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

Chapter 988: Chapter 988: Gu Zhuomin’s Scheme

At the teahouse, Mingyun furrowed his brows; he disliked being stared at. His appearance wasn’t particularly handsome, merely slightly above average—it was his temperament that made him more captivating. His fourth uncle had said that when sitting with him, it was nearly impossible to ignore his presence.

Gu Liufeng’s face turned sour; he didn’t recognize the girl staring at him, yet he had heard enough to guess who she might be.

Lady Lu also sported a look of displeasure but apologized to Liufeng, ”We came looking for your cousin. We should go first.”

Mingyun raised an eyebrow. Lady Lu, the eldest daughter-in-law of Mr. Gu’s household—then, the young lady by Lady Lu’s side?

Gu Le didn’t want to leave. ”Cousin, my name is Gu Le.”

Gu Liufeng had seen his cousin who committed suicide. He had felt no deep affection for that cousin, but she had left him with a favorable impression. This younger cousin, on the other hand, was not likable at all, shamelessly staring at Mingyun without a word from Liufeng.

Lady Lu was furious, pinching Gu Le’s hand fiercely. The space they were in was filled with men, and even with years of marriage behind her, it was improper to linger. She regretted not holding back when she said she had spotted Liufeng just moments ago.

Yu Die stood up from her second brother’s embrace and squeezed in front of her eldest brother, extending her arms to shield him, ”You can’t look. My big brother belongs to my sister-in-law, and if you keep staring, I’ll hit you.”

Ran Xun and the others choked on their tea. Yu Die’s sister-in-law was their little sister—no, their future sister-in-law.

Yu Yi also stretched out his chubby hand. ”Hurry up and leave, you’re blocking our view of the performance.”

Gu Liufeng’s face turned red with embarrassment, and even Lady Lu’s cheeks warmed with heat. She twisted Gu Le’s arm and finally dragged her away.

Gu Liufeng didn’t know how to face the Ran brothers again, ”My apologies.”

Heaven knows he had had no contact with the Gu family.

Mingyun patted Liufeng’s shoulder, ”It’s not your fault.”

Gu Liufeng did not feel consoled, thinking to himself that his mother truly had foresight. He considered staying at his uncle’s house for a few more days. However, he would need to inform his father’s cousin so as not to inadvertently affect their household’s womenfolk.

The brothers of the Ran family just smiled. They saw no issue in it. Like men, a woman who was well-favored naturally drew attention. It would have been unusual if nobody took notice of Mingyun. As the eldest grandson of the Zhou family, whether considering his background or his personal capabilities, he was an exemplary choice for a son-in-law.

Elsewhere, after hearing about what had happened, Lady Lu quietly informed her husband. Mr. Gu’s face turned an ashen color. His father had only just begun to establish ties with the Zhou family. He glared, stone-faced, at Gu Le, who was looking down.

Lady Lu came to believe that the roots of the Gu family were rotten, and such a family couldn’t possibly educate a good lady. The only decent girl had already taken her life, and she resolved to speak with her mother-in-law about sending Gu Le away sooner.

Zhulan also heard the news and was unconcerned, knowing that Gu Zhuomin and Lady Ding would handle the matter.

As for the issue of the tea house, Zhulan genuinely wasn’t troubled by it. Mrs. Zhao was quite concerned, informing her upon returning that the Gu family’s lady had left, which could be construed as the Zhou family not taking the matter seriously at all.

At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren left the government office with Hu Xia waiting for him. Hu Xia stepped forward, ”I’ve seen the minister.”

Zhou Shuren knew that Hu Xia would not seek him out at the Ministry of Revenue unless it was for something unrelated to work. Waiting outside meant it was a personal matter, ”Let’s talk in the carriage.”

It was not the place for conversations with the constant comings and goings of people.

Once aboard the carriage, before the minister could ask, Hu Xia spoke first, ”The Gu family abandoned Liufeng years ago. My sister and Liufeng harbor deep grievances against the Gu family. After several actions by the Gu family, Liufeng has utterly lost heart with them.”

Zhou Shuren was aware of the incident at the teahouse and observed Hu Xia closely. They hadn’t taken the matter to heart, but Hu Xia did—naturally, given his high hopes for Liufeng.

Seeing that the minister was taking him seriously, Hu Xia continued, ”Gu Zhuomin is also disappointed with Liufeng’s uncle’s branch of the family. Therefore, after deliberation between us, we would like to adopt Liufeng from that branch of the family tree into Zhuomin’s branch.”

It was Gu Zhuomin who first proposed the idea. He knew Gu Zhuomin had been thinking about Liufeng for a long time. After much consideration and weighing the pros and cons, he realized it was a win-win situation. By adopting him, they’d eventually become two separate branches, and Gu Zhuomin would also take greater care of Liufeng. That’s why he came to speak with the lord about it.

Zhou Shuren stroked his beard, ”With this uncle making plans for Liufeng, there’s nothing bad about it.”

Hu Xia blinked; he hadn’t heard wrong. Mr. Zhou had said ”uncle,” not ”paternal uncle.” With the lord’s words, he felt even more confident, ”Yes, having an elder above to help plan is good for Liufeng.”

He knew he couldn’t compare with Gu Zhuomin. Although Gu Zhuomin had a tough time at the Ministry of Rites, he never faced any significant issues—that was Gu Zhuomin’s ability. Small families like theirs needed to stick together.

Zhou Shuren went home and spoke to his wife, ”Gu Zhuomin has wanted to adopt for a long time, but there was never an opportunity. He was thwarted several times by the Gu family members coming to the capital, so he had been planning.”

Zhulan, ”One should say Gu Zhuomin has long wanted to separate from Liufeng’s grandfather’s branch. Because of Liufeng, he has always been in charge. Now, with the adoption, he can also relax a bit.”

Zhou Shuren touched his beard again, ”Gu Zhuomin is quite capable, very astute. It’s just that sometimes he’s a bit small-minded. If he could be more open and generous, it would be better.”

”You should also consider his career. He’s used to acting this way; don’t expect too much.”

”Alright, but it is indeed a good thing for Liufeng.”

The next day, Zhulan visited the Song family. Song Lan’s mother, Lady Liu, warmly took Zhulan’s hand. ”You haven’t come by in a good while.”

”I have been busy. With the autumn harvest, there are too many matters at home to handle.”

Lady Liu sat down with Zhulan. ”I must say, what about your daughters-in-law? It’s better to let them stay busy. Look at me, how relaxed I am.”

Zhulan spread her hands, ”You think I don’t want to? My eldest daughter-in-law is pregnant again, my second son is not at home so I can’t pass it on to the second wife, the third daughter-in-law has to take care of the baby born this year, and the fourth daughter-in-law, with her substantial dowry, is busier than I am.”

Upon hearing this, Lady Liu asked, ”What about your granddaughters?”

Zhulan, ”Each branch has its own business. This year, with my second son not at home, the eldest granddaughter is managing the second branch’s properties, and the second granddaughter is also in charge of the main branch. You tell me, isn’t it just me who’s busy this year?”

After thinking it over, Lady Liu asked, ”And your daughter?”

”She first needs to practice with her own dowry estate.”

Lady Liu had nothing more to say, ”The people in your family really aren’t idle.”

”I think it’s good to be busy. A busy life has more direction.”

Lady Liu pushed the fruit plate in front of her, ”Still, you should find a few capable managers, so you don’t wear yourself out.”

”I’d rather train my granddaughters’ abilities to manage the household. Hands-on experience is the best way to ensure they won’t be deceived by servants when they manage their dowries after getting married.”

”I truly admire you. The girls born into your family are lucky.”

Zhulan felt the same, ”A girl’s life is hard, the dowry is her reliance, and cannot be neglected. By the way, what did you want to talk about? You only mentioned two things in the note. If there was something urgent, why didn’t you come to see me?”

Lady Liu toyed with her fan, ”I wanted to visit you, but I couldn’t leave. My mother-in-law has been feeling unwell, and I need to be with her.”

”How is the old lady now? Is she feeling a bit better?”

”Much better, she can now take in porridge, but she needs to recover slowly.”