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As Han Lin and Mrs. Wang were still there, she whispered in a lowered voice, “What are you sitting there for? Go and bring Si Ya here. No matter what, she’s the old Han family’s granddaughter. Even though we have nothing delicious to feed her, a grandmother couldn’t possibly be so heartless as to just ignore her plight.”

In the end, she was his own flesh and blood. Although Han Lin didn’t care for his daughter, he couldn’t just watch her starve to death. He felt Mrs. Wang was being too cruel. What kind of mother doesn’t care for the life or death of her own child?

Moreover, after Han Lin had seen the Fourth Daughter-in-law’s child being raised so well and dressed so festively and pretty—even though she was just a daughter—he couldn’t help feeling joy at the sight and a bit of dissatisfaction. He didn’t believe he was inferior to the Fourth child in every way. Not only did he marry a useless daughter-in-law, but his daughter also seemed inferior to the Fourth’s. He refused to believe it. His daughter was just not well raised by Mrs. Wang. If she were to be fed properly and become plump, she wouldn’t be inferior to Fourth child’s daughter at all.

“Listen to me. I don’t care about anything else, but Si Ya is, after all, our daughter. Since you gave birth to her, you should raise her well. If anything happens to Si Ya, I’ll truly divorce you!” Han Lin warned Mrs. Wang, as he really couldn’t stand her neglect of Si Ya. He couldn’t be expected to take care of the child as a man.

“I know. After all, she’s my own daughter. How could I do anything to her!” Mrs. Wang grumbled inwardly but dared not oppose Han Lin’s wishes. As his wife for so many years, she could discern which of his words were genuine and which were not. She went over to the cradle and saw the small bundle inside, her face showing disgust. Children such as the little one required a lot of care—feeding and changing diapers were but the beginnings of the troubles, and it was disgusting. Mrs. Wang, who truly didn’t have the patience to tend to the child, was exasperated and offended by the idea, especially since it wasn’t a son.

“This stinking child, she’s soiled herself again. She eats so little, yet why is there so much waste? She’s such a hassle!” Mrs. Wang complained as she picked up Si Ya and was greeted by the foul smell, unable to help but grumble a few words.

Hearing this, Han Lin also became irritated, “Which family’s baby isn’t like this? Other mothers can take care of their children just fine; it’s only you who can’t do anything right, doesn’t want to do anything, and isn’t willing to try. Why did I marry such a lazy wife? No wonder our livelihood is getting worse by the day!”

Han Lin hadn’t lowered his voice for these remarks; after all, he wanted Mrs. Yang to think Mrs. Wang was unreliable so that she would come to him more often and they could benefit from it.

Thus, Mrs. Yang entered to hear Han Lin scolding Mrs. Wang. While Mrs. Wang was angry, she dared not express it and vented her frustration on the little baby who couldn’t speak. Si Ya had been fragile since birth, and it had taken quite an effort to raise her this far. Now, distressed by Mrs. Wang’s handling, she cried, but her cries weren’t the loud wails of other babies. Instead, her soft, weak cries were like the mews of a kitten.

Seeing this, Mrs. Yang was furious. Having raised so many sons herself, she knew well how to care for children. She immediately understood the situation and couldn’t believe there could be such a heartless mother. Angrily, she marched over, tugged at Mrs. Wang forcefully several times, took the child into her arms, changed her into clean clothes, and comforted her.

Mrs. Yang’s tugging hurt Mrs. Wang terribly, likely even causing bruises on her arms, but she dared not argue. On this issue regarding the daughter, Han Lin wouldn’t stand on her side, so she sullenly stood aside.

Mrs. Yang hugged and soothed the baby for a while, but Si Ya continued to cry in short gasps. Her face turned red; her breathing was labored, particularly considering her frail condition. She seemed like she might cry herself to death at any moment, which made Mrs. Yang anxious.

“What’s going on here? Third Daughter-in-law, how could you be so cruel to let her cry incessantly? When did you last feed her? Could she be hungry?”

“She’s hungry, yes. She last ate some rice cereal this morning,” Mrs. Wang replied nonchalantly as her mother-in-law inquired.

Upon hearing that, Mrs. Yang’s anger flared once more, almost reaching the point of striking out, “What? She last ate this morning? Mrs. Wang, you’re heartless! Are you trying to starve my granddaughter to death? How can you be so cruel? Si Ya is still your own daughter, after all!”

“There’s no need for you to tell me that. I know Si Ya’s my own daughter since I carried her in my womb. Do you think I don’t want to feed her? But look at the state of our home, there’s simply no food left. There’s also not much rice cereal left. If we feed her that sparingly, it won’t last two days. It’s better to fill her up and then let her be hungry; at least she won’t starve to death!”

It wasn’t true that the rice cereal at home had run out. Mrs. Wang was intentionally playing poor to Mrs. Yang, hoping to convey the extent of their distress: “See this? It’s not just us parents; your own granddaughter doesn’t have much to eat. Perhaps it’s time you helped us out a bit, right?”

Mrs. Yang was so angry her stomach ached. “If there’s no rice cereal, can’t you figure out a way to feed her? She’s just a little child; how can she endure hunger? Moreover, Si Ya was born weak. How can you—a mother—be so completely indifferent to your child’s suffering?”

This time Mrs. Yang didn’t blame Han Lin, understanding that reproaching her son, now lying ill in bed, would do no good. She had heard upon entering that the Third child still cared for his daughter, but he was simply helpless against Mrs. Wang.

“There’s some food in that basket; cook it for the Third child. I’ll take Si Ya to get her something to eat. We can’t let the child truly become ill from hunger.” With that, Mrs. Yang took the baby back to the Main House.

Mrs. Liu looked surprised as her mother-in-law came over with Si Ya, “Mother, what’s this about?”

Mrs. Liu knew exactly what the Third House was trying to do—expecting the grandmother to help raise Si Ya. She was determined not to agree—forget the expenses involved, why should their Main House take on the burden of raising the Third House’s child? She wouldn’t allow Mrs. Wang to have that satisfaction.

“Oh, what a sin…” Mrs. Yang sighed heavily and recounted what she had witnessed. Although Mrs. Liu was originally intent on making a fuss, she held back for the time being.

The child was indeed pitiable, having such a mother. Regardless, the priority was to feed the child. Mrs. Liu might wish for a son, having alas only daughters, but even so, she would not stand by and let a perfectly healthy child be ruined by hunger. No matter what, that was still her own flesh and blood, and she would care for them regardless.

Su Wenyue knew nothing of the events back at the family home; she was currently holding a post from the Governor’s Wife, which was sent by a messenger.

As the year neared its end, banquets became more frequent. Su Wenyue, being new to the prefecture and with Han Yu not yet officially in office, had few banquets to attend. She didn’t expect the Governor’s Wife to send her an invitation, and she wondered what her intention might be.

However, regardless of the intention, she couldn’t avoid attending. She had already offended Mrs. Sun, the Wife of the General Magistrate, and she couldn’t afford to offend the Governor’s Wife as well. If she alienated both key figures in the government, life in Yiyang Prefecture would become exceedingly difficult for them.