After Song Yue-mei returned to her room, Mrs. He called Qing-shan over to inquire. Qing-shan knew nothing of these matters. He returned to the house and asked his wife; who knew that Song Yue-mei insisted the money was a gift from her elders and that there was no reason for her mother-in-law to hold onto it, as she was perfectly capable of safeguarding it herself. She acted spoiled and pouted at Qing-shan until his bones melted, leading him back to the courtyard to inform Mrs. He that his wife would manage the money herself and that his mother need not trouble herself.

Qing-shan felt he had merely relayed his wife’s words to his mother, yet Mrs. He immediately erupted in curses. Qing-shan didn't realize that while his wife could say certain things, he couldn't repeat them verbatim. Saying so undoubtedly made Mrs. He feel her son was no longer on her side, that he had forgotten his mother for his wife.

As Lin He and Da Bao walked into the courtyard, they heard Mrs. He spewing such venom. Qing-shan stood to one side, head bowed, unsure of what to do. His mother’s words held merit, but he truly couldn't bring himself to scold his own wife. He simply stood silently.

Mrs. He raved for quite some time. Song Yue-mei remained in the room and did not emerge. Lin He almost suspected she had fallen asleep. No matter how harsh Mrs. He's veiled accusations became, there was no sound from inside the room.

Finally, Old Man Lin could bear it no longer and spoke up, “Eldest son’s wife, stop your cursing. It makes no difference whether this money is with you or with Qing-shan’s wife. Qing-shan is your only son; in the end, your belongings and his are the same. You’re cursing like this just the second day after Qing-shan took a wife—it will make people laugh.”

Hearing his grandfather, Qing-shan nodded vigorously, “Yes, Mother, even though the money is with my wife, if you need to use it, just tell us, and we will surely provide it. Please stop crying. I beg you.”

Mrs. He was somewhat unconvinced by Old Man Lin’s words. When she first married into the family, she had handed her money over to Zhao-shi for safekeeping. Although it was eventually given back to her during the division of property, at that time, she had still entrusted it to her mother-in-law. This wasn't just about money; it was about saving face.

Mrs. He shot a glance at Qing-shan and snorted, saying nothing. She still seemed angry at him, but at least the wailing stopped. Everyone in the household breathed a collective sigh of relief. After a bit of consoling, everyone dispersed to their own quarters.

Once everyone had left, Mrs. He ceased her commotion. The small plot of land their own family rented needed to be sown with spring corn immediately, or it would soon be too late. Mrs. He and Da Jiang headed to the fields. Qing-shan told Da Jiang he would follow shortly and headed toward his own room.

Upon entering, he found Song Yue-mei sitting in the room, leisurely cracking sunflower seeds, showing no trace of displeasure on her face. Qing-shan told her, “Wife, I’m heading to the fields. Make sure you prepare lunch and have Yu’er bring it out to the field for us.”

Song Yue-mei pouted slightly and nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Er Niu’s family had returned home. Er Niu had several mu of land. Since the time for planting wheat had passed, they could only plant corn now, which was the right season for sowing. Er Niu forbade his wife and children from working the land. Only Old Man Qin occasionally helped out. Seeing her father laboring too hard, Lin He suggested hiring some hands to assist.

Er Niu disagreed, saying it was only a few mu of land, and with Old Man Qin helping, and Da Bao not in school in the afternoon, he could lend a hand too. Huang-shi added that there was no need to hire anyone, as she could help in the afternoon, and they would finish planting quickly. Seeing her parents insist, Lin He did not press the matter further.

Instead, she took Lin Chen, Xiao Bao, and Xiao Jun to look for peach blossoms. She intended to make peach blossom paste with this batch. She had some peach blossoms right behind her own courtyard, making picking convenient, but her own home only had two peach trees, so she couldn’t gather much. Thus, she took the youngsters outside the village to see if there were other flowers.

As Lin He and the children walked along, near the edge of the village, Lin He discovered a place with magnolia flowers. Moreover, that small hillside was not fenced off; they seemed wild. The hill wasn't large, but it boasted quite a variety of flower species.

Lin He was ecstatic. In her past life, she had adored the fragrance of magnolia—so pure and elegant. However, finding fresh magnolia flowers was rare. She never expected to find wild magnolias here. The color was beautiful, and the scent seemed even more delightful than in her previous life.

Lin He walked further, growing more excited the deeper she went. The hillside was covered with many wild fruit trees and flowering plants. Perhaps because the fruit trees hadn't borne fruit yet, and flowers weren't considered a rarity in this era, the mountain remained deserted. People likely paid little attention to such things.

Lin He wished this mountain could belong to her. She had always been interested in these plants. In her past life, lacking the means, she could only keep a few potted plants on her balcony, tending to them meticulously daily. In her spare time, she would search online for information on horticulture, so Lin He did have some expertise in flowers.

This area was not far from Lin Family Village and likely belonged to it. Lin He decided to ask her father how much it would cost to buy this small mountain. If the price was within her means, she would purchase it. The future fruit could be used for making snacks, and she needed these flowers constantly. Instead of searching everywhere, it would be better to cultivate them at home for future expansion when the business grew.

Lin He circled the hillside once more. She felt that buying this single hill segment wouldn't be too expensive. After all, these hills belonged to the village and weren't used for anything. These flowers were treasures to her, but to others, they were likely less valuable than weeds.

However, the hills here connected one to another. She wondered if the village would even agree to sell just one section to her individually.

After some thought, Lin He decided to gather some flowers first. She would have her father inquire about the details before making a final decision. Lin He called the children over, laid out the baskets and sacks they brought, and she took Lin Chen to pick while asking Xiao Jun to watch Xiao Bao and keep him from wandering off.

The group collected several large sacks of magnolia flowers before heading back. Upon their return, Huang-shi had already prepared lunch. After eating at home, they had Da Bao take the food to the fields, as Da Bao would also be working in the fields that afternoon.

The family's finances were a bit easier now. Lin He gave Huang-shi two taels of silver a month for household expenses, telling her to make the meals better. The children in the family were growing and needed more nutrition, and Er Niu and Old Man Qin needed good food to replenish their strength after working in the fields daily.

The family used to eat only two meals a day, but now they ate three. Lin He told them that eating smaller, more frequent meals was better for their health and helped prevent stomach ailments. Although they didn't know what stomach ailments were, they still followed Lin He's advice and switched from two meals to three daily.