"Ah, yes, children and grandchildren have their own fortunes to look after. Once the sons are grown, a mother can only worry so much; they have their own lives to lead. Look at your elder brother’s household now—there’s nothing I can do about it either," Madam Zhao sighed upon hearing Hongxia’s words.

Madam Huang, hearing Madam Zhao, asked, "Second Sister-in-law, is there something amiss with Elder Brother's family again?"

"Second Sister-in-law, you didn't know? Elder Brother's home had another huge row the day before yesterday. You didn't hear anything on your side?" Hongxia inquired.

Madam Huang shook her head, saying, "Since our He'er left home, I’ve had to manage everything here. When I'm not busy, I have to watch Chen'er practice her embroidery. I haven't stepped out these past few days. When He'er was home, the maids liked to stay in the front courtyard, but now that she's gone, they've all drifted to the back. No one mentioned anything about Elder Brother's family having trouble this time—what was it about?"

"What else but that He-shi causing trouble? That He-shi is like a dog that can’t change its habits; she always has to stir up the household until there’s no peace," Madam Zhao interjected hatefully from the side.

Madam Huang looked with confusion toward Hongyun, who was seated nearby. Hongyun then recounted the recent events in Dajiang's household to Madam Huang. The situation was as follows: Dajiang had sent He-shi away quite a while ago and hadn't allowed her to return. He-shi had been staying at Qingshan's place for some time. Not long ago, Yu'er also became pregnant. He-shi feared that since it was Yu'er's first pregnancy, she wouldn't know many things, especially with Yu'er's mother-in-law being the way she was. Thus, He-shi insisted Yu'er stay there for a few months before returning.

Qingshan's family had already been hesitant about He-shi staying with them for so long, and now with Yu'er moving in—eating and drinking entirely at their expense—they became even more reluctant. Yu'er noticed this and offered to go back home, but He-shi stubbornly kept her there, directly telling Qingshan that since Yu'er was his sister, he couldn't refuse. Qingshan agreed. This shouldn't have been a major issue, but He-shi became convinced that Song Yuemei looked upon their presence unfavorably and was deliberately giving Yu'er a cold shoulder, which was why Yu'er was unhappy. However, He-shi couldn't find a direct fault with Song Yuemei, so she kept this resentment bottled up.

One day, Song Yuemei mentioned she needed to visit her maternal home for a few matters and would likely return in the afternoon. Maomao was asleep in the bed, and carrying her bulky pregnant body was inconvenient, so she asked He-shi to look after her, saying that feeding Maomao at noon would suffice. Maomao was old enough now that she didn't need to be carried everywhere; keeping an eye on her playing in the courtyard was enough. He-shi agreed.

As soon as Song Yuemei left, He-shi immediately went to her own section of the house and brought back an old hen. She showed it to Yu'er and Dongyu, saying, "Look, isn't this hen plump? It's just the few of us here today; let's kill this chicken and stew a pot for noon. We can give some to Qingshan too, and we'll have a proper feast."

Dongyu, overhearing this, beamed and chirped, "Wonderful! Mother, you are truly capable. The hen you raised is so fat. My son in my belly will certainly benefit from this!"

Yu'er, sitting nearby, felt this was inappropriate. She said, "Mother, perhaps this isn't quite right. Why don't we wait until Big Sister-in-law returns this evening to kill the chicken? Big Sister-in-law is also pregnant and needs nourishing. Besides, if we go ahead and kill a chicken while Big Sister-in-law is out, it might look bad if she finds out."

"You child, you are too considerate. What's wrong with this? This chicken is mine; I can feed it to whomever I please. You’re here, and your Big Sister-in-law looks down on you, yet you still speak up for her. Furthermore, when she goes back to her parents' house, are you worried she won't have good food? Perhaps her own mother cooked something special that made her go back." He-shi retorted.

"Mother, what are you saying? Sister-in-law doesn't look down on me at all; she hasn't said a word. Moreover, since I’ll be staying here for quite some time, it is indeed a bit difficult. I was thinking of giving Big Sister-in-law some money when she returns to cover my expenses during this period. I plan to leave once I pass these first two months." Yu'er explained.

"Give her money for what? It is only right that my daughter stays at her elder brother's house and eats their food! Didn't all the money you earned before you married go to your brother? Now you’re staying here for just two months; what right do they have to say anything? Don’t give her money. If they mention it, just tell them I’m keeping you here." He-shi insisted.

Dongyu, listening to He-shi, felt a surge of irritation. In truth, Song Yuemei hadn't complained about Yu'er staying over. Song Yuemei only disliked He-shi staying because He-shi constantly picked at her, and she wished He-shi would leave. As for Yu'er, she genuinely hadn't said a single negative thing. It was Dongyu herself who was unhappy about Yu'er living there. The household funds were already strained, and adding Yu'er made things even tighter. Never mind anything else, whenever there was food, having another pregnant woman meant one more share needed to be set aside. Song Yuemei managed the household, and He-shi didn't dare to treat Yu'er poorly; He-shi adored her own daughter and wouldn't skimp on her either. Consequently, Dongyu was the one being shortchanged, which made her very uncomfortable. Yu'er had her in-laws; why did she need such lavish care during pregnancy that she had to move in here? However, Dongyu was afraid of offending He-shi and didn't dare speak up directly. She confided in Qingshan privately. Qingshan didn't say much upon hearing it, only mentioning that Yu'er would leave after a short while. Still, Qingshan did gently mention a few things to He-shi. He-shi understood Qingshan's implication and assumed Song Yuemei had put him up to it, leading to her persistent ill-will toward Song Yuemei.

Regarding this matter, Dongyu had also complained to Song Yuemei several times, trying to incite her to send Yu'er away, but Song Yuemei ignored her. Since Qingshan wouldn't openly support her either, Dongyu couldn't do anything, and she certainly dared not argue with her mother-in-law. However, seeing He-shi blame the entire situation on Song Yuemei, Dongyu was naturally pleased. Now, if He-shi spoke ill of Song Yuemei, she certainly wouldn't defend her sister-in-law.

Yu'er, hearing He-shi’s words, didn't reply. She knew her mother's temperament and simply intended to speak to her Big Sister-in-law privately when she returned. Seeing Yu'er fall silent, He-shi stopped talking too, busily and happily tending to the chicken herself—slaughtering and plucking it. The stew was finally on the pot close to noon.

When it was time for lunch, He-shi first sent some to Qingshan, then called Dongyu and Yu'er to eat together, making sure to set aside the choice pieces of chicken and drumsticks for Yu'er and Dongyu. Maomao ate lunch with them too. Seeing a chicken leg, Maomao called out, "Grandma, I want a chicken leg too."

Yu'er, hearing this, started to push her chicken leg toward Maomao, but He-shi blocked her, saying, "You’re heavily pregnant; you need the nourishment. When you go back home, you won't be raising chickens, so you might not get to eat this often. You eat yours. She’s just a child; she can eat something else. I’ll give her some chicken meat later, and next time we kill a chicken, I'll give her a drumstick then."