Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 885: Good Girl

Chapter 885: Chapter 885: Good Girl

The Zhou household was quiet during dinner that evening, even with Zhou Shuren and Zhulan resuming their usual expressions—the eldest couple, with their acute senses, were unusually silent.

After dinner, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren returned to their room, and Zhulan had some tea to aid digestion. "My thought is that it’s best for Xue Mei to move to the capital."

Zhou Shuren agreed, "And the sooner, the better. I certainly do not want to wait until after the New Year."

Zhulan lowered her voice, "Are you afraid they might resort to violence again?"

Could it be they’d try force if soft tactics failed?

Zhou Shuren stroked his beard, "I’ve incurred too much hatred. To avoid a repeat of incidents like this one, it’s best for their whole family to move to the capital."

Zhulan set down her teacup, "You’re right; it’s better to have them under our watchful eye."

Zhou Shuren said, "Let Shen Xing and others start their journey tomorrow. Take more people with them."

Zhulan hummed in agreement, "By the way, for the marriage arrangements of Jingyan and Shen Xing, I have already found suitable matches. Old Lady Song has visited the girls’ families—both are daughters of scholars, gentle by nature, and literate. I’ve seen them myself at the estate in the past few days; both are fine young women."

Zhou Shuren asked, "Have Jingyan and Shen Xing seen them yet?"

Those two rascals hadn’t said a word to him about it.

Seeing the look on Zhou Shuren’s face, Zhulan knew what her husband was thinking. "They didn’t want to hide it from you. First, you’ve been too busy; second, they wanted to surprise you."

Zhou Shuren huffed in acceptance of these two reasons, curling his lips into a smile, "After the New Year, we’ll pick a good day for their weddings. These two kids don’t have any relatives, so you’ll need to take extra care."

Zhulan smiled with pursed lips, knowing Zhou Shuren truly liked Jingyan and Shen Xing, treating them somewhat like nephews, always enjoying teasing them.

Zhulan continued, "I was thinking of buying two small residences for them, but they refused, saying they have their own silver."

Zhou Shuren was silent, "Indeed, they have silver."

Both of them were particularly frugal, never missing a chance to benefit from him.

Zhulan said, "They do have silver, so I suggested we cover the dowries. This time I didn’t give them a chance to refute, and they agreed."

Zhou Shuren grimaced, disdain on his face, but his words were accommodating, "Select some nice ones; they are, after all, part of the Zhou family."

Zhulan laughed, "As you wish."

In Zhou family village, Jiang Sheng had gone to see the twins before returning home, his sanity barely able to withstand the ordeal. The household had brought in several dogs these past days, yet he still felt uneasy.

Upon entering the room, Jiang Sheng saw his wife with paper and pen, clutching the writing brush for a long while, the ink having already dripped onto the paper. Jiang Sheng sighed, "You’ve been like this for days now; it’s already over."

Xue Mei put down the brush deflatedly, "You’re also on edge."

Jiang Sheng couldn’t argue; his mind had been elsewhere these days.

Taking a deep breath, Xue Mei said, "Let’s move to the capital. After this incident, my parents will surely agree to it."

She was clear-headed, hence her hesitation on writing the letter. She could predict her parents’ reply, urging her to the capital, but she worried about her children and had to consider her husband.

Jiang Sheng pursed his lips, contemplating a move to the capital, something he had truly not considered. For one, he was not ambitious; he’d already sent his eldest son there, and that was the extent of his greed. As for his wife’s dowry, it was hers, and he never coveted it.

Secondly, he, a mere scholar in the capital, sometimes felt like he brought shame to his father-in-law. Over the last two years, he hadn’t been ambitious, enjoying his current life to the fullest, with his greatest goal being to pass the imperial examination.

In the end, what mattered most was the child, "We’re going to the capital."

Xue Mei pursed her lips, her husband might not say it aloud, but every time he received Silver from the clan school, he was delighted, sometimes using this Silver to buy her small gifts, buy treats for the child, and the rest he would save up to purchase valuable items.

Over the years, he had never reached out to ask her for Silver Coin, even when his brothers came to borrow Silver, he always stopped them.

Xue Mei pursed her lips, "I need to think about it more."

At the Zhou household, in the main residence, Lady Li and her husband were also discussing Xue Mei’s matter, Chang Li said, "Xue Mei will definitely bring the child to the capital."

He knew his own sister well, she might not be ambitious but was good at making choices, however, the child was too important to her.

Lady Li was happy, "That’s good news, it’s just that our house doesn’t have a large courtyard left."

Chang Li pulled his wife to sit down, "The younger sister won’t be staying within the mansion."

Lady Li thought about it and agreed, the younger sister’s temperament wouldn’t allow it, if she had wanted to move back already, she had had plenty of opportunities over the years, apart from sending Jiang Zhu over, she had not troubled her parents for anything else.

In the second wife’s quarters, Zhao Shi made the bed and sat in front of the Bronze Mirror combing her hair, "The elder sister going to the capital is a joy for our parents."

Chang Yi nodded, thinking of the twins, "The twins are brave."

Zhao Shi knew her husband liked brave children, he was especially fond of Ming Teng, and when they returned to their hometown in the past, he had often talked to her about the twins, "When the two children come to the capital, you’ll need to talk to them more."

Chang Yi nodded, "I’ll remember that, this is the capital, I will keep a close eye on them."

In the third wife’s quarters, Dong Chuchu was distracted, her thoughts on her own family, the latest letter from her elder brother stated that everything was well at home, but she truly wasn’t at ease, "What do you think about finding a good master to teach at my family’s home?"

Chang Lian, "How did you come up with that idea?"

Dong Chuchu pouted, "I was just thinking, a good master is so important for a child, if I hire one, father and elder brother will surely place importance on him."

She was genuinely worried, rather than not being able to see or touch, it was better to solve it from the root.

Chang Lian had received quite a few letters from his father-in-law, who held him in very high regard, his words were always considered by his father-in-law, "Where would you know any good masters, leave it to me."

Dong Chuchu wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck, "That’s exactly what I was waiting to hear you say!"

Chang Lian kissed his wife’s face, "It’s getting late, let’s rest."

In the fourth wife’s quarters, Su Xuan was lecturing her husband, about the tactics she had seen or heard, this really wasn’t something Su Xuan wanted to bring up, but Chang Zhi had been the one to inquire.

Su Xuan was elated, his initiative to learn indicated that her husband aspired to be a strong man, something he hadn’t shown interest in before.

Su Xuan felt somewhat regretful, when her third brother-in-law had been looking after himself, he had gone through a lot of hardening, also having the old Mr. Jiang guiding him, her husband hadn’t had that opportunity, his father was too busy, and the third brother-in-law was very occupied, so it fell to her, with a bit of self-interest, she imparted the calculations of women, hoping it would leave a deep impression on her husband, and protect him from being schemed against by women in the future.

Chang Zhi listened seriously, sometimes smacking his lips in awe, realizing that when women get ruthless, it really has nothing to do with men, he glanced at his excited wife and swallowed, reminding himself that she was not to be provoked.

The next day, Zhulan was instructing the steward and Shen Xing, when Yao Xin arrived, and she had not sent a calling card in advance.

Zhulan had never dealt with Yao Xin, her knowledge of Yao Xin was all from hearsay, and Zhang Jinghong’s affair had given her a newfound respect for Yao Xin, she didn’t know what Yao Xin was here for but still wanted to meet her in person.

Soon enough, Yao Xin arrived with a maid, carrying gifts in her hands and dressed quite plainly, her smile slightly curved at the corners, giving off a vibe that easily made a good impression on others.

Zhulan saw Yao Xin pay her respects and gestured, "Please rise, until now I’ve only heard your name, today I finally meet you in person."