Lin Erzhu: “Think about it—Eldest Brother has been gone for five years. Sister-in-law used to endure everything without complaint. Why would she suddenly rebel now? What could be the reason?”  

“Are you saying Sister-in-law is having an affair?” Qian Li suddenly perked up. “That makes sense! Otherwise, I can’t understand why she’s changed so much!”  

Lin Sanzhu, who had been silent until now, chimed in. “I think it’s possible too.”  

Truth be told, Sister-in-law was actually quite pretty—it was just that years of hard labor had worn her down, dulling her beauty. “Back when my classmates saw her, they’d always sneak a second glance. Dad, I’ll be honest—Xiaomin and I have already talked. Her family expects a bride price of at least two hundred yuan. You gave Second Sister-in-law’s family so much back then—you can’t suddenly have nothing for me. If you can’t get the money from Sister-in-law, I’ll just marry into Xiaomin’s family instead!”  

“Nonsense!”  

Lin Fugui smacked his youngest son hard. “If you dare marry into another family, I’ll break your legs first!”  

“Then tell me, Dad—if Sister-in-law refuses to give the money, what can you *actually* do about it?” Lin Sanzhu hadn’t planned to bring up his relationship so soon.  

But with the family in chaos these past two days, he had no choice but to use this to pressure his parents into getting money from Jiang Qiuyue.  

Lin Fugui truly had no ideas. Second Son’s guess that Jiang Qiuyue might be cheating was just that—a guess. They didn’t even have a suspect, let alone proof.  

Trying to pressure her with filial piety? He was afraid Jiang Qiuyue would actually call the village chief. Family scandals shouldn’t be aired in public—if the villagers found out he’d taken so much money from her, who knew whose side they’d take?  

Forcibly taking the money? Even more impossible. Jiang Qiuyue had a voice—she’d scream, and once the whole village came running, where would his dignity be?  

No matter how he thought about it, Lin Fugui was at a loss.  

“I’ve got it!”  

Qian Li suddenly had an idea. “If we can’t deal with Sister-in-law, we can write to Eldest Brother! Think about it—the money is sent to Sister-in-law by Eldest Brother. If we write to him and say Sister-in-law has changed, that she might be seeing someone else, we can convince him to send the money to *you* instead, Mom and Dad. Otherwise, Beibei and Nannan might be abused to death by her!”  

Lin Erzhu’s eyes lit up. “That could work! Eldest Brother was raised by you two—he wouldn’t dare disobey you!”  

Wang Chunhua also thought it was feasible. She scrambled to find paper and a pen. “Old man, you write the letter. We’ll send it to Eldest Son first thing tomorrow.”

The thought of her eldest son sending the money directly to her made Wang Chunhua burst into laughter. Once Jiang Qiuyue was cut off from the funds, let’s see how she’d keep acting so high and mighty!  

Meanwhile, Jiang Qiuyue was also writing a letter. She wanted cold cream, and she also detailed how Wang Chunhua had abused the original host and the two children over the years. Starting from six years ago, she poured out everything—how her heart had turned cold, how she refused to serve the Lin family any longer. The letter filled ten whole pages.  

This was groundwork for when she eventually met Lin Dazhu. If he suddenly returned and found her at odds with the Lin family like this, it would be too abrupt.  

In the original story, Lin Dazhu, as the male lead, was a shrewd and capable man. She believed that someone destined to be the male lead should be able to see the truth of the situation.  

After finishing the letter, Jiang Qiuyue felt hungry. Without a refrigerator, meat could only be preserved by salting and then air-drying or smoking.  

She cut the lean meat into strips, tied them with hemp rope, and hung them by the window in her room.  

Next, she placed the pork bones in a pot of cold water, added ginger slices and rice wine to remove any gaminess, and let it simmer for an hour.  

While the broth was cooking, Jiang Qiuyue rolled out fresh noodles and picked a handful of scallions and greens from the garden.  

The bone broth turned a rich, milky white. A pinch of salt was all it needed before the aroma filled the air. Lin Beibei and Lin Nannan stood by the stove, drooling.  

They had never had bone broth before. Even during New Year’s celebrations, when the family cooked meat soup, their grandma and grandpa never let them have any. When he was younger, Beibei had once cried from longing, but his mother told him to be understanding—Dabao was frail, so he should eat first. But Beibei couldn’t understand why his uncles and aunt could have meat while he, Nannan, and their mother were never allowed any.  

He had cried so hard that Grandma called Mom a “jinx,” along with many other cruel words he didn’t fully grasp. But he saw his mother cry, so he stopped making a fuss. Whenever Grandma cooked meat, he would quietly take Nannan’s hand and lead her away.  

Now, Beibei stole a glance at his sister, and the two of them exchanged a secret smile. It was so good that Mom had changed—they could finally eat meat!  

Jiang Qiuyue fished out the big bones and handed one each to Beibei and Nannan. “Eat the meat off the bones first. I’ll cook some noodles in the broth, and I guarantee you’ll both be stuffed.”  

Life revolved around appetite—eating well and sleeping well were the foundations of good health. Given a second chance at life, Jiang Qiuyue’s wish was simple: to live comfortably, free from worry, and to live a long, long life.  

The rich, savory aroma from the kitchen drifted out, reaching Wang Chunhua’s room and making everyone’s stomachs growl in unison.  

Lin Dabao tugged at his mother’s sleeve. “Mom, I want to eat!”  

Qian Li sniffed the air deeply. “Who’s cooking meat? It smells so good!” The scent was strong, so it had to be coming from nearby.  

She pushed the door open and followed the smell, only to see Jiang Qiuyue and her two children sitting on wooden stools, each with a bowl of noodles in front of them—along with a massive pork bone bigger than her fist.  

The tantalizing aroma made Qian Li’s mouth water uncontrollably. She swallowed hard, her pride crumbling in the face of hunger.