Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 130 Cultivation_1

Chapter 130: Chapter 130 Cultivation_1

Zhulan knew that last night’s conversation had spread, and the envious folks from Wang Laosi’s family were naturally happy to add fuel to the fire. Wang Ru certainly wouldn’t dare to go out for a while and would stay in line for some time. With a pleased tone, she said, "It’s getting late. You should go and make lunch. Just make a simple dough-drop soup for noon."

Lady Li knew that her mother and father wouldn’t let the Wang family off lightly. She hadn’t expected them to do anything, but when they did, it was ruthless. She grew even more fearful of her mother, "All right, Mother."

Zhulan put down the needlework in her hands. Yes, she was embroidering, which she had found dreadfully boring, so she had Zhao teach her some simple patterns. It wasn’t only calming, but also helped her temper her patience. To avoid straining her eyes, she only embroidered for a short time each day. After tidying up her needlework basket, she put on her shoes and headed to the granary.

She found some empty bags. Zhou Shuren was right, taking out supplies meal by meal was too troublesome. However, giving out a week’s allowance at once, as Zhou Shuren suggested, wouldn’t work either. Even if she wanted to cultivate Lady Li’s managerial skills, it had to be done gradually. A week’s worth all at once was too much. After considering the meals for three days, she took out food for three days.

She carried it all at once to the kitchen and handed it to Lady Li, "This is three days’ worth of food. There are radishes and green vegetables in the cellar. I’ll also give you a piece of meat weighing about one pound and fifteen eggs. You have nine meals to prepare over these three days. Balance them out yourself."

Lady Li panicked. She was used to following her mother-in-law’s orders. Ever since she moved in, she did whatever her mother-in-law told her to do. Even with her mother-in-law away in Pingzhou, Zhao was still in charge. She had once hoped to compete with Zhao but now just wanted to take care of herself. Suddenly being given the responsibility made her anxious, "Mother, what have I done wrong? Please don’t punish me like this. If you must punish me, let me learn to read instead!"

Zhulan, "...."

Why would she think it was a punishment? This was clearly a sign of granting her power!

Lady Li hadn’t slimmed down since the new year; her face had grown even chubbier, like a bun with extra folds. Zhulan, seeing her, felt almost disconnected from the scene, "I’m not punishing you. I want to train you. Don’t scare yourself."

Lady Li’s eyes widened; this was more frightening than making mistakes. Recalling how the eunuch trained her husband, she felt fearful. She didn’t want to be like her husband, who not only had to learn mathematics every day but also had to recite texts, shaking his head like a bobblehead, "Mother, I’m not smart enough to learn. Please don’t train me. My sister-in-law is clever. Train her instead!"

Zhulan, "...."

Lady Li also knew she wasn’t as smart as Zhao, which really wasn’t easy.

Zhulan would have liked to let Zhao take charge, but alas, it wasn’t possible, "That settles it, then. I’ve given you the food and meat; now you manage it."

Lady Li knew she couldn’t change her mother-in-law’s mind, her heart darkening. She didn’t want to think. Even learning to read was terribly exhausting. The eunuch wasn’t home, and she had just been happy for less than a morning. How could her joy suddenly turn to sorrow?

Zhulan stopped at the doorway, "Oh, by the way, you must maintain the quality of the meals over these three days. Make sure to measure them out properly, and don’t end up short on food or out of vegetables by the end. If you do well, there’s a reward. If not... well."

Lady Li, "...."

Her mother must have smirked coldly at the end!

For lunch, Zhulan didn’t have to worry about what to eat for three days, which was quite a relief. It may seem trivial, but thinking about three meals a day that were nutritious and suited for the whole family was very demanding. In a good mood, she had two bowls of the dough-drop soup.

Lady Li, who usually ate the most, only had one bowl, her little eyes fraught with concern as she pondered over what to make for dinner!

Before dinner, Zhulan hadn’t left her bedroom until her daughter called her to eat. She came out, put on her shoes, and immediately noticed the dinner on the table: a dish of sour cabbage stewed with pork, a stir-fried spicy white cabbage and cornbread for the main course, along with the two remaining bowls of dough-drop soup from lunch, left over because Lady Li hadn’t eaten much.

Zhulan gave the remains of the dough-drop soup to her granddaughters. Having had her fill of sour cabbage, which she’d eaten all winter long, she found herself longing for the out-of-season greens available in modern winters. She had a bad feeling; when she was in charge of the food, she tried not to make sour cabbage more than twice in a week. Lady Li might end up having it every day for three days, she thought, as if setting a trap for herself. Perhaps it would be better to wait until summer to train Lady Li!

At dinner, Zhulan didn’t eat much. Everyone thought it was because she was preoccupied with Zhou Shuren. None guessed that it was the sour cabbage she was averse to.

In truth, it wasn’t Zhou Shuren that Zhulan was preoccupied with. Rather, after having his own dinner, it was Zhou Shuren who was concerned about the home front, wondering whether Zhulan was eating well. He somewhat hoped the county trial would end soon. Unfortunately, there were five sessions that year. Thinking of the exams, he couldn’t help but rub his hands, which were frozen from a day’s cold — such a pitfall.