When Lin Er Niu returned that evening, he also asked about the shop. Lin He explained the general situation and mentioned to Er Niu that it would take some time before the shop started making money, and the silver they had at home would need to last until then.

Madam Huang felt Lin He was being too reckless. It would have been better to sell the cloth dolls to Boss Lin every month for a steady income, money that was enough for the household. Now, there was no guarantee the shop would turn a profit.

What if they lost money? All that silver would be gone, and besides, their own daughter had said she would bear a share of any losses. What if they didn't have the money to compensate the partners? It was truly worrying.

Er Niu, upon hearing this, felt Lin He was right. Since they were going into business together, fortune and misfortune were bound to be shared. One couldn't expect to reap all the benefits. Furthermore, opening a shop always carried risks of profit or loss. Boss Wen, with all his money, hadn't worried this much, so why should they fret over such a small amount?

Er Niu continued, "Wife, why worry so much? This money was all earned by He'er. Our home is much better off now than before. At worst, we go back to the way we lived, haven't we survived that before? The children are doing this to make life better for us. We must support them. If they succeed, the children won't have to spend their days with faces to the soil and backs to the sky. Xiao Bao can study, and Da Bao’s future prospects will improve. He'er and Chen'er will also find better matches when they marry. If they fail, at worst, we just return to how things were."

Lin He felt her father was becoming increasingly admirable to her. When they first arrived, seeing the family so poor, this father barely spoke. Lin He had privately thought him incapable, even a bit spineless, to put it crudely. But lately, the things this father said often gave Lin He pleasant surprises.

It turned out that this father did have perspective; it was just that the past years had been so impoverished that they stifled any other thought. Once life improved slightly, a person's true character and vision naturally began to emerge.

Madam Huang fell silent upon hearing this; it was indeed true. But she was, after all, an ordinary woman. She had never envisioned herself achieving great wealth; living now without lacking food or clothing was already wonderful. Of course, she didn't wish to return to the harsh days of the past, but since her husband and children agreed, she naturally concurred. A family needed to be united in heart.

The days passed one by one. In the mornings, Lin He accompanied Da Bao and the others to listen to the teacher lecture. In the afternoons, she usually stayed home with Madam Huang, working on embroidery. Lin He mused that once the shop over there was renovated and ready for its next opening, she would let Da Bao manage it alone.

She was a girl and shouldn't be too visible in public affairs. Moreover, Da Bao needed to be trained step-by-step; she couldn't always have him trailing behind her.

One afternoon, while Lin He and Madam Huang were embroidering in the courtyard, and Chen'er was playing there with Xiao Bao and Xiao Jun, they suddenly heard a commotion outside, seemingly punctuated by shouts from the eldest aunt, Madam He. Madam Huang quickly stood up, intending to go see what was happening. Before she reached the courtyard gate, she saw the eldest aunt approaching, wailing and screaming.

The eldest uncle, Lin Dajiang, walked dejectedly behind her, followed by quite a few villagers. Lin He frowned slightly. She didn't have a good impression of this eldest aunt, and the aunt rarely returned to the village. Could something have happened?

A jolt went through Lin He. Seeing Madam He’s demeanor, she suspected it was no good news. As soon as Madam He saw Madam Huang, she immediately began crying loudly, "Second sister-in-law, you must save our Qingshan! He is my only son! If anything happens to him, I don't want to live either."

Lin He told Chen'er to go find their father. It seemed something major had occurred. The eldest aunt was weeping hysterically, the eldest uncle sat silently on a stool nearby, her own mother stood there bewildered, and numerous nosy neighbors crowded the courtyard entrance, pointing fingers.

A moment later, Madam Huang recovered, helped Madam He up, and led her inside. She asked Lin He to pour a cup of water for her to rest, saying they would discuss matters once Er Niu returned.

It wasn't long before Chen'er found Er Niu and brought him back. Er Niu saw his elder brother sitting silently to one side, his face etched with extreme agitation. He was startled when he entered and saw his sister-in-law in that state, and immediately asked what was wrong. Madam He sobbed out her story, eventually letting Lin Dajiang clarify the entire sequence of events. After listening for a good while, Lin He finally pieced together the situation.

It turned out that Madam He’s son, Qingshan, was fifteen years old. He usually wasn't keen on helping at home. Over time, he fell in with a group of dandies in town and, from some unknown point, picked up the vile habit of gambling. The small amount of silver the family had saved was stolen by him and gambled away entirely.

Yesterday, he went out with them again. This morning, he returned claiming he owed them one hundred taels of silver and that they were holding him captive. If the money wasn't delivered within two days, they threatened to take his life. When the messenger arrived early, Madam He and Lin Dajiang frantically tried to raise money at home, even planning to sell the shop lease, but they only managed to scrape together twenty taels. The shop wasn't even theirs; they were just renting it.

They sold the miscellaneous goods in the shop cheaply, yielding only that much silver. Upon returning, Dajiang sold a few acres of their family land and only got twenty-odd taels. In total, they had just over forty taels. Madam He borrowed from her maternal family and only managed to gather a few more taels, still short a staggering fifty taels. Unsure where else to borrow from, they thought of Er Niu's family.

Lin Er Niu and Madam Huang gasped when they heard this, shocked that Qingshan dared to gamble away such a huge sum. What were they to do now? Lin He looked at Madam He and knew exactly what the woman intended: the remaining money in their household was likely about to be emptied, and life would become difficult again.

The silver remaining at home, after paying the teacher's fees, was probably only fifty or sixty taels, with money set aside for next year's farming implements. However, Qingshan was, after all, her father's nephew, her eldest cousin. Refusing to help was impossible. The eldest uncle's family only had this one son.

Madam Huang kept looking at Lin Er Niu. Er Niu’s face immediately grew strained. There was so little silver left. If they gave it all to his elder brother’s family, their own family would slip back into poverty. Moreover, this money was earned by He'er, intended to ensure the family had a comfortable winter. Now, if they didn't help, they might not even pass the scrutiny of their parents.

Sure enough, Madam Zhao (Er Niu’s mother) entered the room then, saying, "Er Niu, take out the money and help your sister-in-law. Your family certainly has this much silver."

Lin Er Niu was naturally displeased to hear his mother say this. He frowned but said nothing, simply looking at his mother.

Madam He, who had stopped crying, resumed her wailing upon hearing Er Niu's silence. "Oh, my poor Qingshan! Your second uncle won't even help you, watching you die without lifting a finger! My son, what will you do?"