Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 244 Survival is Difficult, All Depends on Acting_1

Chapter 244: Chapter 244 Survival is Difficult, All Depends on Acting_1

Zhulan looked at Yao Zheyu’s somewhat pale complexion, "Mr. Hou, you’re still ill, why not rest another night and set out tomorrow?"

Don’t aggravate your illness, their kindness may run out, this is the real world, look how pitiable the male lead is, and the male lead could very well die too.

Yao Zheyu was anxious to return to the capital; he regretted not waiting for his grandfather’s troops to join him. Worried about his grandfather’s health, he had hurried back with his people only to be ambushed on the first day, realizing that someone had deliberately exaggerated his grandfather’s condition to lure him back.

Now he feared that if his grandfather’s troops arrived in Pingzhou and failed to find him, they would turn back to search for him. If they missed each other, his return to the capital would become even more difficult. Although his grandfather had given him many things over the years, the bulk of the inheritance was still tightly held by his grandfather. Not to mention far-off prospects, the contacts and the list of confidants in his grandfather’s possession were something he had to get his hands on, absolutely not to be allowed to fall into his father’s.

To the capital, he must return, he must.

Yao Zheyu said, "Thank you for the kind offer, Scholar’s wife. After resting last night, I’m already feeling much better. As long as the cart isn’t drafty, my condition won’t worsen."

Zhulan maintained a smile, implying that they should fix up the donkey cart. The Yang family’s donkey cart wasn’t really great, only marginally better than an ox cart, and it was bound to be drafty.

Zhou Shuren said, "Mr. Hou, you go rest first. When the cart arrives, I’ll let you know."

Yao Zheyu expressed his thanks, "I’m troubled by your assistance, Scholar Zhou."

Zhou’s eldest went to Sun family village, and by the time he returned, it was noon. Not only did he bring back the cart and donkeys, but also beef, a large piece at that, nearly ten pounds in size.

Zhulan looked at the beef, "Where did your grandfather get this beef from?"

Zhou’s eldest said, "Sun family village. Sun Sanwang’s cattle shed collapsed and killed a cow. It just so happened to be the day my uncle was taking my grandparents back. After the county officials left, grandfather bought thirty pounds in one go. These ten pounds are for mother. Today, I won’t go to grandfather’s house but uncle will deliver it tomorrow."

Zhulan noticed that Zhou’s eldest hadn’t presented silver, aware that her parents must have received the silver for the cart and donkeys. Donkeys were scarce in Dongbei, and although they weren’t as fast as horses, they were quicker than oxen and not cheap either.

After discussing with Zhulan, Zhou Shuren had taken out twenty taels of silver to buy the donkeys and cart. They had wanted to give more but feared their parents would refuse, so they settled on the market price in the end.

Zhou Shuren asked his eldest to replace the cart curtain with a quilt, since the straw curtains were too drafty. He also had the interior of the shed reinforced to minimize drafts as much as possible.

Zhulan had Lady Li prepare congee and steam hot buns, then she took out an old quilt to lay flat inside the cart. She wrapped the pot of congee and the buns in a cotton jacket, and only after everything was ready did she go to inform Yao Zheyu.

In the end, Zhou Shuren offered twenty taels of silver to Yao Zheyu with a pained expression, "Mr. Hou, please don’t look down on this. I should have given more, but we’ve just bought new land and a house, and we’ve just handed over the silver coin for the mule cart to the in-laws, so I really can’t afford to give much more."

Yao Zheyu felt conflicted. Although he hadn’t seen much of the house, he knew it wasn’t cheap. A Scholar couldn’t have that much silver, but seeing the genuine sincerity of Scholar Zhou, his last bit of unease vanished. Scholar Zhou was indeed noble in character and virtuous, "I’ll remember today’s kindness, and once my affairs are settled, I will surely show my gratitude."

Of course, he’d probably just give some silver coin. Scholar Zhou had a good nature but was too trusting of others, which wasn’t good. He had thought of using Scholar Zhou in the future, but now he decided against it, lest he bring trouble upon him.

Zhou Shuren, covering his face said, "Mr. Hou, I feel ashamed with you speaking like this. The land and house were a rare opportunity. The gemstone you presented has all been exchanged for silver coin, and I hope Mr. Hou won’t hold it against me."

Yao Zheyu didn’t take it to heart, calculating in his mind why Scholar Zhou had the silver for buying the land and house.

Zhulan, looking down at the snow at her feet, thought that life isn’t easy; it all relies on acting skills. Even the male lead was fooled by Zhou Shuren’s acting. Indeed, they have it tough—being a scheming male lead isn’t easy. They need to measure it just right, eliciting gratitude from the male lead without attracting further attention, truly a test of character.

Zhou Laoda’s face showed no expression, but his heart was far from calm. Dad was really incredible, deceiving Mr. Hou without batting an eyelid!

Zhou Lao’er’s heart was even more active, his back sweating profusely. He wondered, was there anything Dad wouldn’t dare do?

Zhou Shuren and Zhulan saw off Yao Zheyu. The donkey cart left the village, and with the departure of the big trouble, Zhulan thought they should celebrate. It had been a long time since they had eaten dumplings, so they would have dumplings tonight.

Yao Zheyu’s arrival was sudden, and his departure was just as swift; he didn’t cause any trouble for the Zhou family. Ten days after Yao Zheyu left, New Year’s Eve arrived.

This was the second New Year’s Zhou Shuren and Zhulan spent in the ancient times. They had the same meal as the previous year, a hotpot at noon, only this time it was more refined and included more types of meat.

On the first day of the New Year, they exchanged New Year’s greetings. With last year’s experience, they all prepared many auspicious phrases, avoiding last year’s awkwardness. They had all learned from experience, which took away some of the fun.

This year’s red envelopes were double that of last year’s, containing twenty coins each.

After moving to Li Family Village, they distributed red envelopes just as generously as they had in Zhou family’s village. There were more children in Li Family Village, and since Zhulan’s family was a prominent household and it was their first year after having moved there, the children came knocking after breakfast. Luckily, Zhulan was prepared, or else there wouldn’t have been enough to go around.

The children of Li Family Village were thrilled. The village had the most children among the neighboring villages but was also the poorest. The children seldom had the chance to eat candy, let alone see a coin. After all, a coin could buy two pieces of malt candy!

The children from Zhou family’s village were not so pleased, missing out on the chance for that extra coin.

On the second day of the New Year, Xue Mei and her husband brought their children over, and Zhulan gave them red envelopes.

Zhulan waited until Jiang Sheng and Zhou Shuren had left before saying, "You two arrived quite early. Didn’t you come from the Jiang family?"

Xue Mei replied, "We returned on New Year’s Eve, but there was some unpleasantness. My mother-in-law scolded us for the modest New Year’s gift we gave, and my husband overheard her criticizing me. We came back yesterday at noon. Oh, and mother, my husband said he wants to sell the house we received in the family division and sell it to his older brother, whose eldest son is getting married and is troubled by the lack of a suitable house."

"Is Jiang Sheng not planning on going back in the future?"

Xue Mei was happy, "Yes, my husband said that once we have enough silver, we’ll buy a house in Zhou family’s village. It just so happens that selling the house might put my in-laws at ease for a while."

She truly had not expected that, with her parents’ home becoming prosperous, her in-laws would feel so provoked, almost to the point of becoming unrecognizable. Perhaps that was their true nature all along—if they hadn’t been unkind in the first place, why would they have worn her and her husband down?

When Xue Mei and her husband came to give their New Year’s greeting, they brought meat and clothes they had made for Zhulan and Zhou Shuren. Zhulan gave them two pounds of mutton with bones, five pounds of pork, a rabbit, enough cloth for their whole family to make clothes, a silver hairpin set with a gemstone for Xue Mei, and a pair of silver earrings for Jiang Miu. The little girl had pierced her ears during the winter; she had completed the process by the time Zhulan found out.

In modern times, she was terrified of piercing her ears, so in modern times she did not have ear piercings.

Xue Mei did not take the basket, "Mother, you and father have already given us so much support throughout the winter, this is too much."

Zhulan pushed the basket towards Xue Mei, "It’s not too much; compared to the New Year’s gifts we received, it’s nothing. I wouldn’t use it that much anyway. You’re married, but you’re still my daughter. Anything your siblings have, you won’t have less. Take it quickly!"

Now Xue Mei truly understood the feelings her mother had when she returned from her maternal grandmother’s home—guilt, moved, and a bit powerless. She couldn’t help out her parents’ home much; the only thing she could do was not to trouble her parents.