"I'm going to ask Zhao Yu's mother about this; what's the meaning of this, knowing our Yu'er's entire family is here, isn't this openly disregarding us?" Madam He said indignantly.

Dajiang said, "Stop making a fuss; sit down and eat. She’s already married into the family. What good will causing trouble do now? You'll only make things difficult for Yu'er."

Hearing Dajiang’s words, Madam He sat down. The entire family silently picked at some food. Finally, when the banquet dispersed, Lin He's family prepared to leave. The local custom dictated that when the bride's family departs, the groom's side must see them off, and they must also present some wedding cakes and pastries for them to take back to the people in their home village.

However, Lin He's family waited for a long time, but no one came to offer greetings. The whole group stood there awkwardly, unsure whether to leave or stay. Fortunately, just as almost everyone else had left, the aunt who had come with Zhao Yu’s mother to propose marriage approached them and offered a perfunctory greeting: "Look, there was so much going on, we completely overlooked you. Truly sorry." That single sentence was enough to dismiss Lin He’s family, and as for those pastries and cakes, there was no mention of them at all.

Since they hadn't been offered anything, and out of concern for appearances today, it truly wasn't appropriate to demand anything here. Having no choice, the family left empty-handed. Midway on the road, Madam Zhao spoke up: "Eldest son, leave us here. Go to town and buy some pastries to take back to the villagers. Without these, the villagers will mock us. Just buy something random in Huayu Town and wait for us here."

Dajiang listened, urged the ox cart toward town to buy the pastries, while the rest of the family waited by the roadside. Everyone was in low spirits. For Yu'er's in-laws to be so petty toward her family on the wedding day itself—this was equivalent to slapping Yu'er’s face. One could easily imagine Yu'er's future.

Lin He looked at Madam He. Since finishing the meal, Madam He hadn't spoken a word; her expression was utterly calm. Lin He couldn't discern what she was thinking—whether she regretted her decision or was contemplating something else entirely.

Suddenly, Madam Zhao broke the silence: "Second son, listen to me. When your daughters find husbands in the future, you must keep your eyes wide open and see clearly. Don't let them marry off so casually, don't let them walk Yu'er's path again."

Erniu nodded, glancing at Lin He and Chen'er beside him, and said with a grave expression, "Although our family isn't wealthy beyond measure, I would never marry off a daughter casually just for money or status. A daughter marrying is a lifelong affair."

Madam Zhao nodded in agreement: "That’s the truth of it. If the man she marries is good, even if the family is a bit poor, things will improve after a few years. But if she marries poorly, her entire life is ruined." As she spoke, she looked pointedly at Hongxia and Hongyun.

Lin He had always been puzzled as to why Grandmother was so invested in Yu'er's situation. Grandmother usually paid little mind to the affairs of her grandchildren, but this time, she seemed unusually concerned. Only now, hearing her words, did Lin He realize that Grandmother likely deeply regretted the marriages of her two aunts, feeling responsible for their unhappy lives. Now, with Yu'er’s wedding, Grandmother seemed determined to rectify her past mistakes by ensuring Yu'er married grandly; failing that, she tried her best to support the process. In the end, however, it proved futile.

Madam He, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke: "Erniu, what are you saying? Do you think I married Yu'er off for money? I didn't take a single copper coin for Yu'er’s wedding; in fact, I spent quite a bit myself. All I wanted was for Yu'er to marry well. Where did I go wrong? Just blame my Dajiang for not being as capable as you."

"Madam He, you still have the nerve to speak? This whole matter is your fault, and I’m telling you now, you are fundamentally and irrevocably mistaken. Instead of arguing now, you’d be better off thinking about how to teach Yu'er to establish herself in her in-laws' home in the future," Madam Zhao snapped sharply.

"What's wrong with Yu'er now? They were just a bit stingy with your food expenses, is it really that terrible?" Madam He continued to argue.

"I don't have the patience to talk to a fool like you. Go to sleep tonight, prop your pillow up high, and think things through before you speak to me again," Madam Zhao said, sounding somewhat exasperated.

The family waited on the road for a while until Dajiang returned with the purchased goods. The whole family then got back into the vehicle and returned home. The flurry surrounding Yu'er's marriage had finally passed after a busy period. Lin He's family had also been occupied recently; when someone in the family has a wedding, there are always chores that require helping hands.

That evening, after dinner, everyone felt tired and retired early to their rooms. When Lin He returned to her chambers, Ziqing and Ziyu entered. Ziqing reported to Lin He, "Miss, we observed the situation for some time and have confirmed that the person who leaked our ointment-making method is indeed Sister-in-law Sanxi. The one handling the external packaging is Chunyun."

"Yes, Chunyun is young, often gluttonous, and talks too much. Sister-in-law Sanxi is a calculating person harming the unwary. She often gives Chunyun small gifts, claiming to treat her like a younger sister. Chunyun let her guard down and mentioned some things about the ointment making, but Chunyun herself doesn't know much, so she didn't reveal much either," Ziyu added.

Lin He pondered this; it seemed to align perfectly with the facts. She then stated, "Chunyun, you two will have her flogged twenty times and then sold off. Also, relay these instructions to the few young maids in the ointment workshop. As for Auntie Sanxi, I am quite curious: how did she, a simple village woman, manage to connect with merchants in town? We must find everyone involved in this conspiracy, otherwise, this sort of incident will occur again. Also, Ziqing and Ziyu, I entrusted this courtyard to you, and now that this has happened, you both bear responsibility."

Ziqing and Ziyu knelt down, saying, "It is our failure to manage things properly, please punish us, Miss."

Lin He nodded, letting them rise. "This is the first time; the penalty is three months' wages. If such a thing happens again, I will not show leniency to you either."

Ziqing and Ziyu quickly nodded, promising that such things would never happen again. Lin He nodded in satisfaction and sent them back to rest.

Lin He lay in bed, unable to sleep, thinking about Auntie Sanxi’s background. When she first hired staff for her household, she had mostly conducted thorough screenings, choosing only those with excellent reputations in the village, known to be hardworking, capable, and reserved. Auntie Sanxi wasn't from her own village; she was introduced by Auntie Tieniu. Lin He had always considered Auntie Tieniu a good person, and since her parents had agreed at the time, she hadn't investigated Auntie Sanxi’s character further. Now she felt she had been careless then, which led to this mess. It seemed that in the future, these matters would need Ziqing and Ziyu to watch over them more closely, otherwise, if anything serious happened, it would be difficult to answer to Uncle Wen and herself.