Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 457 Admiration_1

Chapter 457: Chapter 457 Admiration_1

Xue Mei brought the child to see her sister-in-law, "Sister-in-law."

Zhao Shi smiled, "I heard you were here, let me have a look at you, you’ve grown even more beautiful over the years."

Xue Mei said, "Sister-in-law hasn’t changed much either, still a great beauty."

Zhao Shi touched her skinny face, "I’ve aged, not as pretty as before."

Xue Mei looked at her sister-in-law’s pale cheeks and sighed inwardly. This time her sister-in-law truly faced danger. They didn’t interact much in the past, but they became closer when her sister-in-law took care of her during her confinement. After living back in their hometown for over a year, their interaction increased, and they developed a good relationship.

Now her sister-in-law indeed wasn’t as pretty as before; it was evident that she had lost a lot of hair, and coupled with the exhaustion from worrying about the child, her sister-in-law’s entire essence and spirit were lacking, "Sister-in-law, I heard the child is much better now, you shouldn’t worry too much, our Zhou family is blessed, the child will be fine, you should take more care of yourself."

Zhao Shi’s heart was clenched with worry. How could she not worry? To say that she blamed her little girl, she really didn’t, because she didn’t want her to have the same childhood as hers. Later, thinking about it, she realized that the happiness she had now was all earned, and she had thoroughly come to terms with it. She still had a son, didn’t she? One was enough.

But she was truly concerned about her little girl’s health; the child had suffered along with her and was now not as robust as a newborn, "I will take care of my health, don’t worry."

She indeed needed to recuperate well, she still had her children to take care of.

She was truly grateful to her mother-in-law. If it weren’t for her mother-in-law’s prohibition against taking concubines, she would have had a lot more to worry about. Now, she could rest easy during her confinement, all thanks to her mother-in-law. It was just a pity that she couldn’t visit her mother-in-law, "Did you see mother? How is she recovering?"

Xue Mei smiled, "I think mother is recovering quite well."

Zhao Shi said, "That’s good."

Xue Mei didn’t say she wanted to see the child. The child was too frail, and she didn’t dare to hold her. She took out the gifts she had prepared, "These are the presents for the third-day washing ceremony and full-month celebration that I prepared early. I’m giving them to you now together."

Zhao Shi looked at the exquisitely made golden lock and gold bangle, "These are too valuable."

For Xue Mei, who had her mother-in-law’s support, these items were valuable even for her own family.

Xue Mei, on the other hand, had quite a bit of silver coin, supplemented by her mother, and she had sold some jewelry she no longer used. Although they were expensive, she could still afford to give them, "It’s the least I could do. Sister-in-law took great personal care of me when I was doing my confinement."

She always remembered this kindness.

Zhao Shi felt warmth in her heart, reminded of her mother-in-law’s advice to treat others with sincerity, and this was the return.

In the evening, Xue Mei brought the children to dine with Zhulan, who said, "Rest early tonight, tomorrow let your older brother and the others take you around."

Xue Mei smiled, "Okay, I heard when I was on my way that the temples in Jinzhou Province are quite famous, I really want to visit them!"

She would actually like to accompany her mother, but her mother had just given birth and needed rest. As for taking care of her, her attempts to help were stopped by her mother several times, and the maids were available, so there was no need for her. She might as well follow her mother’s suggestion, take a look around, and broaden the children’s horizons at the same time.

Zhulan had been eating the bland confinement meals for two consecutive days, and Zhou Shuren was afraid she might grow tired of them, so he hired a chef to cook varied meals. So far, Zhulan quite enjoyed them.

After dinner, Zhulan asked, "If there’s anything you need for your courtyard, don’t be embarrassed to say. This is always your home, and you are still a Zhou by marriage."

Xue Mei felt warm inside. She understood her mother; her mother’s meaning was that she was still a part of the family, whether married or not, and she smiled, "Mother, if there’s anything I need, I definitely won’t be shy about it."

"That’s good."

After the meal, Xue Mei took her child back to the courtyard. On the way back, she saw the maidservants cleaning and they paid their respects upon seeing her. Xue Mei gazed at the scenery of the courtyard and, although she had walked through it twice, still felt somewhat dazed, as if in a dream.

When Xue Mei returned to the courtyard, Jiang Sheng and his son Jiang Zhu had come back. "You’ve finished eating too? I thought you would be drinking for a while!"

Jiang Sheng shook his head, "My father-in-law doesn’t drink, and neither does any of my elder brothers, so we dispersed after eating."

Xue Mei chuckled, "Dad doesn’t drink because of Mom."

Jiang Sheng smiled without replying, his father-in-law made no secret of his eagerness to return to his wife’s side. It was quite unexpected that even though his father-in-law’s official rank had reached the fourth grade, his affection for his wife remained unchanged. It wasn’t that he doubted his father-in-law, but he had seen too many men who, upon gaining rank and wealth, took concubines. That’s why he admired his father-in-law even more.

Unfortunately, his father-in-law said he was very busy lately and had no time for rest. Jiang Sheng would have to wait a few days if he wanted to consult him.

Xue Mei saw that her husband was also tired, "You should go take a bath and rest first. I’ll soothe the children and then come back."

Jiang Sheng, rubbing his shoulders, found the journey quite tiring, "Alright."

In the main courtyard, Zhulan was surprised upon seeing Zhou Shuren, "Have you finished eating as well?"

Zhou Shuren, "Yes, we have."

Zhulan looked at Zhou Shuren and realized that, certainly, he was eager to return to be with her and their son. Her sons and son-in-law probably hurried through their meals as well.

Zhulan asked, "Ming Qing came, have you talked with him?"

Zhulan had heard from Xue Mei about the old home’s situation. Next year, quite a few were planning on participating in the imperial examinations, and several young ones in the child prodigy exams. Zhulan was pleased; the more scholars there were, the more it signified the prosperity of the Zhou clan. As the clan’s strength rose, Zhou Shuren, as its leader, would have even more people at his disposal.

Zhou Shuren sighed, "All the accounts were delivered today, I’ve been poring over them all day. Numbers are all that’s in my head right now, I truly had no time. I was thinking of having Ming Qing follow Chang Lian to the Meng family first to receive guidance from Master Meng, and then I’ll coach him once I’m less busy."

Zhulan raised an eyebrow, "Are you planning to keep him here?"

Zhou Shuren nodded, "Yes, I really can’t perform the selfless dedication for the family clan. For the future, it’s better if the next Clan Leader is someone I’ve guided."

Zhulan fell silent; what Zhou Shuren said was true. He was always calculating for the benefit of the Zhou clan and wasn’t the type of Clan Leader to be personally involved in everything, "Our Clan Leader wouldn’t even consider you becoming the Clan Leader; not only does he not trust that, but he also sees through your true nature."

Zhou Shuren laughed, "Indeed, if I’d ever harbored such thoughts, they dissipated once he became aware of my scheming. Honestly, I quite admire the Clan Leader."

Zhulan also admired the Clan Leader of the Zhou Clan, who was very responsible. Not to mention his frequent visits to the clan school, his commitment to the clan’s spirit demanded respect.

Early the next morning, the eldest Zhou brother and the second eldest took Xue Mei’s family to the temple.

Meanwhile, Zhulan looked over the guest list for the third-day bathing ceremony. After discussing with Zhou Shuren, they decided not to have the ceremony, due to the child being born earlier and also because the timing wasn’t right. Currently, all attention was on verifying accounts in Jinzhou Province, making it inappropriate to hold the ceremony.

Although they did not hold the ceremony, the gifts for the third-day bathing arrived early in the morning. Zhulan stared blankly at the top of the guest list, not moving her hand for a long time. She closed and opened her eyes again, making sure she hadn’t seen it wrong, the Crown Prince?

Zhulan, "...."

What kind of move was this?