Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 163 Matchmaker_1

Chapter 163: Chapter 163 Matchmaker_1

Wang Ru looked down on their wishful thinking. "No, this contains hairpins and bracelets for Mother."

Saying this, she placed the box on the table and handed her father a purse, then added, "I’m tired. These fabrics are all for Mother and Father to sort."

After finishing, Wang Ru gave her two elder sisters a meaningful look and went out with them.

Lady Sun opened the box and was dissatisfied inside. Two silver hairpins and a pair of silver bracelets—Lady Li of the Zhou family even wore gemstones. "What do you make of her intentions?"

Wang Laosi’s attention was all on the silver note. It was from Wang Ru, a fifty taels silver note. Seeing his wife’s discontent, he felt dissatisfied too. "Scholar Shi is so wealthy, yet he brought back such paltry items after a trip out. Useless."

Wang Ru did not hear this, or else she would have been furious. She originally did not want to take anything, but since she did not want to visit the Shi family again, she purposely brought more back to make life easier in the future.

In Wang Ru’s room, she took out two boxes for her sisters. Knowing reputation was important, she felt guilty, but only for a moment—the guilt soon faded away. Without her, they could not have married well. "These are gifts I brought for my sisters."

Second daughter Wang Rong was the first to open hers. Inside there were two silver hairpins, two pairs of silver bracelets, and a corner-hidden gold ingot weighing one tael.

Wang Rong’s elder sister, Wang Xin, had the same items in her box. But that lady did not harbour romantic thoughts; she wanted to marry a good husband. She was resentful toward her younger sister, but also smartened up. She could not let Mother take everything.

The next day, the Zhou family prepared for spring plowing. It was a late spring due to cold weather, delaying the sowing by over a week compared to previous years. Since the Zhou family had hired help for harvesting last year, they did the same for plowing this year. They hired workers for ten coins a day, meals not included.

Zhulan also felt sorry for Lady Li; she cooked every day, helped by Zhao Shi, and sometimes Zhulan herself would help. But with many mouths to feed at home, mostly men, their food consumption was substantial, which is why they decided to pay extra and not include meals.

Lady Li was deeply moved, feeling cherished by her mother-in-law. She was the most valued daughter-in-law in her mother-in-law’s heart!

Zhou Shuren had no intention of managing the family’s land; it was all arranged by the eldest son. This year they hired fifteen people, planning to sow ten mu of dry land in one day.

There had been spring rains recently, and spring rain is as precious as oil, making the soil perfect for plowing.

The laborers hired were mostly from their own clan, with three others who weren’t kinsmen but had helped with the work last year.

After plowing the dry land and another rainfall, the Zhou family had ten mu of paddy fields ready for rice transplanting. Ancient rice seedlings were something Zhulan did not understand; she just thought her family’s looked good and wasn’t curious about transplanting work, staying at home embroidering clothes instead.

Paddy fields were more difficult than dry land. It took the fifteen people over a day and a half to finish the task, and they were paid for two days’ work.

In the village, Zhulan’s family finished their farming work first, making Lady Li and Zhao Shi the object of envy by the younger wives in the village.

Lady Li was smug, even though the compliments were often tinged with jealousy. Lately, she particularly enjoyed strolling around the village; the more jealous glances she received, the happier she became.

Zhao Shi seldom went out, but she did bring water to Zhou Laodi in the fields, inevitably encountering people. She had stopped crying at home, so her subconscious reactions were much reduced. When people talked to her, she did not cry but simply hung her head, embarrassed.

Soon, the entire village knew that Zhao Shi had stopped crying, which increased their envy. Those in the village with daughters turned their eyes toward Zhou Changlian.

The Zhou family became known as a family of a scholar. They owned twenty mu of land for which they didn’t have to pay taxes, and now even hired others to farm their land. The women in the family dressed well and wore jewelry. Zhou Yang Shi had become a great mother-in-law, and with Zhou Changlian being literate, he suddenly became a sought-after match for many miles around.

By the end of May, just as Zhulan finished making clothes, matchmakers began to arrive. Even with her memories, Zhulan did not trust the former host’s experiences. She could tell from Lady Li—if Zhulan had arrived earlier, she certainly would not have chosen Lady Li, no matter how tasty her cooking was. So, she found the original host’s experiences valueless.

After pouring praise, the matchmaker sipped her tea and thought to herself how impressive the Zhou family was with their solid foundation—even their tea was high-quality. But after appraising the Zhou household, she got to the point. "Big sister, Wang De’s family has asked me to come over. Your third young master should be discussing marriage now. What do you think about Wang De’s daughter? I’m not boasting, but in all the surrounding villages, there is no one to compare with her."

Since it was the same village as the Zhou’s, the matchmaker didn’t exaggerate. In the same village, who doesn’t know whom? It was precisely because she knew that she dared to come over—the Wang family’s girl was truly excellent.