Seeing her mother-in-law’s expression darken and her silence, Huang Shi glanced at Er Niu. Er Niu spoke up, “No, Mother, that’s not what she means. It’s true that just before evening yesterday, Third Sister-in-law did come to our place, and we all saw her. She really didn't seem out of the ordinary.”

Hearing Er Niu say this, Zhao Shi’s expression improved slightly before she said, “Yes, Zhou Shi has always been a quiet one. Ever since the third son left, she hasn't stepped out of the main door or gone beyond the second one, and she rarely visits her parents’ home. I never thought she harbored any dissenting thoughts. But this time, I heard it with my own ears. Her sister-in-law said many things, urging her to remarry, and she didn't refuse; she even said she would consider it.”

In truth, Er Niu and Huang Shi held similar views to Old Man Lin: they weren't opposed to Zhou Shi remarrying. After all, she was still so young, and spending her entire life as a widow would truly be difficult. However, they all hoped she would wait at least two years; it would be better then, with less gossip from others, and the children would be a bit older, which would offer some peace of mind.

But now that this matter had surfaced, they truly needed to consider what to do. If Zhou Shi intended to remarry, what exactly were her plans? Was she planning to take the children with her or leave them behind? Xiaoyun, especially, was so small, not yet three. It would certainly be bad for a child to be separated from their mother. If she insisted on taking the children, his mother would surely object. If she didn't take them, how could Zhou Shi bear to part with them? Moreover, Zhou Shi hadn't mentioned anything herself. Was she planning to keep it a secret from the Lin family?

Er Niu thought of this and said, “Mother, how about this? Usually, Third Sister-in-law and the children’s mother get along well. Why don’t I have the children’s mother find an excuse to visit her place now and casually ask what her stance is? Then we can plan accordingly.”

Zhao Shi thought Er Niu’s idea wasn't bad—to probe the situation first and hear what Zhou Shi herself had to say. She said, “Then, Second Son’s wife, you go over to Zhou Shi’s place. I’ll wait here for you. Ask her carefully; find out exactly what her intentions are.”

Ever since Zhao Shi had spoken to her, Huang Shi had stood to the side without saying a word, afraid that saying too much would earn her mother-in-law’s scrutiny. She was too weary to speak up; her mother-in-law was a difficult person to please. Now that her mother-in-law was addressing her, Huang Shi was actually reluctant to go. If she failed to meet her mother-in-law’s unspoken expectations, who knew what her mother-in-law would say?

However, since her own husband had suggested it, not going seemed inappropriate. She agreed, grabbing a half-finished piece of embroidery to make it look like a casual visit. To her surprise, when Huang Shi arrived at Zhou Shi’s house, only Xiaoshan and Xiaoyun were in the courtyard. They said their mother had gone to her parents’ home.

They said Mother went to Grandma’s house for something and they didn't know when she would be back. Huang Shi felt a pang of doubt. Why would Zhou Shi go to her parents’ home so early in the morning, and without taking the children? Could there really be something going on?

Returning home, Zhao Shi was still waiting. Huang Shi reported that Zhou Shi had gone to her parents' home. This made Zhao Shi even more convinced that Zhou Shi intended to remarry. She declared, “See? I wasn't wrong. If she didn’t want to remarry, why go to her parents’ house? A simple refusal would have sufficed. Now she’s planning to marry off secretly—that restless little vixen!”

Huang Shi saw how agitated her mother-in-law was over something still unconfirmed. If Zhou Shi truly did remarry now, she didn't know what her mother-in-law might do.

Er Niu was not as agitated as Zhao Shi. He simply said, “Since Third Sister-in-law isn't home, we’ll just wait for her to return and ask her then. It’s perfectly normal for her to visit her parents. Perhaps it’s not about this issue. Let’s not spread rumors; we’ll ask her when she gets back.”

Zhao Shi saw it entirely differently. Now that she was certain Zhou Shi was remarrying, she needed to make preparations. Firstly, Er Niu's household must stop hiring Zhou Shi for work; any money she earned would be taken away if she left, so it was better not to let her earn it. Secondly, the house Zhou Shi lived in belonged to her third son. What if Zhou Shi left and sold the house for money? That money was meant to be reserved for Xiaoshan in the future.

Thinking of this, Zhao Shi suddenly remembered something and hurried away. Er Niu and Huang Shi didn't know where she was going and didn't stop her, letting her go. Since Zhou Shi wasn't home, there wasn't much she could do anyway.

But they were mistaken. As soon as Zhao Shi stepped out the door, she headed straight for Zhou Shi’s house. Her third son often hunted over the years and must have saved some money. She needed to strike first and find all the money at Zhou Shi’s place, lest Zhou Shi take it away.

When Zhao Shi arrived at Zhou Shi’s house, Xiaoshan and Xiaoyun were playing in the courtyard. Seeing their grandmother arrive, they called out "Grandma," and went back to playing on the side. Zhao Shi first went into Zhou Shi’s rooms and rummaged everywhere. Finally, she found a small box near the bedside cabinet, containing nearly one liang of silver. Zhao Shi pocketed the silver from the box and searched the cupboard, finding a silver hairpin and a pair of silver earrings, which probably amounted to another two liang of silver.

After finishing the room, Zhao Shi searched the other rooms but found nothing more, so she returned.

Zhou Shi had gotten up early that morning to go to her parents’ house. Her intention was to ask her mother and father exactly what was going on. Regardless, if her mother could tell her elder sister-in-law and brother that she was unwilling to remarry, it would be easier for her mother to convey the message, and Zhou Shi didn't want to completely alienate her elder brother and sister-in-law.

When she arrived at her parents’ home, her mother already knew about the situation, but she had only heard it from her sister-in-law and wasn't entirely clear on the details. However, her mother also agreed that she should remarry and persuaded her a bit. Zhou Shi still refused, and her mother didn't press her, simply telling her that she would go explain the matter to Zhou Shi's sister-in-law.

Seeing that her mother was willing to help her speak with her sister-in-law, Zhou Shi was relieved. Thinking of the two children left at home, she rushed back anxiously. To her surprise, upon returning, she heard Xiaoshan say that Grandma had visited and searched the house for a long time before leaving.

Zhou Shi noticed that her household items were indeed not in the exact positions she had left them, showing clear signs of being searched. She checked all her belongings and discovered that her silver ornaments and the silver kept in the money box were gone. Xiaoshan had said no one else had visited that morning, so it must have been her mother-in-law’s doing.

Zhou Shi’s surging anger had nowhere to vent. By what right did her mother-in-law dare to enter her room and take things so openly? What kind of behavior was that? Even as her mother-in-law, she shouldn't do such a thing.

Zhou Shi saw that her two children were still in the courtyard and hadn't eaten breakfast. She went to the kitchen, prepared some food for the two little ones, told them not to wander off, and then headed towards Zhao Shi’s house.