Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 395 Lady Fang_1

Chapter 395: Chapter 395 Lady Fang_1

Time flew, and the first lunar month was spent in a flurry of busy visits. Throughout the month, the children of the Zhou family received quite a bit of New Year’s money, with Mr. Chen’s family being the most generous.

During the first month, Lady Li received a reply from the Qi Clan. The Xu family, considering Zhou Shuren’s future prospects, offered a high price and made a lump-sum purchase of five hundred taels of silver.

By mid-February, the five hundred taels had reached Lady Li’s hands. She gave it to Zhulan, who diligently acquired properties for the first and third branches of the family.

Zhulan didn’t go too far to make her purchases. She bought two shops in Chuanzhou City for the first branch with the remaining silver. Half of it was used to buy land, and a portion of that was used to dig a pond to raise fish. The remaining silver coin was used to buy some wasteland to plant apple trees.

Most of the silver for the first branch came personally from Lady Li. When Zhulan made the purchases, she directly put them in Lady Li’s name, while the land bought with savings was registered in the name of the eldest son.

The eldest Zhou son was already capable of standing on his own. He could manage these lands well.

For the third branch, most of the silver coin belonged to Lady Dong. Zhulan didn’t buy land but instead invested in shops.

Chuanzhou City, benefitting from Lizhou City’s push to become an apple province, also had plenty of apple trees. The future of Chuanzhou was looking brighter, and investment opportunities in Chuanzhou’s shops were still available.

Zhulan also knew that Chang Yi had bought his lands and shops himself. It wasn’t that Zhulan wanted to be biased, but among her sons, the second branch thought too much. To be frank, in terms of selfishness, Chang Lian was no match for Chang Yi.

Chang Lian was young and could still be set straight. After several years of guidance from her and Zhou Shuren and a few harsh lessons, the current Chang Lian was satisfactory to both Zhulan and Zhou Shuren.

On the other hand, Chang Yi, when faced with the strong will of Zhulan and Zhou Shuren, was obedient, even if he feared them in his heart. But once he gained a bit of confidence, he would start to have his own ideas.

Now that the married third branch had their own property income, there were noticeable changes among the branches.

The eldest Zhou son was more confident and no longer hesitant when speaking with Zhulan.

The second Zhou son, now not preoccupied with the Jiangnan properties, was wholeheartedly managing his own properties and no longer coveted the authorities held by the eldest Zhou son.

Lady Dong and Chang Lian, the newlyweds, seemed to have opened up to one another. Sometimes Zhulan saw sweetness in their glances at each other.

In March, Lady Li’s belly grew bigger. As Zhulan worried about Lady Li’s belly, she couldn’t help but touch her own, which still showed no signs of life.

Zhulan sat by the window, her thoughts drifting as she gazed outside.

Liu Ya entered, "My lady, Second Madam’s mother and brother have arrived."

Zhulan snapped back to reality, "Second Madam’s mother and brother?"

Liu Ya said, "Yes, the steward has inquired already."

Zhulan was surprised. Why would Lady Fang, Zhao’s mother, come to Lizhou City with her son? "Is there no one else with them?"

Liu Ya remembered what she had seen, "My lady, it’s just the two of them, Second Madam’s mother and brother. There’s no one else, and also—"

Zhulan felt that the Qian family would not dare to mistreat Lady Fang, but Lady Fang coming alone with her child indicated trouble, "Go on."

Liu Ya said, "Second Madam’s mother is dressed very shabbily."

Zhulan pressed her brow, "Is the second lady not at home? Right, this morning Chang Yi took Zhao’s family out of the city. Go invite the others over, and then send someone to find the second master and the second lady and ask them to return."

Liu Ya replied, "Yes!"

Zhulan sat waiting for a while, and Lady Fang approached, holding a tattered bundle in one hand and leading her young son, Qian Keqi, with the other. Zhulan’s gaze returned, and before she could speak,

Lady Fang started to cry and knelt before Zhulan with Qian Keqi, "Mother-in-law, I’ve finally found Lizhou City."

Zhulan, "...."

Zhulan was speechless. Lady Fang was dressed very shabbily, but from her demeanor, it didn’t seem as if she had suffered. Moreover, Lady Fang was so good at hiding her true self; it was clear that her attire was meant to be a disguise.

Seeing her mistress frown, Liu Ya hurriedly helped her up, saying, "The mistress doesn’t like others kneeling. You are the second lady’s mother, please have a seat."

Lady Fang’s body stiffened, and she awkwardly said, "I was just too excited, too overwhelmed."

Zhulan gestured for Liu Ya to bring some snacks, and as she watched Lady Fang’s mannerisms, she suddenly lost the desire to ask what had happened. "You must have had a hard trip. Have some snacks first."

After finishing speaking, Zhulan sipped boiled water, plain boiled water. In her efforts to better care for her health, she had given up drinking tea and had been drinking only boiled water for nearly three months. Even when visiting others, Zhulan would only take a sip.

Lady Fang felt regret, regret for having overplayed her hand. She responded, stealing glances at her mother-in-law. It had been nearly two years since they last met; even if she lived comfortably, the constant family intrigue aged her quickly.

In contrast, her mother-in-law hadn’t changed much in appearance, but her demeanor had changed significantly. She wasn’t like a mere peasant woman before, and now she exuded an air of authority even while silent, making Lady Fang somewhat intimidated. Seeing her mother-in-law’s attire and jewelry made Lady Fang’s head drop even lower.

Zhulan, noticing Lady Fang’s bowed head, spoke, "Chang Yi and Zhao’s family went out today and will take a while to return. You’ve had a long journey, you and the child should go freshen up and rest. We can talk later this evening."

Lady Fang opened her mouth, then closed it again. She was somewhat afraid of her mother-in-law’s presence. In Pingzhou City, she had been intimidated by her, and now her fear was even greater. She felt as though she had returned to her days as a servant, hardly daring to breathe heavily, "Thank you, mother-in-law."

Zhulan struggled to feel genuinely warm toward Lady Fang, who arrived with ulterior motives, "Mhm."

After Liu Ya led Lady Fang away, Zhulan continued to sit idly, thinking about writing a letter to Old Master Lu, but there was no rush.

Zhou Shuren and his wife did not return until two hours later, and they came to see Zhulan first. In less than a quarter of an hour, they returned to the main courtyard.

Zhulan noticed Zhao’s subtle gesture, tugging at Zhou Shuren’s clothes before he approached.

Zhou Shuren hardly dared meet his mother’s eyes. He and his wife had only found out upon their return that their mother hadn’t asked his mother-in-law anything, but as he looked into his mother’s eyes, he knew she had guessed, "Mother."

Zhulan put down the book in her hand, having not absorbed a single word all day, "I’m listening, go on."

Zhou Shuren spoke with little confidence, "Mother, the Qian family’s steward suddenly passed away in the first lunar month, and my mother-in-law could no longer stay with the Qian family, so she came to seek refuge with us."

Disappointment showed in Zhulan’s eyes, "I’m giving you a chance to tell it again."

Zhou Shuren’s heart skipped a beat. He had repeated his mother-in-law’s story, knowing she hadn’t told the truth. His eyes met his mother’s, and his heart lurched, "Mother, I—"

Zhao became anxious. Her mother-in-law had asked her husband to repeat his story, which was like slapping their own faces. She had already felt insecure about seeking asylum, and revealing the real reason would only make it harder for her to find her place in the Zhou family, "Mother, my mother thought that with the death of Old Master Qian, she had no ties to the Qian family anymore. She also missed me, which is why she came."