Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 285 Wang Rong_1

Chapter 285: Chapter 285 Wang Rong_1

Zhulan put the jewelry box away. "I’ve found that raising daughters in ancient times really does cost silver coins, especially in high-ranking families where it costs even more silver. When marrying off a daughter, the dowry must not be lacking. Although marriage alliances bring some benefits, having several daughters can really empty the family coffers."

Zhou Shuren couldn’t help but chuckle. "So that’s what you’ve been thinking about!"

Zhulan voiced her frustration. "How can I not think about it? Look, Xue Mei needs her dowry supplemented, and so do Xue Han, Yushuang, and Yu Lu. In the future, we’re bound to have many granddaughters, and even without them marrying out, both of us will have to provide for their dowries. Just think about how much silver that will be."

Zhou Shuren had never really calculated this expense. When he finally did, he said through gritted teeth, "So it turns out that we both are fated to spend our lifetimes slaving away for the Zhou family, earning silver for a lifetime."

Zhulan dared not spend the silver she had on hand anymore. She had thought she had a lot of silver, but upon closer inspection, it really wasn’t that much. "I’d better wait for the silver in my hand to ’give birth to offspring’."

Zhou Shuren felt choked up for a long while. No wonder Zhulan was reluctant to speak up; he too didn’t feel like talking after doing the sums. "Being the head of a household in ancient times really isn’t easy."

Zhulan sighed, "It’s indeed not easy."

It was much more exhausting than managing her company!

Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at their hometown’s county city. Zhulan and Zhou Shuren left the group and returned to the old Zhou family estate.

Zhulan thought that only their daughters’ families would be present, but she didn’t expect there to be quite a few people at home. She felt it was quite a coincidence to come back at this time.

The carriage stopped at the gate, and Zhou Shuren helped Zhulan down. The onlookers in the courtyard were stunned, clearly not expecting Zhulan and Zhou Shuren to be the ones who had returned.

The Jiang family hadn’t expected this either. The relatives that were supposed to be in Pingzhou City had returned. Seeing his black-faced relatives, Jiang Yong shrank his neck.

The Clan Leader Zhou was overjoyed. "Shuren has come back."

Zhou Shuren, "It has been a long time, Uncle. Is everything all right with you?"

Clan Leader Zhou glanced at the carriage and the escort guards, smiling amiably. "Everything’s fine with me. Are you setting out on a long journey?"

Zhou Shuren explained, "We’ve just returned from a long journey and happened to pass by our old home, so we thought to stop by and see how Uncle and Auntie are. We didn’t expect that a surprise would be waiting for us upon our return!"

Zhou Shuren’s eyes sharply turned towards Jiang Yong and Lady Jiangwang; these two were always causing trouble.

Clan Leader Zhou thought to himself, how fortunate he was to have arrived upon hearing the news. It was such a coincidence that Zhou Shuren would return just then, and it was a relief that he hadn’t just made do because Zhou Shuren wasn’t around. "You must be tired from the journey. Let’s go inside and talk."

Zhou Shuren was indeed tired. "Please, Uncle, after you."

Zhulan didn’t want to be gawked at. She addressed those who were daring enough to enter the courtyard for a spectacle, "The hour is already late, so I won’t see you out."

When she was home, nobody dared to intrude for a spectacle. Xue Mei’s temperament was still too soft.

The onlookers, stunned, looked at how much Zhou Yang had changed. Zhou Yang’s attire was very much like that of a lady from a respectable household, and with the presence of escort guards, they quickly made themselves scarce, not even daring to watch from outside the gate.

Zhulan was quite pleased. She patted Xue Mei’s hand and took out silver notes from her purse, handing them to the escort guards and coachman. "This is the remaining silver. The extra is for you gentlemen to enjoy a drink. Thank you all for your hard work on the trip."

The escort guard took the fifty taels of silver, "Then we’ll take our leave."

After the escort guards and coachman left, Xue Mei, dumbfounded, looked at the carriage inside the courtyard. "Mother, why did they leave the carriage behind?"

Zhulan pointed to the family’s own carriage. "Because it belongs to our family, naturally it should be kept here."

Xue Mei’s heartbeat quickened. Two carriages! That was no small sum of silver. Her maternal family really did have silver. She did not dare to ask if a house had been bought in the capital, and helped her mother walk. "Mother, you must be exhausted from the journey too. Let’s sit inside."

Zhulan still wanted to listen to what the Jiang family was up to. "No, we’re not going into the house. Let’s head to the main hall."

Xue Mei lowered her voice. "Mother, it’s really nothing much. The Jiang family just came with the hope of transferring all of the Jiang family’s fields under Jiang Sheng’s name. In consideration of family relations, Jiang Sheng agreed to allocate four mu of land to them. However, the Jiang family thought it was too little and wanted to transfer all sixteen mu under Jiang Sheng’s name. Jiang Sheng said they could, as long as they paid silver each year, but the Jiang family wasn’t willing; they wanted the name transfer without spending a single coin."

Zhulan was calculating the days since Jiang Sheng became a Scholar. "Your family has never had a moment’s peace, has it!"

Xue Mei nodded, "The Jiang family only came to make trouble for Jiang Sheng, they wouldn’t dare do anything to me, and look, I’m perfectly fine."

Zhulan scrutinized Xue Mei carefully, indeed her complexion looked good, and noticing Xue Mei’s clearly pregnant belly, Zhulan decided not to go to the main hall anymore, "Let’s go back to the room."

Xue Mei said with a smile, "Okay!"

Inside the room, Jiang Zhu was playing with Jiang Miu. Upon seeing Zhulan the two children got excited, calling out "grandma, grandma".

Zhulan kissed each one, embracing her grandchildren and said, "Little children grow so fast, it seems like they’ve gotten quite a bit taller since I last saw them."

Xue Mei tapped her daughter’s nose, "She’s growing fast because she eats well. Mom, you and dad should stay with us for more days when you come back."

Zhulan’s lips curved into a smile, "If I stay longer, your eldest sister-in-law wouldn’t know what to do with herself, she might cry!"

The thought of her sister-in-law without her mother to protect her, and probably having suffered a lot made Xue Mei happy, "She might already be crying now!"

In Pingzhou City, Lady Li was indeed crying because she felt too oppressed. Wiping away her tears, she said, "I want my mom, head of the family, why hasn’t mom come back yet?"

Zhou Eldest, "...."

He too wanted to know when his father would return. He had had enough of being the head of the Zhou family. In just over a month, almost two, he felt like he had lost several years of his life. Looking at how much his wife was suffering, who had lost so much weight, he rubbed his own belly, which had also slimmed down.

Lady Li really missed her mother; without her at home, even though Zhao was helping her, she was still intimidated by Lady Dong. After all, that woman had a formidable sister. She felt like she was just a steward, utterly oppressed.

Back in the village of the Zhou family, Zhulan also understood why Lady Jiangwang had stopped coming. It was mainly because the Jiang family had come too often. Once they knew that Xue Mei wouldn’t be treated badly, Lady Jiangwang stopped visiting.

In a quarter of an hour, the members of the Jiang family left with their tails between their legs, and Zhou Shuren sent the Clan Leader off and returned home.

Xue Mei stood up, "Dad."

Zhou Shuren told her to sit as he sat down, "You’re pregnant, don’t stand. Sit down and talk."

Jiang Sheng didn’t receive the same consideration as his wife; he stood dutifully, his head bowed in shame. The problems he had failed to solve several times were immediately addressed by his father-in-law upon arrival. His father was so scared that as soon as his father-in-law spoke, he promised not to come again. Jiang Sheng felt particularly useless.

Zhou Shuren wasn’t pleased with Jiang Sheng. Jiang Sheng wasn’t decisive in handling matters, incapable of taking charge on his own and could only follow others. "The County magistrate has taken you in, so why don’t you take advantage of that situation? Don’t you understand how to wield influence?"

Jiang Sheng’s head dropped even lower, he had never thought about wielding influence. He was afraid of upsetting his master, knowing his acceptance was solely due to his father-in-law’s influence.

Upon seeing Jiang Sheng lower his head, Zhou Shuren guessed what he was thinking and sighed internally. Jiang Sheng would always be like this, at best he could pass the Graduate exam and lead a comfortable life. In the future, he could only hope for his granddaughter to rely on her eldest grandson. "The County magistrate took you in, and by not wielding power, you’re also representing his face. You must be firm when it’s time to be firm."

The Dong family, like a local emperor, intimidated Jiang Sheng, who was still hesitating and feeling stifled; truly, one’s horizons and temperament needed to be nurtured from a young age.

Jiang Sheng looked up, stunned. He had never considered that aspect, "Dad, I realize my mistake."

Zhou Shuren didn’t have the time to teach Jiang Sheng, "In the future, learn more from your master. If you can master even a small part of his knowledge, that will be enough for you for life."

Jiang Sheng was moved by his father-in-law’s guidance, "Yes, I will definitely study hard with my master."

Zhou Shuren instructed Jiang Sheng, "Don’t unload the big trunk from the carriage, it’s in the second carriage. There are two well-packed bundles, bring them here."

Jiang Sheng hurried out to fetch the items.

Xue Mei lowered her head, "Dad, thank you for your concern."

Zhulan comforted her daughter, "You’re our daughter, it’s right for us as parents to be concerned."

Suddenly, Xue Mei remembered something, "Mom, do you still remember Wang Rong?"