After Wang Qiqi and Luo Hongjuan lingered by the doorway for another ten minutes, they finally heard the old woman's voice subside, and the two tidied their clothes before stepping inside.

"Mother, are you feeling any better?"

"Hello, Grandma." Wang Qiqi trailed closely behind Luo Hongjuan, sporting the expression of a dutiful daughter-in-law.

Old Mrs. Han eyed her late-arriving elder daughter-in-law with irritation. "Can't die, hmph. I'm just a nuisance, showing up so late..." Hmph, who knows where she was really off doing.

Luo Hongjuan paid no mind to Old Mrs. Han's sharp tone, responding softly, "Qiqi's aunt called me out to discuss something, so I went over. As soon as I got home and heard Qiqi say you were sick, I rushed right over."

"Hmph, couldn't this matter be discussed during the day instead of at night?" Old Mrs. Han argued unreasonably.

"I have to work during the day, Mother, what choice do I have? We have no ancestral property to inherit, and Tao Tao's father passed away early. With no elders to rely on, if I don't work hard, how can I raise Tao Tao?" Luo Hongjuan retorted pointedly. "Mother, what is wrong with you? You used to talk about in-laws marrying into the family—is Han Jun marrying in? Didn't you say you liked this granddaughter-in-law Ding Meina very much, even spending a lot of money and specifically bequeathing one of the two old houses to Han Jun?"

"Mother, don't be angry. Junjun, admit a mistake to Grandma. You are the grandson Grandma loves most. All the houses are for you. How can you marry into the family? Does that do justice to the grandmother who has doted on you since childhood? You are not Han Tao, who Grandma never favored. So, marrying in is fine. But your parents and Grandma spent a great deal of money on your wedding. How can you be so thoughtless?"

Xue Hong had expected the old woman to redirect her attacks toward Luo Hongjuan upon her arrival. She hadn't anticipated her daughter-in-law would be so sharp-tongued, airing out family matters the moment she walked in. "Sister-in-law, no matter how important the matter, as the eldest daughter-in-law, how could you arrive so late? We are usually the ones taking care of Mother..."

"That's right, you should be taking care of her," Luo Hongjuan said with an expression of entitlement. "Although custom dictates the elderly should live with the eldest son, if the eldest son dies, and the elder forces the daughter-in-law and grandson out with nothing, while giving all family assets to the younger son and his wife—should the daughter-in-law still be expected to provide care? Xue Hong, don't forget the original division agreement. All of Mother's affairs, including nursing care and medical expenses, are the responsibility of Han Ximing's line. Why are you now discussing elder care with me? I can take responsibility if we sit down and discuss the property issue. I estimate the two houses should be enough for the elder..."

Before Luo Hongjuan could finish, Han Ximing interjected, "Sister-in-law, don't trouble yourself with her. She is just a petty person. Relax. I know about the original agreement. Rest assured, we will take care of Mother's affairs until the end." Besides, this was all because the Ding family behaved poorly. Han Ximing felt that no matter what, the Ding family had to offer an explanation for this situation, otherwise... Han Ximing had already decided: he would take his elderly mother and sit right outside the Ding family's company building. He didn't believe the boss of a major corporation would be so shameless.

Ding Meina honestly didn't care much about whose surname the children carried, but the issue was that she had previously spread the word that her in-laws were completely under her thumb. Despite marrying into the Han family, her children would carry the Ding surname, earning admiring glances from many friends. So now, what was this all about? "The Han family's reputation, the Han family's reputation? Am I not the child's mother? Without me, do you expect to produce offspring?"

"You old hag! You only coughed up a little bit for the wedding expenses and betrothal gifts—do you think that gives you power over me? You old, worthless thing! Do you think I enjoy flattering you? Do you think you're so easy to deal with? Do you think your grandson is so great? Hmph, he's just a vocational school graduate! If my family hadn't taken pity on him, do you think he'd be living so comfortably? Bah! Let me tell you, your grandson only has a decent face and a sweet mouth. He serves me like a dog, and I would have kicked him out long ago..." Ding Meina spoke with utter contempt. Perhaps at the very beginning, when she saw Old Mrs. Han collapse, she had been scared, worried about a fatality. But now that Old Mrs. Han was yelling with full vigor and saying such nasty things, how could the pampered Ding Meina swallow that insult? Wang Qiqi watched Ding Meina unleash her fury, listening to her words and watching her hands plant firmly on her hips. Wang Qiqi felt a sense of danger; didn't she realize she was pregnant? Rumor had it that during the wedding preparations, someone had been running around frantically just to make the event grand and lively, ending up hospitalized for threatened miscarriage. Afterwards, she still planned an overseas honeymoon. It was said she hadn't rested well upon returning either. During the Spring Festival, she was running around everywhere, sampling food. What shocked Wang Qiqi most was that even though she was clearly pregnant, she was still using cosmetics. Fortunately, she wasn't using perfume, or else... But Wang Qiqi wondered if she truly understood what it meant to be a mother. Even without having been pregnant in two lifetimes, she knew pregnant women should ideally avoid makeup; those chemicals were bad for the body and could affect the baby in the womb.

Luo Hongjuan was also startled by Ding Meina's outburst. Her immediate reaction was to cover her mouth, inwardly exclaiming, Is this retribution? But comparatively, Old Mrs. Han was luckier. No matter what, Xue Hong would likely treat her well for the sake of the money. However, Ding Meina clearly despised the Han family's wealth, and Xue Hong had to cling to her daughter-in-law just for money. Luo Hongjuan could already picture the life Xue Hong would lead in the future.

Ding Meina's outburst didn't just shock Luo Hongjuan and Wang Qiqi; Xue Hong was equally stunned. She knew Ding Meina was not easy to deal with, but she hadn't expected her to be so fierce and aggressive. Xue Hong wondered if, in the future without money, Ding Meina would simply point at her and curse.

The thought of ending up under the thumb of such an aggressive and unfilial daughter-in-law made Xue Hong feel her own fate was bitter. She looked at her son, shrinking timidly behind her without uttering a word. If her son hadn't helped when Han Tao argued the day before the wedding, Xue Hong might still have made excuses for her son. But Han Jun's behavior today made her furious. She grabbed Han Jun, her anger palpable. "Why don't you control your wife? Listen to what she's saying! She's cursing you!" What kind of man hears his woman speak of him with such disdain and remains completely unmoved? If it weren't Han Jun himself, Xue Hong would have cursed him for not being a man.

"You think your son will scold me?" Ding Meina didn't move physically but beckoned Han Jun over with a slight hook of her little finger, signaling him to approach.

Han Jun truly lived up to his wife's assessment. He immediately pulled his hand away from his mother's grasp and scurried over to Ding Meina's side like a little dog.

Wang Qiqi watched, dumbfounded. She had only one thought: Was it that Ding Meina was skilled at taming husbands, or was this simply Han Jun's inherent nature? Regardless of which girl he married, Han Jun would be like this. "If my son turns out like this in the future, I swear I'll die of anger," Wang Qiqi murmured.

Luo Hongjuan deeply agreed. Fortunately, Tao Tao wasn't that kind of child. While studying in Beijing, her son called home often. It was only after he went to the US that communication shifted entirely to email. Looking at Han Jun, not only was he spineless, but he lacked any masculine spirit. Or perhaps, "He’s just an ingrate; he sides with whoever has money." Luo Hongjuan finally understood: his weakness wasn't simply a lack of manhood; it was that the Ding family could offer Han Jun far more than the Han family could. Besides, why wouldn't he prioritize what the Han family had?

Xue Hong certainly heard the murmurs from Luo Hongjuan and Wang Qiqi, but how could she retort? Other than glaring at the pair, what else could she do? At this moment, Xue Hong regretted ever suggesting Luo Hongjuan come over, leading to her witnessing such an unpleasant scene. "Sister-in-law, if there isn't any major issue, perhaps you should leave now. Mother's health isn't a big problem; it's just some old age ailments."

Luo Hongjuan knew Xue Hong wanted to stop her from seeing the spectacle, but why should she obey Xue Hong? "No, I just arrived; I can't leave now. I need to ask the doctor about Mother's condition later. How could she suddenly be sent to the hospital when she seemed fine? I can't have come to the hospital without even speaking to the doctor about the old woman's status, or what will the relatives in the family say about me?"

When Han Ximing and the others heard Luo Hongjuan say this, their faces changed completely, but they couldn't stop her from inquiring with the doctor. In truth, Luo Hongjuan and the others already had some idea why Old Mrs. Han had been hospitalized, but Luo Hongjuan insisted on confirmation. After learning the old woman's condition from the doctor, she returned to the ward where Xue Hong and Ding Meina were still confronting each other. She addressed them: "Stop fighting, the two of you. You should know how the old lady became ill. Why are you still making a scene? Han Ximing, as the son, the husband, and the father, you deal with this. It’s getting late. Since the old woman is not gravely ill, Qiqi and I will head back. I have to go to work tomorrow." With that, Luo Hongjuan pulled Wang Qiqi away after enjoying the show for quite some time, departing once more.

After Luo Hongjuan and Wang Qiqi left, the atmosphere immediately grew tense. Before, perhaps they were restrained by appearances, but now, the pretense was truly dropped. Ding Meina’s mother dropped all airs.