Jiang Shilin furrowed his brows tightly, glanced at Nanny Li standing at the door, and Nanny Li immediately knelt at the doorway, crying: "Second Young Master, every word I say is true. If you don’t believe me, wait for the Old Madam to wake up and ask her."

Seeing the opportunity was right, Madam Jiang rushed over to lie on Old Madam Jiang: "Mother!" She cried as if the sky was falling: "You mustn’t have anything happen, how are we supposed to live if anything happens to you?" She then glanced at the Second Madam: "Sister-in-law, how could you anger Mother..."

The Second Madam glanced over indifferently.

Madam Jiang choked on her words, her eyes showing fear, before she turned her words back to crying for Old Madam Jiang: "Mother!"

Madam Jiang’s face showed no different color, full of sorrow and self-blame: "Husband..." Her tone was utterly helpless and uneasy.

Jiang Shilin did not respond to her words, only furrowed his brows looking at Old Madam Jiang, while Madam Jiang continued to cry, almost crying herself into a faint...

Madam Jiang looked disappointed, clenching her handkerchief tightly in her palm with her fingers.

For a moment, only Madam Jiang’s cries remained in the room.

After a while, Master Jiang’s voice sounded from outside: "The doctor is here." With that, Master Jiang lifted the curtain and brought the doctor into the room.

Madam Jiang supported the maid beside her to make way, the doctor glanced at the age of the person lying on the bed, placed his fingers carefully on her pulse, changed from the left wrist to the right with a frown.

Jiang Shilin watched with alarm, unsure, he asked: "What exactly is the ailment, how did she faint?"

The doctor released his grip, coughed and said: "The Old Madam has a bit of spleen deficiency, but there’s nothing else serious. I’ll prescribe two herbal remedies, after she takes them she’ll be fine." Jiang Shilin listened secretly puzzled, he looked towards Old Madam Jiang as if understanding something, while Madam Jiang anxiously asked: "Then how could she faint so well, doctor, please look again." Clearly with a hint of doubt.

"Fainted?" The doctor seemed baffled, not understanding Madam Jiang’s meaning, but Jiang Shilin had already figured it out and quickly motioned: "Big Brother, please see the doctor out."

Master Jiang noticed the situation and immediately nodded: "Doctor, this way please!" The doctor took another glance at Old Madam Jiang, shook his head quietly, and then left.

Even with Madam Jiang’s carelessness, she understood the reason, and with a turn in her eyes, she went up to Nanny Li: "Quickly go pour a cup of tea for Mother, perhaps a sip will wake her." Nanny Li reacted with speed, quickly got up from the ground, poured a cup of warm tea for Old Madam Jiang, feeding it to her, and in an instant, Old Madam Jiang indeed gently came to.

"Oh my, the hardship of my fate!" Old Madam Jiang, as soon as she opened her eyes, started to howl: "Oh!"

Madam Jiang silently sneered in her heart, yet outwardly appeared relieved and joyful: "It was my carelessness, not having given Mother a sip of hot tea." The implication was that if she’d had tea earlier, they might not have needed a doctor, suggesting that Old Madam Jiang was only pretending to faint.

Upon hearing her words, Old Madam Jiang shot a vengeful look at her, pointed at Madam Jiang and said to Jiang Shilin: "Look, look at what your wife is saying. She angered me into fainting and still says such heartless words." With that, she paused to wipe her tears: "To think I raised you through so much hardship..."

In Jiang Shilin’s ears, it was buzzing, and his head throbbed with pain: "Mother, I am aware of the situation, and I’ll think of a solution. From now on, whatever you want to eat, just have it made especially for you in the kitchen."

These words were spoken in front of the whole family, causing Madam Jiang to pause with surprise, Madam Jiang felt a weight drop in her heart, displaying a timid expression as she looked at Jiang Shilin: "Husband, do you think I’m not taking good care of things?"

"That’s not what I mean." He just wanted the household to live in peace: "Mother is old, her tastes differ from ours. From now on, whatever she wants to eat, let her arrange it herself." This was tantamount to splitting the cooking arrangements, Madam Jiang shifted her gaze, smiling internally. Being able to live separately as a couple from such a large family was naturally preferable: "Husband, what about Big Brother and Sister-in-law, are they also to have separate cooking arrangements?" She appeared very distressed.

When Madam Jiang heard, she immediately glanced nervously at Old Madam Jiang, Old Madam Jiang, understanding perfectly the meaning behind it all, instantly yelled in her voice: "No way!" Then she continued: "While I draw breath, you must not mention dividing the family or splitting cooking arrangements." With that sentiment, she turned her gaze to Madam Jiang, realizing the topic had shifted from her grievances with her daughter-in-law to the idea of dividing the family, she declared: "Shilin, it’s not because I’m picky or dissatisfied with her cooking, but you saw it yourself, I tolerated just a single meal of greens and tofu at noon, but I had to eat leftovers in the evening as well. Go and ask around, which fifth-rank official’s family lives like this? This is nowhere close to living, it seems like it’s intentionally trying to make me starve."

"Mother!" Madam Jiang began to cry: "How can you say that? Since marrying into this family, though I dare not claim virtue, I have been guiltlessly filial to you, respectful to Brother and Sister-in-law, and yet your words today truly wound your daughter-in-law’s heart." Mournfully, she turned to Jiang Shilin: "Husband..."

Jiang Shilin’s brow almost knotted into a hard lump, with a sweep of his sleeves, he rose to ask Madam Jiang: "Is the household indeed as penniless as you say?"

"Husband?" Madam Jiang immediately cried harder: "If you don’t believe me, I can show you the account book, it’s all clearly recorded there." With that she paused, looking at Old Madam Jiang: "Even Mother had just seen it!"

"Nonsense!" Old Madam Jiang angrily blurted out: "Since childhood, I’ve dealt with account books, just a glance and I see through it silently, do you dare say you have not tampered with it? I tell you, trying to deceive an old lady like me is beyond you. Besides, you repeatedly claim to be filial to me and respect them, yet you let us eat greens and tofu while you enjoy feasts in your room. Is this your idea of filial duty?"

Jiang Shilin looked at Madam Jiang.

Madam Jiang returned his gaze, her eyes filled with affection: "I... I only wanted to think of Husband’s hard work, using the silver from my dowry to make something good to nourish you, I used my own dowry without touching a penny of the public funds!"

"You think that justifies it?" Old Madam Jiang hopped off the kang, becoming particularly confident in front of her son: "Your dowry? You married into the Jiang Family, so you’re part of the Jiang Family, your belongings are all ours. You’ve already said that the family is this difficult, so your dowry should be included to get through these tough times together, and you boldly claim them as your own belongings. Have you ever thought of this place as your home?" She spoke in one breath, without even a pause, not allowing Madam Jiang to retort as she continued: "And besides, you’re in charge of the household yet do not live thriftily. The fact that life has come to this is not our responsibility; I tell you, tomorrow you’ll hand over your dowry, this home is not yours to rule over!"