The noon meal was cooked by the newly married daughter-in-law, which was no difficulty for Luo Yin; after all, she often cooked when she was at home.

In no time at all, Luo Yin presented a table laden with dishes. It was clear she was an experienced hand; she must have cooked frequently back home. When the food was served, everyone noted how appealing it looked. Once they started eating, they had to admit the culinary skill was top-notch. It seemed Luo Yin was not merely renowned in name only; she truly possessed talent, which explained why so many sought her hand in marriage.

Instantly, the gaze of those in the old house softened toward Luo Yin. As Mrs. He ate the food Luo Yin had prepared, she had to concede that Luo Yin’s cooking surpassed her own—a fact that deeply frustrated her. In the old house, her cooking had at least been something she could pride herself on; now that someone with better skills had arrived, she couldn't imagine where her standing in the household might slip to next!

"This Qingyun's wife truly cooks wonderfully. Now, Father, Mother, and Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law will truly eat well," praised Zhang Shi after tasting the food.

Although Tian Shi usually did not see eye-to-eye with Zhang Shi, she found Zhang Shi's words agreeable today. "Indeed. Qingyun married the right wife. But just being good at cooking is not enough. It will only be truly good when she gives me a grandson!"

When Wang Qingyun and Luo Yin heard Tian Shi say this, they both lowered their heads in embarrassment, their faces surely flushed red.

"Haha... Look at this young couple getting shy," Zhang Shi laughed.

Wang Qingyun and Luo Yin hung their heads even lower.

"Third Aunt He, please stop talking. The children are thin-skinned; if you keep on, their heads will dip right under the table," Yang Shi said, feeling a bit uneasy seeing the young couple teased.

Since Yang Shi had spoken up, Zhang Shi felt awkward continuing to tease them. The young couple finally breathed a sigh of relief and sent Yang Shi a grateful smile.

No one noticed the rigid smile on Mrs. He's face at that moment; she was nearly tearing the handkerchief in her hand to shreds. Not having a child had always been a deep pain for her. Now, for her mother-in-law to voice her wish for Luo Yin to bear a grandson in front of everyone confirmed that even the mother-in-law held no hope for her. Had she been cast aside now that a new daughter-in-law had arrived?

Mrs. He glanced at Wang Qingshan seated beside her. Wang Qingshan was eating, completely oblivious to his wife's distress. A bitter feeling rose in Mrs. He’s heart; she could rely on neither her mother-in-law nor her husband. No, she had to bear a child. It seemed she needed to hasten a visit to the Guanyin statue for fertility that her younger sister-in-law had mentioned.

Over there, Luo Yin was delighted by her mother-in-law’s affection. At least her life in the in-law’s home wouldn't be too difficult now. Moreover, according to her mother-in-law’s meaning, her future would be secure as long as she gave birth to a son.

The Old Madam swept her gaze over everyone in the room. "Yes, the Second Grandson’s wife’s cooking is indeed good, but the Eldest Grandson’s wife’s is not bad either. From now on, the household meals will rely on the two of you."

"Yes," Mrs. He and Luo Yin quickly responded.

The Old Madam was shrewd. She knew that she couldn't overly praise the new bride right away, lest she become difficult to manage later, so she refrained from excessively lauding Luo Yin.

Everyone in the room ate the new wife’s cooking, each with their own thoughts swirling internally.

After enjoying the new daughter-in-law's meal, the members of the Third Branch departed separately. Returning home, Yang Shi was heard saying with a hint of envy, "Qingyun's wife is truly a good match. Not only is she beautiful, but she handles matters well too. Did you see how she completely won over the younger generation today? Most importantly, she is quick and capable with housework and pleasing to the eye. Once she adds a grandson to the First Branch... No wonder Eldest Sister-in-law spent so much money to secure her. Eldest Sister-in-law has excellent judgment."

"The First Branch did marry a good daughter-in-law. I just wonder if the one from the Second Branch of the Luo family will be as good. If she is even seven or eight parts as good, then our daughter-in-law will have been a success," Wang Youfu remarked.

Hearing Wang Youfu say that, Wang Qinghua felt a surge of anxiety, believing he needed to put in a good word for his future wife. "Father and Mother, rest assured, the daughter of the Second Branch of Luo is also quite good. She was just dragged down by her mother before."

Wang Youfu’s temper flared upon hearing his son immediately defend the unseen bride. "What kind of daughter does such a mother raise? If she is truly good, so be it. But if she turns out like her mother, you can expect to be divorced!"

Yang Shi also grew somewhat irritated by Wang Qinghua's words. "Husband, please don't be angry," Yang Shi said, turning to Wang Qinghua. "Qinghua, you haven't even married this wife yet, and you are already defending her so fiercely. Once you do marry her, will you place her above your father and me?" Although Yang Shi usually did not fuss much, and her gentle nature meant she seldom won arguments, that did not mean she could tolerate her son being controlled by his wife. Especially since he was acting this way before the marriage, what would happen once she was officially in the house? He would likely obey his wife in everything! While Yang Shi couldn't be a cruel mother-in-law, she certainly didn't want her son’s heart entirely devoted to his wife.

Yang Shi was usually very mild-tempered and rarely spoke so sternly. Wang Qinghua was momentarily at a loss. "Mother, that's not what I meant..."

"Then what did you mean? You haven't even seen your wife yet, and you defend her like this. Will you defend everything she does from now on?" Wang Youfu roared.

"I just wanted to..." Wang Qinghua struggled to find words.

"Forget it. Go back to your room and think things over. Your father and I need to discuss something," Yang Shi said, waving him away.

"Oh..."

After Wang Qinghua left, Yang Shi tried to soothe her husband. "Husband, don't be angry. If this future daughter-in-law turns out to be difficult, we can manage her then! I just thought of something else. All the property we have accumulated was earned by Qingchen, ultimately. When we are old and both sons are married, the family will surely divide. How should the assets be split then? If the two sons divide it equally, and their relationship remains good, they won't complain. But will the daughters-in-law think the same way?"

"Why worry about all that? The family isn't split yet. Any money the sons earn naturally belongs to the household. Even if the Eldest Son earns several hundred taels of silver, it still counts as ours," Wang Youfu said.

"I'm just afraid the children will overthink things, after all, that’s not a small amount of money—several hundred taels!" Yang Shi worried.

"Don't worry, there won't be a problem with that. Besides, Qingchen is a sensible child, and he and Qinghua have a good relationship. Why would they cause friction over such a matter? Even after they marry, it’s the men in the family who make the decisions. What say do the wives have?" Wang Youfu felt Yang Shi was worrying unnecessarily.

Hearing Wang Youfu’s assurance, Yang Shi could only half-believe him.

Yang Shi’s thoughts eventually dictated her actions. For instance, over the last couple of days, Wang Qingchen often felt his mother looking at him with a certain meaningful intensity that was quite unsettling.

"Mother, why are you looking at me like that?" Wang Qingchen could no longer contain himself and asked.

"Qingchen, you and your elder brother must stay close, you hear? You two are the only brothers we have. If a rift grows between you, when your father and I are long gone, you’ll have no one to lean on," Yang Shi urged.

Wang Qingchen felt even more troubled. Who had provoked his mother? Why had she suddenly become so...

"Mother, who has been saying nonsense in front of you? Eldest Brother and I are fine, there's no rift! Also, what do you mean about us being gone? That's such bad luck. I haven't even grown up yet, haven't married, haven't given you a grandson yet. You should be around to see your grandson marry and have children!" Wang Qingchen retorted.

"That doesn't matter, as long as you two brothers are close. Remember, your bond as brothers is the closest—you both came from my womb," Yang Shi insisted.

Wang Qingchen was now certain that Yang Shi had been agitated by something. Had someone told her that he and Wang Qinghua were not getting along well?

After being lectured by Yang Shi, Wang Qingchen went to Wang Youfu and subtly mentioned his mother's state, hoping that Wang Youfu, as her husband, could offer some comfort.

Wang Youfu immediately understood what the issue was. It seemed his wife was still anxious about that matter. In reality, it wasn't such a big deal, but when an honest person gets stuck on a point, they can be incredibly stubborn, and it's difficult for others to dissuade them from their doubts.

"I know. As long as you two brothers remain close, your mother will be fine," Wang Youfu replied.

"Oh..." Wang Qingchen scratched his head. What kind of logic was that? But since Yang Shi seemed settled, that was good enough.

However, while Yang Shi was settled, Wang Qinghua now had a problem. Wang Qinghua had been troubled for several days, but Wang Qingchen hadn't noticed because of Yang Shi's recent issues. Now that Yang Shi’s matter was resolved, it was clear that Wang Qinghua carried a burden.

Having witnessed Yang Shi’s preceding episode, Wang Qingchen was hesitant to inquire. If Wang Qinghua was also provoked by someone, Wang Qingchen felt he couldn't handle it.

But after several consecutive days of Wang Qinghua wearing a gloomy expression, Wang Qingchen couldn't help but ask. Of course, immediately after asking, Wang Qingchen deeply regretted it. Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts weren't just a problem in ancient times; even in his previous life, it was an unsolvable puzzle. This was far more headache-inducing than Yang Shi's issue. Wang Qingchen nearly slapped himself—why couldn't he resist meddling?

"Eldest Brother, I can't help you with this, but maybe if you watch closely how the other mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law in the village interact, you might figure something out," Wang Qingchen suggested.

"Does that make a difference?" Wang Qinghua asked, confused.

"Uh... It probably does, right? Watching them won't hurt you anyway. Maybe by observing more, you'll think things through clearly?" Wang Qingchen offered.

"Alright..." Wang Qinghua replied, half-convinced.

On the day of Luo Yin’s formal return visit to her birth family, Wang Qingchen, sitting in the schoolhouse, overheard Wang Qingtong whispering next to him, "Let me tell you, this morning, when Mother brought out the return gifts prepared for Second Sister-in-law, Eldest Sister-in-law’s face turned green when she saw them."

"Her face turned green? Did Mother prepare a lot?" Wang Qingchen asked.

"I don't know if it was a lot, but there was wine, meat, white sugar, and a length of fabric..." Wang Qingtong tried hard to recall.

No wonder Mrs. He was upset. Just those few items alone constituted a considerable return gift. And the better the return gift, the more it indicated the in-laws’ satisfaction with the new bride!

Wang Qingtong couldn't recall anything else. He continued, "Eldest Sister-in-law is really something. It wasn't her money, yet she was angry for so long. Second Sister-in-law is such a good person; why does she dislike her so much? She gets upset even over a return gift."

Wang Qingchen sighed inwardly. Wang Qingtong was still young and didn't grasp the deeper meanings behind many things. Take Luo Yin’s return gifts for example: better gifts signified greater importance placed on her by the in-laws. But Luo Yin was only the second daughter-in-law, with an elder daughter-in-law above her. If the gifts surpassed those of the eldest, didn't that signify the entire family valued the second daughter-in-law over the eldest? More likely, it was because Mrs. He had failed to bear a child, and the old house had likely pinned all its hopes on Luo Yin now.

It seemed the time for Luo Yin to firmly establish herself in the old house was not far off.