The old woman was sharp; having two outsiders suddenly join the family wouldn't be easy to manage. What could an old woman like her do to protect her granddaughter? That’s why she agreed to the division of the household, even tolerating her daughter-in-law moving to the city.

After all, in the future, her granddaughter would depend on her own mother. Uncles, aunts, and maternal uncles—none of them meant as much to the old woman as a mother, even if Yang Zhi, the mother, was proving deeply disappointing now.

The old woman understood the daughter-in-law’s difficult position, and Yang Zhi's path to where she was now truly left her with no other options. Who could have foreseen the success that Chi Yong would achieve?

The old woman made sure to leave a fallback plan for her granddaughter. Should any major change occur down the line, Ying Zi could at least stay with Yang Zhi for a while longer.

Ever since the old woman allowed Yang Zhi and Chi Yong to go to the city, she knew that any future goodwill would depend entirely on individual conscience.

The old woman had never expected that her eldest granddaughter would be so capable. The girl was so young; while others her age were still little warm coats for their parents at home, Ying Zi alone worked tirelessly, going up the mountain from dawn till dusk without a single day off. The old woman’s heart ached seeing it, truly ached.

If only her son were still around, how could she bear to let the girl suffer like this? Sometimes, away from prying eyes, the old woman would scold Yang Zhi for half a day. She had never seen such a mother; any woman with a shred of feeling would know how to cherish her child. However, the old woman never said a word in front of Ying Zi, fearing it would cause issues between her granddaughter and her own mother later on.

The old woman changed her cooking every day, trying out new things for Ying Zi. The small amount of money Ying Zi earned selling tiger skins wasn't even enough to hire someone to help her on the mountain, yet the old woman would spare whatever she had just so Ying Zi wouldn't have to be alone.

So, no matter what strenuous work Ying Zi did on the mountain, the old woman never complained.

The old woman had decided: if the family fortune was squandered by the girl, she would let Ying Zi go find her mother and she herself would live with her two sons; she absolutely would not burden her granddaughter.

The old woman had two things she never expected. One was that her granddaughter was not only capable of enduring hardship but also highly competent. The girl had managed to bring forth output from such a barren stretch of mountain land, yielding results the old woman had never dreamed of.

At least the household no longer had to worry about food and drink. At that point, the mother and daughter were already moderately wealthy. While the villagers were still debating whether a day’s wage was five yuan or five and a half, the old woman and her granddaughter were secretly counting money indoors—piles and piles of it, even if it was just small change.

The old woman knew how difficult things were for the widow and her orphaned granddaughter. She never even mentioned the money to her two biological sons. It wasn't that she didn't miss her sons, but she was afraid. How old was her granddaughter? Riches have always tempted people; what if the sons and their wives developed greedy ideas? What would Ying Zi have to rely on then?

The old woman couldn't bear to see her little girl struggling so hard on the mountain.

So, the old woman guarded her granddaughter, living frugally. Even with money, she dared not be extravagant, much less use it to support her sons, fearing it would bring trouble to Ying Zi.

The second thing the old woman never expected was Chi Wu. To think that such a young child, still so unsettled, could comprehend things—the old woman had always kept a distance from this boy. She viewed this child as a potential enemy to her granddaughter.

Had anyone ever heard of a stepmother's child being as close as a biological child raised by a stepfather? In modern terms, the old woman always saw Chi Wu as Ying Zi's competitor. To expect her to be completely openhearted with Chi Wu would be absurd. Even making him trousers or a padded coat was done out of respect for Yang Zhi, merely to maintain a better atmosphere at home, to pave the way for her granddaughter.

But she never imagined that this child would be so thoughtful, even more so than the heartless woman Yang Zhi.

He traveled such a long way, yet whenever he had a holiday, Chi Wu would come over, and upon arrival, he would work alongside Ying Zi on the mountain, never slacking off. Any heavy or tiresome chore, Chi Wu handled it flawlessly. Moreover, the boy was capable; by simply tinkering with medicinal herbs, he brought in so much money.

When Chi Wu gave money to the old woman, she pursed her lips for a long time, never having expected the boy would remember her.

When Chi Wu used his own money to buy a fuel-guzzling tractor for her granddaughter, the old woman’s view of him became even more complex. How much money must that have cost? He was just a child, perhaps not grasping the importance of money.

And when Chi Wu explained that he only bought it because he felt sorry for Cheng Ying walking back and forth between the mountain and the village, the old woman's chest ached. Who could understand her granddaughter’s hardships as well as he did?

At that moment, the old woman felt that what Chi Wu brought home was worth every penny, even the fuel it consumed. If she had the means and knew how to acquire such a thing, she would have bought one for her granddaughter too.

From then on, the old woman’s attitude toward Chi Wu shifted. Besides herself, this was the only other person who genuinely cared for Ying Zi. Anyone who cared for Ying Zi, the old woman found pleasing to the eye.

If before, the old woman regarded Chi Wu with perfunctory, self-serving courtesy, from that moment on, she treated Chi Wu like her own grandson. It wasn't just because he bought a tractor for their family; it was purely because of the affection Chi Wu held for Ying Zi.

The old woman watched coldly. If something were to happen to her, her granddaughter would have no one to rely on. At the very least, he wouldn't fight her granddaughter for property. The old woman often thought that when her time came, she would leave behind no trouble for her granddaughter; she would plan for everything she could for the girl. It was truly difficult for a young woman.

It was true that the old woman's feelings toward Chi Wu had changed. Whatever food the household had, whatever fresh things arrived, the old woman always set aside a portion for Chi Wu, especially the delicacies. She would certainly save the best treats for holidays, because that was when Chi Wu visited.

With the tractor in the house, Cheng family's old woman suddenly found herself much more popular. More people fawned over her, all because the village now had such a useful machine that made everything convenient.

The old woman had tasted enough salty fare to understand such tactics, but she pretended to be oblivious, allowing people to flatter her, acting the fool to be appeased.

Whenever a neighbor had farm work, the old woman would cheerfully let Ying Zi use the vehicle to haul things back. During the harvest season, the machine and its driver were constantly busy. Behind closed doors, the old woman gritted her teeth with worry—that thing drank fuel, and fuel wasn't free! But the old woman knew her granddaughter had no real backing. Earning good favor now might provide some assistance if trouble arose later.

Ying Zi was well aware of her grandmother’s concerns. Every time she returned, she would tell the old woman, "Don't worry, Grandma. We aren't short of money."

The old woman would put on a pained face: "No matter how much money you have, it’s yours, earned through sweat dripping to the ground and shattering into pieces. If you had someone to support you, if your eldest uncle and second uncle had a better relationship with you, why would I have to worry myself sick like this?" At moments like this, the old woman resented her sons for being foolish and lacking foresight, for failing to see how wonderful Ying Zi was.

Ying Zi felt sorry for the old woman. How could life always go as one wished? Why should others treat you well if you offered them no assistance?

Cheng Ying said, "My uncles treat me fine, especially Second Uncle. You're just worrying too much, Grandma."

The old woman knew her granddaughter was just comforting her. However, she couldn't bring herself to scold her sons. Instead, she would always curse the two daughters-in-law behind their backs, launching into a half-hour tirade against them.

At times like these, Cheng Ying felt a deep warmth toward the old woman. Everything the old woman did was for her sake. When the old woman cursed her sons for not being closer to their niece, attributing the rift to the daughters-in-law,

the old woman's concern for her sons diminished even further.

Later, when Ying Zi became successful and managed to buy a house in the city, the old woman was overjoyed beyond words. Though the city felt strange, having the girl's mother nearby to offer support was infinitely better than having no one.

Having two uncles in the village was worse than having none; the old woman’s heart had long grown cold toward them.

While her granddaughter was toiling on the mountain, her own sons were in the village sunning themselves and chatting, never once thinking to lend a hand to their niece.

How could one rely on them?

Without another word, the old woman followed Ying Zi to the city.

Only the old woman knew the anxiety she felt. She knew no one; the confinement in her heart was stifling. But leaving her granddaughter alone to face an unfamiliar world made her even more uneasy.

Although Yang Zhi was the biological mother, she was also the person the old woman felt most helpless about—the person she had to entrust Ying Zi to when she couldn't watch over her granddaughter herself.

In the old woman’s view, Yang Zhi was unreliable. She already had a son; how much concern could she still devote to her daughter? Moreover, the son had his own father standing beside him to balance things out, whereas the daughter had no father figure accompanying her.

Fortunately, there was Chi Wu in the city. The old woman had observed over the past couple of years that Chi Wu was truly good, certainly better than Yang Zhi and Chi Yong.

Life in the city turned out much better than the old woman had anticipated. The people here weren't difficult to get along with.

The old woman found people to talk to after just a few days wandering the park.

And Ying Zi was quite the spendthrift! The courtyard they had looked like the property of a landlord. The old woman sometimes couldn't sleep soundly, afraid that they might be denounced and dragged out at any moment. Though they were enjoying comfort, she didn't feel entirely secure.

Furthermore, when the old woman visited the Chi family, she saw that Chi Wu’s elderly parents weren't exactly saints either. She suspected Yang Zhi’s life in the city wasn't easy, and Ying Zi couldn't count on her mother.

This made the old woman even more determined to cultivate her own small network of relationships, believing her granddaughter couldn't look after everyone.

It was Chi Wu who surprised the old woman; he had moved directly into their courtyard, just as he had in the village, acting as if he were a member of the family.

Every time the Chi family's old woman cast a resentful glare at Chi Wu seeing him at the Cheng house, the Cheng family's old woman felt like she was watching a grand opera in her heart.

Your grandson loves it here, what can you do? If you’re so capable, why don’t you drag your grandson away?

The old woman had thoroughly assessed Chi Wu, weighing him up and down. This boy only had one brother, and he was nominally Yang Zhi's son. Otherwise, she truly wouldn't find another child as reassuring as Chi Wu. What a pity.

From the time Cheng Ying turned sixteen, the old woman’s eyes had been fixed on boys the same age as her granddaughter, hoping to find one who was almost as good as Chi Wu.

Otherwise, what would her granddaughter do in the future? Unfortunately, such people were truly hard to find.

Later, the old woman lowered her standards: finding someone who was half as capable, half as sensible, and half as devoted as Chi Wu would suffice. Yet, the old woman watched with wide eyes, and not a single one materialized.

The more she looked at Chi Wu, the more frustrated the old woman became. Why was it that all the promising ones were turning out to be related to her family?

The old woman never expected that in this lifetime, she would have another surprise. This lad Chi Wu, with his wolfish ambition, had conceived such a scheme. To be honest, when the old woman saw Chi Wu and Cheng Ying in the same bed, she wasn't entirely angry; what angered her more was why this little rascal Chi Wu didn't choose a different approach? She had absolutely no objections to Chi Wu becoming her granddaughter's husband.