Yang Jing looked at Niuniu crawling on the floor. "What is wrong with Mom and Dad today?" Yang Jing felt the atmosphere at home was incredibly strange, especially the expressions on her in-laws' faces.

Song Yao kept her head down and didn't speak, while Wang Qiqi continued to busy herself with her computer. Song Ziwen thought that the two of them could ignore the question, but he couldn't, so he said, "We had a bit of a disagreement; I'm not entirely clear on the details."

Yang Jing didn't dwell on it, assuming it was just the in-laws being unhappy about something again. As a daughter-in-law, she felt it was inappropriate to ask too deeply why they were fighting. Besides, they had fought before; Yang Jing figured it was probably just that the father-in-law hadn't indulged the mother-in-law this time.

"Were the documents delivered to the bank? When is the contract signing? I plan to look at the commercial properties before I leave, and while I'm at it, look at the one Qiqi wants to buy." Song Yao was both changing the subject and hoping to finalize the property deal quickly so Qiqi could openly hand management over to Song Ziwen while she was still in the country.

"Qiqi, you're buying a commercial property too?" Hearing this, Yang Jing started to understand. She realized she had been dense. Her husband planned to buy a shop under the factory's name to showcase their products—a suggestion her mother-in-law apparently didn't fully approve of, though her father-in-law, Qiqi, and others agreed, so she had to accept it. Now that her sister-in-law was back, her mother-in-law likely saw the document signing and started grumbling again, leading to an argument with the father-in-law, which tightened the atmosphere. As for why her husband claimed ignorance, the reason was simple: with his elder sister and others present, how could he elaborate? So, as Song Yao changed the topic, Yang Jing followed up on the subject.

Wang Qiqi hummed in agreement. "I think the development potential there is quite good; collecting rent sounds nice." Too bad I'm just lending my name to it; the capital and the rent collection belong to others. Thinking of this, Wang Qiqi suddenly remembered something: she probably needed to open a new bank card over there. All the rental income from that property should go into that card, managed by Song Yao, to prevent a situation where someone urgently needs money a year from now when she returns—though the main reason was better accounting.

Yang Jing thought for a moment, then suddenly turned to Song Ziwen. "Do you think I could buy one too?"

Me? Wang Qiqi and Song Yao exchanged a look. They knew she said I, not we as a family. Wang Qiqi wondered if it was Yang Jing's personal savings. She thought perhaps they should leave the room, as the two individuals involved in the private money issue were still in a cold war that hadn't thawed, and she didn't want Song Ziwen and his wife to fall into conflict as well.

"Does our family have money?" Song Ziwen was startled. Did he not know whether his family had money? Furthermore, ever since marrying her, all the money she earned was pooled together. Most of their cash had been used for starting his factory and investing in Song Yao's venture, leaving very little at home. It was impossible for Yang Jing to have secret funds.

Yang Jing looked at Song Ziwen, who was blankly unresponsive, and tapped his forehead. "The bride price money you gave my family, plus what I saved from working—haven't those always been untouched?" Song Ziwen should know about that money; why was he pretending not to know now? Was he performing for Song Yao and the others? Thinking this, Yang Jing suddenly felt she might have said the wrong thing. She only managed to take over Song Yao's shop because of her husband, yet she was still keeping her pre-marital money strictly accounted for with Song Ziwen, which might seem excessive in Song Yao's eyes.

Song Yao certainly felt a bit uncomfortable. So, in her sister-in-law's view, marrying her somewhat nouveau riche brother meant she still needed to secure her own pre-marital funds, while her brother’s entire assets were to be shared with her? However uncomfortable, Song Yao wouldn't voice her dissatisfaction. Clearly, her younger brother knew about this and agreed with it. Since the parties involved had no objection, why should an outsider like her say more?

Wang Qiqi was also momentarily surprised, but then considered that, from Yang Jing's family's perspective, marrying Song Ziwen, who was somewhat wealthy, might not offer complete security.

Song Ziwen finally remembered the money his wife had in hand. "You decide, but regarding buying the property, if the market develops well, the rent won't be an issue." Although property values generally trend upward, commercial properties demand a higher rate of return. If the market doesn't perform, who would buy that building? It isn't a residence. As long as the surroundings, school district, and transportation are good, it will eventually sell. Even for rental income, the yield is quite substantial. The current situation was a gamble, so Song Ziwen wanted to advise Yang Jing against rushing. In his view, in the years since marrying him, Yang Jing had kept this money in the bank earning interest, never considering real estate investment. If she acted now, he worried that if her expectations were too high and the outcome didn't meet them, she might be very disappointed.

Yang Jing knew her husband wanted her to reconsider. He had mentioned that acquiring the commercial property wasn't without pressure; it was a gamble. After investing so much capital and starting the factory, they naturally hoped business would be good, or he wouldn't have agreed to take on the shop now when funds were already tight. "Don't worry, I know. I've made up my mind." Yang Jing wanted to show her husband that she would always support him by standing by his side. "Actually, the reason I didn't buy a house before was that my mother insisted I put the money in a three-year fixed deposit. It just matured a few days ago, and I was thinking about what to do next. Continuing to bank it felt like losing money, so investing seemed better. Since there's a good opportunity, I wouldn't miss it."

Although Yang Jing framed it as due to maturing savings, everyone understood she was clearly using this action to support Song Ziwen. "Sister-in-law, you will realize in the future how correct your decision today was," Wang Qiqi interjected. Although her brother-in-law’s motivation was Song Ziwen, Qiqi had to admit this move was absolutely the right one.

"Naturally, my wife and I have equally good judgment," Song Ziwen mused. "Don't mention buying the property to Mom." Although their fight was over so-called private funds, the shop was the catalyst. If Wang Damei found out Yang Jing was also buying property there, Song Ziwen truly worried his mother might direct her anger toward the innocent Yang Jing.

Yang Jing obediently nodded. She knew she wasn't foolish; it was just a slip of the tongue earlier. It was fortunate her elder sister and the others hadn't overthought it, but her mother-in-law might not see it that way. Why would she go looking for a scolding?

Song Yao and the others rushed out the next day to view the properties. As for Wang Damei, who was still angry, they thought her temper might subside by evening. But when the excited group returned home, they found no sign of cooking in the kitchen. "Dad, have you eaten?" Yang Jing thought it was almost five o'clock. Her mother-in-law being absent felt genuinely wrong. What struck Yang Jing as even more wrong was the number of stains on her daughter's clothes. If her mother-in-law had been home, she certainly wouldn't have let Niuniu get like that. Did the in-laws still not reconcile after they left?

Song Wenbo replied coldly, "No one is cooking at home; what would I eat? I took Niuniu out for lunch." Song Wenbo was fuming inwardly. Did his old lady think running away from home would force him to admit fault first? For other issues, he might concede, but on this matter, he genuinely didn't believe he was wrong. He had thought about it all day: why was Wang Damei being so unreasonable? Wasn't it because he had indulged her too much before? Otherwise, why would she act this way? "Your mother is staying over there to cool off for a few days; don't disturb her."

With that statement, Song Wenbo stood up and walked towards the door. "I'm going out for a walk, meeting friends for dinner. Don't worry about me." Then he opened the door and left.

Song Wenbo’s abrupt, contextless words left the others completely bewildered. But the one certainty was that yesterday's cold war had escalated, and Wang Damei's tactic of running away from home had failed this time. "Ah, my mom..." Song Yao wondered if her mother hadn't admitted fault yesterday when the old man questioned whether she was still financially supporting Wang Rui's family.

Song Ziwen finally lost his composure. After stuttering "Ah, ah, um," he asked, "Is this a sign that Dad is finally standing up for himself?" Don't forget, although their old man was a workshop director managing over a hundred people at the factory, he was still managed by Wang Damei at home. From childhood, Song Ziwen had never seen his father act so assertively toward his mother. But the problem was that this assertiveness was deeply troubling. "What about Mom?" Hadn't his mother been spoiled by Song Wenbo for over thirty years? Perhaps she was confidently waiting at home for the old man to apologize and fetch her. But the way the old man bolted the moment he saw them return indicated he didn't want their advice. Now the problem was huge.

Song Ziwen paced the living room, running his hands through his hair, muttering, "What to do, what to do." He dared not go fetch his mother, not only because his father had forbidden it but also because if his mother saw him coming to get her, she surely wouldn't agree to return.

After walking several laps, just as Wang Qiqi was about to protest, Song Ziwen stopped abruptly, ran to Song Yao, and asked, "Sis, what should we do about this?" He needed his elder sister to come up with a plan; Song Ziwen admitted he was helpless.

Song Yao thought she didn't even know what the couple had argued about yesterday, so how could she have a solution? But she couldn't stand by idly. "I'll go talk to Mom tomorrow."

Wang Qiqi, on the side, stated she felt no pressure about it. "Qiqi, you need to come with me tomorrow," Song Yao said, refusing to let Wang Qiqi off the hook.

Wang Qiqi was speechless. Why did she need to get involved in this? "Sis, do you think it's appropriate for me to show up?" Wang Qiqi wasn't stupid. The reason Wang Damei fought with Song Wenbo was over using private money for Wang Rui and her family. Who was Wang Rui? She was Wang Qiqi's archenemy. Wang Qiqi thought, should she go over there to tell Wang Damei whether she was right or wrong? She certainly wouldn't say she was right; if she said she was wrong, Wang Damei would surely think she was there to lecture her.

"Why wouldn't it be appropriate?" Song Yao couldn't worry about niceties now. If Qiqi accompanied her, even if her mother wanted to erupt, she would have to consider Qiqi. She felt she was already disadvantaged as a daughter—she should be on the front lines for her parents' issues, yet family assets tended to favor the son. Responsibility and obligation should be equal, sigh. "If you don't come tomorrow, I won't go either."

Once Song Yao made her stance clear, Song Ziwen immediately started persuading Wang Qiqi again, offering plenty of conditions. "Qiqi, you don't want my parents to separate like this, do you..." Song Ziwen droned on incessantly about how prolonged cold wars hurt the family and traumatized the younger generation.

Wang Qiqi didn't register most of his rambling, but she did register one point. She thought, Right, if Wang Damei and Song Wenbo aren't reconciled, will that woman stubbornly reappear like in the previous life? Will this small internal issue explode into a major one, leading things in an unforeseen direction? Realizing this, even if she didn't agree now, she worried about facing her parents after death. "Fine, I'll go, okay?"

When Song Ziwen and the others heard Wang Qiqi agree, they attributed it to Song Ziwen's monotonous pleading, which sounded like chanting scripture. Song Yao shot Song Ziwen an approving look, thinking her younger brother wouldn't have to worry about food in the future; if all else failed, he could become a monk and still eat. "Where are we eating dinner?"

"Let's eat out," Wang Qiqi truly lacked the energy to buy groceries and cook tonight. She had checked the kitchen; all the vegetables were gone, and the market wouldn't have good stock at this hour. It was better to eat out.

Eat out? Song Ziwen looked at the scorching heat outside. He had driven so much and climbed up and down looking at properties today; honestly, he didn't want to move. It was more tiring than working a full day at the factory. He had expected a hot meal waiting when he got home, but now they had to go out. "I'm exhausted, I don't want to move." Though he knew it sounded useless, he really didn't want to stir. "I've been incredibly busy today, and then I came home to a long lecture. I'm truly tired, wifey, wifey." Song Ziwen felt only his wife would pity him; the other two would likely mock him at best.

Song Ziwen wasn't asking for a kiss, but unfortunately, Yang Jing had already taken Niuniu to the bathroom to wash up and change her clothes. Seeing her once fair and plump, clean daughter turned into a little flower cat after a day out, Yang Jing couldn't stand it and had prioritized cleaning her child.

Song Ziwen was mistaken this time. Song Yao didn't want to eat out, and she certainly didn't want to cook. "Mom is something else; why couldn't she pick a better day to throw a fit?" She was already busy enough, and now the household logistics weren't taken care of, which annoyed Song Yao. "Song Ziwen, do the restaurants near your place offer delivery?" Ordering in was the better option; they could just pay a little extra.

Song Ziwen rarely ate at the restaurants near the entrance. "Yang Jing, do you know any places that deliver?"

When Yang Jing came out of the bathroom holding her daughter, she heard her husband asking. She rolled her eyes unceremoniously. "How would I know? I don't eat around here." Neither her parents nor her in-laws liked eating out frequently; they felt it was expensive and unsanitary. "Maybe I should run an errand?" Among the four present, Yang Jing felt it was her destiny to go out. She hesitantly spoke up.

Wang Qiqi, seeing Yang Jing also looking tired, offered, "Sister-in-law, I'll go buy it." She had been running around all day, had to watch Niuniu tonight, and needed to go to the shop tomorrow, leaving no time for a nap. She preferred to let her sister-in-law rest a bit and help where she could.

"Let Qiqi go; you should rest," Song Ziwen said, feeling protective of his wife. Since his sister was willing to help, Song Ziwen accepted without hesitation. "Qiqi, you know what we like to eat, right?" Song Ziwen listed a few dishes he enjoyed. "Since you're driving out anyway, just go to that place; their food is quite good."

Although Wang Qiqi volunteered to go, Song Ziwen's attitude annoyed her. The dishes he ordered required a fifteen-minute drive one way. Wang Qiqi strongly believed that if Yang Jing had gone out, Song Ziwen wouldn't have ordered those specific items. "Money," Wang Qiqi demanded, stretching out her hand unceremoniously. "I was initially going to pay, but because of someone's ordering behavior, that someone has to cover the bill." Wang Qiqi spoke before Song Ziwen could complain. "I'll drive Sister-in-law's car; she covers gas, I cover the labor, and it's normal for you, Brother, to cover the food cost."

While the logic was sound, Song Ziwen countered, "What about Song Yao?" Song Ziwen pointed at his older sister, who was also half-reclining on the sofa. "Qiqi, you can't be too biased."

"I'll handle the cleanup," Song Yao conceded. She knew Song Ziwen absolutely wouldn't want to do the dishes, and she didn't want to either. With Yang Jing watching the child and Qiqi running out to buy food, Song Yao was even less inclined to clean. Song Yao understood this was why Qiqi hadn't asked her to pay. "Of course, Ziwen, you can choose to clean up instead; I'm willing to pay."

Washing dishes, cleaning up, or paying—was there really a choice for Song Ziwen? "I'll reimburse you when I get back."

"Money, I didn't bring much cash on me," Wang Qiqi admitted. She really hadn't carried much money when leaving the house today. She was reluctant to run home to get cash before going out. "Oh, right, I'll pick up some grapes while I'm out; we can make grape juice tonight."

"Buy plenty, and ask Shi Man to come over tonight to chat," Song Yao suggested. She needed to maintain a good relationship with her future business partner, as they would be working together for a long time. Especially since fruit money wasn't coming from her pocket, Song Yao was delighted to use someone else's money to build rapport. Besides, fostering a good relationship with Shi Man would also benefit Yang Jing.

"Sure." Song Ziwen had no objection to Song Yao's suggestion. "Oh, and ask the convenience store downstairs to send up a case of beer." Song Ziwen knew everyone present drank alcohol; chatting over tea would be boring. Beer would be better, but his wife should drink less so someone is sober enough to watch the child later.

"No problem." If someone else pays for the trip and the expenses, Wang Qiqi was absolutely fine with running the errand, no matter how annoyed she was.

Wang Qiqi ran around her errands, looking at the large bags of goods, feeling overwhelmed. She wondered if she should go upstairs first and ask them to help carry things down or just exert herself and carry everything up herself. Just as Qiqi was pondering, "Qiqi?"

Wang Qiqi turned around and saw, "Manman! Have you eaten?" If not, she could help carry things upstairs and eat together.

What Shi Man didn't know was that Song Yao had specifically asked her over the phone to help carry things up. That's why Shi Man had been waiting by the window and only came downstairs after seeing Yang Jing's car pull into the complex. "I know. If I don't help carry things, I don't get to eat, right?"

"I heard you went to buy a commercial property today?" Shi Man found it strange. Wasn't Qiqi planning not to invest in domestic real estate anymore? Why was she buying a shop now? Furthermore, didn't she have limited funds? "A loan?"

Wang Qiqi thought it was better not to reveal the full truth. "I still have that sum of money I haven't touched," referring to the compensation money from her parents, which Wang Qiqi had always kept separate. Shi Man knew about this, so saying that was the only way to avoid raising suspicion. "I plan to use it as private savings."

Shi Man nodded, indicating understanding. She hadn't spent much time at home recently without receiving lectures from her parents, especially about the importance of private savings. Although she felt this approach wasn't entirely ideal, since her parents insisted on it, and Qiqi was doing it too, "I understand. By the way, is this commercial property really that good?" Seeing Wang Qiqi mobilize funds she usually wouldn't touch, Shi Man figured the prospects must be excellent, or Qiqi wouldn't have done this.

"Are you tempted too?" Shi Man's question implied she was considering it. Wang Qiqi knew Shi Man had some money. The translation fees Shi Man earned weren't disclosed to Feng Xuanxiang; this income was earned under Wang Qiqi's name. So, Wang Qiqi described the situation there again, covering both the positive aspects and the current disadvantages. "We are essentially gambling, as it's not a mature market, and it’s not a residential area."

Shi Man considered it briefly. "If you buy, I'll buy." Shi Man had confirmed that following Qiqi meant there was profit to be made. She knew that if Wang Qiqi hadn't approved, Song Ziwen wouldn't have invested heavily in that property. His factory, she thought, hadn't received many orders lately; if Song Ziwen hadn't started his own renovation company, his factory might have gone bankrupt. "Investment inherently involves risk."

When Song Yao learned Wang Qiqi had managed to rope in another property buyer downstairs, she exclaimed, "Oh, Qiqi, you should take up a part-time sales job over there! Look how many units you've helped push just by being there!" If she were a sales agent, she could easily rake in tens of thousands in commission.

"Exactly, exactly." Song Ziwen mumbled, gnawing on a pork trotter like a common ruffian, while Yang Jing beside him frowned continuously, wondering why he couldn't exercise even a shred of decorum when they weren't just family. "When I come over in a few days, I'll take you along. Go take a look for yourself; don't let some unscrupulous salesman bamboozle you." Song Ziwen secretly thought that this time when he visited, he could negotiate with the developer again, perhaps getting some fees waived.

To call him an unscrupulous salesman? Wang Qiqi flared up, tossing the bone toward the man's chest. "Eat your food. If you have something to eat, it should shut your mouth." His mouth was getting sharper by the day. "Sister-in-law, you really need to keep an eye on my brother. He's so glib; you need to be careful."

Song Ziwen panicked, forgetting his dirty hands. He pulled Yang Jing close, planting a kiss on her lips. "My love for my wife is as clear as the sun and moon. Wife, don't listen to Qiqi stirring up trouble." Sigh, he thought, knowing full well that ever since he'd made something of himself, his wife had become a bit wary of him, and Qiqi saying this clearly wasn't going to make his life any easier.