Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 187 Betrothal Gifts_1

Chapter 187: Chapter 187 Betrothal Gifts_1

Zhou Shuren helped Zhulan find her soul back, and when she woke up in the morning, Zhulan felt much better, at least not so weak. She snuggled into Zhou Shuren’s arms and didn’t want to get up, feeling the warmth of his body and especially grateful that she had someone with her in this unfamiliar environment. If she had been alone, she definitely wouldn’t have recovered this quickly.

Zhulan reached out to play with Zhou Shuren’s fingers, which were clearly defined with joints and even had calluses from writing, showing how hard Zhou Shuren had worked. She lifted his hand to compare with hers, her own looked so small.

Zhou Shuren was worried about Zhulan all night and didn’t sleep soundly. Whenever Zhulan stirred, he would wake up. Seeing that she was energetic and comparing hands with him, he finally let go of the worry that had preoccupied him all night. With his other hand, he pulled her closer into his embrace and asked with a tender and sweet voice, "Awake? Feeling better?"

A string in Zhulan’s heart vibrated, her eyes filled with a smile, "Yes, much better."

She knew that she had been dreaming, one dream after another. Later, the dreams stopped and she slept more soundly—which was all thanks to Zhou Shuren.

Zhou Shuren rested his chin on Zhulan’s hair and tightened his arms around her. He had never thought that he could one day experience love. In modern times, he didn’t believe in marriage, having seen too many broken families, and he was especially resistant to it, planning to live out his life alone. Unexpectedly, after traveling through time, he became a father, got a wife, and even believed in love. He had never told Zhulan that he was grateful to her for saving him from a solitary journey through time. With her, he felt his heart had a place to settle in the ancient world.

Zhulan only felt, "Too tight, are you trying to strangle me?"

Zhou Shuren chuckled, the mood from just before entirely lost, and quickly loosened his grip, "Is this better?"

Zhulan let out a breath of relief, much more comfortable now, and nodded, then thought of Chang Lian, "Today I will find an official matchmaker, but Dong Chuchu is the daughter of the County magistrate, how many betrothal gifts should our family give?"

This was a worrying matter. Before Magistrate Dong passed the imperial examination, the Dong family was of landlord origin, with money, land, and shops. After becoming a Graduate, their wealth grew even more substantial. Since becoming County magistrate, gifts had never stopped coming in, so he was not short of Silver Coin. Thus, it would be difficult for them to decide what to give for the betrothal gifts!

Zhou Shuren was also concerned, "Our family’s foundation is thin. Giving more won’t impress them, and giving less will embarrass the Dong family. Besides, we have four sons. If we give too much for Chang Lian’s marriage, it will inevitably cause issues with the eldest and second sons. No matter what, the property is shared for now."

Zhulan felt drained again, "We spent quite a bit of Silver in Pingzhou, and gave away more to Magistrate Dong as gifts. Right now, we have a total of Seven hundred and fifty tales of silver, and there are More than a dozen tales of silver pieces. A while ago, you were talking about buying more land, and we need to keep some money aside for daily expenses. How much do you think we should give for the betrothal gifts?"

Zhou Shuren thought for a moment, "200 tales for the bride price, and we will carefully prepare the other matrimonial gifts. That should not seem too little."

Zhulan was surprised, "200 tales!"

That was no small sum!

Zhou Shuren sighed, "Magistrate Dong has a clear understanding of our family’s situation. Too little would not be good. Anyway, he does not know exactly how much Silver we have. 200 tales is probably what he guessed we had in savings. Considering we just bought a house and a shop, and I couldn’t hide the expenses in Pingzhou from others, he might think 200 tales is decent for us. However, it means that we can forget about buying land this year."

Zhulan knew Zhou Shuren was clever. Offering 200 tales as the bride price was Zhou Shuren’s way of showing their maximum effort. Magistrate Dong would get face, and might even feel indebted, since he was the one who set his sights on Zhou’s family first, and would think Zhou Shuren had contributed all his savings. Thus, he would likely be particularly considerate towards Zhou Shuren. Ah, the machinations of the human heart, always so intricate that one would never be at a loss.

Zhulan tilted her head, "The bride price is settled, but shouldn’t you say something to the eldest and second sons? And Chang Lian, don’t let him get too excited, as if giving 200 tales now means the family will rely on him in the future."

Zhou Shuren smiled, "Don’t worry, after breakfast, I’ll go ’chop’ Chang Lian down a notch, and make sure he doesn’t get carried away."

Zhulan, ".....Ok."

The two lay together a bit longer before getting up. Breakfast was already prepared, with porridge boiled in the newly purchased clay pot, just as Zhulan had specifically requested. Sipping the porridge and eating the pickled vegetables, she finally didn’t feel nauseous anymore. With food in her stomach, her spirits lifted too.

After the meal, Zhou Shuren called their sons in. Zhulan didn’t listen in; she needed to change and get ready. She was about to head to the county town to find an official matchmaker.

By the time Zhulan was ready and came out, she saw Chang Lian, looking bewildered and shocked, heading out to the clan school. Zhulan pulled Zhou Shuren aside, "Look how scared Chang Lian is, what did you say to him?"