Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 1029 Cautious Yet Peaceful

Chapter 1029: Chapter 1029 Cautious Yet Peaceful

Zhulan truly couldn’t guess; the capital was too vast. However, Lady Zhao had only just gone out before she returned, which indicated an unexpected encounter. For a moment, Zhulan couldn’t recall, "Who?"

Lady Zhao was somewhat agitated, gesticulating with her hands, "Mother, mother, do you still remember the third miss from the Wang family?"

Zhulan exerted herself and darn it, a letter she had written was ruined. She quickly put down her writing brush, carefully regarding the letter paper with regret. She would have to start over, setting down the paper and turning around to say, "Remember? How could I not? She even gave herself a name, Wang Ru."

The last time Zhulan encountered Wang Ru was in Jinzhou Province; in the blink of an eye, several years had passed. Who would have thought Wang Ru would dare to come to the capital, such an unexpected move.

Lady Zhao didn’t think much more of it, assuming her mother was just as surprised as she was. She truly was stunned; although there were scars on Wang Ru’s face, making it difficult to recognize her former appearance, she still identified her. That young girl had been too peculiar, her impression of Wang Ru was too profound. She had not been short of attention to Wang Ru, "Mother, after Wang Ru left the doctor’s clinic, I asked the doctor what she took. It was all some kind of medicinal pills."

Since the doctor at that clinic was employed by their family, one inquiry led to everything being revealed.

Zhulan asked, "Did you notice what kind of clothes she wore?"

She should have learned from her past mishaps, wouldn’t continue being ostentatious, right?

Lady Zhao carefully recalled; she had only paid attention to Wang Ru’s face at the time, scrutinizing carefully, "She was dressed like any other woman; I didn’t notice much else."

As to whether Wang Ru would recognize her, that was impossible. Back in her hometown, she seldom showed her face, and over the years, she had changed quite a bit. Even if her own mother were alive to see her now, she would hardly dare recognize her.

Zhulan thought it over and decided that it wasn’t suitable for anyone else to inquire. In the end, she let it go since Lady Zhao had no impression of Wang Ru’s attire—it was obvious that Wang Ru was keeping a low profile. "Did you get all the medicine that you bought for Chang Yi?"

Lady Zhao, "I left an old nanny at the clinic; she will bring it back once it’s ready."

"That’s fine, you go back and pack your luggage."

Lady Zhao’s mood dropped again. She thought that her husband would not depart so easily after securing an official position, yet it was not long until he was assigned to a mission abroad. This departure would last at least half a year, "Mother, I’d like to go pray at the temple tomorrow."

Zhulan, "Alright."

After Lady Zhao left, Nanny Song came in with a letter, "A letter from Lizhou Province."

Zhulan took the letter and opened it to read. It was from her nephew Wu Chun. The eldest grandson in the Yang family line was Wu Chun’s son, Yang Wen. This child had only turned fourteen after the new year, so Wu Chun intended to send Yang Wen to a military camp in the capital for a year of training before joining the Navy.

Wu Chun hoped the Zhou family could lend a hand, as the Yang family had no connections to the military in the capital.

Zhulan sighed. Wu Chun’s letter indicated he had made up his mind. Yang Wen was only so young and already had to risk his life for the Yang family. She felt pained just thinking about it. She motioned with her hand for Nanny Song to rest and picked up the paper to begin writing another letter to her daughter-in-law.

After writing the letter, she took out the list of items to be sent to Xuzhou Province to review, ensuring nothing was missed before placing the letter and the list together.

Finally, she wrote a response to the Yang family, composing two letters, one for each of her elder brothers.

At an inn in the capital, most of the guests staying there were foreign merchants; it had become one of the capital’s distinctive inns, and the cost was not cheap.

Wang Ru carried the medicine she had purchased back to the inn. Upon opening the door, she saw her daughter sitting on the bed, playing while her husband was checking the luggage. Wang Ru closed the door and smilingly asked her daughter, "Wanwan, did you miss mommy?"

The little girl nodded, "Mommy, daddy missed you too."

Seeing her husband bashful, Wang Ru’s smile conveyed happiness. She had not wanted to come to the capital; in the past few years, they had saved some silver. Because they had no backing, she didn’t dare make any moves, and not much had changed at home for several years. Some foreigners had come to her hometown, and in recent years the overseas trade had developed rapidly. This spurred her desire to visit the capital to see if it was as she had heard.

Upon arriving in the capital, she carefully settled into an inn frequented by foreigners. Only then did she realize how much had changed. Being a minor figure, she didn’t dare to inquire about any news. As for going abroad, she had never even considered it; without power or influence, going abroad was akin to seeking death. She had courted disaster once and wouldn’t do so again.

She didn’t know what drove her to the capital—perhaps just a whim. It was only with her husband’s discerning support that she found the courage to come. Now, she finally let go of her last bit of obsession, vowing never to set foot in the capital again in this lifetime.

Wang Ru handed the medicine ball to her husband, "I’ve got everything we need now; we can go home tomorrow."

Her former self was arrogant and self-destructive, but now, being cautious and vigilant, she lived a comfortable and peaceful life.

Wang Ru’s husband took the medicine ball, "Wanwan wants to hear your stories, but as you know, I’m not good with words, and the girl doesn’t like listening to me."

Wang Ru laughed as she picked up her daughter, "You just love teasing your daddy."

Nowadays, she didn’t dare to tell stories beyond those of her era, nor did she dare to shop excessively even in her hometown. Only while coming to the capital did she dare to buy a little more, but life was always full of disappointments—she had come to prefer the current tranquility.

The following day, Lady Zhao left the city by carriage, and Su Xuan, having nothing to do at home, joined her on a temple visit to pray for blessings. There was a queue to leave the city, and some time passed before they could depart.

Wang Ru was also in a carriage, waiting in line. She listened to the conversations outside until they left the city, feeling somewhat dazed. The soldiers guarding the gate had said quite a lot, but the only thing she remembered was the name; she had thought the Zhou family was still in Jinzhou Province, but now they were in the capital, and Zhou Shuren had become the Vice Minister of Revenue.

Wang Ru saw her husband’s concern and smiled, "How the Zhou family fares is none of my business—I’m fine."

At the Zhou household, Zhulan was flipping through an invitation from the Hou Residence. It had been over a year since Lady Bai passed away, and this was the first banquet organized by the Hou Residence. The invitation was penned by Magistrate Shen.

Lady Li was eating some pastries, "Mother, will you go?"

Zhulan gazed at Lady Li’s belly, "You’ve just had breakfast; eat less, look how big your belly has gotten. A too-large child is difficult to birth."

Lady Li put down the pastry, "Mother, I’ve had such cravings during this pregnancy, I want to eat everything I see."

Zhulan took note, "Even so, you mustn’t eat anymore. Control yourself more these days; don’t assume that because you’ve had several children, there’s no danger."

Lady Li touched her belly, her gaze drifting from the pastries, "Mother, I’ll remember that."

Zhulan set down the invitation, "I’m not planning to go."

Zhou Shuren had just let loose a biting comment; Yao Wenqi suggested that one shouldn’t bear a grudge against the Zhou family. Zhulan, however, had relished it—she had no intention of presenting herself for manipulation. Just thinking about the variety of colorless and tasteless poisons in the ancient times made her fearful; she valued her life.

Lady Li asked, "Can we simply refuse?"

Zhulan smiled, "Do you think the Zhou family is still newly arrived in the capital? Don’t worry; not many will attend this time."

Lady Li grinned, liking her mother-in-law’s words, "Ow."

Zhulan became anxious, it wasn’t time yet, "What’s the matter?"

Lady Li patted her belly, "The child just gave me a good kick."

Zhulan glared at Lady Li’s belly, "This child seems to be quite the mischievous one."

Lady Li fretted, "Mother, I hope it’s a well-behaved son."

Zhulan raised an eyebrow, "Didn’t you spend the start of your pregnancy wishing for a daughter?"