Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 361 Trust_1

Chapter 361: Chapter 361 Trust_1

Zhulan felt that something was abnormal. Zhou Shuren was a prefect, and as the wife of a prefect, it should have been natural for someone to have reached out through her to inquire about Zhou Shuren’s well-being by now. Yet they had been here for so many days, and she didn’t even recognize the wife of the Deputy Magistrate; this was somewhat unreasonable.

Zhou Shuren chuckled softly, "You forgot what I told you, that before we arrived, all the officials in Lizhou Province were vegetarians?"

Zhulan truly had forgotten. Ever since Zhou Shuren arrived in Lizhou Province and started to eat meat, on that very day, the Deputy Magistrate and other officials had sent servants out to make purchases, and as a result of these continuous purchases, the merchants spotted a business opportunity, resulting in two more meat shops in Lizhou City.

There were quite a few officials of various ranks in Lizhou City. Even though being an official meant they had a stipend and the gifts they received seemed plentiful in Silver Coin, they also had to give out many gifts, so in the end, they still spent their stipends and savings. Not all official families knew how to manage their family assets, and very few had their own estates; most still needed to make their purchases from outside.

Zhulan found this amusing, "Are you saying that they are all waiting for me to hold a banquet and invite them?"

Zhou Shuren nodded, "Yes, the Deputy Magistrate and Circuit Intendant are watching me closely. Whatever I do, they imitate, fearing they might step out of line, and since my arrival a month ago, I’ve basically stabilized the livelihoods of the people, and my reputation among them is extremely high. They all dare not play tricks with me, let alone invite you."

Zhulan reached out to touch Zhou Shuren’s face, which had become leaner and darker, making his already ordinary appearance seem less prepossessing. During the month in Lizhou City, Zhou Shuren spent the first five days distributing food and understanding the overall situation of the province. Once the seeds arrived, he was busy handing out grains for the spring plowing. Although there weren’t many seeds, they were the hope for the peasants’ whole year.

Before the spring plowing ended, he hired surplus labor to build roads and ponds, and Zhou Shuren himself participated actively. His office was not inside the government office; he spent every day outside and personally inspected the households in various villages that were reported to have good conduct.

He was really worn out by the month’s efforts. Zhulan’s hand moved from his face down to his body, feeling nothing but bones, "I’ve been nourishing you every day without much success. Please, take it easy on yourself!"

Zhou Shuren held Zhulan’s hand and gazed at the dark roof above, feeling an indescribable sense of frustration in his heart. The joy of passing the imperial examination and having his wedding night was squashed by the Emperor’s decree. Ever since his name appeared on the imperial examination list, he hadn’t had a moment’s peace. On the first day he arrived in Lizhou City and saw the peasants with their children collecting food, he realized how selfish and insensitive he was; seeing this, his heart felt clogged, and he was motionless for a long time. It wasn’t until the peasants confirmed that the grains they received were real and not adulterated that one person knelt down, leading all others to kneel down before him, calling him the "upright and just Bao Zheng."

At that moment, he didn’t feel happy but even more burdened. Only then did he genuinely realize that he wasn’t there just to complete tasks, not merely to live better and keep his head on his shoulders; he also wanted to do something for the people.

The result was that now he didn’t even want to see his own face. He too hoped to maintain his best appearance, hmm, that would have to be postponed again. Indeed, he should really take care of his health.

Zhulan didn’t wait for Zhou Shuren to reply, "What are you thinking about?"

Zhou Shuren smiled, "I was thinking that when I have some free time, I’ll take you for a walk nearby."

He felt it was time to surprise Zhulan, then coughed.

Zhulan worried about Zhou Shuren, "You don’t need to take me for a walk. I have nothing I particularly want to see. I often go outside the city these days; I’ve seen pretty much everything that needs to be done."

Zhou Shuren caressed Zhulan’s hand, knowing that she too had endured hardships, "It’s been hard on you at home."

Zhulan, "It’s not hard for me. Oh right, the fruit trees I bought are all five years old. Although they were more expensive, the fruit farmer said that five-year-old apple trees are at their peak production period. Even if some flowers were damaged during planting, there will still be quite a few fruits this year."

Zhou Shuren couldn’t help but laugh, "Then I’ll wait to eat apples."

Apples in winter are a delicacy in the north. He hadn’t had many last winter, and he thought about how in the modern era, he didn’t care for apples that much, but in ancient times, he found himself longing for them!

Zhulan asked, "When should I invite the wives of the Deputy Magistrate and Circuit Intendant?"

"That’s up to you; whenever you have time, you can invite them," he replied.

Zhulan thought about gathering some information first, but then realized that as they were all newly assigned, and considering the limited number of shops in Lizhou City and that these ladies seldom went out, it would be difficult to gather information. She thought it over and decided to choose a date.

She had no choice but to extend the invitations; socializing among the ladies was very important.

"It’s getting late. Let’s sleep," he suggested.

The next morning, Zhou Shuren took the carriage to the government office, while Master Zhou took Li Chun to the mountains outside the city to plant fruit trees. They had hired quite a few people to weed and water, and Master Zhou had to oversee them.

Zhulan, on the other hand, was considering under what pretense to invite people. To admire flowers? To taste tea?

There were no flowers at home, but there was tea—the tea bestowed by the Emperor that Zhou Shuren had never had the heart to drink. Hmm, this could work to her advantage.

Zhulan mulled it over and decided not to invite just the ladies; she would also invite the Deputy Magistrate and others. Now that things were relatively stable, those who hadn’t had time off in a while could afford to rest for a day. She would wait for Zhou Shuren to return and discuss it with him.

Zhulan was then troubled again; a tea tasting required tea sets, and their house lacked not only tea sets but also fine bowls and dishes. The porcelain she had bought in the capital, she had left in the capital, fearing they might break during the journey.

Besides, it wasn’t enough to just taste tea without a view—one needed flowers too.

The garden inside their residence had a nice scenery, but it was monotonous. Hmm, hosting a reputable tea tasting banquet was truly a headache.

Moreover, there were no merchants specializing in porcelain in Lizhou City, so purchases had to be made from Chuanzhou Province. Zhulan’s heart ached; out of the Six Hundred Taels they had, they had spent three thousand and five hundred taels on land and seedlings.

Buying five-year-old fruit trees, which cost Two silver taels each, they had bought two thousand eight hundred trees, with an additional one hundred trees thrown in to cover potential damage during transport, spending three thousand and five hundred taels in total.

Digging ice cellars was relatively cheap; two ice cellars cost only One Hundred Fifty Taels, leaving only around one thousand eight hundred taels in their account. Her shop had not yet been bought, and now she had to spend another sum on tea sets, bowls, and dishes.

Oh right, she hadn’t bought her own estate either! The silver was flowing out like water; it really didn’t last. Zhulan was reminded of the three properties; now that everyone knew about the situation in Pinggang, her properties must have appreciated many times over. With the income from those three properties, she wouldn’t have to fret over counting every Silver Coin.

Liu Ya knocked on the door, "Mistress, the steward is here."

Zhulan, "Come in."

Steward Ding entered with a letter in hand, "Mistress, an envoy from Elder Master Yang has delivered this letter, saying it’s from the family back home."

Zhulan took it and saw several thick letters. Each one was substantial.