Zhao Shi’s words were harsh indeed, and Huang Shi and the others felt a distinct displeasure, but as Huang Shi and the others were uncomfortable directly chastising her, Er Niu instead complained, "Mother, why are you still saying such things? Do you only feel happy if we actually see Third Sister-in-law dead? If she had died today, we truly would have had to arrange a funeral. Are you happy about that? Everything is fine now, so why keep bringing it up?"

"That's right, Mother. Third Sister-in-law really wasn't trying to scare anyone today; she truly intended to hang herself. Luckily, Xiao Shan came back and saw it, then found someone to save her. I was thinking, if Xiao Shan had been even half a step later, she'd be gone. If you don't believe me, go look—there's still a deep ligature mark on her neck." Huang Shi added, supporting Er Niu’s statement.

Hearing Er Niu and Huang Shi, Zhao Shi looked somewhat sheepish, yet still argued, "Is this Third Daughter-in-law really so volatile in temper? How did I never know before? I merely gave her a slight reprimand, and she went to the point of wanting to die. Honestly?"

Seeing Zhao Shi still arguing, Er Niu said with some exasperation, "Mother, I beg you, stop saying such things. You are already so old; why is your temper getting worse? Don't they say that older people should have more placid tempers? Instead, you... Today you really shouldn't have gotten physical with Third Sister-in-law. Couldn't you have just said a few words if something was wrong? Why did you resort to fighting? You must know that Third Sister-in-law has been extremely well-behaved these past few years, and she's even raising our two children for us. Those two children have the Lin surname. She has suffered so much, and your son is out there living carefreely..." Er Niu stopped abruptly mid-sentence.

Er Niu's sudden silence startled Zhao Shi and Huang Shi, who felt that what he had said was also somewhat amiss. Lin He touched her forehead from the side; Father had let something slip in his agitation, and now it would likely be difficult to cover up.

As expected, Zhao Shi quickly retorted, "Er Niu, what did you just say about my son living carefreely? Who are you talking about? It couldn't be yourself, could it? Are you talking about Da Jiang? No, Da Jiang isn't living carefreely either. What exactly are you saying? Explain this clearly to me."

Er Niu was already secretly regretting letting that slip, unsure now how to smooth over the statement. He could only steel himself and say, "Mother, what are you talking about? I wasn't referring to your son just now. I was talking about our own household—I meant her son is living carefreely. I was talking about Da Bao! That Da Bao is never home; if he isn't living carefreely, what is he doing?"

"You clearly said 'my son' just now, how is it suddenly about your wife? What does Da Bao have to do with Third Sister-in-law? The way you speak is completely contradictory! What is going on here? Second Daughter-in-law, you heard him just now too, didn't you? Who was Er Niu talking about?" Zhao Shi clearly refused to accept Er Niu's explanation.

Lin He was breaking out in a cold sweat, anxious that this piece of news must not reach Grandmother. If she found out, Grandmother would likely cause another uproar, and Third Mother's future life would only become harder. Even if Third Uncle never returned, Third Mother could still seek remarriage now under the guise of a widow; no one could stop her. But if Grandmother learned that Third Uncle wasn't dead—at this time, even if a man started another family elsewhere, it wasn't a criminal offense—Grandmother would surely prevent her from remarrying under any circumstances.

While Lin He was thinking about how to mend the situation, Huang Shi was also looking at Er Niu and Lin He with some suspicion. She noticed both of them growing flustered, and Er Niu kept signaling her, but Huang Shi didn't know the context and therefore didn't know how to interject.

Finally, Lin He stepped in and said, "Grandmother, what Father said at the end was directed at Mother. He was just too angry and didn't express himself clearly. Think about it, you only have two sons now, Father and Eldest Uncle. What would he say about you? It's just that recently they've been worried about Eldest Brother's marriage, getting anxious. They've urged him a few times to marry, but he refuses to agree and hasn't come home, which is causing so much worry."

Hearing Lin He's explanation, Er Niu quickly chimed in, "Yes, Mother, that's exactly what I meant. This Da Bao is infuriating me to death, really..." As Er Niu spoke, he deliberately feigned anger and walked out.

Zhao Shi listened to Lin He and observed Er Niu's reaction. Although she remained somewhat doubtful, she didn't press the issue further, merely stating, "This isn't something new; don't worry too much about it. When children grow up, parents can't control them anymore; you two were just the same."

Huang Shi now perceived some clues and pondered the matter, not fully hearing Zhao Shi's words, and replied with a noncommittal smile, "Yes."

Zhao Shi looked at Huang Shi and then asked, "Second Daughter-in-law, tell me, was I truly in the wrong today? I really shouldn't have gotten physical. Your father will probably scold me again when I return." Zhao Shi sighed as she spoke.

Only then did Huang Shi recall Zhou Shi’s attempted hanging that day. She recounted the incident between Zhou Shi and Tie Zhu's wife to Zhao Shi, concluding, "Mother, although Third Sister-in-law attempting suicide today wasn't entirely because you struck her this noon, it was certainly partly a factor. In the future, let's discuss things calmly and avoid physical confrontation."

Hearing Huang Shi's account, the anger that had subsided in Zhao Shi flared up again. She roared, "That Tie Zhu's wife, I think she has too much time on her hands, daring to meddle in our family's affairs, and even going so far as to bully our family members into taking their own lives and coming to our door to curse us! I absolutely cannot let this go this time. Second Daughter-in-law, tell Second Brother I'm leaving. I'm going back to settle the score with Tie Zhu and his father." With that, Zhao Shi stormed out angrily.

Huang Shi couldn't stop Zhao Shi even though she tried to call out, but she let her go. Indeed, that Tie Zhu's wife needed a good lesson; she had nearly caused a major disaster this time. However, Huang Shi was in no mood to deal with that matter now. She kept thinking about what had just happened; He'er and her husband were acting strangely. She had clearly heard him say that it was your son living carefreely. She needed to get to the bottom of this.

Huang Shi stared at Lin He sitting nearby. Lin He knew what Mother was about to ask her. Fearing that the matter could no longer be concealed from her, she quickly said, "Mother, if you have something to ask, please ask Father. Those words came from Father. I'm leaving now." With that, she departed.

Lin He’s behavior only confirmed Huang Shi’s suspicion that she knew something. But since Lin He refused to speak, there was nothing Huang Shi could do immediately. She figured her husband would return sooner or later, and he certainly wouldn't keep this secret from her then. Huang Shi didn't immediately question Er Niu either. Instead, she called for Cai Qing to bring in the two younger children and coaxed them to sleep.