In the end, to be able to catch the eye of a wealthy landlord was a kind of skill nonetheless. For someone like her, who was not blessed with good looks, with a large face, big hips, small eyes, even if she wanted to be someone's rich wife, she could not have that life.

'Ah, I'm destined for a life married to an honest man.'

Madam Guo thought to herself and sighed.

Qi Yuanye's house.

After eating, Madam Tian sat at the head of the bed-stove as she breastfed her small daughter. Qi Yuanye came in from outside carrying a shovel, his son left alone in the courtyard as he built a snowman. He was having so much fun. Qi Yuanye took a look at him and went into the central hall. He first ate two cold steamed buns, then scooped another two spoons of pickled vegetables into a porridge bowl. Then, he brought the porridge into the room. He saw his wife breastfeeding his daughter when he stepped into the room. Qi Yuanye sat at the end of the bed and began to eat.

Madam Tian opened her eyes and said in a casual pretense, "I heard your sister has been distributing rice at Ma Sanye's house."

"My sister?" Qi Yuanye paused with his hand cradling the bowl before he responded, "Qi Qingyao?"

"Who else?" Madam Tian's tone was laced with some jealousy.

"Then, why didn't you go get the rice?" Qi Yuanye asked.

Madam Tian sucked in a deep breath. "Only those who lent her money were entitled to the rice."

Qi Yuanye asked, "But you're her sister-in-law. Why aren't you entitled to it?"

"Oh Yuanye, have you forgotten that the Qi family has severed relationships with her?" Madam Tian dragged her words out to hide the bit of resentment in her tone.

"Severing relationships is just talk. How could they really cut off ties with her? In any case, she's still a Qi! She's still one of us," Qi Yuanye boomed.

Madam Tian rolled her eyes. "Then go ask for it yourself and see if she gives it to you or not."

Qi Yuanye was silent for a moment.

He finished the pickled vegetables and porridge and set down the bowl; he did not get off the bed stove, however.

Madam Tian knew he did not have the balls to go look for Qi Qingyao.

So, she said, "I heard the next door lady say that your mother went to Ma Sanye's house just now and ended up saying all sorts of things out of jealousy. Now everyone is laughing at her."

"What's there to laugh about?" Qi Yuanye earnestly did not understand this.

Madam Tian realized that men were not bright and they could not recognize at all the severity of the situation. She could not help but ask sarcastically, "Yuanye, are you sure there's nothing funny about this situation?"

Qi Yuanye frowned. "..."

His gaze was questioning as if asking what was funny about it.

Madam Tian's resentment was growing. "She's not stupid, your mother and father had insisted on cutting ties with her and now she's turned the tables and gotten successful. None of you have even the slightest right to ask for anything! Obviously, we're also Qis and should have the strongest claim to whatever that is distributed, but it's the total opposite. We aren't even entitled to a single strand of hair."

Qi Yuanye felt taunted for that moment. Not to be outdone, he snapped, "I just need to go over and I'll definitely get a share. I'm her brother!"

"Go ahead then, go ahead if you think you can." Madam Tian was so infuriated, she kicked Yuanye's foot while on the bed-stove. However, she accidentally kicked somewhere else instead.

Qi Yuanye, who had been kicked, frowned and rubbed his crotch. His expression was gloomy but he did not make a sound.

Madam Tian lowered her head and looked at her breastfeeding child, saying, "If it were me, all of you in the Qi family are short-sighted! Each and every one of you only cared for measly profits! You'd pick up sesame seeds but overlook the watermelon!"

Having been berated nonstop for the past few minutes, Qi Yuanye was terribly frustrated and retorted, "Do you not find yourself naggy, woman? What's the point of taking this out on me now? If you're so knowledgeable, why didn't you stand up against it when Mother wanted to sever ties with her?"

"That's your mother. Do you not know how she is? Do you think I'd be able to stop her?"

"Why not? If you told her that Qi Qingyao would be earning lots of money in the future, you might have been able to stop her."

The two confronted each other for a bit.

Qi Yuanye sighed and lowered his tone, saying pointedly, "Alright, wife. There's no need for you to lose your temper at me because there's no use for that. Things have already happened. Let's stop fighting."

Madam Tian sighed.

She thought of Qi Qingyao who had been distributing rice and could only feel her eyes redden from her unhappiness.