In Qili Village, Shen Qing’s father-in-law was the eldest, Jiang Yang was the second, and there were also Jiang Sanye (Jiang the Third) and Jiang Wuye (Jiang the Fifth).

The Fourth Master had passed away when he was young.

The eldest and second were not blessed with many children, but Jiang Erye (the second) was far better off than the eldest.

Not only did he have two sons, but he also had daughters staying with him.

His family was growing, with each child bringing in their own children, making the family size nearly twenty people.

Jiang Sanye and Jiang Wuye’s families were even more impressive.

They were younger, had married later, and hadn’t had many marriages among the younger generation, but they had large families.

Both had six or seven children each.

Even though some of the younger children hadn’t married yet, the number of people was already close to twenty—truly a big family!

Sitting in the courtyard, Shen Qing looked at the bustling family and suddenly felt that her own family of just over ten people wasn’t so large after all.

“Come, come, have some water.” Jiang Sanye’s wife, Zhao Mingyue, beamed with a smile and handed a cup of water to Shen Qing, lowering her voice to tease, “I added a bit of sugar to sweeten it. Don’t let the little greedy cats in the house find out, or my stock might not last through today!”

Shen Qing couldn’t help but laugh, quickly taking the cup with both hands and thanking her politely, “Thank you, Third Aunt. Where’s Third Uncle?”

Zhao Mingyue waved her hand carelessly, “He can’t sit still, went out to net some fish. Don’t mind him, you’ve come all this way, we should chat for a while.”

This daughter-in-law, who used to rarely show a kind face to them, had actually come over on her own initiative today and even brought a big bowl of crispy fried meat—Zhao Mingyue was utterly shocked!

She paused and asked uncertainly, “Are you here for something, looking for Third Uncle?”

But now, what could it be?

There was no need to water the fields, no need for help with irrigation or harvest, and recently, she hadn’t heard of anyone taking land from Shen Qing’s family that would require their help.

Even if they needed help, with Shen Qing’s usual temperament, she wouldn’t have come to deliver food.

Shen Qing quickly shook her head, “No, it’s nothing. I’ve been bothering you all these years, so I thought I’d come by and offer a little something since the family made some money!”

Zhao Mingyue relaxed, her eyebrows easing into a broad grin, “We’re not too old yet, still able to move our arms and legs to earn some money. But you’ve finally made some silver, and with Second, Third, Fourth, and Sixth all unmarried, you must save some!”

“We’re all relatives, and if there’s something, we help each other. No need to thank us specially. This time, Aunt will accept it, but don’t keep spending your money like this!”

Their eldest nephew had passed away, and Shen Qing was holding up the family by herself—it wasn’t right for them to keep taking things from her.

Shen Qing smiled and agreed, then furrowed her brow, troubled, “I’ve always felt bad about troubling Third Uncle’s family, but it looks like I might still need to ask for help later on.”

Zhao Mingyue’s heart sank, and before Shen Qing could finish, she quickly asked, “What happened? Are you in trouble?”

Shen Qing explained clearly and concisely, “It’s not me, it’s my younger sister-in-law, Xiao Yu. Back then, the head of the family insisted on picking the Liu family. I’ve always been worried. The other day, I had a bad dream, but maybe it’s just me overthinking.”

“I asked Big Tao’s wife to check with her family when she went back to her parents’ place. I’m really anxious. If I find out Xiao Yu is not doing well, we—her maternal family—must step in and support her.”

At this time, divorces were often preferred.

The dowry could be taken back, and the reputation was preserved, which wouldn’t affect the marriage prospects of the other daughters. But being abandoned by the husband left a woman with nothing, and it ruined her reputation, even harming the reputations of other women in the family.

When things weren’t going well, the maternal family was crucial. Those who were neglected, like the Liu family’s first wife, ended up abandoned, slowly ground down by her in-laws.

Shen Qing continued, “I dreamed that Xiao Yu would end up like the Liu family’s first wife—probably abandoned and abused. But if the maternal family steps in, especially if there are many brothers, it can make a difference. We could go over there and make them agree to whatever Xiao Yu wants.”

“If they don’t agree, we’ll just keep pressing them. We’ll go over there and teach them a lesson! Even if it’s a divorce, we’ll make them consent!”

Zhao Mingyue, upon hearing it was about Xiao Yu, stood up in anger, scolding, “That Liu family is a den of tigers and wolves! It’s no place for anyone to live. Every time Xiao Yu sees me alone, she can’t stop crying. It’s obvious things are bad!”

She thought for a moment, realizing that Shen Qing’s words meant her nephew had been behind the decision. No wonder! A grown man could not hold the family together, especially when it was his own sister being mistreated. The whole thing made her furious.

She looked at Shen Qing and clapped her hand to reassure her, “As long as you want to support Xiao Yu, you don’t need to do anything. Just point the way, and both I and Fifth Aunt’s family will handle the rest. We have a dozen strong men. We’ll take care of everything!”

Zhao Mingyue continued, “You don’t need to worry. Fifth Aunt isn’t great at arguing, but she’ll help hold people down. Don’t worry, I have some friends who can help with the shouting!”

In the past, Shen Qing wouldn’t have stepped forward, but now, seeing that Zhao Mingyue was so ready to help, she felt reassured.

Zhao Mingyue had everything figured out.

Zhao Mingyue, reluctant to part with Shen Qing, almost kept her from leaving, but since Shen Qing mentioned she had to go to Fifth Aunt’s house, she let her go.

With Zhao Mingyue’s help, Shen Qing’s efforts moved swiftly.

The rest of the visit felt like a formality.

When Shen Qing went to Fifth Aunt’s house, it was the same situation—Fifth Aunt was quiet, modest, and didn’t know what to do with her hands when Shen Qing came in.

Shen Qing quickly left after delivering the gifts.

Shen Qing also delivered three bowls of crispy fried meat to the Guan family, Qin family, and Feng family.

The Guan family didn’t need an explanation; the Qin family had helped her when someone named Sun Xiaomai had caused her trouble, and the Qin family was known for their honest and kind nature.

The Feng family, although outsiders, knew some martial arts and could be trusted in a difficult situation.

These three families were people Shen Qing could rely on when times got tough.