@inKraken
Aha, you are quite correct. In feudal Japan, the wife of a samurai had a very distinctive role, and must always follow a code of conduct, not unlike the samurai himself. Depending on the family, the extremes of this conduct can vary, but it's obvious that most members of both Chiyo's and Soujirou's families are very serious about it. Because of this attitude of theirs, misunderstandings of intent or meaning happen all the time. The scenarios for comedic situations practically write themselves.