Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 280 Lady Li Doesn’t Cry, Right?_1

Chapter 280: Chapter 280 Lady Li Doesn’t Cry, Right?_1

There was no voice outside, nor was it the Waiter. Zhulan stood up, frowning, while Zhou Shuren pulled on her arm—who knew who it was outside.

Zhulan shook her head; there wasn’t any danger now, but to be cautious, she carefully approached the door.

Zhou Shuren pulled Zhulan behind him, not giving her a chance, and blocked her as he opened the door. His face darkened; it was actually Zhang Sanni and Wang Xin.

Zhulan felt touched that Zhou Shuren was protecting her, yet was displeased that he had rushed to the front. Seeing Zhang Sanni and Wang Xin, Zhulan’s expression soured greatly, "Why didn’t you make a sound?"

Zhang Sanni didn’t dare to speak, fearing that no one would come out if she did. She had only knocked absent-mindedly, thinking it was Scholar Zhou and his wife, and had confirmed it only when someone replied; indeed, it was Lady Zhou’s voice. Now, only joy remained in her heart, without the slightest fear of Scholar Zhou’s stern face.

Zhang Sanni swiftly knelt at the door, "Scholar’s wife, for the sake of my brother, please take us two helpless women with you!"

She thought that Wang Ru had disappeared, and without her, she and Wang Xin would either be unable to survive or be sold off. Unexpectedly, the young servant who attended to the young master, after rifling through Wang Ru’s belongings, returned their Indentures to them, along with five Silver Coins each, instructing them to leave.

But the two of them, being weak women who couldn’t lift heavy weights, and with her decent looks, once they left the post station it was all wilderness—who knew what sort of people they might encounter, especially with an Indenture on them. An Indenture had to be annulled at the government office to be valid; carrying it now still marked them as slaves. If it were snatched away, they would still be bondslaves who had signed away their lives. This was not what she wanted; she had enough of being a slave and longed to find a stable person with whom to live her days.

Wang Xin also came back to her senses abruptly, not only kneeling but also kowtowing, "Auntie, you watched me grow up. Although I have done wrong, I have also received my retribution. I beg Auntie to take me away."

Zhulan had already calmed her anger, and after hearing the two women’s words, she thought that Zhang Sanni still had some conscience, unlike Wang Xin who had none. At least Zhang Sanni had considered taking Wang Xin with her, whereas Wang Xin had only mentioned herself, still as selfish as ever.

These two women were kneeling at the door, speaking loudly; sure enough, those who were watching the commotion began opening their doors to look.

Zhou Shuren’s expression was indifferent; he wasn’t afraid of being gawked at. They were just a caravan of strangers; the only familiar face was Shi Qing’s personal young servant.

The young servant was taken aback; he hadn’t expected Scholar Zhou and his wife to be in the caravan too, but then he composed himself, as it was irrelevant whether they were there or not.

Zhulan, on the other hand, did not like being the center of attention. She didn’t want to bring either of them with her. She had learned the story of the Farmer and the Snake since she was young and told Zhang Sanni coldly, "You left earlier, so you probably don’t know. Your father has told us the truth; Rongchuan is not of the Zhang family. From now on, your Zhang family and Rongchuan owe each other nothing and have no ties."

Zhang Sanni was stunned; without any connection left, the Zhou family would certainly not take her with them, "Scholar’s wife, please, for the sake of being from the same village, help me."

She had clearly heard what Wang Xin had said just now; Wang Xin actually didn’t want to bring her along. Well, she couldn’t be blamed for not taking Wang Xin now.

Zhulan stood upright, "You have already sold yourselves into servitude. I’m not concerned with how you managed to leave, but we are not going to take you with us. If you have Silver or Copper Coins, speak to the escort guards; they will be happy to take you to the next town."

Indeed, neither she nor Zhou Shuren were soft-hearted regarding two girls of questionable character; they felt not the slightest compassion.

Having said this, Zhulan closed the door. If you wish to kneel, then kneel!

Zhang Sanni watched the door close, biting her lip as she briskly stood up. She had no intention to continue kneeling. Now that she had a way to leave, it was better to settle it sooner rather than later, though it would costs a fair amount of Silver. She planned to return to Wang Ru’s room to search for any forgotten jewelry; all such items were Silver Coin.

Wang Xin, seeing Zhang Sanni leave, was stunned. Unwilling to accept it, she continued to kneel for a while, hoping someone would speak up for her. But one by one, the doors closed and they all returned inside, not even sparing her a glance.

Wang Xin could only stand up reluctantly; she had no choice but to follow Zhang Sanni now.

Zhulan, listening to the retreating footsteps, scoffed. They really thought someone would advocate for them. Forget it, Zhang Sanni and Wang Xin were slaves. In ancient times, people could be very cold-hearted, especially towards slaves. Even those with compassion wouldn’t intercede on behalf of a slave. Moreover, after having just experienced turmoil, the caravan acted on the principle of adding no more troubles, and though they might enjoy a spectacle, they certainly wouldn’t interfere in such matters.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren both had a rough night’s sleep. After lying in bed for a while, they went downstairs for breakfast, but did not go out for a stroll, preferring to head back to their room to catch up on their sleep.

They slept through to the afternoon, and even with the extra rest, the fact that they were no longer young and had not rested well in the preceding days caught up with them; after a hasty meal and chat, they went back to bed again.

This time they were able to sleep soundly, waking up only when it was fully light and feeling refreshed enough to continue their journey by carriage with renewed vigor.

The pace of the convoy picked up as the Armed Escort Agency aimed to get to the capital as soon as possible. They tried to travel more each day. Before, when they had to start out early, there were complaints, but ever since the incident, everyone had quieted down. The grumbles ceased, replaced by a collective eagerness to reach the capital sooner.

What was supposed to be a three-day journey to Haicheng took just two days. Zhulan watched as Zhang Sanni and Wang Xin left the group in Prefecture City for a night’s rest before the convoy pressed on.

This was the last Prefecture City they would pass through on their way to the capital, and Zhulan breathed a sigh of relief. The bumpy roads of the past two days had nearly shaken her apart.

That evening, Zhulan remarked, "In the future, I can avoid leaving home so readily. If I must go out, I’ll wait until we have slaves to guard the house. This trip has worn me out. Only through living it myself have I truly understood how difficult your long journey was. You’ve had it tough."

Zhou Shuren also felt uncomfortable all over. "When I go to the capital for the examinations, will you come with me?"

Zhulan, ".....Yes."

She could not bear the thought of Zhou Shuren going to the capital alone; she had to accompany him.

Zhou Shuren, feeling sympathetic towards Zhulan for enduring the hardships alongside him, said, "After the county exams, we’ll leave early. We won’t hurry, and it will be more comfortable that way."

Zhulan turned to face him. "I’ll tell you, I miss our daughters-in-law, especially Lady Li. So, the next time we travel, I’ve decided to bring our eldest son and his wife with us."

Zhou Shuren was silent for a while before replying, "I also think it’s a good idea to bring them along."

For the first time, he felt that having their sons and daughters-in-law around wasn’t so troublesome; after all, as their parents, it was only right for their children and their spouses to attend to them.

Energized, Zhulan asked, "Do you think our sons and daughters-in-law back at the Zhou family miss us?"

Zhou Shuren answered promptly, "They most certainly do."

Zhulan nodded, "I think so too."

Especially Lady Li. Without her biased mother-in-law to help her, she must have been bullied terribly. She might even be crying over missing her!

In Pingzhou City, each family returned to their own rooms. Distracted, Lady Li counted Copper Coins, "Head of the household, do you think father and mother have reached the capital yet?"

Without her mother-in-law around, she lacked the desire to even count the Copper Coins.

Scholar Zhou, their eldest, also kept track of the days. Previously, with his parents at home, he and Lady Li just had to obey, but now that his parents were away, life was much harder for both of them, and they both had lost weight, "They should have arrived by now."

Lady Li tossed aside the Copper Coins, "When is mother coming home?"

Without her mother-in-law at home to side with her, she felt none of the authority that came with being the eldest sister-in-law; her younger siblings-in-law were too shrewd.