Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 627 Preparation to Enter the Capital_1

Zhou Shuren was very satisfied with the sensibility of his eldest daughter-in-law. Now that everyone had left, he swiftly took off his shoes and rested his head on Zhulan’s legs, "This is truly comfortable."

Standing at the doorway just a moment ago, he had listened to the incessant chattering inside the house which had given him a headache. Finally having some time to rest during the New Year, all he wanted was some peace of mind.

Zhulan massaged Zhou Shuren’s head, "Lady Li is indeed afraid of you."

Zhou Shuren closed his eyes because Lady Li had received the most of his stern looks, and he didn’t want to talk about Lady Li, "After the New Year, there are still many matters to attend to."

Zhulan counted in her heart, "Indeed, there are many, and they are all significant."

Zhou Shuren took Zhulan’s hand, signaling that there was no need for more massaging of his head, "You’ve been busy from morning till now, let’s rest together for a while. There’s still the reunion dinner tonight."

Zhulan was indeed a bit tired. Since arriving in ancient times, apart from dealing with matters, she had been like a house-bound girl. It was indeed time for an afternoon nap, "Alright."

The most lively place was in the third concubine’s courtyard. The children of the eldest Zhou brother were gathered there, and there was a reason for that. The first concubine’s courtyard was dull; Chang Lian and Chang Zhi didn’t like to go there. The second concubine’s courtyard was nicely set up, but slightly deserted. The fourth concubine’s courtyard was lively, but with the Magistrate’s presence, they couldn’t relax completely.

In the end, they all gathered at the third concubine’s courtyard, sitting in the cloister, watching the fluttering light snow, enjoying the scenery and chatting.

Zhou Eldest ate peanuts, feeling slightly sentimental, "Back when we were in Zhou family village, I never imagined there would be a day like today."

Outside, everyone called him Master Zhou. Previously, as just a countryside commoner, he was always cautious when dealing with merchants.

Zhou Second was not as sentimental as his elder brother; he only looked forward, "Third brother, you’re different from me and our elder brother. You must work hard!"

With Marquis Ning’s affair, he now had high hopes for Chang Lian!

Chang Lian felt immense pressure, "I will definitely work hard to not disappoint Father’s expectations."

Zhou Second nodded, then looked at Rongchuan cracking sunflower seeds. In his eyes, Rongchuan was a cunning one—unassuming on the surface, but clear about everything inside, "Rongchuan, you’re not young anymore. You’ll soon be married and you too must work hard."

Rongchuan was stunned, wondering why he was being brought into this, but he had to respond, "Second brother, I understand."

He truly understood. His uncle had already spoken to him about this. He had to give it his all this time; his original plan was that if it didn’t work out this time, it would work out next time. However, his uncle said that opportunity was right in front of him and that he had to seize it himself, otherwise, who knew what the future would hold!

Shi Qing looked at Zhou Second, then lowered his head to drink tea.

Chang Lian looked at Shi Qing, "Another year has passed, you’re not young either. You should start thinking about establishing a family."

Shi Qing’s hand paused, and his eyes deepened. Hadn’t he heard that he needn’t worry about the marital arrangements?

Chang Lian was just giving Shi Qing a reminder. Shi Qing had not had an easy life, and Chang Lian did care about his friend.

Zhou Eldest heard this, "Speaking of which, Mingyun isn’t young either. I don’t know what plans father and mother have for her."

Chang Zhi set down his teacup, "Big brother, marrying off a daughter involves a dowry. Your main house has three sons, each requiring a betrothal gift, plus a dowry for the girl. It’s no small burden. Have you saved up for Mingyun’s betrothal gift?"

Zhou Eldest, "...."

He shouldn’t have continued the conversation. Look at Chang Zhi’s words—each one was a knife, piercing the heart.

Chang Zhi saw everyone looking at him and smiled, "Ah, I’ll also have two children next year. After the birth, I too will need to start saving Silver diligently. However, my wife said that even if she were to have seven or eight children, her dowry would suffice. But the head of a household can’t rely solely on his wife, can he?"

Zhou eldest brother and the others, "...."

They didn’t want to pay any more mind to Chang Zhi, this was just showing off. Thinking about Chang Zhi’s life after getting married made them feel envious and sour.

Especially Zhou eldest brother, the silver in his pouch was accounted for, and pleading for a bit more silver required cajolery and exhausting all sweet words, even against his conscience saying his wife was the most beautiful!

But what about Chang Zhi? He knew more than once that the silver in Chang Zhi’s pocket was forcibly stuffed in by the Magistrate’s daughter!

That evening, the Zhou family had their New Year’s reunion dinner, Zhulan looked at the tableful of grandson generation, something very rare in modern times.

Zhulan paid attention to Mingyun, the lad was already twelve years past the New Year, it was time to start thinking about marriage for him, then she fell silent, her thoughts increasingly fitting those of ancient times. Look, the child was at an age where she was already considering arranging his betrothal.

This year’s New Year was nothing special for the Zhou family; they followed the same old routine as previous years. The only change was the children of the various households had grown up, the number of people had increased, and after the festivities ended, everyone returned to their own courtyards to celebrate the smaller Festival of the Kitchen God.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the sound of firecrackers could be heard everywhere, as people got up early to pay New Year visits.

In the capital, at the Ning Residence, Old Lord Ning hadn’t expected that the Crown Prince would bring along the fifth Prince for a visit. His grandson was the Crown Prince, but this was still the first time in many years he had personally come to pay a New Year visit.

Ning Xu’s gaze lingered on the Crown Prince’s side at the fifth, which he hadn’t paid much attention to before. Later, after regaining his status, he could visit his sister openly and learned quite a bit of news, with that in mind, his gaze deepened even more.

The Crown Prince’s visit today was by the Emperor’s will, to show the importance given to the Ning Residence. Since the three uncles from the Ning family weren’t as they had been before, it was time for the royal family to make a statement. Through him, just the Emperor conveying his regard for Ning Residence was enough.

Zhang Jinghong wasn’t visiting the Ning Residence for the first time, but this time he felt timid, especially under the gaze of the third uncle, which made him feel even more guilty. That’s why he had never dared to get too close to Ning San.

In the blink of an eye, it was already the third day of the Lunar New year; the holidays were essentially over. Chang Lian and Rongchuan were also getting ready to head to the capital. When Zhulan saw Lady Dong come over, she had a hunch, "Are you following them to take care of them?"

Lady Dong, holding Yu Yi, "Mother, Yu Yi is old enough, and this time, I wish to take her to the capital with us."

Zhulan took her little granddaughter, who couldn’t keep still, her little feet kicking as she wanted to stand up, "Then go, but take more people with you."

The corners of Lady Dong’s mouth curved up; she knew her mother-in-law would agree. Her mother-in-law was the most open-minded she had ever seen, "Thank you, Mother."

Zhulan was confident in Lady Dong’s capabilities; had Lady Dong not sought her out, she would have mentioned it to Lady Dong herself, "The capital is, after all, not like home. This time Nurse Song will be going with you. With her presence, I can rest a bit easier."

Lady Dong felt even more reassured, deeply appreciating Nurse Song’s abilities over the years, "Mother, with Nurse Song coming to the capital with us, will you be able to manage without her by your side?"

Zhulan, "These past two years I’ve had two additional maids and a nurse, I have enough help by my side. Once you’re in the capital, you must consult Nurse Song more, lest you suffer any losses."

Lady Dong took it to heart, "I will keep that in mind."

Zhulan had also contemplated going to the capital, with a son and a son-in-law there, she too wanted to be with them. Unfortunately, there was too much to take care of at home, Wu Ning was preparing to marry off, and Su Xuan’s pregnancy. She, the mistress of the house, could not leave home.

After Lady Dong left with the child, Zhulan picked up the bridal dowry list, which had already been checked several times, and scrutinized it once more before instructing Liu Ya to send it to Wu Ning.

He Shu might not have gone to the capital to take the civil service examination, but the marriage date set some time ago hadn’t changed, and these days had been busy with the affairs of Wu Ning’s marriage.

In the evening, Zhulan asked Zhou Shuren, "Tomorrow Chang Lian and the others head to the capital, do you have any arrangements?"

Zhou Shuren indeed had arrangements, "This time, Shen Xing and Jin Yan will accompany them."

"Can you manage without Shen Xing by your side?"