Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 456: Time to Set the Engagement_1

Chapter 456: Chapter 456: Time to Set the Engagement_1

Liu Ya had never seen the eldest miss, but she knew from the yearly gifts the mistress sent to the eldest miss that the mistress was very fond of her. Liu Ya smiled, "It’s true, a young servant came first to deliver the news, the eldest miss should have arrived in the back courtyard by now."

It had been several years since Zhulan had seen Xue Mei and her family, when she left the twins had not yet turned a month old, and now they were already three. She muttered to herself, "Should we bring all the children along?"

Within a few minutes, Xue Mei arrived with several children following behind Xue Han, her eyes brimming with tears, "Mother."

Xue Mei had been afraid of missing her mother’s childbirth, so she had set out early, but the journey was not smooth. The twins, never having left home before, were too excited and frequently got off the carriage to play. Moreover, it was spring, yet the weather swung back to a wintry chill, forcing them to lay over in Huaizhou City for many days. Despite her efforts to rush, her mother had given birth, and to her relief, her mother was fine. Heaven knows how panicked she felt when she entered the back courtyard and learned her mother had delivered.

Zhulan held her eldest daughter’s hand. Three years had passed, and there was no small change in Xue Mei. She had matured a lot. In Zhulan’s eyes, Xue Mei used to be just like a student who hadn’t graduated, too young.

Zhulan’s gaze turned to her grandchildren. Her eldest grandson hadn’t come in, Jiang Zhu was seven this year and already a little grown-up; the birthing room was no place for him. Zhulan pulled six-year-old Jiang Miu towards her, recalling how Miumiu’s hair had been short when she left, and now she could wear jewelry, a little beauty she was.

Lastly were the three-year-old twins, who indeed looked very alike.

Seeing her mother watch the children, Xue Mei said to them with a smile, "Didn’t you all clamor to see Grandma? Now that you’ve met her, why aren’t you calling out to her?"

Jiang Miu blinked her eyes, still having some memory of her, and sweetly said to her gentle-looking grandmother, "Grandma."

Zhulan stroked Miumiu’s hand, "Did you miss Grandma?"

"Missed her."

She wasn’t lying, she remembered Grandma giving her delicious food and teaching her characters.

The twins stepped forward tilting their heads; the chubbier one said, "Grandma, I am Jiang Ping, the elder brother."

The thinner one added, "I am Jiang An, the younger brother."

Hearing their names, Zhulan knew that Xue Mei and her husband hoped the twins would grow up safe and sound; raising twins was not easy, and peace was the parents’ greatest wish.

Zhulan smiled, "Good, good."

Seeing her mother looking well, Xue Mei felt relieved and asked, "Mother, where’s the little brother?"

"Right here."

Zhulan shifted her position; the child was sleeping in the bed, and she had been blocking the view as she got up. She picked up the still-sleeping child and handed him to Xue Mei.

Xue Mei carefully took him, aware of how precious the latecomer was to her parents. She closely examined his features, "The little brother is going to grow up, he’s only picking the best traits from both parents."

This child was not light!

Jiang Miu also leaned in, "Mother, is this our little uncle?"

The twins on tiptoes chanted, "Little uncle, little uncle."

Zhulan, "...."

Indeed, her son was born into a large familial status. Thinking about how he would grow up and be called ’uncle’ or ’little uncle’ by a bunch of kids older than him, she couldn’t help but laugh.

Xue Mei gently placed her little brother down, "Mother, have you named the little brother yet?"

Zhulan was silent. Before the child was born, she and Zhou Shuren had pondered many names, but once the child arrived, they struggled with choosing, finding none quite right, "We’re still thinking."

Xue Mei didn’t think much of it and went with the conversation, "Indeed, it deserves more thought."

This youngest brother was truly the most blessed; even his younger sister couldn’t compare, as she had even spent a few years as a village girl. The little brother, from birth, was already a Magistrate’s son. When he grew up, and his father’s rank was even higher, his status would rise correspondingly.

Xue Mei, looking at her little brother, thought of Chang Zhi, "Mother, we stopped by to find Chang Zhi on our way here. Chang Zhi has gone traveling with his master for studies, so he didn’t come back with us."

Zhulan, "..."

She wasn’t disappointed, really. There were times when she couldn’t even remember she had this adopted son.

Xue Mei felt her youngest brother was too carefree, and he was not so young anymore, "Mother, the little brother is sixteen this year, isn’t it time to arrange a marriage for him? That way, he can settle down at home."

She felt that her younger brother really needed someone to properly take care of him.

Zhulan, "I would like to arrange a marriage for him, but there’s no suitable match."

Xue Mei thought of her little brother’s temperament and sympathized with his future wife.

During their conversation, Lady Li and Lady Dong heard the news and came over. Lady Li, worried about waking the child, lowered her voice, "Elder Sister."

Lady Dong, "Sister."

Xue Mei was momentarily stunned. As her father’s eldest daughter, she would receive generous gifts from her parents’ home during festivals. She was well-known in her hometown, and whether they were merchant’s wives or officials’ wives, she had met many, and there were really few who could compare to Lady Li.

Xue Mei felt that the environment could indeed change a person, and then she thought, it was still her mother who knew how to teach people, even the temperament of her eldest sister-in-law had been well guided.

Xue Mei stood up, "Eldest sister-in-law, younger sister-in-law."

Then she instructed several children to call people over.

Lady Li now felt a headache at the sight of the boy, unlike with girls who were quiet and demure. She took Jiang Miu’s hand, "It’s been several years since we’ve seen each other, Miumiu has become more and more beautiful."

While speaking, Lady Li took out a Jade Pendant she had prepared from her sleeve and handed it to Jiang Miu, "This is from your great-aunt, please don’t dismiss it."

This Jade Pendant was part of her daughter’s dowry. Starting last year, whenever she found something good, she would prepare it as well. She wasn’t planning to have more children; with only one daughter in the main branch, she naturally wanted her daughter to have a stronger foundation.

Today, upon hearing that Xue Mei had returned, she chose a gift for a while and took the Jade Pendant.

She then took out two embroidered purses and handed them to the twins, who had come to pay their respects, "These are from your great-aunt."

Inside were Silver coins, and as the two children were still young, giving them Silver was appropriate.

Xue Mei was genuinely surprised. Her judgment had also been honed considerably, and she estimated that the Jade Pendant was worth at least twenty taels of Silver. Her eldest sister-in-law said it was a gift, and just gave it away, "Eldest sister-in-law, this is too valuable."

Lady Li smiled, "It’s not expensive, it’s rare, no, I love girls, it’s not expensive."

Lady Li exhaled, almost revealing the truth. It wasn’t easy for her elder sister to come by, and as it wasn’t something given every year, she could consider it as making up for many years of New Year’s money, and with that, she was willing to part with it.

Zhulan, "...."

She knew what Lady Li was thinking and couldn’t help but laugh to herself; she had just been wondering why she was being so generous.

These past two years, Xue Mei had often interacted with officials’ families and wasn’t unfamiliar with their subtleties. She instantly understood her eldest sister-in-law’s slip of the tongue and couldn’t help laughing. Her sister-in-law had changed so much as to be almost unrecognizable, yet some things remained the same. This encounter felt even more familiar, "Thank you, eldest sister-in-law."

Jiang Miu thanked her aunt with her brothers.

Lady Dong also prepared gifts. What Lady Dong gave Jiang Miu was a sway step ornament. Having no children, Lady Dong had no jewelry for young girls, so she could only give jewelry she wore in her teens. Jiang Miu would keep it for later use. For the twins, she also gave Silver coins.

Xue Mei asked, "Mother, where is the second sister-in-law?"

Zhulan then remembered that Xue Mei had just arrived and was unaware of the situation, "Your second sister-in-law had a difficult childbirth and was injured. She’s now in her postpartum recovery period. You should visit her later."

Seeing the weariness on her mother’s face, and knowing she needed to recover after childbirth, Xue Mei suggested, "Mother, I’ll take the children to visit her now, and you should rest early too."

Zhulan was indeed tired. Seeing Liu Ya enter, she asked, "Has everything been arranged?"

Liu Ya nodded, "The courtyard has been cleaned out, and the eldest young miss’s luggage has already been moved over."

Zhulan hummed in acknowledgment, then said to Xue Mei, "For the next few days, if you need anything, ask Xue Han, who is now in charge of the courtyard."

Xue Mei replied, "Mother, I’ll remember that. You should rest first."

After waiting for Xue Mei to take the children out, Zhulan spoke to the old maid, "Go to my room, there is a set of gold jewelry with Ruby inlay for the elder miss, and also have Steward Ding go to the jewelry shop to commission four Jade Pendants."

Xue Mei’s sudden arrival didn’t allow prior notification, so Zhulan hadn’t had time to prepare gifts. Just now, as the children were giving their respects, she had been pondering what to give!