Lin He knew this little aunt hadn't gained anything today, and she would likely be back tomorrow. People like this couldn't be allowed to succeed; one success would lead to countless others. She needed to find a way to stop this little aunt. After much thought, she decided to wait for her father to return tonight and discuss the matter with him.

None of the workers ate dinner that evening, so Lin He distributed some pastries and snacks for them to take home, just as she had done before. When Er Niu returned, the family chatted by the oil lamp, and Lin He told him about Hong Xia's visit.

Er Niu frowned, saying, "This Hong Xia really hasn't changed her ways. I'll go see Mother and talk to her about it."

Er Niu took the lantern and went to Zhao Shi's house. When he arrived, Hong Xia was there with their two children, clearly planning to come to Er Niu's house for a meal tomorrow. Zhou Da Fa was nowhere in sight; it seemed he had already left.

Er Niu greeted Zhao Shi and Old Man Lin and sat down on the heated brick bed. He began by updating Zhao Shi and Old Man Lin on recent matters at his own home, mentioning that Zhao Shi had visited him earlier that day, which Hong Yun had also told him about.

Seeing Er Niu arrive, Zhao Shi didn't say much, only remarking, "If there is anything you need us to do, just say the word. For these next few days, I’ll have your father go over to watch the construction of your house."

Er Niu nodded, then looked towards Hong Xia and spoke, "Hong Xia, why did you bring the children over today? Is the planting of the corn in your fields all done? You need to hurry up with that; if you miss the time, you won't be able to sow anything."

Hong Xia knew Er Niu was deliberately asking this. Second Sister-in-law must have told him about her visit today, and now he was asking just to provoke her—honestly. Hong Xia lifted her eyelids slightly and replied, "We aren't planting our family's fields anymore. We plan to rent them out to others. Da Fa and I don't have the time to farm, and we don't want them to lie fallow, so we'll let someone else cultivate them."

Er Niu was unaware of this development in Hong Xia's household, and even Zhao Shi and Old Man Lin on the side looked surprised. Zhao Shi questioned, "Hong Xia, what are you and Da Fa so busy with that you won't even farm your own land? What are you planning to do?"

Hong Xia spoke up, "Mother, Da Fa doesn't want to farm anymore. He says he wants to go into business, but we have no capital, and Da Fa isn't good at managing the fields anyway. Our harvest isn't good most years; it's better to rent it out for an annual rent."

Seeing Hong Xia like this, Er Niu felt a surge of frustration, wishing he could beat some sense into her. Other people without land would give anything to acquire some to farm, yet here they were, unwilling to work their own, claiming to be too busy while doing nothing all day, and he couldn't imagine how they planned to survive. Er Niu finally asked, "Hong Xia, if you and Da Fa don't want to farm, and Da Fa wants to start a business, what kind of business? How much capital do you need?"

Hearing her second brother's question, Hong Xia felt a flicker of hope, wondering if he intended to lend them money for the venture. She answered readily, "We haven't decided what yet, but Da Fa says anything is better than farming. As long as we have the capital, we are sure to make money."

Er Niu thought the couple’s brains must be stuffed with straw. They had no plan, no capital, yet they talked about starting a business. They couldn't answer anything when questioned; they were probably just talking nonsense, incapable of accomplishing anything.

Seeing Er Niu remain silent, Hong Xia pressed on, "Second Brother, you support us starting a business, right? Why don't you lend us some silver?"

Er Niu knew exactly what she was after. He took a deep breath and said, "Then how much are you planning to borrow?"

"For a small business, a few dozen taels should be enough, right? We aren't planning anything huge; a few dozen taels should suffice," Hong Xia said happily, completely missing that Er Niu was tightly controlling his temper.

Hearing Hong Xia's request, Er Niu didn't get angry but laughed instead. He said, "Hong Xia, a few dozen taels? What a 'few dozen taels'! Do you think a few dozen taels is easy money these days, or do you think your Second Brother is a millionaire who doesn't care about silver?"

Hong Xia looked at Er Niu, unable to tell if he intended to lend the money or not. She was completely stumped, looking awkward, her lips moving but no words emerging.

Er Niu let out a long sigh. "Hong Xia, are you two planning to continue like this forever? Doing nothing, being lazy and listless, constantly borrowing money, relying on other people’s homes for food and drink, neglecting the children, letting them starve one day and eat the next? Your family’s life was better than most people’s; you own land and don't need to rent out fields. When it's not the busy season, Da Fa could go do some manual labor outside; he could always save a little money."

Er Niu looked at Hong Xia and continued, "Let me tell you frankly, Hong Yun didn't just come to my house today to help out; I hired both her and her husband to work for me. I give them a monthly wage of several hundred da qian. Don't accuse me of playing favorites. If you and Da Fa can manage your family's fields properly and are willing to come work for me, I can treat you the same as I treat Hong Yun."

"Of course, working for me is much harder than farming. You have to work from dawn till dusk every day. Ask Mother how hard Big Brother has been working these past few days. When the fish pond starts yielding a harvest, he’ll probably be guarding the fish at night. Think it over carefully. If you are willing, come and help. But let me be clear: if you come and don't work, I will send you away immediately, without mercy."

"If you don't want to work, then go back home. Stop staying at Mother's house all the time; people will gossip. We also have a lot going on at our place and no time to entertain you. Furthermore, our rice doesn't feed idlers."

Hong Xia had never heard Er Niu speak to her this way; she was somewhat stunned by his words, just staring at him without making a sound.

Zhao Shi felt Er Niu's words were perhaps too direct and was about to interject when Old Man Lin spoke up, "Hong Xia, your second brother is right. You two need to change your temper. Even if you don't think about yourselves, you should think about Yuan Zhu and Yuan Bao. They are still young; they will have to marry and have children one day. If your family is still like this then, what good family would want your children?"

Hearing her own father speak this way, Hong Xia instantly deflated and leaned back onto the heated bed, remaining silent for a good while before speaking listlessly, "I know the last few years have been absurd. But I don't want to live like this either. The children's father refuses to do anything, and any money we have, he takes. I argued and fought with him at first, but he wouldn't listen. What can I do?"

"Which woman doesn't wish for a good life? Which mother is willing to see her children starve? But other than this, I don't know what else to do. My life hasn't been easy these years either. When the children's father gets some money, he goes into town to eat, drink, and gamble. When he has no money, he comes back and beats me and the children at the slightest provocation. What choice do I have? If we weren't borrowing money everywhere, we probably would have starved to death long ago."

"I've come to terms with it these past few years. What's the use of me working hard at home when the children's father just takes it all in the end? I might as well not bother; let him do whatever he wants," Hong Xia vented in one breath.