Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 354 Guess Guess_1

Chapter 354: Chapter 354 Guess Guess_1

Zhulan had just visited the kitchen, which contained only firewood, jars, and other kitchenware. There wasn’t any grain or food prepared by Wu Chun, as he expected that the grain would be brought over.

Zhulan said, "Go and see if your sister-in-law has finished counting the grain. Once she has, have her move all the meat and vegetables brought from the capital into the kitchen. It’s getting late; we should start preparing the meal."

Zhulan counted the number of people for the meal, including both the Zhou and Yang families and the soldiers brought by Wu Chun to help with the move, roughly requiring food for five tables.

Fortunately, she was aware of the scarcity in Lizhou Province and had prepared sufficiently,

While in the capital, she had purchased quite a few sausages, and together with the cured meat Lady Li learned to make during winter, they had brought a considerable amount of meat.

Yes, and there were also hens and roosters. In Chuanzhou Province, she had also bought many hens for their eggs. After days of travel, eight out of thirty hens had died and were eaten, leaving only twenty-two. The remaining hens were listless and would need a few days to recover.

Arriving at the new home was indeed busy. Zhulan had sorted out both her and Zhou Shuren’s belongings, locked up what needed to be locked, and after everything was in order, she went to the west wing room in the courtyard, which she had designated as the storeroom. Inside were the gifts collected from the capital, exchanged silver and Copper Coin, and the family’s savings.

After double-checking to ensure everything was correct, she locked the door of the storeroom. With no more tasks in the main courtyard, she then proceeded to the kitchen to find Lady Li. The kitchen in this residence was in the back room, and she could hear Lady Li’s voice commanding Xing Hua even before she approached. From the volume of her voice, she truly had the air of the eldest lady.

Upon seeing her mother-in-law enter, Lady Li hurried forward to greet her, "Mother, have all your things been put away?"

"Hmm, have you figured out the dinner meals?"

With her pudgy fingers, Lady Li began to count, "Staple food will be cornmeal buns, with six dishes in total, five dishes and one soup: sausage, stir-fried fern with cured meat, stir-fried white cabbage with wood ear mushrooms, potato stewed meat, spicy cabbage stir-fried with meat, and finishing with a white cabbage soup."

She wanted to prepare something nicer, but the resources at home were limited. The meat they had was wild boar meat bought from a villager yesterday, leaving only about six or seven catties.

Zhulan felt the meal was already not bad. Lizhou Province wasn’t the capital, where you could buy whatever you wanted to eat. Now Lizhou Province was precisely in a time of grain shortage, and wanting to eat meat was wishful thinking.

Zhulan addressed Lady Li, "The courtyard opposite the main house is for your first branch of the family. You can move all of your belongings there later!"

Lady Li was delighted inside. She had just finished counting the grain and had been wandering around, and the courtyard opposite the main house had the best rooms, "Thank you, Mother."

Zhulan saw her daughter looking at her, "Do you also desire a courtyard of your own?"

Xue Han desired her own courtyard, but she was also fearful, especially in this unfamiliar home—even with Jing Zhe beside her.

Zhulan could see what Xue Han was thinking and said with a smile, "Wait a few days, and Mother will buy some Servants to come back. You’ll have several maids, then you won’t be afraid."

Xue Han smiled with her eyes bent, feeling braver with more people, "Thank you, Mother."

Zhulan stood there for a while. The two sisters-in-law came over with their own daughters-in-law to help cook, and this time, Zhulan did not refuse.

It was getting dark by the time Wu Chun returned. Zhou Shuren returned even later, after it had turned dark.

Aside from the Wu-generation males of the Yang family, everyone else had dinner first, washed up, and then rested. The soldiers Wu Chun had brought along had eaten earlier as well. For the Zhou family, Zhulan had Lady Li eat first with the children and Xue Han.

Zhulan and a few others waited for Zhou Shuren to return and have dinner together.

Zhou Shuren came back exhausted. After washing up, he sat down and said, "I drank so much water this afternoon that my stomach is gurgling. Don’t all look at me, Wu Chun, you guys sit as well."

Wu Chun sat down and asked, "Uncle, have you completed the handover? Will the grain be distributed tomorrow?"

Zhou Shuren took a few bites before replying, "The handover is complete. Tomorrow I will send government officers to inform each county to collect their grain. At the same time, I will have them re-register the population and update the household registrations, and record the circumstances of each household. This way, I can have a clearer understanding of the entire situation in Lizhou Province."

Wu Chun, who was also starving, had been craving meat for a long time. The sausage tasted so delicious, and he took a sip of the wine, saying, "Uncle, the grain you brought today seems ample, but once it’s distributed to each county, there won’t be much."

Zhou Shuren was aware of this. "There are still two grain convoys that haven’t arrived. Tomorrow I’ll distribute what we have to alleviate the situation a bit, but I have plans for the rest."

Wu Chun asked no further, smilingly saying, "Uncle, you’ve had a hard journey. I toast to you."

Having reached Lizhou City, Zhou Shuren felt a weight lift from his heart, "Good."

In the capital, the Emperor glanced over the letter in his hand, then handed it to the Crown Prince, "Take a look."

The Crown Prince quickly skimmed through it and chuckled, "No wonder Minister Zhou asked for the right to manage the silver... Minister Zhou’s mind is nimble indeed. With fifty thousand taels of silver, he can accomplish more than the value of the money itself."

The Emperor felt pleased, knowing he had not judged wrongly. Even more heartening was not only that Zhou Shuren could stretch a coin’s worth, but also that he genuinely cared for the people, "I am very much looking forward to seeing the future Lizhou under the management of our Minister Zhou."

The Crown Prince thought to himself that he too was looking forward to it, and then suggested, "Father, when dispatching ministers for disaster relief in the future, we could emulate Minister Zhou’s methods."

The Emperor nodded. It was indeed foolish to simply send silver before—once it reached the officials’ hands, it got siphoned off layer by layer, and very little ended up with the people who really needed it. However, they had to guard against falsified accounts or forcing peasants to sell their grain. Ultimately, it still depended on the integrity of the disaster relief minister to act for the people’s benefit, "Draft a Zhezi with your ideas and present it to me."

The Crown Prince nodded, "Yes."

"You may leave now."

After the Crown Prince retired, he still held the letter, his step livelier than before—he was truly looking forward to what surprises Minister Zhou might have next!

In Lizhou Province, after dinner, Zhou Shuren and Zhulan washed up and lay down on the kang bed. Both were very tired, yet they couldn’t fall asleep.

Zhulan asked quietly, "What plans do you have in mind?"

Zhou Shuren replied, "I have many plans, but they must be executed one by one. The first batch of grain we distribute is to address the emergency. When the second and third batches arrive, I don’t intend to let the people receive it for free anymore."

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren had been calculating all along the way how to acquire more grain and how to maximize the use of silver. Today was the first time Zhulan had asked Zhou Shuren about his plans. After hearing his thoughts, Zhulan pondered for a moment and then asked, "Are you planning to build something?"

Zhou Shuren laughed, "She who knows me, my wife does."

Zhulan internally scoffed. It was easy to guess, "Stop teasing, what are you planning to build?"

Seeing that Zhulan too was unable to sleep, Zhou Shuren sat up, lit a candle, took out the items he had brought back, pulled over a small table, and spread out a map, "This is a detailed map of Lizhou City. Take a look and guess what I’m planning to do?"