Zhou Shuren opened the box, and there were neatly stacked silver ingots in the box. He pointed at the box and said: “There are a total of one hundred and twenty taels of silver in the box. The bracelets at home are not of good quality, so the price has been greatly reduced.”

Zhulan closed the chest and tallied the accounts. “Chang Lian’s prospective in-laws contributed 300 taels as a betrothal gift. After deducting that, we have over 460 taels remaining. The male lead later contributed twice, while Wang Ru and Shi Qing each contributed once. Excluding the money from selling gold, after tallying up our assets just now, we have a total of 490 taels. Now, adding the 120 taels from selling the gold, we have a total of 610 taels in the household.”

With over 600 taels of silver, Zhu Lan felt more assured this time. At least, buying the Zheng family’s house wouldn’t leave her strapped for cash. She could still have extra money to host the wedding banquet and support the expenses of the family. With so many scholars in the household, the monthly paper expenses alone amounted to a significant sum!

Zhou Shuren felt that his family’s money was really low. Now they just bought land, not even Zhuangzi, and their family’s money was at the bottom. Calculating all the wealth in his mind, it was not enough to buy a house in the capital, and he was still poor!

Zhou Shuren heard Li Shi calling for dinner and pushed the box cover to the corner, “Don’t worry about the money, let’s go out to eat too!”

“Okay.”

The next day when they went to see the place, Boss Zhou drove the car, and Zhulan and Zhou Shuren were together. Zhou Shuren went to see the land, while Zhulan was responsible for looking after the house. On their first visit, Zhu Lan brought pastries. She decided not to present fabric since the Zheng family wouldn’t be lacking in that department in the future. Bringing some snacks seemed more appropriate.

Zheng Shi’s natal family, the Zheng family was considered prosperous. Zheng Shi was the youngest in her family, and her older brothers were all of age, some even having grandchildren. After more than forty years of development, it had become a large family. The house was not built like a typical farmhouse but was surrounded by high walls, with several interconnected courtyards inside, each operating independently.

If Zhulan entered the house without someone to guide her, she would easily get dizzy. This indicated that a lot of thought went into its construction. Upon reaching the main courtyard, Zheng Shi’s parents were still alive and well. Probably due to their martial background, they were still robust and healthy.

Old Man Zheng laughed loudly, “I said it’s time for people to arrive, and you arrived as soon as I said this.”

Zhou Shuren and Zhulan gave them a junior’s greeting. Zhou Shuren said, “I didn’t have any good things for my first visit here, I just bought some pastries for the children.”

Old Man Zheng was not a simple military commander. Back then, his father refused to leave to prove his innocence. It was he who stretched out his hand to knock the father unconscious. Later, God helped the Zheng family, and the heavy snowstorm helped hide his identity. After settling down, the old man was no longer angry with him. After all, the whole family’s escape was entirely due to him.

Mr. Zheng smiled kindly, “You’re welcome, dà zhízi¹, please stop standing and sit down.”

Zhulan looked at Old Man Zheng. She had initially thought that Zheng Shi took after her mother, but now she realized that she resembled her father. Old Man Zheng appeared frail and thin, nothing like a martial figure, but rather more like a scholar.

The Zheng family wasn’t in a hurry to discuss the land and the house. Zhulan realized that there was a reason why Zheng Shi’s dàsǎo approached her about selling the land and why only Zheng Shi was informed about it. They didn’t advertise the sale of the land either, indicating that the buyer sought by the Zheng family was likely Zhulan’s family.

She just didn’t know if they knew that their family wanted to buy land from the patriarch’s family, or if they had planned it long ago. Was Zheng Shi aware of her mother’s family’s plan?

Zhou Shuren also stopped pressing about the land, leisurely sipping his tea. He chuckled inwardly, thinking, “Whoever said martial figures only have straightforward minds? Why rush with someone like that?” Then he pondered further, “The Zheng family indeed had straightforward minds. If they were cunning, they wouldn’t have died out long ago. How did they even settle in the Li family village?”

Zhulan was pulled by Old Lady Zheng to talk. The old lady had been living in the countryside for more than 40 years, and she could still see her good upbringing, and her movements were full of charm. Zheng Shi’s calligraphy and painting must have been taught by the old lady.

Old Lady Zheng smiled and said, “Try the dim sum brought from the northwest. It has a different flavor. I just don’t know if you are used to it.”

Zhulan was a foodie and mainly ate dim sum and noodles from the northwest. In modern times, she liked the snacks from the northwest. For a snack, she picked up a piece and took a bite. “It’s delicious.”

When Old Lady Zheng saw that Zhulan was not faking it, her smile became a bit genuine, “Take some back with you if it’s delicious. It’s hard to find snacks from the Northwest in the Northeast.”

Zhulan really liked to eat. It was pollution-free and much more delicious than modern times. “Then I will not be shy.”

Old Lady Zheng asked casually: “I heard that you are learning to paint?”

Zhulan thought to herself that it wasn’t just their family paying attention to the Zhengs; the Zheng family was also observing them. Even Zhu Lan’s painting activities were of interest to them. She reflected, “Ever since becoming relatives with the county magistrate’s family, the county magistrate’s wife has invited me several times. We’ve discussed topics ranging from tea art to painting. I’ve been worried about not embarrassing the head of the household and his son, so I’ve been learning with determination. I’ve been figuring things out on my own all along, but lately, I’ve made progress with my sǎozi’s guidance.”

Old Lady Zheng heard from her daughter that Yang Shi had a special talent for painting. “I’ve heard about it from Xinyi. Speaking of which, it was me who taught your sǎozi how to paint. I had planned to spend some time guiding you as well, but plans changed. We’re heading to the northwest now, and I probably won’t have the chance to see you again in the future.”

At this point, Old Lady Zheng was very sad. Her daughter’s health was not good, and there was no telling if she would outlive her. She lamented that they might not even have the chance to meet again in the future.

Zhulan noticed that the old lady was in a low mood and said hurriedly: “You can’t say for sure about fate. Maybe we will meet again in the future.”

The old lady was pleased to hear this. “I have a good feeling about you, my niece. It’s truly fate. I won’t hide it from you. We wouldn’t feel comfortable selling our house to just anyone. We trust only you. The Zhous are our preferred buyers, and you are our relatives. In a way, we’re all family.”

If it weren’t for Xinyi’s poor health and her son-in-law’s aging, and if her eldest wàisūnzi didn’t show much talent in his studies, with little hope of passing the imperial exams, they would have considered leaving the house to their son-in-law’s family to look after. They were concerned that if they moved too far away and their daughter passed away early, their wàisūnzi might not have the ability to manage the property and could easily fall into trouble. They were contemplating how to deal with the house, as it was a hidden asset for the Zheng family. Only after learning about Zhou Shuren’s family through their daughter did they find someone more suitable to take over.

Zhulan thought to herself, “This house was designed with some tricks up its sleeve. Why does she feel like the Zheng family approached them just to have them watch over the house?”

Zhulan exchanged a glance with Zhou Shuren. They had been trying to investigate the other party but ended up falling into their trap instead. They had willingly walked into it. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling at all.

Zhulan could only keep smiling, “Yes, we are also relatives.”

Old Lady Zheng felt even more satisfied. Indeed, as her daughter had said, they were all shrewd individuals. Some things didn’t need to be spelled out; others could figure it out on their own. However, they had been a bit dishonest, baiting others and waiting for them to take the bait. Thinking about how they hadn’t even told their daughter about this plan, Old Lady Zheng felt reassured. She casually touched the bracelet on her wrist. “I’ve worn this bracelet for many years. It’s made of top-quality jade. I heard that you also suffered from a serious illness and have been recuperating. It’s said that jade worn for a long time develops spirituality. I’m giving this jade to you as a gift.”

Zhulan tried to pull her hand back but hesitated. Old Lady Zheng’s grip was unexpectedly strong, and the bracelet was already on her wrist. Old Lady Zheng expressed her satisfaction, saying, “See how well it suits you.”

Old Lady Zheng didn’t feel distressed about it. When they fled years ago, the head of the family and his eldest brother raided the residence of the corrupt guard captain with their sons in the middle of the night. Although no lives were lost, they managed to seize a significant amount of gold, silver, and jewels, so the Zheng family was not lacking in money.

The jade bracelets she gave away now were just one of her favorites. She still had quite a few at home, but she never wore them just to keep a low profile.

Zhulan lowered her head and looked at the jade bracelet. She was speechless. This bracelet was worth a lot of money. Sure enough, her intuition was right. Their family was looking for someone to look after the house!

(End of chapter)

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Footnote

1. Eldest nephew (son of brother)