Xiao Yunying initially wanted to put on a show of politeness towards her third sister's husband, whom she didn't have a good first impression of.

As a result, one sentence from the other party completely extinguished her desire to extend her love to everything related to the house.

Because it was Chinese New Year, and her third sister rarely came back, Xiao Yunying didn't retort on the spot, but glanced at what he was carrying.

A piece of meat weighing about two pounds, and a package of pastries that you can tell aren't very good just by looking at the oil paper packaging.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, he wore a brand-new cotton-padded coat and gave his father-in-law's family a New Year's gift of twenty or thirty coins. This guy is really something else.

Although it's true that the sentiment behind a gift is more important than its price, this gift was far too cheap and perfunctory, not even worthy of the meal her mother prepared.

Xiao Shanhai was equally displeased, but out of consideration for his son-in-law, he replied, "Mother of the child, take the things to the kitchen."

Mu Lianrong, for the sake of her daughter, didn't directly curse, but she didn't give her a kind look either, and called her two daughters over.

"Come on, let's go to the kitchen, the three of us."

Xiao Yunying didn't even call him "brother-in-law," and pulled Xiao Yuntao towards the kitchen.

No one accepted Ge Changjian's gift, and his face darkened for a moment. In the end, Xiao Yuntao accepted the gift, giving him a way out.

After the three entered the kitchen, Mu Lianrong continued cooking without saying a word, while Xiao Yuntao put down the food and looked at her younger sister with a guilty expression.

"Little sister, your brother-in-law hasn't seen you in a long time, and he's a bit tongue-tied and said the wrong thing. Don't take it to heart."

Xiao Yunying thought that she would just ignore the person she disliked in the future. In short, she wouldn't have much interaction with him, so why bother to keep up the anger and make herself feel bad?

She joked, "Third sister, don't worry, I won't hold a grudge against you."

Zhang and Wang came over and greeted Xiao Yuntao, at which point Xiao Yunying remembered something.

"Eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, isn't today the day to welcome the son-in-law? Why didn't you go back to your parents' home?"

When her husband wasn't home, she had no idea about this. She was only thinking about going back to her parents' home and forgot that her two sisters-in-law were also married into her family. She only remembered this when she saw her third sister and her husband.

Zhang took a clean cabbage and chopped it: "We've all discussed it. Mother said we can stay for a few days when we go back. Yun Tao can't stay here. Your eldest and second brothers also miss their sister. We might as well go back to our mother's house tomorrow. One more day won't make a difference."

Xiao Yunying understood. Her own parents and her two sisters-in-law's families were all nice and easy to talk to. Besides, those who traveled far could only visit their parents' homes on the third or fourth day of the Lunar New Year, so it wasn't considered breaking the rules.

After chatting for a few minutes, the group went their separate ways to cook and serve the dishes.

The men still sat in the main room drinking, while the women and children sat at a separate table in the kitchen.

During the meal, the four children of the Luo family gave Xiao Yunying the red envelopes they had, saying they were from Ge Changjian.

Xiao Yunying squeezed the red envelope and, upon finding only a copper coin inside, looked down on that person even more.

Mu Lianrong, who was eating with her daughter, noticed that her daughter's expression was strange. She picked up a red envelope that someone had placed on the table and squeezed it, and her expression immediately turned even more unpleasant.

It's customary for families to give children lucky money in even numbers during Chinese New Year, just for good luck.

She had lived most of her life and had never seen anyone give a single copper coin as New Year's money; it would have been better not to give any at all.

Seeing Mu Lianrong's face growing increasingly grim, Xiao Yuntao softly called out "Mother," but then hesitated, unsure of what else to say.

Zhang and Wang secretly took the red envelope, equally disapproving of Ge Changjian's behavior.

But they are just sisters-in-law, so there are some things that can't be said, so I just pretend I don't know.

Mu Lianrong had a lot to say, but she could only hold back in front of the children: "Come on, let's eat first. You must be hungry after traveling all morning."

As he spoke, he placed a chicken leg in Xiao Yuntao's bowl.

"Don't give it to me, give it to the children."

Mu Lianrong picked up a chicken wing that Xiao Yunying liked and gave it to her, saying, "You eat yours. We have plenty of meat at home, and we won't let the kids suffer."

The children picked up their favorite dishes and ate them, chattering away.

"That's right, Auntie, you eat it yourself."

"We'll pick what we want to eat ourselves."

"Auntie, eat more. I feel like you've lost weight again."

A few innocent words from a child brought tears to Xiao Yuntao's eyes. She quickly lowered her head and bit into the chicken leg in her bowl to hide the tears welling up in her eyes.

Xiao Yunying keenly sensed her third sister's mood and changed the subject in a lighthearted tone.

As they talked, the conversation turned to the silver locks Xiao Yunying had given to her nephews and nieces. Inevitably, her mother and sisters-in-law nagged her, saying that she shouldn't give such expensive things to children next time, as it was too wasteful.

Xiao Yunying responded as usual, whether she listened or not was another matter.

After lunch, the children went inside to have the Luo brothers teach them to read. The two sisters-in-law took on the task of clearing the table, allowing the mother and her two children to go inside and have a private chat.

They went to their parents' room, and as soon as they sat down, Mu Lianrong asked directly, "Yun Tao, has he treated you badly?"

Faced with her mother's stern gaze, Xiao Yuntao couldn't lie, so she downplayed the issue and said, "It's all good. My husband got a promotion this year and is now a small manager. He doesn't have to carry heavy loads all day anymore, and his salary is higher. However, he needs to live in the city for a long time and can only come home for a few days each month."

Mu Lianrong said worriedly, "If you spend less time together, wouldn't the chances of her getting pregnant be even lower?"

Xiao Yuntao's face turned pale, and she lowered her head without saying a word.

Xiao Yunying remained silent for a moment, then thought about it. Her third sister had been married into the Ge family for several years and indeed had no children.

Mu Lianrong said anxiously, "Don't stay silent. What's there to be embarrassed about with your mother? Are you still drinking the medicine to regulate your body?"

Xiao Yuntao shook her head: "I won't drink anymore. My husband said it would be a waste of money if I drank it."

"You can't not drink it, Yun Tao. Listen to your mother. You need to get your body in good shape first. Don't be like your little sister and take it lightly. You'll ruin your health again."

Xiao Yunying? Oh no, they're coming for her.

Xiao Yuntao asked with concern, "Little sister, why have you lost so much weight? Are you unwell?"

Xiao Yunying said, "I was sick a while ago. The doctor said it wasn't good to be too fat, so I exercised more to lose weight. Don't worry, Third Sister, I'm in great health now."

Xiao Yuntao patted her hand in relief: "That's good."

Mu Lianrong said, "Don't worry about your little sister for now. Take care of yourself first. Having offspring is a big deal. If the Ge family won't give you money, I will. You must take good care of your health."

Xiao Yunying knew why her mother was so worried. Here, if a woman could not have a child, she was guilty of one of the seven grounds for divorce and could be abandoned.

Now she seemed to understand why Ge Changjian looked down on her parents so much.

The problem is, not being able to have children isn't necessarily due to the woman's physical condition.