Yun Qi looked at Lin He, seemingly unable to process her words. Lin He merely smiled and skillfully steered the conversation elsewhere. After a while, Da Bao emerged from the house. Lin He called out, "Big Brother, you've come out at the perfect time. Since there's nothing else pressing, why don't you take Big Sister-in-law for a walk around the village? That way, she can get her bearings."

Da Bao glanced up at Yun Qi, who bashfully kept her eyes lowered. Just as Da Bao was about to politely decline, Lin He reached out and nudged him, then pulled Yun Qi up as well. Da Bao sighed but walked out with Yun Qi. Lin He watched their retreating figures; in truth, the two looked rather well-matched—the man tall and sturdy, the woman gentle and refined.

After Yun Qi left, Lin He sighed and sat down in the courtyard. She had learned a little about Yun Qi from their short conversation. Yun Qi truly wasn't a sharp or calculating person, but she had clearly been spoiled by her parents at home. It was likely she knew how to do next to nothing. Perhaps she was even less capable than Chen'er. Chen'er, at least, could manage to stitch a piece of clothing or fry a few dishes. Lin He feared this elder sister-in-law might not know any of that, and worse than not knowing, the values instilled in her by her mother differed considerably from those in Lin He's own household.

Although Lin He's family had earned some money in recent years, and they had maids and servants, many tasks weren't strictly necessary for them to perform. But not doing something was a different concept from not knowing how to do it. The way people married wives now was not like in the previous lifetime, where women could be categorized in many ways.

In that past life, a woman who became a wife might be a powerhouse who earned money—whether she did housework might not be so important. Or she could be virtuous and capable, looking after the children and husband at home. At the very least, she would have a job to support herself, so there was no single standard defining what a wife should be.

But in this era, wives were judged by a unified standard: a good wife must manage the household skillfully and be adept at guiding the husband and educating the children. This so-called "skillful household management" included possessing all the necessary talents expected of women. In essence, the demands placed upon wives in ancient times were far stricter than those of modern times.

Yet, this elder sister-in-law knew nothing, and in Lin He's view, her values were somewhat skewed. "As long as a woman marries a good man, that's all that matters." From what Lin He had observed in her brief interactions with Yun Qi and her mother, what Yun Qi's mother meant by a "good man" was someone rich, someone who could provide abundant silver for them to spend, beautiful clothes for them to wear, and a worry-free existence. Their role? To dress prettily every day, do no work, never trouble themselves with household affairs, and live a peaceful life.

But Lin He wondered if they had ever considered: if you know nothing, you must possess some ability to hold onto that "good man." Moreover, the status of women was so low in this time. Even in the previous life, where women's status was somewhat elevated, if a woman lacked capability, even a good man wouldn't guarantee happiness for a lifetime.

Looking at Yun Qi's attire and the demands her mother made during the wedding negotiations, it was clear her family placed a high value on material things. In the three times Lin He had seen Yun Qi, she had never worn the same outfit twice and often adorned her hair with jewelry. This in itself wasn't an issue, but Yun Qi's family was fundamentally ordinary farming folk. She didn't need such elaborate dressing. Coupled with her mother's attitude towards the marriage, it suggested Yun Qi's family was particularly vain in this regard.

Of course, Lin He wasn't judging or taking issue with the elder sister-in-law simply because she was unskilled or perhaps vain. She was viewing the situation from both sides. From the perspective of her own elder brother and mother, they naturally desired a capable wife who could share the household burdens. Since Big Brother was the eldest son, if his wife managed the home well, it would ease things for everyone else.

From Yun Qi's perspective, if she were incapable and only focused on dressing beautifully, she wouldn't be of much use. Even if Da Bao currently felt something for Yun Qi, a woman who only knew how to look pretty and nothing else could never keep a man forever. Furthermore, her own mother wouldn't favor this daughter-in-law, even though she was the one who had selected her against others' objections. Therefore, in the long run, Yun Qi would be the one to suffer—though Lin He hoped the elder sister-in-law might change after officially joining the family.

Lin He sat musing for a while and noticed Chen'er sitting nearby, likely still pondering the things Yun Qi had said. Chen'er was young and inherently loved to play. Her mother and sister constantly urged her to become a virtuous, capable young woman. Hearing the elder sister-in-law's words might cause her some internal conflict.

Lin He patted Chen'er's head and said, "Chen'er, stop worrying. Big Sister will tell you right now: what Big Sister-in-law said is wrong. Don't doubt it; just wait and see. Mother will definitely criticize Big Sister-in-law over these things. So don't hold onto any wishful thinking. What needs to be done must still be done, and what needs to be learned certainly must be learned. Any bad habits must be broken. Plus, once the New Year passes, you'll be a year older, and there will be even more things you need to learn, understand?"

Although Chen'er had been somewhat confused by Yun Qi's words, she absolutely trusted her elder sister. She nodded and replied, "I understand, Big Sister. After the New Year, I will diligently learn from you. But let me play for a few days during the New Year, okay? Little Bao finally has a break too." Chen'er finished by smiling charmingly at Lin He.

Lin He glanced at Chen'er with a smile and said, "Mm, I'll let you rest for a few days during the New Year." After a pause, she added, "Chen'er, in the future, when you are doing embroidery, call Big Sister-in-law to join you. If she doesn't know how, we can teach her together."

"Okay, if there's one more person learning with me, it won't be so dull," Chen'er agreed, nodding.

As the two sisters were talking, Huang Shi emerged from the room, glanced around the courtyard, and asked, "Where did your Big Sister-in-law go? She vanished so quickly?"

"Mother, I asked Big Brother to take her for a walk around the village so they could get better acquainted," Lin He replied, blinking her eyes and smiling at Huang Shi.

"You have so many ideas, girl," Huang Shi scolded lightly, though she was clearly pleased. Seeing her son and daughter-in-law getting along well was something she was happy to witness.

Lin He looked at Huang Shi, her thoughts drifting to Yun Qi. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke softly, "Mother, Big Sister-in-law has just joined the family. Perhaps because her father used to assist people with medical treatments back home, she is accustomed to being an assistant. She might not know how to manage many things around the house. Could you perhaps spend a little more effort teaching her slowly? Just take things as they come?"

Huang Shi looked at Lin He, slightly puzzled. "Didn't we just discuss this inside the room? Did you talk about something else after chatting with Yun Qi just now?"