Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 378 Absolutely Not Allowed_1

Chapter 378: Chapter 378 Absolutely Not Allowed_1

Zhulan nodded, "Two fourteen-year-old young servants, Dong Zhi and Xiao Han, will follow Chang Yi and Chang Lian respectively. Steward Ding’s youngest son, Xia Zhi, will eventually follow Rongchuan, while Ma Eryue’s youngest son, Chun Fen, will continue to follow Mingyun. There are also two little girls, the eight-year-old Qiu Fen will follow Yushuang, and the ten-year-old Li Qiu along with the six-year-old little one will remain with Xing Hua in the embroidery room. What do you think of my arrangements?"

For the embroidery room’s two little girls, the six-year-old will eventually be given to Yu Lu, while the ten-year-old Li Qiu is best at embroidery and will stay in the embroidery room.

Zhou Shuren thought carefully for a moment, "Your arrangements are quite good. Dong Zhi is clever and following the second son is just right; Xiao Han is more honest and quite suitable for Chang Lian."

Zhulan said with a smile, "As for the servant Juan Hua, who attends to Lady Li, now that Lady Li is pregnant, she will continue to accompany her and help take care of the child once born, which should leave nothing for Zhao’s and Dong’s to object to."

Zhou Shuren chuckled, Zhulan was clearly favoring her own side, but that was alright, it was a good opportunity to test Zhao’s and Dong’s and to give them a knock as well, "In our family, what you say goes."

Zhulan’s eyes curved, the perks of being the lady of the house, no one in the family dared to refute her!

The next day after breakfast, Zhulan informed the various wives of her arrangements without giving the second and third wives a chance to react, and continued, "The names of the young servants and girls can be changed, do not hesitate on my account. Chang Zhi’s servant has changed his name to Qi Mo, Ming Teng’s is Yin Mo, Xue Han’s eldest daughter to Liu Li, and the second daughter to Liu Jin. I think all are good."

Zhou Laodi thought for a moment, "Mother, Dong Zhi shall change his name to Dongmo."

Chang Lian hurriedly followed, "Mother, Xiao Han shall change his name to Fen Mo."

Zhulan looked up at the sky speechlessly, the names actually sounded quite good; she really wasn’t good at naming. Looking towards Rongchuan, Rongchuan’s eyes curved, "Auntie, Ding Xiazhi shall change his name to Ding Xiamo."

Yushuang, seeing her grandmother looking at her, didn’t want to end up like her little aunt, fearing it might be difficult to distinguish in the future. She had always been learning to read and after thinking for a while, she said, "Grandmother, my servant girl will start with the character ’Qiu’. Qiu Fen, I will change to Qiu Nian."

Zhulan was instantly reduced to scraps, "The names you’ve picked are all quite nice. Just change them and notify Steward Ding. Also, these past few days your maternal grandfather has caught a chill. Once he’s feeling somewhat better, I’ll take you to the Yang Residence. Today, Chang Lian will go to the Meng Residence, and Laodi will take Zhao’s for a stroll in the city. There are many oddities in the shops of foreign clans outside Lizhou City."

Upon hearing this, Zhao’s became even more eager to stay. She had hardly spoken a few words with her mother-in-law, and the words she did speak only displeased her, "Mother, I’d rather not go."

Zhulan looked at Zhao’s with good intentions, "If you don’t want to go, then don’t. You’re just in time as your elder sister-in-law is pregnant now, so you’ll take over the kitchen work. You’ll be responsible for what we eat every day and for the grocery shopping."

For Zhao’s, it was best to give her plenty of tasks; the busier she was, the less her mind would wander.

Zhao’s was really concerned; she had no desire to manage the kitchen, but then she considered that this was a privilege given by her mother-in-law. Her own mother had said that having some power in the house would earn her more respect from the servants, "Mother, I’ll go check on the kitchen."

Zhulan said, "Go ahead."

Lady Dong’s glance lingered on her sister-in-law, then she lowered her eyelids. Was she even inferior to her sister-in-law? She had thought that upon joining the household she would have maids to wait on her, yet apart from her husband gaining a young servant, she had received nothing. In reality, while her mother-in-law claimed Juan Hua was to take care of her elder sister-in-law, it was clear favoritism. It seemed she had to work harder to win over her mother-in-law.

Zhou Laoda wanted to check on the orchard; even the fruit trees needed attention during the winter. Zhou Laodi, not in the mood for a stroll in Lizhou City, decided to accompany him.

Chang Lian also left home, while Chang Zhi despondently took his two nephews back. Mingyun and Rongchuan were accustomed to the academy’s discipline and continued to study by the hour even at home.

Before long, Lady Zhao returned as well, with Zhulan surrounded by three daughters-in-law, a daughter, and two granddaughters.

Indeed, Zhulan was delighted yesterday that her entire family had gathered, but now she was left with a headache. She had grown accustomed to some peace and quiet, and the presence of so many people was unsettling.

Lady Li spoke while eating an apple, "Mother, my father has sent a letter expressing his thanks; all the of-age nephews in my maternal family have married this year, and he wants me to convey their gratitude to you and father."

Zhulan had already seen the list of gifts; the Li family had sent quite a few wild game. The Li family’s expenses were not small this year, and the fact that they saved some wild game to send showed that Lady Li’s maternal family was very grateful.

Zhulan smiled and said, "Your parents are too courteous. We still rely on them to take good care of the old family house and lands. When your second brother accepted the wild game, I felt quite embarrassed."

Lady Li waved her hand, "Mother, without you and father, my maternal family’s life would be even harder. It’s only right that we do this."

Zhulan counted the days in her mind; in just two and a half months, New Year would arrive. They had accepted the wild game from the Li family, so it was time to think about returning the New Year’s gift. Not just for the Li family, but also for the Jiang family. Zhulan had to consider the gift for her eldest daughter as well, though it couldn’t compare to what was given to the Li family. Right, there was also the Dong family and the Qian family to think about.

Zhulan squinted her eyes; she didn’t need to ask about the Qian family—the gift list alone indicated that they were now all out to please. But returning the New Year’s gift also involved a degree of tact; she couldn’t trust the Qian family steward, who had a history of hiding his master’s assets.

Lady Zhao held a handkerchief, almost leaning on her eldest sister-in-law, and couldn’t help feeling bitter when she glanced at her own seat. "Eldest sister-in-law, auntie looks much older, and Uncle Li’s back is much more bent. This year, most of their grain was sold to finance the weddings."

Lady Li’s smile faded; she wasn’t foolish. She naturally knew that her parents would only share good news, not their worries. She simply did not want to dwell on it, knowing that agonizing was pointless since she lived far away. She had already decided what to buy as a New Year’s gift to send back. Today’s conversation with her mother-in-law was mainly to convey that her own family was honest and hoped that in the future mother-in-law would remember the Li family when it came to employing trustworthy and strong workers.

She was aware that her sister-in-laws resented her. Despite their smiles, she had no idea what they might be whispering about her. Yet what the second sister-in-law had said was a direct hit to her heart, crossing a line. Even if there were conflicts, she was not an overbearing sister-in-law and had stood up for her sister-in-law in the past!

Lady Zhao immediately regretted her words after speaking them but knew there was no taking them back. She also realized that her eldest sister-in-law was no longer the same person as before, and even if she didn’t bear a grudge, a rift had already formed. "Eldest sister-in-law, I..."

Zhulan’s headache worsened. Even though she had anticipated such a scenario, it was still distressing to actually see it unfold. She had never expected her daughters-in-law to get along like real sisters. Even real sisters had their conflicts, let alone daughters-in-law who had no blood ties and everything to do with conflicting interests.

Zhulan’s mind was very clear; it was precisely because of her clarity that she saw the reality more vividly. The reality was that she and Zhou Shuren could not model everyone since they were all real people with their own thoughts and schemes!

However, Zhulan’s face grew stern as her piercing eyes turned to Lady Zhao and Lady Dong, "I don’t need to guess to know what you’re thinking, but remember this in front of me: if anyone ever contemplates siding with outsiders against their own family for personal gain, I will be utterly unforgiving."

Lady Zhao and Lady Dong flinched, not used to seeing their mother-in-law showing her sharp edge like this. They quickly replied, "Mother, we wouldn’t dare."

Zhulan had them rise, "Every family has its rules. In the future, you’ll represent the Zhou family. Remember my words; if you dare trample on your own people outside, I believe you would not want to face the consequences."

What Zhulan was saying now wasn’t out of favoritism; these rules had to be laid out. Whether or not the Zhou family divided, they were considered as one in the official sphere. Any mistake made by an individual was a problem for the entire Zhou family.

The journey she and Zhou Shuren had taken to get to this point had not been easy, and only they knew how much effort it had cost. That was why she was in no hurry to travel to Jiangnan; she had to ensure everyone was properly disciplined before she could leave.