Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 294: It’s Infuriating _1

Chapter 294: Chapter 294: It’s Infuriating _1

Zhulan returned to the back courtyard, where Lady Fang had just arrived not long ago, and Lady Li was entertaining her. As Zhulan entered the room, Lady Fang awkwardly stood up, "Mother-in-law."

Lady Fang just wanted to visit her daughter, not expecting the mother-in-law to be back, and was clueless as to how her daughter had upset her. Even Lady Dong was washing comforters, and Lady Dong was a daughter of officials after all!

She wanted to leave, but it didn’t seem right to do so without seeing the mother-in-law, which is why she was waiting with determination.

Seeing her mother-in-law had returned, Lady Li said with a smile, "Mother, I’m going out to slaughter a chicken."

"Go ahead."

Zhulan sat in the seat of honor and, once Lady Li had left, she said indifferently to Lady Fang, "Mother-in-law, please don’t stand. Have a seat."

Lady Fang clenched her palm slightly; the mother-in-law lacked her usual jovial demeanor. Deep inside, Lady Fang wondered what exactly her daughter had done wrong. It shouldn’t be the case, she had always taught her daughter to be yielding. Her daughter’s temperament shouldn’t lead to mistakes. But she couldn’t ask her daughter what she did wrong either, for asking would be to admit her daughter had indeed erred. After pondering, she said, "Mother-in-law, it must have been tiring on the road."

Zhulan sipped her tea. Lady Fang was indeed clever, but she had always been excessively cautious—a trait etched into her very bones, "It was alright."

Lady Fang hesitated then continued, "I did not know the mother-in-law would be back today; I won’t disturb your rest any longer, I should take my leave."

Zhulan said, "Mother-in-law, no need to hurry off; I would like to chat with you for a while!"

A jolt of anxiety hit Lady Fang, "Please speak, mother-in-law."

Zhulan set down her teacup, "Don’t be nervous, mother-in-law. I just want to chat about what I saw and experienced outside. One gains insight and broadens their horizons only by going out. Now that I’m back, I’ll personally teach my daughters-in-law. I hope they all broaden their vision and not be timid. Should they behave otherwise outside, it’s the Zhou family’s reputation at stake. Mother-in-law, you agree with this reasoning, don’t you?"

Lady Fang’s face flushed with embarrassment. The mother-in-law was dissatisfied with her for interfering in Zhou family matters, disdaining her for raising Zhao like a timid mouse and not quite accusing her of reducing Zhao to a slave’s demeanor. Lady Fang’s hands trembled, and after taking a deep breath, she agreed, "What mother-in-law said is correct."

Zhulan didn’t intend to crush Lady Fang completely; although annoyed at Lady Fang’s well-meaning interference, she was vexed. She had spent so much effort to have Zhao stand up straight, only to see Zhao had shrunk back again upon her return, which was infuriating, "Look at me, the mother-in-law came to see Zhao, so I’ll go call Zhao in."

Busy with stopping her, Lady Fang said, "Mother-in-law, it’s nothing important; no need to call her. Let her continue with her work. Right, I have some matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now. You just returned and need to rest; I won’t disturb you any further."

Zhulan smiled, "If that’s the case, then I won’t keep the mother-in-law from her business. Let me see you out."

The pretended warmth in Lady Fang’s response, "Alright."

With a smile, Zhulan saw Lady Fang off, not to save face for Lady Fang, but for Zhao.

Relieved, Lady Fang breathed out. As long as the mother-in-law hadn’t cut off their relationship, it was fine.

Zhao came out with worry on her face, knowing her mother-in-law must have said something to her mother. With her head low, she continued washing the duvet cover, relieved at least that her mother-in-law had sent her mother off with a smile. If she could sense the great change in herself, surely her mother-in-law could too. She was thankful that her mother-in-law had left her some dignity; without it, she would have been utterly ashamed.

At the Jiang Residence, Mr. Jiang looked at Chang Lian’s swollen eyes and knew Scholar Zhou must have returned. He had been waiting a long time for this, for Scholar Zhou to come back and deal with Chang Lian. He hadn’t expected the effects to be so significant. Looking at Chang Lian sincerely seeking advice, Mr. Jiang felt much more pleased.

Chang Lian was far from foolish. He could tell his brother-in-law was in high spirits and thought himself even more ridiculous. His brother-in-law had also been waiting for their father to discipline him. Why didn’t his brother-in-law do it himself? Because he knew a parent’s discipline wouldn’t breed resentment, but with outsiders, one could never be sure.

Chang Lian realized how laughably arrogant he had been. Perhaps his brother-in-law’s analysis of Chang Zhi’s future was deliberate, too—a test for him. At last, he put his mindset right. He was only a humble Scholar; nothing more.

Jiang Ming observed Chang Lian’s change in attitude and was increasingly satisfied. The boy’s arrogance was finally gone.

In the Zhou household, Xue Han carried her needlework to the main house, only to find that her second sister-in-law’s mother had left so soon. "Mother."

Zhulan waved her over, "Come look, these are the jewelry pieces Mother prepared for you in advance. All the styles I picked are timeless. Do you like any?"

Xue Han’s eyes widened, "Mother, didn’t you already get me jewelry? Why did you buy such expensive pieces?"

Zhulan couldn’t help but laugh, "Mother already said these won’t go out of style after a few years, don’t you understand? Silly girl, these are for preparing your dowry in advance!"

Xue Han’s face turned red with shyness, "Mother, I’m still young!"

Zhulan felt a twinge of sentimentality, thinking how quickly girls matured in ancient times, as her daughter was already blushing, "That’s precisely why I’m preparing early so we’re not scrambling at the last minute. I’m starting with some jewelry for you, and when we have more Silver Coins, Mother will also prepare land, houses, and shops for you, so you can marry in style."

Xue Han bit her lip, "Mother, I don’t need so much. Sister didn’t have much dowry when she married, and I don’t want it either."

She was already very fortunate. Even without the dowry her mother had arranged, she had plenty of jewelry, amounting to quite a bit of Silver. Besides, she had been learning embroidery, and her work on handkerchiefs was already quite good, though she hadn’t tried to sell any yet. Once she could sell them, she could save up her own Silver.

Moreover, her parents had found a suitable match in Rongchuan for her, and her father was even sponsoring his studies. She couldn’t ask for such a large dowry, not to mention there were many girls in the family, and she couldn’t deplete the family’s finances with her marriage.

Zhulan was touched. The original couple’s sons may not have been raised well, but their daughters were all commendable. Both girls weren’t greedy and were considerate of their parents, like little cotton-padded jackets keeping them warm.

Zhulan pinched Xue Han’s cheek, "Mother has not only prepared a dowry for you, but also set aside one for your sister. When you get married, we’ll send it to your sister."

Xue Han bit her lip, "Mother, you and Father have worked hard to save. I can’t accept it."

Zhulan leaned close to her daughter and whispered, "Mother has some Silver. In the capital, I ran into Young Master Yao. To repay a life-saving favor, he gave us quite a bit of Silver. Once your father becomes a Graduate, more Silver will come our way. Don’t worry; your parents have everything figured out."

Xue Han blinked, instantly intrigued by the capital, and grabbed her mother’s hand, "Mother, tell me about the capital!"

Zhulan laughed, realizing her child’s innocence. Yesterday, she had listened attentively to Xue Han talk about the household, yet she hadn’t shared her own experiences. As she put away the jewelry, she began to recount everything she saw and heard along the way.

In the courtyard, Lady Zhao and Lady Dong occasionally heard Xue Han’s laughter, which filled Lady Zhao with regret – regret for having neglected Xue Han. At the time, following her mother’s advice, she focused entirely on herself and forgot about her little sister-in-law. If she hadn’t neglected Xue Han, perhaps Xue Han could have spoken a good word for her, and her mother-in-law would have forgiven her sooner.

Lady Dong too felt sorry – why hadn’t she thought to take Xue Han with her to her sister’s house? The eldest daughter was the apple of her mother’s eye, and the younger sister-in-law was the treasure of her parents’ hearts.

In the afternoon, Zhou Shuren returned with Mingyun, who was brimming with excitement and cast aside any pretense of maturity. Ming Teng badgered him with questions, and Mingyun humored Ming Teng, talking about how much fun horse riding was. Covetous and not daring to bother Zhou Shuren, the little fellow turned red with urgency, feeling unbearably wronged, and soon ran off crying to find Lady Li for consolation.

Zhulan glared at Zhou Shuren for taking only Mingyun and leaving out Ming Teng, who ended up so aggrieved. Zhou Shuren still had a smile on his face as he watched his eldest grandson laugh and run outside.

Zhulan, listening to the noises outside and with the doors of the main house open, could hear Lady Li’s loud voice clearly, "Son, crying to your mother won’t help. You have to ask your brother this time, and let him ask your grandfather. Your brother has a lot more sway with your dad."

Zhulan chuckled, a father being outdone by his son!

Ming Teng stopped crying, sniffling, knowing his mother spoke the truth, and thought to himself, "Dad’s too useless." He suddenly felt sad again, realizing he’d never escape his eldest brother’s grip, and he cried even harder.

As the eldest Zhou son entered the backyard, he caught this sentiment, and it weighed heavily on his heart.