As twilight deepened, Old Madam Huang and Er Niu lay side by side, chatting softly. "Er Niu," she began, "are you truly going to your elder brother's place tomorrow to ask for lodging? You know how your sister-in-law can be..."

"I know my sister-in-law isn't the easiest person to talk to. But still, we’re family. If we don't even ask them and go straight to someone else for a place to stay, it wouldn't look right, and the villagers would talk. Having an empty house belonging to your own brother and choosing to rent from outsiders? At worst, I'll rent from Big Brother's place for a month. We'll pay him rent; that's better than letting outsiders gossip."

Old Madam Huang conceded the logic. Although her sister-in-law was unreliable, her brother-in-law was a decent man. Since they had to go into town anyway, letting Er Niu speak his piece wouldn't hurt. Thinking of her mother-in-law’s imminent return, Huang nudged Er Niu. "Your mother is really coming back tomorrow. You know how little she likes me. I’m afraid I might upset her somehow. How about this: once the house is built, we can just invite them back for a celebratory feast?"

The saying that "a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law are born enemies" had some truth to it, and Huang was no exception. The thought of her mother-in-law brought a familiar dread. Huang knew exactly what kind of person her mother-in-law was: willful, domineering, and quite controlling. If she could avoid seeing her, Huang certainly preferred it.

Lin Er Niu naturally understood Huang’s feelings. "Mother and Father, I must bring them back tomorrow. How could I build a house without my parents present? It will only be for a short time anyway. I know Mother’s temperament; I can only ask you to endure it for a few days."

Huang didn't say much more, just nodding. "It's late. Let's sleep. We have an early start tomorrow."

The next day, as dawn faintly broke, Er Niu woke Da Bao, and they harnessed the ox cart and set off. By the time they reached the town, the sun was barely showing. They bought a few steamed buns and ate them on the cart before heading toward the shop of Da Bao’s uncle. Lin Er Niu’s elder brother was named Lin Dajiang, married to He Shi. A few years prior, the whole family had moved to town and opened a general store; life was reasonably comfortable for them. Lin Dajiang had two children: the eldest son was already fifteen and helped out at the store when free, and the daughter was ten. The family’s fields were managed by He Shi’s maternal relatives, and they rarely returned to the village.

When Lin Er Niu and Da Bao arrived at the entrance of Lin Dajiang’s shop, Lin Dajiang was preparing to open up. Seeing them approach, he paused momentarily before immediately greeting them with a smile. "Er Niu, Da Bao, what brings you here so early today?"

Lin Er Niu greeted him as 'Big Brother,' and instructed Da Bao to greet them as well. Da Bao called out 'Uncle.' Jiang led the two men into the inner room behind the shop. Lin Dajiang’s establishment was structured with the shop in front and living quarters in the back, separated by a small courtyard that included several side rooms—enough for a family. Lin Dajiang then called out his wife, He Shi, and his parents, announcing, "Second Brother is here."

The old couple was overjoyed to see Er Niu and Da Bao arrive. They took Er Niu and Da Bao by the hands, asking about things back home. It was clear the two elders genuinely loved this son and grandson.

Old Man Lin asked Er Niu, "Er Niu, coming so early today—you two probably haven't eaten breakfast. Stay here and eat. I'll have your sister-in-law go buy some more buns."

Lin Er Niu’s mother, Zhao Shi, echoed the sentiment, also telling her elder daughter-in-law to fetch breakfast. He Shi remained seated and remarked, "Buns are expensive these days! They cost two wen each! Yesterday, my Yu'er saw them in the street and I couldn't bear to buy any for her. Times are truly hard."

Lin Dajiang was clearly afraid of his wife. Hearing her complaint, he dared not say much, merely nudging his wife. Old Man Lin’s face immediately darkened, looking quite displeased. Zhao Shi then said, "Dajiang’s wife, shall I pay for you to go buy some steamed buns from the street?"

He Shi’s face immediately flushed with embarrassment, and she quickly said, "No need, I'll go right now."

Er Niu and Da Bao had already eaten, but seeing their parents so happy, they hadn't intended to refuse and wanted to spend more time with them. Seeing the sister-in-law's attitude, Er Niu felt awkward about staying longer and said, "Sister-in-law, no need to go. Da Bao and I have eaten. We came with something important to discuss with you all." He Shi, who hadn't wanted to go anyway, took the easy out and sat back down.

Lin Er Niu began, "Mother, Father, Big Brother, our family plans to build a new house. We came today for two reasons: first, to ask Mother and Father to come back and oversee things for us. Second, since we are building on our original site, the old house must be torn down, and we have nowhere to live in the meantime, so we hoped to rent space from Big Brother’s family for a while."

The old couple looked at Er Niu in disbelief upon hearing he was building a house. "Er Niu, where did you get the money to build a house? Can your current house not be lived in?"

Er Niu replied, "Yes, it hasn't been renovated in so many years; it truly isn't habitable. We happened to receive some money recently. We had planned to renovate, but the children are older now, and the house is too small. So, we decided to build new instead."

Zhao Shi had always known the circumstances of her second son’s family. Winters were always the hardest. She figured whatever money they received wasn't much. She advised, "Er Niu, if the house can hold up, just make do with it, or perhaps just renovate it. Let's at least get through this winter first."

Er Niu insisted, "Mother, please don't worry. We have the funds prepared. If you and Father have nothing else to do at Big Brother’s place, come back and help us oversee things."

Zhao Shi saw that her son had made up his mind, like iron cooled in water, and stopped persuading him. She agreed, "Father and I are still quite healthy. With such a big matter in your family, we must certainly go back to help. We will return with you today."

He Shi, who lacked any subtlety, chimed in, "Er Niu, your family has struck it rich! Building a new house, huh? Where did you earn this money? You should give your Big Brother a hint; look at how we're living. You just mentioned renting our house—how long do you plan to stay? That house is our ancestral home; we need time to repair it too."

Zhao Shi glanced at He Shi, about to speak, when Jiang cut in, "Er Niu, our house is empty anyway; your family can just move in. What's this about renting? Do we really need your money?"

Lin Er Niu saw He Shi nudge Dajiang, causing Dajiang to fall silent. Lin Er Niu knew exactly what kind of person his sister-in-law was. He smiled and said, "Rent must certainly be paid. If I were renting from a stranger, I’d pay rent too. If Big Brother insists on refusing it, then I won't move in."

He Shi immediately brightened up and said, "Then we'll do as Er Niu says. I'll go get the keys for you."

Old Man Lin and Zhao Shi saw how their elder daughter-in-law responded and said nothing. After all, they were living with the elder son’s family; being too partial to the second son might inevitably make the eldest uncomfortable, so they let the two of them sort it out.

Lin Er Niu arranged with his parents that after securing a mason that morning and buying the necessary materials for the construction, he would return to fetch them so they could go back together. This would give Old Man Lin and Zhao Shi time to pack. Building a house would take a while, and it had been a long time since they had been back to the village. Although the couple had lived in town for several years, the countryside was still their home. As people age, the yearning for their homeland grows stronger; the saying "fallen leaves return to their roots" captures this exact sentiment.

Lin Er Niu and Da Bao spent the entire morning rushing around. Finally, they secured a mason and sent Da Bao to take the workers back to the site first, as some preparatory tasks needed to be done. He then bought some items needed for the day, went to Big Brother's house to collect his parents, and they rushed back toward home.