He Shi heard Da Jiang’s shout from the side, responded, and walked over to help move things. In an instant, an idea formed in He Shi's mind. Thinking of this idea, He Shi began moving things diligently, going back and forth without any laziness. When everyone stopped for a rest, He Shi said to Zhao Shi, "Mother and Father, you must be tired. Everyone worked hard today. I'll go make dinner for you."

With that, she walked towards the kitchen. Zhao Shi found this sudden diligence from her eldest daughter-in-law rather strange; usually, you’d have to kick her to get her to move. Perhaps she had finally seen reason? Zhao Shi didn't think too much about it and insisted everyone stay to eat before heading back. She mentioned that Er Niu had already prepared all the New Year's provisions for their family. Since the occasion was simply to renovate the house, there was no need for a grand banquet; a simple family meal would suffice.

Er Niu thought this was fine and sent Da Bao back to fetch Huang Shi and the others to eat at the maternal home. When the heavily pregnant Huang Shi arrived, the entire family gathered in the courtyard. Zhao Shi held Song Yue Mei’s daughter, the little one already several months old, her bright eyes darting around. Lin He thought Song Yue Mei’s daughter was quite lovely, inheriting the best features from both Song Yue Mei and Qing Shan. Even at just a few months, the child was exquisitely delicate and utterly endearing.

Lin He and the others rarely saw such a young child and clustered around Zhao Shi, playfully engaging with the baby. Zhao Shi sat next to Huang Shi, looking at her large belly, and said with concern, "The second daughter-in-law’s belly is so big; could she be carrying twins? If it really is twins, giving birth might be quite difficult."

Huang Shi smiled and reassured Zhao Shi, "Mother, it's fine. Even if they are twins, I’m not afraid. We've already arranged for the local midwife, and this isn't my first delivery. I’m sure there won't be any major issues."

However, hearing Zhao Shi’s words made Lin He feel a touch worried. Twins—that’s what they called 'shuangbao tai' in her past life. Lin He had seen many women carry twins in her previous existence. While having twins at once saved some effort, two babies in the womb were certainly not as ideal as just one; nutrient absorption would definitely not be as comprehensive, and giving birth was a far greater ordeal.

It was a pity that most doctors at this time lacked the skill to determine for certain whether it was twins. Nevertheless, Lin He suspected that even if it wasn't twins, it was going to be a giant baby. Huang Shi’s belly was significantly larger than that of an average pregnant woman.

Old Man Lin, however, laughed and said, "If it were twins, that would be wonderful! Our Lin family has never been blessed with such fortune."

When Er Niu heard his father’s words, he was naturally pleased, but he remained concerned for his wife. He worried about potential complications like difficult labor, which could be disastrous. So many women died from difficult births in those days.

Furthermore, for Er Niu, he already had sons and daughters; his wife was undoubtedly more important than the children. If anything happened to his wife because of the birth, that would be an irreparable loss.

He Shi, Zhou Shi, Hong Xia, and Song Yue Mei were preparing the meal in the kitchen. He Shi's behavior that day surprised both Zhou Shi and Hong Xia. She eagerly took on tasks and spoke nothing but pleasantries, being unusually amiable to everyone. Usually, she was the one most inclined to stir up trouble.

Seeing her mother-in-law acting this way, Song Yue Mei couldn't help but guess what new scheme her mother-in-law was plotting. Just a few days ago, over the matter of renovating the house, her mother-in-law had cursed Grandmother for days, uttering words so malicious they sent shivers down the spine. Even on the road here today, after Father-in-law announced they should come help, Mother-in-law was still muttering complaints. For her attitude to pivot so drastically now—if Song Yue Mei were told that He Shi had suddenly become good-natured, she would sooner believe she had been beaten to death.

As the family began eating, Zhao Shi spoke up again, "Er Niu, why bring pork over for my family for the New Year? Hong Xia earned quite a bit of pork while working at your place, and there are only a few of us here; we can't eat that much. Take some back later. Your family has many relatives to visit and give gifts to for the New Year; you’ll need a good amount of supplies. Take some of that pork back with you."

"Mother, we have enough pork at home. The gifts for the relatives are already prepared; they won't require much pork. What we have left at home is plenty for us to eat. The pork I gave you, please keep it and eat it slowly," Huang Shi said with a smile.

"Then let’s do this: Eldest son's wife and third son's wife, when you leave later, each take two jin of pork back. I can't eat it all either," Zhao Shi told Zhou Shi and He Shi.

Before Zhou Shi could respond, He Shi spoke up immediately: "Mother, what are you saying? This is what Second Brother's family prepared for you for the New Year; how could we possibly take something back? We’ve already prepared everything for our own New Year. I was actually planning to pack some things over here for you later. Once we finish eating, I'll tidy up something for Da Jiang to deliver to you."

He Shi’s statement startled everyone at the table. This was completely out of character for her. Usually, if someone gave her something, she would only complain if it wasn't enough; she would never refuse something offered, let alone offer to give gifts in return. Thus, every person seated at the large table was extremely surprised.

Even Da Jiang looked at He Shi with surprise. What was wrong with this woman? She seemed like a different person; had something gone wrong with her mind? Although He Shi’s change surprised Da Jiang, he was satisfied. He chimed in, "That’s right, Mother. We’ve got everything sorted at our place. I’ll send some over later."

Zhao Shi was clearly stunned by He Shi and only snapped back to attention when Da Jiang spoke, saying vaguely, "Ah, good, then don't take any." She clearly hadn't fully recovered her composure.

The meal concluded with the entire family dining in unprecedented harmony and friendliness. In truth, He Shi had always been the troublemaker in this family; every time they gathered, she would invariably bring up something unpleasant or start an argument. This time, He Shi remained silent and acted exceptionally polite, so naturally, no one else disrupted the atmosphere.

Lin He also observed He Shi closely throughout the meal. If one suggested He Shi had genuinely changed for the better, Lin He would never believe it. The only plausible explanation was that He Shi was harboring some ulterior motive. But what motive? Lin He was unsure, though she was certain it had something to do with Grandmother’s house.

Still, Lin He felt that He Shi had become much smarter than before. At least she understood how to use a different approach to achieve her goals. This was certainly an improvement over her previous, purely shrewish and stubborn behavior.