Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 202 - A visit_1

Chapter 202: Chapter 202 - A visit_1

Lady Li really did not want to go out in the pouring rain; she knew all too well that the road from her home to the county would be difficult to traverse and would leave her body covered in mud. However, if Mr. Hou from the Hou Residence was to come, enduring the hardship was worthwhile. The Hou Residence, after all, was an entity even more formidable than the County Magistrate. As for what the Hou Residence was, the head of the household had only said that it was much more powerful than the County Magistrate, and that was that.

Zhulan also felt uncertain. Logically, if he wasn’t coming, they would send a maid to notify them, but the disparity in status between the two households was too great. Yao Zheyu always carried an air of superiority, and it was hard to say if they would inform them or not. "Wait while I ask your father; I’ll come back with an answer."

Lady Li uttered, "Ah!"

Zhou Shuren heard the conversation between Zhulan and Lady Li from inside the house. As soon as Zhulan entered, Zhou Shuren said, "Make sure everything is prepared. Yao Zheyu is a cautious man; if he said he would come, he will arrive on time. Such a downpour won’t stop a person with deep scheming."

Zhulan took her purse and said, "Then I understand."

It seemed Zhou Shuren had already gained some understanding of Yao Zheyu.

Zhulan came out with two coins of silver, "Buy more spare ribs and get ten jin of meat as well. If we can’t finish it today, we can make dumplings tomorrow."

Lady Li couldn’t help but swallow, recalling that the last time they ate dumplings was three months ago. She asked, "Mother, don’t we need to buy anything else?"

Zhulan was very wary of Yao Zheyu, who had set his sights on Wang Ru. She did not want Lady Li to make any extraordinary dishes – ordinary rural fare would suffice. "Oh yes, buy more big bones to make a soup for stretching noodles. That’ll be enough; we don’t need anything else."

The temperature had dropped, and it was finally time to enjoy hot foods. She longed to eat hotpot. There were plenty of green vegetables in the backyard, in stark contrast to wintertime hotpots that lacked greenery. Swallowing again, she decided to start with dumplings and bone soup noodles.

They could wait a bit longer for the hotpot. After the rain, according to her former life’s memories, mushrooms would sprout on the mountain. A hotpot with fresh mushrooms was also delicious. Zhulan swallowed yet again, thinking she must stop fixating on it.

Lady Li took note of everything that needed to be bought. "Mother, I’m off then."

Zhulan instructed, "Don’t bother with an umbrella today; it’s too much trouble and won’t keep you dry. Wear a raincoat instead, and put on more clothes so you don’t catch a cold."

Lady Li’s eyes welled up with tears of gratitude, "Mother, I remember."

Zhulan couldn’t stand Lady Li’s clinginess and shivered, "Quickly go now."

Lady Li, "....."

Why had her mother-in-law suddenly grown impatient when she had been fine just moments ago?

In the kitchen, Mrs. Zhao was slaughtering fish and rabbits as Lady Li had directed, while Zhulan could only help by heating the water since she wasn’t skilled enough to do the butchering herself.

Mrs. Zhao was also aware that a young master from the Hou Residence was visiting, delighted that her father’s family’s status was improving. Seeing her mother sitting down to start the fire, somewhat distracted, she finished preparing a fish and pursed her lips before speaking up, "Mother, is Mr. Hou very impressive?"

Without giving it much thought and assuming Mrs. Zhao was merely curious, Zhulan explained, "In terms of status, Mr. Hou relies on the Hou Residence. Having the support of the Hou Residence, he receives respect everywhere he goes. But if we consider him as an individual, Mr. Hou has not yet been granted the title of Princely Heir. As of now, he’s technically of common status. If we talk about being impressive, sure, the Hou name holds sway outside, but as there are many sons in the Hou Residence, only the successor—future Princely Heir—can truly benefit from those connections."

Lady Zhao understood, and it was precisely because she understood that she felt disappointed. To put it bluntly, the visiting son from the Hou Residence was just one of the many sons; if one really wanted to rely on influence, the Princely Heir would be the most reliable, but the Princely Heir was too far out of reach. She let go of the thought to continue asking.

Zhulan cautioned, "Yushuang should not show her face today; I have already instructed her, and you should take extra care as well."

It wasn’t that she was overthinking; a year was enough time to understand how cheap lives were for those at the bottom in ancient times. She did not want to make any malicious guesses, but she also had to be prepared. Noble families kept beauties, and using beauty as a strategy was an old but effective tactic. The fate of the beauties they took away was never good.

Yao Zheyu, the cunning male lead, needed to be guarded against even more. Their family was only that of a Scholar, insignificant. It was better to keep Yushuang hidden; ever since she saw through some of Yao Zheyu’s true nature, she had not seen true goodness and beauty in him!

Lady Zhao was afraid, almost cutting her hand with the knife, but luckily, Zhulan was quick to hold it down, comforting her, "Don’t be scared; we are just preventing any mishap."

Lady Zhao was indeed frightened. In the end, wasn’t her mother, despite her age, sold because of her beauty? Before leaving, her mother cried and told her that beauty was a misfortune. She didn’t want her daughter to be taken away. "Mother, I will definitely take good care of Yushuang."

Zhulan thought to herself, luckily Lady Zhao was smart enough on her own, and the original body, as well as herself, did not have any crooked thoughts. Now with Lady Zhao having both a son and a daughter, leading a comfortable life, Lady Zhao was indeed fortunate.

Two hours later, the head of the family had not yet returned home, but Yao Zheyu’s carriage arrived. The carriages of the Hou Residence were different from those of merchants. The dynasty highlighted class distinctions everywhere; the specifications and sizes of carriages, the number of horses, were all regulated. Exceeding the limit would result in accusation.

Shi Qing’s carriage was only pulled by one horse, whereas Yao Zheyu’s was pulled by two. This was him being modest with only two horses; the size of the carriage was different as well, followed by a guard behind.

Luckily, it was raining heavily today, and no one was in the village; otherwise, the entrance to Zhulan’s house would have been especially lively.

Zhou Shuren and Zhulan stood at the entrance, welcoming Yao Zheyu into the house. In the courtyard, Zhulan had directed her two sons to lay a stone path in early spring. The rain washed it clean, and walking all the way to the main hall, not a speck of mud stained the shoes.

Yao Zheyu’s peripheral vision surveyed the whole courtyard. Compared to other houses in the village, the Zhou family’s house was nice; the courtyard was spacious and tidy, with poultry like chickens all caged. It was probably frequently cleaned as there was no odor; subtle details that revealed the household’s values. The Zhou family was indeed not bad.

Zhou Shuren invited Yao Zheyu to sit and said, "It’s a humble country home. Mr. Hou has come a long way, passing through boats and carriages. Please have a cup of hot tea to warm up."

Yao Zheyu sniffed the tea fragrance; although it wasn’t the top-grade tea he usually drank, it also smelled quite good—rarely found such a nice tea. His eyes flashed; the Zhou family’s financial foundation was indeed solid. Although he couldn’t find out everything in one day, he had gained an approximate idea. After taking a sip, he said, "Good tea."

Zhou Shuren laughed, "I’m not one for good tea; I only know to buy the best from the shop. To receive Mr. Hou’s praise, the shopkeeper did not deceive me."

Yao Zheyu smiled slightly. This Scholar Zhou was indeed interesting. Others would have pretended, but he spoke outright. He felt a bit more admiration for him, "I’ve rudely visited today, and I brought some gifts to express my apology. I hope it pleases Scholar Zhou."

Zhulan went back to her room after the greetings but kept her ears open. She had glanced briefly earlier, and all were brocade boxes—certainly not cheap.

Zhou Shuren did not look at the brocade boxes, "Mr. Hou is too courteous. Your visit is something many seek but cannot get, and you even brought gifts. I am undeserving."

Yao Zheyu gestured dismissively, "Apart from the title of Mr. Hou, I’m actually just a commoner. Scholar Zhou need not be so formal."

Zhou Shuren rolled his eyes internally, really thinking he wanted to be formal. He claimed to be informal, yet his demeanor never changed even slightly. Presently he preferred to be cautious rather than making any mistakes; it was better to be prudent.