Truthfully, even if the Tian clan hadn't mentioned it to the Old Master and Old Madam, the elderly pair had already been considering the matter themselves.

"Old man, you see, the Qingshan family is building a new house now, and they'll be moving out eventually. Does that mean Qingtong won't have to move out? After all, we haven't formally divided the household, have we?" the Old Madam asked the Old Master, who sat nearby, smoking his pipe.

The Old Master took a long draw from his pipe and remained silent. His thoughts were mirroring the Old Madam's; in fact, he felt a tinge of regret. He thought that if he hadn't agreed so quickly to Qingtong's request, even delaying it for a while, he would now have grounds to refuse, wouldn't he? That way, Qingtong wouldn't have to move out—how nice it would be if everyone lived together. But he had already given his word to his grandson; if he went back on it now, what would the boy think? That was the difficulty.

Seeing the Old Master say nothing, the Old Madam spoke up on her own: "Old man, how about this: we talk properly with Qingtong and ask him not to move out. Once his elder brother moves out, there will be empty rooms at home, certainly enough for their wedding needs."

"Sigh, it's not that simple. We clearly promised our grandson. Now, to go back on our word... if things go poorly, our grandson will hold a grudge," the Old Master sighed deeply. "If only I had delayed it back then. What are we to do now?"

"What is there to hold a grudge about? What’s wrong with living with one's elders? If the young couple moves out, they won't know how to manage many things. Will they be able to handle everything properly? Won't they still need us, the elders, to offer guidance? As long as we speak to Qingtong, he will surely agree and won't think about moving out anymore." The Old Madam disagreed with the notion of resentment.

The Old Master listened, holding a different view from his wife, but he was never good at arguing. So, he simply continued smoking his pipe without a word.

The Old Madam looked at the Old Master's demeanor, feeling a bit choked up. Just as she was thinking of scolding him, Tian shi entered.

Tian shi's purpose in coming was also to discuss the matter of her younger son, Qingtong, moving out.

"Father, Mother, it's not that I, as his mother, want to stop him, but Qingtong and his intended are still so young. If the young couple really moves out, can they take good care of themselves? They are not like Qingshan and Xiujuan. Qingshan is steady, and his wife is capable in every way. But for Qingtong and that girl from the Meng family, I just don't have peace of mind!" Tian shi looked genuinely anxious.

After hearing Tian shi’s words, the Old Madam felt that her elder daughter-in-law finally saw things her way, so she chimed in, "Yes, I've been worried about this too! Can the young couple manage if they move out? To be honest, it’s our fault for agreeing so early. If we had known earlier that Qingshan and his wife also planned to move out, we never would have agreed to Qingtong's request so soon. But now, what are we to do? We can't very well go back on our word, can we?"

Hearing the Old Madam's sentiment, Tian shi knew that the elders shared her concerns, which immediately put her at ease. She said, "Father, Mother, Qingtong is always the most filial of children. As long as you two speak to him, there’s no reason he wouldn’t agree!"

The Old Madam had initially thought the same as Tian shi—that once the elders spoke, the grandson would naturally have no reason to refuse. However, when she had just voiced this idea, the Old Master ignored her, which made her hesitate.

Tian shi, having assumed that the Old Madam’s thoughts aligned with hers, expected them to agree to speak with her son. She was taken aback when the Old Madam hesitated after she brought up the idea. Tian shi was quite perplexed.

"Mother, although that branch of Qingshan has separated, Qingyun and Qingtong haven't formally split from the main household yet. They ought to live together. It wouldn't seem right to have only Qingtong and his wife move out; wouldn't that be the same as dividing the family?" Tian shi argued.

The Old Madam didn't respond to Tian shi's words, only looking toward the Old Master. Tian shi, seeing the Old Madam only looking at the Old Master without speaking, also turned nervously to watch him.

The Old Master looked at the Old Madam, then at Tian shi, before slowly saying, "Is Qingtong’s engagement to that girl from the Meng family nearly settled?"

Both the Old Madam and Tian shi nodded in response to the Old Master’s question.

The Old Master continued, "The Meng family agreed to this marriage alliance with us. Perhaps they have already heard that Qingtong is building a new house and planning to move out. Have you considered how the Meng family will view this if we go back on our word now?"

The Old Madam was momentarily stunned. Yes, it was true; when discussing the match, she had told the matchmaker about this matter. It was highly likely the matchmaker had already revealed this to the Meng family—it was certainly a good bargaining chip for securing the marriage, and the matchmaker wouldn't let that pass.

Thinking this, the Old Madam frowned. If that were the case, it truly would be difficult for them to retract their promise. After all, she herself had been a daughter-in-law; she naturally knew the vast difference between living with in-laws and living separately. Perhaps the Meng family agreed to the match precisely because their daughter wouldn't have to live under the same roof as her in-laws. In that light, going back on their word might even jeopardize Qingtong's impending marriage.

Tian shi, however, did not share the same level of concern as the Old Master. She had never been completely satisfied with the girl chosen for Qingtong. If the family backed out and the Meng family called off the engagement, she would only be pleased—it would be the perfect chance to propose the girl she favored for her son!

Tian shi grew happier as she considered it, yet she knew this feeling could not show on her face. Thus, she feigned displeasure: "Father, Mother, you can't speak like that. How can a bride enter the household and not be expected to serve her in-laws? If the Meng family truly believes their daughter should not serve her elders after marriage, then such a bride is not desirable."

Under normal circumstances, or if these words were directed toward any other younger relative, the Old Master and Old Madam would certainly have agreed. But these words were about Qingtong, which made the elders reluctant to concur. They remembered how long Wang Qingtong had resisted settling down; now that he was finally agreed to the Meng family match after such a delay, the Old Master and Old Madam were loath to see the engagement dissolved. Therefore, the possibility that the Meng family agreed to the marriage because their daughter wouldn't have to live with the elders made the Old Master and Old Madam pause and reconsider.

The Old Madam thought for a moment, then sighed, "Forget it. We’ll let Qingtong moving out stand. Let’s not go back on our word, lest Qingtong’s hard-won engagement falls through because of us."

The Old Master nodded too. "Isn't that the reason? It wasn't easy for Qingtong to secure this match. Let's not cause trouble for him. We’ll handle things as they stand."

Seeing the Old Master and Old Madam reach an agreement, Tian shi grew anxious. "Father, Mother, there are empty rooms in the house, yet they insist on moving out! What kind of daughter-in-law acts this way? Instead of thinking about properly serving her in-laws, she only thinks about enjoying herself outside. Haven't we all gone from being a daughter-in-law to a mother-in-law? Why is she so delicate and pampered..."

"Enough!" Tian shi was about to continue, but the Old Madam cut her off, sounding somewhat irritated. "What kind of talk is that? Not living with in-laws means going off to enjoy life? By your logic, does that mean all these years you lived with us elders meant you were enduring hardship and suffering?"

Tian shi was instantly tongue-tied by the Old Madam's rebuke. She had intended to sway the Old Master and Old Madam's decision, but instead, she had let her own resentments slip out. With her true feelings now exposed to the elders, Tian shi didn't know what to do.

The Old Madam looked at Tian shi’s flustered state, then sighed. It was her own fault, after all; she had chosen the daughter-in-law herself. If things turned out unsatisfactorily, it was her mistake. "Alright, alright. You should leave now. Stop standing here!"

Hearing the Old Madam's words, Tian shi felt as if a great burden had been lifted and quickly went out, afraid the Old Master and Old Madam might change their minds.

Once Tian shi was gone, the Old Madam let out a long sigh toward the Old Master. "Alas, it's my fault for not choosing a better wife for my son. Now, look how much more we’ll have to worry about!"

"Don't dwell on it too much. So many years have passed. Your elder daughter-in-law was sensible in her conduct before; it's just these last few years she's been acting foolishly. We are both nearly buried in the soil; let's not overthink things. Grandchildren will have their own fortunes," the Old Master consoled her.

Only after the Old Master said this did the Old Madam feel relieved. If she hadn't spoken like that and blamed herself, the Old Master wouldn't have taken the initiative to comfort her. By admitting fault first, she lessened his potential blame toward her. However, there was truth in her self-reproach; she had been so focused on securing a match with her maiden family's niece that she hadn't truly considered the niece's character and conduct. Regret was useless now.

Following this incident, no one mentioned Wang Qingtong building a new house and moving out again. This finally put Wang Qingtong, who had been somewhat worried, at ease, and he began building his house with peace of mind.

Luo Yin watched the main branch and the third branch begin constructing their new homes, and she felt envious. However, she was relatively level-headed, just as she had come to terms with earlier: the elders would most likely live with their branch of the family in the future, so it was only a matter of time before the main branch and the third branch moved out; there was nothing to envy. Instead of wasting time on such empty thoughts, she might as well focus on making small clothes for the baby in her belly!