Lin He knew her mother-in-law disapproved of what she was saying, thinking that later on, she would realize how wrong her ideas were. Raising a horse, she knew, wouldn't just be a matter of tossing some hay at it; if she followed her mother-in-law's logic, anyone opening a stud farm would be getting rich effortlessly. The art of horse breeding was far more complex than that.

Chang Geng drove the horse, taking Chen'er and Xiao Bao for a spin around the village, which certainly drew out every villager. Lin He truly hadn't anticipated the carriage would be so ostentatious. When Xiao Bao and Chen'er returned, a crowd followed behind the carriage, all gawking at the vehicle at Lin He’s home—many in the village had never even seen a horse before.

That afternoon, Lian Er Niu’s mother, Madam Zhao, also came to visit the Lin He household. Although she claimed to be there to see the horse Er Niu’s family had bought, she didn't seem as cheerful upon entering as someone interested in equine matters. Er Niu had gone out to the fields that afternoon to check on the hired laborers, and Chang Geng had already secured the horse and led it to the stable area. Only Lin He, Madam Huang, and Zi Qing remained at home with the younger children tagging along.

Madam Zhao entered and immediately demanded, "I heard you bought a horse; where is it?"

"Mother, you've arrived. The horse was just led over to the stable area. If Mother wants to see it, I'll have Zi Qing accompany you," Madam Huang said with a smile.

"No need. I wasn't really here to see the horse. I came to see how comfortably you all are living. You have hired laborers, bought servants, you had an ox cart and now you've bought a horse-drawn carriage. You're living better than the landlord's family! Meanwhile, your father and I are still scraping by, sometimes not knowing where the next meal will come from," Madam Zhao said, her tone decidedly sour.

Lin He felt that this grandmother had come looking for trouble again today. It seemed to have become a pattern: after a period of idleness, she had to stir up a quarrel, and she needed no reason other than a bad mood to start making noise. Their relatives took turns coming to cause trouble. However, she could ignore the others if they caused too much of a scene, but this particular woman was an exception.

"Mother, is there something you need? Is your household missing anything? When Er Niu returns, I’ll have him buy it for you," Madam Huang knew her mother-in-law was spoiling for a fight and hoped to avoid direct conflict by being accommodating.

"Hmph, stop putting on that act. When I wasn't here, I didn't see you ever come by to check on me, living the life of a young mistress here. Madam Huang, I never realized you learned how to be pleasant to my face and a viper behind my back." Madam Zhao was not placated by Madam Huang's conciliatory words.

The truth was, Madam Zhao was deeply resentful. Lately, every time she went out, all she heard were whispers about Er Niu’s family buying land, hiring laborers, and taking on maids. Some people were genuinely envious of Er Niu's improving fortunes, but others deliberately fanned the flames when they saw Madam Zhao, asking pointedly, "Er Niu’s family is so rich now, why don't we see any improvement in you and your husband’s lives? Old Man Lin still toils in the fields daily, yet Er Niu hires maids for his own household while letting his own parents live like this," and so on, exaggerating things as much as possible.

Madam Zhao wasn't a bad person at heart; when Er Niu’s family prospered, they were very considerate toward their parents and siblings, always helping out whenever possible. For instance, the filial money Er Niu gave his parents each month was more than double what others gave, and he never skimped on holiday gifts.

If one person had said such things, Madam Zhao might have dismissed it, but as more people repeated these narratives, her frustration began to boil over. Today, with the news that Er Niu’s family had purchased a horse and carriage, causing another stir in the village, a certain distant cousin-in-law even marched to her home to vent, embellishing the story with accusations of Er Niu and his wife being unfilial. The focus, however, was squarely on Madam Huang. This cousin-in-law was none other than Tie Zhu’s wife, whose husband had previously tried to demand work as a laborer at Er Niu’s house, a request Madam Huang’s family had refused.

Because Er Niu had been absent during that previous confrontation at Lin He’s house, Tie Zhu’s wife held the deepest grudge against Madam Huang. Although Lin He and Da Bao had spoken the most, she believed it was Madam Huang who deliberately coached the children to say those things. Hearing Tie Zhu’s wife's venomous words, Madam Zhao rushed over to pick a fight.

Hearing Madam Zhao’s accusations, even Madam Huang, who tried so hard to remain calm, felt a surge of anger. She said, "Mother, what are you saying? What have I done now to warrant such words? Mother, let's discuss the matter plainly; I genuinely don't understand why you are acting this way."

Lin He also felt her grandmother’s accusations were excessively harsh. Just recently, Grandmother’s fields were plowed by her own father using their ox, and if her father had spare time, he even helped with weeding. They hadn't forgotten to send them meat when they slaughtered a pig. Her mother surely wouldn't speak ill of Grandmother; why was Grandmother saying things like she was 'pleasant to the face and a viper behind the back'? That was too much.

Madam Zhao then cut in, "Madam Huang, you hired two maids to help out, is that right? How much work do you have that you need maids? This mother-in-law hasn't even had a maid to serve me yet. I look after several people in my home every day, yet you, as the wife, do nothing. You hire maids to work while your father-in-law and I have no ox cart to ride when we go out, yet you ride in a horse-drawn carriage. My son Er Niu is still the head of this household! I carried him for ten months, and now the money he earns is all for your comfort. Aren't you enjoying this good fortune a little too soon?"

Madam Huang finally understood the root of her mother-in-law’s visit: she couldn't stand that their household had hired maids and bought a carriage. But hadn't they already separated their households? Did they need to ask the mother-in-law's permission to hire a maid or buy a carriage, or do anything else? What kind of logic was that?

Madam Huang’s pent-up frustration had nowhere to go, but she managed to suppress it, her tone turning distinctly cold. "Mother-in-law, we know how much work our household has, and we will decide for ourselves if we need to hire maids. We give you five hundred dà qián a month in filial support. Eldest Uncle's family gives one hundred dà qián. If you use that extra four hundred dà qián to hire someone to help you, that should certainly be enough, with money left over. If you need help, Er Niu can hire someone tomorrow, and we will pay for it, but we will continue to give you our established monthly share, just like Eldest Uncle’s family. What do you think, Mother-in-law?"

"When you mention Er Niu, he is indeed your son, but he is also my husband and the father of our children. It is his duty to provide for his family, and it is his duty to ensure his wife and children live well. Furthermore, we all endured years of hardship; Er Niu wasn't the only one who suffered. Everything we enjoy now is the result of hard work from every member of our family."