After sitting at the Zhou family's for a while, Mrs. Huang said she had to leave, needing to deliver gifts to the eldest brother's house. Mrs. Zhou, hearing this, also inquired, "Going to give gifts to the eldest brother's place? I don't have anything particularly nice, I only made a few sachets. What do you think? You also know my eldest sister-in-law; I'm afraid she might be displeased if I only send these sachets."

Mrs. Huang understood Mrs. Zhou's hesitation and, after a moment's thought, persuaded her, "Why don't you come with me? Giving gifts is fundamentally about the sentiment. Even if you send sachets, it's just a gesture. Whether she's happy or not is her business. But if you don't go, they are still your in-laws; people might talk."

Mrs. Zhou felt the same way, so after some thought, she accompanied Mrs. Huang to Mrs. He's home. When they arrived, the entire He family was present. Mrs. He was sitting on a stool in the courtyard, cracking melon seeds, while Lin Dajiang was tinkering with some farm tools in the yard. Seeing Mrs. Huang arrive with a basket, Mrs. He’s eyes immediately lit up, and she stood up briskly. Dajiang also paused his work and walked over.

Mrs. Huang handed the basket to Mrs. He. "Eldest sister-in-law, this is a small token from our family; please accept it."

Mrs. He quickly took the basket and examined its contents. After glancing at the gifts inside, the smile on her face faded slightly, though she said courteously, "Second sister-in-law, why are you being so formal? Really, spending so much money."

Mrs. Zhou quickly offered the sachets she carried. "Sister-in-law, we don't have anything good to give. I made these few sachets myself; I hope you won't dislike them."

Mrs. He didn't say much more, accepting them as well, but in her mind, she thought, Such shabby sachets, and she dares to present them as gifts. How stingy. However, she didn't show it on her face, still remembering the saying that one should not strike a smiling face.

It was Dajiang who spoke up. "Third sister-in-law, what are you saying? Why are you bringing things? Just coming over is enough. We are family; don't be so polite."

Mrs. Zhou smiled gratefully, said nothing more, and sat down to the side. Qingshan and Yuer came over to pay their respects to the two aunts. Since returning from town, Qingshan had been relatively well-behaved at home. Truthfully, Qingshan wasn't inherently bad, but being spoiled by his parents since childhood had made him adopt some airs of a dissolute young master.

Mrs. He suddenly spoke up. "Have you heard? Our parents have asked the broker to buy land for themselves. They say they want several mu?"

Mrs. Huang seemed to have heard something from Er Niu. The parents had intended to buy some land to farm as soon as they returned, but due to some family matters, it was delayed. Now, before spring fully arrives, they intend to buy a few mu of lower-grade land, which they figure will turn into good fields after two years of their own cultivation.

Lin He wasn't sure what Mrs. He meant by bringing this up. Since the elderly couple had come back to live with them, they naturally planned to farm. In the countryside, they certainly wouldn't just do nothing. They needed to earn their own sustenance. If they were going to rent land, it was better to buy it outright.

Besides, her grandparents weren't that old—only in their fifties or sixties, and their health was still robust. In a farming family, people that age were expected to work the fields.

After a while, Mrs. He continued, "I don't know what the parents are thinking, fussing about at their age. Earlier, when we talked about renting land, we never heard them mention buying it. Now that we've successfully rented the land from Master Xia for the summer, they suddenly say they're buying their own, as if they're afraid we'll steal their land."

Mrs. Huang heard this and felt it was an awkward topic to engage in. Saying anything might offend someone, so she just smiled and remained silent.

Dajiang spoke up. "What are you saying? It's their business if the parents buy land; why do you care? What does their buying land have to do with you renting yours? If they don't buy land, will you stop renting?"

Mrs. He glared fiercely at Dajiang and raised her voice. "Is that so? Then when our Qingshan got into trouble a while back, why didn't the parents lend a hand? My parents scraped together every cent they had, but your parents didn't even mention it. So, it turns out they were saving up money to buy land! Am I not even allowed to talk about it?"

Lin He felt utterly speechless regarding Mrs. He. Mrs. He was intentionally saying these things in front of Mrs. Huang and Mrs. Zhou, trying to stir up their anger towards the elderly couple. Ideally, someone would share her sentiment so that when she needed to speak up later, she would have allies.

Lin He also knew that although the grandparents hadn't contributed financially to settling the debt when Qingshan got into trouble, they had privately given the eldest branch some money. Otherwise, how could the eldest branch afford three square meals a day and hold out for so long? This Mrs. He was deliberately twisting the truth in front of them, even trying to lay claim to the land the elderly couple intended to buy with their retirement savings—it was truly excessive.

Seeing that Mrs. Huang and Mrs. Zhou weren't taking the bait, Mrs. He felt there was no point in continuing. After some idle chat, Mrs. Huang, Mrs. Zhou, and Lin He departed for home.

As Mrs. Huang and Mrs. Zhou were leaving, Mrs. He stuffed a few eggs into each of their hands, claiming them as return gifts.

Back at home, Mrs. He examined the items Mrs. Huang had brought, muttering, "That second brother's family really is something. The strip of cured pork they gave for the Laba Festival was so small, and most of it was lean meat. They must have bought cheap meat. The pastries are in such a tiny bag, too. They live in such a big house, yet their gifts are so meager. Truly stingy."

Seeing the sachets placed aside, she picked one up with disdain and tossed it onto the table. "Third sister-in-law is really something else; she has the nerve to give out such shabby sachets. I’m embarrassed for her."

She then continued, "Dajiang, about your parents buying land, did Er Niu's family know about it long ago? Why didn't Er Niu's wife say anything today?"

Dajiang didn't want to argue with her. He just said, "Tidy up those things. We need to send some gifts to the parents. We aren't giving money this Laba, but we still need to show proper respect. Since Er Niu brought some things, see if you can add some eggs from our pantry and send them over."

Hearing Dajiang's words, Mrs. He's tone suddenly shot up. "What? You want to send all these things over? Then how will we celebrate Laba tomorrow? And what about my mother's side? Do I not need to send anything to my own parents? You only care about your parents; do you ignore mine? I won't agree to that!"

Dajiang found himself in a difficult spot. There were only so many things available. Since his parents lived nearby, they definitely needed a gift. But with his wife saying that, his in-laws would also expect a gesture. After thinking it over, he said, "How about this: you go buy another strip of cured pork, and add some more eggs. Divide these things into two portions and send one to each side."

Mrs. He didn't respond immediately. In truth, she didn't want to send anything to her in-laws. She figured the second branch had certainly sent gifts; how much could the elderly couple eat anyway? She was still annoyed that her in-laws had concealed the matter of buying land from them.

After some thought, she decided not to buy any pork. She would send the meat strip to her own mother instead. She called Qingshan over to take it. For her in-laws, she would just add some eggs to the bag of pastries she already had, and then take some cornmeal from the pantry to send to her mother-in-law. She didn't let Dajiang know, planning to take it over herself later that evening.