Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 272 Disappointment_1

Chapter 272: Chapter 272 Disappointment_1

Lady Li, "Mother, what’s wrong with me?"

It had been a long time since her mother had stared at her so intently, and it made her anxious!

Zhulan gave her a close look, "Lady Li, your face seems to be getting rounder."

She hadn’t paid much attention to Lady Li recently, but upon looking today, she noticed Lady Li’s face had grown significantly rounder. Was it because the food at home was too nourishing?

Lady Li, "...."

She had indeed gained a fair amount of weight recently, especially around her stomach; she counted, and there were four layers now. Her husband had also grown a belly.

Zhulan recalled the circumstances of Lady Li’s pregnancy and immediately fell silent!

Lady Li was especially troublesome during her third pregnancy, and had not had a peaceful time during any of them. Zhulan wondered if Lady Li had done it on purpose. However, Xue Mei had no reactions during her pregnancy. Could Lady Li be the same?

She knew that Lady Li was eager to have a child; despite being dissuaded twice, it only strengthened Lady Li’s resolve. Zhulan thought they really didn’t need to have so many children—the conditions in ancient times were so poor. Just thinking about raising Ming Rui from an infant to a child who could walk and talk kept her heart in her throat, always fearing illness, colds, or fevers. She dreaded the thought of the child getting sick and passing away.

The infant mortality rate was alarmingly high in ancient times, posing a risk to pregnant women as well. Zhulan was the worrying type, fearful and apprehensive. The joy Xue Mei felt about her pregnancy had quickly turned to concern in these past days.

Seeing her mother speechless, Lady Li’s expression changed, and she thought to slip away, "Mother, I’m going to the market to buy a fish to bring back."

Zhulan smoothed her expression, "Yes, go ahead!"

After Lady Li left, Zhulan said to Xue Han, "Go find your elder brother and ask him to come here."

Xue Han put down the red thread in her hands, "Alright!"

Zhou Shuren’s eldest son came in following his younger sister, thinking there must be some matter, and after he heard their mother’s words, he was stunned, "Mother, do you want me to fetch the doctor to take Lady Li’s pulse? Mother, is Lady Li pregnant?"

He was overjoyed; finally, he could get some rest. He resolved that after one more child, they would not have any more. His wife was enough of a handful, and Ming Teng was no quiet child either. Looking at how much his wife had been exerting herself lately, he feared that another child might be even more troublesome. He didn’t have the ability of their father to handle it. It was better not to have more.

Zhulan, ".....Don’t get excited just yet. I’m only guessing. We need to wait for the doctor to come and take her pulse to be sure."

The eldest son was a pitiable child; for a while, he clung to Ming Teng without letting go, making Ming Teng dodge him whenever he could.

Zhou Shuren’s eldest son was somewhat disappointed but still went out to call the doctor.

After the eldest brother left, Xue Mei said, "Mother, why is eldest brother in such a hurry to have another one?"

Zhulan, ".....It’s not your eldest brother; it’s your eldest sister-in-law."

Xue Mei, "....."

Zhulan heard footsteps, and little Ming Teng ran in, "Grandma, Uncle San, Uncle Xiao passed the prefectural exam, Uncle San came fourth, Uncle Xiao came first."

The little fellow was joyfully dancing with delight. There would be delicious food today, and it would be even better if one of the three big geese they were raising at home could be slaughtered. He had been eyeing them for a long time.

Zhulan appeared calm but was also concerned, "Good, good."

Xue Mei asked, "How come I haven’t seen your two uncles?"

Ming Teng blinked his eyes, "They went to the study to see Grandfather."

Zhulan fell silent; ever since Xue Mei had come, Zhou Shuren spent most of his time reading in the study with his sons. There was nothing for it. His daughter had returned to her parents’ home and naturally enjoyed spending more time with her mother. Plus, with the children being rowdy, Zhou Shuren quietly went to the front yard.

In these past days, Zhou Shuren also had his share of grievances.

Lady Dong also entered the room, her face full of smiles, "Mother, Scholar has passed."

"Good, good, Chang Lian has lived up to your effort in seeing him off."

Lady Dong felt joyful inside. She did not envy her younger brother-in-law; he truly excelled in his studies. She just hoped that her husband would pass the examinations, and a better ranking would be even better. If her husband could pass the Scholar examination on the first try at the age of sixteen, it would be quite an extraordinary feat. Aside from some young gentlemen from great families or students with exceptional talent, her husband would also stand out amongst them.

Even if he did not pass the government college examination, being a student candidate at the age of sixteen was already quite good. As long as he proved his abilities, whether it was his father or brother-in-law, someone would surely give him a hand.

Lady Dong was filled with joy, "Mother, the little brother ranked first. If he ranks first again in the government college examination, he will become Xiao Sanyuan. Mother, our family might produce another government granary student!"

Xue Mei joined in excitedly, "Mother, the little brother is only thirteen this year. Isn’t he the youngest Scholar in recent years?"

Zhulan had asked Zhou Shuren and shook her head, "Not the youngest. Since the establishment of the new dynasty, the youngest Scholar was twelve years old, one year younger than Chang Zhi."

Lady Dong, "Mother, for the little brother to achieve this at thirteen is impressive indeed."

Zhulan felt proud as well; in the ancient era, it truly was remarkable.

After her excitement, Xue Mei worriedly asked, "What about the two clan relatives?"

Lady Dong shook her head; she really hadn’t noticed. Ming Teng, raising his small hand, said, "I know, I know, they both passed the prefectural examination, but their rankings were not good, both were among the very last."

Zhulan smiled, "For these two children, it’s already quite good to achieve such results in their first examination."

Both of the Ming generation were not very old, the elder of them twenty and the younger eighteen. Neither of the children had a father like Zhou Shuren or a Scholar to give them special tutoring; they relied entirely on what they learned within the clan. With such results, if they were lucky in the college examination, a Scholar might emerge from them.

After the excitement, Xue Mei grew anxious again. Scholar’s pressure was mounting. Not to mention her brothers, even the clan relatives’ results were good. She really feared Scholar would put too much pressure on himself.

After a while, Zhou Lao Da had the doctor called back. The doctor first took Xue Mei’s pulse, which was strong. The child in her belly was doing well; there was nothing to worry about.

After sitting and waiting for a while, Lady Li returned from buying fish. Knowing the doctor’s purpose, she eagerly extended her hand, "Doctor, please give it a good examination."

Stroking his beard, the doctor thought to himself that this lady was indeed quite plump and certainly needed a good pulse examination. Eyes closed, he focused on her pulse. Soon, he opened his eyes and coughed, "Madam, you’ve been a bit overfed at night recently, eating a bit much. Try to cut down on pastries in the future and move around more."

Lady Li’s eyes widened, "I’m not pregnant?"

"No."

Lady Li felt disappointed, sighing internally. She knew it; every time she was pregnant, she went through a lot of trouble. Others gained weight when pregnant; she lost weight. She shouldn’t have entertained the idea of an easy pregnancy.

Zhou Lao Da was the most disappointed, unable to feel joy even as the brothers had done well in their exams.

That evening, because Lady Li was feeling downcast, the meal she prepared was not up to her usual standard. Zhulan did not find much taste in it. She herself had been overindulging recently; her stomach was acting up.

With the government college examination following the prefectural examination, and so few days in between, Zhulan had no time to deal with Lady Li’s moods. Lady Li could throw her tantrums; they wouldn’t affect her.

As the government college examination drew nearer, Jiang Sheng grew more and more silent. They said there was no restriction on student candidates taking the Scholar examination, but session after session went by without passing. Those who weren’t resilient couldn’t withstand the continuous string of exams. Shu Mo, who had participated in last year’s examination, did not take part this year. Due to lack of confidence and fear of failure, he was thinking of waiting another two years before trying again.

Chang Lian and Chang Zhi had put an enormous amount of pressure on Jiang Sheng. Both of his young brothers-in-law were young, and they had performed well in the prefectural examination. Jiang Sheng wished he could use every available moment to study.

Zhulan wanted Zhou Shuren to provide some psychological counseling, but Zhou Shuren spread his hands, "It’s no use saying anything right now."

Zhulan sighed. She was even considering praying to Buddha, hoping everything would go smoothly.

In the blink of an eye, the government college examination arrived.