Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 192: Lady Li Cried_1

Chapter 192: Chapter 192: Lady Li Cried_1

Zhou Shuren picked up the thread that hadn’t been properly divided, and despite his large palms, his fingers were nimble, and he divided the thread at a good pace. "Didn’t say much, mainly just a visitation. The gifts are outside, I glanced over them, they’re all bought in the county, none of them particularly expensive."

Zhulan pressed down Zhou Shuren’s hand to indicate that they had enough thread, while saying, "As long as they weren’t prepared beforehand, it’s all good."

If they were prepared in advance, it would imply they came with intent, but a spontaneous decision meant that their family was an afterthought. The gifts weren’t expensive, and their family had merely caught Shi Qing’s eye; it wasn’t to the point of calculating yet.

Zhulan then asked, "Did they mention anything about the family next door?"

"No, not a word about looking after them or anything like that."

Zhulan scoffed, "This Master Shi probably couldn’t be happier if Wang Ru had no one to rely on. Shi Qing’s not around here, but his calculations never stopped."

Zhou Shuren had grown up in adversity too, but still, he didn’t like Shi Qing, with self-interest etched deep in his bones. "Let’s also put away the gifts later, to prevent people from seeing them when they come to our house and starting gossip in the village. Lately, our household has been too high-profile; it’s better to keep a low profile for a while."

"Right."

In the main hall, the gifts were laid out on a table: two bolts of cloth, some pastries, along with wine and tea leaves. Compared to the last time with the Jade Bracelet, indeed, they were not very valuable. Zhulan called Lady Li and Lady Zhao to divide up the cloth between them, a jin of pastries for one household, and Zhulan kept the rest.

Zhulan saw only Lady Zhao, "Where’s your sister-in-law?"

Lady Zhao said, "Sister-in-law went out."

Looking at the cloth and pastries, Lady Li really had changed; in the past, she would never have left when there were things to be divided, and now she didn’t even care for a bolt of cloth, "Your sister-in-law has changed."

Lady Zhao thought to herself that everyone in the family had changed, and even Chang Lian, who should be the most ostentatious, became more cautious after the engagement. She smiled and didn’t continue the conversation with her mother.

Zhulan handed the cloth to Lady Zhao, "Take this back and split it with your sister-in-law, and take a jin of the pastries too. Don’t let the kids eat them all; these pastries are too sweet and not good for their teeth."

Lady Zhao, "I’ll remember that."

Lady Li didn’t return until the time to prepare lunch. Just from her excited state, it was evident she had heard plenty of gossip. After lunch, Zhulan got wind of the news that Zhang Sanni had signed an Indenture, a life bond at that, and Zhang Datie and his wife’s schemes had fallen through.

Zhulan knew that Shi Qing was behind it. To have Zhang Sanni in his grasp was essential, yet, "The village is quite up-to-date with news. Master Shi from next door only just left. How did the word spread so fast?"

Lady Li enjoyed hearing news about the neighbors, a shame her mother didn’t like it, "Zhang Sanni went home and started talking. Zhu’s so angry, she stood at the door cursing the street. Although she didn’t curse Wang Ru outright, the message was clear, and then the whole village knew."

Zhulan listened until her teeth ached. In ancient times, with little entertainment, life relied on the long and short of household gossip, "It’s getting late, Yu Lu should take a nap. Quickly go and soothe her to sleep."

Lady Li, preoccupied with heading to the village to exchange gossip, hurried back to her room to put the child to bed.

Zhulan also went back to her room for an afternoon nap. Life was truly delightful; back in modern times, she was exhausted like a dead dog working all day and night, with endless social engagements. Napping was a luxury for her, but ancient times were better with all the leisure time to enjoy.

If only she hadn’t been awoken by crying. It was Lady Li’s wailing that disrupted her. Since arriving in this family, Zhulan couldn’t recall a time when Lady Li had cried. She immediately sat up, "What’s going on now?"

Zhou Shuren was startled too. His daughter-in-law’s crying was too piercing, "I have no idea. Sounds like she’s crying at the door."

Zhulan had some affection for Lady Li after spending time together, especially after discovering endearing qualities in her; she liked Lady Li even more. Zhulan quickly put on her shoes and got up, "I’ll go see."