring intently, waiting for the chicken to lay an egg!”