Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 251: Belong to Oneself_1

Chapter 251: Chapter 251: Belong to Oneself_1

Lady Zhao was an expert at making clothes, and she could tell just by holding it that the bundle in her arms was clothing. Clutching the bundle tightly, her heart swelled because she guessed what it was.

Lady Zhao’s voice was somewhat nasal, "Mother."

Zhulan gestured for the second son to take Lady Zhao back, "You’ve been busy all day, Mother should rest now, you all go back as well!"

Lady Zhao held the bundle tightly, "Mother, we’re going back first."

Zhulan, "Mmm."

Once the two of them had left, Zhulan let out a breath and said to Zhou Shuren, "The last major task in our old home is done, and tomorrow we can start packing for Pingzhou at ease."

Zhou Shuren pulled Zhulan down to lie with him, "You’ve worked hard all day today, let me massage your back for you, I saw you rubbing your shoulders from time to time."

Zhulan sighed, "This body of mine isn’t young anymore, having aged another year. Metabolism and body functions declining year by year, I hibernated all last winter, and after the new year, preparing for the wedding, I hardly had any rest. The wedding feast the other day, and today, sitting all day without recovering, my whole body is very feeble."

Even though she continued to recuperate during winter, nothing could compare to the prime years of her twenties.

Zhou Shuren’s massage technique had been learned from Zhulan. Applying some pressure, Zhulan hissed, and Zhou Shuren eased up a bit, "Then let’s delay our trip to Pingzhou, and take it easy. Let’s get some good rest first."

Zhulan waved her hand, "No, it’s better to get it done in one go; otherwise, after a few days of rest, I’ll be reluctant to move again."

Zhou Shuren continued massaging Zhulan. The flesh that Zhulan had struggled to put on during the winter had vanished again these past few days. Having daughters was like owing a debt.

In Zhou Shuren’s second son’s yard, Lady Zhao had already opened the bundle, which contained a wedding dress. A fiery red wedding dress that brought tears to her eyes.

Zhou Shuren’s second son wrapped his arms around his wife’s shoulders, "Mother always remembered that you didn’t have a wedding dress."

Lady Zhao nodded repeatedly, "From now on, I won’t envy my sister-in-law anymore. Husband, I’m going to change into the wedding dress."

This wedding dress belonged to her. What woman wouldn’t want to marry in her own wedding dress? She had no family of her own, and when she married her husband, she wasn’t wearing her own dress but one borrowed from her sister-in-law, who was plumper, making the dress ill-fitting for her. She couldn’t alter it since it was borrowed, and she had always longed for a wedding dress of her own.

Now her mother-in-law had prepared one for her, custom-made from a ready-to-wear shop, in the latest fashion of the year.

Lady Zhao redid her hair and wore the jewelry given by her mother-in-law and bought by her husband. With the silver saved at home, although she hid from people, she still touched up with rouge. Neat and cheerful, she stepped out, "Husband."

Zhou Shuren’s second son thought to himself that he must have accumulated a lot of good fortune in his past life to have married Lady Zhao, "My lady."

Ming Rui sat on the kang bed, looking at his mother. He was about to speak excitedly when he shouted, "Mother."

Especially loudly, interrupting the couple’s eye contact. Well then, there were still two children at home who needed to be coaxed to sleep!

The next day, Lady Zhao wore a silver hairpin that Zhulan had never seen before. Lady Li was quick to provide an answer, "Mother, you see my taste is good, right? I chose the hairpin."

Zhulan thought to herself, Lady Li was rarely so generous. That hairpin was about two taels, "Good eye."

Lady Li’s heartache over the cost was soothed, having regretted her impulsive purchase of a hairpin for two taels of silver and often scolding herself for it. Thankfully, her choice had been praised by Mother, or it would have been an even greater loss.

The gift from Lady Dong was also practical, a pair of jade pendant earrings.

Xue Han had been learning embroidery from Lady Zhao, not only as a sister-in-law but also in a master-apprentice relationship. She too gave a valuable gift, purchasing embroidered screen gauze and threads of the finest quality, costing quite a bit of silver.

Zhulan felt cheerful at heart, she loved it when the whole family was together, prosperous and harmonious. If there was chaos within, how could they present a united front to the world? In the days to come, the Zhou family would need its members to pull together even more.

Looking at her youngest son and daughter-in-law, Zhulan felt that she had nearly completed her duties as a mother.

Breakfast was prepared by Lady Dong, whose cooking skills were second only in the family, far surpassing Zhao’s. It was not easy for a daughter of officials to devote time to learning cooking skills, which showed that Lady Donglin truly had her daughter’s interests at heart.

For Zhulan, who had never made progress in cooking and whose limited repertoire was mainly soups – often tasteless ones at that – she had to commend Lady Dong’s culinary skills.

After the meal, Lady Dong lifted her chin slightly, the meaning was clear: she hadn’t bragged.

Chang Lian, accustomed to his older sister-in-law’s cooking, felt that although his wife did well, she had the potential to do even better. "Don’t be proud; you should learn from your sister-in-law. I believe in you," he said.

Lady Dong, "....."

No, she couldn’t. She had learned her cooking from a kitchen maid who was dedicated, and this was the best meal she had ever made. She truly didn’t have a chef’s talent!

It was at this moment that Lady Dong remembered the recipe bought from her sister-in-law, pursed her lips, and was aware of the forced sale. Her father knew about it too and had let it be, aiming to provide more challenges for Chang Lian.

Only now did Lady Dong realize that her oldest sister-in-law had superb cooking skills, and the second one was excellent at needlework. What about her? With only mediocre cooking skills and needlework that couldn’t compare to her second sister-in-law’s, aside from being more literate, she started to understand, as she got to know her husband’s family, that they were also persistent in learning to read and write. Yes, her oldest sister-in-law was also very good at math. It seemed, aside from the status and broader knowledge her parents had given her, she really couldn’t compare to her sisters-in-law!

Zhulan had already instructed everyone to pack up their belongings and take care of their own preparations.

Zhulan herself was packing for her and Zhou Shuren. They had made a lot of clothes this year, especially for going out. Zhulan’s wardrobe now had colors, and the clothes for all four seasons filled four large chests.

She kept the clothes of her original self together, not planning to give them to anyone. No matter where the soul of her original self was, Zhulan had decided that when she died, these clothes would be buried with her. She sealed her and Zhou Shuren’s clothes and bought anti-insect medicine, storing them in a dry place to prevent damage from bugs. Once they were settled, she would take them with her; with proper care, even if they oxidized and deteriorated, it wouldn’t be severe.

What she and Zhou Shuren could do for the original person was this: they had taken over her body, and that was their way of bringing closure to her existence.

After packing up at home for a couple of days, Zhou Shuren arranged for a caravan, instructing the eldest and second Zhou brothers to deliver the luggage to the house in Pingzhou, where they were to clean the yard and prepare firewood and daily necessities.

The move was initially planned for after Chang Lian and Chang Zhi had finished their child student exams. However, the County magistrate could no longer assist Zhou Shuren in his studies and hoped that he would move to Pingzhou sooner. Being a Prefecture City with many scholars, Pingzhou offered Zhou Shuren an environment for intellectual exchange and recognizing his own shortcomings. Moreover, with the county examinations over and both the academy and government examinations set in Pingzhou, there was no need to stay in his hometown any longer.

After his last meeting with Wu Ming, Zhou Shuren felt a sense of urgency and wanted to move to Pingzhou as soon as possible to have more exchanges with Wu Ming. The last interaction had been quite enlightening, prompting the decision to relocate earlier than planned.

Zhulan also packed some fabrics and unused decorative items, which she prepared for Xue Mei.

Two days before the departure to Pingzhou, Zhou Shuren and Zhulan returned to the Zhou village. They first visited the Clan Leader for a chat. Zhou Shuren handed over the essays recommended by the County magistrate to the clan school, which would be helpful for the Scholars taking the township examinations this year.

Zhou Shuren was not afraid of others learning from him; he longed for the day when more Graduates would emerge from the Zhou clan!

Then, declining the Clan Leader’s invitation to stay for a meal, the couple returned to the old Zhou residence.

Jiang Sheng was studying in the room, feeling the pressure as the examinations approached.

Jiang Sheng and Zhou Shuren went to discuss articles.

Zhulan handed Xue Mei the Silver Coin she had prepared, but Xue Mei eagerly pushed it back. "Mother, I have already received two large bundles of things. I absolutely cannot accept the Silver Coin."

She had just seen that mother had prepared all the necessary writing materials for Jiang Zhu. With mother and father going to Pingzhou, they were still concerned about her!