Lin He smiled warmly at Chen'er, feeling that familiar sentiment of a daughter blooming into womanhood. In her heart, Chen'er and Xiao Bao were children she had raised single-handedly; she had poured more effort into them than their own mother, and seeing Chen'er grown now brought her genuine joy.

Chen'er stared back at Lin He for a long moment, blinking before finally asking in a soft voice, "Sister, since Mother isn't here, tell me honestly—is anyone bullying you at Brother-in-law’s house? If they are, you must tell us."

"Heh heh, Chen'er has truly grown up, caring for her elder sister like this. I speak the truth: things are very well at the Wen family residence. Your brother-in-law treats me kindly too. You and Mother don't need to worry. I have Ziqing and Ziyu attending to me, which is nearly the same as being at home," Lin He said, patting Chen'er’s head with a smile.

"Oh, that’s good then. You don’t know, since you haven't returned for so long, Mother has been constantly muttering about you at home. We were just worried you might be bullied over at the Wen family’s," Chen'er said, sounding like a miniature adult.

Lin He laughed and explained a few things about the returning home ritual. Afterward, the two sisters chatted for a while longer in the room. Lin He then led Chen'er out to the courtyard. Indeed, the yard was bustling today; many relatives and friends had gathered, all busy with preparations. Lin He saw Hongxia and Hongyun among them, helping with small tasks, and walked over with a smile.

Seeing Lin He approach, Hongxia quickly said with a warm smile, "He'er, come, sit here. We haven't seen you for a whole month; we’ve missed you terribly. Ah, it was so much livelier when He'er was home."

Lin He quickly sat beside Hongxia, smiling. "Heh heh, I missed you all too. I meant to visit the ointment workshop to see you and Yuanzhu, but as a new bride at the Wen family, there were many things to attend to first."

"Well, meeting up shouldn't be too hard for us. It’s your Eldest Aunt you might not see for a while. Your Eldest Aunt is going home tomorrow; her belly is already so large, she’ll give birth in less than two months. They only stayed back waiting for you to return for this visit," Hongxia remarked with a smile.

Lin He glanced at Hongyun beside her. Her belly was indeed huge, probably eight or nine months along; it was time to prepare for labor. Lin He asked with concern, "Auntie, is carrying a child difficult?"

"Difficult how? Carrying a child is always like this; I've been through it twice already. I'm used to it," Hongxia replied casually.

"How can it be two? Hongyun, you're so happy to see He'er back today that you can't even count straight. It’s clearly three," He Shi said while helping arrange tables in the yard, laughing aloud.

The moment He Shi finished speaking, the complexions of both Hongyun and Hongxia shifted slightly. Even Huang Shi, who was directing servants in the yard, showed a flicker of change. But Hongyun recovered quickly, laughing, "Yes, look at my brain! Seeing He'er today made me too delighted. Yes, three children already. Carrying children isn't hard at all."

"Exactly, He'er, you won't have long to wait either. You’ll know once you carry your own. Watching a woman give birth looks arduous, but it's just that—every woman goes through it," Hongxia quickly regained her composure and added with a smile.

"What are you talking about? He'er just got married, why speak of carrying children already? Look, He'er is getting embarrassed," Hongyun said, playfully hitting Hongxia while pointing at Lin He.

A flush rose on Lin He's cheeks. She said, "See? Aunts, you just love teasing me. I won't talk to you anymore." Lin He started to rise, intending to leave.

The women in the yard burst into laughter. Hongxia quickly pulled Lin He back down to sit. "Look at this child, what is there to be shy about? Childbirth is a woman’s business. If you don't want to talk about it, then don't, why leave? Come, let us have a look—how different is it being a young mistress compared to being at your mother’s house?" As soon as Hongxia finished speaking, all the women in the courtyard laughed together.

Lin He sat back down with a faint smile. Being home felt so much more comfortable. Although they were gossiping about trivial things, they could speak freely about anything. It wasn't like the women at the Wen family, who, despite seemingly saying everything, always seemed to have hidden meanings behind their words, leaving one feeling stifled.

Lin He looked around the yard and felt a touch of oddity that Zhou Shi's family hadn't arrived. Just as she was about to ask, Eldest Aunt Hongyun spoke first. "He'er, are you looking for Xiao Yun's mother? Xiao Yun's mother returned to Li Ping's house. Didn't she give birth to a big, healthy boy for Li Ping last month? She’s still within the confinement period, so she couldn't come today. Xiao Yun went with her to care for her mother. Li Ping and Xiao Shan were just here a moment ago; they must have gone out to help with something."

Oh, right, she was due. When Lin He got married, she had seen Zhou Shi’s belly was already quite large, and they said it would be this month. She had been so busy lately that she had forgotten. Hearing what her Eldest Aunt said, Lin He felt genuinely happy. Zhou Shi and Li Ping having a child meant things would finally settle perfectly; their difficult years were finally ending.

Thinking this, Lin He sighed softly, "With their child, their lives will be even better now."

"Exactly! Xiao Yun's mother has endured so many hard years; she finally gets to have good days. Li Ping, who looks big and rough, is actually quite considerate. He treats Xiao Shan and Xiao Yun well, which is rare. He'er, this is all thanks to you. If you hadn't said what you did back then, your grandmother wouldn't have come around, and Xiao Yun’s mother might still be alone now," Hongyun also sighed.

"I dare not claim credit for this. It was all thanks to Second Aunt losing her temper at Grandmother and insisting on the matter. I only offered a few casual words of persuasion; they didn't have much effect," Lin He said quickly, waving her hands.

"Whose merit it is doesn't matter, as long as Xiao Yun’s mother is well. Everything we did back then was hoping for this very day," Hongxia added.

"Yes, that’s true. But Hongxia, Xiao Yun’s mother is settled now. What about you? You’ve been in the town for so long, and I heard Da Bao introduced you to a few people. Didn't you like any of them?" Hongyun turned to Hongxia and asked.

"Sister, why bring me up in such a nice conversation?" Hongxia lowered her head, looking slightly embarrassed.

Just as Hongxia was about to speak, Zhao Shi’s voice cut in, "Hongxia is right. Xiao Yun’s mother has already given birth; you need to hurry up too. You aren't young anymore. Didn't Da Bao introduce you to a few? You didn't fancy any of them?" Zhao Shi said as she walked up beside Hongxia and asked with some impatience.

"Mother, please stop talking about this all the time. These things can’t be rushed just because you want them to be," Hongxia murmured quietly.

"I know that, Mother. I’m not trying to rush you, but you are getting older. If a few more years pass, and you can’t bear children anymore, it will be even harder to find someone. How can I not worry?" Zhao Shi glanced around and whispered.

"I know, Mother. Every time I come back, you always repeat the same few things; it’s getting so annoying. If there's a suitable person, I’ll make sure to hurry, okay? Today is He'er’s homecoming, let’s not talk about these things," Hongxia grumbled a bit impatiently.

PS: Four-Leaf Lotus thanks many readers for their tips; there will be an extra chapter update today.