When Er Niu returned at noon and learned the Second Young Master was visiting, he was initially surprised, but mostly pleased. He instructed Huang Shi to ensure the two young masters were well taken care of, especially since the Second Young Master was visiting for the first time and might be unfamiliar with the surroundings.

Huang Shi and Er Niu chatted in their room, with Huang Shi laughing, "I know all that. It’s this Ning Xuan, the more I see him, the more satisfied I become. He's handsome and polite. You all say he’s aloof and dislikes talking, but I think that’s good. A young man shouldn't talk too much to be reliable; what good is a slick-talker?"

"Indeed, I'm quite pleased with the boy, Ning Xuan. It’s just that Boss Wen's family is so established and wealthy. I worry if the elders in his family will look down upon our humble farmhouse," Er Niu voiced his hidden concern.

"Husband, I think Ning Xuan has a mind of his own. As long as he treats our He'er well, he'll find a way to persuade his family even if they object. Besides, worrying this much is useless. The children are grown, and they've already taken a liking to each other—what can we do?" Although Huang Shi harbored similar worries, she sought to reassure Er Niu.

"You're right. The children are grown, and we can no longer control them. But what parent isn't worried about their child? Especially a girl, who spends over a decade under her parents' roof only to be married off. If she marries well, we share in the joy; if she marries poorly, who knows how much suffering she’ll endure. Today, up on the hill, I heard Eldest Brother say Yu'er returned yesterday and stubbornly refused to go back today. Eldest Sister-in-law and Eldest Brother are apparently going to the Zhao family to settle accounts with Zhao Yu’s kin." Er Niu brought up Yu'er.

"What happened to Yu'er now? They haven't been married that long, how can so many things be happening to her? What is it this time?" Huang Shi asked, sounding anxious.

This is how things transpired: Since it was the busy farming season, and He Shi was away from home these past few days, Er Niu told Da Jiang to stop working at the hill site for a few days, saying he would keep an eye on things when he had time. He also told Hong Xia to bring meals to Da Jiang every day while he worked outside. However, Da Jiang often visited the hill site when he had free time during the day. Yesterday, when Er Niu went to check, he ran into Da Jiang, whose expression was grim. Fearing Da Jiang was overworking himself to the point of illness, Er Niu advised him to see the physician for a pulse check. Da Jiang then said that Yu'er had come back that morning and insisted she wouldn't return to her husband's home.

It was the height of the busy season, and Yu'er's in-laws owned over ten mu of fields, which Zhao Yu’s mother had managed previously. After Yu'er arrived, Zhao Yu’s mother claimed she was too old for field labor and demanded Yu'er single-handedly manage all the planting and harvesting. Yu'er had never set foot in a field while living at home; she had no idea where to even begin. Zhao Yu’s mother stood by, directing Yu'er, scolding her whenever her work was poor or slow.

Yu'er endured the day. By nightfall, she could bear it no longer. Her face was peeling from the sun, and her hands and feet were covered in cuts from the weeds. Furthermore, her mother-in-law had only given her two corn buns and some greens for lunch, and there was no dinner waiting when she returned. Yu'er had been pampered all her life at home and had never suffered such hardship. Exhausted and starving that evening, she didn't even want to move, but her mother-in-law still demanded she wash clothes in the yard. When Yu'er refused, the mother-in-law erupted in curses in the yard, railing that marrying such a wife was the family's misfortune, calling her a girl with the spirit of a pampered young lady who should have been kept by her parents.

Normally, when Yu'er was scolded by her mother-in-law, her husband Zhao Yu would placate her, saying his mother had that temperament and a few words wouldn't harm her, and it would pass. Yu'er usually heeded Zhao Yu and didn't talk back, but today her mother-in-law had gone too far. Yu'er thought her mother-in-law was nearly the same age as her own mother, who worked in the fields every day. Why did her mother-in-law claim she was too old for the work, only to drive Yu'er out to the fields alone? Except for about half an hour for lunch and rest, she hadn't been allowed to stop until dark, all while her mother-in-law stood by the field edge grumbling. Upon returning home, she was denied dinner, and now her scolding was directed at Yu'er’s parents.

This time, Yu'er could not hold back and argued a few sharp words with her mother-in-law. Strictly speaking, it didn't start as outright defiance. It began with her saying, "Mother, I am not very skilled at this field work. You also said you are old and cannot manage it, and Zhao Yu needs to focus on his studies. Why don't we spend some silver to hire temporary laborers to cut the wheat, and we can handle the rest slowly ourselves?"

Unexpectedly, her mother-in-law immediately cursed her out: "You money-wasting wretch! Do you think you are some young miss? Wanting to hire temporary hands for this little bit of land? I managed this entire acreage by myself when I was your age—how can I do it, but you cannot? You just have a rich Second Uncle, but that's not your father. You dare put on airs in front of me! Just because you know about hiring people doesn't mean I don't. Hiring people costs money! We don't have spare cash lying around. If you want to hire them, you hire them!"

"Fine, if you won't pay, then take some money out of my dowry, and I will pay to hire them," Yu'er replied, feeling angry herself.

"Your dowry? Wasn't your dowry paid for by our family’s betrothal gifts? Besides, the silver that came with your dowry is nearly spent. Your wedding cost quite a bit! We gave your family ten taels of silver as a betrothal gift; that was our money. Even if you brought ten taels with you, how much do you think is left? You don't have to pay for room and board here! You can't do any work—are we supposed to feed you for free?" Zhao Yu's mother grew increasingly outrageous.

Zhao Yu, standing nearby, couldn't stand it any longer and spoke up, "Mother, why are you saying these things? Yu'er married into our family; she is one of us. How can you calculate it like that? Yu'er is right; we have a lot of land, perhaps we should spend some money to hire help."

Zhao Yu had intended to ease the tension for Yu'er, but his words only made his mother even angrier. However, unwilling to curse her own son, she simply pulled Zhao Yu into the house and said, "You don't need to manage the household affairs; I know what I'm doing. A new bride, a new child—they need instruction. Your mother won't do anything drastic to your wife. You just focus on your studies and bring back an official title for your mother."