Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 209: The Prosperous Zhou Family_1

Chapter 209: Chapter 209: The Prosperous Zhou Family_1

Zhulan listened carefully – it was Wang Xin’s shrill scream that pierced the air a few times before falling silent. A short while later, the front door of her house began banging loudly.

Zhou Shuren held Zhulan down, not letting her get up, "It must be the neighbors asking for help, just leave it to Eldest to handle."

However, Zhulan didn’t see it that way, "I bet it’s definitely not the neighbors coming to ask for help. Believe it or not."

Knowing Zhulan well, Zhou Shuren was sure she wouldn’t speak without reason. It seemed the situation was indeed different, "I’m not betting. I don’t know the neighbors as well as you do."

The bet between Zhulan and Zhou Shuren was never struck, as Eldest Zhou came knocking on the door, "Father, Old Four Wang has come to borrow the ox-cart. Wang Ru woke up and then fainted again. The wound on her forehead has split open, and she needs to see the doctor in town."

Zhou Shuren frowned, "Didn’t I remember that Old Four Wang has his own ox?"

Eldest Zhou explained with indescribable frustration, "Ever since Wang Zhang’s family borrowed it, it was never returned. Old Four Wang went to ask Wang Zhang’s family for the ox-cart, but he didn’t get it back and even received several slaps in the process."

The slap marks on Old Four Wang’s face were distressingly conspicuous, a deep purple – a testament to Wang Zhang’s fierce handiwork.

Zhou Shuren, "....."

Just then, Second Zhou entered, "Father, the neighbors have already left in the ox-cart."

Eldest Zhou was surprised, "Where did they get an ox-cart?"

Second Zhou, who had been by the front gate the whole time, had seen the ox-cart Zhang Sanni had found, and recognized the situation at play, "Zhang Sanni found the ox-cart, from the Zhang Wu’s family."

Eldest Zhou, naive as ever, still mumbled, "That girl has some loyalty in her, managing to find an ox-cart. She’s much more useful than Old Four Wang, that incompetent father."

Second Zhou kept a straight face and didn’t wish to respond.

Zhulan, "......"

Oh dear, such a foolish son!

Zhou Shuren couldn’t stand to look at Eldest’s naive expression and waved his hand dismissively, "Alright, all of you go out!"

After leaving the room, Eldest Zhou caught up with Second Zhou outside of the main hall, "Father just scorned me – did I say something wrong?"

Second Zhou thought to himself that while Eldest was alright at maintaining appearances, his thinking was too straightforward and lacked depth; even Father had given up on him. He spoke with heartfelt sincerity, "Big Brother, in the future, don’t just look at the surface of things. Zhang Sanni has already signed her life away, she doesn’t have a grateful heart, and as for expecting Zhang Datie’s daughter to know gratitude, you might as well expect a rooster to lay eggs."

Eldest Zhou, "......I should just let you have the position of Eldest!"

As Second Zhou gazed at the rising moon, he remarked, "The moon looks especially nice tonight."

After saying so, he quickly made his escape. Yikes, he was terrified – his eldest brother had such a frightening idea. Time to get away!

Watching his younger brother scamper back into the house, Eldest Zhou clutched at his chest – oh, how despised the position of Eldest was!

When Zhulan heard the sound of the door closing, she finally spoke, "I knew that Shi Qing had other moves up his sleeve, turns out he’s also related to the Zhang family. If Zhang Sanni wasn’t afraid that Wang Ru might really die today, she would never have revealed herself."

Zhou Shuren looked at the Silver Ingot inside the lacquered box and hummed, counting the number of ingots, "The male lead is less generous than last time. A single box contains only six ingots of five taels each, totaling just sixty taels. I prefer the vulgarity of gold – it’s more pleasing to the eye."

Zhulan, "....I like it too. It’s not bad getting sixty taels for just a little help. I truly think the vulgar male lead isn’t bad, a walking Silver Ingot. That makes almost the entire dowry silver Chang Lian gave, recovered in just two instances."

Zhou Shuren saw the sparkling eagerness in Zhulan’s eyes and smiled, "Aside from being a hassle and not to everyone’s liking, the male lead certainly brings wealth to our family."

Zhulan chuckled, "It certainly prospers our house."

Early next morning, in high spirits from her continuous earnings, Zhulan pointed out chores to Lady Li after breakfast, "Get the silver from your sister-in-law, and you and eldest son go to town. Buy big bones, five pounds of fatty meat, ten pounds of pork belly, then stop by the grocery store for some chili and peanuts."

Lady Li asked, "Mother, what do you want to eat with all this meat tonight?"

These days, her mother-in-law had been indulging in various delicacies, and Lady Li had put on another layer of belly fat!

Zhulan woke up to the grey sky that morning and, guessing it might rain, felt like having a hot pot meal. She smiled and said, "We’ll have a hot pot tonight. You and eldest son go there and come back quickly, don’t get caught in the rain."

Lady Li, who couldn’t forget the New Year’s hot pot, hurriedly shouted, "Husband, hurry hitch the cart; we’re going to the county to buy meat."

After Lady Li left, Zhulan, feeling quite good, called Xue Han to accompany her to the village to buy tofu and fish.

The recent incident with Wang Ru had taken many twists and turns, and everyone in the village knew she had gone to the county. Zhulan’s house was so close, the moment she stepped out the door, she was surrounded.

Zheng’s family had been doing quite well since moving out, renovating the old Wang family house, acquiring a fair amount of land with the new wealth, and becoming more ostentatious as well as more fond of gossip – the main gossiper of the village.

Using their past as neighbors as leverage for a semblance of relationship, Zheng boldly approached and asked, "Sister-in-law, what happened to Wang Ru last night? How come she’s gone to the county? I heard her condition is quite serious?"

Zhulan, seeing Zheng dressed in new clothes and holding a handful of melon seeds, living the good life, replied, "I’m not sure either; you should ask the Wang family about this."

Zheng was merely inquiring out of formality, well-aware of Yang’s temperament - if Yang didn’t wish to speak, asking would be futile. Now she dared not provoke Yang, who was not only the Scholar’s wife but also going to be the future mother-in-law of the County magistrate’s daughter – not to mention, Scholar Zhou had made the acquaintance of the Mr. Hou from Hou Residence. Zheng tried to curry favor, saying, "Sister-in-law, are you going out for a walk?"

Zhulan, who wouldn’t slap a smiling face, was clever, and as people of old were not foolish, especially those at the bottom who knew best how to survive. Except for those who were ill-willed, nobody would foolishly clash with those out of their league, just as Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Zhang often forced a stiff smile when seeing Zhulan. She smiled and replied, "The weather is cool today, and I haven’t stepped out in a while – just going to buy some tofu and take a stroll."

Zheng quickly made way, saying, "Then I won’t keep you from buying tofu."

Zhulan smiled and nodded, proceeding with her daughter. As they walked farther away, they could still hear discussions about the Zhou family, and comments on how Xue Han was becoming more and more like a young lady of a grand household – good words were flowing freely, as they cost no silver.

Xue Han, covering her mouth with her handkerchief, thought to herself how these aunties had not spared sarcasm and envy towards her mother in the past, and now how none dared to do so. The voices behind them speaking these covert remarks were somewhat loud, and she deeply understood what her mother had said - as long as one’s own power grew, many things didn’t need to be changed by oneself, others would make excuses for you.

Xue Han reached out to hold her mother’s hand, "Mother."

Zhulan held it back, and if she and Zhou Shuren felt some guilt towards Xue Mei, she felt genuine affection towards Xue Han – Xue Han was the daughter she had always imagined.

Zhulan was a well-known figure in the village, and when buying tofu, she’d always get some extra, or a few more fish when purchasing from the fishmonger.

By the time Zhulan strolled back home, the tables and chairs in the main hall had already been replaced – the arrangements made by Second Master Zhou the day before. Zhulan looked at the patterns, attributing it to Wang Ru’s doing, as the village carpenters no longer adhered to traditional designs when making furniture. The new furniture looked more straightforward and elegant than the old ones, and most importantly, they hadn’t applied red lacquer – the natural color was much more pleasing to the eye.

Zhulan placed the fish in a basin, planning to kill them later that evening. She didn’t see Zhao’s family in the front yard, so she went to the back, where Zhao was with two maids, picking vegetable leaves. Yu Lu from the main house had just started walking not long ago, but was already pretty articulate. Small yet clumsy, she plucked at the vegetable leaves, undeterred by the risk of tumbling over.

Having picked almost enough, Zhao saw her mother-in-law, "Mother, you’re back."

Zhulan bent down to pick up Yu Lu, "Is Ming Rui sleeping?"

Zhao, smiling at the mention of her son, said, "He woke up several times last night and didn’t rest well, so after eating, he went straight to bed. I had the head of the household watch over him, so he wouldn’t fall down."

Zhulan had only asked in passing; without Zhao’s explanation, she wouldn’t have pressed further. This was the difference between Lady Li and Zhao – Zhao kept even the smallest matters in mind, just listening made Zhulan feel tired.

An hour later, it started raining. The eldest son and his wife rushed to get home, and just as they arrived, Lady Li hopped off the oxcart in a fluster, "Mother, Wang Ru was only a short distance behind us when we left, moving slowly. By now, she’d be lucky to have made it halfway. She’s definitely going to be caught in the rain."