Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 478 Need Courage_1

Chapter 478: Chapter 478 Need Courage_1

This time, both the Min family and the Ran Residence suffered losses. Lady Qi of the Ran Residence was originally angry about the Bai family’s scheming. Upon hearing of the Min family’s incident, she snorted coldly, "The Min family has always been despicable in their tactics."

In the Min household, Mrs. Liu felt a headache coming on. She had calculated everything but had failed to take into account the temper of the fourth young master of the Zhou family. By the time she realized it, the guests had left the residence. It was over; there was no need for an alliance through marriage anymore—the Min family had thoroughly offended the Zhou family.

If their scheming had succeeded, the Zhou family might have accepted the situation. But now that it had failed, who knows how the Zhou family might retaliate!

Mrs. Liu did not believe that the Zhou family would not retaliate. The Zhou family wanted to secure their position in Jinzhou Province and not be bullied; they wouldn’t simply eat their losses without responding. Mrs. Liu regretted it, thinking that she had acted too hastily today.

At the Wang Residence, Su Xuan had just snapped out of the conversation with Miss Zhou when she heard that Chang Zhi had been tricked. She was so angry she wanted to curse at someone, but upon hearing the outcome, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud, "What a fool."

Mrs. Tao was first annoyed that the Min family had almost ruined the prearranged marriage but, seeing Su Xuan laughing so heartily, she started to worry, "Have you really set your heart on the fourth young master of the Zhou family?"

The sons of the Zhou family all had distinct personalities: the eldest Zhou was honest, the second Zhou had a simple appearance but was deceitful, the third Zhou was fairly decent thanks to having a good master. Even though the fourth Zhou had famous teachers, his character really was worrisome.

Mrs. Tao could imagine that if Su Xuan really ended up with the fourth young master of the Zhou family, she would be worried for the rest of her life.

With a twinkle in her eyes, Su Xuan said, "Mm, Aunt, don’t you think he’s quite charming?"

Mrs. Tao, "...."

No, she did not think so at all. She only felt that if he were her son-in-law, she would probably live several years less.

Su Xuan thought he was wonderful and felt very pleased in her heart. Now everyone knew about the fool’s character. It would take courage to want such a fool for a son-in-law. Once again, Su Xuan couldn’t help but blush—this fool remembered her.

Mrs. Tao closed her eyes, not wanting to see Su Xuan’s shy demeanor.

In the Zhou residence, Zhulan let Chang Zhi fetch some books. As long as he had books, feigning illness was a trivial matter for him. It wasn’t even an issue to lie in bed for a few days, let alone staying bedridden for an extended period.

Xue Han helplessly watched her fourth brother go see their mother. "Mother, why hasn’t the Min family come to apologize?"

Zhulan replied, "The people from the Min family won’t be coming."

Today’s face-slapping incident by Chang Zhi had broken the delicate balance. Mr. Min and Mrs. Liu were clear in their minds: faces had been torn today; an apology would only add to their humiliation.

Having never been allies, there wouldn’t be any more visits in the future.

Mr. Min held a Third Rank position and had deep roots; the Min family also had their own pride. Previously, they wanted an alliance through marriage, and since Zhou Shuren was favored by the Emperor, they had lowered their stance. But with today’s incident involving Chang Zhi, Zhulan’s first reaction was to add fuel to the fire, cementing the Min family’s scheming and the cause of Chang Zhi’s fright—the blame was on the Min family. She had placed the Min family in the crosshairs and, sorry, she was not someone of good temper.

Xue Han, being very clever, said in a cheerful tone, "So, I won’t need to visit the Min family in the future."

Zhulan said, "Mm, in the future, if you want to decline an invitation, then decline. However, it’s likely that they won’t take the initiative to invite you anymore."

Xue Han, ".... Mm."

The Min family feared she wouldn’t play by the rules either.

At lunch, Zhulan dined with her daughter. When the dishes were served, Zhulan noticed the sweet and sour fish. If she recalled correctly, this was the second day in a row, and even the soup was appetizing. "Why has every meal these past two days included sour dishes?"

It wasn’t that she disliked it, but having it meal after meal was not exactly her favorite.

Xue Han, who was in charge of the food within the residence, knew best, "Isn’t it all because of the trouble fourth brother has caused? The third sister-in-law is set on having a son, the third brother also keeps mentioning wanting a son, and fourth brother’s sharp tongue has convinced the third sister-in-law that eating sour means having a son. These days she has been eating a lot of sour food, even if she clearly can’t stomach it, she insists on eating it."

Pausing, Xue Han continued, "The third sister-in-law also has morning sickness; she vomits every time after eating. It’s painful even for me to watch."

The fourth brother either doesn’t speak at all, or when he does, he brings disaster. She was scared of him now!

Zhulan pressed her temples. Chang Lian had a wicked mouth, and Chang Zhi’s was even more venomous; the one who suffered was Lady Dong. "Let’s eat first, and afterward I will go have a look."

"Mm."

After the meal, Zhulan visited the third wife’s courtyard. As soon as she stepped into the courtyard, she heard the sounds of vomiting. Entering the room, the table was still full of food. Lady Dong rinsed her mouth and said, "Mother, why did you come yourself? Is there something important?"

Zhulan gestured for Lady Dong to sit, "I have been preoccupied with Chang Zhi’s marriage these past few days, so I hadn’t seen you for a while. That’s why I came over to see you."

Zhulan never required her daughters-in-law to pay respects in the morning and evening; everyone went about their lives as usual.

Lady Dong had lost some weight. Zhulan looked at the table’s offerings and felt her stomach churn; her own table had one or two sour dishes, but Lady Dong’s were all sour—and the strong smell of vinegar was detectable even from a seat away. She also noted that hardly any food had been touched. Zhulan silently cursed Chang Zhi’s mischief, "If you don’t like eating something, don’t force yourself. Daughters and sons are the same; it’s all about flowering first and bearing fruit later. You should eat as you normally would."

Lady Dong felt extremely queasy. These past few days, she hadn’t had a decent meal and felt sick to her stomach, her mind fixated on something spicy, "Mother."

Zhulan turned to an old maid, "What are you waiting for? Take these away and bring up some dishes your master enjoys eating."

The old maid bowed, "Yes."

Lady Dong moved her lips but said nothing; indeed, she was famished and couldn’t help touching her belly, "Mother, I was being too stubborn."

She was too fixated on having a son for her firstborn.

Zhulan patted Lady Dong’s hand, "Chang Lian doesn’t understand you well enough; you must endure more. Wait until I scold him later. Always muttering about wanting a son! And Chang Zhi, the boy’s mouth has no filter. Don’t feel pressured; children are a matter of fate, and you can’t force it. What’s meant to come will come in time, and what isn’t, won’t. Understand?"

Pausing, Zhulan added, "You’re still young, and it’s your first child, so you need to be even more careful. Nutrition during pregnancy is crucial. Right now, the most important thing is to nourish your body. A healthy body will ensure a healthy baby inside. Remember what I said, alright?"

Lady Dong felt warmth in her heart. Whose mother-in-law doesn’t yearn for a grandson? Yet her mother-in-law was not pressing her for one. She was rather fortunate to have a decent husband and a mother-in-law who cared for her, "Mother, I won’t overthink it anymore. You are right, children are a matter of fate."

These past days had truly been agonizing.