"It's alright, it's alright, let's go back to the room to rest first," said the old man of the Chi family. The old woman of the Chi family looked sternly at Chi Yong, "What have you done? Do you still have a family in your eyes?" Cheng Ying couldn't believe that the old woman of the Chi family could be so reasonable at such a critical moment; it was truly difficult to come by.

Chi Yong sighed. What was wrong with me? I just accidentally ate some vinegar, and now I'm a sinner, and no one understands me. Could I say it was just an impulse? Could I say I regretted it instantly?

The old man of the Chi family said, "Zhizi, Yongzi is definitely in the wrong. Not only will we criticize him, but your mother will also spank him later. However, when a family lives together, how can chopsticks not bump into bowls? We still need to give him a chance. After talking things out, whoever needs to apologize should apologize, whoever needs to be disciplined should be disciplined. We can't bottle things up or throw tantrums, okay?"

This was to placate the daughter-in-law. Seeing the attitude of the two elders, Cheng Ying truly felt embarrassed to keep making a fuss.

But this matter needed to be brought into the open; otherwise, her mother would always have a hurdle in her heart.

Cheng Ying said, "My father thinks my mother was a second-hand wife, bringing a child—me—and that my mother took advantage of him."

This statement was too irresponsible. Even Yang Zhi was momentarily stunned; how embarrassing it was to say this in front of her in-laws.

Chi Yong wished he could kick Cheng Ying out; she was just stirring up trouble! How could I have been so foolish as to ask her to persuade my wife?

The faces of the old man and woman of the Chi family turned somber. The old woman of the Chi family said, "Fine, you’re capable, aren't you? At this age, you use that to pressure your wife? What were you doing before you had children? What were you doing before you got married? I gave you a chance. If you had said a word back then, even if it meant losing face for your father and me, we would have broken off the engagement. But what did you say? You didn't look down on her; that’s how you acted back then. Now that she’s grown older with you and has children, you’ve delayed her for over a decade, and now you say this? Your father and I have failed in raising you like this."

Cheng Ying recalled that time; what the old woman said was true. However, listening to Chi Yong, he did show some responsibility. It wasn't easy for him to state his position to his parents back then. This was tantamount to uncovering the dark past of the elderly couple to win favor for their son. This was a true mother.

The old man of the Chi family, though he found his wife's words a bit too harsh, remained silent. What his wife needed to know, she needed to know. His own son had never looked down on Zhizi. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding now.

Yang Zhi even shot Chi Yong a sidelong glance, though she didn't dare look for long.

Chi Yong remained silent, watching his wife, acting as a mere backdrop. Now he had lost both face and substance, and he might not even be able to keep his wife. He had suffered a huge loss. Losing his temper carried too much risk, and Chi Yong regretted it, cursing himself for usually boasting about how his wife was single-minded. Now he understood clearly: if a single-minded person is set on you, fine. But if there's even a slight chance otherwise, it becomes a headache.

Chi Wu thought about dragging Cheng Ying out to at least save his father some face, but Cheng Ying genuinely didn't want to leave. Her own mother was weeping—if she left now and her mother was bullied again, who would she turn to for justice?

The old man of the Chi family looked at his daughter-in-law on the side. It really was difficult when an honest man kicks up his heels. He couldn't just blame their own son, but after all, the daughter-in-law was someone else's daughter, so he couldn't be too harsh. And clearly, she was the wronged party. "Zhizi, what happened was indeed Little Ye's father’s fault. But what is a husband and wife? You can scold him or hit him a few times, but you can't watch him make mistakes, and you certainly can't refuse to give him a chance to correct them. That won't do."

He was still pleading for his son. Cheng Ying said, "Isn't that a bit much? Didn't my mother take advantage of my uncle?"

Chi Yong raised his foot, and Chi Wu swiftly pulled Cheng Ying away—causing trouble! Besides, as a daughter-in-law, how could she discuss the private life matters of her in-laws? She definitely needed more education.

Fine, the younger generation had left, and those inside still had to face the issue of taking advantage.

As the father-in-law, it was awkward to speak to his daughter-in-law about this. "I'll go check on the two children," he said, rubbing his nose as he walked away.

The old woman of the Chi family, in front of her daughter-in-law, grabbed her son's ear. "What do you mean take advantage? Is there any advantage you allow others to take from you?"

As she spoke, she was looking directly at her daughter-in-law. Yang Zhi felt terribly embarrassed. Actually, after crying, the anger she’d held for the past few days didn't seem like such a big deal anymore. Why did this turn into such a fuss for the whole family?

Furthermore, Yang Zhi saw it clearly: once this got out, no matter what, people would say that Yang Zhi was pretending to be innocent after profiting. Even if outsiders didn't say it, her mother-in-law certainly would.

Chi Yong was embarrassed to shout loudly, but he still needed to let his wife vent. Being dragged by the ear by his mother was better than being bitten or kicked by his wife; at least behind closed doors, it was a matter between husband and wife.

He looked at Yang Zhi, silently urging her to speak up—his face and dignity were gone. His gaze was blatant.

Yang Zhi didn't want to pay attention to Chi Yong, but they had to live together as a family. Today, she definitely had to give face to the elders. "Wiping away her tears, she said, "Mother, what are you doing? Be careful, you’ll strain your back."

Saying this, she helped the old woman stand up straight.

Chi Yong was quite frustrated. He thought his wife was speaking up to plead for him. See, women are crueler than men! She was worried about hurting her mother-in-law's back.

It had nothing to do with him at all.

The old woman of the Chi family had long known that her daughter-in-law, though from the village, was sensible, just very stubborn. She didn't expect that even now, she hadn't said a word to her son. "Zhizi, I knew you were sensible. I'll have Yongzi apologize to you. Life as a couple always involves bumps and scrapes. Once it’s aired out, it's fine. You mustn't hold it in and let it fester."

Chi Yong felt his own mother was wonderful; getting his ears pulled twice was worth it. The wise forty-year-old man’s eyes shone brightly, waiting for his wife to speak, for him to bow his head in apology, and then live happily ever after, never wanting to touch any more nonsense—what was wrong with him?

Unfortunately, Yang Zhi truly lived up to her village origins: stubborn and contrary.

If she didn't get angry for ten years, when she did, it was the volume of ten years! "Mother, letting you worry about our matters during the New Year, it's all my fault. It’s not that serious. This is how life goes. Please don't worry; I will take good care of Little Ye."

She phrased it nicely, but she failed to mention taking good care of his son.

Without waiting for the old woman to speak again, she continued, "Mother, why don't you go to the living room and play with the children? It's fine here. It's all delayed the children's mealtime. The child is young; how can they stand to be hungry?"

Chi Yong frowned, looking at his wife. Such a young child, who is breastfed, how could they possibly starve? If they did get hungry, it would be the fault of the unlucky daughter-in-law, not related to cooking. The child refusing to eat was the issue.

Speaking of this daughter-in-law, Chi Yong ground his teeth. In the future, he must stay far away from them.

The old woman of the Chi family was smoothly sent out of the room by her usually honest, simple, and guileless daughter-in-law's few words.

The old woman of the Chi family pondered seriously. Wasn't her daughter-in-law supposedly so uncultivated? Yet, she was quite capable when dealing with her. She had misjudged her all these years.

Chi Yong found it awkward shuttling in and out of the kitchen. The conflict between the couple wasn't resolved; his wife hadn't spoken a single word to him from beginning to end. The war hadn't ended; the terms of peace hadn't been made public yet.

Licking his face and enduring the situation, he helped out in the kitchen. "Zhizi, my face... it seems like I haven't kept any of it, have I?"

Yang Zhi lowered her head and didn't even utter a sound.

Chi Yong said, "Wife, are you asking me to apologize, or are you asking me to beg for forgiveness with thorns? You must give me some direction! Are we going to stop living together over such a small thing? Do you think that's possible? We have to live together from now on, right? We can't always be like this, can we?"

If this continued, Chi Yong couldn't take it anymore. This cold war was hurtful, and even more disheartening.

Yang Zhi pouted, and after a long pause, she finally said, "You have me trapped, but life still has to go on."

This was stated as a certainty; she didn't have any doubt about it.

Chi Yong wanted to deny it, but life truly did have to go on. Never mind his mother pulling his ear; even if his wife personally pulled his ear, Chi Yong never considered the possibility that their life together would end. So, denial would sound rather false.

At least Yang Zhi had spoken. It was worth noting that since the day she returned with the child, there had been few instances where his wife had spoken to him like this.

Chi Yong said, "How can you understand it like that? You should think this way: deep down, I never wanted any changes in our family. Being happy together, being together forever, has always been my goal."

Yang Zhi replied, "I am not as good with words as you, nor as good at coaxing people. The life I have lived has always been wholeheartedly devoted."

Chi Yong nodded; it was true that his wife had always been devoted to him wholeheartedly. The pleasant mood vanished instantly.

Then Yang Zhi said, "If you feel like you’ve been taken advantage of, I won't bother with you. You can handle it yourself."

Chi Yong felt this was far from pleasant. Now, hearing the words taken advantage or suffered a loss, Chi Yong felt like cannonballs were hitting his shoulder.

He truly dared not let Yang Zhi continue; it would damage their relationship, and he couldn't afford that damage.

He immediately raised his hand and pouted, "I was wrong, I was truly wrong! I beg you to look at my future performance. We can never mention matters of taking losses or gaining advantages again. Just treat me as an asshole and a scoundrel from earlier, alright?"

Yang Zhi had never considered who was victorious when they argued. But looking at Chi Yong in that state, she couldn't bring herself to say more. Although she wasn't sure how she felt now, Chi Yong had indeed chosen her back then, and he hadn't regretted it.

The old woman had also said it just now. For that reason alone, Yang Zhi had to live this current life well; if it could be better, let it be better. "You don't need to say that. I didn't mean for you to admit fault. When we argue, there's no question of who is right or wrong, but this issue always remains. It hurts to think about it and hurts to speak of it. Just as you said, I always have to live well with you, and don't worry, I will live well."

For Chi Yong, these words weren't comforting. What she said was practical: without right or wrong, everything still hurt.

There was no question of her forgiving him or not; after all, they had to live the days ahead. She just didn't want to dwell on this anymore. It was like cutting a wound; even after it healed, a scar remained. Wasn't it settled that it would just be invisible?

For Chi Yong, this was recorded as a piece of black history that couldn't be expunged. Chi Yong didn't know how to approach it. He didn't have the fiery, direct love of young people, nor the reserved elegance of the older generation who could reunite happily after a quarrel. Yang Zhi lived her life with such solid reality, leaving no room for fantasy. She didn't even say, "You're on probation."

She just said, no matter what, I will still live my life well with you.

No matter how he heard it, these words sounded somewhat desolate, like mere compromise.