Chen'er started to interject, but Lin He raised her hand, stopping her, then continued, "Chen'er, we cannot be too selfish. We shouldn't always be thinking only of ourselves. No matter who you are with, no matter the time, you must remember this."

"Relationships between people are reciprocal. If someone is good to you, you can't just enjoy it; you must also be good to them. Let's not even talk about Li Zheng for now. Take the simplest example: look at how good you've always been to me, your big sister. When I'm not here, you always keep me in your thoughts, right? If I had only ever enjoyed your kindness without ever considering you, maybe once or twice you wouldn't have noticed. But over time, anyone's heart would grow cold, and we still share the bond of blood."

"And Li Zheng? He's been good to you since childhood. All these years, regardless of how you treated him, he's always stayed by your side. If he didn't genuinely care for you, why would someone who is unrelated to you go to such lengths for you? So, Chen'er, I hope you can be more open-minded. While thinking of yourself, try to stand in others' shoes too. Don't take their kindness for granted, and don't think you can hurt people recklessly just because they love you."

"Well, I've said a lot to you, Big Sister. Think it over carefully, and think clearly about the matter with Li Zheng. If you feel Li Zheng is dispensable to you, then let this matter end here. Clean up your emotions, live your own life well from now on, just as before."

"If you do have feelings for Li Zheng, then I will figure out a way to take you back for a visit before his engagement. You can see him one last time and say everything bottled up in your heart. Whatever the outcome, don't leave yourself with regrets, do you understand?"

"I hope you can think this through calmly and stop being petulant. After all, meeting someone who treats you this well once in a lifetime is not easy. If you keep acting out of spite, this person truly won't be yours anymore. Think about whether you could really be indifferent to losing him."

Lin He finished speaking, gently stroked Chen'er's head, and seeing that Chen'er remained silent and made no move to speak, Lin He sat on the edge of the bed and picked up the embroidery work Chen'er had set aside.

Chen'er sat by the bed thinking for a long time. She thought about many things—all the small things Li Zheng had done for her over the years, and all the things she had done in return. She recalled her elder sister's final words, thinking about a future without Li Zheng, thinking of him standing beside someone else. In that instant, she was seized by panic, and her heart twisted in sharp pangs. She had to admit that everything her big sister had just said was true, and the analysis was remarkably keen.

Once she came to terms with it, Chen'er felt a pang of shyness and hesitation at the thought of proactively approaching Li Zheng to say these things. "Big sister, if I go back and see Li Zheng, what should I say? Mother always says a young lady should maintain propriety. What if I tell Li Zheng I like him, and he remains unmoved? Wouldn't I be utterly humiliated then?"

Hearing this, Lin He chuckled and said, "It's right for a young lady to be reserved, but it also depends on the urgency and importance of the matter. Think about it: if you insist on propriety and end up losing someone vitally important, which is the better stance to maintain?"

Chen'er looked at Lin He, pondered for a moment, and finally seemed to make a resolution, stating firmly, "Big Sister, I've decided to go back with you, to see Li Zheng one time. I will talk to him. If he truly likes Lan Hua, I won't cling to him; I will live my own life well from then on."

Seeing that Chen'er had understood, Lin He smiled and said, "Yes, that's right. Then you handle this matter yourself. Today, you and the younger brothers will go back with me. Tomorrow, I'll have your brother-in-law arrange a carriage, and we'll make the trip back. Don't worry, I'll arrange things so you don't feel embarrassed."

"He'er, where are you going back to tomorrow? What for?" As the two were talking, Madam Huang entered and inquired.

Before Lin He could answer, she saw Chen'er wink at her. Lin He understood that the girl didn't want too many people to know about this. She returned a smile to Chen'er and then said to Madam Huang, "Nothing much. It's been a while since I went back, so I thought I'd visit."

Madam Huang nodded, "That’s fine too. It's good for you to go back and see things. Bring your father along when you do."

She paused, as if remembering something, "Oh, right, He'er, your paternal aunt had a healthy baby boy recently; you didn't know, did you? We all went for the celebratory feast. We didn't get a chance to inform you then. When you go back this time, bring a gift for your aunt's son. Your aunt gave a very generous gift when you got married."

Lin He was also delighted upon hearing this. "Really? My aunt had a son? When did that happen?"

"Not long after you last went back. I wanted to send someone to notify you, but your father thought it best not to. He said if we constantly visited you after you were married, people might gossip. So, we waited until you returned to tell you," Madam Huang explained.

Lin He nodded, "Understood. Oh, Mother, when I go back this afternoon, I want to take Xiao Bao and the other younger ones to stay in my courtyard for a while. If you and Eldest Sister-in-law have time, you could come stay for a few days too. That house is ours, and the servants there are all those who came with me; you don't need to worry about anything else."

Hearing Lin He mention the courtyard, Madam Huang became interested and asked, "Where is your courtyard? Is it far from here? I might visit to take a look, but I certainly can't stay for many days. This whole family needs looking after. I already go home less often now, and your elder brother comes back for meals every day. I can't be away that long. Wait until Chen'er and the others need to return, then send someone to notify me, and I'll visit again. As for your Eldest Sister-in-law, you should ask her yourself later; she probably won't go either."

When Madam Huang mentioned the Eldest Sister-in-law, Lin He recalled seeing Yun Qi and her mother buying maids on the street the other day. Lin He ventured carefully, "Mother, now that you are staying here long-term, are there enough maids in the household? If not, perhaps get a few more so you don't wear yourself out."

Lin He asked this to gauge whether Yun Qi had brought that maid back with her, but asking directly felt awkward, so she skirted around the issue. As expected, she heard Madam Huang reply, "We have enough maids here. Those younger ones all have their original maids and pages assigned to them, and I have Cai Qing by my side. I was thinking of getting an additional maid for Yun Qi, who only had Zi Su, but she brought a maid back from her maternal home recently. So, the household servants are sufficient now. But you know me, Mother, no matter how many maids we have, I still prefer doing some things myself. Now that Da Xiong and Xiao Xiong are both at the academy studying, there isn't much housework, and too many maids are useless anyway."