Neither the old woman nor Wang Youliang had expected the Old Master to overhear their conversation, leaving them both completely caught off guard. Wang Youliang, in particular, felt an involuntary chill run down his spine just thinking about the Old Master's inevitable reaction.

"Old Master, why are you back?" The old woman stammered, completely unprepared. She certainly hadn't intended to let him know about this matter!

"Hmph! If I hadn't returned, were you two planning to keep hiding this from me forever?" Saying this, the Old Master pointed at Wang Youliang: "You unfilial son, you actually have some ambition now, finding yourself a woman outside. I had thought you had finally reformed and were striving for better things, but I never imagined you hadn't changed but had only gotten worse! Now you even plan to bring that widow into the family. I tell you, a woman so lacking in wifely virtue will never set foot inside the Wang household unless I am dead."

Wang Youliang immediately grew agitated. "Father, she is not what you think. It's only because I pestered her that we are together. She is a good woman!"

The Old Master heard his son still so stubbornly deluded and, in his rage, walked over and kicked Wang Youliang twice. "A good woman? Have you ever seen a good woman? Would a good woman follow you around in such an ambiguous manner?"

"Father, it is truly my fault; it has nothing to do with her," Wang Youliang insisted, enduring the pain.

"Hmph, I don't care whose fault it is. In any case, you must break off with her and never associate with her again!" The Old Master glared at him.

Wang Youliang at this moment could only think that he absolutely had to be with Madam Huang, that he absolutely had to persuade his parents to agree. So, he insisted, "Father, just let me marry her. I truly love her and cannot live without her."

"You—are you not satisfied until you've angered me to death!" The Old Master was so furious that he grabbed the door bolt and brought it down hard onto Wang Youliang's back, determined to beat sense into him.

The old woman was startled by this sudden turn of events and rushed forward anxiously to stop the Old Master. "What great wrong has our son committed that you must treat him like this? Just talk to him properly!"

The Old Master panted with rage. "I spoke to him properly, did you see if he listened? Today, I must beat him until he wakes up. It truly infuriates me."

"No, if you must hit someone, hit me instead!" The old woman then stepped in front of Wang Youliang.

Although the old woman was also angry that Wang Youliang had found a woman on the side, in her heart, while her son was certainly at fault, that widow was even more to blame. She was convinced that the widow must have seduced her son, causing him to fall into this snare. The old woman felt that if they just reasoned with their son properly and made him leave the widow, there would be no need to resort to such severe physical punishment.

The Old Master looked at the old woman standing in front of their son and grumbled, "It's all because you spoil him. Look what you've turned him into! He would defy his elders for the sake of a mere widow. What won't he do in the future?"

The old woman defended her son. "How is this entirely the son's fault? That widow must be immoral and seduced him. Yet here you are, punishing our son! In my opinion, if anyone deserves punishment, it should be that widow!"

Wang Youliang, who had been shielded by his mother, had initially felt a bit fortunate. But upon hearing the old woman speak ill of Madam Huang, he instantly panicked. He feared his father would also place all the blame on Madam Huang, making his goal of marrying her seem even more distant. Thus, he quickly spoke up, "Father, if you must punish someone, punish me. This has nothing to do with her; it is all my fault."

The Old Master heard this and pointed at Wang Youliang toward the old woman. "See? See? He still sides with that widow! If I don't beat him awake today, who knows what he'll do next!"

After hearing this, the old woman clearly thought deeper than the Old Master had. She recalled that in the past, whenever the Old Master intended to strike Wang Youliang, Wang Youliang would always try to run away; there was no way he would willingly stand there and take a beating. His current compliance in accepting the punishment showed the immense resolve he possessed.

This realization brought a wave of sorrow to the old woman's heart. What exactly was so wonderful about that widow that she could outweigh the parents who had worked so hard to raise him, and even his own lawfully wedded wife?

Therefore, the old woman stopped intervening. If the Old Master could finally beat some sense into him, so be it. Afterward, the sound of the cudgel thudding against flesh echoed repeatedly through the house.

Tian Shi had been in the kitchen preparing lunch. Although she had heard the sounds of arguing from the main room, she couldn't make out the specifics. She initially thought perhaps the old woman was discussing the younger sister-in-law with her husband, leading to a dispute, especially since the younger sister-in-law had spent quite some time speaking with the old woman earlier!

Considering her husband's greedy nature, she was sure he wouldn't let the old woman and the sister-in-law gain any advantage. This thought brought a moment of satisfaction to Tian Shi. Now, her own flesh-and-blood husband was displeased with them—let's see what they do now! With this in mind, Tian Shi deliberately slowed down her work, hoping the argument in the old woman's room would last longer.

But gradually, Tian Shi began to feel that something was wrong, especially after the Old Master returned. Normally, upon hearing the dispute, the Old Master would certainly enter the room, but Tian Shi never heard his voice, and the sounds of argument inside didn't cease. What was happening?

Just as Tian Shi was contemplating whether she should go investigate, the Old Master's loud roar suddenly rang out. Then, Tian Shi could hardly believe what her ears were telling her—Widow? Marry into the family?

Tian Shi realized all her previous assumptions were completely mistaken. What was being discussed in the old woman's room wasn't about her sister-in-law, Wang Guifang, but about her own husband, Wang Youliang! Once Tian Shi grasped this, she stopped making lunch entirely and crept towards the door. Conveniently, after entering the house, the Old Master hadn't thought to close the door, allowing Tian Shi to hear the conversation with perfect clarity.

Upon hearing the content of the discussion inside, Tian Shi nearly fainted. Wang Youliang was involved with some widow outside? And now he even intended to bring that widow into their home? Hearing this, Tian Shi desperately wished she could slaughter the adulterous pair! After all these years of marriage to Wang Youliang, to say nothing else, she had borne him three sons, and she had always been devoted to him. And now, after all these years, she couldn't compare to a shameless, incontinent widow? Listening to Wang Youliang in the room declare his love for that widow and his inability to live without her, Tian Shi felt like a complete joke. He loved that widow and wanted to marry her, but did he ever consider what his legal wife meant? Did he ever think about what his wife was supposed to do?

Watching Wang Youliang being beaten in the room, Tian Shi initially felt a surge of vicious satisfaction. But soon, that satisfaction evaporated entirely, replaced only by despair. She and Wang Youliang had been husband and wife for so many years; how could she not know his character? The fact that he was so passively accepting the punishment this time must mean he was utterly devoted to that widow. Thinking of this made Tian Shi desire all the more to kill that widow.

Suddenly, Tian Shi remembered Zhang Yunzhu’s wife. Previously, Zhang Yunzhu’s wife had told her that Wang Youliang had a woman on the side, but Tian Shi had refused to believe it, thinking the woman must be mentally unstable. Now, it seemed the unstable one wasn't Zhang Yunzhu's wife, but herself. How foolish she had been, even traveling to the town to investigate, only to have Wang Youliang catch her in a vulnerable position! Not only did she believe his story, but she even eagerly helped him quash the rumors. In the end, she was the one who was duped and played for a fool—did Wang Youliang treat her fairly?

Standing outside the door, Tian Shi stared intently at Wang Youliang, who was kneeling on the ground being beaten, without any thought of hiding herself. Thus, she was quickly spotted by the old woman inside the room.

"Eldest daughter-in-law..." the old woman exclaimed, thinking, This is bad.

The old woman's cry caused the Old Master to stop striking Wang Youliang. Wang Youliang realized Tian Shi was just outside the door and painfully turned his head, meeting Tian Shi's fierce, glaring gaze head-on.

"Mother of my children, you know everything now?" Wang Youliang asked breathlessly.

"Wang Youliang, you're quite the man. Once you had money outside, you started looking for women. I am truly an idiot—not only was I deceived by you, but I actively helped you conceal this matter. You've played me for a monkey! Do you have any conscience?" Tian Shi shouted, then continued, "What is so great about that immoral widow that you defend her so fiercely? Don't forget, I am your wife! You want to bring her into this house? Dream on!"

Wang Youliang flared up upon hearing this. "Don't talk about her like that! She is a good woman. She has a very kind nature; once she joins the family, you can all get along very well."

The old woman, hearing Wang Youliang still insisting on marrying the widow, snapped in anger, "You shut up..."

Tian Shi burst into loud laughter upon hearing this. "Hahahaha... She is a good woman, she has a good nature, so what am I? Am I a bad woman, one with a terrible temper?"

Wang Youliang heard Tian Shi’s words but did not reply. In his heart, it was indeed so. He could only say, "Don't be like this. Regardless of everything, you are still my wife, the mother of my sons."

Hearing this, Tian Shi lost all hope. "I shouldn't be like this? Then what do you want of me? I tell you, Wang Youliang, you like her so much? Then I absolutely will not let her enter this door! I will let everyone judge—for a slut as shameless as her, should she be drowned in a pig cage, or should she be..."

"How dare you!" Wang Youliang roared, "If you dare to speak of this, don't blame me for not being polite to you! Ah..."

As soon as Wang Youliang finished speaking, he received another blow from the Old Master's cudgel. "You unfilial son! Your wife is right; that kind of woman deserves to be drowned in a pig cage!"

"Father, I truly love her! I beg you, just let me marry her!" Wang Youliang pleaded earnestly.

Everyone in the room felt a pang in their hearts listening to Wang Youliang's desperate pleas. Wang Youliang had never been this insistent or begged so pitifully throughout his life. It was clear he was deadly serious this time. However, even knowing he was sincere, no one in the room would ever agree to Wang Youliang marrying that widow. (To be continued)