Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 234: Truly Observant_1

Chapter 234: Chapter 234: Truly Observant_1

Zhulan followed Lady Li out, "What is the matter?"

Lady Li lowered her voice, "Mother, Zhang Datie and his wife have arrived with their son, accompanied by strangers. I couldn’t stop them, and they’ve already entered the courtyard. Mother, should I have the head of the household drive them out?"

Zhulan raised an eyebrow; she truly hadn’t expected the Zhang family to come, and especially not so brazenly. Back in Zhoujia Village, ever since her family had arranged a marriage with the county magistrate’s family, neither Zhang Datie nor his wife had dared to send their children to seek out Rongchuan again. "Have they made any movements?"

Lady Li shook her head, "No, both Zhang Datie and his wife are dressed appropriately, not looking like they are here to cause trouble at all. Since arriving, the couple has just been sitting at the table without wandering around or looking for Rongchuan."

Zhulan instinctively felt that the Zhang family must have come for a reason. Despite being annoying, that family knew well how to survive, aware of whom they could provoke and whom they couldn’t. They dared to scheme against Wang Ru, but not against the Zhou family, "If they don’t cause any trouble, there’s no need to bother with them. If there’s an issue, they will come looking."

Reassured by her mother-in-law’s words, Lady Li felt more at ease. This was the first time she was hosting guests on her own, and she was afraid of making a mistake, now understanding that a misstep on her part would reflect poorly on the entire Zhou family. "Mother, I’ll go attend to the guests, then."

Zhulan was quite pleased with Lady Li’s performance today, her careful guidance hadn’t gone to waste. As for Lady Zhao, she was busy helping out in the kitchen!

Returning to her room, Lady Donglin asked, "Nothing went wrong, did it?"

Zhulan smiled and said, "Lady Li came to ask for the first time hosting guests because she was unsure. Let’s go, I’ll take you for a walk. Although there’s no garden inside the residence, there is a pond, and the scenery is quite nice."

Lady Donglin stood up, "Then I must take a look."

This would also become her daughter’s home in the future, so she wanted to inspect it thoroughly. Initially, she was unsatisfied with the old Zhou residence, but was surprised to find that the Zhou family had purchased a larger estate. Now, her daughter’s marriage would look good on her as well.

When it came to the Zheng family’s residence, many coveted it when it was first built, with some even attempting to buy it forcefully. No one succeeded, and no one dared to mention the Zheng property again. Eventually, everyone knew not to mess with the Zheng family. Although the Zhengs had left, the rumors about them never stopped.

Especially after the Zhengs in the Northwest had a military officer among them, it became a firm belief that the Zheng family was not to be trifled with. Unexpectedly, the estate was sold quietly, and to Zhou Shuren, no less.

The old master had his suspicions too, but eventually accepted that Zhou Shuren, being a relative and the son-in-law of the Zheng family, was in their favor and thus sold the estate to him.

She didn’t care why, just that this large estate would one day have a share for her daughter, and the better the Zhou family fared, the happier she would be.

This marriage alliance had brought its share of rumors, some maliciously guessing if her daughter had some sort of incurable disease, leading them to settle for a scholar for a son-in-law. Now she could firmly slap those rumors down, for which ordinary scholar could afford such a large estate!

Lady Donglin’s mood was lifted, and everything looked pleasing to her, "The residence is really well built, with every little courtyard independent."

Zhulan said, "Yes, in the future, every branch will be in their separate courtyards. It’s not just spacious, but also eliminates disturbances. Those studying can focus on their studies, and when there are children, they will have space to play. If one wishes to cook on their own, that too will be convenient."

Lady Donglin’s smile deepened, knowing that Yang’s words were specifically aimed at her, indirectly telling her that Yang was not an evil mother-in-law who controlled everything, nor would she enforce strict rules on her daughters-in-law, "Each little courtyard also has many rooms; in the future, each branch can have seven or eight kids and still have enough space to accommodate them."

Zhulan thought about how Dong Chuchu would only be thirteen next year; truly, the ancient times were cruel. They were in seclusion, and Zhulan felt it was necessary to speak up, "Sister-in-law, we have known each other for over half a year, and you understand my character. I won’t speak empty words to my sister-in-law. Marrying Chu Chu off early is to avoid future marriage troubles, but next year Chu Chu will only be thirteen, still a child. I think we should wait two more years before consummating the marriage. Too early could harm Chu Chu’s health. What do you think, sister-in-law?"

Lady Donglin felt warmth in her heart upon hearing this; Yang truly cared for her daughters-in-law. She spoke affectionately, "Sister-in-law, if you hadn’t brought it up, I would have conversed with you about this prior to the children’s marriage. Now that you’ve mentioned it first, I’m grateful. I thank you on behalf of Chu Chu for your love and care."

As a woman herself, she knew all too well the pains of early pregnancy. She had married too young and had suffered greatly to bear her first child, which ultimately was stillborn. Moreover, her health was compromised and it took her three years to conceive again. Thankfully her husband stood by her against her mother-in-law, otherwise, she would have had a tough time.

She had been through it and naturally didn’t wish for her daughter to endure the same.

Once moved, Lady Donglin shared her past hardships, and Zhulan consoled her, "It’s all in the past now; sister-in-law is blessed with good fortune."

Lady Donglin wiped her tears, "I made a fool of myself in front of my younger sister-in-law. It was only after the doctor explained that I learned, a woman should consummate her marriage after the age of fifteen, as too early is not good for the mother or the child."

Zhulan thought to herself that Lady Donglin was using her own experience to hint at a timeline for her, "Sister-in-law, what about sixteen?"

Lady Donglin was satisfied, feeling her past discussion was not in vain, "Indeed, you care for your daughter-in-law more than I, her own mother, could."

Zhulan inwardly chuckled. Had she not been astute, she would have been lavishly praised by Lady Donglin and lost all sense of direction, "Then let’s settle on that."

Lady Donglin smiled, "I’ll follow my sister-in-law’s advice."

Zhulan, "....."

Lady Donglin was indeed full of schemes. Even though Zhulan had initiated the conversation, not everything should fall onto her shoulders. It seemed acquiring a good mother-in-law’s reputation wasn’t so easy. Lady Donglin was making her take responsibility for Chang Lian. Luckily, Chang Lian was now ambitious and very afraid of Zhou Shuren and Zhou Shuren listened to her, her position was at the very top of the family’s food chain, Chang Lian didn’t dare to be discontented.

Zhulan took Lady Donglin to the pond, which was not small and even had fish in it. Zhou Shuren had measured it: around one and a half meters deep at the edge and about three meters at the deepest point in the middle. The pond was not just for raising fish, but also for drought prevention.

There were lotus flowers in the pond too. The weather in Dongbei was cool, and the lotus flowers bloomed around July and August. Zhulan had long wanted to eat lotus roots, and surely the Zheng family had people who also loved lotus roots. They were planted near the shore at the depth of one and a half meters.

Now it was all to Zhulan’s advantage.

Lady Donglin’s old home also had a pond with lotus flowers, "The scenery here is truly nice."

Zhulan agreed. Although it wasn’t her own home, staying here for free was a huge bargain. Zhulan estimated the time, "The seats in the front courtyard should almost be ready. Shall we head back there?"

Lady Donglin was also tired from walking and indeed felt a bit hungry, "Alright."

Today’s visitors were quite numerous, but thankfully Zhulan had prepared two extra tables worth of dishes. The tables and chairs at home were ready to use, so there was no need to borrow any, accommodating the extra two tables of guests perfectly.

The banquet had twelve dishes, ten meat dishes and two cold vegetarian dishes. The menu prepared by Lady Li included three fish dishes: pickled cabbage fish, braised fish, and boiled fish.

Even though the banquet lacked rare and precious ingredients, it was still decent for the countryside.

The wine was the best that could be bought in the county, and the most expensive item at the banquet was indeed the wine.

The county magistrate and his family came in person today, dispelling some unfavorable rumors and solidifying the Zhou family’s host status. The meal proceeded without incident, and the banquet concluded smoothly.

County guests bid farewell one after another, while the Zhou clan relatives did not rush to leave. It was rare for them to visit, and naturally, they wanted to take a stroll.

Zhulan personally saw Lady Donglin to her carriage. As Dong Chuchu got into the carriage, she glanced in Chang Lian’s direction. Chang Lian felt it and looked back; the young girl quickly got into the carriage, embarrassed.

Zhulan watched the carriage curtain, feeling somewhat numb. The young were always precocious in ancient times—right, even in modern times, they were precocious at this age. She thought of her half-brother who, at fourteen, already had two girlfriends. Zhulan looked to the heavens speechlessly; she only got out of being single after she arrived in ancient times!

After sending off the county guests, Zhulan returned to the yard to find that Zhang Datie and his wife had not left. The Zhou clan relatives staying was one thing, the Li family not leaving was because they were relatives by marriage, and the Yang family staying was her maternal family. Only Zhang Datie’s family were outsiders.

Zhulan realized they must have come with a purpose.