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

Chapter 242: Chapter 242 Wings are Hard_1

Zhou Laoda carried someone on his back, followed by a young servant with disheveled hair. Zhulan and Zhou Shuren found the young servant familiar; upon closer inspection, they exchanged glances.

Zhou Shuren stood up and approached, reaching out to help the person Zhou Laoda was carrying on his back. Upon seeing the person’s face clearly, trouble— it was none other than the male protagonist Yao Zheyu!

Zhou Shuren’s teeth ached. The male protagonist showing up at their door couldn’t be a coincidence. Judging by the young servant’s anxious demeanor, this was a deliberate visit.

The young servant was extremely anxious; he had carried the Mr. Hou all the way from Zhou’s village. He hadn’t expected that Scholar Zhou had moved and even bought a large house. They had delayed much time on the way, and the situation of Mr. Hou was very bad. ”Scholar Master, our Mr. Hou has encountered trouble. He is currently feverish and I beg Scholar Master to summon a doctor to look at him. We shall impose on Scholar Master these days and once our Mr. Hou has recovered, he will surely repay the Master.”

He dared not visit the county town, thanking his lucky stars he thought of Scholar Zhou, otherwise, he wouldn’t know who else to turn to.

Zhou Shuren’s stomach ached even more. Looking at the miserable state of the male protagonist, the trouble must be serious. It was too late to throw the male protagonist out; as soon as Mr. Hou entered, regardless of whether he was in league with him, he would have to help cover up the traces. Those capable of striking down Mr. Hou were not ones his family could afford to offend. Moreover, Mr. Hou was like an indestructible cockroach—if thrown out, he genuinely feared the male protagonist’s revenge. He dreaded the prospect of a deep-minded male protagonist turning dark. Weighing his options, ”Laoda, go to the county and call for Dr. Lv. If Dr. Lv asks who is sick, just say I, your father, am running a fever. Lao’er, go outside and erase all the traces.”

The young servant spoke up: ”I didn’t enter the village; I took a detour on the way.”

He was still very careful, as this concerned the life of the Mr. Hou.

Zhou Shuren said, ”Then that’s even better.”

Zhou Shuren gestured for the young servant to carry Yao Zheyu. It was better for the male protagonist to live alone; he did not wish to see the male protagonist for the time being, ”I will arrange for you to stay in the vacant courtyard behind the residence. Follow me.”

The courtyard behind the main house was a play area for several children. A fire was lit in the room every day; it was not cold, and once the brazier was set up, the room would soon warm up.

Zhulan then took out two new quilts, signaling Lady Li to carry them with her to the vacant courtyard. Once they reached the courtyard, they didn’t rush to spread the quilts. Zhulan asked Lady Li to go to the main courtyard to fetch a water kettle with hot water so the young servant could clean the Mr. Hou.

Zhulan also rummaged through Chang Lian’s room for the new undergarments and outer garments that Chang Lian had made for the New Year. Chang Lian had grown a lot this year, especially during the winter, making his growth even more apparent. Growing so fast, Chang Lian had also become quite thin. Although this boy was not as tall as the male protagonist, since the undergarment was made larger, Mr. Hou would be able to wear it without it being too small. Outer garments always had some leeway on the sides, so if Zhulan let out Mr. Hou’s clothes, he’d be able to wear them.

Zhulan’s stomach hurt with the troubles that came knocking, but she could only endure. Carrying the clothes and looking at the snow falling more heavily, she thought it was just like the male protagonist—lucky even in this situation, as after the snowfall, all the traces would be gone. It was also good for them, as there was no need to worry or fear someone coming to the door.

Inside the room, the young servant had already given Yao Zheyu a rudimentary cleaning and came out to get the clothes. Seeing that they were all new, he was very grateful, ”Thank you, Scholar’s wife.”

Zhulan said, ”You must not have eaten anything, I will prepare some food and bring it over shortly. Your Mr. Hou is in your care now. If you need anything, come look for us in the main courtyard.”

The young servant indeed hadn’t eaten for a long time; his last meal was last night’s dinner, and now it was afternoon. Having carried the Mr. Hou all the way, he was extremely hungry, ”Thank you, Madam.”

Zhulan nodded and left. Lady Li was waiting in the courtyard, full of things to say. Seeing her mother-in-law come out, she lowered her voice, ”Mother, how could Mr. Hou of the Hou Residence run into trouble?”

Wasn’t Mr. Hou from the Hou Residence an esteemed son of nobility? Why was he in such a sorry state?

Zhulan led Lady Li out of the yard, then said after confirming that the young servant couldn’t hear, ”You think the Hou Residence is just a nest of riches, but there’s only one position for the Princely Heir, you foolish daughter-in-law.”

Lady Li’s reactions had become much quicker now; understanding the implication, she covered her mouth to muffle a shriek, steadied herself after a moment, ”Mother, our family is better, there’s none of those complicated twists and turns.”

Zhulan, ”.....”

Haha, Lady Li really has no shame when she speaks. As if there aren’t twists and turns. The eldest couple is so naive, but now they are so wily they refuse to split the family. Lady Li, in particular, is always finding an excuse to be by her side, one minute bringing her tea, the next peeling pine nuts for her. Isn’t it all to curry favor with the main branch!

Dare she say there are no twists, no twists, then don’t cozy up to me!

Upon returning to the main courtyard, Zhulan had Lady Li warm up the leftover steamed buns and porridge from lunch. Later, she would have Chang Yi deliver it to the back courtyard; the back courtyard had young servants to tend to it, so their family didn’t need to worry.

Zhulan went back to her room; Zhou Shuren was already sitting and reading. Zhulan felt exhausted, ”I thought I would no longer have any dealings with the main male character, but now I’m going to his door in such a disheveled state.”

Zhou Shuren put down the book in his hand. He had already cursed in his heart and had calmed down quite a bit. He spoke rationally, ”Although we don’t want to be involved with the main male character, having his life-saving grace is good. We don’t expect anything from the main male character, but with this life-saving favor, we won’t be at a disadvantage when facing him in the future. No matter how ruthless and calculating he may be, he will still consider the favor he owes us.”

After giving it some thought, Zhulan agreed that instead of being defensive, it would be better to take advantage of the current situation to turn passivity into initiative. They would hold the initiative, and with this realization, she felt relieved and said with a smile, ”In that case, this is not trouble but an opportunity that has come knocking.”

Zhou Shuren nodded, ”Everything has two sides. With a change of perspective, a bad thing can also become a good thing.”

Zhulan thought about how miserable the male protagonist must be; he wasn’t injured, but he appeared quite ill and didn’t look like he had just fallen sick, ”Why didn’t the male protagonist stay in Pingzhou; why did he come here?”

He also provided an opportunity for those who wanted to harm him, and there was no news of Wang Ru returning to the Zhou family village!

Zhou Shuren pondered for a while, ”Our county is a transportation hub, a necessary route to the capital. Yao Zheyu, ill as he is, probably has urgent matters that require him to return to the capital. It seems that the plot you know, where Yao Zheyu did not participate in next year’s Scholar examination, has other reasons behind it.”

Zhulan counted on her fingers; it was almost New Year’s, and although the capital wasn’t particularly far from Pingzhou, a round trip in winter would take a month and a half, plus the time delay in the capital. Yao Zheyu wouldn’t be able to return in time for the Scholar exam. Knowing he couldn’t make it back in time yet still rushing to the capital indicated that he knew he couldn’t participate in the exam even if he stayed behind.

What could prevent him from participating in the Scholar exam, yet Yao Zheyu still rushed back to the capital despite his illness, Zhulan thought of a possibility, ”The Old Marquis must be on his deathbed, urgently calling Yao Zheyu back. Once the Old Marquis dies, as his grandson, the male protagonist must observe a twelve-month mourning period; naturally, he won’t be able to take part in next year’s Scholar exam. Fiction is indeed just fiction, the details explained in a few sentences aren’t clear. The original text has the male protagonist coming to Pingzhou two years later, partly for Wang Ru and indeed partly for the exam.”

Zhou Shuren said, ”That also clarifies why someone dared to make a move, not only to stop Yao Zheyu from returning to the capital, but also to prevent him from ever going back.”

Zhulan blinked her eyes, ”This is a chain reaction; if Yao Zheyu hadn’t left the capital prematurely, he wouldn’t have encountered what he did today.”

At least no one dared to act against him in the Hou Residence; in the Hou Residence, Yao Zheyu’s life wouldn’t be in danger. Thinking about it, it was she and Zhou Shuren who had flapped their wings. Without them, everything would have followed the original text. It was precisely because of the two major variables that they represent that everything went off course.