Chi Wu shut up. He didn't want to say anything. If his own father were alive, what business would it have been of his father-in-law’s? If it wasn't his father-in-law’s business, how could he and Yingzi have ended up together? Such ephemeral destiny. Chi Wu felt there was no need to romanticize the old man too much.
Nor could he tell Cheng Ying, “It’s a good thing your dad died, when he did.” It was too awkward.
So, Uncle Gan watched Chi Wu stew in his own frustration. Serves you right for showing off, kid.
Outside, the sound of firecrackers started just as Cheng Ying and Uncle Gan were talking about how formidable and handsome her father used to be—otherwise, how could he have fathered such capable and beautiful daughters?
Cheng Ying managed to placate the old woman into locking away the tiger skin.
Then Aunt Gan came in with dumplings, while Uncle Gan and Chi Wu went out to set off the fireworks.
Cheng Ying smoothed the old woman’s hair as they watched from the doorway. Exactly at midnight, the whole family went inside to eat.
Then they heard Cheng Ying exclaim, looking at the hen, “Oh my, she actually laid an egg!”
The old woman rushed over and scooped up her mottled hen. Indeed, there was an egg sitting right under its tail.
Clutching the hen, the old woman grinned so wide her gums showed, “A golden egg, a golden egg! Our hen laid a golden egg!”
Cheng Ying said, “Take it easy, Grandma, don’t get too excited.”
The old woman murmured, “But why is this egg cold? It’s not warm.”
Uncle Gan and Chi Wu stared at the golden egg. “It really is. A divine chicken!” They had witnessed a miracle and looked slightly dumbfounded.
Aunt Gan glared at the two men. “Mother, have you ever felt gold that was hot? A golden egg must be cold.”
Struck silent by the glare, the two men realized they had acted like fools. They managed to close their slack jaws. The shock was too great.
Afterward, they coaxed the old woman into setting the chicken down. “Alright, let’s eat now. We can feed this divine chicken afterward.”
The old woman stroked the golden egg, overjoyed, even forgetting about the tiger skin. “It’s gold!”
Cheng Ying watched the old woman, feeling relieved that she had managed to distract her.
Chi Wu said to Cheng Ying, “It must have been hard on you, making a chicken lay a golden egg.”
Uncle Gan chimed in, “She’s no ordinary person. You’ve started spinning tales now.”
Cheng Ying sighed dramatically, “I just feel incredibly lucky. If Grandma hadn’t taken out her dentures today, who knows if she would have tried to bite it to test if it was real gold? And how would I explain it if they found no yolk inside the golden egg?”
Aunt Gan’s hand trembled so much she could barely hold her chopsticks steady. “You ill-fated child, just let me eat my meal in peace, okay?”
Sister Rong laughed in exasperation, “Only you would go to such lengths to keep the old woman happy with your stories. Grandma isn't exactly someone who buys nonsense easily.”
Cheng Ying thought to herself, If only you knew. The first time I presented Grandma with a gold bar for the household, she tested its purity with her teeth. I never told any of you that.
Chi Wu declared, “Don’t worry, just eat. Next New Year, I’ll make sure Grandma finds golden eggs with actual yolks.”
Uncle Gan sputtered, “So Chi Wu will be laying the eggs this New Year?” He promptly sprayed out the dumpling he was eating onto Aunt Gan’s plate. For such an elegant and composed person, spitting out food was truly rare. Aunt Gan didn't even know how to respond. It truly wasn't intentional.
Cheng Ying’s bowl was making loud, clattering noises. She looked up. “See? Aunt Gan just isn’t cut out for wealth. She finally managed to swallow a coin, and Uncle Gan angers her into spitting it into my bowl. Looks like it’s hard for me not to get rich.”
That remark managed to rescue Aunt Gan from the awkward situation.
If these people weren't deliberately teasing her, Aunt Gan truly wasn't the type to be so impolite as to spray out food during a meal.
Uncle Gan declared, “What Aunt Gan guards against is corruption; it’s enough that I can earn money.”
Then he put a dumpling on his wife’s plate. “It’s fine, Wife. If you spit again, aim it at me. Why should we spray our good fortune onto them?”
Aunt Gan’s face flushed deep red. “Eat! It’s all your fault for making a fuss. This meal is giving me stomach cramps.”
Cheng Ying, heavily pregnant, didn’t dare laugh too hard lest it harm her health. “Grandma, eat up.”
The old woman ate while constantly glancing at the hen that had laid the golden egg, watching everyone as if they were thieves.
Cheng Ying could already picture the old woman in the future, holding the chicken in one hand and the egg in the other. There was no helping it; a confused Grandma truly didn't know when to keep a low profile.
Sister Rong worried, “Do you think Grandma will still let me help look after the chickens from now on?” The question was entirely valid.
Chi Wu looked at the old woman’s demeanor and her obsession with gold. “Probably not.”
Cheng Ying added quite seriously, “But I won’t cut Sister Rong’s wages because of this, don’t worry.”
Sister Rong’s face darkened. “Thank you so much. This old woman is truly breaking my heart. She’s guarding against me like I’m a thief. Tell me, is she confused or not? I’ve never heard of a confused person acting like this.”
Aunt Gan couldn’t help but follow Sister Rong’s line of thought for a moment. “You two unlucky children.”
Uncle Gan looked quite saddened; the old woman’s state wasn't good. “Ah, I wonder when next year comes…” He stopped short when Aunt Gan kicked him.
Uncle Gan immediately checked himself. Why say such things on New Year’s Day? How unlucky.
Uncle Gan spat three times on the ground—Pah, pah, pah. Only then did he speak up. “Tomorrow is the first day of the month. Your Aunt Gan and I will take Mother to stay in the Presidential Suite at my hotel. You two can do whatever you want; don’t mind us.”
Cheng Ying looked at Uncle Gan in surprise. “Aren’t you hosting the banquet?”
Uncle Gan stated his case righteously, radiating a rich-man’s aura. “So what if I’m hosting? This is my only mother. If I host, can’t I bring my mother along? Who should people pay respects to for the New Year if not my mother?”
Aunt Gan added, “You two go to the Chi family home. The four of us will entertain guests at the hotel. Grandma hasn’t made an appearance in years; many people have been asking after her. You don’t need to worry; I won’t let the old woman suffer any slight.”
Cheng Ying turned away, filing that kindness away. Some people’s own mothers look down on them, yet Uncle and Aunt Gan truly treated the old woman like their own mother.
Sister Rong said, “I’ll go along too, to help out on the side. I can manage Grandma.”
Uncle Gan replied, “That would be best, but honestly, with me there as her son, Grandma listens to everything I say.”
That was true. The old woman treated Uncle Gan as her third son; whatever he said, she followed.
When it was time for bed, Cheng Ying held onto Chi Wu’s arm and wouldn't let go. “Thank you for finding the tiger skin for me.”
Chi Wu replied, “What are we being formal about? Besides, you weren’t the only one who sold that tiger skin back then, were you?”
Cheng Ying didn't speak, just held his arm, feeling that all this was happiness. How flavorful life had become.
New Year arrived. On the second day, Chi Wu took his heavily pregnant wife to the Chi family home.
The old woman fussed over Cheng Ying, coddling her. “I told you not to run back and forth, but you wouldn’t listen! You only came on the twenty-seventh, and now you’re running around again? Look how big your belly is. Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”
This endless chatter hadn't stopped since Cheng Ying walked in the door.
Chi Wu even thought the old woman’s menopause had arrived late; she was only just starting to become naggy at this age. All her former elegant demeanor was gone. He missed the old her terribly. Cheng Ying missed her too; the old Grandma was so much better, never meddling in anyone’s business.
Old Man Chi said, “Alright, the child is here now. Let Yingzi rest properly.”
Yang Zhi came out from the room. “Mother, I’m fine. In the village, wives this far along still carry water and do laundry. A little work keeps both mother and child healthy, making childbirth easier.”
Old Lady Chi absolutely refused to hear it. “Don’t say that! The village is the village, and the city is the city. You must be careful. It’s hard enough for me to have one great-grandchild; don't listen to your mother.”
She then turned to Yang Zhi and launched into a tirade of criticism and instruction. “What kind of mother-in-law are you? When you were pregnant with Xiao Ye, what did I ask you to do? Was I this unconcerned about you? You should be persuading the young couple to take it easy, instead of telling them this! You are so thoughtless. Luckily, Yingzi is your daughter; if someone didn't know better, they’d call you a cruel mother-in-law!”
Yang Zhi couldn't get a single word in. The cold, haughty look the mother-in-law usually gave when silent was now being projected directly from her mouth when she spoke. She was always someone you could only admire from a distance.
Chi Yong chimed in, “I knew trouble would follow when these two came back. My wife always ends up taking the heat for them. Mother, if you can’t manage them, then scold Yang Zhi. Yang Zhi was so obedient to you when she was pregnant with Xiao Ye, unlike Yingzi who won’t listen! You should just criticize them directly.”
Xiao Ye added, “I also think my mom was the most obedient to Grandma when she was carrying me.”
Chi Wu snapped, “Get lost, talking nonsense! What business is it of yours?”
Cheng Ying said, “Exactly, back then you were just a speck of dust!”
The old man and woman’s faces darkened. “What is all this nonsensical talk?”
Xiao Ye, his face darkening too, retorted, “It’s true! Look at my current trajectory; it’s all developing according to Grandma’s wishes. It must be because my mom was listening to Grandma back then.”
The old woman pursed her lips. “That is true. Out of this whole family, your mother is the most obedient.”
Yang Zhi felt as if, after twenty years as a daughter-in-law, she was finally being accepted. She was actually being praised! She opened her mouth several times but could only manage one sentence.
While there was excitement, everyone knew that for Old Lady Chi to approve of her, there must have been significant sacrifice involved. It was deeply poignant.
Yang Zhi finally managed to say, “I’ll go make dinner,” intending to retreat to the kitchen to process her surging emotions.
Cheng Ying understood Yang Zhi’s feelings and spoke up for her. “My mother is just shy when people praise her.”
Chi Yong said, “My wife is too modest. Mother, next time, praise her behind her back. See how one word about obedience made her so pleased she’s gone off to cook for us.”
Old Man Chi said, “They are all good children.”
Old Lady Chi watched Yang Zhi’s retreating back and had nothing to say for a moment. She hadn't realized that a single sentence from her could evoke such strong feelings in her daughter-in-law. Now, thinking it over, her daughter-in-law wasn't bad at all.
Even though she came from the countryside, this daughter-in-law wasn't unsophisticated compared to city wives.
She listened to her husband and listened to her. City wives weren’t necessarily better; look at the wives nowadays—they were increasingly defiant, arguing with their mothers-in-law, arguing with their husbands, and neglecting their children.
They couldn't compare to her daughter-in-law. Now she thought Yang Zhi was perfect in every way. Her job was good too. Old Man Yu had mentioned just a few days ago how good-tempered Yang Zhi was. When the old couple fell ill, it happened to be Yang Zhi’s shift. Upon seeing they were friends of the old couple, she arranged everything, praising to Old Man Yu what a good wife he had, saying the old couple was blessed.
What did Old Lady Chi say then? “That’s just how my Zhizi is—good to everyone.”
Reflecting on it, there was truly nothing to be dissatisfied with.