Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 228 Unknown_1

Chapter 228: Chapter 228 Unknown_1

Lady Lixu swallowed the pastry in her mouth and said gratefully, "Thank you so much for looking out for our family. Otherwise, I don’t know how worried I would be!"

"We are in-laws; it’s only right that we help each other."

Lady Lixu felt very reassured upon hearing this, "Rest assured, my in-law, with so many people in our family, we will definitely take good care of the land."

With the abundant crops from the land, they could get a bigger share. It was just a pity that even with many hands, their labor was still limited. With sixty acres of land, they could at most take care of twenty acres themselves; any more than that would be too much. But even with just twenty acres, they could make more than a dozen taels of silver a year!

Zhulan said, "We’ve always been confident in how our in-laws handle things. In the future, we’ll have to rely on you even more to take care of the fields and the house."

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren had calculated that of the sixty acres, their in-laws could at most take care of twenty acres. The remaining forty acres could be divided, with thirty acres given to the three brothers from their in-law’s side—ten acres each—and the last ten acres entrusted to the Lizheng’s family. With the Lizheng overseeing it, they could avoid a lot of trouble and pay extra attention to the in-law’s household.

Lady Lixu was all smiles; she wasn’t jealous of Yang’s family at all. Everyone had their own way of living. She simply sighed because of the benefits she had received through her daughter that year. Her mother-in-law was far-sighted indeed, always telling her daughter to treat her mother-in-law sincerely and even to send them significant items like chickens, and not holding back the hardly obtained mutton to give away.

If it weren’t for her mother-in-law’s goodness, the Zhou family wouldn’t be constantly thinking about the Li family.

Lady Li, standing on the side, didn’t feel tired at all. It was only after returning home that she realized why she had come home. She was angry that her husband had kept it a secret from her and enjoyed the feeling of being pampered by her parents’ family; it felt great!

Lady Li suddenly laughed out loud. Zhulan and Lady Lixu looked over just to see Lady Li still laughing foolishly, apparently thinking of something delightful.

Zhulan, "....."

Knowing Lady Li well, Zhulan was sure that she must be thinking of visiting her parents’ house more often in the future.

Lady Lixu, "....."

She couldn’t bear watching her foolish daughter any longer, and yet it was this very silly daughter who had such deep fortune; her entire household would have to depend on her one day.

Lady Li, seeing her mother and mother-in-law looking at her, quickly lowered her head, but the smile at the corner of her mouth just couldn’t be suppressed. Being at home, she was the esteemed daughter of the Li family, and no one dared to offend her!

That evening, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren insisted on having their in-laws stay for dinner. Lady Li’s father drank quite a bit of alcohol, and even Lady Lixu, feeling light-hearted, had a glass of wine.

After dinner, Zhulan sent the in-laws off and was enveloped in Lady Li’s enthusiastic hospitality.

Lady Li thought back and forth. It must be because she held a high place in her mother’s heart, which is why her maternal family received so many benefits. She definitely had to serve her mother-in-law well.

Zhulan, "....."

What was Lady Li thinking about this time? It didn’t seem like gratitude...

Zhou Shuren felt a chill, and his eldest son hurried back to his room with his wife. Today, for some reason, his wife wasn’t afraid of her father-in-law anymore; even when he had a stern face, she dared to cuddle up to her mother!

Zhulan exhaled; Lady Li was too enthusiastic, it was too much for her to handle.

The next day after breakfast, the Yang family arrived. Not only did Zhulan’s parents come, but all the male members of the Yang family also came. Zhulan’s home suddenly felt very crowded.

Zhulan helped her mother into the house to sit, and asked, "Why didn’t my elder sister-in-law and second sister-in-law come?"

Mrs. Sun said, "After all, they’re mothers. The battlefield is unpredictable, and life or death is a matter of fate. They’re very upset and haven’t gotten over it yet."

Zhulan knew her mother was also suffering inside, "Dad, eldest brother, and second brother, have you decided who will go?"

The third generation of the Yang family had six boys, which really wasn’t a lot.

Mrs. Sun explained, "It’s been decided. From your eldest brother’s family, the big lad Wu Chun and the young one Wu Dong will go, and from your second brother’s family, the second boy Wu He will go. If it weren’t for the youngest child in your second brother’s family being too little, your second brother would’ve wished to send two sons over."

It was a rare opportunity, and missing it meant there might never be such a good chance again. The Yang family wasn’t successful in scholarly studies and had no hopes for the imperial examinations; it had to follow the path of a military general.

Zhulan thought her eldest brother’s second son, Wu Qiu, would be the one going, but to her surprise, it was Wu Chun, "Mother, why did eldest brother’s family say Wu Chun would go? Wu Chun is the eldest!"

It was common to keep the eldest son at the parents’ sides; it was the eldest son’s responsibility, just like the oldest son was left at home in her second brother’s family.

Mrs. Sun clarified, "It was your father who wanted Wu Chun to go. Wu Chun has been escorting goods at an early age, he’s been to the south and braved the northwest. Having Wu Chun go along could better protect Wu Dong and Wu He, making the family feel more at ease."

Plus, the eldest grandson was truly battle-tested, with the best experiences and maturity. The eldest grandson just needed an opportunity to climb up, and the old man was particularly optimistic about him.

At noon, the Yang family stayed for lunch. After the meal, a few boys who were leaving stayed at Zhulan’s place. Zhou Shuren was going to take them to the Zheng family the next day for Master Zheng to have a look. If they caught Master Zheng’s eye, they needed to go back and pack, ready to leave with the others in a few days.

As it turned out, the boys from the Yang family weren’t bad; all of them caught Master Zheng’s eye, and the three boys went along with him.

As their only aunt, Zhulan also planned to prepare some things, as winter days in the northwest were tough, especially with a shortage of vegetables and such.

Zhulan didn’t pack much else but loaded up plenty of dried vegetables and personally went to the county to find Dr. Lv. Swords and sabers were blind on the battlefield, and medicine was crucial, especially for fear of wounds getting infected and causing fever. Zhulan asked Dr. Lv to prepare medicine pills for treating fever, while Wu Chun could get better medicine for stopping bleeding himself.

Zhou Shuren, as their uncle, also found someone to obtain three sets of soft armor. In the northwest, where conflicts were frequent, soft armor for self-protection was definitely in high demand.

Zhou Shuren had exchanged favors for a future opportunity for the Yang family and naturally wouldn’t cling to everything the Zheng family provided. What could be obtained independently, they provided themselves, which also meant a good impression on the Zheng family.

That was all Zhulan and Zhou Shuren could do; they were not capable of more.

As Zhulan and Zhou Shuren watched their nephews depart, standing at the gate of the Zheng family home, no, now the Zhou family home, they looked at the distant caravans. Three living souls, whether they would live or die in the future, was unknown.

Zhulan held her mother as the old lady waited for the convoy to travel far, and eventually, she cried. Her crying triggered a chain reaction, causing Zhulan’s eyes to redden too. Because all knew that the news they might receive in the future could be a death notice.