Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 484 - Great Pressure_1

Chapter 484: 484 Chapter Great Pressure_1

Due to the letter, Zhulan, in order to avoid any further issues, canceled the already arranged flower-viewing banquet.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye eight days passed, and the day to present the betrothal gifts arrived. The eldest Zhou had finished his purchases at the fish farm and returned to the estate ahead of schedule.

Zhou Shuren and Zhulan, carrying the betrothal gifts, went to the Wang residence. On the streets, many onlookers gathered to watch the procession of gifts being carried in, box after box entering the Wang residence, with a large crowd following to view the excitement. In a moment, everyone knew that the Zhou family was delivering betrothal gifts.

Lord Wang and Lady Tao listened to the reading of the gift list, exchanging glances. Both of them were born into noble families with substantial wealth, and they were surprised by the gifts.

They had thought that, coming from a scholarly family with agricultural roots, the Zhou household wouldn’t have much, and they were prepared for modest betrothal gifts. Unexpectedly, there were as much as five thousand taels of silver alone.

Lady Tao, looking at the gold jewelry in the cases, smiled even more. She had been worried about Xuan Xuan’s future expenses using her dowry, but now it seemed unnecessary. She had also heard plenty of talk about the Zhou family being interested in Xuan Xuan for her silver, pah, when in fact it was Xuan Xuan who had taken a liking to the young master of the Zhou family first. Some people were just sour.

Lady Tao said warmly, "Please come inside."

The Zhou family’s ostentatious presentation of betrothal gifts quickly came to the attention of Lady Liu. She had been waiting for Zhou residence’s reaction after sending the letter, but there hadn’t been any response, and today they had sent the betrothal gifts. Lady Liu clenched her handkerchief. Did Zhou Shuren not care at all? Or did the Zhou residence have another motive?

Originally, many in Jinzhou City suspected that the Zhou family was interested in the magistrate’s silver, but the gifts presented today slapped the faces of many. The foundation of the Zhou family was clearly solid.

For Zhulan, setting the wedding date went very smoothly, with both families eager to proceed quickly. They chose the nearest auspicious day in the almanac, which was two months away.

As for the Zhou family, Chang Zhi’s betrothal gifts amounted to over ten thousand taels, which shocked the different branches of the family.

Today’s betrothal gifts, which the magistrate brought back, were also the silver of the fourth branch, and would not be confiscated. This meant that even before getting married, Chang Zhi had already obtained a dowry worth over ten thousand taels.

The eldest Zhou was somewhat stunned. He knew his mother had been busy with his youngest brother’s betrothal gifts and had imagined there would be a sizable amount of silver involved, but he had not expected it to be worth over ten thousand taels.

The eldest Zhou pondered the first wife’s assets, which were regrettably meager. Summed up, all of them did not amount to two thousand taels of silver, and most of that was his wife’s dowry. The eldest Zhou felt an uncomfortable taste in his mouth, but it passed quickly; he was not envious.

Seeing his wife sitting motionless, the eldest Zhou reached out and pulled Lady Li’s hand. "Don’t be envious. When we married, our family was just peasants. Now the status of the Zhou family has changed, and my youngest brother is marrying a magistrate; these betrothal gifts are to be expected. We just need to live our own lives well."

Lady Li came back to her senses, "My dear, what did you say?"

The eldest Zhou repeated himself, and Lady Li was speechless. "I am not envious. Mother said when she passed away that she had everything figured out and that she would not be unfair. My mind was wandering because I was wondering, how much silver does our Zhou family really have? To give away ten thousand taels of silver like this doesn’t seem difficult at all!"

The eldest Zhou was stunned. He had only recently also invested a large sum of silver coins in a fish farm, and his mother had not sold any stores or land. The eldest Zhou was shocked. Had the wealth of the Zhou family become so substantial without him realizing it?

In the second wife’s quarters, only Lady Zhao was at home. Lady Zhao glanced at her daughter accompanying her. "You know, I’m really not obsessing over it; you don’t have to take leave to be with me."

Yushuang didn’t believe it. Both her parents were the type to hold grudges. After the fourth uncle’s gift list, her mother must have thought a lot, "Mother, I’ve already taken leave; let me keep you company."

Lady Zhao rubbed her forehead. "My daughter, I am indeed feeling a bit unwell, but when I think about it, both you and your sister won’t lack for dowry when you marry. That brings me some comfort."

Yushuang, "...."

This time she believed that her mother hadn’t overthought it.

In the third wife’s quarters, Lady Dong saw her husband constantly writing at the desk and couldn’t resist her curiosity as she approached. Silence fell upon her as she saw the content. "Are you tallying our family wealth?"

Chang Lian put down the writing brush. "Ah, I had nothing better to do, so I thought I’d calculate how much property the Zhou family really has."

Lady Dong asked, "Why are you calculating this?"

Chang Lian chuckled, "I just want to understand how the family fortune has become so robust; I’d like to learn from it, to save up a good nest egg for the children in the future."

Lady Dong had come to terms with things these days, gaining quite a bit of weight, and she smiled softly, especially when hearing her husband striving for their little family, smilingly she asked, "What have you learned?"

Chang Lian pointed to the prepared accounts, "I’ve calculated it, and aside from the unexpected Silver Coin that father traded for, most of it was actually saved up by mother; mother is truly remarkable."

Lady Dong’s eyes sparkled, "Then I’ll ask mother for advice in the future."

Chang Lian’s smile curled at the corner of his mouth, "Mmm."

He was full of motivation, and when his daughter grew up, he would definitely provide her with a generous dowry. He didn’t plan on having many children; a simple union would suffice. He wasn’t greedy.

Rongchuan felt greater pressure, sitting in front of the desk flipping through the years of savings, other than his allowance and New Year’s money, most of it came from his calligraphy.

In the entire Zhou family, his calligraphy was the best, all because he devoted considerable effort to it, and what he excelled at most was imitation—ahem—his own writing wasn’t worth Silver, but he could copy the works of famous calligraphers. Little by little, he had indeed saved up quite a bit of Silver after covering his expenses.

Rongchuan counted, two hundred Silver Taels to be exact, he sighed and closed the box; it wasn’t enough to buy a shop. Rongchuan pursed his lips; Xue Han was the young lady of the Zhou family, and he too wished to prepare a fiancé gift for her that would make others envious.

He and Mingyun studied together at the Academy; Mingyun was the eldest grandson of the Zhou family, surrounded by many who sought his favor, and it was not easy for anyone to offend Mingyun. Rongchuan, on the other hand, was different. Although no one would set him up outright, verbal taunts were inevitable, yet he never took them to heart.

But he cared about Xue Han; Xue Han had never spoken of it, but he was aware that there was no shortage of young ladies who had invited Xue Han and ridiculed her.

Rongchuan looked at the books on his desk; he was going to try for the Scholar exam next year, hoping to succeed in one go. Then he let out a sigh, better not to think too far ahead, it would be more prudent to first save up enough Silver Taels to buy a shop!

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren returned in the afternoon; their young son hadn’t seen his mother all day. After Zhulan changed her clothes, he grabbed onto her and wouldn’t let go.

Zhou Shuren felt a bit jealous, "You little rascal, why don’t you grab hold of daddy, huh?"

Zhulan kissed her son, "You’re not home during the day; wait till he’s a bit older and understands more, then he’ll start clinging to you."

Zhou Shuren’s beard was very long, and with a rip, he said, "You little rascal, let go."

Zhulan snickered, "He’s grabbing you now; are you happy?"

Zhou Shuren, his mouth twitching in pain, "The kid has a strong grip; wife, make him let go, it hurts."

Zhulan patted her son’s hand gently, "It’s not that he’s strong; it’s that your beard is too long and too easy to grab."

Once the son let go, Zhou Shuren rubbed his chin; he was particularly pleased with his beard. He was about to bite his son’s chubby hand, but before he could touch him, the boy cried out with a wail, a cry so heartbroken.

Zhulan cooed to soothe him, "Your father was just scaring you."

Zhou Shuren, "...."

How dearly he cherished the boy; he wished to protect him to his very bones, yet it seemed like every time the boy set him up!

Zhulan carried her son a little further away and said to Zhou Shuren, "Go to the study."

Zhou Shuren, "...."

Was he being shooed away? He took a deep breath; one was the son he had long hoped for, the other the apple of his eye. Fine, both were too precious to offend.