Only then did Great Jiang finally understand what kind of mischief his wife had been up to all this time; this woman truly thought of every possible trick. Great Jiang thought, then spoke, "Father, Mother, we won't move into your house for now. You should stay in your own courtyard during this time. I won't short you on your monthly filial allowance. We'll move you in with us once we build our own house later. Right now, there really isn't space."

Over by the side, Madam He, having heard Lin He's words, stared fiercely at Lin He. If looks could kill, Lin He would have died several times over, but Lin He wasn't afraid of her, and deliberately called out, "Auntie, why are you staring at me? I didn't say anything wrong; you said the exact same thing last time."

Madam He was startled by Lin He's shout. She hadn't expected Lin He to call her out so directly, and instantly her face grew awkward, offering no reply. Madam Huang, sensing the atmosphere shift, interjected, "He'er, don't be rude."

Once Great Jiang had spoken, Madam He knew he was somewhat angered and dared not cause further trouble, remaining silent. Just when everyone thought the matter was settled, Song Yuemei spoke up from the side: "Father, this time I think Mother was right. Mother wants to live with Grandpa and Grandma out of filial piety. Although our house isn't as fine as the one Second Uncle built for them, and we don't have maids attending us, must the poor be denied the chance to show filial piety? Qingshan only mentioned moving into Grandpa and Grandma's house as a suggestion. If Second Uncle and the others aren't willing, Grandpa and Grandma can still come and stay with us."

Song Yuemei's words were exceptionally reasonable, leaving everyone truly perplexed as to what the Madam He family was truly aiming for. It seemed they genuinely just wanted to live with the elders to express their devotion.

Not long after, Song Yuemei's tone shifted: "However, of course, Grandpa and Grandma's house is considerably better. Living in our humble home would be a bit of an imposition. Never mind Grandpa and Grandma; even Eldest Aunt and the other aunts are living in nice houses, and now our entire family is stuck in this dilapidated shack. Frankly, it feels quite embarrassing to even suggest moving Grandpa and Grandma in. So, let's follow Father's suggestion: we'll wait until our family builds a new house one day, and then we'll invite Grandpa and Grandma over. But right now, the family still owes money to Second Uncle's household. We haven't paid off that debt yet, so who knows when we can build a new house. I fear that by the time Maomao grows up, we still won't have a place for her to live."

The family listened in silence after Song Yuemei's speech. Lin He looked at Song Yuemei, realizing she truly wasn't simple. These few sentences were delivered with perfect logic; in essence, all that talk was an indirect jab that they built good houses for the elders and the aunts, but gave their branch of the family nothing, even while professing filial piety. But Lin He was still confused about Song Yuemei's ultimate goal.

However, the impression Song Yuemei left on everyone was different from that of Madam He. Song Yuemei had been married into the family for so long, speaking very little in front of everyone. Even when Madam He bullied her publicly, she never argued back. Now, the words Song Yuemei spoke, if Lin He wasn't mistaken, were bound to have some effect.

Furthermore, there was another point: Madam He feared being divorced by Great Jiang, but Song Yuemei did not. Now that Qingshan was also backing her, she definitely held the advantage.

Sure enough, Madam Zhao, listening to Song Yuemei's words, changed her mind from the outright refusal she had already given. "Yes, the eldest brother's family is indeed having a difficult time. The family members are growing, and the house is many years old. It is time the house was renovated." Madam Zhao finished speaking while staring pointedly at Er Niu.

Er Niu saw the look from his mother and knew she expected him to step in and help. But Er Niu felt he had already helped his elder brother's family quite enough, and the old debt wasn't even settled. Er Niu thought for a moment, then opened his mouth: "Then what exactly are you, Big Sister-in-law and Big Brother, planning? Do you intend to live with Father and Mother, or do you intend to build a new house? You’ve said so much, but I'm still not entirely clear."

Everyone turned to look at Song Yuemei; even Madam He was stunned, unsure what Song Yuemei was trying to accomplish. In fact, yesterday Madam He and Qingshan had agreed on a plan: today's goal was to get Madam Zhao and her husband to agree to let them move in with the elders. But Song Yuemei's words didn't seem to align with that goal. What exactly was she after?

Great Jiang had no idea what these three were plotting. He turned back to Er Niu: "I said it already, whatever we do in this house, we have to settle your family's debt first. That money hasn't been paid off—what's the rush to build a house? The house is perfectly fine to live in. We'll talk about it later when life is better."

Song Yuemei, hearing Great Jiang’s words, let out a laugh and said, "Father, you say the house is fine? The house is ancient, many years old. In the dead of winter nights, the wind blows right through it. Whenever it rains, the roof leaks everywhere. When I live in that house with Maomao, I am constantly afraid that tiles might fall and hit her one day. Even if you don't care about us adults, you must think of the child. Maomao may be just a girl and not precious, but she is your first granddaughter after all."

"Yes, yes, that house truly cannot be lived in anymore. The courtyard is a mess, freezing in the winter and hot in the summer—it’s impossible to live there. Second Uncle, could you please lend a hand? This house really needs to be rebuilt," Madam He quickly added, echoing Song Yuemei's sentiment.

"What are you saying? Our house can't be lived in, so you beg Er Niu for help? What does this have to do with Er Niu? You foolish woman, really..." Great Jiang grew agitated upon hearing Madam He’s words.

Er Niu looked at his elder brother's frustrated expression and felt a pang of sympathy. Although he knew that his elder brother's courtyard was indeed an old house that had stood for years and was somewhat dilapidated, it definitely wasn't as bad as Madam He and Song Yuemei described; it was perfectly habitable. But after all, this was his own elder brother, who always worked hard and willingly for their family. Er Niu couldn't stand by, so he said, "Big Brother, Big Sister-in-law, how about this: if you plan to build a house, I absolutely support it. Big Brother, starting this month, you can temporarily stop repaying the money to me. Save some money to build the house, and you can pay back the debt slowly once it's finished. How about that?"

Madam He snorted upon hearing Er Niu’s words. Her thought was: if she couldn't move into the new house with the in-laws, borrowing some money from Er Niu's family to build their own would be excellent. When she first heard Er Niu say he supported them building a house, she thought he had agreed to lend money, but it turned out he only said they could temporarily stop repayment. What kind of support was that? Just pretty words.

"Then we thank Second Uncle for his support. My father will still repay the money slowly later on," Song Yuemei smoothly continued where Er Niu left off, "but building a house probably requires a considerable sum of money. The family will have to save for a while. It looks like this debt repayment period will be extended." (To be continued)