Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 284 Cherish Life_1

Chapter 284: Chapter 284 Cherish Life_1

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren followed the waiter’s pointing hand and looked over—Yao Zheyu’s young servant was there, though they had no idea what for.

Upon hearing them, the servant, who must have been waiting for quite some time, had a somewhat stiff expression. "Scholar Zhou, Madam Zhou."

Zhou Shuren eyed the box in the servant’s hand. "May I know your business?"

The young servant had waited for a long while and just wanted to deliver the items and hurry back. "This is for Scholar Zhou from the young master. He said that from now on, you’ll owe each other nothing. Please make sure Scholar Zhou accepts this."

Zhou Shuren reached out and took the box. "Please tell the young master that Zhou understands."

The young servant thought he would have to talk more to deliver it and had not expected it to go so smoothly. "Then I’ll be going."

Zhou Shuren, "Please do."

After the young servant left, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren went upstairs and back to their room. Zhulan looked at the box; they both knew that in the capital, it was better to follow Yao Zheyu’s lead, especially now that he seemed to have turned somewhat ruthless.

Zhulan closed the room’s door, and Zhou Shuren had already opened the box. "Come and take a look."

Zhulan walked over to the table and upon looking inside the box, all she saw were Silver Notes, and they were all large denominations. Zhulan counted, pouring them out. "They really are Ten Thousand Silver Notes. I thought Yao Zheyu would renege on the debt of saving his life!"

Zhou Shuren, "This only means that Yao Zheyu hasn’t completely turned evil yet. However, having repaid the life-saving debt, it seems the last bit of warmth in Yao Zheyu’s heart has also gone."

Zhulan was a bit anxious, "You should look for a caravan tomorrow. We should leave as soon as possible. Who knows if Yao Zheyu deliberately avoided people when he sent these Silver Notes. We shouldn’t get drawn into his troubles and end up like cannon fodder."

It was a pity that Yao Zheyu had changed; their plans fell through. Although receiving the Silver Coin was a cause for happiness, when compared to danger, life was more important.

Zhou Shuren too was concerned about this matter. "We’ve been unlucky this journey. Travel hasn’t gone well, and even arriving in the capital wasn’t smooth. Though we bring wealth, it’s always accompanied by the threat to our lives. Indeed, the sooner we leave, the better."

Zhulan looked at the Silver Notes in her hands. Now that they had Silver Coin, it was a pity that they didn’t dare to spend it—not just because they were in a hurry to leave the capital but also because they had already spent too much that day. The broker and Scholar Deng’s looks had changed.

Meanwhile, the young servant returned to the Hou Residence. "Young master, I’ve delivered the box. Scholar Zhou accepted it without inspecting the contents."

Yao Zheyu discarded the book he was holding. "I see. You can go now!"

The servant bowed his head and carefully shut the door as he left.

In the room, now alone, Yao Zheyu let out a sneer, mocking himself. He had thought long and hard the night before but still decided to repay the life-debt. He disdained the idea of reneging on the gratitude owed. But it seemed that Scholar Zhou was indeed insightful, having detected his change and accepted the box without question—truly sharp.

It was just a pity that Zhou was a minor scholar, not even of the capital, and without any use to him. Yao Zheyu closed his eyes, recalling the conversations his grandfather and father had behind closed doors, huh!

The next morning, Zhou Shuren left early to search for the caravan. Fortuitously, these days there were many caravans departing the capital, with a caravan leaving the city every day. There was one heading to Dongbei that afternoon; however, they had no spare carriages or coachmen, and escort guards would have to be hired separately.

Zhou Shuren and Zhulan discussed and decided to buy two horse-drawn carriages; this way, they only needed to hire coachmen and escort guards.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren went to Beicheng, where horses and carriages were sold. As neither of them knew much, they had to pay the broker an extra fee to help purchase two somewhat better horses.

In Beicheng, the horses for sale were not famous breeds, mostly domestic horses used for hauling carriages and goods. Even ordinary horses were outrageously expensive—at fifty taels each, not including the carriage, which was an additional seventy taels.

In ancient times, carriages had to be registered with the government office; long-distance carriages carrying goods and people were regulated—you couldn’t just take up the job of driving a carriage.

Eager to leave quickly, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren were willing to spend the Silver, and by the end of the morning, they had found the horses, carriage, escort guards, and coachman.

Zhulan had ordered plenty of preserved meat and roast chicken from the inn.

In the afternoon, after settling the inn’s account, the two of them joined the departing caravan in their coach and left the capital.

Since the caravan was not transporting goods but rather people returning to their hometowns, it moved quickly, not stopping until it was dark to rest the horses.

Zhulan, jostled around all afternoon, felt her whole body soften and lost her appetite; she lied down to rest after only eating a chicken leg.

Zhou Shuren and Zhulan had hired four escort guards; had they not feared drawing too much attention, they would have liked to hire more, for they truly valued their lives. Despite being ten years older since their time traveling, they wanted to live well. Wasn’t their carefulness intended to ensure a longer life? They didn’t wish to become innocent victims.

During the first night, neither Zhulan nor Zhou Shuren slept much, as they were not yet far enough from the capital.

The next day at dawn, the caravan announced it was time to set off again. There was no time even for breakfast, so after a quick wash, they were on the road once more.

They spent the entire day traveling, not stopping even at noon, the only breaks taken to let the horses rest or to relieve themselves and fetch water.

The caravan was fast, and they reached the first station by evening, their pace almost flying.

After dinner, Zhulan lay in bed thinking, "If we continue at this speed, our return trip could be cut by half."

Zhou Shuren said, "On the way here, there wasn’t time to visit my hometown. On the way back, let’s leave the group once we pass by it."

"I was thinking the same, I want to visit my parents as well."

Zhou Shuren wrapped his arms around Zhulan, "Sleep now, we have to get up early tomorrow to continue our journey."

Zhulan hadn’t rested well the previous night, and the carriage was too bumpy during the day to sleep properly. She hummed in agreement and soon dozed off, but despite falling asleep, she dared not sleep deeply, always on guard, which affected the quality of her rest.

Time flew swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, seven days had passed. After the relentless seven-day journey, some children couldn’t bear it and fell ill, and the caravan had no choice but to rest in the county town for two days.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren also looked pale; had it not been for their regular exercises, they guessed they might have fallen ill as well.

Though the journey was arduous, most of it was behind them now, and Zhou Shuren and Zhulan could finally relax. Being unremarkable, they didn’t attract any attention and had no fears of becoming casualties.

With a sense of relief, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren spent the first day almost in a stupor, sleeping ten of the twelve hours.

The next day, having overslept, they couldn’t fall asleep anymore even if they tried.

Feeling less tense and carrying a substantial amount of silver, Zhulan couldn’t help wanting to spend. She suggested, "Let’s take a stroll in the town. We didn’t buy much in the capital; let’s buy more gifts in the town to take back."

Zhou Shuren no longer felt like lying down either, "Alright."

Zhulan’s first target was the jewelry shop; with silver in hand, she planned to buy more jewelry for her daughter’s dowry in advance, and also to treat herself.

Zhulan preferred jade over pearls, not fond of pearl jewelry, mainly because she’d seen too many artificially cultivated pearls in the modern world. They were so round and big, not to mention cheap; hence, she didn’t fancy pearls much.

Zhulan chose three pairs of jade bracelets and some gold-inlaid jade hairpins, and finally bought a few delicate hair ornaments for the younger girls.

In total, she spent a hundred and ten taels of silver.

The two continued their stroll, with Zhulan buying some fabric and then no more.

Back at the inn, Zhou Shuren, watching Zhulan fiddle with the jewelry and stay silent, asked, "What are you thinking about?"