Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 262 Evidence_1

Chapter 262: Chapter 262 Evidence_1

Zhulan looked at the return gifts Zhou Shuren’s second son brought into the house. The basket contained mutton, all processed and nearly a full basket – almost a whole sheep, bones and all – plus other nourishing foods like red dates.

There was quite a feast, and in addition to that, there were two boxes. Opening them, one found a set of ornaments and a scroll of calligraphy and painting. Wrapped in a large cloth were two cloaks. Zhulan had frequented furrier shops enough to recognize at a glance that they were made of fox fur. In Lady Zhao’s hands was also a small casket.

This return gift far exceeded the value of what they had sent!

The Zhou family members were all stunned. No matter what, they shouldn’t have received such abundant return gifts.

Zhou Shuren’s eldest son asked, "Second brother, what on earth happened?"

Zhou Shuren’s second son teased, holding up an ornament, "Mother, do these ornaments look familiar to you?"

Zhulan took the ornaments and noticed, "Aren’t these almost identical to the ones we sent over?"

The most significant difference was just the pattern.

Zhou Shuren’s second son explained, "Mother, the Yun family is in the business of making porcelain vases. Every year, they make a batch of uniquely designed pieces to give to officials in Pingzhou of all ranks. Steward Qian remembered this well, and as soon as he saw the ornaments I brought, he knew they came from Mr. Jiang’s household. Once he asked why the ornaments were in our possession, he treated us with exceptional courtesy, and that’s why we received so many return gifts."

Lady Zhao opened the box she was holding, "Mother, this is the Qian patriarch’s replenishment for my dowry."

Lady Zhao never expected to gain an adoptive father at such a bargain. She felt moved inside. Truly, a steward to the core, she now had value to them. Not only had they acknowledged her, but they had also supplemented her dowry. How calculating, indeed.

Zhulan glanced at the contents: a pair of jade bracelets of decent quality, two gold hairpins, and a set of gold bangles that dazzled the eyes. Steward Qian must have seen the benefits to invest in her. Still, she now had a rough estimate of the amount of silver in the steward’s possession.

The Qian family’s wealth must be substantial, and the items skimmed from their masters surely weren’t insignificant, with the paintings and calligraphy serving as definitive proof.

The dowry given by the Qian family to Lady Zhao was a mere drop in the bucket for them. Steward Qian, who had calculating in his marrow, gave a face-saving return gift and had accepted a cheap daughter. If Zhou’s family rose in status and they had a scholarly relative, the Qian family would benefit. And if not, Zhou’s family still had relations with the officials, so ultimately, Qian family would not lose out in any calculation.

Lady Li gawked at her younger sister-in-law’s dowry, feeling a bit vexed. She had been able to look down on her sister-in-law before, but now the latter’s private stash exceeded her own, relegating her to the bottom of the family in terms of wealth. Who would have thought her sister’s outside kin would top up her dowry, and she had worried for nothing.

Lady Dong frowned but quickly relaxed. She despised the Qian family – even as a freed servant turned farmer, their steward was shrewd in calculations. Still, it was fortunate that the Qian family was clear-headed, yet she also held them in contempt for their tendency to bully the weak and fear the strong.

Zhou Shuren’s eldest son frowned, disliking the Qian family. They had first bullied his sister-in-law and now, with someone to rely on, tried to make amends with money. It was too mercenary for his taste.

Chang Lian, however, looked at it from a father’s perspective. The Qian family, being a cheap affiliation, was not a relation to invest in deeply.

Zhulan gestured for Lady Zhao to put the box away, "It seems that your mother will have a more comfortable life from now on."

Lady Zhao closed the box, "Yes, today, all of Qian’s sons and daughters-in-law have apologized and assured that they will treat my mother as their own from now on."

Lady Zhao recalled the words her mother had said to her alone. Her mother couldn’t bear to part with her three-year-old brother because she knew once she left, he would remain a child of the Qian family and wouldn’t be able to leave. A child without a mother would be less than wild grass. Her mother was also thinking of her, not wanting to burden her.

Her mother had always considered her children, never herself. Thinking of this, her heart ached.

In the beginning, her father was kind to both her mother and her, but it all changed one winter when he injured his back trying to save her mother from falling into a river, which made it difficult for him to father more children. Then, he turned cold towards her mother, especially when the child her mother was carrying – reportedly a boy – was lost.

This was also why her mother had been sold and had told her not to harbor hate. Her mother felt she had wronged her father and, in the end, only asked her to protect herself, for her father had changed long ago. For the sake of a male child for the Zhao family, her mother could be sold. Later, when she was traded for food, her father did not even spare her a glance.

With all these thoughts, Lady Zhao’s eyes reddened, and she fought back tears. Her mother had said that things were fine now and that the Qian family would respect her mother as long as her in-law’s family improved. The better her in-law’s family did, the better her mother’s life would be.

Zhulan saw that Mrs. Zhao’s spirits were not too good and said to Chang Yi, "You’ve also been tired all day, go back and rest!"

Zhou Er said, "Mother, then we’ll head back first."

"Mm."

Zhulan also said to Lady Li, "The cold wind is chilling today, take out some of the rare mutton and stew it for tonight’s meal, and pack away the rest of the mutton and the dates and such."

Lady Li no longer lacked pork in her belly, but mutton was still scarce, "Mother, it’s getting late, I’ll go cook now."

"Go ahead."

Lady Dong stood up, "Big sister, let me help you."

Lady Li smiled, "Good."

She was growing increasingly fond of Chang Lian’s wife, having taught her many principles!

Looking over the remaining gifts, Zhulan eyed the decorative vases that were not to Zhou Shuren’s liking. Contemplating carefully, she realized that many items had left the house when Chang Lian went out for visits, and the gifts received in return meant the third branch received quite a bit, and the second had given away significant amounts for recognizing relations, receiving some in return as well, while only the eldest’s house hadn’t gained anything.

Zhulan pointed at the decorative vases, "This pair of vases, Eldest, you take it back home with you."

Zhou eldest was stunned, "Mother, what do I take it back for?"

Such valuable items were safer kept with mother.

Zhulan didn’t feel like explaining, "I said it’s for your main house, so take it back with you!"

Zhou eldest realized then, mother was seeking balance, feeling that the main house had been slighted, she gave the decorative vases to it. Some understanding dawned upon him, no wonder his younger sister never actively asked mother for anything, and never seemed resentful during her visits home! It turned out she understood their parents the most; precisely because she did not contend, and the parents, being fair, would naturally compensate, she earned a good reputation and remained in the parents’ thoughts. His sister was truly astute!

As Zhou eldest looked at Chang Zhi, who gave an impression of a big brother who deserved his due, so did Chang Lian, who was calculative—aha, he knew now how to act as the big brother in the days to come.

Zhou eldest, holding the box, felt elated inside; today’s gains were significant.

Chang Lian and Chang Zhi did not leave; both were waiting to look at paintings!

Zhulan saw their eyes fixed on the paintings, "You open them up and look for yourselves, just don’t damage anything."

Chang Zhi was much faster than Chang Lian, "Mother, don’t worry, I will be very careful."

Zhulan shook her head with an amused smile; Chang Zhi was only ever this eager when it came to books and paintings.

Zhulan felt the fur of the cloak, these two cloaks were for her and Zhou Shuren; hers was fox fur, Zhou Shuren’s was black mink. The touch was luxurious, incomparable to rabbit fur.

Zhulan hung the cloaks in the wardrobe, thankful to Wang Ru; large wardrobes were fashionable now, and the Zhou family had acquired quite a few.

As Chang Zhi and Chang Lian looked at the calligraphy and paintings, Zhulan admitted to not understanding art appreciation; she only glanced briefly—well, the calligraphy was not bad. That was it; as for the signature, she did not recognize it, likely a calligrapher from some fictional dynasty.

Chang Zhi examined it closely, frowning slightly, "Huh."