Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!
Chapter 949 Arrangements

Chapter 949: Chapter 949 Arrangements

Yang Zhumu mentioned his wife, and the smile on his face widened, "Your eldest sister-in-law is doing well. She can’t sit still at home. She drags me to the orchards for a stroll every day. Her health is even better than mine, and she keeps urging Wu Chun to have more children, complaining that our eldest branch of the family doesn’t have enough grandsons, unlike the lively household of your second brother."

Upon hearing this, Zhulan felt a pang of discomfort. Both her eldest and second brothers had three sons and one daughter each. With Wu Dong having passed away, her eldest brother only had two sons left, naturally unable to compare with the second brother’s family. "Having too many children brings more worries. When they grow up, there are marriages and weddings to deal with—too much trouble."

Yang Zhumu had been watching his sister as she spoke. He noticed her downcast gaze just now and took it to heart. The loss of his youngest son was a sorrow he couldn’t get over, but he couldn’t let his sister be upset too. He shifted the conversation with a smile, "These past years, your family’s fortunes have been growing rapidly. Every year when your gifts arrive, your second brother and I always remark on how much silver must have been spent."

Yang Zhulin chimed in, "Second brother has been wanting to talk to you about that. You need to save your silver. Your brother-in-law holds a high position, and the dowries and betrothal gifts for your grandchildren won’t be small. We’re all family, so you don’t need to send such expensive gifts in the future."

In recent years, the new year gifts had increased to include fish and shrimp, which wasn’t too much of an expense for Zhulan as they had a fishery. However, in the last two years, most of the gifts were valuable tonics like ginseng. Her brothers appreciated her concern but also worried for her.

With a laugh, Zhulan said, "Oh, you really worry too much. I’ve been managing the household for a long time and I know what I’m doing. As for those valuable tonics, we’ve got plenty, so don’t fret, big brother, second brother."

This was indeed the truth. Over the past two years, she had never run out of tonics to present during the New Year. Besides, she only gave such gifts to her eldest and second brothers during the holidays, knowing they wouldn’t want to spend the silver themselves. She wished for her brothers to live long lives, at least longer than her own.

In the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren was unaware that his uncles had arrived. Instead, he was examining the invitation that had been sent there.

Apart from Li Zhao, no one else was brazen enough to send invitations directly to the Ministry of Revenue. Li Zhao was exceptionally bold.

Zhou Shuren flicked the invitation card—Li Zhao’s birthday celebration invite from the Minister of War. Celebrating this birthday would not be easy; he did not want to go, especially since Li Zhao had singled him out!

Why was he suddenly on good terms with Li Zhao? What was this about not being outdone during his first attendance at Li Zhao’s birthday? Why was he suddenly so in demand? Fine, it was true that he was quite popular at the moment.

Zhou Shuren had always been the one setting traps. From Lizhou Province all the way to the capital, he was the one ensnaring others. Now Li Zhao was openly demanding a gift, and it had to be an expensive one!

Qiu Yan felt envious inside; he had never received an invitation from the family of the Minister of War. He was not in Mr. Li’s good graces.

Zhou Shuren noticed Qiu Yan’s envious gaze, "...."

If Mr. Li hadn’t sent it directly to the Ministry of Revenue, he would have found a way to pretend he never received it. The feeling of cutting his own flesh was truly unpleasant; he only liked cutting into others. Li Zhao was specifically targeting him!

When Zhou Shuren finished his duties and left the government office, his expression was stern. Arriving home, his mood hadn’t improved, and Steward Ding, who had intended to mention that the two uncles had come, didn’t dare to bring it up.

With a somber expression, Zhou Shuren returned to the courtyard. Seeing his two uncles, his face immediately changed, and he greeted them with a smile, "Big brother, second brother, why didn’t you send a message ahead of time? I would have taken time off to welcome you at home."

Yang Zhumu and Yang Zhulin exchanged glances, clearly having noticed their brother-in-law’s previously stern face. As the eldest brother, Yang Zhumu spoke up, "We knew you were busy at the Ministry of Revenue, so we didn’t send a message in advance. Your face just now looked troubled; did something happen?"

Zhou Shuren, seeing his uncles’ concern, explained with a smile, "There’s no issue at the Ministry of Revenue. The Grand Master of Writing has given me significant authority, and all is well there. The reason for my grim expression was my reluctance to give a gift."

Zhulan, noticing the invitation in Zhou Shuren’s hand, took it, glanced over it, and patted her husband reassuringly on the hand. Zhou Shuren rarely came out ahead against Mr. Li.

The Yang brothers did not fully understand and were completely puzzled.

Zhou Shuren, not wanting to reveal his penchant for trapping others and his dislike of being trapped, in front of his uncles, changed the subject, "It’s nothing serious. I’ll go change into my official uniform."

Yang Zhulin watched with envy as his brother-in-law put on his official uniform. "Shuren looks truly impressive in his official attire."

Zhulan chuckled, "Second Brother’s words are what Zhou Shuren loves to hear the most."

The meal tonight was especially lavish; the Yang family usually had lamb in Lizhou Province, so they switched it up, and today there was venison, along with some delicacies that were hard to come by in Lizhou.

While Zhou Shuren was changing his clothes, the meal had already been served.

Zhou Shuren came out, "Has Chang Lian not returned yet?"

Zhulan, checking the time, "By now, he should have been home according to his usual schedule. If he didn’t come back for dinner, he would have sent someone to inform us, so there must be something holding him up."

Zhou Shuren frowned and called Jingyan over, "Go and see if you can meet Chang Lian."

Jingyan replied, "Yes."

What Yang Zhumu most wanted was to see Chang Lian, as he was the most promising among his nephews. Wu Chun said Chang Lian would do great things, and he was always on his mind, "Chang Lian is quite busy too."

Zhou Shuren, "Big brother, don’t worry about him; let’s eat first."

Yang Zhumu and his brothers shook their heads, "We’re not hungry; there’s no rush to wait a little longer."

Zhou Shuren wasn’t hungry either; the Ministry of Revenue always had the best benefits, and he had eaten quite a few fruits in the afternoon, "Then let’s wait a while."

Yang Zhumu was very concerned about Chang Lian, "Next year is the three-year assessment. Is Chang Lian going to be appointed as an official?"

Zhou Shuren smiled, "I haven’t seen you in years, Big Brother, and you’ve come to understand quite a lot."

Yang Zhumu was somewhat embarrassed, "I’ve been listening to Wu Chun. Chang Lian has a good relationship with Wu Chun, and they’ve been corresponding. I’ve come to know more because of that. Do you, as his father, have any plans?"

Zhou Shuren didn’t conceal anything from his uncle, "I plan to have Chang Lian assigned elsewhere. I made my own way up, and with me in the capital, Chang Lian doesn’t have to worry about not being able to return. An external assignment can temper a person. To be a good official, one needs to understand the lives of the common people at the grassroots level."

He hoped that Chang Lian would become a good official. He did not entertain extravagant hopes that Chang Lian would be celebrated by future generations; his most basic requirement was that Chang Lian be a good official who considered the needs of the people.

Yang Zhumu was somewhat surprised, "I thought you would let him be an official in the capital."

Zhou Shuren did not offer his uncle much explanation. The complexity of the capital’s situation was the first reason, and secondly, there weren’t many suitable positions for Chang Lian. Considering his expectations for Chang Lian, an outside appointment was the best arrangement.

Yang Zhumu spoke with some regret, "Back in the day, I toyed with the idea of joining the army. If I had gone to the battlefield, who knows, I might have been able to arrange my son’s future just like you."

Zhulan was genuinely hearing about her big brother’s thoughts for the first time, "Big Brother, you had such thoughts?"

Yang Zhulin said, "Both Big Brother and I learned martial arts, and naturally we had the spirit for it. It was just that there were too many concerns. Our father only had the three of us, siblings. Big Brother and I discussed it, but in the end, we didn’t dare bring it up with our father."

Zhulan thought to herself, fortunately they hadn’t brought it up; otherwise, who’s to say? Big Brother might not be here anymore. On the battlefield, where weapons do not discriminate, many souls have not been able to return home.

After chatting for a while and time passing by, not only were Yang Zhumu and his brothers concerned about Chang Lian, but Zhulan and Zhou Shuren couldn’t help frowning as well. How come Chang Lian hadn’t come back yet, and Jingyan hadn’t brought back any message.