Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 496: Sarcasm_1

Chapter 496: Chapter 496: Sarcasm_1

Zhulan called for Lady Li. Lady Li didn’t come alone; she was followed by Ming Hui. When the little fellow saw Grandma, he wriggled down to the floor. Ming Hui was so energetic that Juan Hua could hardly hold onto him, so she quickly set him down.

It hadn’t been long since Ming Hui had learned to walk, and as soon as he was on the ground, he wanted to run.

Zhulan quickly reached out to catch him, "You’ve just learned to walk and already want to run; aren’t you afraid of falling?"

Ming Hui clutched at her clothes, "Grandma, Grandma."

Zhulan couldn’t help but laugh. The boy really did look just like her. Sometimes, when she looked at Ming Hui, she would get lost in thought. She reached out to pick up Ming Hui. He was really heavy.

Ming Hui pouted, "Uncle, Uncle."

Zhulan pinched the little one’s nose, "Ming Hui remembers Uncle, huh?"

Lady Li chimed in, "He came just to see Chang Zhong."

They had only met a few times, yet he was already so attached.

Zhulan smiled, "Children do love other children."

After finishing her sentence, she put down Ming Hui and gestured for Liu Ya to watch over Ming Hui and Chang Zhong as they played on the bed.

Seeing her son take off his shoes made Lady Li nervous. She dared not bring her son over often for fear that his carelessness would hurt Chang Zhong, who was the apple of his grandparents’ eyes!

Fortunately, Ming Hui sat beside them, playing without touching or kicking.

Relieved, Lady Li asked, "Mother, did you wish to see me for something?"

Zhulan handed over an invitation card, "This is an invitation from Qi Clan’s Lady Xu, inviting you to a tea tasting."

Lady Li took a glance at it and asked, "Mother, should I go?"

Since her arrival in Jinzhou Province, many things had happened. Although she hadn’t gone out much herself, she was aware that the Zhou family was at the center of controversy. She didn’t dare to decide on her own, though she was eager to go, especially since Lady Xu was her friend.

Zhulan looked at Lady Li, "If you want to go, then go; if you don’t want to, then don’t. Decide for yourself."

Lady Li pondered her mother’s words and broke into a smile, "Mother, I’ll go."

Zhulan nodded in satisfaction, pleased that Lady Li had her own opinion and didn’t always listen to her, "Hmm."

The next day, Lady Donglin recovered, and Zhulan invited her to enjoy tea in the garden. Zhulan keenly noted that Lady Donglin seemed to hold back her words, "Dear mother-in-law, please enjoy the tea."

Lady Donglin snapped back to the present. She had no mood to appreciate the scenery or the tea. She was anxious because Dong Liao hadn’t come back the night before. Sipping the tea, she mused that status indeed made a difference. The dowry the Zhou family had provided a few years ago was only a few hundred taels, but now it had increased to tens of thousands of taels. Even the tea she was drinking was of the highest quality, a rarity for her, "Good tea."

Zhulan, "Mother-in-law, now that you’re well, how about we go to the temple to pray tomorrow? The temples in Jinzhou are quite famous."

Lady Donglin’s spirits lifted. She had heard of Jinzhou’s temples back in her hometown, "If mother-in-law hadn’t mentioned it, I would have wanted to talk about it."

She intended to get a peace charm for her daughter and inquire if Dong Liao could pass the imperial examination next year. Thinking about Dong Liao, Lady Donglin’s mood fell again.

Seeing Lady Donglin spaced out, Zhulan did not interrupt this time. Dong Liao had not returned home the previous night, and she had sent people to follow him. Dong Liao was the Dong family’s eldest grandson, now twenty years old, and it had taken him two attempts to become a Scholar. He would participate in the provincial exam next year.

As for where Dong Liao had gone the previous day, Zhulan knew well. He visited the biggest inn in Jinzhou and went to the scholars’ hub, the library, early this morning.

Lady Donglin was brought back to her senses. Her eldest son and grandson, both were her lifelines. She didn’t particularly like her eldest son, but she really cared for her grandson, who had been by her side since childhood. Although she was truly angry yesterday, her fury had subsided into worry. Dong Liao’s absence was impolite, but all her heart held was concern. If it weren’t for a definite rejection from her son-in-law, she might not have resisted discussing it with the Yang family.

Lady Donglin picked up her tea cup. But she couldn’t bring it up. It wasn’t just that her son-in-law had already refused, and bringing it up again would be a slap in his face, putting her daughter in a difficult position, but also because the relationship between the Zhou and Dong families couldn’t be used in this manner. Favors were measurable, and each one used was one less available.

Zhulan truly enjoyed the feeling of the breeze brushing by, basking in the sunlight that made one drowsy. She particularly loved staying outdoors.

Neither Zhulan nor Lady Donglin spoke. Each was only accompanied by a maid, and they chose a spot beneath the grape trellis, where the lush grape leaves hid them from view.

Footsteps sounded, and Zhulan opened her eyes. Turning back, she saw through a gap in the grape leaves it was Rongchuan and Dong Liao. How had those two ended up together?

Lady Donglin wanted to speak, but it was too late—Dong Liao had already spoken.

Dong Liao’s voice was sarcastic, "Young Master Zhang, no, calling you a young master is a stretch. You’re just a boy raised by his maternal grandparents."

He was angry. Angry that his uncle hadn’t helped him, annoyed that his grandmother was ignoring him. He had been out all night without anyone calling him back. Today, he wanted to test his abilities, yet he was beaten by Zhang Rongchuan, who was younger than him. Today, he had lost face at the library, all because of the guy in front of him.

Rongchuan inwardly sneered. The Dong family’s eldest grandson was truly poor in quality, nothing like Mingyun. Did he think Rongchuan wanted to help? Had it not been for the fact that the man was his sister-in-law’s nephew, he couldn’t have bothered to pull him out of the pit.

As for the sarcasm, Rongchuan’s gaze deepened. With such a relative, he would refuse further association in the future. With unmistakable scorn in his eyes, he said, "Firstly, I am your elder. Is insulting your elder what you’ve learned about proper conduct? Secondly, I pulled you out of trouble today. If you don’t appreciate it, that’s one thing, but lashing out at me, do you think I’m easy to bully?"

Dong Liao clenched his fists. The youth before him was much younger, but he couldn’t match his presence. Today, when Zhang Rongchuan showed up at the library, Dong Liao was envious. A boy raised by his maternal grandparents, yet people were currying favor with him, including those Dong Liao had tried to please. Wasn’t this a slap in his own face?

Rongchuan noticed the jealousy in Dong Liao’s eyes and sighed internally. The grandsons of the Dong family really didn’t amount to much. He tired of speaking further. He wasn’t a grandson of the Zhou family, why should he waste his breath educating him? Besides, the Zhou family’s grandsons didn’t need his guidance: Mingyun was an outstanding eldest grandson, and while Ming Teng and Ming Rui enjoyed playing, they never fell behind in their studies.