Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 131 Warning_1

Chapter 131: Chapter 131 Warning_1

Time flew by, and before she knew it, two days had passed. The grains Lady Li had rationed were sufficient, but they had run out of vegetables. Even with her nerves being quite strained, she noticed her mother-in-law had stopped touching the pickled and spicy cabbage. She was genuinely concerned her mother-in-law might lose weight, and the last thing she wanted was to run out of meat and eggs, especially with two more meals to go today—what to do without any vegetables!

Lady Li tugged at the man of the house. "Man of the house, think of something. It’s a minor matter to punish me, but if mother loses weight and father comes back unhappy, that’s a major issue."

Zhou Shuren originally didn’t want to get involved, as he supported his mother in training his wife, but after his wife’s final plea, he had no choice but to step in. His father might not criticize Lady Li to her face, but he would certainly educate him!

Seeing that the man of the house’s departing footsteps halted and returned, Lady Li’s small eyes lit up with some understanding, and suddenly she wasn’t panicking anymore, calmly sitting on the kang bed.

As Zhou Shuren turned back, he scrutinized his wife, noticing something different about her, but didn’t ponder too long. He suggested, "How about we buy some tofu to add to our meals, and also get some soybeans to grow bean sprouts for a change in flavor?"

Lady Li’s eyes sparkled. A piece of tofu cost three coins, two would be six, and a pound of soybeans was five coins—with a pound of soybeans, she could grow a whole basin of bean sprouts. "All right, I’ll go buy them now."

Seeing Lady Li grab her purse and run off, Zhou Shuren hadn’t had the chance to finish speaking. If he added his own money, Lady Li would have failed the three-day test set by his mother. He thought, as long as his mother didn’t lose weight and his father wouldn’t scold him, it was better for his wife to face the punishment. It would serve as a good lesson for her, and perhaps stop her from stubbornly serving pickled cabbage for two consecutive days; the remaining surplus of grains was the result of everyone’s poor appetite at home!

By noon, Zhulan saw spicy and soy-sauced tofu on her plate.

Lady Li smiled ingratiatingly, "Mother, does this suit your taste?"

Had it not been for the desire to train Lady Li, Zhulan would have given in to cooking separately long ago. She glanced at Zhou Shuren, guessing he must have had a hand in this, and replied with a simple, "Hmm."

During the meal, Zhulan ate quite a bit, to Lady Li’s relief.

After the meal, as Lady Li finished cleaning up, Zhulan called someone into the room. "I gave you enough vegetables for three days, and you didn’t manage them at all. Tell me, how should I punish you?"

Lady Li clenched her fists tightly, her plump hands marked by the pressure. Her attitude in accepting fault was commendable. "Mother, I will accept whatever punishment you deem fit."

Zhulan had been contemplating a suitable punishment. "I sentence you to write the menu. From today onwards, I will give you the day’s vegetables and grains, and you must write down what the three meals will consist of, both the main dish and the vegetables. Show it to me when you’re done, and only after my approval can you cook. Starting from tomorrow—dismissed, you may go now!"

This way, she wouldn’t be setting herself up for failure!

Lady Li’s mind went blank; she didn’t know many characters. What was she to do? She didn’t dare to find someone else to write on her behalf, and whimpered inwardly, thinking her mother-in-law was far scarier than any eunuch!

Zhou Shuren waited for Lady Li to return, and upon hearing the punishment, he was in a dreadful state. What sort of trouble was this? Lady Li’s literacy was limited, and she had only just learned to recognize more characters in these recent days. If she was to start writing from tomorrow, who else but he would teach her the words she didn’t know? Was this a punishment for Lady Li or also for him since he had given her the idea?

Zhulan snorted, for that was indeed the case. Zhou Shuren had given the idea, essentially encouraging Lady Li to turn to him whenever she encountered difficulties. This would not do. Now she would see if he would dare to offer ideas again!

Seeing the man of the house looking ashen, Lady Li asked, "Man of the house, what’s wrong?"

Zhou Shuren explained the deeper meaning of the punishment, concluding, "Mother is not just punishing you; she’s also warning me."

Lady Li felt even more like crying. She had just started to smarten up, knowing the man of the house feared father, and she hoped he would offer her help in private in the future. Her mother-in-law had swiftly cut through her hopes. How terrifying her mother-in-law was!

The next day, Zhulan saw the menu Lady Li had submitted, written on the back of used paper by Mingyun. The characters were barely legible, but by guessing and inferring, Zhulan understood a day’s worth of meals. She didn’t want to make it too difficult on the first day and gave her approval.

Only then did Lady Li feel revived, joyfully proceeding to cook.

For breakfast, Ming Teng huddled close to Zhulan. "Grandma, do mom and dad also have to go to the clan school?"

Zhulan questioned, "Why do you ask that?"

Ming Teng blinked his big eyes. "Because mom and dad are very diligent. When I woke up from sleep, they were both learning to recognize characters."

Zhulan smiled warmly. "So, Ming Teng must also learn from your parents. Studying isn’t easy; you have to work hard to succeed."

Ming Teng nodded. "I will be diligent."

Having listened to the whole conversation, Mingyun wore a solemn expression. Silly little brother, don’t you see our parents are being forced to learn? Mingyun felt anxious on the inside—he had to teach his less-intelligent brother more in the future!

Ming Teng felt a chill down his back and turned to glance at his older brother. Intuitively sensing danger, he offered a flattering smile.

Mingyun pinched his little brother’s chubby cheek, noticing a tendency in Ming Teng to take after their mother’s physique. He’d need to add more physical exercise to his routine!

With Zhou Shuren away from home, the liveliness of the Zhou household centered around Zhou Shuren and his wife; the days were quite eventful.

In the county, Zhou Shuren had finally finished his exams and awaited the release of the results the next day before he could return home. He had been miserably cold these five days, with his hands suffering a bit from frostbite, improving only after he applied some ointment.

The next morning, the eldest and second Zhou brother set off for the county in an ox cart. The family’s cow had just had a calf, sturdy enough to pull the cart. When her sons left, Zhulan couldn’t stop worrying. She wasn’t concerned about the test scores but about Zhou Shuren’s well-being. Could his body withstand the strain of these five days? Even though the eldest had seen Zhou Shuren in good health at the county, she still feared he might not tell them the whole truth.

It wasn’t until the afternoon that Zhou Shuren finally arrived home. Zhulan didn’t ask about the results but scrutinized him closely. "You’ve lost weight."

Zhou Shuren was also observing Zhulan. "You’ve lost weight too."

Lady Li felt a cold shiver down her spine. The eunuch was speaking against his heart; the mother-in-law clearly hadn’t lost any weight.

Zhou Shuren, desperate to survive, quickly interjected, "Mother has been worrying about father and that’s why she looks thinner."

Zhou Shuren felt pleased inside and snorted, "That’s all the more reason you haven’t taken good care of your mother as the eldest son should."

Zhou Shuren, "..."

Father, keep talking like that, and I might just resign from being the eldest son!

The second Zhou brother sympathetically looked at his elder sibling, once again grateful he wasn’t the eldest.

Zhulan tried to hide a twitch of her mouth and led Zhou Shuren inside, "I haven’t lost weight, now tell me, how did you fare with the results?"