Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 221 Lift Your Head_1

Chapter 221: Chapter 221 Lift Your Head_1

Zhao’s eyes were red. She was aware that after all these years, her mother had been sold in Pingzhou, and it wouldn’t be easy to find her. Despite the odds, she still held onto hope and asked the head of the household to inquire. Her father and grandmother had sold her mother right in front of her, and the only thing she remembered was that the family who took her mother had the surname Yun.

She knew that having only a surname made the search difficult but still clung to the fantasy. After the head of the household had asked around among Pingzhou’s rich families and found no one with the surname Yun, she felt a sudden pang of sadness. When her mother-in-law called her and she didn’t adjust her emotions right away, she calmed herself down and shook her head, "Mother, just now the head of the household almost dropped Ming Rui while holding him. It gave me quite a scare. I was still in shock."

Zhulan realized that Zhao wasn’t telling the truth but didn’t press her for more information. As long as it wasn’t an issue with Chang Yi, that was fine with her. "It’s good that he didn’t fall."

Zhao adjusted her emotions and smiled, "Mother, did you want me and sister-in-law to start preparing dinner?"

Zhulan, "Yes, your father and the others have come back. We’ll stew a chicken tonight, one from our own coop."

Zhao asked, "Just a chicken?"

That seemed too simple. Given how her mother had acted just now, it shouldn’t be just a chicken for dinner.

Zhulan smiled, "Your father brought back cured meat and two roast ducks from Pingzhou, and we have ready-made vegetable dishes; stewing a single chicken will be enough. Oh by the way, I’ve divided the things brought back from Pingzhou, you all can take them back to your rooms first."

Zhao touched the silver bracelet on her wrist that the head of the household had bought for her, feeling a sweetness in her heart, "Thank you, mother."

Zhulan didn’t hear Lady Li respond and saw Lady Li staring blankly at Zhao. Zhulan understood right away; Lady Li had gotten a clear view of Zhao when she spaced out. Zhulan pulled at Lady Li, "Why the daze? Didn’t you hear what I said?"

Lady Li pointed at Zhao with her plump finger, "Mother, she, our sister-in-law, is just too beautiful. Is that really Zhao?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao knew it was too late to humble herself. She tensed up momentarily, then relaxed, feeling a sense of relief as if a weight had been lifted. Who wouldn’t want to show their true face? Who would enjoy constantly hiding? With her parents-in-law there to stand by her, she wasn’t afraid of being discovered. Zhao froze; she had unknowingly come to place such high trust in her husband’s family.

Lady Li was astonished. She felt she didn’t know how to describe Zhao anymore. Zhao was the most beautiful person she had ever seen; even as a woman, she was dumbstruck. Lady Li belatedly realized Yushuang never went out, and now it dawned on her. It was because Yushuang was too beautiful, and so was Zhao. That’s why Zhao always used to keep her face covered with her hair and her head bowed. Seeing her mother-in-law’s calm demeanor, she wondered if she was the last to know!

Zhulan couldn’t understand why Lady Li was suddenly feeling hurt. She just didn’t get Zhao’s thought process and frowned, "Looks are given by one’s parents. You shouldn’t feel sad about it."

Lady Li, ".....Mother, what did you say?"

Wasn’t this a jab at her heart? She had never really paid attention to her looks, but now that her mother-in-law had mentioned it, she took notice. Looking down at her chubby belly, anyone would think she was showing a baby bump. Then, looking at her fingers, she felt a strong sense of crisis. Who didn’t love a beauty? Even Lady Li felt comfortable looking at Zhao. This wouldn’t do; she couldn’t let Zhao take up all of her mother-in-law’s attention.

Seeing Lady Li’s reaction, Zhulan knew she had guessed incorrectly. Wearing a blank expression, she really couldn’t follow Lady Li’s thought process. As for whatever was making Lady Li feel aggrieved, Zhulan didn’t want to bother guessing anymore; Lady Li’s moods often passed quickly anyway.

Seeing her mother heading to the kitchen, Lady Li hurried after her, "Mother, do you think it’s too late for me to start losing weight?"

Zhulan turned around and cautioned, "If you’re going to lose weight, don’t mention it to others; it’s easy to get beaten up outside."

Zhulan finished speaking and paid no mind to the distressing Lady Li. After all, it was quite certain Lady Li would never be able to lose the weight—it was a hereditary issue. The Li family were all naturally heavyset, clearly a result of strong genetic influences.

Lady Li was no fool, and even though she couldn’t grasp the implication of her mother-in-law’s words immediately, after mulling it over for a bit, she understood. Speaking of dieting in the village would undoubtedly be asking for trouble. Only her own family ate well in Zhou’s village, and in a place where everyone still looked forward to eating more meat during the New Year’s festivities, her husband’s family never went a year without meat. She herself had become weary of it—meat was no longer her favorite food. But for other families in the village, just having enough to eat was good enough—let alone dieting. Wouldn’t that just be showing off?

Lady Li shivered and then remembered to ask Lady Zhao, "What did Mother instruct while I was distracted?"

Lady Zhao smiled. Her sister-in-law had her fair share of minor faults, but she wasn’t envious of her looks. She treated her the same as always, which warmed her heart. She then repeated what the mother-in-law had just instructed.

Lady Li, holding onto Lady Zhao, said, "I’ve been meaning to divide up the possessions. If it weren’t for Chang Yi pulling me back, I wouldn’t have wanted to leave at all!"

She accidentally blurted out her true feelings and gave an awkward laugh.

This was the first time Lady Zhao walked with her back straight and head held high, her steps light. She wasn’t concerned at all about her sister-in-law’s scheming. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had walked with her back straight. It must have been when she was very young—as soon as she started to grow up, her mother wouldn’t allow her to show her true face. The feeling now was truly wonderful.

Zhulan waited for Lady Zhao to return with the chickens and then said to her, "At home, walk with your back straight. Only disguise yourself when we have guests or when you are outside."

A year ago, she wouldn’t have dared to say this because she and Zhou Shuren hadn’t seized firm control of the Zhou family yet. Now she dared, not only because she understood the children of the Zhou family well, but also because she and Zhou Shuren had confidence in their control over the family.

Moreover, the household was full of shrewd people. Yushuang hadn’t been noticed before because she was just a child, but given enough time, they would inevitably take notice; it couldn’t be hidden forever. Lady Zhao revealing her true face was also a form of trust and would help strengthen the bonds within the Zhou family even more.

Lady Zhao was still somewhat nervous, but her mother-in-law’s words gave her peace of mind as she replied, "Yes."

Lady Zhao didn’t change her hairstyle; she just lifted her head, which lessened the shock factor significantly. But now that she had revealed her true face, except for Chang Yi who was shocked, Chang Lian and Chang Zhi were more enlightened.

As the eldest, Chang Yi couldn’t reasonably keep staring at his younger siblings’ wives. Moreover, with Lady Zhao’s propensity to cry, he would rather avoid her than pay attention. Seeing her true face now, his first thought was no wonder his second brother was insistent on trading food for a bride!

As the younger brother-in-law, Chang Lian couldn’t very well stare at his sister-in-law either. Before, he had simply found her annoying and gloomy. Later, when she didn’t cry as much, she still didn’t catch much attention, although he occasionally found her peculiar. Seeing her true face, everything made sense. That beauty needed to be concealed; it was a potential disaster. He truly admired his second brother’s audacity—it took an extraordinary amount of gall to handle such a beauty!

Chang Zhi had never paid much attention to his sister-in-law, but now that he understood the situation, he frowned, thinking it might be better for her to keep to her occasional weeping—that way, she would be disliked and no one would pay her any attention.

Xue Han, having spent the most time with Lady Zhao, had known about her true face for quite some time.

Zhulan observed the reactions of her sons and felt satisfied. Clearing her throat, she said, "You must remember we are one family, and a family trusts each other. I’ll be plain with you—if any of you dares to harbor ill intentions, I’ll have your father deal with you."

The sons of the Zhou family, "....."

How could their mother use their father to scare them? Although it was particularly effective!