Er Niu hadn't actually meant it that way; he only wished to remind Huang Shi that once his wife moved in later, life might change, as no household allowed a younger sister-in-law to manage affairs once an elder sister-in-law arrived. But seeing Huang Shi’s delight, Er Niu kept quiet, deciding to discuss the matter with her some other day.

However, the days that followed were consumed by the busy preparations at home, and Er Niu completely forgot about that issue. Huang Shi and Er Niu briefly reviewed the calendar and noted that the twenty-sixth of the twelfth month was the most auspicious day of the year for a wedding before the New Year. But Da Bao was unwilling to set the date so early; he insisted on waiting until He’er returned, as he absolutely wanted his sister present for his wedding, and if necessary, they would postpone it.

Er Niu and Huang Shi could only agree to tentatively set that date, mentioning that He’er would likely be back soon enough, and they could arrange the betrothal as soon as she returned, even marrying immediately afterward. Planning ahead was good anyway. Upon hearing this, the household became even busier. First and foremost was the matter of housing: after marrying, Da Bao could no longer share the side rooms with them. A dedicated set of side rooms had been prepared for him, which needed to be readied as the new bridal chamber. Huang Shi not only led people in thoroughly cleaning every room there but also decorated it and added some new furniture, saying it was so Da Bao and his wife could live more comfortably in the future.

Next came the procurement of items needed for the New Year celebrations and for the wedding. There were countless trivial matters. When Zhao Shi, Hong Yun, and Hong Xia had time, they would come over to help discuss what needed to be bought and what considerations were necessary for the wedding ceremony.

One day, shortly after finishing breakfast, Er Niu and Huang Shi were discussing these matters in the courtyard when they saw their elder brother, Da Jiang, approaching the door. Seeing his brother arrive, Er Niu quickly went to welcome him in. During this period, Da Jiang had been living alone, and as a solitary man, he neglected himself. Er Niu noticed several tears in Da Jiang’s clothes that hadn't been mended and observed that his brother seemed thinner than before. It was likely that his irregular meals while working up on the hill during the day were taking a toll on his constitution.

A while ago, Er Niu frequently instructed Hong Xia to send food to Da Jiang at noon whenever she had a spare moment. Recently, with the constant activity at Er Niu’s house, Zhao Shi and Hong Xia had been visiting more often and had regrettably overlooked Da Jiang. Da Jiang sat down in Er Niu’s courtyard and said, “Er Niu, Da Bao is getting married. There must be quite a bit of work to do at home, right? If you need any help, just send someone up to the hill to find me; I’ll be there during the day.”

Er Niu looked at Da Jiang and replied, “Big Brother, you don’t need to worry about that. I have plenty of people in the family, and we can manage. It’s you I’m concerned about. Look at you—in just a few months, you’ve changed so much. A household really needs a woman to keep things tidy. It’s almost the New Year, and Big Sister-in-law has been gone for quite some time. Why don’t you go to Yu’er’s house and bring her back? It’s the New Year; a family should be whole.”

Da Jiang’s expression shifted upon hearing Er Niu’s words. He was well aware of all this, yet his own wife was such a troublemaker. If she wasn’t made to reflect thoroughly this time, there would surely be more incidents later. First, she scalded Mao Mao at the Qing Shan residence, and only then did she go to Yu’er’s place. If he brought her back now in good faith, she might just revert to her old ways. But keeping her away indefinitely might eventually become unbearable even for Yu’er’s family.

Er Niu noticed Da Jiang’s hesitation. After all, he was his elder brother, and Er Niu understood his dilemma. He sighed, unsure of what to say—advising reconciliation wasn't right, nor was advising separation; it was truly difficult.

Huang Shi, watching the two brothers sighing and fretting, deftly changed the subject: “Big Brother, we also need to prepare things for the New Year. When do you plan to handle your household’s preparations? It isn’t too busy up on the hill right now; Da Sheng is watching things there. Why don’t you take a few days off to get your New Year supplies sorted out? Also, the Laba Festival is approaching soon. Usually, Big Sister-in-law managed that, but this year you’ll have to do it yourself. You should get it done early. Conveniently, my family sends carriages to town frequently these days, so you can go along and buy everything you need to bring back all at once.”

As the three were talking, Zhao Shi and Hong Yun arrived in the courtyard. Seeing Da Jiang there, Zhao Shi beamed and said, “Da Jiang has come too! The whole family is gathered today. Da Jiang, where is your wife? I heard from someone the other day that she moved out of Yu’er’s house a few days ago. Why isn’t she here today?”

“What? Moved out of Yu’er’s house? Then where did that woman go? She hasn't come back these last few days either!” Da Jiang stood up abruptly at his mother’s words.

“Yes, Mother, what’s going on? We were just discussing how Big Brother should go to Yu’er’s place to fetch Big Sister-in-law. How could she have suddenly moved somewhere else?” Huang Shi asked with some urgency.

Zhao Shi glanced around at everyone staring at her, realizing that no one else knew, and proceeded to explain the situation regarding He Shi at Yu’er’s house to Da Jiang.

It turned out that after scalding Mao Mao last time and having a falling out with Song Yue Mei, He Shi had gone to live with Yu’er. In the beginning, things were quite pleasant at Yu’er’s house because Zhao Yu was usually absent. Zhao Yu had found a temporary teaching position at a nearby school; the regular teacher reportedly had family matters requiring him to be away for several months, so he asked Zhao Yu to substitute. Zhao Yu had been worried about finding suitable work, so he readily agreed to teach, even though the school was in the next village, a considerable distance away. Initially, because Yu’er was pregnant, Zhao Yu worried about leaving her alone and would return home every day. Later, after Yu’er spent some time at her parents’ home, Zhao Yu began staying there most of the time, rarely returning.

When Yu’er and He Shi returned to Yu’er’s house, Zhao Yu saw that Yu’er had her mother-in-law to look after her and would only return every few days. Initially, the mother and daughter lived very comfortably; Yu’er did some embroidery at home while He Shi handled all the housework. Yu’er found having her mother there quite beneficial.

However, Zhao Yu’s mother, who lived next door, became increasingly dissatisfied. She reasoned that it made no sense for her son and daughter-in-law not to live with her, yet they hosted the mother-in-law. Furthermore, due to the family division dispute, Zhao Yu’s mother deeply resented He Shi. Seeing He Shi staying there made her extremely uncomfortable. For the first few days, she assumed it was just a temporary visit and said nothing.

After seeing He Shi staying there for several consecutive days, Zhao Yu’s mother finally spoke up. One morning, as He Shi and Yu’er were eating breakfast, Zhao Yu’s mother stormed into Yu’er’s courtyard and immediately demanded, “Lin Yu’er, how long does your mother plan to stay here?”