Lin He felt a bit drowsy, yet sleep eluded her. The Plum Blossom Balm from the Butterfly Pavilion was selling better and better, so much so that just managing it with the few younger ones at home was becoming difficult; she might need to hire help soon.

Lin He had already decided that if she needed to hire people, both Mrs. Zhou and Aunt Xu would be suitable candidates—she trusted both of them. Hiring just those two would suffice for now. However, her paternal uncle's family still didn't know about these preparations. If she hired help, her uncle’s household would certainly find out. Then, if people from their side wanted to work too, what would she do?

She absolutely could not hire anyone from their side. Not only might they slack off on the work, but they might also harbor ulterior motives. If she refused to hire them, and Mrs. He came pleading, Mrs. Zhou would already be working for her, leading to the awkward situation of being accused of favoritism. Given Mrs. He's temperament, she likely wouldn't let the matter drop easily.

Yet, Lin He saw things quite clearly: some things she could accommodate out of respect for her own parents, but others she could not compromise on. Mrs. He and her ilk were strictly out of the question—one could never invite a mouse into the rice jar. However, her paternal uncle was a decent man and family; hiring him would be acceptable, provided there was suitable work for him at the moment.

She needed to devise a strategy first to deter Mrs. He. In the end, Lin He decided not to overthink it. If Mrs. He truly intended to cause a scene this time, she would show her a bit of color, send her packing, and ensure she wouldn't dare return.

Still, Lin He had another idea brewing. Her father never involved himself in her ventures, showing little interest; he remained passionate about farming and similar pursuits. Once the current busy period passed, there wouldn't be as much work in the fields. It would be best to set up something else for her father to occupy himself with, something that could earn money while giving him purpose. However, she needed to reserve a portion of her capital for producing the balms, and her remaining funds were not abundant. What should she do?

Lin He racked her brain, recalling what could be done in a rural setting in her previous life. After a moment of thought, an idea struck: she could have her father purchase a few fish ponds and start fish farming. Fish seemed scarce at this time; Lin He hadn't seen any all last winter. After asking around, she learned that fish were only available in spring and summer, and even then, they were somewhat expensive. In winter, they became even rarer, unaffordable for farming households like theirs.

Lin He realized then how precious fish were at this time. If her family could raise some, they might earn a good income. Furthermore, fish weren't particularly difficult to raise. If they had their own ponds, and her father couldn't manage alone, he could hire help. This would allow her to bring in her paternal uncle, effectively silencing Mrs. He and others. If she was going to expand the labor force anyway, hiring the uncle was preferable to hiring outsiders.

Lin He turned and spotted her paternal aunt, Hongyun, sleeping in Chen'er’s bed. Although Hongyun had come to witness her nephew’s wedding, a joyous occasion, the cloud of worry hovering around her eyes hadn't lifted. It seemed Hongyun's life at her in-laws’ house remained difficult.

Deep down, Lin He genuinely wished to help her aunt. Hongyun was her favorite among her father's relatives and was very close to Lin He’s immediate family. However, Lin He didn't know how to offer assistance effectively.

She couldn't just hand over cash; that wouldn't be a good solution—a dependency is hard to shake off. Moreover, Aunt Hongyun possessed her own dignity; she wouldn't accept money given without a proper pretext.

As the saying goes, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Rather than giving money to her aunt, it would be better to invite both Aunt Hongyun and her husband to work at their home. Her household would certainly need assistance then. However, there was a complication: while her aunt was good, Lin He had no idea what sort of person her uncle-in-law, Li Dasheng, was. She couldn't expect her aunt to commute back and forth alone indefinitely.

Lin He found these matters troublesome. There was a large network of relatives, and she feared accusations of favoritism if she helped some but not others. If all her relatives were diligent workers, Lin He would willingly support them. But people like her eldest aunt, Mrs. He, and her younger aunt, Hongxia, were trouble for anyone who crossed them. Lin He truly did not want to—and would not—interact with them much.

Lin He let out a soft sigh. These issues were truly vexing and couldn't be solved all at once. She would have to take things slowly; she was only an ordinary person, not some mythical figure with infinite capabilities. Thinking this over, Lin He gradually drifted off to sleep.

When she awoke the next morning, Aunt Hongyun was already up, and even Xiaobao was awake. Seeing Lin He still lying in bed, Xiaobao exclaimed, "Big Sister is such a lazy pig, still sleeping in bed! Look, even I am up now."

Lin He pinched Xiaobao's nose and replied playfully, "You call your Big Sister a lazy pig? See who makes you delicious food and new clothes later?"

Xiaobao, still young, immediately jumped onto the bed upon hearing this. "Big Sister, I won't say it again! You still have to make me new clothes and cook me meat!" he said, wiggling his body.

Lin He smiled, patted Xiaobao’s head, and quickly scrambled out of bed. Seeing only Dabao and Chen'er in the courtyard, Lin He asked and learned that her aunt and parents had gone to the eldest aunt's house early that morning to help deliver tables, chairs, and other items.

In the kitchen, Lin He cooked some corn porridge and steamed several black-flour buns. The younger ones ate breakfast at home. Seeing that Mrs. Huang and Er Niu still hadn't returned, Lin He and Dabao decided to leave the two youngest children at home and check on the situation.

They hadn't even reached the courtyard entrance when they heard the loud voice of the eldest aunt, Mrs. He, seemingly scolding someone. Drawing closer, they realized Mrs. He was berating Qingshan. "Birthing sons, birthing sons! What good is having a son? If I had known he’d turn out like this, I should have strangled him at birth! The moment he gets a wife, he forgets his mother."

Lin He listened for a while and slowly pieced together the cause. The situation was this: the new bride was supposed to pay respects and offer gifts to the elders early in the morning. Mrs. He and Dajiang had risen early, as had Mrs. Zhao and Old Man Lin, and Er Niu had arrived early as well, all waiting in the main hall for the new bride to perform the rites.

But the new bride and Qingshan slept in until everyone else had finished their tasks. Mrs. He, seeing it was late—spring had arrived, and everyone was busy—didn't want people waiting indefinitely.

So, she sent Yuer to call Qingshan from outside the room. Qingshan and Song Yumei finally sauntered in half an hour later, Song Yuemei's expression sullen, looking decidedly unrested.

Afterward, they went through the customary rituals. Following the ceremony, there was an unwritten rule: the monetary gifts the new bride received while paying respects to the elders the day before were supposed to be handed over publicly to the mother-in-law for safekeeping, as a gesture to curry favor. Especially since they only had one son, there was no question of dividing the family property, so the money should rightfully go to the mother-in-law. However, Song Yuemei acted as if she knew nothing about this and retreated to her room after the formalities.

Mrs. He was already displeased because marrying this daughter-in-law had cost a significant sum. She had hoped to use that money to ease her burden, but Song Yuemei showed no intention of offering anything, which made Mrs. He even more unhappy.