Perhaps I should be kinder to my daughter-in-law from now on. A simple compliment sends her scurrying to the kitchen; anyone watching might think I wasn't satisfied with her.

That part is somewhat embarrassing; I need to take my wife out more often in the future, to prevent her from being so reserved all the time.

Old Mrs. Chi said, "Your mother has always been lovely; I just never liked showing off."

Chi Yong was startled by the Old Madam, yet quite pleased. Such a good omen on the first day of the New Year suggested that everything this year would go smoothly.

Chi Yong replied, "That's because my mother has a discerning eye."

The Old Madam was flattered, which made Cheng Ying feel a bit sick. No wonder Chi Yong's career had been smooth sailing these past two years; it must be closely related to this verbal dexterity. To speak such falsehoods so fluently meant he must have practiced quite a bit over the years.

Chi Ye declared, "I’m going to be an uncle! I wonder when my nephew will arrive."

Old Mrs. Chi's face immediately changed. "An uncle! Remember, your sister-in-law is carrying your nephew." Facing this, the Old Madam couldn't maintain any pretense; the affection she showed for an uncle or maternal uncle was about the same.

Cheng Ying whispered to Chi Wu, "I finally feel like I'm back in the loop. This is the real Old Madam of the Chi family, isn't it?"

Old Mr. Chi corrected his youngest grandson, "Little Ye, your sister-in-law is carrying your nephew. Remember that! Don't get it wrong."

The child found this genuinely confusing. "So, is it a zhipeng or a waipeng?"

Old Mr. Chi smiled indulgently at Chi Ye. "Ask your sister-in-law."

Chi Ye patted Cheng Ying's stomach. "Is it a little nephew?"

Cheng Ying smiled back at the child she had watched grow up. He was still slow; the old man had managed to manipulate him.

Cheng Ying thought of replying, You guess. But that would be too obviously dismissive.

She glanced at Chi Wu nearby. He must have remembered the tiger skin at home. Although Chi Wu said nothing, Cheng Ying knew this wasn't something that could be retrieved overnight. Chi Wu had put thought into this, and it wasn't just for a day. He must have been planning this for a while.

The future child’s surname, and how the couple would live going forward, were primarily for the elders to see. As long as they were happy, whether it was three or four people in their immediate family, everything would be fine.

For a man she cared for, Cheng Ying felt it was essential that she could appease his family. Every effort would yield a reward.

Turning to Little Ye, she said, "It could also be a little niece."

To Old Mr. Chi, whether it was a boy or a girl didn't matter as much as the words coming from his grandson's wife. Saying it was Chi Ye's nephew proved that Cheng Ying considered herself married into the Chi family.

How could the old man not be delighted? This was the first time his granddaughter-in-law had admitted it so readily. The old man followed up with three enthusiastic "Good, good, good!" then added, "Go on now! I have some fine wine brought by an old friend before the New Year. The four of us men should have a few drinks." How happy he was! It was only about a surname, after all.

Chi Wu was smiling so widely he couldn't close his mouth. Although everyone knew these titles were mostly to placate the elders, the fact that Yingzi was willing to humor her in-laws made Chi Wu incredibly happy.

On the first day of the New Year, they had firmly secured the peace of mind for the two elders of the Chi family.

Even Chi Yong felt his daughter-in-law was socially adept. He looked at his younger son. "Oh, who should I find for you in the future? A woman who can match your sister in ability, are there any others around?"

Yang Zhi, standing nearby, didn't want to hear it. "What are you talking about? They are all our children; they should live in harmony in the future. Why talk about competing?"

Chi Yong chuckled. "I'm just a blockhead, aren't I? My wife always sees things more clearly."

Then he turned to Chi Ye. "Make sure you never provoke your sister, understand?"

Chi Ye felt the same way his mother did: his father was being too dramatic. He and his sister got along fine; why would he bother picking a fight with her when he had nothing else to do?

Cheng Ying stayed with Old Mrs. Chi. Her own mother had been taken by her god-brother, Sun Fatty, to a grand hotel for an outing on the first day of the New Year.

It had to be said that the Old Madam truly enjoyed being out because of the excitement.

Accompanied by her godson and god-daughter-in-law, the trio—also holding a big baby boy—looked perfectly complete to everyone who saw them.

Those who knew Sun Fatty well understood that he had recognized this woman as his godmother when he was thirty. Those closer to them had even visited the Old Lady's home. She was indeed a good old lady, who appeared stern but was genuinely kind, and very generous.

So, upon entering, those who recognized her greeted the Old Madam respectfully: "Old Madam, where have you been? Happy New Year!"

The Old Madam smiled sweetly, "Good, good. Everyone have a good year."

This was something Cheng Ying and her god-aunt had coached her on. Besides, it was the first day of the New Year, and everyone used the same greeting. It would be hard for the Old Madam to forget.

Those who didn't recognize her went straight to the god-uncle. "Oh, our Old Madam! We didn't see you. Brother Sun isn't being very thoughtful!"

Sun Fatty and the god-aunt didn't deny it at all. "It's our fault, Brother. Our Old Madam doesn't really like going out much when she's home."

The visitors also offered their greetings to the Old Madam. When they sat down for the meal, seeing the large rooster the Old Madam was holding, they realized she was quite old and perhaps a bit muddled.

Everyone shook their heads. Sun Fatty, despite his appearance, turned out to be a filial man. Who would bring out a confused old woman like this to join the festivities? Sun Fatty was a good man, and he and his wife were good people.

Furthermore, looking at how attentive Sun Fatty was to the Old Madam—what was that thing she was holding? Was it a chicken? They couldn't even identify the breed. This showed how resourceful Sun Fatty was to procure such a thing for his own mother to keep. What capability!

Although Sun Fatty brought the Old Madam out without seeking fame, achieving this result was still a gain. When the family of four drove home, Sun Fatty boasted, "See? My real mother. It must be that my connection with the Old Madam was forged in a past life."

The god-aunt pulled the coat around the Old Madam's shoulders. "Mom, was the food at the restaurant good? Should I have Dongzi get you another bowl of noodles later?"

The Old Madam replied, "The food was good, very good, but there wasn't much meat."

See? The Old Madam still had sharp insight.

The god-aunt couldn't fulfill this wish. The doctor had advised that the elderly should eat less meat. It was difficult.

Sun Fatty exclaimed, "Oh, that request is too hard to grant! Yingzi watches you so closely; how could I get you more meat?"

The Old Madam understood: no meat. Her expression soured, and she took out her false teeth in the car. "If there's no meat to eat, why wear teeth?"

She mumbled, but those in the car heard her clearly. The Old Madam wasn't truly confused; her reasoning was perfectly sound.

It must be said, teeth shouldn't be taken out casually; it wasn't hygienic.

But at that moment, the god-aunt actually picked up the Old Madam's teeth. "Mom, you can't just take these out and put them down. You must wash them properly before wearing them next time. They need washing every time you put them in." Then, she found a handkerchief and carefully wrapped the teeth for the Old Madam, showing not a hint of disgust.

The god-uncle looked at his wife. "Why didn't my own mother have this fortune? If my birth mother were still alive, my wife would surely be a filial daughter-in-law."

The god-aunt mused, "That's not certain. Zi Zi has a good temper, but that doesn't guarantee she'd be a good daughter-in-law in her mother-in-law's eyes. Yingzi said it herself: the relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is a mathematical problem with more solutions than mathematics can solve. Imagining it is fine, but in actual interaction, there are bound to be bumps."

The god-uncle looked at his wife's practical analysis. "I believe in my wife."

The god-aunt was about to say more, then paused, realizing: her mother-in-law was gone, but she had a god-mother-in-law, and they actually got along quite well.

Seeing his wife so earnest, the god-uncle laughed heartily, which was rare for him.

The Old Madam’s mood generally dropped after learning she couldn't eat meat; she became reluctant to talk about anything.

The god-uncle sighed. "Our Mom is blessed. She only listens to what she likes. Look, the moment she heard I couldn't get her meat, she stopped talking to me."

The god-aunt countered, "Yingzi is doing what’s best for the Old Madam."

The god-uncle lamented, "Yingzi... sigh. I have to say something about that child. The Old Madam is already so old; she should eat whatever she wants to eat. What's this nonsense about listening to doctors?"

The god-aunt pursed her lips. In a way, he was right. Listening to the doctor was correct. But the Old Madam was indeed very old; as the elderly say, eating just a few bites is enough, so she should eat what she craves. "You are her god-uncle, not an outsider. You should speak your mind, but you can't just let her eat whatever she wants either. Someone needs to hold the line."

The god-uncle looked at his wife, then at the sulking Old Madam. "Ah, my own dear mother!"

The god-uncle and god-aunt had a very good day today. This was the first year they had a full house for the holiday. In previous years, they only saw other families with their elders and children gathering happily. Having such a lively gathering in their own home this year was a sign of popularity.

However, there were also less pleasant aspects. The god-aunt’s birth family was not having a good time, even though their meal today was no different from previous years. They were still treated well and given good seats as Sun Fatty’s in-laws.

But seeing Sun Fatty and his daughter fussing over the dull-witted Old Madam beside them—as the mother-in-law and father-in-law, they were genuinely unhappy. If he had his birth mother, they wouldn't contest this. But since he didn't, why go to such lengths to cater to a godmother? Were his actual in-laws fake?

This realization deeply displeased the elders. They had always said their daughter was outgoing, and it was true. Their daughter and son-in-law were close to the in-laws' side, but their own daughter, whose birth mother had passed, was busy serving a godmother. What nonsense!

This dissatisfaction persisted after they returned home. Now that Sun Fatty was successful, he had forgotten them, humph.

This thought wasn't just kept in their hearts; the father-in-law voiced it to his daughter when they left.

The god-aunt heard her parents say this, offered no reaction, and simply escorted them out without saying an extra word.

After all these years of caring for her birth parents, a gulf had formed in her heart. She could never be as close to them as she was before marriage. Some bonds simply couldn't be forced.

Her own child was unlucky; there were no older generations doting on them.

The god-aunt never mentioned this to Sun Fatty. What difference would it make if she spoke of it? If the connection wasn't there, it wasn't there.

The god-uncle asked, "Wife, I noticed Mom and Dad seemed unhappy. Did we do something wrong?"

When speaking of these two sets of relatives, the god-uncle and god-aunt were always cautious; both disliked discussing them, as it brought painful memories.