The Zhu family had three sons, all tall and skinny with a good deal of brute strength. They weren't very bright—all malice and no nerve. The wives they married, however, were sharp and formidable, and had forcibly molded them into skilled farmhands.
Perhaps because their children had all grown up, past family conflicts now seemed trivial. Sister Zhu would bring her husband and kids back to her parents' home for holidays, and sometimes she could even talk back to her own mother and father with confidence.
The old couple would just chuckle sheepishly. They'd accept any money or gifts given to them, but at least they didn't outright ask for things, which would have put their daughter in a difficult position.
In fact, during the seven years the original owner was away from home, her brothers and sisters-in-law would occasionally bring her things.
