As for Lin He’s grandparents, they had always lived in their own courtyard with Hongxia. A few years prior, when Dongyu came to stay at Qingshan’s house, Zhao Shi insisted they needed someone to do chores, so Er Niu bought her another one. However, this time Er Niu didn't choose a young, pretty maid as Zhao Shi had before; instead, he went directly to the broker and purchased a middle-aged woman in her forties to send over, determined not to let those past incidents happen again.

The entire family of Dajiang and He Shi was the biggest headache for everyone else. This big family would gather together for a fight almost every other day—either He Shi and Song Yuemei would clash, or Song Yuemei and Dongyu would argue, or Dongyu and He Shi would secretly stab at each other. In essence, the three women in the household had formed their own separate factions, and life at home was certainly lively.

The trouble primarily started after Dongyu gave birth. When Dongyu first became pregnant, she was certain she would have a son and was quite smug in front of Song Yuemei. Furthermore, when she first arrived, none of them knew Dongyu’s true nature; even He Shi and Qingshan were initially on Dongyu’s side.

He Shi found Dongyu to be a gentle daughter-in-law who was devoted to her. As for Qingshan, after living with Song Yuemei for so long, the initial thrill had worn off, replaced by the mundane trifles of married life. Moreover, Song Yuemei had grown disheartened with Qingshan, naturally ceasing to invest much emotion in him. Qingshan felt he could no longer recapture that original spark with Song Yuemei, but he found that feeling precisely in Dongyu now.

Compounding this was everyone’s eager anticipation for Dongyu’s pregnancy. Although Dongyu had entered the household as a concubine, she had initially eclipsed Song Yuemei in prestige. But ultimately, Dongyu disappointed everyone’s expectations; not only did she fail to bear a son, but she suffered a difficult labor, failing to even bring forth a baby girl. The doctor advised that due to the severe hemorrhage during the difficult birth, her health was considerably weakened, and it would be best to avoid pregnancy for the next two years, waiting until her body had fully recovered before attempting it again.

Dongyu constantly accused Song Yuemei of causing her harm, but Song Yuemei vehemently denied it, even swearing on her own daughter’s life that she had nothing to do with it. Dongyu’s version was that when the midwife announced she was close to labor, it was just her and Song Yuemei in the house on the day of the birth. Dongyu claimed Song Yuemei deliberately pushed her when she saw no one else around, causing her to fall hard onto the ground, and then intentionally delayed calling for help for a long while before finally going out to fetch aid, which led to the difficult labor.

Song Yuemei’s account was that when she came out of the room, she found Dongyu already lying on the floor. She immediately rushed out to call for help. She claimed she didn't know how Dongyu fell and asserted that Dongyu was deliberately framing her. No one knew the truth of the matter; only the two of them knew. He Shi and Qingshan lacked proof, and furthermore, since the outcome was the death of a baby girl during a difficult birth, He Shi and the others were unwilling to press the matter further.

Since the death of her child, Dongyu harbored resentment toward everyone—toward Song Yuemei, naturally, but also toward Qingshan and He Shi. She felt her child had died for nothing while these people remained indifferent. Her demeanor changed from the gentle and charming woman she once was to someone intensely sharp and spiteful toward everyone, surpassing even Song Yuemei in harshness. She carried the air of a scorned wife every day, as if everyone owed her a great debt. This attitude began to irritate He Shi and Qingshan, and over time, her relationship with everyone naturally deteriorated.

As for Song Yuemei, her life in recent years has been somewhat better than Dongyu’s. This was mainly because Song Yuemei no longer held any emotional expectations of Qingshan. She did as she pleased, kept control of the household finances, and as long as Qingshan handed over the money, she was disinclined to pry into his activities. However, concerning Dongyu, whenever there was work to be done, Song Yuemei often treated Dongyu like a servant girl, and during downtime, she frequently found fault with her. Dongyu, unwilling to submit, led to frequent quarrels. He Shi’s relationship with Qingshan had improved somewhat over the years, and she no longer ignored Qingshan’s family as she did right after the separation. She would drop by Qingshan’s house occasionally, and when she felt vexed, she would go there specifically to pick a fight with Song Yuemei. With three women performing their drama, the house was in constant uproar, becoming a laughingstock in the village.

Then there was Dajiang. In recent years, Dajiang and Dasheng continued to work diligently at Er Niu’s place. Every day, besides maintaining the fishpond, they kept the orchard and the flowers on the mountain perfectly managed. Er Niu was extremely satisfied with both of them. Each month they received a wage of eight hundred large coins, and at the end of the year, he would also give them a small red envelope as a bonus, with the minimum being two taels of silver.

Furthermore, there was He Shi’s daughter, Yu’er, who was sixteen this year, already past the customary age for betrothal. In the past few years, He Shi had been constantly asking matchmakers to find a match for Yu’er, but every suitor presented was deemed unsatisfactory by He Shi. She insisted that Yu’er should not marry into an ordinary farming family; she wanted her to marry into wealth, specifically someone from the town, for which she expected Er Niu’s household to arrange. However, Er Niu ignored her demands. He Shi caused another scene at Er Niu’s house, forcing Dajiang to drag her back. In truth, given Yu’er’s age, most girls her age would already have their marriages settled, but because He Shi’s standards were impossibly high, Yu’er remained unattached.

Seeing that in another year or two she would become an older unmarried woman, Yu’er herself was growing anxious. Actually, Yu’er had changed somewhat over the years; her attitude toward Lin He and the others had softened considerably, and she was more polite than before. If the family gathered, she was no longer as withdrawn as she used to be and would sometimes chat with Lin He. Lin He’s impression of Yu’er had also improved greatly.

Lin He believed that Yu’er wasn't inherently a bad person; it was just that He Shi had failed to provide proper guidance when she was young, leaving Yu’er unclear about right and wrong. Through various conversations with Yu’er in recent years, Lin He had gained some understanding of her. Yu’er was somewhat selfish and inclined toward comfort, but she wasn't malicious. She wasn't as willful and sharp-tongued as He Shi. Lin He felt that no one was perfect; while someone like Yu’er couldn't be a confidante, she was certainly acceptable as a general relative.

Sometimes, when Lin He thought about Yu’er’s marriage prospects, she felt a pang of sympathy. At this time, a girl had no say in her own marriage, and with He Shi so insistent on marrying her into wealth, Yu’er’s marriage prospects would likely continue to drag on.

Lin He wasn't the only one thinking this way. Even Zhao Shi shared the sentiment. Not long after the New Year, Zhao Shi came to Lin He’s home. Zhao Shi often visited Lin He’s courtyard for a chat when she had nothing else to do, and Hongyun and Hongxia would frequently stop by to pass the time. Zhao Shi had been visiting more often because of this. This morning, Hongyun couldn't come as she had work starting, but Hongxia was here, and Zhao Shi arrived as well. With Lin He, Huang Shi, and Chen’er all sitting together doing embroidery, Zhao Shi entered the courtyard, sat down, and immediately brought up Yu’er’s situation: “He’r, you’ve spent a lot of time in town with Dabao these past few years. Can you see if you can find a family in town for your sister Yu’er? Yu’er turned sixteen after the New Year; we absolutely must find a husband for her this year.”