With the unwelcome guests gone, the family returned inside to enjoy their dinner.

    “Daughter-in-law, will this cause any trouble?” Zhushi asked, still worried.

    “Mother, we didn’t lie or do anything wrong. We have nothing to fear. The only thing we need to ensure is that no one reveals today's location,” Haitang reassured her.

    "Don’t worry, sister-in-law. We won’t say a word," Qian Sao assured, with Qian San and Qian Xi nodding in agreement, their mouths full of pork knuckles.

    "Good. There's one more thing... Mother..." Haitang turned to her mother-in-law.

    "I wouldn't say a word even if you asked me to. Besides, I don’t even know where you went to find those herbs," Zhushi interrupted before Haitang could finish.

    "I’m not worried about that. But now the villagers know we have money. When we and Father aren’t around, someone might come to see you."

    Everyone turned to look at Zhushi.

    "Come see me? For what?" Zhushi still didn’t fully understand.

    "Mother, they might come to ask you for money. If you don’t give it to them, they might take something," Qian Sao explained to his mother.

    "Well, I... that’s unlikely," Zhushi replied, her voice faltering slightly.

    Haitang didn’t want to dictate her mother-in-law’s decisions about money, so she left it for Zhushi to handle. But if anyone caused her mother-in-law any trouble, she would step in.

    Haitang mentioned it only to prepare Zhushi.

    Little did they know Haitang’s words were prophetic.

    After the four brothers went to the fields, Qian Zhou went to buy materials to build a pen for the ox, and Haitang took a basket of laundry to the stream. It wasn’t long before someone was calling for Zhushi from outside their home.

    With proper nutrition and herbal supplements, Zhushi was almost back to her old self, with only slight weakness but no longer bedridden. Her complexion had improved too.

    Zhushi opened the door to see Mrs. Ma holding a basket with four rough buns, smiling at her. Behind her were the daughters-in-law of the Su and Xiao families, each holding a basket.

    "Zhushi, aren’t you going to invite us in?" Mrs. Ma asked, her eyes roving around the house.

    "My house is small, but if you don’t mind, come in and have some tea," Zhushi reluctantly invited them in.

    "Here, Zhushi, I brought you some buns. I hope you don’t mind," said Mrs. Ma.

    "And I brought some wild vegetables I just picked. Please take them," added the Su daughter-in-law.

    "And I brought some wild mushrooms. They’re fresh too," said the Xiao daughter-in-law.

    Zhushi looked uncertainly at the three baskets in front of her, unsure whether to accept them.

    "Surely you’re not offended by our humble offerings, are you?" Mrs. Ma asked when Zhushi didn’t say anything.

    "No, no, I’m not offended. I was just wondering why you brought these for me," Zhushi replied.

    "We’re all from the same village. We should help each other, shouldn’t we?" the Su daughter-in-law said.

    "Yes, yes," the others echoed.

    "Since you’ve been so kind, I’ll accept them. Thank you very much," Zhushi said.

    "Zhushi, like Sister-in-law Su said, we are from the same village. It’s only right to be kind to one another. Can you tell us where your children found the herbs?" Mrs. Ma got straight to the point.

    "If you've come for that reason, I can't answer. It was a coincidence they found the herbs, and they didn't tell me where they found them."

    The three women kept prying but got nothing more. Finally, the Xiao daughter-in-law, unwilling to leave empty-handed, started a new topic.

    "By the way, sister, I have a small favor to ask." The Xiao daughter-in-law tried to be friendly, calling Zhushi ‘sister.’ "My son just got into school and needs to pay tuition fees. But as you know, we villagers don’t have money until after the harvest. Please, for the sake of our village community, lend me twenty taels."

    "Zhushi, my nephew also needs to pay his tuition fees. We are really struggling, which is why we have come to you today. Just show us some kindness, and we will never forget it."

    "You are a kind and generous person; you wouldn’t refuse us, would you? The sixty taels we need between the three of us isn’t even half of what you got from the city lord."

    "Yes, yes," they chorused, seeing Zhushi as a lamb ready for the slaughter.

    But Zhushi was not a fool. She might be weak, but her spirit was strong.

    "I don’t have any money."

    "Zhushi, how can you be so heartless? We can see your family bought an oxcart and a grinding stone, yet you refuse to help us. You are truly heartless."

    "Yes, you have no regard for our village community. Do you think just because you have money, you don’t need to care about others?"

    Zhushi wanted to argue but was outmatched by their combined voices. Whenever she opened her mouth, they interrupted, leaving her to endure their harsh words in silence.

    "My mother-in-law said she doesn't have any money, so that means she doesn't. Are you parasites looking to leech off my family?"

    Haitang, who had been quietly hanging laundry and listening, decided it was time to step in. She respected her mother-in-law’s decision, but since these women wouldn’t take no for an answer, it was her turn to act.

    "And who are you to speak up? You’re just a daughter-in-law. What right do you have to interrupt?"

    "That’s right, sister. Your daughter-in-law is too rude. This is a conversation for elders. How dare she butt in?" Mrs. Ma and the Xiao daughter-in-law were startled by Haitang’s sudden intervention but quickly pushed Zhushi to use her authority as the mother-in-law to reprimand Haitang.

    "My mother-in-law hasn’t said anything yet. Are you my mother-in-law? Do you think you have the right to scold me? And let me tell you, no matter how wonderful your sons might be, I would never lower myself to marry into a family with such shameless people like you as my mothers-in-law."

    "You... you... how dare you disrespect us? I’m even older than your mother-in-law!"

    "So what if you're older? It just means you'll die before me. Whether you live to old age is another matter entirely."

    Haitang had no fear or respect for them. In her previous life, she might have been submissive, but not in this life.

    "Zhushi, aren't you going to say something? Your daughter-in-law is being so disrespectful to elders. How will this affect your family's reputation? Do you still want to find second, third, and fourth daughters-in-law?" Mrs. Ma turned to pressure Zhushi, bringing up her other three sons to provoke her.

    "Yes, you should discipline your daughter-in-law. How could she be so unruly?"

    "If you don't teach her properly, one day she will treat you the same way she treats us."

    "Hah! This is my family's matter, and you have no right to interfere. Or if you want to interfere, why don't you die and be reborn in my womb? Maybe then I'd listen to you. And don't forget to call me 'Mother' sweetly, or else I'll drown you like a bad egg,"

    Haitang retorted, her words sharp and unyielding, shaped by years of dealing with rough customers in the brothel.

    The three women were so furious they were left speechless.

    "Zhushi, I will discipline your daughter-in-law myself today," Mrs. Ma declared, intending to use Zhushi's name to settle her personal grudge.

    "Just try it," Haitang said, picking up a wooden stick from the water bucket beside her, ready for a fight.

    Seeing this, Mrs. Ma hesitated, not wanting to provoke Haitang further.

    "Zhushi, say something," the Su daughter-in-law changed her tone from sisterly to demanding.

    "The truth is, I really don't have any money to lend you. The money in our household is managed by my daughter-in-law," Zhushi said, making it clear that she deferred to Haitang's judgment in financial matters.

    "As my mother-in-law said, I handle the money in this household. If you want to borrow some, just ask me. I charge one hundred epaes per tael per day as interest. Not too expensive," Haitang added with a sharp smile.

    "Not too expensive? That's outrageous!"

    "You mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are bullying us. Just wait! We'll spread the word that your Qian family has money but doesn't care about others."

    "In case you don't know the law, slandering others can get you flogged or even killed,"

    Haitang warned, drawing on knowledge from overhearing disputes in her past life.

    "Qian family, you're bullying us this much? We won't stay to be humiliated. We'll remember this grudge!" Mrs. Ma commanded the other two women to leave, grabbing the baskets they had brought as ‘gifts.’

    Zhushi sighed in relief. She was no match for the sharp-tongued women but was glad her daughter-in-law could handle them. Otherwise, she would have to endure their harsh words until they gave up on their own.

    "You've had a hard time," Zhushi said.

    "Don't worry, Mother," Haitang replied.

    "It's my fault for burdening you. If any bad rumors start, I'll speak to the villagers myself," Zhushi promised, fearing the three women would slander Haitang.

    "Mother, let them talk. As long as our family understands each other, that's all that matters," Haitang reassured her mother-in-law with a smile.

    In her past life, she was overly concerned with maintaining her reputation and avoiding disgrace. In the end, that reputation did nothing to save her.

    She died in misery, and the reputation she had painstakingly built up only garnered curses and condemnation. In this life, why should she care about the gossip and slander of others? She wasn't dependent on anyone for her livelihood, so why should she be so concerned with what people said? Even if she was known as a fierce daughter-in-law, as long as her parents-in-law said she was a good one, wasn't that enough?

    Whether she was a good daughter-in-law or not should be judged by her parents-in-law, not by some random people.

    After the uninvited guests left, Haitang suggested to her mother-in-law that they spread out the goji berries to dry in the yard. They laid down a cloth to keep the berries clean and then spread the freshly picked berries evenly across the cloth.

    If the sun stayed strong, a day or two of drying should be enough to make the berries ready for sale.

    Meanwhile, the Qian brothers, who were working in the fields, were unaware of what had happened at home. They were happy with the family's savings safely stored in the bank and worked diligently under the sun.

    "Big Brother, we're almost done here. Just need to water a bit more, and we can head home," Qian Sao said to his elder brother.

    "Good. Once we get home, we can start building the cow shed," Qian Tai replied.

    "Hey, hey! You guys are still working in the fields? Didn't you strike it rich? Why are you still toiling like this? If it were me, I'd be lounging at home."

    “Yeah,” The man from the neighboring field jeered, with his relatives chiming in.

    "Hand over your crops to us. You can afford to be generous, considering that rice fields are adjacent to each other. Since you don't need them anymore, now that you're so rich, how is it? Ha ha."

    The man continued tauntingly, making Qian Sao nearly lose his temper. Qian Tai shook his head, signaling his brother to stay calm and not get into trouble.

    "I'm afraid that's not possible. We worked hard for these crops. No smart person would give away their hard-earned produce just like that. Or would you?" Qian Tai didn't wait for a response. He walked away immediately after speaking, not wanting to engage further.

    People like this had always treated them as if they were invisible, but now that they had money, these same people were suddenly interested in them. Humans could be truly astonishing.

    By the time the man realized the meaning behind Qian Tai's words, he had already walked far away.

    ‘No smart person would give away their hard-earned produce just like that,’ but he asked if the man would, implying he was foolish.

    When Qian Tai and his brothers returned home, they arrived just as their father returned from buying supplies to build the cow shed.

    After eating, Qian Tai and Qian Sao went to cut down several bamboo stalks. The five men of the family worked together to construct a simple roof attached to the fence to provide shade and shelter for the cow and built a basic enclosure to contain it.

    "Husband," Haitang handed a drink to her husband and father-in-law first, then gave a water jug to her brothers-in-law to share among themselves.

    "Go rest inside the house; it's very hot today," Qian Tai said as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

    "Husband, I have something I need your help with."

    "Help? With what?"

    After giving her husband instructions, Haitang grabbed the fresh snow lotus she had set aside to give to her grandfather and headed out of the house.

    She hadn't even started to sweat by the time she arrived at the house she had lived in for many years.

    "Grandfather!"

    "Hey! Why are you shouting? You startled me."

    "What are you doing?"

    "Drying herbs, obviously. Why do you even ask?" Grandpa Tong quickly turned his attention back to the herbs in his hands, trying to hide the smile on his face.

    "Grandfather, I brought you some snow lotus."

    "Why are you bringing such expensive things? Take it back, or your in-laws might get upset."

    "My in-laws are good people, as you well know. Otherwise, would you have let me marry into the Qian family?" Haitang teased her grandfather with a smile before stuffing the snow lotus into his arms. "If I hadn't stopped her, my mother-in-law would have made sure you had snow lotus all year round!"

    "You cheeky girl, daring to gossip about your mother-in-law."

    "With you backing me, I dare do anything," Haitang smiled widely at her grandfather.

    “…” Grandpa Tong tried to maintain a stern face.

    “…” But Haitang continued to smile confidently back at him.

    "Haha! You're truly my granddaughter," Grandpa Tong finally couldn't contain his happiness.

"Of course! You raised me. If I didn't take after you, who else would I resemble?" Haitang flattered her grandfather before helping him arrange the herbs expertly.