He Jiaojiao's mother-in-law was strict, and being the village headman’s wife, she valued face and dignity. She could not tolerate the shame of her daughter-in-law expressing concern for a man who was not her husband.

    When the Qian brothers finished their work in the fields, they returned home to find many clothes hanging out to dry in the yard. Near the vegetable patch, their father and their only sister-in-law were watering plants and pulling weeds.

    “Father, we’re back,” Qian Tai, the eldest, called out on behalf of his brothers to alert the two working in the vegetable patch.

    “Oh, you’re back. The eldest daughter-in-law has prepared lunch for you all before you go up the mountain. Eat first, then go gather wild vegetables,” Qian Zhou said, then continued pulling weeds.

    Although his leg limped, making it difficult to take on work outside the home, it did not hinder his daily life at home. He could live normally but found it inconvenient to work in the fields or walk long distances. Therefore, he took responsibility for the tasks in the vegetable patch beside the house.

    “Father, did you wash our clothes?” Qian Sao asked, even though he suspected it was his sister-in-law. He couldn't bring himself to ask the harsh woman directly.

    “Do you think I could carry that much laundry? It was your sister-in-law. Now, go thank her,” his father replied.

    Their father's answer made the three brothers, already shocked by her behavior in the early morning, feel as if they had been startled again. As for Qian Tai, who had been surprised since last night, he was starting to get used to his wife's positive change.

    “Thank you for your hard work,” Qian Tai said to his wife.

    “Household chores are my responsibility. I was just muddle-headed before. Now that I’ve come to my senses, please leave these tasks to me,” Haitang replied, meeting her husband’s eyes.

    “Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

    “Alright.”

    The sight of the couple talking made the family happy.

    They hoped Tong Haitang had truly changed and wouldn’t play any tricks again.

    “By the way, Third Brother, I accidentally tore your shirt while washing it. Once it’s dry, I’ll mend it for you,” Haitang confessed her mistake to avoid hurting his feelings.

    “Sister-in-law, there’s no need to apologize. That shirt tears often, even when Second Brother washes it. A little sewing will make it wearable again. Thank you,” Qian San said, not one to hold grudges.

    That shirt was indeed very old. When his brothers washed it, it often tore. In fact, it wasn’t just his clothes, but also those of his elder brothers and his twin brother. They often ended up giving their torn clothes to their mother for mending, as they were men with rough hands, not suited for delicate work like sewing.

    “Go inside. I’ve prepared some pancakes. Eat until you’re full before heading up the mountain,” Haitang urged the four brothers inside, knowing they only had steamed buns for breakfast.

    Normally, at noon they would just rest briefly and then return to work, but Haitang couldn’t bear it. She knew well how exhausting physical labor was and believed no one could ever get used to hunger.

    Therefore, starting today, she intended to prepare three meals a day. However, the current kitchen supplies were insufficient for such a plan. The only way to achieve her goal was to go up the mountain with her husband today to help earn money to buy rice.

    The four brothers, who had never had lunch before, looked at each other in surprise.

    This was a lunch prepared specifically for the four brothers, as her parents-in-law had refused to eat lunch. They reasoned that for those who did not exert much physical effort, eating three heavy meals a day would be too filling. So, Haitang made a radish soup for the couple to warm their stomachs instead.

    Even though they said they were used to hunger, the fragrant lunch in front of them was irresistible. The four brothers quickly ate their meal, not wanting to waste any more time.

    Haitang watched them eat with joy. She had already eaten steamed buns with soup earlier, so she wasn't very hungry.

    “Husband, today I will go up the mountain with you,” Haitang said, seeing that her husband had finished eating and was about to leave the house. She quickly cleared the table and ran to tell him her plan.

    “Hm? Why do you want to go up the mountain? Stay at home.”

    “Husband, I have knowledge of herbs. Going up the mountain with you will be more beneficial.”

    Given Haitang’s reasonable argument, Qian Tai couldn't find a reason to refuse, so he agreed to take his wife up the mountain with him.

    The four brothers, in their old, worn-out clothes, along with one village woman, hurriedly walked up the mountain. Along the way, the brothers took turns helping the only woman in the group, fearing she wouldn't be able to keep up.

    When they reached the foot of the mountain, Qian Sao, the second brother, separated from the group to check the animal traps he had set, hoping to find a wild rabbit or a pheasant. The remaining group dispersed to gather wild vegetables.

    Qian San and Qian Xi went together, while Haitang walked with her husband, Qian Tai.

    Haitang’s special ability was something her grandfather, Elder Tong, had told Qian Tai about from the start. However, Qian Tai never asked her to use it to help earn money because he feared it might be dangerous for her.

    More importantly, he didn’t marry her to make her work for money. He wanted her to decide for herself whether or not to use her abilities.

    If she wanted to help, he was happy to accept, but he didn’t want to burden her with all the responsibilities. If she didn’t want to help, he wouldn’t force her. He knew that marrying him was already a big enough sacrifice for her, and he didn’t want her to feel obligated to do anything more for him.

    “Dear wife, I deeply appreciate what you did today. But if you don’t truly want to do it, please stop. My family and I have talked about it, and we don’t want to force you or blame you.”

    He consulted with his siblings and felt the same. Perhaps she was worried about the criticism, so she reluctantly stood up to do these things. Therefore, Qian Tai took the opportunity to have a candid conversation while they were alone.

    “What do you mean? If there’s something I did wrong or that you’re not happy with, you should tell me directly.”

    “It’s not that. We just fear that you might find it burdensome.”

    “Burdensome? Is anyone in this family living comfortably? Even Father, with his injured leg, has to take care of the vegetable patch. How could I, as the daughter-in-law, live comfortably? Do you want me to be an ungrateful daughter-in-law? Every daughter-in-law in other families does the same. Is there any family where the daughter-in-law is comfortable while the parents-in-law suffer?”

    “What happens in other families is their business. What happens in our family is ours. Don’t let it bother you.”

    "Fine, let's not talk about other families, but let’s talk about the duties of a daughter-in-law. What have I done wrong today? Tell me," Haitang demanded.

    "Um, no, nothing..." Qian Tai stammered, sounding like a man afraid of his wife.

    "Then if I’ve made any mistakes or there are things you want me to correct, just tell me."

    "It’s not that. It’s just that you’ve never done these tasks before..."

    "Never done them before doesn’t mean I can’t do them. Or do you intend to use this as an excuse to bring a concubine into the house?"

    "What concubine? I would never do that," Qian Tai hastily denied the accusation, flustered.

    "Good. In the future, Second Brother, Third Brother, and Fourth Brother will all need to marry. Their wives will help with the work, and as the eldest sister-in-law, I will divide the tasks fairly. But right now, we need dowries for the three brothers, money for Mother's medicine, and treatment for Father's leg. We also need food and clothes for everyone in the house."

    Haitang’s long explanation about being a fair and just eldest sister-in-law brought a smile to those listening.

    "I understand now." As long as she said it was good, what else could be better?

    Even if there was something better, he didn’t need it anymore.

    "Very well, then come with me. Today, we’ll gather herbs to sell. Tomorrow, when we sell vegetables in town, we’ll sell the herbs too. We can use the money to buy medicine for Mother and new clothes for the brothers," Haitang concluded, taking her husband’s hand and leading him to a place where she thought there might be herbs.

    The spot Haitang brought her husband to was filled with mint (Bo He), a cooling herb with a refreshing aroma. While not highly valuable, it was still a profitable item, so Haitang didn’t hesitate to collect it for sale.

    In her past life, when she helped her mother's family earn money, she didn’t live near this mountain but rather a different one closer to the town.

    Looking back, she realized that it was her own fault that her mother discovered her abilities.

    Her mother had only come to claim her because she wanted to marry her off as a concubine to a wealthy old man who had advertised for a young wife with a dowry of a hundred taels. Her mother remembered that she had once given birth to a daughter and came to reclaim the girl she had sold to an old man.

    Yes! She and Grandpa Tong were not related by blood.

    Grandpa Tong, who had passed by, couldn’t bear to see a little girl being sold to a brothel for ten taels, so he bought her himself and raised her as his own granddaughter.

    When her mother came to reclaim her, Grandpa Tong was too ashamed to admit that he was not her real grandfather and that her mother had sold her to a brothel. When Haitang wanted to divorce Qian Tai to follow her mother to the city, it made Grandpa Tong so angry that she couldn’t face him. He passed away quickly after that.

    Once she moved to the city, her mother constantly complained about how hard it was to make a living. Haitang offered to earn money, revealing her secret ability to find herbs, a knowledge shared with only a few people. This revelation saved her from becoming the concubine of an old rich man in the city.

    In the end, it seemed her fate was to become a courtesan. Despite Grandpa Tong's efforts to save her when she was a child, she ended up back in the hands of ruthless people who sold her to a brothel once she grew up.

    She learned about this after being sold to the madam, from the very woman who had given birth to her.

    "Hmph, someone went through the trouble of buying you, and yet you foolishly ended up back here, for me to sell you again."

    "What do you mean?"

    "I mean that old man who raised you wasn't your real grandfather. He bought you from me when I was about to sell you to this very place over ten years ago, just like today. And now, look where you’ve ended up. Your life still ends here, ha ha ha."

    That was the last thing she heard from the woman who dared to call herself her mother.

    That woman was more monstrous than a beast; even a tiger doesn’t eat its own cubs, but that woman killed her own child, over and over, making her die while still living.

    Thinking back, Haitang could only be angry with herself for being so foolish. She had people who loved her right here, yet she had sought out something deceptive in the city.

    In this new life, she vowed never to be anyone's pawn again.

    It didn’t take long for Qian Tai’s basket to fill with mint.

    “Husband, we should wait for these seedlings to grow a bit more. Let’s go collect other herbs now,”

    Haitang said as she saw her husband debating whether to pick the small plants. Hearing this, Qian Tai obediently followed her to the next spot.

    The next area had no mint but was covered with stevia and termite mushrooms. The couple filled their baskets with these before returning to find the three brothers.

    “Eldest Brother, we haven’t gathered much wild vegetables today,” Qian San said as he saw his elder brother approaching, indicating they might be home later than usual.

    “Third and Fourth Brothers, combine your baskets and take your sister-in-law home first. Second Brother and I will finish up here,” Qian Tai instructed.

    Since his and his wife’s baskets were full, combining the vegetables from the three brothers would fill one basket. Qian Tai decided to have the two younger brothers take everything back home first.

    The twins complied. Qian San took his elder brother’s basket, while Qian Xi combined the contents of Qian Sao’s and Qian San’s baskets into his own, giving Qian San’s empty basket to Qian Tai.

    The twins followed their sister-in-law home, watching her slender back. Along the way, they wondered if their sister-in-law had been possessed or if an evil spirit had left her.

    If she was possessed, they wouldn’t take her near a priest to avoid exorcising the helpful spirit. They wanted this spirit to remain within their sister-in-law forever.

    If the spirit had left, they would invite a priest to exorcise any future evil spirits from entering her again.

    Because the eldest sister-in-law now was the best version...

    The three of them walked calmly back home. Upon arrival, they saw their father supporting their mother, who was taking a gentle walk to enjoy the breeze.

    “You’re back. Where are the eldest and second brothers?” Qian Zhou asked, noticing the absence of his two eldest sons.

    “Eldest Brother and Second Brother are still gathering more vegetables. They told us to bring Sister-in-law back to handle these first. They should be back soon,” Qian San said as he helped take the basket off Haitang’s back.

    “You two help arrange these herbs on the trays. I’ll go wash the dishes,”

    Haitang instructed her brothers-in-law before hurrying into the kitchen. She needed to cook dinner before dealing with the remaining herbs.

    The pile of dishes from lunch was still in the same place. As Haitang picked them up to wash, Qian San came in and took them from her hands.

    “I’ll wash the dishes,” he said simply, carrying all the dishes away immediately.

    “Sister-in-law, is there anything I can help with?” Qian Xi asked as he entered the kitchen.

    “Have you laid out the herbs to dry already?” Haitang asked, surprised because they had brought back quite a lot of herbs.

    “Father and Mother are taking care of it. They sent me to help you,” Qian Si replied.

    “In that case, go pull up a radish for me. I’ll make radish soup for dinner,”

    Haitang said, accepting his help. This way, she could focus on cooking the rice and preparing the vegetables for stir-frying. In addition to the radish soup with eggs, this would be enough for dinner for the seven people in the household.

    If it wasn’t enough, they’d have to make do because there were no other ingredients left.

    Since the dishes she planned to make weren’t complicated, it didn’t take long to prepare the ingredients. She then went out to help with the herbs.

    When Qian San returned with the cleaned dishes, he saw his sister-in-law already outside, helping his parents wash and dry the herbs. In the kitchen, only Qian Xi remained, tending to the fire for cooking the rice, excited because it had been a long time since they’d had steamed rice.

    They usually ate rice porridge, as the water helped fill their stomachs quickly and saved on rice.

    Seeing her husband and Qian Sao returning home, Haitang quickly ran into the kitchen to start cooking.

    The steamed rice was for the five men of the house, while she and her mother-in-law ate porridge, which was easier to digest and suitable for the sick and for women who wanted to maintain their figures.

    Once the four brothers had washed their faces and freshened up, the meal was ready. Qian San and Qian Xi, knowing their roles well, went in to help their sister-in-law bring the food to the table.

    “Eldest, when will you go to town tomorrow?” Zhushi asked her eldest son as she slowly scooped some porridge into her mouth.

    “I’ll go early in the morning so I can be back in time to go up the mountain with my brothers. Is there anything you need, Mother?”

    "No, it’s just that your clothes are worn out. Go buy a new set for each of you, and get one for your eldest sister-in-law as well," Zhushi said, handing money to Qian Tai.

    While their daughter-in-law was cooking, she and her husband had seen the dried laundry and helped bring it in. Seeing the clothes full of patches broke her heart, especially since some of the recent tears were so large that they were difficult to repair.

    "Mother, I don’t need new clothes," Haitang quickly spoke up before anyone else.

    If asked who dressed the best in this family, it would be her. Her worst outfit was still better than the best clothes of the four brothers.

    "I don’t need new clothes either," Qian Tai said, as he didn’t place much importance on his attire.

    “Me neither / Me neither / Me neither.”

    The others chimed in, not wanting to buy new clothes. Buying a new set for each of them was equivalent to the cost of several doses of medicine for their mother.

    "No, you have to buy them. Third and Fourth, your clothes are too small and worn out. They tear without any effort. How can you keep wearing them?" Seeing that she couldn’t give the money to her sons, Zhushi put it in her daughter-in-law’s hands instead.

    "Tomorrow, go to town with the eldest and buy clothes for these smelly kids. Also, buy any household items we’re lacking. Cough, cough," Zhushi said, her sentence interrupted by a violent cough that made her husband, Qian Zhou, quickly hand her some tea.

    "Mother, ready-made clothes might be expensive. I’ll buy fabric and sew clothes for them myself. Don’t worry," Haitang assured her.

    With her daughter-in-law’s promise, Zhushi let the matter rest. It was decided that tomorrow, Qian Tai would go to town with his wife, while the others would continue working in the fields as usual.