A fierce wife enters the house: She helps up a house full of spineless people.

Yongning County, Fuyinghao.

A gilded plaque hung above the door, and behind the counter were displays of various cosmetics, soaps, and hair oils. As soon as Wang Jinzhu and Chen Tianfang entered, the shop assistant greeted them warmly, "Please feel free to look around, our soaps and hair oils are all top-quality!"

Wang Jinzhu smiled and nodded, her gaze sweeping across the shelves until it stopped on the most conspicuous shelf—where a row of soap bars wrapped in oil paper were neatly stacked, with a wooden sign next to them that read "Camellia Cleansing Soap, 60 coins".

It was the regular version she made.

She reached out and took a piece, unwrapped the oil paper, smelled it, and then rubbed it between her fingers to confirm that it was from her shop and that its condition was well-preserved. Chen Tianfang, standing behind her, also glanced at the price tag, his eyes widening slightly.

"Madam, have you taken a fancy to this camellia soap?" Shopkeeper Liu put down his abacus, stood up and approached. "This soap has excellent cleaning power and a pleasant scent. It's one of our best-selling items lately."

Wang Jinzhu put the soap back in its place, turned to face the shopkeeper, and smiled slightly.

"Shopkeeper, you're selling this soap for sixty coins. You must know your stuff." Her tone was calm, yet confident. "To be honest, I made this soap. My surname is Wang, and my name is Jinzhu. I brought some new things with me today, so please take a look."

Manager Liu was taken aback, then looked her over again, a sharp glint in his eyes typical of a businessman.

"So it's Madam Wang!" He cupped his hands in greeting, a much more genuine smile spreading across his face. "My apologies for not recognizing you sooner. This soap is indeed excellent; many customers come back to buy it again. You mentioned earlier... you brought some new stock?"

"Yes." Wang Jinzhu took out a paulownia wood box from the bottom of the basket, placed it on the counter, and gently pushed open the lid.

The honey-colored soap body, set against the dark dried flowers, has a warm, lustrous sheen, and a rich, sweet fragrance, a blend of nectar and cream, quietly permeates the air. The two characters "Zhu Ji" are neatly and cleanly engraved on the lid.

Upon seeing the quality of the soap, Manager Liu's expression became serious. He carefully picked it up, held it in his palm to examine it closely, rubbed the soap with his fingertips, and then brought it close to his nose to smell it.

"Excellent materials, excellent workmanship." He looked at Wang Jinzhu, his eyes lighting up. "Mrs. Wang, name your price."

"One hundred coins."

Shopkeeper Liu pondered for a moment, put the soap back in the box, and then glanced back at the row of ordinary soaps priced at sixty coins on the shelf.

"One hundred and fifty cash." He said decisively, "I'll take that price. But there's one condition—from now on, you can only supply my 'Fuying' shop with these kinds of high-quality goods produced in Yongning County."

Wang Jinzhu met his gaze, a slight smile playing on her lips, and extended her hand.

"The shopkeeper is very straightforward. But let me make this clear upfront: payment is due before delivery, and there is no credit."

Shopkeeper Liu laughed heartily and gave her a high five: "It's a deal!"

The twenty boxes of honey soap were counted on the spot, and the transaction was completed. Combined with the remaining payment for the previous batch of ordinary soap, a little over four taels of silver ended up in Wang Jinzhu's pocket.

As Chen Tianfang walked out of the shop, he was still somewhat dazed and asked in a low voice, "Wife, did our soap really sell for sixty coins in the shop?"

"Hmm." Wang Jinzhu weighed her purse in her hand, glancing at the bustling crowd on the street. "The shopkeeper is a shrewd man; he knows where the good stuff should be and at what price. Let's go, let's go buy some cloth."

Chen Tianfang nodded, then glanced back at the "Fuyinghao" plaque. His wife's soaps were displayed in the best cosmetics shop in the county, selling for top prices.

The warmth and pride in his heart was almost overflowing.

Liu Yiyi stayed at her parents' home for three days.

On the morning of the third day, Chen Shuyan brought Chen Xiufen to the door. Chen Xiufen had a smile on her face and brought some snacks.

Liu Yiyi's mother looked displeased: "My Yiyi is pregnant and can't do heavy work! If she suffers any more grievances next time, it won't be so easily forgiven."

Chen Xiufen was seething with anger, but she forced a smile.

On the way back, she couldn't hold back any longer: "One tael of silver! And we only stayed for three days! Our whole family doesn't even spend one tael of silver a month!"

Chen Shuyan walked with his head down, ignoring her.

After Liu Yiyi returned, she seemed like a completely different person.

Tea had to be served warm, food had to be soft and tender, she needed help walking, and a mattress had to be placed under her when she sat down. At the slightest inconvenience, she would clutch her stomach and cry out in pain. Chen Xiufen ran around doing all this, her back nearly breaking.

"Mom, I want to eat fish."

Where are we going to get fish?

"I'm carrying your grandson."

Chen Xiufen gritted her teeth, took a bucket, and squatted by the river for an afternoon, catching two palm-sized crucian carp.

"Mom, this fish has bones, I don't want to eat it, let's get some meat instead."

The sounds from the second courtyard drifted over the wall. Chen Tianwei, squatting by the stove picking vegetables, couldn't help but mutter softly, "Sister Liu really knows how to enjoy life."

Wang Jinzhu smashed a clove of garlic with a knife: "It's none of your business, don't listen."

The chaos in the second household lasted for six whole days. It wasn't until Chen Shuyan returned from the academy that he called Liu Yiyi into the house, closed the door, and spoke to her for a short while.

No one knows what he said, but Liu Yiyi calmed down a lot after she came out.

Later, Chen Xiufen managed to get the information out of Chen Yang—that Chen Yang had told Chen Shuyan to keep his wife in check and not to run to her parents' home every few days, as it wouldn't sound good if word got out.

Liu Yiyi finally had a few days of peace.

Wang Jinzhu's schedule was packed; she spent her days overseeing the soap making and her nights doing the accounting. The profits from the high-end soap far exceeded expectations; these twenty boxes alone brought in three taels of silver, much better than ordinary soap.

But Chen Yuxiang's thoughts drifted in another direction.

That evening, Chen Yuxiang was helping to tend the fire in the kitchen when she suddenly asked, "Jinzhu, how long have you and Tianfang been married?"

"It's been more than half a year."

"Hmm..." Chen Yuxiang added a piece of firewood to the stove. "That... Liu Yiyi from the second wife's family is pregnant."

Wang Jinzhu's hands didn't stop chopping vegetables: "I've heard about it."

Chen Yuxiang opened her mouth, but swallowed the rest of her words. Her eyes, however, kept glancing at Wang Jinzhu's stomach.

That evening, Chen Yuxiang intercepted Chen Tianfang as he returned from the backyard.

"Tianfang."

"mother."

"Your wife... um..." Chen Yuxiang rubbed her hands together, "You two have been married for quite a while now, why hasn't there been any news?"

Chen Tianfang's face flushed red instantly.

He stammered for a while before finally blurting out, "Mother, I was hunting in the mountains before and got injured. The doctor said... I need to rest for a while."

Chen Yuxiang's face turned pale instantly.

"Injury? Where are you injured? How serious is it? Why didn't you say so sooner?"

"It's nothing serious, just needs to be cared for."

Chen Yuxiang gripped his arm, her eyes reddening, "Don't hide it from your mother, where exactly are you hurt?"

"Mother!" Chen Tianfang pulled his hand away from hers. "It's really nothing. The doctor said there's no rush, I just need to rest."

Chen Yuxiang couldn't sleep all night.

She tossed and turned all night, and came to a conclusion: her son had injured that area and couldn't have children for the time being.

Isn't this going to kill me?

But then, she thought of something even more terrifying—

If Jinzhu finds out, will she run away?

Chen Yuxiang became increasingly panicked as she thought about it.

The next morning, she got up very early, swept the yard, fetched water, and even cooked the porridge on the stove.

As Wang Jinzhu was leaving, Chen Yuxiang greeted her with a bowl of hot porridge: "Jinzhu, this is red date porridge that your mother made. Have a bowl before you get back to work."

Wang Jinzhu glanced at her, took the bowl and drank it, without asking any further questions.

The next day, Chen Yuxiang made her another pair of insoles. The third day, she helped her wash a basin of clothes.

Wang Jinzhu sat in the courtyard doing accounts, feeling that something was amiss. But she wasn't one to overthink things; she simply accepted her mother-in-law's kindness.

Chen Tianfang, on the other hand, has been giving her strange looks every time he's looked at her these past few days. He watches her cut meat, he watches her stir soap, and he even watches her lie down to sleep.

What are you looking at?

"No, I wasn't looking at anything." Chen Tianfang turned over, his back to her.

He sighed in the darkness.

His brother is about to become a father, but his wife still feels that he is too young to have sex with him.

What could he do? He was helpless too.

Outside the courtyard, Chen Yuxiang stood at the doorway holding a pot of stewed white fungus soup, then quietly placed it on the stove and quietly left.

Under the moonlight, she glanced back at the tightly closed door of the main house and silently prayed—

May the Bodhisattva protect us, and may my daughter-in-law never find out.