"No, I heard it from Tie Zhu's wife. Yesterday, Da Jiang dropped Yu'er off at Qing Shan's place and left without saying a word. Didn't you all know about this? Many people in the village are talking about it, saying the Third Wife is going to marry the foreman from the Second Household’s place. They say the betrothal gifts have already been discussed. I thought you all had already settled this, so I came to ask." Old Mrs. He continued to speak.

The Huang family members in the courtyard were aware of the situation, but Old Mrs. He, Yu'er, Dong Yu, and the others were not. Since those who knew remained silent, and Yu'er, apparently not fully grasping the situation, also said nothing. It was Dong Yu, who hadn't spoken until now, who chimed in, "Yes, my mother just said she wanted to take this chance to ask. Quite a few people in the village have been gossiping about it. We haven't had the time until now. Since Yu'er is here today, we figured we’d inquire."

"It's a good thing if the Third Brother's Wife remarries. Before, people said it was because the children were too young. Now Xiao Yun is already eight or nine, and Xiao Shan can earn money himself. It’s not so strange that the Third Brother's Wife is thinking about this now. Aren't there several widows in the village who have remarried?" Old Mrs. He kept talking.

Zhao Shi, standing to the side, looked increasingly displeased. Red had managed to calm her down earlier, pointing out that it wasn't the Third Wife's fault, nor had she instigated it herself. Zhao Shi had already started to let go of her anger, intending to just let the matter drop. However, Old Mrs. He’s words reignited her temper. The fact that so many in the village knew about it, and were even saying a proposal had been made—this matter should have only been known within the household, and family members certainly wouldn't spread rumors—made Zhao Shi angry. Regardless of the actual truth, she immediately placed the blame on Zhou Shi again.

Seeing Old Mrs. He continuing to speak and Zhao Shi’s face growing darker, Hong Yun exchanged a look with Yu'er. Yu'er saw it and quickly called out to Old Mrs. He, urging her to stop. Only then did Old Mrs. He seem to regain some awareness. However, being someone who naturally enjoyed stirring things up, seeing the situation, she probably understood what was happening and pressed on, "Mother, are these things false? Are people just making things up? But that doesn’t seem right either; the villagers are speaking as if it’s true. People have even mentioned the Second Household's ointment workshop! I figured those who work with the Third Wife would surely know, which is why I came to clarify."

Red, seeing the troublemaking, stepped in and said, "Eldest Sister-in-law, you actually believe idle gossip? There is a kernel of truth to the matter, but it’s been wildly exaggerated. Li Ping never went to propose; he only sent someone to inquire. Third Sister-in-law refused and sent them away. How could it have reached the point of an impending marriage?"

"That's right, this is all being spread around inaccurately, and it has nothing to do with the Third Wife. We clarified it earlier. This is an issue concerning Li Ping; I suspect the Third Wife doesn't even know Li Ping's name," Old Mrs. Huang added, also trying to de-escalate.

Truthfully, Old Mrs. He hadn't intended to deliberately cause trouble when she came today. But her inherent nature was to meddle. Had it been anyone else, they would have kept this quiet, or at the very least, wouldn't have mentioned it in front of Zhao Shi, thus avoiding further distress for Zhou Shi over this issue. But Old Mrs. He was simply not that kind of person. Furthermore, when she first heard the rumors, she was somewhat skeptical. Knowing her mother-in-law, she suspected the elder woman wouldn't easily allow the Third Wife to remarry. Yet, the villagers spoke with such conviction that it didn't sound entirely fabricated. Thus, seeing everyone gathered, Old Mrs. He deliberately came to gossip and get the full story.

In any case, this situation wouldn't harm her. If the mother-in-law blamed Zhou Shi over this, it wouldn't concern her; her relationship with Zhou Shi wasn't good, so she couldn't care less. She had considered this before coming today. Since she wasn't making things up—she was only relaying what she heard—she couldn't be blamed. She could use gossip to curry favor and perhaps even please her mother-in-law. Why wouldn't she speak? She hadn't come intending to openly provoke discord today, but there was certainly an element of fanning the flames. However, she dared not be as blatant as before, so she deliberately pretended ignorance while asking.

As expected, seeing her mother-in-law's expression sour when she brought up the topic made her secretly pleased. She recalled how last time, when she was scolded by her mother-in-law and abandoned by Da Jiang, no one stood up for her. Yet, the Third Wife received sympathy from several people. This imbalance fueled her desire to reveal everything she knew. Hearing Old Mrs. Huang’s words, Old Mrs. He feigned confusion and asked, "Second Sister-in-law, you mean the Third Wife and Li Ping don't know each other? I thought they had known each other for a while. Not long ago, I saw Li Ping busy working in the Third Wife’s fields."

Old Mrs. He’s voice wasn't loud, but because the courtyard had fallen silent, everyone heard her clearly. Sure enough, upon hearing Old Mrs. He, Zhao Shi abruptly stood up from her stool and demanded, "Eldest Daughter-in-law, what are you saying? What do you mean you saw him working in the Third Wife's fields? Explain yourself clearly—when was this?"

Seeing Zhao Shi truly provoked, Old Mrs. He felt a small surge of schadenfreude. Thinking she had come to apologize in a way, and not wanting to appear purely as a provocateur, she deliberately said, "Mother, I didn't say anything. What are you asking about?"

Zhao Shi stared at Old Mrs. He and said, word by word, "I mean exactly what you just said. Say it again. Stop pretending; everyone heard you."

Old Mrs. He looked at Zhao Shi, hesitant to speak immediately. Dong Yu also interjected, "Grandmother, what did my mother say? I didn't hear anything."

Zhao Shi shot Dong Yu a glance and kept her eyes fixed on Old Mrs. He, seemingly waiting for her to speak. Old Mrs. He pretended to be conflicted, her lips moving, but she said nothing. Seeing Zhao Shi growing extremely angry, Hong Yun finally spoke up, "Eldest Sister-in-law, whatever you know, just say it. Mother heard it, so there’s no point in hiding it; it can’t be hidden."

Old Mrs. He looked at Hong Yun and said, "Fine, I’ll tell you, but don't all assume I’m deliberately stirring up trouble. I’m just stating facts. That Li Ping, the foreman from the Second Household—wasn't it the busy farming season recently? One evening, I saw it was getting dark, and I thought Da Jiang was still toiling alone in the field, so I planned to check up on him. But as I passed by the Third Wife’s fields, I saw it was that Li Ping helping the Third Wife work. And it wasn't just once. Many villagers saw it, and many people have been talking about it."

"Tell me what the villagers are saying. I need to know how widely the affairs of this little slut have been spread," Zhao Shi said, sitting back down. She appeared less furious, but the anger boiling inside her had reached its absolute peak.