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

Chapter 380: Chapter 380: Sewing Clothes_1

Zhulan, accompanied by her family, had lunch before returning home to find all four of her sons standing in the house without exception, while her daughters-in-law, having been admonished, were too curious yet dared not to come over.

After sitting down to warm up for a while, Zhulan addressed her four sons, ”I indeed need to go to Jiangnan.”

Zhou Shuren, the eldest, truly worried about his mother, especially about the hardships of traveling during winter, ”Mother, if there’s anything that needs to be done, let your son go in your stead.”

Zhulan felt the genuine concern from her eldest and raised an eyebrow, she noticed that the eldest had changed back to the way he was when she first arrived - ever since Zhou Shuren’s status had changed, the eldest’s concern had always carried a bit of ulterior motive, it seemed that Lady Li’s actions had taught the eldest a lesson, ”This is something you boys cannot handle. Now that all four of you are here, I’ll just say it, I’m planning to purchase two estates in Jiangnan, something I’ve planned for quite some time.”

Zhou Shuren, the second eldest, had spent seven days in Prefecture City and had gotten a clear grasp of the family accounts. He estimated, including the silver he brought back, that the family had as much as five thousand taels of silver, which shocked him deeply. He had heard from Chang Lian that mother had bought another residence in the capital, yet he did not expect that their family would still have so much silver coin. Considering there were also fruit orchards and land - these were all assets in silver coin; if liquidated, well, their family’s capital was indeed substantial.

Now hearing his mother mention buying two estates, Zhou Shuren’s mind sprung to life - surely, holding onto silver coin was not as worthwhile as purchasing estates, for the income from estates was generally fixed each year unless there were natural disasters. In the long run, there would be two steady sources of income each year, and many a little makes a mickle.

Zhou Shuren said excitedly, ”Your son will accompany you, Mother.”

He knew that, like his father, his mother was firm in her decisions, and that trying to persuade her would be futile; it would be better to accompany her and broaden his horizons.

Chang Lian wanted to go but swallowed his words; his teacher was currently instructing him, and he could not leave.

Chang Zhi indeed wanted to go, as he really liked Jiangnan - the scenery was beautiful and there were many scholars. He felt he had not spent enough time there last visit, ”Mother, please take your son with you.”

Zhulan rolled her eyes internally; she would take anyone with her but Chang Zhi. Her trip to Jiangnan was for serious business and she did not want to worry about Chang Zhi, ”You need to teach Ming Teng and Ming Rui. Stay here.”

Chang Zhi was not content, ”Mother...”

Zhulan, ”I was thinking of speaking with your father about letting you review the books he has acquired.”

Chang Zhi, ”....”

That half-stated remark was a threat, wasn’t it?

Zhulan sipped her tea, smilingly watching her eldest son. Having an abundance of books at home was also beneficial, as it allowed her to grab hold of Chang Zhi’s lifeline.

Chang Zhi, smiling, said, ”Mother, rest assured, when you return, I will make sure Ming Teng can recite the collection of poems, and Ming Rui can write the Thousand Character Classic from memory.”

Zhou Shuren, the eldest, ”...”

Zhou Shuren, the second, ”...”

That must be retaliation, right?

Zhulan laughed and said to the eldest and second sons, ”You two will come with me, and Steward Ding as well. During my absence in Jiangnan, Chang Lian will be in charge of the household.”

The eldest Zhou Shuren breathed a sigh of relief, as accompanying his mother would allow him to take good care of her.

The second eldest was delighted - his mother was taking him along, and he had long desired to take on responsibilities like his elder brother.

Zhulan said to Chang Lian, ”In a few days, the river ice will be solid enough. Remember to hire people to collect ice and store it in the smaller ice cellar, and use wooden barrels to freeze well water and store it in the larger one.”

Her two ice cellars served distinct purposes: one was for ice used in the summer, and the other, with clean water, was a precaution in case of droughts, ensuring a clean supply of drinking water.

Chang Lian responded, ”Mother, I’ve taken note.”

Later that evening, Zhulan gave instructions to her daughters-in-law - Lady Li would focus on nurturing her pregnancy, Zhao was in charge of the kitchen, Lady Dong took over the needlework room, and Xue Han managed the inner courtyard.

Zhulan didn’t have much trust in her daughters-in-law; she felt more at ease with her own daughter.

Zhulan had everything arranged; it took two days to pack the luggage at home, and once all was ready, she prepared to depart.

In the evening, Zhou Shuren unusually nagged, ”Be careful not to catch a cold on the way, and if you feel even slightly unwell, you must see a doctor. It doesn’t matter if the journey is slow; you must take good care of yourself.”

The more he spoke, the more uneasy Zhou Shuren became. He truly wanted to accompany Zhulan on her trip. This departure was different from his first time leaving home, but back then, their affection was hazy, and they didn’t feel such a strong sense of reluctance.

But now it was different. He wished he could be wherever Zhulan was. The more Zhulan needed to leave home, the more restless he became.

Zhulan took hold of Zhou Shuren’s hand, ”Look at you, I’m all grown up, can’t I take care of myself?”

Zhou Shuren took a deep breath trying to calm himself, but he just couldn’t settle down. Cursing the ancient times, he longed for a mobile phone, for video calls, so he could at least always know if Zhulan was okay. He muttered resentfully, ”I really don’t want you to leave.”

But he also knew that he truly had no chance to take Zhulan to Jiangnan in the future unless he stepped down from his position, but by then they would be old, no longer able to withstand the rigors of a long journey. And since Zhulan hoped to be of help to him, he had even less reason not to support her.

Zhulan caressed Zhou Shuren’s face, grateful that he said no more, else she truly might not have the heart to leave. But she couldn’t rest easy without seeing the estate with her own eyes; she longed for Jiangnan. This trip was likely her only chance, as neither Zhou Shuren nor she expected that she would get assigned there again.

The next morning, with dark circles under his eyes, Zhou Shuren watched as Zhulan and Liu Ya boarded the horse carriage. She pulled back the curtain to look at Zhou Shuren and hesitated; she didn’t want to go. Glancing at Chang Lian, who she left behind, she felt a bit of sympathy for him. It would be best not to provoke Zhou Shuren; without her at home, Chang Lian would just have to fend for himself.

There were four carriages in total, one loaded with luggage for use on the road. Zhulan was traveling with a maid this time and had brought everything she needed, allowing her to travel in comfort.

Zhou Shuren didn’t leave for the government office until the carriages were out of sight, and nobody from Chang Lian’s group dared to move before Zhou Shuren did.

Without Zhulan around, Zhou Shuren truly felt like a lost father.

Chang Lian stamped his feet to warm them, reminding himself that until his mother returned, he must keep his distance from his father. After a while, he took the young servant to the Meng Residence.

Lady Li, bundled up warmly, didn’t feel the chill, but she felt an overwhelming sense of gloom. The person in the family who treated her best had left, and she needed time to adjust.

Zhao shi was pleased that the master followed her mother-in-law on her outing, contemplating the days ahead. She should be able to sew a complete outfit for the mother-in-law, and she briskly walked to the courtyard.

Lady Dong sighed. With the mother-in-law gone, whom could she curry favor with now?

Since Zhulan wasn’t in a hurry, she stopped at a hostel in the prefecture city that night. Now that she had the means, she didn’t want to mistreat herself in the least.

At the Zhou family dinner, Zhou Shuren did not eat in the main hall but returned to his room and asked the servants to bring his meal there, forbidding anyone to enter while he ate.

Zhou Shuren brought back two chests, opening them to take out the red silk he had purchased beforehand. The silk had been pre-cut to Zhulan’s measurements. Zhou Shuren could sew clothes, but tailoring them was beyond his skill.

He had often watched Zhulan sewing clothes and, combined with his own experience of mending at the modern orphanage, he managed to stitch the pre-cut fabric together reasonably well.

If it hadn’t been impossible to buy a bridal gown, he would have preferred to purchase one directly rather than have Zhulan wear something he sewed. He wanted to give Zhulan the best.

Unfortunately, even to buy the fabric he had to do so under the pretense of Zhulan’s name. Purchasing fabric and cutting it was one thing, but buying a ready-made bridal gown was another matter entirely.

After lighting four candles, Zhou Shuren, needle and thread in hand, thought to himself how romantic he was being. Zhulan would surely be overwhelmed with emotion. With that thought, he felt invigorated and started sewing along the edges.

Zhulan had no idea that Zhou Shuren worked with needle and thread, and she felt out of sorts being alone. It’s terrifying how strong habits are; without Zhou Shuren by her side, she seemed to be asleep but was actually in a half-awake state.

Forget it, she’d catch up on sleep in the carriage the next day.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye five days had passed. Zhou Shuren’s sewing was complete; though not pretty, it was quite an accomplishment. He looked at the new set of jewelry and headpieces, which were beautiful but too expensive. The silver coin he had haggled for from the foreign merchant was gone without a trace.

Zhou Shuren thought Zhulan would surely love it and smiled at the thought. Soon, however, his mood turned sour for a simple reason—Zhulan had been gone for several days and hadn’t written him a single letter!