Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 275 Human Nature_1

Chapter 275: Chapter 275 Human Nature_1

Xue Mei hastily said, "Mom, I didn’t mean anything else. I’m not just curious."

She found it astonishing that even with their wealth, they had acquired the residence in Pingzhou and the large estate in Li Family Village within a year, which surely cost a significant amount of silver. And now they were planning to buy a residence in the capital, where even a small courtyard would be worth a lot of silver!

Zhulan explained, "Before you came, your father appraised some antiques and won a few pieces, which he sold for a good sum of silver. We had some savings as well, so buying a small courtyard is not a problem."

Anyway, Chang Lian was going to visit Jiang Residence tomorrow, and he should find out what Zhou Shuren has been up to. The Zhou family should realize how formidable their father is by now, so there’s no harm in speaking to Xue Mei a bit earlier about it.

It would be a good chance to shake up Chang Lian and the others, to show them, look how awesome your dad is!

Xue Mei was stunned. She knew her father was brilliant at his studies but hadn’t realized he was also so impressive at earning money. Jiang Sheng was no match for her father, as there was no basis for comparison. She had been overjoyed that Jiang Sheng had become a Scholar, which exempted him from taxes on twenty mu of land, providing them with a stable income each year. In contrast, her father was dealing with antiques, and antiques are valuable!

Half-jokingly, Xue Mei said, "Mom, you gave birth to me too early."

If she were as young as Xue Han, she could also have enjoyed the life of a young lady.

Zhulan raised an eyebrow. Xue Mei hadn’t thought much about the slight differences before, but now that the gap had widened, she did harbor some ideas. Thankfully, Xue Mei had spoken light-heartedly, revealing no dark intentions. Zhulan hadn’t misjudged her character.

Zhulan patted Xue Mei’s hand, "Mom didn’t want to tell you so soon, but since we’ve come to this topic, I’ll talk to you in advance. You’re my child too. When you got married earlier, we didn’t provide you with anything substantial, but now that our household is doing better, your father and I are planning to give you a dowry when Xue Han gets married."

Xue Mei was taken aback, "Didn’t Dad and Mom already compensate with a cow and a cart?"

Zhulan said, "That was just a part of what your father intended to give you ahead of time, and it’s included in the total."

Even as jealousy about her sister had just arisen in her heart, it dissipated instantly. Her parents never played favorites. Biting her lip, she said, "Mom, I shouldn’t have been jealous of my sister just now."

Zhulan stroked Xue Mei’s hair. Jealousy is a common human feeling. If she were in Xue Mei’s place, she would feel unbalanced too. Xue Mei was a good girl. The Zhou family was buying land and a house and arranging a marriage for Chang Lian, and everyone thought this reflected the Zhou family’s solid foundation!

Xue Mei hadn’t been jealous before, but now she was, having realized the growing gap between her and Xue Han. Being daughters of the Zhou family, it was natural for her to feel unsettled. Xue Mei’s joking manner of expressing her feelings also showed trust in her mother, and naturally, there was a little scheming involved—who doesn’t have schemes?

Zhulan said, "All right, no more crying."

With a sniffle, Xue Mei replied, "I just feel like crying." Her parents had been so considerate towards her, yet she was calculating against them. "Mom, I’m not as good-natured as you think. I have my own thoughts too."

Smiling, Zhulan said, "Even fools have their own thoughts, let alone normal people. Now, no more tears."

Xue Mei, wiping her tears, said, "Mom, I never asked for anything in the past because I wanted you and Dad to think of me more and to help out Jiang Zhu and Jiang Miu in the future."

Having said it out loud, Xue Mei took a deep breath. Her parents were planning to give her a dowry. If she didn’t speak up, she’d feel guilty forever, as she couldn’t bring herself to outright refuse the dowry.

In the past, she hadn’t wanted anything because there wasn’t much to have; it was better to plan for her children. But now, knowing that the dowry would not be small, she couldn’t refuse it. Jiang Sheng’s capabilities were limited, and as the children were growing up, they would depend on the dowry for her son’s marriage and her daughter’s dowry. With the dowry in her hands, even if her parents aged and didn’t have the energy to look after her and her children, she’d still be confident in living well—she truly couldn’t refuse the dowry.

Zhulan tapped Xue Mei’s forehead, "Did you really think your little schemes would escape your father and me?"

Initially, she and Zhou Shuren may not have noticed, but over time, as astute as they were, they naturally saw through it. These little schemes were harmless, and Xue Mei was always thinking of her children; they didn’t mind it at all. Instead, they were happy that Xue Mei had these plans as it meant they wouldn’t have to worry about her being bullied in the future.

Xue Mei was dumbfounded, her face flushed red. Yes, if her parents were so capable, how could they not see through her thoughts? No one could hide their intentions from them, "Mom."

Zhulan mused that, before she traveled back in time, not only had she not thought about getting married, she never even considered having children. But after her time travel, she had six children to fret over. She felt like she had aged into her forties mentally!

The next morning, Zhou Shuren took his two sons to the Jiang Residence.

Zhulan was packing her luggage in the room by herself; she had learned her lesson this time and made sure to bring quilts and quilt covers. Her last experience staying in an inn was too painful. She also needed to prepare more handkerchiefs and purses and couldn’t forget to bring enough clothes to change into. Yes, yes, and she had to sew some pockets into her undergarments, and she could also sew some into her socks. Zhou Shuren could forget about that.

Who else but Zhou Shuren had sweaty feet? Zhulan was worried that even wrapping the silver notes in oilpaper wouldn’t save them from moisture. Zhou Shuren himself disliked it so much, but thankfully, he washed his feet every day, so there wasn’t much smell.

While silver notes were convenient in ancient times, they feared water and were severely affected by moisture. If the stamp became blurred, apologies, but you wouldn’t be able to fetch any silver.

Zhulan thought they might not always be able to stay in inns while traveling. In case they ended up in the wilderness, they would also need to bring things like salt and alcohol. By the time Zhulan felt she had prepared enough, goodness, just the quilts and clothes alone filled three boxes.

Zhou Shuren came back in the afternoon and saw all the boxes arranged in the room, "You’re packing too early."

Zhulan put down the brush in her hand, "I’ve packed the quilts and clothes first. The rest are still here, we still need you to purchase some things."

Zhou Shuren took the list, quite a number of items needed to be bought; daggers, charcoal, strong alcohol, and more. "You’ve thought of everything."

Zhulan, "That’s right, I’ve thought of all possibilities. It’s called preventing trouble before it happens."

Zhou Shuren laughed, "Alright, alright, I’ll see to it tomorrow."

As Zhulan washed her brush, she asked, "What did Mr. Jiang say today?"

Zhou Shuren, changing his clothes, "Pingzhou City doesn’t have any suitable masters. Jiang Ming means to initially take Chang Lian. Later, when Jiang Ming returns to the capital, he will take Chang Lian to meet his own master."

Zhulan hung up the brush she had cleaned, turned around, "Jiang Ming has a good impression of Chang Lian, even recommending his own master."

Zhou Shuren, "He’s always had a good impression of Chang Lian. If Chang Lian didn’t meet expectations this time, Jiang Ming wouldn’t have put so much effort into it. It’s all thanks to Chang Lian’s own efforts."

Zhulan asked, "Who is Jiang Ming’s master? He must hold a high position in the capital, right?"

Zhou Shuren tapped Zhulan’s forehead with the book in his hand, "You’re overthinking it. Back then, Jiang Ming wasn’t valued by his family. If his master held a high post, Jiang Ming wouldn’t have stayed in Pingzhou for so many years. Although not a high-ranking official, his master has his own abilities. Jiang Ming’s smooth-sailing years can’t be separated from his master’s teachings."

Zhulan covered her forehead, Zhou Shuren was getting more and more fond of tapping heads with a book, "If you tap my head again, I’ll pull your beard."

Zhou Shuren hid the book behind his back, "What did I just do? The older I get, the worse my memory becomes."

Zhulan rolled up her sleeves, "Let me help you recall."

Zhou Shuren jumped onto the kang, and Zhulan, "....."

Such quick reflexes!

Zhou Shuren was genuinely afraid of having his beard pulled; it hurts too much!

Zhulan, seeing Zhou Shuren’s hand covering his beard, humphed, "From what you just said, is Jiang Ming going back to the capital?"

Zhou Shuren knew Zhulan had let him off the hook, sat down and nodded, "Yes, the Jiang family is running out of officials, and as time goes by, connections grow weaker. So they’re eager for Jiang Ming to return, probably having received some news."

Zhulan said, "Does that mean we can go to the capital in a few days?"

Zhou Shuren, feeling even sitting was tiring, grabbed a pillow and lay down, "There’s nothing to hide about us going to the capital. We’ll need someone to take care of things here while we’re away. I simply mentioned our trip to the capital, and Mr. Jiang offered to help us find a caravan."

Zhulan had a bad feeling!