Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 313 Calculating to the Bone_1

Chapter 313: Chapter 313 Calculating to the Bone_1

The next day, Ming Teng ate his meal while standing, knowing that if he returned home in the evening, he’d get a beating. After breakfast, despite his sore bottom, Ming Teng still insisted on riding a horse, and even the usually steady Mingyun had a sparkle in his eyes.

Zhou Shuren had finished all his urgent matters indeed there was nothing else—ahem—of course, he wouldn’t let Zhulan be embarrassed by her words. He had pushed aside any other issues.

Zhulan thought Chang Zhi would be interested in horseback riding too, but it turned out that Chang Zhi didn’t care at all. After eating, he had Zhou Er wrap it up and rode back to Zhou’s village by carriage.

In their residence, the vegetable garden wasn’t used for planting, and it was spacious. Zhou Shuren led the children to ride horses in the vegetable garden.

The horses they had bought were not high quality and were specifically for pulling carriages. The horses were very gentle and friendly, which made the children even bolder. Mingyun knew how to ride and even dared to trot on the horse, which made Zhulan’s heart skip a beat every time she watched.

Riding horses was not only enjoyed by boys but girls as well. Zhulan had a knack for horseback riding and had learned with Zhou Shuren back at her maiden home. She held her two granddaughters for a ride as well.

Xue Han’s eyes sparkled brightly, "Mother, I want to learn too."

Zhulan didn’t think there was anything wrong with girls learning to ride. If a girl knew how to ride, she could escape danger if necessary, "Sure."

Zhulan held her daughter on the horse and taught the young girl the techniques. Xue Han had a good talent and was also very daring; she wanted to run as soon as she grasped the basics.

That morning, the children had a lot of fun.

Zhulan sat in a chair, watching the children play, her mouth curved in a smile. Ancient times were lively and full of vitality.

Zhou Shuren spent the day playing with the children and went to see his good friends in the county the next day.

Zhulan also busied herself with her work. In a few days, they would be heading back to Pingzhou.

Zhulan first finished making the cotton clothes and small shoes for the two children, and had Zhou Er gather a lot of mountain goods to take back to the capital for eating.

Then Zhulan visited her maiden home in Zhou’s village again, visiting her parents twice. However, the atmosphere in her maiden home was not good. All three of Yang’s grandsons were fighting in the war, and with the war not yet over, the Yang family was constantly anxious; waiting was truly the hardest part.

Once Zhulan had visited everyone she needed to see and prepared everything that was needed, eight days had already passed.

During that time, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren visited the County magistrate’s house. Lady Donglin didn’t bring up the incident with Lady Dong sorting things out, and was as enthusiastic as ever towards Zhulan. Zhulan’s visit was generous, and Lady Donglin reciprocated with equal generosity.

Apparently, having heard from Lady Dong that she liked furs, Lady Donglin’s return gifts were all fine furs, including two fox furs!

After returning from her maiden home, Zhulan noticed that Lady Dong had become more sensible than before, or one could say, she had become better at concealing her own thoughts.

On the fifteenth day of Xue Mei’s postpartum period, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren set off back to Pingzhou.

Zhulan gave Xue Mei the silver lockets for the two children. When the twins turned one month old, because she was concerned about bothering the kids, Zhulan opted not to make a fuss. However, she decided that a grand celebration was necessary for the full-moon ceremony. She gave Zhao the silver intended for the children’s full-month celebration, and it would be enough to prepare for Xue Mei’s full-moon feast.

At last, Zhulan left fifteen taels of silver with Zhao, which included their family of four’s monthly allowance and some silver for rice, grain, and household expenses.

When Zhulan and Zhou Shuren left, Yushuang and Ming Rui cried especially hard, while Jiang Zhu and Jiang Miu were more accustomed to it—they knew that their grandma and grandpa were not the same as their paternal grandparents, so it was normal for them to be apart.

But Yushuang and Ming Rui couldn’t handle it. Although their grandparents had gone on long trips before, they knew they would soon return. This time, as they left, who knew how many months it would take for them to come back?

While Zhulan’s heart ached, she thought to herself that they were all good children. Once the carriage had traveled far enough that she could no longer hear the cries, only then did Zhulan open her eyes. The sound of crying made her feel terribly uncomfortable.

On the journey back to Pingzhou, Zhulan was listless and without energy. It was not until she returned to her home in Pingzhou that she began to recover.

The Zhou family, with the absence of the second son’s household, seemed considerably less populated. The second wife’s presence hadn’t been very noticeable before, but now that they were not home, her absence was felt.

First and foremost was Zhou eldest, who had to busy himself with everything now that Zhou second was not around.

Next was Lady Dong, who, without Lady Zhao’s assistance, had to take on many more responsibilities.

The next morning, Zhulan instructed Lady Li and Xue Han to pack up their luggage, preparing to set off for the capital.

Zhou Shuren had arranged for a caravan. They would leave in seven days, and he had already informed Zhao Bo and Wu Ming. This time, en route to the capital, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren would not be traveling in their family’s carriage.

One was left for Zhou second at his old home, and another was left for Chang Lian to use.

This trip to the capital, Zhulan was bringing quite a lot of things—mountain goods that amounted to a whole carriage, as well as useful items and gifts that had been gathered, some of which she picked out for Lady Dong to keep, to be used for future family social exchanges. The rest of the gifts were boxed up and locked in a room, with the key in her possession.

One good aspect of ancient times was that nobody dared to open a box locked by an elder, except for thieves.

The most important business upon returning to Pingzhou was to buy slaves. In Pingzhou City, slaves were purchased in the East City. Zhulan only learned upon her return that in the previous days, the government officers had rounded up quite a few slaves in the city.

This had to do with the Emperor’s grand purge. In several prefecture cities to the north, a third of the officials were executed, and the rest had their properties confiscated and were exiled. These officials’ possessions, including their slaves, were considered assets and naturally had to be sold off. Each prefecture city received a share to sell.

Many merchants like to buy slaves that came from official households because they are well-behaved and have seen much of the world.

Unfortunately, the Emperor of this dynasty was calculative to the core. Even though he could have sold all the slaves in a single prefecture city, he split them among several, increasing the number of buyers and naturally, the highest bidder wins. This also resulted in more silver being made from the sales.

Zhulan was also very tempted, but she wasn’t sure if she would have the luck to buy any, as they were highly sought-after.

Moreover, she found out about it somewhat late, and the good ones had already been picked through.

Zhulan went together with Zhou Shuren, and seeing those slaves waiting to be sold made her feel uncomfortable inside. She reminded herself once again of how dangerous survival in ancient times could be.

The broker, knowing that Zhulan needed an entire family of slaves, was all smiles, his eyes nearly shut with delight. Buying a whole family of slaves was quite profitable. "Madam, you’ve come a bit late," he said. "The good ones have all been bought, and only a family with older members is left. Please, have a look."

Zhulan followed the broker into the courtyard where the living conditions were actually quite good. The slaves waiting to be sold were also kept clean and tidy. Zhulan figured as much—these people were all worth silver, and in order to sell them for a higher price, they would not be treated too harshly.

In the courtyard stood a family of eight people: an elderly couple in their fifties, a pair of husband and wife in their thirties, and four children—three boys, with the eldest almost twenty and the youngest about eight, and a girl around ten years old.

Zhulan scrutinized them closely. The family’s hair was meticulously groomed, and they all stood very orderly. Zhulan understood why this family was left over. The two old people were too old to do much work and in big households, people of their age were usually cared for rather than put to work. Moreover, the old lady looked frail and seemed to be in poor health. With the four children, the two younger ones were too small to do much work, making the entire family undesirable to most.