Mrs. Huang finished speaking and glanced at Lin He. Lin He had said the same thing from the start—there were only these two paths, no others available.

"Yes, Big Brother, Second Sister-in-law is right. We don't want anything else from their household, but we absolutely must get back the dowry. That belongs to our Yu'er. If we are separating the family, by custom, her mother-in-law is obligated to hand it over," Hongxia agreed with Mrs. Huang’s sentiment.

Because of the previous incident, everyone held reservations about Mrs. He, and none wished to provoke her, fearing they might say the wrong thing and incur her wrath again. Thus, they funneled the matter to Big Jiang. Furthermore, Mrs. He’s words and actions were truly unreliable; even with her own daughter in this predicament, she was still coveting things from the in-laws' household.

"Fine, fine, separating the family is acceptable. Whatever we manage to get, we take. But how are we going to get the dowry back? That old hag won't give it up easily," Mrs. He said.

"Don't worry about that for now. Tomorrow, you two go and find Zhao Yu. First, we need to gauge Zhao Yu’s attitude. If we are splitting the family, Zhao Yu must agree. As for the dowry, if she refuses to hand it over after the split, our family will go there and demand it. I refuse to believe we can't handle an old woman like that," Mrs. Zhao declared.

"Grandmother, I’m afraid Zhao Yu won't agree to separate the family. He is usually very filial to his mother. He often tells me that his father died early, and it was only because his mother suffered so much over the years that he could even study and pursue official success. He even said that even if he becomes an official in the future, he will bring his mother to live with him in the city," Yu'er said.

"Then this becomes quite difficult. If Zhao Yu disagrees to separate, this family definitely won't split. Yu'er can't just break away and live alone, can she?" Hongxia remarked.

"Yes, Mother, Big Brother, have you considered what you plan to do if Zhao Yu refuses to separate?" Mrs. Huang was also pondering this issue.

Mrs. Zhao paused, then sighed: "Then it is up to Yu'er herself. If the family doesn't split, she either has to return to her husband's home and continue living the way she is now, or she must leave that household. There are only these two options."

Mrs. He, who had been listening by the side, heard Mrs. Zhao’s words and exclaimed: "Leave that household? Mother, are you suggesting Yu'er should seek a divorce?"

"What else can be done?" Mrs. Zhao inquired.

"Absolutely not! My Yu'er cannot divorce! She absolutely cannot! She has only been married for a few months. If we talk about divorce now, who knows what gossip will follow Yu'er around," Mrs. He argued.

"Big Brother, what do you say?" Mrs. Zhao glanced sideways at Mrs. He and asked Da Jiang.

"Yu'er, what do you say?" Da Jiang asked Yu'er.

Yu'er was also at a loss. She was willing to separate the family, but if that wasn't possible, she truly couldn't bear the life of living with her mother-in-law; she might actually die at her hands one day. As for divorce, she was reluctant to part with Zhao Yu. They hadn't been married long, and although Zhao Yu feared his mother, they were newlyweds, and he treated Yu'er with consideration. Moreover, Zhao Yu was a scholar, possessing more thoughtfulness than the average farmer. Her mother was also right: if she divorced after only a few months of marriage, she didn't know how she would manage in the future, as Yu'er was still young and inexperienced. If she had to choose now, she certainly wouldn't be able to decide.

However, Lin He knew Yu'er absolutely had to make a decision. The current proposal to bring Zhao Yu in to discuss separating the family was casual talk; Zhao Yu would certainly not agree to it. Although his mother treated Yu'er poorly, Mrs. Zhao had indeed raised her son as a widow, so his feelings for his mother were naturally different from most people's. They had relied on each other for so many years; Zhao Yu would not easily agree to abandon his mother like this. Therefore, Yu'er needed to present terms to negotiate with Zhao Yu, forcing him into a corner so he would have to choose. Yu'er also needed to prepare herself for a desperate situation, only then would there be a glimmer of hope; otherwise, there was none.

But these words were difficult for Lin He to say, as Mrs. He already strongly opposed Yu'er divorcing. If Zhao Yu ended up refusing to separate the family and a divorce truly became necessary, Mrs. He would surely become hysterical and cause trouble for Lin He. Moreover, besides Mrs. Zhao and Da Jiang, perhaps no one else here dared to bring this up.

Fortunately, Da Jiang observed Yu'er’s distress and finally made a decision, saying: "Yu'er, listen to Father this time. Tomorrow, I will find Zhao Yu and speak about separating the family. If Zhao Yu insists on not separating, then we will divorce. Whatever happens afterward, Father will take the responsibility for you. If we can't find you a good husband's home, Father will support you for life."

Mrs. He tried to speak up again, but Da Jiang shot her a sharp look, silencing her. Lin He inwardly applauded Da Jiang; this elder brother had finally shown some backbone after a long time, and this backbone was justified. If he hadn't spoken this way, Yu'er would never have been able to decide. Furthermore, with the elder brother saying this, it offered Yu'er a fallback—even if things reached the worst point, Father would support her.

Yu'er nodded, signifying her agreement.

The next morning, Da Jiang and Mrs. He went to Zhao Yu’s house early. When they arrived, Zhao Yu was not home; they were told he had gone to a nearby village school to review lessons with his classmates. Only Zhao Yu’s mother was at home. When Mrs. Zhao saw Da Jiang and Mrs. He arriving, she showed no fear at all and instead said: "In-laws, you’ve come. When are you sending Yu'er back? I still have work in my fields waiting for her. She has already delayed for several days. What kind of wife is she, sneaking off to her mother’s house to be lazy during the busy farming season."

Mrs. He was already angry upon seeing Zhao Yu’s mother. She had intended to have a major confrontation when they arrived, but Da Jiang had stopped her. Now, seeing Mrs. Zhao saying such heartless things, Mrs. He simply could not tolerate it. According to her usual temperament, she would have started cursing immediately, but Da Jiang had instructed her that this was another village, and causing too much of a scene was inappropriate; they needed to speak calmly first.

"In-law, didn't you say my Yu'er isn't part of your family anymore? Why should my Yu'er do your household chores? If you have money, hire someone to do it. If you don't have money, go do the field work yourself. If you can't, just let the land lie fallow. Don't even think about expecting my Yu'er to return to be your beast of burden," Mrs. He said, restraining her anger.

"In-law, what do you mean 'beast of burden'? What kind of words are those? I merely asked my daughter-in-law to do some work, and you exaggerate it to this extent. Is your Yu'er perhaps more delicate than a young lady from a noble house? Which wife doesn't do work? We have all been wives who endured for decades before becoming mothers-in-law. Being a daughter-in-law is like this," Mrs. Zhao spoke with an air of ease.