Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 384 Choking in Panic_1

Chapter 384: Chapter 384 Choking in Panic_1

In the Zhou family of Lizhou Prefecture City, Zhou Shuren had received the jewelry he ordered. Not wanting to waste even the smallest bits and fringes, he had them fashioned into a jade pendant and hairpin to match Zhulan’s head ornament. The remaining fragmented pieces were also polished, ready for Zhulan to set them according to her liking when she returned.

Looking at the jade pendant beside the head ornament, the astute Mr. Zhou couldn’t help but break into a silly smile. Matching couple accessories—this realization inspired Zhou Shuren, envisioning that in the future all his accessories would be matching sets with Zhulan.

Zhou Shuren had used the jade stone awarded by the Emperor to make jewelry, a move that left the townspeople somewhat choked with disbelief. What could have been a family heirloom, yet Mr. Zhou boldly crafted it into jewelry for his wife!

The men couldn’t help but express their admiration. "Mr. Zhou is truly a romantic. We are utterly convinced and respect him now. Had it been us, we would have carved it into a family heirloom, to be passed down through the generations!"

The women tore up several handkerchiefs, their eyes red with envy.

Lady Hua, the wife of Mr. Chen, had been out of sorts for several days, speaking to her husband in an acerbic tone, her body language clearly resentful.

Mr. Chen, "....."

Mr. Zhou had made things difficult for them!

At home, Zhou Shuren was not idle at all, continuously drawing envy and resentment toward Zhulan!

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Zhulan boarded the carriage prepared by the broker and set off to look at the manor. The manor was a two-hour journey from Jingzhou City.

Zhulan hardly felt the bumps along the way, as she noticed that the roads in the south were well-maintained, unlike in the sparsely populated north, where the roads were full of potholes and went unmaintained.

Upon arriving, Zhulan got her first look at the tenant farmers in the manor.

The broker introduced them respectfully, "Yang Yiren, all of these dwellings belong to the landlord, and these tenants rent not only the land but also the home from the property owner."

Zhulan had never thought about concealing her identity to purchase the manor. Without revealing it, not only would the broker cheat you, but local officials would too. After all, only those with a substantial family background could afford to buy a manor. Zhulan asked, "How is their rent calculated?"

The broker explained, "A thirty-seventy split."

Zhulan thought to herself that this was quite exploitative; seventy percent went to the landlord, leaving only thirty percent for the tenants, who also had to pay rent for their housing. For families with many children, even with the ability to plant two crops a year in the south, it was hardly enough to feed everyone.

The broker continued, "There are some kind-hearted landlords who offer a forty-sixty split, but they are very rare."

Zhulan acknowledged this, noticing numerous children timidly watching her and several women with worried expressions on their faces.

Zhulan understood that many officials who bought manors wouldn’t rent them out to tenant farmers again. Generally, they would hire a servant to manage the manor, using temporary workers for farming and the autumn harvest.

The tenant farmers were afraid that if Zhulan bought the manor, she wouldn’t rent out the land, leaving them without fields or even a place to live.

Leading the way, the broker reached the main gate of the courtyard. He opened the grand gates and introduced, "This courtyard is where the property owner resides. Although the landlord doesn’t often stay here, the courtyard is always maintained by someone. Inside, there’s a pond, a rockery—the scenery is quite nice. Because the landlord is in need of silver, the house is being offered at a price that’s practically giving it away."

Zhulan surveyed the front courtyard. Each residence in Jiangnan had its unique scenery, and the layout of the houses was also very good. The backyard even had a loft; Zhulan fell in love with it at first sight.

The broker noticed this and knew that half the deal was already done; he wouldn’t dare to deceive the wife of an official.

Zhulan then went to inspect the fields. The estate comprised one hundred and fifty mu of dry land and fifty mu of paddy fields, which also contained fish.

Along the way, Zhulan encountered numerous tenants working in the fields, all of whom stopped to watch Zhulan and her companions. Some appeared panicked, others frightened; they were all uncertain about their futures.

Zhulan was aware that some tenants lived better lives than self-sustaining farmers, yet they relied on others without any family wealth. Once they could no longer rent the land, the tenants would become anxious.

After that, Zhulan looked at two other estates, each having two hundred mu. Only one of the three estates had no tenants.

Zhulan handled matters efficiently, seeing no need to delay once she had made a decision, especially since she belonged to an official’s family. Zhou Shuren’s name indeed carried weight; newly awarded second-place scholars were known to head to Lizhou Prefecture City. The city’s changes were widely discussed, especially among officials.

No one would dare cheat Zhulan when buying a house. She bought two estates with tenants, one in the name of Zhou Shuren, the other in her name.

Zhou Laodi managed the affairs. He didn’t ask too many questions, knowing that their father wouldn’t care even if both estates were registered under their mother’s name. He secured a discount of four hundred taels on both properties, and after including the broker’s fees and the costs for the deed transfer, the total expenditure was four thousand five hundred and fifty taels. He had been concerned that his mother had already spent a lot of silver and they might not have enough, but when his mother showed him the silver, he saw there was still a significant amount left in her chest.

Zhou Laodi reminded himself to always keep in good favor with his mother. He realized he only knew about the silver recorded in the household ledger, and had no idea how much his mother actually held. In the future, whether it was for dividing the family estate or for inheritance after his parents’ passing, it was certain to be under his mother’s control. Registering the properties with the government in her name meant they were part of her dowry, which she could give to anyone she chose.

Zhulan was unaware of Zhou Laodi’s careful thoughts, and even if she knew, she wouldn’t care—as long as no one angered her. Crossing her would surely lead to a whimsical act on her deathbed.

Zhulan still had just under five thousand taels of silver left, and decided not to purchase more estates. She was quite optimistic about the location of Jingzhou City, with its dependable harvests, and the rental income from shops there was the most stable.

What the Zhou family lacked was a steady income, so with the remaining silver, she planned to invest it all in shops.

Zhulan had Zhou Laodi inquire about shop prices. Shops in Jingzhou City were expensive, with a sixty-square-meter space costing four hundred taels in an average location; in prime spots, the price could go up to five hundred taels. Rent from these shops was quite pleasing—those in good locations could bring in sixty taels a year, and even less desirable ones could fetch forty taels.

Zhulan didn’t purchase any large shops, opting instead for smaller spaces. Some were street-front shops, while others came with small backyards suitable for residence. She bought eight shops in one go, with only two in prime locations and the rest in acceptable areas.

The total cost was four thousand taels, including gratuities and the tax for changing the deeds.

Zhulan was left with over six hundred taels of silver.

Of the eight shops, two in prime locations were registered under Zhou Shuren’s name, and the remaining six under Zhulan’s name.

Even the shrewd Zhou Laodi was stunned—his mother had taken ten thousand taels of silver with her, and considering the value of their land and property, good heavens, they really had a lot of silver!

At the same time, Zhou Laodi’s eyes sparkled with excitement. All this silver had been earned by his mother, whose ideas had led to buying and selling properties. When could he learn his mother’s talent?

Zhulan, having bought the shops, renegotiated the lease agreements with the merchants currently renting them, arranging to collect the rent at the end of each year.

After sorting out the shops, Zhulan prepared to meet with the tenants. She had purchased estates with tenants to continue renting them out but wanted to meet the tenant leaders first. If they pleased her, they could stay on; if not, she would replace them.