To Cheng Ying's eyes, the dynamic between Cheng Ming's wife and the eldest aunt was akin to an impending dust-up in the arena. Could a woman who seemed to embody the combined traits of the eldest aunt, the second aunt, and her own grandmother truly be as simple as she appeared? Moreover, Cheng Ying sometimes felt compelled to interject even when dealing with Cheng Tie's wife or her own older cousin's wife; it was certainly no surprise that Cheng Ming's wife was different.

But Cheng Ying had misjudged. She couldn't fathom where Cheng Ming had unearthed such a treasure. The very first time Cheng Ming's wife visited their ancestral home, she charmed her mother-in-law to the point of bewilderment, and even the eldest aunt began treating Cheng Ying with remarkable kindness.

Cheng Ying genuinely could not comprehend how this cousin-in-law possessed such influence. She said with a hint of sourness, "So, it really was worth it for Cheng Ming to wait until he was this old to get married; he was clearly saving up for a real gem."

Cheng Ming's wife replied without a blush or a hitch in her breath, "No wonder you married so young, Little Sister-in-law. With a brother-in-law of that character and capability, anyone would be loath to let him go." Alright, Cheng Ying conceded; against this Second Sister-in-law, she didn't even stand a chance in an argument.

Seeing his wife handle things this way, Cheng Ming felt no urgency or frustration. He declared, "If I can't outtalk my wife, and I can't physically overpower her, it simply proves no one else can take advantage of her either. As long as our immediate family is stable, everything I own will eventually belong to our children. What do I have to worry about? From now on, my whole household will listen to my wife. I am afraid of my wife, and no one should discuss major or minor matters with me—I listen only to her."

Cheng Ming delivered this entire speech to Chi Wu and Cheng Ying, ensuring no outsiders were present. He delivered the latter half to the family during the New Year celebrations, casually admitting his submission. Cheng Ying didn't know whether to admire Cheng Ming's courage or pity him for sacrificing everything for the sake of domestic peace; it was clear that facing his elder sister-in-law put him under significant pressure.

And Cheng Ming didn't just say it; he acted on it. Ever since the eldest aunt orchestrated Cheng Ming and his wife's marriage, Cheng Ming dedicated himself entirely to the hospital. His professional skills were beyond reproach because he never allowed trivial matters to distract him. His entire salary went to his wife. He never inquired about or involved himself in household affairs. Anyone seeking him out received the same reply: "Ask my wife."

Hearing it from his Second Sister-in-law, the only upside was that if she asked Cheng Ming to do any housework, he would comply without question. Otherwise, she truly didn't know what men were good for besides earning money.

Sometimes, Cheng Ying felt Cheng Ming was a true sage. Who else could see things as clearly as he did? And clearly, Cheng Ming lived a much more comfortable life this way.

Chi Wu envied Cheng Ming but always used his words to undermine him: "Is he even a man? Letting the woman take the lead in everything? Does he let his wife give birth all by herself just because she can't produce the child?"

Cheng Ying promptly kicked him. How could he say something so hurtful? Cheng Ming was nearly thirty; finding a wife like that wasn't easy. If Chi Wu's taunts drove her away, Cheng Ying would have to worry about him herself.

Watching Cheng Ming's attitude toward life, Cheng Ying worried that Second Sister-in-law would eventually despise him as a weakling and file for divorce.

However, the advantages soon became obvious.

As Cheng Ying's private clinic gradually expanded into a full-fledged private hospital, its reputation and profits soared. Upon seeing the dividends, the eldest aunt and the older cousin’s wife could no longer remain complacent. The older cousin’s wife couldn't sit still even while keeping an eye on the eldest aunt—that was a significant amount of money! Furthermore, the hospital was appearing in television advertisements; they couldn't afford to have no one watching things from the inside.

Thus, several years later, Cheng Ying once again faced the older cousin’s wife requesting a position as the accountant at her hospital.

This time, the older cousin’s wife approached with much more confidence: "Yingzi, we aren't short of money in our family now, but we can't let outsiders fool you. Your cousin and I have been in the city for over a year. Your cousin just teaches; I have nothing to do at home, and it gets terribly dull. Why don't I come help out at our family hospital?"

Cheng Ying didn't know how to respond. The hospital dividends were substantial enough, and the eldest aunt was generous with her daughter-in-law, which had allowed the older cousin's family to move to the city. This was immensely irritating for Cheng Ying, who inwardly regretted how quickly the hospital had developed. If she had given them less in dividends, life would have been so much simpler.

Cheng Ying replied, "Eldest Cousin's Wife, I work at the Provincial Hospital, so I don't know if the family hospital is actually short-staffed. I can't easily agree to that."

Her meaning was: If I don't even work at my own hospital, how appropriate would it be for you to join? Could she not see that?

The eldest aunt interjected, "Yingzi, I'll say the same thing again: If you can't trust your own family, who can you trust? It’s such a large hospital; how can you be at ease if not one person from our family is inside?"

Cheng Ying countered, "Eldest Aunt, are you not at ease? Are the dividends not high enough?"

The eldest aunt insisted, "That’s not the same thing. We must have family watching over things, otherwise, you won't even know who is slacking off."

Cheng Ying’s face darkened completely: "Eldest Aunt, your elder son must have spent quite a bit buying a house in the city, didn't he?"

The eldest aunt swelled with pride: "Of course! Houses in the city are expensive, but it was worth it for your cousin to sell his property."

Cheng Ying remained silent. With Cheng Tie's salary, even working himself to death, it would barely cover his wife and children.

Cheng Ying did not agree with the eldest aunt, but the older cousin’s wife began creating a ruckus daily, frequently showing up at the hospital. She was like a toad landing on one’s foot—designed purely to be irritating. Cheng Ying finally took the matter to Cheng Ming.

The bachelor Cheng Ming responded, "What use is it telling me? Tell my wife. She runs our household."

Cheng Ying snapped, "Can she manage the eldest aunt’s affairs? Can she manage the affairs of the eldest cousin’s wife?"

Cheng Ming simply said, "How do you know she can’t handle the household if you don't try? I've delivered her to you; it’s up to you whether to use her or not." With that, he left for work.

Cheng Ying had developed a psychological block regarding the second cousin’s wife. When she finally invited her over, she was excessively polite, circling the topic for a long time before finally mentioning Cheng Ming’s salary: "Sister-in-law, brother earns quite a bit; you should hurry up and have a baby."

The Second Cousin's Wife replied casually, "Even if he earned less, we should have children. Life is made by living it. I’m not afraid of hardship; I’ve endured everything. Besides, we still have the ancestral land. It won't come to the point where the child doesn't have food to eat. It’s just that the Goddess of Fertility hasn't graced me yet." Her frankness left Cheng Ying slapping her forehead. Of course! Why did I forget? The hospital dividends over the years have been substantial. Not only could they afford to raise children, but they had enough to buy a house in the city.

Upon hearing this, the Second Cousin's Wife frowned: "Yingzi, you aren't an outsider. I was hesitant to ask before, but how much are the dividends from the family hospital, truly?"

Cheng Ying smiled, tightening her lips. This woman understood what mattered; she wasn't grasping, but she needed to know the facts. "What's there to hide? It’s all family property. I'll show you the account books later."

The Second Cousin's Wife waved a hand. "No need. It's not just mine; Eldest Brother and the others have a share too. Just tell me—your brother is the type who doesn't care about anything or worry about anything. It would be fine for just the two of us, but we need children, right? We can’t have our child seeing others eat well and wear fine clothes while our own child goes without. I'm just being idle, just give me a rough idea."

Cheng Ying thought to herself, If Cheng Ming didn't care, would he have married you? Wouldn't that just be starting a fight with the older cousin’s wife? Isn't he afraid of losing out? The Second Cousin’s Wife lacked intuition and hadn't quite seen through things yet. "It’s just managing life; every family is like this. Gains and losses should be transparent. Since you aren't an outsider, I'll show you."

Saying that, she handed over the documents she had prepared long ago. Every entry, every year, was precise, without a single error. The Second Cousin's Wife frowned as she read. She had always assumed her in-laws had a clear plan; if they bought a house for the eldest son's family, they must have set aside money for the second son. Now, it seemed that wasn't the case at all. That amount of money was barely enough to purchase a house. It turned out that all these years, the hospital dividends had been given entirely to the eldest branch. Were there such parents? The Second Cousin's Wife's face immediately fell. Cheng Ying added, "I’m not trying to stir things up, but Mingzi and I attended university together, which should count for more than with his other brothers. I initially gave Mingzi shares too, but he insisted that the ten percent belonging to the family should remain his five percent, saying whatever was mine, I should keep. I’ve never seen anyone like him. Second Sister-in-law, Mingzi is like this; you must look out for him."

Although a bit petty, Cheng Ying couldn't afford to hold back; the older cousin’s wife was too troublesome and needed a lesson.

A few days after the Second Cousin's Wife left, things quieted down. The older cousin's wife didn't come around to cause trouble or bother the hospital for quite some time. Cheng Ying wondered how the Second Cousin's Wife had managed to subdue her.

Later, the eldest aunt came over to borrow money from Yingzi. Cheng Ying finally understood. The Second Cousin's Wife had taken that dividend ledger and confronted her mother-in-law directly, saying that she and her husband were also raised by her as their own mother; how could she do this? Were they ungrateful? Or should the eldest aunt expect Cheng Ming to support them from now on? The eldest aunt dared not speak back. She already felt intimidated by this daughter-in-law from the provincial capital: "Second daughter-in-law isn't like that. We bought the house because your father and I wanted to live in the city."

The Second Cousin's Wife stated plainly, "It is proper for Mother and Father to move to the city, but from now on, this house belongs to both my husband and your elder son. I won't take advantage; we can let Eldest Brother and his wife set the price."

Without the house, the older cousin’s wife had no leverage, and chaos erupted in that household. From beginning to end, Cheng Ming never showed his face; he simply let his wife handle the entire situation. Afterward, the eldest aunt came to borrow money, agreeing to give the house to the eldest son, and compensate Mingzi by the house's monetary value.

The eldest aunt would hold the hospital shares first, and once the family debts were cleared, the shares would be divided equally between the two brothers. This was the final verdict; the couple didn't want anything else, as the family land and trees could sustain them.

Just like that, the Second Cousin's Wife cleanly sorted out the family's accumulated wealth from previous years without taking an advantage or suffering a loss. This left the older cousin’s wife sulking and pale for a long time.

Despite everything, the Second Cousin's Wife was dutiful; even though it was a small matter, she never once waited for the eldest aunt to ask before she helped out.