Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 214: About to Lose Son_1

Chapter 214: Chapter 214: About to Lose Son_1

Lady Li’s heart thumped in fear, thinking it was over, all for naught. She had worried all morning for nothing, sobbing, and this time, to make the mooncakes better, she had even added a hundred coins, and now she couldn’t even make back her capital.

Zhulan patted her daughter’s hand, "It’s okay, she’s just young and can’t stand being wronged."

Xue Mei pursed her lips, not expecting that her father not going to the county would have such a big impact, she worriedly said, "Mother, it won’t affect the marriage between the two families, will it?"

Zhulan said, "No, the County magistrate is a sensible man."

Because the County magistrate was sensible, she was not worried at all that the marriage would fall through.

Xue Mei let out a sigh of relief, relieved that it wouldn’t fall through, "Mother, should we not care about Chang Lian?"

Why did she feel like her mother had no intention of comforting him?

Zhulan waved her hand, "Chang Lian needs to calm down now, once he’s calm, he will come to your father on his own."

No matter how much she resented it in her heart, she could educate children, too, but the ancient customs didn’t allow her to show her wisdom, and Chang Lian wouldn’t come to her for comfort either.

At lunchtime, Zhou Shuren came out to eat with Jiang Sheng after a long conversation. Jiang Sheng’s face was no longer stern but had a smile.

Zhulan whispered to Zhou Shuren, "Chang Lian has come back and is sulking in his room, and Ming Teng even called him to eat but got no response."

Zhou Shuren raised an eyebrow; the shock to Chang Lian was quite severe, "Keep the food for him, let’s not bother with him and eat ours."

The lunch table was very quiet, Lady Li, after her disappointment, no longer hid Chang Lian’s purpose, and everyone in the family knew what Chang Lian had been up to, each reacting differently.

The eldest Zhou had really not noticed that Lady Li was keeping things from him, and it didn’t sit well with him. Suddenly realizing that his silly daughter-in-law also had her concerns now, she was no longer just his naive daughter-in-law. As for Chang Lian’s setback, he thought it was normal. Did he really think just by learning from his father, he would have his father’s skills? He actually thought it was better to face setbacks earlier, as Chang Lian had been going a bit overboard recently.

Zhou Er looked down on Chang Lian, thinking he couldn’t even walk properly yet, and already wanted to learn to run. Did he really think it was easy for his father to maintain dignity outside? Foolishness brings its own problems.

Chang Zhi just gave an "Oh" and thought about how to comfort his third brother, who had been quite good to him lately.

Xue Mei felt that Chang Lian’s ideas were naive. Jiang Sheng had his father’s support outside, yet he still kept a low profile and endured bullying and being tricked into treating others often. However, this kid’s luck must have all been used up on his engagement, and this time, his luck was really bad, coinciding with their father no longer going to the county. Everything usually aimed at their father would now vent on Chang Lian, who was also an object of jealousy being able to marry the County magistrate’s daughter as a Scholar’s son!

Xue Han was somewhat worried about her third brother, hoping he wouldn’t become too discouraged and be unable to recover from the setback!

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren, on the other hand, were the most composed.

After lunch, Jiang Sheng felt reassured and stopped thinking about making money. Riding on his father-in-law’s coattails, he helped out in the county and had saved up fifteen taels of silver. Including the few subsidies from his mother-in-law, even if he didn’t make money, he could comfortably study until the examination.

His father-in-law had shared the plan with him: his father-in-law’s family was planning to move to Pingzhou next year. From next year on, he and his wife wouldn’t need to spend silver on renting a house, and helping his father-in-law with the fields and grains would save money. Moreover, with his father-in-law moving to Pingzhou, his examinations wouldn’t require additional wasteful spending. With silver in hand, a place to live, and food and drink provided, as long as he became a Scholar and had the fields in his name, he would earn a decent sum each year!

When Jiang Sheng arrived, his heart was flustered, but taking his wife and child back home, he felt secure, and the future looked bright.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren were planning to rest. They lay down, and not long after, there was a knock on the door. Zhulan opened her eyes and mouthed, "Chang Lian."

Zhou Shuren got up, "You sleep; he’s come to see me."

Zhulan, "Yes."

Zhou Shuren slipped on his shoes and opened the door. Chang Lian’s clothes were crumpled, with scars on his hands—self-inflicted wounds. Zhou Shuren uttered with disdain, "Promising."

In a panic, Chang Lian hid his hands behind him, realizing his father was angry, "Dad, it was an accident."

"Do you think I can be fooled as easily as your elder brother?"

Chang Lian, "...."

He was clearly suppressing rage, but his father’s comment paradoxically made him want to laugh, thinking his elder brother really didn’t have it easy—Dad could even drag Brother into this, a stab to his heart!

Zhou Shuren sat in the main seat of the hall, feeling thirsty after a nap, "Tell me, what unpleasant things did you hear today?"

Zhou Shuren picked up the teapot and found it empty, worrying that Zhulan would wake up thirsty, he stood up with the pot in hand, "Wait a moment, I’ll fetch some water for your mother so she won’t be parched when she gets up. The fire at noon was quite strong, the kang too hot, and the room is strangely dry."

Chang Lian, "...."

Having psyched himself up to talk about the difficulties he faced, his father was only concerned about whether his mother had water upon waking. Huh, he suddenly felt the biggest blow was actually from his dad. The slights he suffered in the county today were nothing—his father must have regarded him as a charity case, ah that’s right, there was also his elder brother, somehow that thought oddly brought balance.

Chang Lian’s expression became somewhat odd—how had he ended up dragging his brother into it!

Zhou Shuren brought water into the room, made himself some tea, and even returned with some pastries, "Alright, your turn to talk."

Chang Lian, "......"

All of a sudden, he didn’t want to say anything! If you treat your own son like this, Dad, you’re going to lose him. He obviously needed comfort, comfort!

Zhou Shuren poured himself some tea, "Not in the mood to talk? Then why did you come to me?"

With a deadpan face, Chang Lian knew that if he didn’t speak up, he really feared his father would just walk away with his tea, ".....Some people said I’m living off a woman, and also said Dad is a sycophant. Chu Chu’s cousin spoke to me behind her back about a prescription, and gave me twenty taels of silver as if it were charity—and it was a forced sale, Dad. I didn’t even have the right to refuse."

Whether he was living off a woman or not, he honestly didn’t care, trusting blindly in his father’s capabilities. But the idea that his father could also be labeled a sycophant made him burn with rage. Throughout the year, his father stood tall in his heart; his passionate defense only attracted more scorn!

Zhou Shuren observed the fury in Chang Lian’s eyes, truly a child affected by a few stinging words, "Actually, they’re not wrong. Your father has indeed been humble and flattering to many outside."

Chang Lian’s eyes widened, "Dad, aren’t you angry at all?"

Zhou Shuren leisurely sipped his tea, "Today, Dad will teach you a lesson—do not get angry over irrelevant people, it isn’t worth it. When you can face scorn without changing your expression, only then will you have begun to master social interactions."

Chang Lian was dumbstruck, "Keeping a straight face is just the beginning?"

He had refrained from throwing punches today, all thanks to a year of learning from his father, yet it seemed even self-restraint wasn’t enough to be considered a start!

Zhou Shuren chuckled softly, "Yes, keeping a straight face is just the beginning. If you can discern the useful comments amid the mockery, that’s a beginner’s level. When you can tell which comments are true scorn, which stem from envy, understand their cause, and the interests involved behind the scenes, only then have you made some progress."

Chang Lian drew a breath, "Dad, what’s the standard for becoming a master?"