Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 113 Zhao Bo_1

Chapter 113: Chapter 113 Zhao Bo_1

Zhulan stared fixedly at her own claws, running over to Zhou Shuren’s bed was one thing, but was it actually okay to hold Zhou Shuren’s waist? She had plastered herself all over him in an instant, her face flushed and sweaty, and she didn’t dare move a muscle. She had originally warned Zhou Shuren not to entertain any ideas about her, but now here she was, throwing herself into his embrace—her cheeks felt slapped swollen. No, jumping into the Yellow River wouldn’t wash her clear of this.

Zhou Shuren had long been awake, cough cough, the only drawback of the inn was how cold it got at night. Even though there was a stove burning in the room, it wasn’t warm. The bed couldn’t compare to a heated brick bed, and Zhulan, used to sleeping on a kang, naturally sought warmth during the night. It wasn’t him trying anything; Zhulan had nestled in on her own, and of course, he just went with it and held her!

Zhulan quickly calmed down. She couldn’t wait for Zhou Shuren to wake up. She carefully loosened her grip and inched back bit by bit to her side of the bed. Only after hugging her daughter tight did Zhulan breathe a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Zhou Shuren hadn’t woken up!

There was no need to get up early to go out, and after the scare that made Zhulan’s heart pound, she, exhausted and cautious, fell asleep again in a daze.

Zhou Shuren opened his eyes with a suppressed chuckle, thinking that had he not worried about making Zhulan feel uncomfortable in the future, and had the timing been right, he had struggled internally for quite a while before deciding not to startle Zhulan!

Zhulan woke up, and Zhou Shuren was done with his washing up. Zhulan felt a trace of discomfort, but seeing that Zhou Shuren showed no signs of it, she let out a breath of relief and helped her daughter with her morning routine.

They ate breakfast in their room too, since all their silver coins were in the bundle and they dared not go out.

Zhou Shuren said, "Today I’ll visit Brother Zhao first. His family has no women, so it’s fine if I visit alone. It’s a good chance to ask him to look for a broker to inquire about houses and shops."

Zhulan responded, "Alright, I’ll keep an eye on the bundle."

The Brother Zhao that Zhou Shuren mentioned was a Scholar he had met on the return journey. Having some family property, he had gone to the south to study, and on the way back, had shared an Armed Escort Agency’s protection with Zhou Shuren. They hit it off and exchanged addresses, so a visit to Pingzhou was not an empty promise.

Zhou Shuren didn’t return until after lunch. Zhulan quickly asked, "What did Young Master Zhao say?"

Zhou Shuren, having thanked his daughter for the tea, took a sip and slowly articulated, "The Zhao surname carries weight in Pingzhou. Even if Brother Zhao Bo belongs to a collateral branch, no one within Pingzhou’s boundaries dares to trouble him. He has said he will see to it himself; later, I’ll let the Shopkeeper know to prepare a good meal for tomorrow noon."

Zhulan thought to herself that Zhou Shuren must have taken the initiative to form a good relationship with Zhao Bo. This move was all about leveraging the Zhao family’s influence. With the Zhao family orchestrating the purchase of a shop and house through a broker, one needn’t fear being troubled by others. This man had calculated everything, and she was powerless to help, feeling the severe restrictions placed on women in ancient times too lethal. Twisting the handkerchief, she handed it to Zhou Shuren, "It’s all thanks to your hard work."

Zhou Shuren stole glances at Zhulan, his heart aching for her, and his pulse quickened. While wiping his face, he thought that a proper amount of fatigue was necessary, his eyes suddenly lit up, "I should do what I ought to, all for us."

Zhulan felt unnatural, her ears reddening a bit. She thought of how she had crept under the covers that morning, "I’ll go speak with the Shopkeeper, you rest a bit first."

Zhou Shuren was quite pleased, meeting his little girl’s blinking eyes. He coughed, having forgotten there was a child present.

The next day, Zhulan didn’t cross any boundaries. She held onto her daughter all night and didn’t let go, which made Zhou Shuren regret bringing Xue Han. He had surely gotten himself an oversized lightbulb.

Zhao Bo came with a broker, who, under Zhao Bo’s watch, was very polite to Zhou Shuren. Since it wasn’t suitable for Zhulan to follow them around to look at shops and houses, Zhou Shuren called a carriage and went to see them by himself.

Zhulan did want to go take a look, but with Zhao Bo present, it wasn’t convenient, so she had to wait impatiently at home.

At noon, Zhou Shuren and the others returned. The broker went back to wait for news, and Zhou Shuren attended to Zhao Bo alone.

Zhulan was full of complaints. Even if she belonged to an era where regulations of women were lax, where women could establish their own households and seek divorces, it was still unheard of for women of considerable social standing to make a public appearance. She didn’t get to partake in a single dish for the whole table spread.

It was around two o’clock in the afternoon by the time Zhou Shuren sent Zhao Bo off. Fortunately, he hadn’t drunk much alcohol since most of their conversation revolved around scholarly topics.

Zhulan had been waiting all morning and quickly inquired, "You saw the shops and the house, did you find any to your liking?"

Zhou Shuren knew Zhulan had felt confined all day and so recounted what he had seen, "There are many wealthy merchants in South City, and that’s mainly where I looked at shops. West City is expensive, and we dare not buy there without any backing. Thanks to Zhao Bo’s connection, the broker showed us only shops with no issues, although the locations weren’t great, they could be considered second-rate. I saw two shops that could be easily sold in the future, one for two hundred taels, and the other for one hundred and eighty taels."

Zhou Shuren paused, took another sip of tea, and continued, "The house was introduced by Zhao Bo. It was a relative’s property outside of five degrees of kinship selling it to move to the capital to join other relatives. It’s a two-courtyard house located at the junction of West City and South City. Most of the large furniture has been sold off, leaving only the empty house itself, somewhat costly at five hundred taels."

Zhulan gasped. Five hundred taels seemed quite a high price for a house in Pingzhou, but upon reflection, she realized it wasn’t the house itself that was expensive but its location and the Zhao name. Buying the Zhao family’s house meant gaining a semblance of their prestige. No ruffians or bullies would dare trouble one affiliated with a great clan. In ancient times, finding shelter under the canopy of a great tree was indeed the best way to stay cool, "That totals to eight hundred and eighty taels, we have enough silver coins."

Zhou Shuren said, "There are also taxes not factored in yet. We need to go to the government office to handle the red deed. Only if we have problems will the government take care of us. We’ll also need to give Brother Zhao a gratitude fee, the broker’s fee, and the silver coins for tipping the messengers. We’d be doing well to come in under nine hundred and fifty taels."

Zhulan fell silent, realizing that if Zhou Shuren hadn’t met Zhao Bo, they would have had to spend at least a hundred more taels, and wouldn’t have secured a good location to boot. In ancient times, status and background were of immense importance. She pondered the bright side and asked, "How much is the yearly rent for the shop?"