Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 439 Leaving Voluntarily_1

Chapter 439: Chapter 439 Leaving Voluntarily_1

"Stayed inside because reading was the only interesting thing to do."

"Why didn’t you go outside? It’s quite lively out there."

Zhulan could hear Ming Teng’s laughter even inside the room.

Zhou Shuren said, "I wanted to keep you company."

Even with the old nanny watching over Zhulan, he still felt uneasy. Moreover, he and Zhulan were a family now, and they had an additional member, a child.

Zhulan got up to put on her clothes. Just now, to sleep comfortably, she had only worn her undergarment. She took a few sips from the water Zhou Shuren had poured and pursed her lips, "I suddenly feel like drinking some fruit juice."

Zhou Shuren asked, "What fruits do we have at home?"

"We have both apples and pears, but I’ll have apple juice today."

Why hadn’t she thought of fruit juice before? The best would be nice and cold, but with a baby in her belly, she couldn’t think about having cold drinks.

Old Granny Song quickly returned with the fruit juice in hand. It tasted surprisingly good; the sweet and sour flavor was particularly appetizing. Seeing the sky darken, Zhulan asked Liu Ya, "Is dinner ready?"

Liu Ya replied, "Nearly ready. The dishes will be complete in a quarter of an hour. Would the Mistress like some snacks first?"

Zhulan, however, wasn’t in the mood for snacks. She just wanted to eat the main meal and shook her head, "No, thank you."

Old Granny Song finished doing Zhulan’s hair. The nanny was truly skilled. She didn’t mind living under the Emperor’s watchful eye at all—eventually, they would be monitored anyway, so being taken back to the Zhou household just meant they had struck gold.

In just a short time, the newly purchased maids and nannies had completely changed, ready to graduate after the new year.

For the evening meal, there were sixteen dishes in total, each with a small portion size because they had to stay up late for the New Year’s vigil.

Nobody went to sleep; they all played the word-guessing game that Zhulan had come up with, which was obviously meant for the children, so Chang Lian and Rongchuan were excluded.

Lady Li was overjoyed. She had two sons. With Mingyun’s years of studying, he was bound to win the most silver.

Everyone in the room thought so, but there was an unexpected turn of events—the one who guessed the most riddles was Ming Teng.

Only then did everyone remember that this young fellow was particularly good at solving puzzles.

Ming Teng grinned, all this was silver, and he could keep this year’s New Year’s money, alongside the silver he already had, he too was a man with silver now.

He finally didn’t have to envy Ming Rui anymore. Thinking about it made him feel suffocated. Ming Rui was much younger than him, yet even his little brother had silver!

Lady Li ground her teeth with frustration—this wretched boy wouldn’t give it to her!

After staying up late for New Year’s and eating dumplings, the whole family went to rest. Zhulan went to sleep late last night and didn’t have to get up early today. She slept soundly and, by the time she woke, it was already past eight o’clock.

Zhou Shuren wasn’t in the room. Sitting up, Zhulan asked Old Granny Song, "Where’s the master?"

Old Granny Song replied, "The master went to make fruit juice for the Mistress."

That’s right, fruit juice. The master was really doting on the Mistress. She had been to the backyards of many powerful and wealthy households and had never seen a master without concubines who only doted on his wife.

She wasn’t blind; she could distinguish genuine affection, which she saw between the master and the Mistress. She was more than satisfied with her current life. She had been born an orphan and thought she’d end her days poorly, but unexpectedly, she could now enjoy her days peacefully at the Zhou residence.

Zhulan’s lips curled into a sweet smile. After changing her clothes, she asked, "Has everyone had breakfast already?"

"They’ve eaten already. You must be hungry, Mistress. I’ll go tell the kitchen to make dumplings right away."

Zhulan waved her hand, "I’m not hungry just yet. Let’s start with washing up."

After Zhulan had freshened up, Zhou Shuren came back with the fruit juice, "I’ll wait for you to eat before you drink."

"Mm."

Zhulan verbally agreed, but her eyes were fixed on the juice cup. Her brain was signaling her that she really wanted to drink it. She felt it wasn’t her wanting to drink, but the baby inside her.

Zhou Shuren with no choice, "You can only have one sip."

Zhulan happily complied, "Alright."

After one sip, which whetted her appetite, she had some dumplings and then took her time before finishing the rest of the juice.

Zhulan remarked, "This is truly extravagant!"

In ancient times, drinking juice in winter, and not even in the south, was like drinking silver.

Zhou Shuren couldn’t help but laugh, "Is it extravagant if we grow it ourselves?"

Zhulan, "Mmm, extravagant, so to continue this luxury in the future, we still need to set up an orchard."

On the first day of the new year, with no guests coming over to pay their respects, Zhou Shuren finally had some free time. The couple didn’t even leave the room, chatting and playing chess.

That’s right, playing chess. Zhulan learned chess from Zhou Shuren, who was self-taught—cough, cough, to show off. Unexpectedly, Zhou Shuren was quite talented and played really well.

After Zhou Shuren showed off, Zhulan, not to be outdone, also learned. It was evident that Zhulan’s talent was not lacking either; both of them proved to be quite evenly matched.

It’s no surprise since both of them were people with meticulous minds.

Zhulan, waiting for Zhou Shuren to make his next move, decided to distract him, "What do you think, will the child take after you or me more?"

Zhou Shuren’s train of thought was interrupted, but knowing Zhulan’s intent, he still pondered seriously, "I hope the child takes after both of us."

Zhulan understood what Zhou Shuren meant. Their current bodies weren’t really theirs, and Zhou Shuren wasn’t afraid of not resembling them due to lineage issues. Zhulan grew anxious. The Zhou family’s genes were also good, with plenty of intelligent members. However, she hoped the child would take after her or Zhou Shuren. May heaven grant her wish, for the child to be like them.

Zhou Shuren made his next move, and it was actually Zhulan who got distracted and lost.

Zhou Shuren smiling, "Another game?"

Zhulan, "....."

She dug a pit and fell into it herself!

That day, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren became competitive until they were too tired to continue.

The post-new year routine did not change much, with visits to the maternal home. However, this year was different; Zhulan’s belly was big, and even though the crisis had passed, Zhou Shuren’s caution remained, so Zhulan did not attend the banquets.

The Zhou family also reduced the number of banquets, using Zhulan’s pregnancy as a reason, making this year’s first month unusually quiet.

After the fifteenth day of the first month passed, without Zhulan having to say anything, Zhou Shuren’s younger brother took the initiative, "Mother, Lady Zhao’s belly is getting quite big. We’ve been at home for quite a while now, and we’re considering returning to Chuanzhou Province."

Zhulan was taken aback. She thought if she didn’t speak up, Zhou Shuren’s younger brother would continue to stay undisturbed, but upon closer inspection, she noticed something different about him.

Zhou Shuren’s younger brother had been reflecting on himself. The more he reflected, the more deeply he realized his own issues. He was no longer fixated on staying at home and was eager to return to Chuanzhou Province to further temper himself.

Zhulan, looking into the eyes of Zhou Shuren’s younger brother, could tell it was not a tactical retreat. Her smile deepened, "Good, when do you plan to leave?"

Zhou Shuren’s younger brother felt the humor in his mother’s tone, paused, and realized it had been a long time since she had laughed with him, "Mother, we plan to leave tomorrow. The luggage is all packed."

Zhulan was quite pleased with Zhou Shuren’s younger brother, "Go call Lady Zhao back here."

Zhou Shuren’s younger brother, "Mmm."

Lady Zhao arrived shortly after, and upon entering the mother-in-law’s room she saw a middle-aged woman and a young maid standing there. Lady Zhao had an inkling—the two were for her. When they were first bought, she thought they were for her and Lady Dong, but when nothing came of it, she put the thought to rest. Now, seeing them, she was pleasantly surprised to actually have servants to call her own.

Lady Zhao curtsied, but Zhulan stopped her, "You’re quite far along, please sit down."