The people in the room—like Mrs. Huang and Mrs. Zhou, and even Lin He—remained silent. Of the others, everyone except Mrs. Zhao was in favor of Hongxia and Zhou Dafat’s divorce; even Hongyun agreed. As for Zhou Dafat, Lin He had met the man a few times; he was clearly a scheming loafer, a good-for-nothing scoundrel, and Lin He couldn't fathom why her younger aunt had married him back then.

But marriages at that time were mostly arranged by parental decree and matchmakers. Now that Hongxia was in trouble, naturally, her parents had to take responsibility. If he were merely idle and disliked working, it might have been manageable. However, lately, Zhou Dafat had been up to something outside that threatened to sell off the family’s only remaining assets, all while beating Hongxia when she was heavily pregnant. Any parent who truly cared for their children surely couldn't stand such treatment.

So, Old Man Lin agreed, and Hongxia herself agreed. Erniu had already secured a path forward for Hongxia. The only downside to the divorce was a slight loss of face; compared to their current plight, there were no other disadvantages. Seeing her family’s support, the weight on Hongxia’s heart seemed to lift, and color instantly returned to her face.

Erniu, however, was worried. A divorce required mutual consent. If Zhou Dafat discovered the Lin family's plan, he might not agree easily.

Thinking of this, Erniu asked, "Hongxia, divorcing is possible, but what about the child? Are you planning to raise him alone? Your life will be tough then, and Zhou Dafat likely won't agree either."

Hongxia had considered this: "I am definitely keeping the child. If it weren't for the child, I wouldn't have gone this far toward divorce. At worst, I’ll live the way I did before, but I refuse to let my own child be looked down upon shamelessly. Both children are growing up daily; I made this harsh decision entirely for them."

"We all understand that. The child will certainly be better off with you. It’s just whether Zhou Dafat will be willing to give up the child?" Erniu fretted.

Hongxia let out a cold laugh. "A man like him? Why would he want a child? A child means expenses for food and clothing; it would only drag him down. I’ve thought it through. If he haggles over the child, I’ll just give him some money. I don't have it now, but once I start working, I’ll give him some every month until it adds up."

Having spent so many years with Zhou Dafat, Hongxia certainly understood his nature. Zhou Dafat was indeed that sort of man. Erniu figured if money could solve the issue, they should use it. Erniu said, "Hongxia is right. Let's wait until Dafat arrives, and then we can discuss it. If money can settle it, let’s settle it first."

Once everyone had agreed on the matter, they went out to cook. It was already afternoon, yet they hadn't eaten lunch. Mrs. Zhou and Mrs. Huang headed to the kitchen, but Mrs. Zhao saw Mrs. He still sitting in the yard, refusing to move, idly cracking melon seeds and scattering the shells everywhere. She called out, "Eldest son’s wife, go to the kitchen and help cook. Stop sitting there."

Mrs. He still held a grudge against Mrs. Zhao for kicking her out of the room earlier. Though she clearly heard Mrs. Zhao's words, she pretended not to hear, deliberately staying in the yard cracking seeds, thinking to herself, Handle your own family’s affairs; why are you telling me what to do?

Seeing Mrs. He remain seated, Mrs. Zhao walked quickly over, stood in front of her, and snapped, "He Shi, am I not worth listening to anymore? If you won't go cook, then get out and go back to your own house. It’s the New Year; I don't want to fight with you."

Now Mrs. He couldn't feign deafness. She slowly stood up. Her anger today had reached its peak. Neither Mrs. Zhao nor her own husband, Dajiang, had given her any leeway. She hadn't done anything wrong; wasn't opposing Hongxia’s divorce also for the sake of the whole family? Thinking this, Mrs. He stared directly at Mrs. Zhao and said, "Didn't you just say this was your family’s business? Tell your own people to handle it. If you want me to go back, I’ll leave right now. Do you think I enjoy being here?"

With that, she turned to leave. Mrs. Zhao instantly bristled, just opening her mouth to curse, when Dajiang walked up to Mrs. He and shouted, "You stop right there! How dare you speak to Mother like that? Apologize to Mother, or I won't let you off the hook today."

Dajiang’s few words carried a certain authority. Lin He felt that perhaps because Dajiang could now support a household on his own, his spine had stiffened somewhat recently—at least in front of Mrs. He. Whenever Mrs. He made a mistake, Dajiang could scold her into submission. The old Dajiang wouldn't have done this.

However, Mrs. He didn't apologize this time. Looking at Dajiang, the assertiveness she used to have in front of him seemed to have returned. She spoke loudly, "What did I say? What mistake did I make? Mother told me to get out, so I’m leaving. What's wrong with that?"

She then widened her eyes and glared at Dajiang. Dajiang was left speechless by her question. Indeed, she hadn't said anything wrong. Mother had told her to leave; her saying she would leave now wasn't entirely incorrect. He stood there, unsure how to respond.

Mrs. Zhao, seeing her son speechless, glanced over and said, "You don't know what you did wrong? I’ll tell you: one, being lazy and greedy for food; two, disrespecting your mother-in-law; and three, sidelining your sister-in-law. Aren't those reasons enough? Letting you apologize is being lenient. If you act up again, I could have you divorced."

"Mother, I wasn't being disrespectful to you today. I was doing as you said! Your Lin family constantly threatens divorce. Do you think our family on my side are dead people? Furthermore, even if you want to divorce me, you need a reason. If you list everything that happened today, I’m not afraid even if we call the clan elder, or if the entire Lin Village passes judgment—I have done nothing wrong," Mrs. He asserted.

Lin He found Mrs. He surprisingly different today. Based on her usual character, Mrs. He was never this calm. Her personality usually manifested in tantrums and drama; she wouldn't speak with such clarity. Lin He suspected someone high up had given her advice. Her words were coherent, and her tone was remarkably strong, yet very logical—completely unlike her usual style.

Lin He surveyed the courtyard. Everyone had been inside just moments ago. In the yard were only Qing Shan and his wife, and Mrs. He. If Qing Shan were the instructor, he would have done it sooner. That left only Song Yuemei. It seemed Song Yuemei’s talent for stirring up trouble was truly exceptional, and Mrs. He was clearly a quick study.

In such a short time, she had completely overturned her previous temperament. Her statements were unassailable, and while she still struggled to control her temper, her arguments were methodical, leaving no major faults for others to seize upon.