Shen Yidong had been back at her parents' home for half a year, and although she was treated with the same love and care as if she had never left, bringing her three children with her and staying for such a long stretch had started some idle gossip in the village. Rumors abounded that she was chased out of her in-laws' house for only having daughters, or even that she was infertile and her husband had sent her back to prepare for a divorce. Even though she rarely went out, those whispers still reached her ears.