Listening to Lady Zhou speaking so righteously about her reasons for demanding more from Lian Shouli, Lady Da Zhou couldn’t help but shake her head in disapproval.

"His family background is poor, and his health is not very good. How can you justify asking for more?" Lady Da Zhou, being gentle in nature, disagreed internally, but the tone of her voice remained soft when she spoke.

"Why wouldn’t I have a reason?" Lady Da Zhou had just finished combing Lady Zhou’s hair, and Lady Zhou simply turned around to face Lady Da Zhou, "He’s a carpenter now, a skilled person, isn’t he better than the average farmstead family in our village? There are only three mouths to feed in his family, and the money he earns is more than enough... Besides, he doesn’t have many expenses."

"He only has one daughter, who will get married in a couple of years. He only has sources of income, no major expenses. What does he save his money for, or who does he plan to leave it to?"

Lady Da Zhou stared blankly at Lady Zhou.

But the more Lady Zhou spoke, the more justified she felt.

"Is it for his daughter or his wife? Without even a son, look at him working like a mule, not willing to spend on food or clothes. Isn’t he just working his life away for outsiders? With that money, why can’t he honor me? Wouldn’t honoring me be better than giving it all to outsiders? They’ll just laugh at him and look down on him."

"Old Three doesn’t save any money. How would his family of three survive without food, drink, and clothing?" Lady Da Zhou couldn’t help but speak.

"I’m not taking everything from him, he can still have enough for his living expenses. But his wife and that little girl, they’re wastes, with their selfish hearts. They think they can enjoy the good life alongside my son, but they’re not worthy!" Lady Zhou spat venomously as she reached this point.

Lady Da Zhou finally understood Lady Zhou’s mindset. Lady Zhou didn’t want Lady Zhao and Lian Yeye to live comfortably with Lian Shouli; she wanted to scrape all of Lian Shouli’s wealth into her own hands. Moreover, Lady Zhou didn’t think the money Lian Shouli earned should be used for his wife and children, nor did she seem to consider Lian Shouli’s future at all.

"By saying this, have you thought about what your third son will do in his old age if you take everything from him now? What will he rely on for his retirement?" Lady Da Zhou asked Lady Zhou.

Lady Zhou seemed taken aback by the question, lowering her head and remaining silent for some time.

Lady Da Zhou was about to seize the opportunity to advise Lady Zhou further when Lady Zhou raised her head again, eyes bright.

"How old am I and how old is he? When I’m gone, he can save for his retirement and it’s not too late," Lady Zhou argued confidently, "Without me, where would he be? He ought to prioritize me first. Once I’m gone and can’t see anything, he can do whatever he wants, and I won’t be able to control it by then."

Lady Da Zhou was speechless. Lady Zhou made it clear that she truly had no plans for Lian Shouli’s future.

Lian Shouli is a pitiful soul, Lady Da Zhou thought of the private conversations her family had about him and couldn’t help but sigh again.

"If his wife and daughter were any good, it would be fine. But you’ve seen it, that little girl, is she of any quality? With so many people around, she dares to openly argue with me, and even wants to fight me! Everyone says Old Three’s wife is honest, but can a mother like that raise such a daughter?"

"In this lifetime, I haven’t had good fortune. These daughters-in-law are all heartless. Old Three’s wife and Old Fourth’s wife are like two peas in a pod. They seem decent on the surface but are conniving behind the scenes! Old Three’s little girl, she wasn’t like this before, whatever I said went, but she’s turned bad these past couple of years. She’s learning from someone, and it’s all from that girl from Old Fourth Family!"

This refers to Lian Manman.

When mentioning Lian Manman, Lady Zhou’s tone paused, and her expression seemed somewhat uneasy.

"Those two, mother and daughter, they won’t have the fate to enjoy wealth, they’re heartless toward their elders. If I don’t demand more from Old Three, everything will be enjoyed by them, and even Heaven won’t agree!" Lady Zhou deliberately skipped over Lian Manman, continuing to criticize Lady Zhao and Lian Yeye.

Lady Da Zhou was at a loss for words, what Lady Zhou called Heaven’s disapproval was clearly just Lady Zhou being unable to tolerate Lady Zhao and Lian Yeye having a good life.

"... Earlier when you left with Third Sister-in-law and them, did she say anything to you?" After a while, Lady Zhou suddenly asked Lady Da Zhou.

"She didn’t say much. We parted ways at my gate; I even invited her in to sit for a while, but she didn’t," Lady Da Zhou replied. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"The couple is angry." Lady Zhou sighed, her gaze falling on the mat in front of her, appearing rather despondent.