In the village, some gossips and people close to Tie Niu's wife naturally sided with her narrative, and even those who didn't know the full context were inclined to believe her, given how harshly she spoke.

At this time, women who preferred analytical thought over gossip were rare; bombarded by so many accusations, Madam Zhou could focus on nothing else. She retreated to her room, weeping for a time, and as she thought things over, life seemed utterly unbearable. She took a rope and looped it over the ceiling beam, preparing to end her life.

Fortunately, not long after, Xiao Shan returned for lunch. Noticing the cold hearth and stove, and having heard his younger sister say their mother was crying in the room, he opened the door and walked in, only to discover his mother hanging. Xiao Yun immediately burst into terrified sobs. Neither Xiao Shan nor Xiao Yun were old enough to handle lowering Madam Zhou down, so they rushed to the doorway to call for help. It was noon, the time when laborers headed home. Xiao Shan happened to see Li Ping at the door; since Li Ping had done work for Xiao Shan's family several times, they knew each other, so Xiao Shan called out to him, which resulted in Madam Zhou being saved.

After Madam Zhou’s explanation, everyone finally understood the situation, and the main culprit was Tie Niu's wife. Hong Xia, standing nearby, gritted her teeth and said, "It's her again. That Tie Niu's wife is a vile woman; she butts into everyone's affairs. And beyond being nosy, she has an extremely malicious heart. Several years ago, right after Da Fa and I divorced, she came to inquire a few times. When I ignored her, Mother severely told her off, and only then did she stop causing trouble. Now this again."

"Exactly. Having a relative like that in the family is a disgrace, and she’s always criticizing others. I think she’s the one who should die. What business did she have interfering in this matter, yet she still dared to show up and scold people? And she almost drove Third Sister-in-law to death. I say we shouldn't let her off easily this time; let Father talk to Eldest Uncle and have him properly discipline her," Hong Yun said, uncharacteristically angry.

Lin He agreed. This Tie Niu's wife was truly rare. Although few women at this time weren't fond of gossip, most still held some innate kindness. At most, women would just trade rumors, or perhaps be like her own Eldest Aunt, Madam He, who loved to take advantage of things and stir up trouble by spreading rumors. But someone with such deep-seated malice was indeed uncommon. At least in Lin He's experience since arriving here, she was rarely seen among the village women. This Tie Niu's wife had certainly exceeded the traits of mere gossip and troublemaking; Lin He felt any negative word used to describe a woman could be applied to her. Her own family couldn't really do anything to her now, but Eldest Aunt’s idea wasn't bad—let her own family handle her.

Madam Huang, however, remained the calmest. She said, "Let’s put that aside for now and discuss it later. As for Third Sister-in-law, no matter what happens to you in the future, you must never think along those lines again. If you were gone, it wouldn't just be a matter of Xiao Shan and Xiao Yun being talked about; they wouldn't know how to live. Although family relatives would help look after them, what relative could compare to their own mother, right?"

Persuaded by everyone, Madam Zhou felt somewhat better and less stuck in her despair. She said, "Yes, Second Sister-in-law, you are all right. I truly didn't think about those things back then. I just thought I didn't want to suffer this hardship anymore, without considering how Xiao Shan would manage afterward."

"Then you absolutely must never corner yourself like that again. And this time, we entirely owe Xiao Shan for finding someone to save you. If you had truly met the King of Hell, think about who would be happy if you died—it certainly wouldn't be anyone in our own home; it would only be those gossips who’d rejoice," Madam Huang pointed out.

Madam Zhou nodded and said, "Second Sister-in-law, please rest assured. I won't do anything so foolish again. I won't pay attention to what others say about me anymore. I conduct myself properly and walk a straight path; why should I care what others say? Besides, I earn my own keep; no one can control me."

Seeing that Madam Zhou had come to terms with it, Madam Huang, Hong Xia, and the others breathed a collective sigh of relief. As they were chatting, Xiao Shan walked in, bringing the village doctor with him. The doctor examined Madam Zhou and said there were no serious issues, just a red mark on her neck that would fade in a couple of days and wasn't worth worrying about. As he left, he prescribed some medicine to calm the nerves. Xiao Shan paid the consultation fee, and the doctor departed.

While the doctor was treating Madam Zhou, Lin He observed from the doorway and didn't see Li Ping. Lin He then peered outside the courtyard and spotted Li Ping standing not far from the gate, likely still worried about Madam Zhou. Initially, Lin He had seen the crowd at the door and, fearing it might stir up more trouble, deliberately sent Li Ping away. However, through this observation, Lin He felt that Li Ping truly had sincere feelings for Madam Zhou. Since that was the case, facilitating a union between them might be a good thing.

After the doctor left, Lin He instructed Cai Qing to prepare the medicine and told Xiao Shan to eat something, saying he should go to work afterward. Xiao Shan was initially reluctant to go, but Lin He assured him that the women would stay to look after his mother this afternoon and that his mother wouldn't attempt anything foolish again. Only then did Xiao Shan leave for work.

Only a few women remained in the room. It was clear that Lin He wasn't the only one who had noticed the matter concerning Li Ping; Madam Huang had seen it too. Seeing that Madam Zhou was stable, Madam Huang deliberately probed, "Third Sister-in-law, I think Li Ping seems quite attentive. Look, he helped so much when you were in trouble. We must thank him properly someday."

After speaking, Madam Huang glanced at Hong Xia. Hong Xia, being forthright, immediately spoke up, "First Sister-in-law, why look at me? I already said I don't hold a grudge about this matter. Actually, I think Li Ping is quite good. He is very caring toward Third Sister-in-law. Look at how busy he was during the whole suicide attempt, and he looked so distressed. Third Sister-in-law, why don't you just agree to live with him?"

Seeing Hong Xia say this, Hong Yun knew her sister truly didn't care about the prior incident. Knowing her sister's temperament, if she said this openly, it meant she genuinely didn't mind. Looking past Hong Xia's initial situation, Li Ping and Third Sister-in-law were indeed quite well-suited, so she advised, "Yes, Third Sister-in-law, Hong Xia is absolutely right. And I see that Xiao Shan also gets along well with Li Ping, so I imagine if it were Li Ping, Xiao Shan would agree. Li Ping’s household only has his mother; naturally, he would be even kinder to the two children."