As for the Zhao clan side, Zhao Shi didn't go directly to Tie Zhu’s wife’s place; instead, she returned home first. Old Man Lin was also there, and upon seeing Zhao Shi return, he asked, "I heard that something happened again at the Third Son’s wife’s place today. What was it? It wasn't something you caused again, was it? You didn’t come back for lunch, and I noticed something was off with you today.”

Hearing Old Man Lin’s words, Zhao Shi’s expression flickered as she replied, “Old man, you’ve wronged me this time. This incident with the Third Son’s wife has absolutely nothing to do with me. I was chatting with Hong Xia and the others at Er Niu’s house today, and since it got late, I ate there. Someone is cooking for you at home, too. I spent the afternoon watching the two boys for the Second Son’s wife over there.”

Old Man Lin glanced at Zhao Shi and said, “Oh? Then how was the affair at the Third Son’s wife’s place handled today? It made quite a stir. I thought you were up to your usual tricks again. I’ve told you before, if the Third Son’s wife wants to remarry now, just let her go. We shouldn't interfere anymore. The children are grown; you can’t hold onto her forever. We are old, too; we shouldn’t meddle so much in the affairs of our descendants. Don't let outsiders think our family is bullying a widow.”

Zhao Shi felt a pang of guilt deep down and replied, “I understand, old man. You’ve said this many times. I heard you. The Third Son’s wife hasn't mentioned remarrying anyway, and I didn't stop her. Why are you going on so much?”

“Then what exactly happened today? Tell me,” Old Man Lin didn't press the issue further and asked Zhao Shi.

“Oh, I was just about to tell you about this matter. This is what happened today…” Then Zhao Shi recounted to Old Man Lin the story Huang Shi had told her about Tie Zhu’s wife trying to force Zhou Shi to death.

Upon hearing this, Old Man Lin showed a rare burst of anger. He declared, “This Tie Zhu’s wife is clearly not a settled person; to say such things even to her own family members! Old woman, let’s go. We’ll go find Big Brother. His daughter-in-law needs him to discipline her properly. No matter what happens with the Third Son’s wife in the future, she is still one of our family right now. We cannot let our own people be bullied like this by others.”

Zhao Shi had intended to call Old Man Lin to help bolster her position, and upon hearing her husband say this, she strongly agreed. The two paid no heed to the darkening sky and headed towards Tie Zhu’s house.

They first went to Tie Zhu’s home, where Tie Zhu’s wife was alone. Seeing Old Man Lin and Zhao Shi arrive, she didn’t even lift her eyelids. Furthermore, for every word Zhao Shi spoke, the wife shot back two, even deliberately pretending to advise Zhao Shi: “Second Mother, why bother being so kind? She’s about to leave and remarry, yet you come to champion her cause. If this gets out, people will laugh at us in the Old Lin family for being useless. I say someone who brings shame to the Lin family’s reputation deserves to die.”

Old Man Lin and Zhao Shi were so infuriated their noses were nearly smoking, but they also felt it inappropriate to argue with a younger generation right there. So, they left. Old Man Lin and Zhao Shi then walked to the house of Tie Zhu’s father, who was Old Man Lin’s eldest brother and the one whose words carried weight—Tie Zhu’s wife’s father-in-law.

This brother of Old Man Lin was a very fair man. When he heard what Zhao Shi and the others recounted, he flew into a rage, stating that such a daughter-in-law absolutely needed proper discipline. He added that since it was getting dark, Old Man Lin and Zhao Shi should return home first, and he promised to give them an accounting the next day.

After Old Man Lin and Zhao Shi returned, they heard nothing further for a while. It wasn't until the following morning that they heard from the villagers that yesterday, Tie Zhu’s wife had been severely disciplined by her father-in-law, and moreover, her father-in-law had ordered Tie Zhu to give his wife a sound thrashing as well. Tie Zhu’s wife was beaten so badly that she likely wouldn't be able to get out of bed for days. Her father-in-law had also warned that if this wife dared to ostracize family members or stir up trouble outside again, it wouldn't just be a beating. Many villagers treated the whole affair as a source of amusement, saying that while Tie Zhu lacked strength in his work, he fought fiercely when beating his wife. Others commented that Tie Zhu’s wife was simply no good and deserved the beating.

When Lin He heard this news, she felt a degree of satisfaction. To be honest, in Lin He’s heart, she had always looked down on men who beat their wives. She felt that men fundamentally should not strike women, as women were naturally inferior to men in terms of physique. A man beating a woman was akin to resolving issues with brute force—as if whoever was stronger was right.

Besides, if a couple had any issues, it shouldn't escalate to physical violence. Men who beat their wives were often useless outside and then took it out on their wives at home. Truly strong men would never raise a hand against their wives.

However, since arriving here, Lin He had witnessed quite a number of men beating their wives. Initially, Lin He truly couldn't bear to watch, but later, for some reason, her emotional response lessened. Perhaps it was partly due to becoming desensitized from seeing it often, and partly because some women at this time were genuinely unbearable. Take her own elder sister-in-law, He Shi; what other recourse was there besides a good beating? It was the same with Tie Zhu’s wife. Although Lin He didn't believe that a man hitting his wife was correct, she did feel a certain sense that they deserved it. This was because, at this time, laws and family rules often couldn't restrain certain actions, so letting their husbands educate them became the only option, and the methods of education available to people then were limited.

After these events, a period of calm settled back over the Lin household, as the weather was beginning to turn cold. September was fast approaching. Lin He noticed that some of the maids and young servants were still wearing rather thin summer clothes and realized that many of the servants had only recently been hired this year. They were likely still growing fast, meaning their old clothes probably wouldn't fit anymore. The entire household needed new clothing.

Thinking this, Lin He called Chen’er over to listen in, while she discussed with Zi Qing and Zi Yu the headcount of the household and what supplies were needed. She also planned to take advantage of the relatively mild weather to purchase cotton right away, as it would be cheaper now, and winter clothes took time to sew. Since time was still plentiful, there would be enough time to make the garments.

Most of the housemaids knew basic needlework. Now, with the cotton bought, they could sew winter clothes in their spare time so they wouldn't have to buy ready-made items when winter hit. Although ready-made winter clothes were quite inexpensive, and the Lin household wasn't short of money, Lin He felt the store-bought winter wear was too thin—insufficient to ward off the bitter cold, especially since these maids and servants often had to work outside and risked freezing.