It wasn't until dinner that Mu Yi'an got a clear look at her sister-in-law's face.

My husband's older sister isn't as pretty as his younger sister, but she has a lot of charm. It's probably because of their ages; one is a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl who hasn't fully grown up yet, while the other is a woman in her early twenties—they're naturally different.

"Second sister-in-law, why have you been spying on my sister?"

Jiang Lan didn't know why, but she felt very uneasy about her sister's return this time. Seeing Mu Yi'an looking at her sister, she couldn't hold back her temper and said something in a very unpleasant tone.

"Even if your sister-in-law is in a bad mood, she should be careful about her tone and manner of speaking. I noticed that my sister-in-law looked a little unwell, so I glanced at her a few more times. How did that become 'peeping' in your mouth?"

Mu Yi'an thought her sister-in-law was just a pretty face with no brains.

"I, I..."

Jiang Lan regretted her words as soon as she finished speaking, forgetting that Mu Yi'an was no longer as taciturn as before, and that she was now somewhat afraid of Mu Yi'an.

"Second sister-in-law, your sister-in-law didn't say anything. As her sister-in-law, you shouldn't be so unreasonable."

Jiang's sister-in-law now has high expectations for her sister-in-law. If she really marries into a wealthy family, she'll have to fawn over her.

"Sister-in-law, what you said is biased. My sister-in-law is young, but she is not an ignorant three-year-old child. She is of marriageable age and should be able to speak and act with some manners."

As the sisters-in-law, we are a few years older than our sisters-in-law, so we should remind her of some things instead of always giving in to her. That's not good for her.

Mu Yi'an stared directly at Jiang's sister-in-law, who really thought she was someone important. If this were a prominent family, the rules might be stricter, like they portray on TV. But this was Jiang Family Village, and the Jiang family was just an ordinary family that hadn't completely escaped being farmers; there weren't so many rules here.

"Alright, everyone, let's eat. Jiang Lan, if you can't control your mouth, you'll be eating in the kitchen from now on."

Jiang's mother was also very annoyed. Since her youngest daughter came back this time, she had been at odds with her second daughter-in-law and wouldn't listen to anything she said. Putting everything else aside, among the children in the family, Shuyun was the most likely to rise in rank. Instead of building a good relationship with Shuyun's wife, she was constantly picking fights, and Jiang's mother didn't want her sister-in-law to back her up in the future.

Adding to the commotion was Jiang Qi, who had just returned. It was obvious something was amiss, yet she wouldn't say a word. Jiang's mother was both worried and flustered; this youngest daughter had absolutely no sense of propriety. With that kind of brain, she still dreamed of marrying into a high-ranking family? Wouldn't she be a laughingstock to her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law in the inner quarters?!

Having been scolded, Jiang Lan looked at her stern-faced mother and didn't dare to say anything more.

Jiang's sister-in-law didn't dare to say a word. She could still put on airs as the eldest sister-in-law in front of her two younger brothers and sisters-in-law, but she had no confidence in front of her mother-in-law.

After this little incident, everyone at the table quieted down and ate their meals in silence, no longer talking about anything else.

That night, Mu Yi'an and Jiang Shuyun lay in bed, talking about their sister-in-law's affairs.

"Shuyun, how much do you remember about Jiang Qi?"

Mu Yi'an spent a long time searching her memory today, but she really didn't have much information about her sister-in-law, Jiang Qi.

When she married Jiang Shuyun, her husband's older sister was already married and rarely came back. Especially in the years after the marriage, the original owner gave birth to children one after another, while her husband's older sister never became pregnant. She must not have been happy in her husband's family, so she returned to her parents' home less and less often. Most of the time, her family members would visit her and bring her some food or something.

"Jiang Qi's father-in-law was also a scholar. He passed the exam in the same year as our father, and they were from the same county, so they were quite familiar with each other."

The Fan family was much better off. They owned over a hundred acres of fertile land and a shop in the county, which was run by the eldest sister's mother-in-law. In the county town, the Fan family lived in a fairly large courtyard and had servants.

My younger sister's husband is still studying at the academy and hasn't passed the imperial examinations yet. He also has an older brother and a younger sister, both of whom are married. My brother has already passed the county-level examination and is a few years older than me. There seem to be two children in the family, both boys.

My younger sister has been married for a long time but still doesn't have children, and I don't know why. For the first two years after her marriage, she went to a pharmacy and was told it was due to cold in the uterus. She took the medicine for a while, and supposedly it cured her, but she still hasn't had children after all these years.

Uncle Fan and Dad have a pretty good relationship, but Aunt Fan is a rather domineering person. My younger sister must have had a tough time these past few years. I wonder what happened when she came back this time?

Jiang Shuyun organized the information she remembered about Jiang Qi and the Fan family and told it all to Mu Yi'an. This way, she would be more informed in future interactions.

"They haven't had children since getting married, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the woman's fault. Hasn't Jiang Qi gone to check on her?"

Mu Yi'an asked naturally. Jiang Shuyun thought for a moment and realized, "Yes, if a couple doesn't have children, the chances of it being their fault are fifty-fifty. It's just that throughout history, when infertility is mentioned, the subconscious thought is that it's the woman's problem."

Even in their relatively advanced era, it was usually women who sought treatment for infertility. Men would only seek help from infertility specialists as a last resort, finding it unacceptable.

"That's true. Not having children doesn't necessarily mean it's Jiang Qi's problem. The key is that at this time, it's generally believed that not being able to have children is a woman's problem. Men basically won't go to the doctor, for fear of being diagnosed with their own problem and being looked down upon or judged."

"That's true. Most people are unwilling to admit they have a problem. Especially men, they won't easily admit they can't perform."

Mu Yi'an thought of one of her boyfriends who could never last five minutes during sex, yet he never admitted he couldn't perform. Later, he secretly went to see a urologist and was diagnosed with erectile dysfunction. Although it wasn't serious and would resolve with treatment, he felt embarrassed and eventually broke up with her. Mu Yi'an breathed a sigh of relief.

“This is not a good thing. The ancients valued the prosperity of their descendants. At the very least, they wanted to have a son so that someone would take care of them in the future and the family line would not be broken.”

"Let alone in ancient times, even in our mountains, if a family doesn't have a son, they're considered to be the head of the family without a son, and the whole family can't hold their heads up and feels inferior."

Given Jiang Qi's condition, the chances of her husband agreeing to see a doctor are slim. If her in-laws are easygoing, adopting a child would be ideal. Otherwise, she'll only have two options: taking a concubine or divorce.

Mu Yi'an felt that neither of these options was really good. Adoption meant raising someone else's child, and when the child grew up, they would still think of their biological parents. Taking a concubine was even more disgusting. Just thinking about it, under the same roof, her husband sleeping with another woman without any restraint, was nauseating.

"I don't know what the Fan family is planning. Judging from Jiang Qi's trip back to her parents' home alone this time, the Fan family may have made a decision."

"Probably. The specifics depend on whether Jiang Qi is willing to tell us. Alright, it's getting late, let's go to sleep. I still have to cook tomorrow."

Mu Yi'an mumbled a few words, turned over and lay down. She was sleepy, and her eyelids were drooping.

Jiang Shuyun was also sleepy. He had been busy in the county town all day and was exhausted. He fell asleep next to Mu Yi'an, and his insomnia seemed to have been cured.