Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 474: Attitude_1

Chapter 474: Chapter 474: Attitude_1

Zhulan spoke up, "Why are you two standing there with eyes wide like saucers? Sit down, both of you."

Zhulan looked at her two sons with a surge of emotion in her heart. Time really flies. When she first arrived here, Chang Zhi was but a child, and now Chang Lian is already a father. With a hint of nostalgia, she reflected, "In the blink of an eye, Chang Zhi is about to be married."

Chang Zhi’s ears turned red. He was truly frightened today. He had intended to go out, but before he could reach the door, he ran into Miss Su. His body reacted before his brain did, and in panic, he took off running. He was even teased by his third brother, and he felt so embarrassed that his face flushed. "Mother."

Zhulan didn’t intend to beat around the bush. "My son, do you know Magistrate Anhe?"

Chang Zhi was somewhat stunned. "Mother, what Magistrate?"

Zhulan, "...Do you know Miss Su?"

Chang Zhi was not foolish, pressing his lips together, "Is Miss Su the Magistrate?"

Zhulan, "Mhm."

Chang Zhi twitched the corner of his mouth. This bold maiden was the Magistrate? Just thinking about Miss Su talking about recruiting a husband and teasing him from time to time, Chang Zhi’s face turned even redder. She was really too bold; how could such a person be a Magistrate!

Chang Lian’s eyes were about to bulge out. It wasn’t because Chang Zhi’s face was flushed, but rather that this kid had done well— the Magistrate, no less! He patted his younger brother on the shoulder, impressed. "When you’re silent, you’re silent, but when you speak, you shock everyone. You’re something, my brother."

Zhulan saw Chang Zhi brush off Chang Lian’s hand and signaled that if Chang Lian wanted to listen, he should behave. If not, he could leave. Chang Lian then behaved. Zhulan inquired, "If you have different feelings for the Magistrate, Mother will go and inquire."

Chang Zhi opened his mouth to say he had no feelings for Miss Su, but he found himself grinding his teeth with frustration. The girl was too daring for his taste. Although he wasn’t overly conservative, she was just too brazen. Then he fell silent, realizing that aside from his family, he thought of this girl the most. Frustration washed over him. No wonder he had run away. The girl had shown no reaction because she had already investigated him thoroughly.

He wasn’t foolish, and naturally understood that Miss Su’s talk of recruiting a husband was now impossible. He had just run into his sister who was coming home from school, and she had told him about the incident at the temple yesterday. He didn’t need to think hard to know who was responsible. Grinding his teeth, he found it all very aggravating.

Zhulan had laughter in her eyes. Chang Zhi had been silent for too long. In the past, if the boy had no interest, he would have responded directly and succinctly. Look at him now, grinding his teeth in vexation, a picture of frustration. Zhulan found it all very amusing; she was determined that this Magistrate must be brought home!

Zhulan said teasingly, "It seems you’re not interested, then. I’ll make this clear to Magistrate Wang’s wife tomorrow, to avoid any implications that might tarnish the Magistrate’s reputation. However, finding a suitable match for you will be tough. Make sure to take extra people with you when you go out so you won’t be taken advantage of."

Chang Zhi’s ears turned red again, and he looked helplessly at his mother. "Mother."

Zhulan couldn’t help but laugh. "Chang Lian, is your brother throwing a tantrum at me?"

Chang Lian, unable to stop laughing, replied, "Yes."

Chang Zhi glared at his third brother while grinding his teeth. "Third brother, little brother."

Chang Lian had heard enough and took off running. "Mother, I’m going to leave now. Pretend I didn’t hear anything today; I won’t say a word."

Zhulan was fairly confident in Chang Lian; the boy knew what to say and what not to say. Instead, she turned her attention to Chang Zhi, speaking with the tone of someone who was very nosy, "Now that your third brother has left, tell me, how did you come to know Miss Su?"

Chang Zhi pursed his lips, looking somewhat embarrassed. He mumbled, "I was on a learning journey with my master, and then we encountered a heavy rain and couldn’t proceed, so we had to take shelter, and that’s when I got to know her."

His master hadn’t missed an opportunity to tease him about Miss Su!

He didn’t mention how bold Miss Su was. He wasn’t foolish. His mother seemed to have a good impression of Miss Su, and if he were to talk about some of her bolder actions, he feared his mother might take a dimmer view of her. The word ’recruiting’ was especially not to be mentioned.

Zhulan was actually eager to hear a story. Really, she didn’t care much for matched pairs of scholars and beauties. She preferred the pairing of Miss Su with Chang Zhi—one a powerful older sister figure with full fighting spirit, the other a natural and pure scholar. Ah, just thinking about it excited her.

Chang Zhi felt uncomfortable under his mother’s gaze. "Mother, I have other things to attend to, so I’ll be going now."

Please stop looking. It was only now that he realized his mother also had a love for drama.

Zhulan snickered; the boy sure knew how to make a quick exit. Unfortunately, she knew she wouldn’t get anything out of him. When Chang Zhi didn’t want to talk, no amount of questioning would coax it out of him. "It seems, I need to start preparing the dowry."

After speaking, Zhulan felt a pang in her heart—it was a real pain. Thankfully, she had not yet acted on buying property and shops, and had kept her Silver Coin in reserve. Otherwise, even the dowry would be a concern.

Zhulan clutched her chest. Indeed, the bride price for a good daughter-in-law was high, especially for a Magistrate—it couldn’t be low.

Housekeeper Song, "Madame, what’s wrong with you?"

Zhulan sighed, "It hurts."

Housekeeper Song, "Ah?"

Zhulan waved her hand dismissively. "You wouldn’t understand." Zhulan got up and returned to her room to calm her mood by looking at her son. After a while, she would need to calculate their financial status.

Housekeeper Song watched her mistress speechlessly. How could she keep up with her lady’s thoughts? This wouldn’t do at all.

Over at the Wang estate, Lady Tao looked helplessly at the sulking Xuan Xuan. "Alright, stop fussing."

Su Xuan gritted her teeth. "Auntie, I’m just so annoyed. They set their sights on me and forced me to leave. And just when I find someone I like, they target him too."

Considering the attitudes of the Qi Clan and the Liu family today, the message was clear: if their daughters couldn’t have him, then no one should.