Old Mrs. Liu had been in excellent spirits for several days. Firstly, her dowry-burdened granddaughter had been married off to a prominent family in town as a concubine, fetching a handsome fifty taels of silver.

Secondly, the large family in town still had no children, and the matchmaker had whispered that her granddaughter was particularly fertile. Once her granddaughter bore a child and established herself, given Old Mrs. Liu’s past ways of keeping control, how could their family not prosper?

Thirdly, her daughter-in-law, Madam Wang, had been married into the Liu family for over a decade without producing a son. While poverty excused it before, now that they had suddenly come into so much money, she resolved to have her son divorce Madam Wang and find him a new, more fertile bride. When Old Mrs. Liu brought this up to her son, to her surprise, he felt the same way. The letter of divorce had already been sent to the Wang family; they were merely waiting to arrange a new match for their son. The grandson she had longed for for so many years might finally be seen.

Old Mrs. Liu’s anticipation grew sweeter with every thought, until, in a moment of distraction, her grip loosened, and the bowl in her hand crashed to the floor, shattering. Seeing the broken pieces, Old Mrs. Liu mourned the loss for a long time. She thought bitterly of that damned Madam Wang, who constantly stayed at her maternal home, refusing to return to work, radiating an air of misfortune—no wonder she couldn't bear a son. Then she quickly reminded herself that Madam Wang had already been divorced by her son. Hmph, this time she would find someone who could work as diligently as Madam Wang and was just as fertile.

Old Mrs. Liu bent down to gather the shards, and this very act of bending nearly wrenched her old back. Indeed, ever since Wang Guifang entered their home, Old Mrs. Liu had not done a single chore; all the housework had been piled onto her daughter-in-law. After years of idleness, her body was no longer agile, and her limbs were clumsy. Suddenly having to work these past couple of days, she kept making mistakes and accidentally bumping herself, leading Old Mrs. Liu to curse Madam Wang countless times.

After washing the bowls, Old Mrs. Liu went to her son Liu Song’s room and found him still asleep on the kang.

“Song’er, wake up! What time is it already, and you’re still not up!” Old Mrs. Liu nudged her son.

Liu Song, roused by his mother’s prodding, rubbed his eyes with discontent. “Ah, Mother, I used to sleep much later than this. Why didn't you ever say anything then? What time is it now that you’re forcing me to get up?”

“Before, you had a wife; if you didn’t get up, someone else would do the work. Now that your wife is gone, who will do the chores? Do you expect my old bones to do everything?” As she spoke, Old Mrs. Liu pushed him harder.

“Ah, Mother, stop pushing! You’re hitting my injury!” Liu Song cried out.

Old Mrs. Liu was startled. “Oh my, where did I hit you? Let Mother see!” Old Mrs. Liu pulled open her son’s clothing to examine him and saw the terrifying bruises still marring his body. She cursed, “That harbinger of bad luck! She must have gone back to her family to badmouth us! Look at how her brothers beat you. That Wang family is truly despicable. It’s a blessing you divorced her early; we won’t have to look at her cursed face anymore. Don’t worry, this time Mother will find you a good one.”

“It’s fine, Mother, it doesn’t hurt anymore. All these bruises will heal with rest,” Liu Song replied.

“Very well, you rest then. I was going to ask you to feed the pigs, but my old bones can’t lift the slop anymore. We’ll wait for your father to come back from the fields.” Old Mrs. Liu then left her son’s room.

Seeing his mother gone, Liu Song immediately relaxed, knowing he wouldn't have to work. In truth, his bruises only looked frightening; they no longer hurt. But now that Madam Wang was gone and there was no one to manage the house, he could only use this pretense to shirk labor. When Madam Wang was present, she handled all the household chores and even worked in the fields. Now that he had divorced her, the field work would fall entirely to Old Man Liu, and the house chores would rely on him and his mother.

Liu Song calculated that since his mother hadn't worked in years, she couldn't manage heavy tasks, meaning he would ultimately be forced to do them. But he disliked physical labor just as much. His only recourse was to feign sickness; it seemed urgent to find a new wife, otherwise, who would manage the household tasks?

Not long after, Old Man Liu returned from the fields for breakfast. Old Mrs. Liu pointed out several uncompleted chores, and Old Man Liu reluctantly began to tackle them. After finishing the tasks and eating breakfast, he noticed his son was still not up and became instantly furious.

“Look at the son you raised! What time is it, and he still hasn’t risen!” Old Man Liu fumed.

“But, Husband, the boy is still injured; he needs more rest,” Old Mrs. Liu offered.

“Injured? A few knocks like that? He’s just fooling your simple mind. Go wake him up! He’s a grown man; what kind of behavior is this, sleeping until now?”

Seeing her husband so enraged, Old Mrs. Liu dared not defy him and went to her son’s room to rouse him.

Old Man Liu looked at his son, who appeared half-asleep, and in a fit of rage, grabbed the wooden stool beside him and hurled it. “You degenerate! How long do you intend to sleep?”

Liu Song saw the stool flying and hastily dodged aside, narrowly avoiding the blow, and complained petulantly, “Father, what is your problem? What did I do to anger you now?”

“You are a grown man who can’t do a single thing. You’ll come down to the fields with me later. Don't even think about slacking off again.” Old Man Liu commanded.

“Father, I don’t know how to do the work in the fields; I’ve never done it,” Liu Song pouted.

“You degenerate, your mother has spoiled you rotten! Why can’t you do what men younger than you manage in other families?” Old Man Liu pointed at Liu Song.

“Ah, old man, stop scolding him; this is all my fault,” Old Mrs. Liu interjected placatingly.

“Of course, it’s your fault! Look at how you’ve pampered him—he’s less capable than his own wife! How can he not do the chores his wife could manage?” Old Man Liu then turned his ire onto Old Mrs. Liu.

Hearing this, Liu Song thought indignantly: When his wife was here, did Father ever call him to the fields? In fact, Father assigned many field tasks specifically to his wife. Now that she was back at her mother's, he suddenly criticized him—was it not simply because now there was no one to help with the field work? He felt thoroughly displeased.

“Don’t mention that jinx! What good is it if she can work if she can’t bear a son?” Old Mrs. Liu grumbled.

“Your mouth is all you have. Go try doing the field work yourself if you’re so capable! In any case, he is going to the fields today.”

Liu Song panicked upon hearing this and looked pleadingly at Old Mrs. Liu.

Old Mrs. Liu looked at her son, reluctant to send him to the fields. “Not today. I’ve already invited the matchmaker over to arrange a new wife for Song’er.”

Old Man Liu frowned upon hearing this. “Hold off on finding a new wife for now. I heard from Old Man Liu this morning that the second son of the Wang family recently struck it rich; he even bought a shop in town! That shop is probably worth a hundred taels. We need to discuss whether we should take Song’er’s wife back.”

“What? One hundred taels? Where did the Wang second son get so much money?” Old Mrs. Liu exclaimed.

“They say their young second son earned it. Who would believe that? Their boy is probably only ten this year; how could he earn so much? There must be some secret channel they possess, but their family is tight-lipped; no one can find out,” Old Man Liu said with evident regret.

“But the Wang second son is only the daughter’s second elder brother. Can you guarantee she can find out?” Old Mrs. Liu considered.

“Right, Father. If their second son has a lucrative channel, he would guard it fiercely; why would he disclose it?” Liu Song chimed in, secretly thinking that bringing Wang Shi back was out of the question. He was already anticipating a young, delicate bride; how could that dried-up crone compare to a fresh young wife!

Old Man Liu pondered. “Regardless of whether your wife can find out, we’ll put off your business for a while. After all, there’s a chance to learn the secret!”

Liu Song glanced at his mother. Old Mrs. Liu was lost in thought and didn't notice him.

“Alright, we’ll put off his remarriage for now. If we can learn the secret, think how much money we could earn! We could buy a shop in town too then,” Old Mrs. Liu grew happier as she imagined it.

Liu Song heard his parents agree, realizing his own objections were useless. He cursed the Wang second son a thousand times in his mind—why did this news about buying a shop have to surface now? It meant he’d have to take back the old shrew. The thought infuriated him.

Old Man Liu and Old Mrs. Liu continued their excited discussion, which Liu Song barely heard. Soon after, Old Man Liu called for him to follow him to the fields.

Liu Song’s eyes darted around. “Father, since you both agreed to bring my wife back, perhaps I should go now?”

Old Man Liu waved his hand dismissively. “No, you can’t go now. You just sent the divorce letter yesterday. The Wang family is probably cursing you right now. Wouldn’t you be asking for a beating if you went? However, if you wait a few more days, by then the Wang family will surely be weary of having a divorced daughter relying on them. At that point, none of them will want to take her back, and they’ll be desperate for you to take her. Not only will they not beat you, they’ll be grateful.”

“Yes, Song’er, listen to your father. Don't rush to bring your wife back now, or you’re guaranteed another beating,” Old Mrs. Liu thought her husband’s reasoning sound.

His plan foiled, Liu Song reluctantly followed Old Man Liu to the fields. Because Wang Shi had previously done most of the heavy field labor, Liu Song had barely any experience. His movements were either stiff and incorrect, or he accidentally ruined the crops.

Seeing his son’s pathetic efforts, Old Man Liu erupted in curses right there in the field. Nearby villagers working also tittered in amusement.

“Look at the state Old Man Liu has let his son get into; he’s so old and still can’t manage field work.”

“Isn't that the truth? Before, their daughter-in-law did the field work, and sometimes Old Man Liu did the lighter chores. All the heavy lifting went onto her. But we never once saw their son come out to the fields.”

“That daughter-in-law truly must have committed sins in a past life to marry into this family and suffer like this.”

“Tell me about it. I heard that Old Mrs. Liu doesn't lift a finger at home either; all the housework was dumped onto the daughter-in-law.”

...

Regardless of the gossip, Liu Song painfully endured until noon, when the father and son finally packed up to return for lunch. Having worked all morning, Liu Song was in a terrible mood, and the meager meal, which paled in comparison to Madam Wang’s cooking, only heightened his agitation.

However, Liu Song’s frustration didn't last long, because not long after the Liu family finished their midday meal, the Wang family arrived.