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

Chapter 152: Chapter 152 Incidental Gift_1

The next day, Zhou Shuren took Ming Qing out for social calls, leaving Zhulan at home with the two children. The household of Lady Li was also busy, with relatives flocking in; she hurriedly left after preparing breakfast and didn’t need to take food home anymore.

Xue Han was embroidering a handkerchief, ”Mom, the family must know that dad has become a Scholar, right?”

Zhulan put down the threads she had sorted, ”Yes.”

Ming Teng, with chubby hands holding a biscuit, asked, ”Grandma, are we going back home?”

He liked Pingzhou so much, where each meal had several dishes, and during Grandpa’s exams, even more treats were available daily. He had tasted many delicious things he’d never had before and did not want to go home.

Zhulan asked, ”You don’t want to go home? Don’t you miss Mingyun, and your parents?”

Ming Teng replied decisively, ”When mom and dad are at home, there’s not much to miss about eating and drinking well; I miss big brother even less.”

Every day big brother would make him study; life without big brother was too carefree.

Ming Teng glanced at his grandmother and added another line, ”And mom and dad won’t miss me anyway.”

Zhulan, ”....”

What he said was true; Lady Li’s own temperamental nature couldn’t even tolerate her son’s tantrums. The eldest had put up with Lady Li, but adding Ming Teng was a bit too much. Those two really wouldn’t miss Ming Teng--this poor misguided child was also a pitiable kid.

Xue Han couldn’t help but laugh at her nephew’s words, ”You don’t want to go home, so should we all go back and leave you here in Pingzhou by yourself?”

Ming Teng pleaded pitifully, ”Grandma, can’t we just not go back?”

”We can’t.”

Ming Teng covered his head with chubby hands as he got down to put on his shoes, and he scurried off. Zhulan didn’t understand, ”What’s gotten into him?”

Xue Han held back a laugh, ”Mingyun assigned him some tracing homework, and he’s been playing so much that he’s completely forgotten about it. Now that he knows we have to go back, he’s hurrying to catch up on tracing.”

Zhulan, ”....”

This kid took a roundabout way of saying it, but a large part of it was unfinished homework he left behind, probably afraid of being scolded by Mingyun when he got back!

In the afternoon, Zhou Shuren and Ming Qing returned. Zhulan looked at Zhou Shuren carrying a gift box, ”What did you buy? Who is it for?”

Zhou Shuren tapped the gift box, ”I didn’t buy it; it’s a gift from Shi Qing. Not only did he give one to me, but Ming Qing was not left out either.”

Zhulan put on her shoes and got off the kang, ”How did you run into him?”

Zhou Shuren gestured to Zhulan to look at the gift box and continued, ”Our itinerary has always been in their control; they could easily find us. I was just a side gift; the main one was for Wu Ming. Since Ming Qing and I were there too, we got gifts for free.”

Zhulan had already opened the gift box, and inside was a pair of Jade Bracelets. Zhulan picked them up and examined them, ”This Master Shi is not simple, eh? He knows our family affairs pretty well, and giving them to me rather than you makes sense. But coming back to the matter at hand, does a side gift need to be this extravagant? Shi’s family is an imperial merchant, after all; they shouldn’t need to curry favor with a Scholar ahead of time. It makes sense if Wu Ming becomes a Graduate, he is promising and young, but isn’t it a bit premature now?”

Zhou Shuren had worked as a jeweler and knew the value of jewelry well; he estimated the value of the Jade Bracelets at around thirty Silver Coins. He took the bracelets from Zhulan’s hand and put them back in the box, ”It’s a pity he still doesn’t understand that I only hope you wear the jewelry I bought for you.”

Zhulan laughed, Shi Qing giving her jewelry was etiquette as she was his senior; Zhou Shuren, however, was still not pleased. Shi Qing’s casual gifts had even reached her, ”He favors Wu Ming that much, could it be something Wang Ru said!”

She had completely lost faith in Wang Ru. Without the cover of writing, Wang Ru really was foolish, and self-destruction was not out of the question!

Zhou Shuren explained, ”Having been in Pingzhou for such a long time, I’ve been inquiring about the Shi family. The status of imperial merchant sounds high, but it’s actually just a moneybag for those in power. Shi’s family has a tough backer, and it’s said to take away most of the earnings every year. This young master of the Shi family is not willing to be manipulated forever and has made bold reforms. It’s better to say that someone else used Shi Qing’s stepmother’s hand to kill him rather than revenge. Having faced death, Shi Qing now fears acting rashly, so he must build his own networks outside of the Shi family. Wu Ming must have been thoroughly investigated by Shi Qing, and because he sees potential, he sent the gift ahead of time.”

Zhulan followed Zhou Shuren’s line of reasoning, ”By controlling Wang Ru, he also has the intention of using her as a trump card. When necessary, he’ll throw her out, right?”

Zhou Shuren sipped his tea with a meaningful expression, ”Interesting, the textual narratives of novels are indeed too one-sided. This Master Shi, even without Wang Ru owing him a life-saving favor, values his own well-being over hers. When it’s time to use her, he’ll definitely not be soft-hearted. That’s the reality. To think that Shi Qing, who expects to eliminate his legitimate brother and become the sole son of the Shi family, is lovesick is impossible.”

Zhulan couldn’t face the novel directly anymore because she dealt with real living people, ”However, no matter how powerful Wu Ming is, if he wants a high position, it may take many years. Can Shi Qing wait that long?”

Zhou Shuren replied, ”Shi Qing isn’t that old, is he? It’s a pity, with his merchant son status, otherwise with such wit, he could claim a place in the examinations.”

Zhulan asked, ”Did Wu Ming accept it?”

Zhou Shuren smiled, ”He did. Why not? Wu Ming is fitting in nicely. Once he becomes a Graduate, there will be more people seeking protection and bringing gifts. Right now, there’s no need to commit to anything, so it’s no big deal.”

Zhulan closed the gift box, ”No wonder they say poor Scholars, rich Graduates.”