Da Jiang sat for a while before leaving. Not long after, Da Jiang returned, bringing Mother He, Qingshan, and Yu’er in with him. The moment Mother He entered, the expressions of everyone in the house soured; not a word was spoken.

Mother He walked in, called out to Old Man Lin and Madam Zhao, and then, with a loud thud, knelt before Madam Zhao’s bed, saying, “Mother, I am sorry. It was my fault; I shouldn’t have angered you into fainting. Da Jiang is threatening to divorce me. Please, help me persuade him. If he divorces me, I will have no way to survive. I can’t even go back to my maiden home. Please, for the sake of Qingshan and Yu’er, do not cast me out.”

Lin He observed Mother He’s demeanor. Her face remained impassive, but she knew in her heart that her elder uncle must have told Mother He to come and admit her mistake, threatening divorce if she refused. Lin He realized Mother He’s primary purpose for this visit was not genuine repentance, but rather to beg Madam Zhao to intercede with Da Jiang.

It seemed this elder uncle had indeed exerted some authority, frightening Mother He to this extent. In truth, Lin He had underestimated the tragic plight of women divorced by their husbands in this era. In those times, a woman would not be cast out unless she committed a major offense; even childlessness only warranted taking a concubine. A divorced woman generally had no path left to tread.

Her family would also feel disgraced and would refuse to take her back. Even the authorities despised such individuals. Once repudiated by her husband, her status within the marital home would be stripped away, and the government would offer no respectable standing, unless she were reduced to indentured servitude.

It appeared Mother He had not changed at all. She claimed to be there to apologize, yet she never mentioned the specific wrong she committed or where she erred. Clearly, she had not reflected. However, Lin He mused, if Mother He were capable of true introspection, she wouldn't be Mother He.

Seeing that their grandmother was unmoved, Qingshan and Yu’er quickly knelt beside Mother He, pleading with Madam Zhao. Yu’er cried out, “Grandmother, please forgive my mother. She truly knows she was wrong. She cried the entire afternoon at home, saying how badly she behaved, that her heart was clouded by pig fat when she spoke those words. Daddy said if you don’t forgive Mother, he will divorce her. For my sake and my brother’s, please forgive Mother this one time, okay?”

Lin He watched Yu’er. Though only ten, Yu’er was exceptionally clever. Every word struck the critical point, leveraging herself and Qingshan to evoke pity. Lin He was certain that even if Madam Zhao couldn't forgive Mother He for her own sake, she would surely forgive her for the children’s.

As expected, Madam Zhao saw Yu’er weeping inconsolably and immediately rose to help both Yu’er and Qingshan stand up. She spoke, “Eldest daughter-in-law, you may rise. We will let this matter rest for now, but do not let such things happen again. For the sake of Qingshan and Yu’er, I forgive you.”

Upon hearing Madam Zhao’s forgiveness, Mother He immediately stood, her face beaming with relief. “Thank you, Mother. In the future, Da Jiang and I will certainly be dutiful to you.”

Madam Zhao knew Mother He’s character well and merely sighed, nodding once.

After a brief silence, Madam Zhao kept Da Jiang and Er Niu behind, sending everyone else away. Once the others were gone, Madam Zhao let out a long breath. “Da Jiang, Er Niu, I mentioned the matter of buying land to you before, but I didn’t clarify everything. Today, I will explain it fully. The money I used to buy the land is what we have saved over the years for our retirement. We bought this land not just for myself; seeing the situation with your third brother’s family, your father and I decided to purchase it.”

“Primarily, it is a safeguard in case Zhou Shi decides to leave. The two children will always need care. Your father and I are still able-bodied; having our own land means we can save some money each year, even if Zhou Shi departs. We will be able to support those two little ones. Don't think this is unfair; your third brother is still your sibling, and Xiao San and Xiao Yun are your niece and nephew. It is only right that I offer some assistance in this situation.”

She paused, then continued, “While your father and I live, we will cultivate this land ourselves. On the day we pass away, the land will be divided among the three of you brothers. I want to make this clear today; what do you think?”

Both Er Niu and Da Jiang felt their mother’s arrangement was excellent. In fact, their parents were helping them. If Zhou Shi truly left, leaving nephews and nieces so young, could they bear to ignore them? They would have to care for them regardless. Now that their parents had secured a contingency, it eased their future burden.

Madam Zhao said, “Since you have no objections, go find a reliable broker quickly and handle this matter for me, lest any complications arise from delay.”

Da Jiang and Er Niu nodded, stayed a moment longer, and then departed as well.

Mother He’s affair was thus settled. Indeed, Mother He behaved respectably at home for a time, showing great filial piety to Madam Zhao and greeting Huang Shi and Zhou Shi with a pleasant expression whenever they met.

Soon, a month had passed since Lin He opened her "Hecai Dolls" shop. Da Bao made a trip to the town shop and brought the account books back. Da Bao could now recognize many characters, but he still couldn't interpret the ledger. Lin He took the books and quickly reviewed them using modern methods.

Overall, for a newly opened establishment, the profits were quite good. For the first month, after deducting all expenses, the net income was five hundred taels. Lin He was due a little over one hundred taels. Uncle Wen asked Da Bao to bring the silver back, but Da Bao refused, insisting it should offset the initial investment for the shop. Uncle Wen accepted without pressing the matter.

Lin He calculated that at this rate of income, the initial investment would be recouped in about a year, possibly sooner if business remained strong. After that, it would be pure profit. Da Bao was delighted, imagining that within a year, their family’s days would become much easier.

Da Bao watched his sister use a brush while looking at the ledger, drawing incomprehensible symbols in her notebook. He found it very strange, yet her calculations matched exactly the figures reported by Boss Wen. He spoke up, “Sister, what are you writing? How can you tally accounts so quickly? You finished reading this in less than half an hour, yet the manager there said it took him the entire afternoon to finish.”

Lin He smiled. “Do you want to learn? If you do, I’ll teach you. These are Arabic numerals, a script transmitted from the West. Using this method, reading ledgers is both fast and precise.”

Da Bao nodded, saying he wanted to learn. Lin He proposed, “Then, you will study your lessons in the morning, and in the evenings, I will teach you this. Once you master it, you can take over all the ledgers; it is time you learned to manage the accounts.”

It was already mid-December, and the weather was growing colder. This morning, Lin He woke to find large, goose-feather snow drifting down from the sky. Although Lin He had seen snow in her previous life, the feeling of watching it now was distinctly different.

Lin He took Xiao Bao and Lin Chen out to the courtyard to build a snowman. Children never seemed to mind the cold. Xiao Bao scampered everywhere, handing snow to Lin He. Lin He picked up two small black pebbles from the ground to use as the snowman’s eyes and wrapped a piece of red cloth around a stone for the nose. Soon, a snowman stood complete—chubby body, adorned with a tattered straw hat and a small scarf around its neck—truly adorable.

Xiao Bao and Chen’er jumped and shouted around the snowman, saying they had to call their friends over to see it. Lin He watched their excitement, finding it amusing; children were so easily satisfied.