However, Tao didn't think much of it, because her second sister-in-law never liked going out.

"Mother, I'll go knock on the door." Zhao Fengnian volunteered and ran off in a flash.

At this moment, Sister Yulan was shelling bean pods with the children in the yard.

All the beans have been harvested and are piled up all over the yard.

But shelling the beans from their pods is a truly patient and meticulous task.

There was a crackling sound in the yard as several children took handfuls of beans and slammed them against a wooden stick.

First, shake some of the beans out. Then, peel the rest by hand.

Zhao Fengnian knocked for quite a while before Zhao Denglong inside heard him.

"Someone is knocking on the door. Could it be Mother returning?" Zhao Denglong thought with delight.

The others also stopped what they were doing and quickly got up and went to the door.

Zhao Denglong opened the inner door and saw not his mother, but Zhao Fengnian and his aunt.

“Aunt…” Zhao Denglong called out.

"Auntie..." Zhao Wanzi called out as well.

Tao was surprised to find so many people in the courtyard. She looked around but couldn't find He Shi anywhere.

"Lantern, meatballs, where is your mother? Your aunt wants to see her."

Sister-in-law Yulan quickly stepped forward, "Fengnian's mother, Wanzi's mother went to the city and hasn't returned for more than ten days."

"Huh?" Tao was startled.

Sister-in-law Yulan added, "But don't worry, didn't our village head say last time that there was a plague in the city? I heard that Wanzi's mother has found a way to cure the plague and is working for the county magistrate in the government office."

These days, being able to have even the slightest connection with an official is considered an extraordinary and extremely proud thing.

"Really? That's wonderful!" Tao was overjoyed, but then she thought that the plague would kill people.

"But, isn't that dangerous too...?"

In a single sentence, the atmosphere at the scene instantly plummeted to freezing point. Tao voiced what everyone present was worried about: more than ten days had passed, and they still had no idea what the situation was like in the city.

Zhao Denglong and Zhao Wanzi's eyes were filled with worry, and Zhao Xiaolan and Zhao Xiaolan also felt very uncomfortable.

Realizing she had misspoke, Tao quickly corrected herself, "Look at me, I'm so bad with words. My second sister-in-law is always so resourceful, she'll be fine."

"Oh, right, I'm here today because I have something important to do." She handed the hundred coins in her hand to Zhao Denglong and explained, "This is the hundred coins we had when we divided the family property. Denglong, keep it safe and give it to your mother when she comes back."

Zhao Denglong accepted the money without any explanation.

Of those present, only Sister-in-law Yulan knew what had happened.

She told the children to rest and play in the yard. Then she quietly asked, "What's going on? Has your mother-in-law changed her ways?"

They initially refused to give them the hundred coins, but after three or four months, they still brought them over voluntarily.

Tao shook his head helplessly and explained the whole story.

Sister-in-law Yulan sighed, "Goodness, if your mother-in-law ever comes to her senses, she'll probably cause quite a scene."