Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 261 Support_1

Chapter 261: Chapter 261 Support_1

Zhulan gestured for Lady Li to sit first, and after Lady Li had taken her seat, she said, "Mother has nothing else but to offer you some advice. Wu Ning’s brother, Wu Ming, is a sixteen-year-old Scholar, now apprenticing under the scholar Mingyun, who is the headmaster of the Green Mountain Academy. Wu Ning’s brother is young and has a famous teacher, so his future is promising. My intention is that you should not only guide Wu Ning, but if possible, take him as your disciple. With the relationship of master and disciple established, you will create a good karma for the future."

Lady Li was touched by her mother-in-law’s considerations for her. The head of the family couldn’t participate in the imperial examinations, and since they hadn’t divided the family property, the whole family lived together with the current disparity not being too great. However, as her two younger brothers-in-law would pursue their academic degrees, and considering that the second wife was not from the main wife’s family and didn’t have the eldest son or grandson, her branch of the family would gradually lose status over time. It would take many years before her son grew up to support the branch of the second wife!

Now that her mother-in-law was giving her guidance, her branch of the family would have its own network of contacts in the future. "Mother, your daughter-in-law understands. Thank you for planning for us," she expressed.

Zhulan liked talking to someone as clear-headed as herself; it truly saved effort. "As long as you understand, that’s good. Now, you may go back," she said.

"Mother, I’ll take my leave now."

"Mhm."

After Lady Li left, Zhulan rubbed her neck. She and Zhou Shuren tried their best to maintain balance, but as time passed, the disparities between the branches would grow larger. Currently, there were no conflicts, but as days and months accumulate, conflicts were inevitable. Even the tongue occasionally gets bitten by the teeth; how could it be possible for a large family to be without conflicts!

The eldest couple may be simple-minded, but they are good at having sons. In a few more years, Mingyun would grow up and be able to take charge of the main family. And with the status of the eldest grandson, the position of the main family would always be stable. It goes to say, among all the families, the eldest couple is the most blessed.

The situation for the second family was different. The children were too young, and it would take over a decade for Ming Rui to grow up. As for arranging a marriage using Yushuang, Zhulan wouldn’t allow it, hoping that Yushuang could find someone who would cherish her. Thus, among all the branches, the second family was the weakest.

For the third family, Zhou Shuren was nurturing Chang Lian, who had potential. With the help of marital connections, even if Chang Lian were to branch out, he would still live well.

Chang Zhi knew how to read, and though he was not involved in mundane affairs, he was not stupid and was quite perceptive. As long as he had a good wife to help manage affairs, his future wouldn’t be bad either.

This opportunity presented by the Wu family was too good to miss. If the second family seized it, it would benefit both Yushuang and Ming Rui in the future.

Zhulan’s heart also relaxed, and she waited for Zhou Shuren to come back in a good mood.

Noon came, and Zhou Shuren had not returned. Zhulan understood that he must have been detained for some reason; otherwise, he would have been back by now.

In the afternoon, Zhou Shuren Jr. came back with a grim expression. Zhulan was mentally prepared and comforted Lady Li, glaring at her second son, "Don’t just stand there with a dark face not saying anything. Your wife and I are both waiting!"

Zhou Shuren Jr., after making inquiries, came back fuming, "Mother, I’ve found out in Qian Family Village that after my mother-in-law remarried, her husband was competent. While acting as the steward, he established his own property and bought some land after regaining his freedom. He’s leading quite a comfortable life in Qian Family Village, one of the wealthiest families there, yet despite such affluence, my mother-in-law’s life is not good."

Zhulan had guessed that Lady Li’s mother was a bonded servant. Even if she hadn’t sold herself to Yun Manor and had no family, being a stepmother and sold servant meant that if the steward had protected her, her life could have been somewhat bearable. Unfortunately, the situation truly seemed to be developing in a worse direction.

Lady Li became anxious, "What exactly has happened to my mother?"

Zhou Shuren Jr. let out a deep breath, "From the news I’ve gathered, not only does my mother-in-law have to take care of the Qian family’s children, but she also has to serve the entire family, preparing meals three times a day with her health not being the best. The children she had later are also being bullied. I saw it at the entrance of the Qian’s house; a few children were pushing one around. I didn’t dare to intervene, fearing that if I chased the bullies away, the child would be bullied even worse at home. I waited until the children left before helping the little fellow up and gave him some pastries."

The younger brother-in-law was small and dressed decently but had some injuries. It was apparent he was frequently bullied, recalling the harsh words of those children, which they must have heard from adults at home.

Zhulan sighed, "Bullying the child is also a test by the Qian sons. If the steward had firmly protected him a few times, the sons wouldn’t dare to go too far."

Unfortunately, the steward in a merchant family values profit above all. The elder sons were more valuable, so naturally, the stepmother and the younger son became the expendable ones.

Zhao’s wife couldn’t help but cry, "Head of the household, I’ll go recognize my mother tomorrow."

Zhou Laoda felt sorry for his daughter-in-law, "Alright, we’ll go tomorrow."

Zhulan didn’t stop her; with Zhou Laoda there, there was no fear of Zhao’s wife being schemed against. Now that her mother-in-law had her daughter back, she would no longer be helpless, and the Qian family might restrain themselves a bit.

In the afternoon, everyone in the Zhou family knew why Zhao’s wife cried, and Lady Li felt even more sympathy for her; Zhao’s wife’s mother led a difficult life too.

Lady Dong had seen many things and didn’t react as strongly, only disliking the Qian family and deploring such troublesome relatives.

At dinner, Zhou Shuren only just returned home. Although he acted as usual in front of the children, Zhulan understood Zhou Shuren too well; something must have been accomplished.

After Zhulan finished washing up and returned to the room, Zhou Shuren picked up Zhulan and spun her around twice. "It’s done, next time Jiang Ming has a day off, he and I will go to the competition together."

Zhulan glared, "Put me down first."

The two sudden spins just now made her head feel unsettled, and now her heart raced, frightfully so.

Zhou Shuren also felt his arms were a bit sore, and he let go of Zhulan. Hmm, he had overestimated himself.

Zhulan sat down by the edge of the bed to catch her breath for a moment, then said, "Do you have anything else you need to prepare?"

Zhou Shuren, massaging his arms, said, "To be more certain, I will visit the antique shops more these days to gain a better understanding and ensure I’m more prepared."

Since Zhou Shuren always took care of things comprehensively, Zhulan didn’t ask further. She related Zhao’s mother’s situation, "So that’s the matter. Tomorrow Chang Yi and his wife will go to recognize kin. I was thinking, for the return gift from Dong’s brother-in-law, what if we took a pair of decorative vases? What do you think?"

They were openly recognizing kin rather than seeking favors; naturally, they should bring a valuable gift. Especially since the Qian family had been stewards and seen many fine things, the only gift from the Zhou family that could bolster Zhao’s wife was this pair of ornamental vases.

Zhou Shuren didn’t particularly like ornamental vases, they weren’t to his taste. Although this pair wasn’t highly valued, their appeal lay in the pleasant design. They weren’t antiques, but still worth several dozen silver taels. "I have no objections," he said.

Zhulan continued, "We can’t bring just one kind of gift when we go to recognize kin. We have plenty of stationery at home; let’s take two unused sets. The Qian family, living in their village, must want to pursue official degrees; their children should be in school. Giving stationery is appropriate, showing that we are a scholar’s family. Furthermore, add some fabrics. The fabrics sent by Lady Donglin for the New Year, many are new styles from the south, hard to come by in the north. The second room can pick the last item themselves. Zhao’s wife has a small embroidered screen; bringing that wouldn’t be bad."

Although they didn’t like the Qian family and didn’t want to give them an advantage, Zhao’s mother was, after all, from the Qian family. Not knowing Zhao’s mother’s intentions, the top priority was to ensure Zhao’s mother lived well. By offering so much, the Qian family would have to be cautious. As for the future, there was no rush.

The next day, Zhulan took out the gifts for recognizing kin. Without saying anything, Zhou Laoda understood the intention. He felt ashamed, "Son, I’m so embarrassed."

Unable to refuse the gifts for recognizing kin prepared by his mother, he didn’t have the silver to buy presentable gifts.

Zhao’s wife was moved and almost knelt down, but Zhulan quickly pulled her up, "Enough now, it’s not early anymore; you should head out and return soon."

Zhulan cast another glance at Zhao’s wife’s face. Although the hair still covered it, the scars on the face were drawn extremely realistically. Who would have thought Zhao’s wife had this skill? Clearly, in her old home, she learned a lot from Wang Ru. Zhao’s wife truly was deft and ingenious.

In the afternoon, Zhao’s wife and Zhou Laoda returned. Zhulan looked at the gifts brought back, somewhat surprised; even as return gifts, they shouldn’t have been so many!