Some laughed. Others shook their heads. A few openly declared that the old man had gone crazy after losing his first wife.

“She’s forty years younger than him!”

“She must be after his money.”

“Let’s see how long she lasts.”

Lena heard it all. Yet she only smiled politely and greeted everyone, as if nothing about the situation was unusual.

For the first couple of days, the village waited for drama.

But none came.

By the third day, something odd began to happen.

Early in the morning, smoke rose from Stepan’s chimney. The scent of fresh bread drifted through the air. Clean laundry hung neatly in the yard.

It was Lena.

She didn’t sit still for a second. She scrubbed windows that hadn’t been cleaned in years, tore down the old shed, and cleared out piles of junk from storage.

But the biggest surprise came on the fifth day.

Lena stepped into the yard, looked up at the sagging roof, and said:

“You can’t keep living like this. When it rains, it’s no better than being outside.”

“Well, I always meant to fix it…” Stepan muttered.

“Then get ready,” she said firmly. “We start today.”

That same day, the entire village witnessed something unbelievable.

Stepan—who had spent years hunched over, claiming he had no strength—was standing on his roof. He replaced boards, hammered in metal sheets, grumbled at stubborn nails… and laughed.

Lena stood below, handing him tools.