After dinner, it was Zhao Shi’s turn to wash the dishes. Since Dong Shi came into the family, Zhao Shi and Dong Shi have taken turns washing the dishes, Xuehan helped wash the vegetables, and Li Shi only cooked.
If it weren’t for Dong Shi, Li Shi, Zhao Shi, and Xuehan would always work together. Now that Dong Shi was here, Zhulan had made a good arrangement to avoid conflicts that may accumulate.
Sometimes Zhulan would go to the kitchen to help, usually by lighting the fire or washing the vegetables.
On the way back, Zhou Shuren told Rongchuan and Mingyun everything he needed to tell them, and the two went to the academy together again. There was nothing to worry about. After dinner, Zhou Shuren went back to the room and waited for Zhulan to come back and said, “Find the deed to the shop. I’ll deal with the shop tomorrow.”
Zhulan took off her shoes and got on the kang. She took out a box from the cabinet, took out two deeds, and handed them to Zhou Shuren, “They are all here.”
Zhou Shuren folded them and put them away, “I went to the shop at noon today. They knew that we wanted to sell the shop and the person renting it wanted to buy it. We don’t have to ask the broker to help us. We can sell it tomorrow and transfer the ownership directly.”
Zhulan asked, “I thought you stayed in the academy for a day as well!”
Zhou Shuren laughed, “I took Rongchuan and Mingyun to lunch at noon and sent them back to the academy. Then I left. I picked them up after school later.”
“You couldn’t have just gone to the shop. Let me guess what you did.”
“Okay, guess.”
Zhulan thought for a while, “You didn’t really go to find a bargain, did you?”
Zhou Shuren lay down and sighed, “My wife is so smart. It has something to do with antiques, but it’s not a bargain.”
Zhulan smiled, “You didn’t just go to look at antiques, did you.”
Zhou Shuren raised his head and rested it on Zhulan’s legs, “I really just went to look at antiques. I came to know that there are competitions for identifying antiques in Pingzhou, so I went to see it today.”
Zhulan frowned, “Who did you hear that from?”
Zhou Shuren, “The owner who rented our shop, when we were chatting, said that there was an antique identification competition this afternoon. I was curious, so the owner took me to see it.”
Zhulan was used to being cautious, “It wouldn’t be a trap, would it?”
She didn’t forget that there was a reborn Wang Ru. With such a big change in their family, she didn’t believe Wang Ru won’t investigate. Wang Ru had been in Pingzhou for a long time, and she didn’t know if there was any way to get rid of her predicament. It was a pity that it was not easy to hear news from Wang Ru now.
Zhou Shuren touched his chin, “I don’t care if it’s a trap or not, it’s indeed an opportunity to make a fortune.”
Zhulan looked at Zhou Shuren’s determined eyes, and thought, this man must have been thinking about it for an afternoon, and had already thought of a perfect strategy. So she said faintly: “You want to borrow strength, this time you really have to borrow it from Dong Shi’s jiefu1.”
Zhou Shuren laughed in a low voice, and gradually laughed louder, “The one who understands me best is my wife.”
This was a telepathic connection. He and Zhulan’s hearts were the most compatible. It was rare to find someone with the same thoughts in life, but unexpectedly, he found it through time travel.
Zhulan covered Zhou Shuren’s mouth, “You can keep your voice down, we are all in the same yard, you laughed so loudly just now, everyone should have heard it, I will not be able to live as a human being tomorrow.”
Zhou Shuren signaled that he would stop laughing and could take his hand off, and coughed, “I was excited and happy for a while, don’t worry, they won’t dare to show it.”
Today, this town was in their hands; a few youngsters wouldn’t dare to utter a word!
Zhulan gnashed her teeth. Her son did not dare to show it, but she was a mother-in-law. People who did not know would think that something was wrong with the parents-in-law and that they had to face their daughters-in-law!
In the first room, Boss Zhou and Li Shi heard their father’s laughter. Li Shi asked, “What is Dad laughing at?”
Boss Zhou thought that his father must have made his mother angry again because of his bad mouth. He was happy, but he could not say it. “I don’t know.”
Li Shi counted the copper coins on the kang and muttered, “I am stupid. I actually asked you. We are both the same. Let’s not guess.”
Boss Zhou, “.”
Sometimes, the words of his wife were more heartbreaking than his father’s!
In the second room, Second Zhou and his wife were people who thought a lot. Second Zhou, “What is there to be happy about?”
Zhao Shi also thought so. Father-in-law was such a serious person, but he was so happy. It must be a great thing. “Ask tomorrow?”
Second Zhou shook his head. “You still don’t know Dad. When he wants to say something, he says it; when he doesn’t want to, asking is pointless.”
Well, he wouldn’t say that he didn’t dare to ask. He could ask his eldest brother. He wanted to think about it.
Chang Lian and Dong Shi slept in separate rooms. The two couldn’t communicate. Chang Lian thought to himself that this was the first time his father showed his emotions. It must be a big deal. Who should he ask to know? Well, it should be the eldest brother. After all, the eldest brother was the eldest brother!
Chang Zhi and Rong Chuan were in the front yard. They didn’t hear it clearly. Even if they heard it, they wouldn’t think too much.
Zhulan really didn’t know that her children were too smart. She thought too much.
For breakfast, Li Shi cooked red dates and millet porridge, and the staple food was steamed buns. In ancient times, people had two meals a day. There was no such thing as lunch in the academy, but there was a lunch break. If you were hungry, you could bring some dry food. Children from good families would bring cakes. The sons of wealthy families had someone to send snacks for the lunch break.
There was a stove in the academy in winter, but no one was allowed to heat dry food, otherwise it would make the whole place smelly.
Zhulan brought cakes for the two boys going to the academy. The cakes were bought yesterday.
After breakfast, Zhou Shuren was going to send Rongchuan and Mingyun to the academy. They had to pay tuition today because now that the school had started, the entrance ceremony is waived.
Second Zhou came to his eldest brother, “Brother, look how much Daddy cares about you, and he is teaching you in person.”
Boss Zhou, “If you want Daddy to teach you in person, I can tell Daddy, don’t be envious.”
Second Zhou was silent, “.”
No, he didn’t want Daddy’s teaching. His elder brother was very smart. If it were in the past, he would be happy a long time ago, but now he would argue with him.
Boss Zhou snorted. Did he really think he didn’t know Second Zhou’s purpose? It was caused by Daddy’s laughter. He inexplicably felt that everyone was drunk but he was the only one sober. It was a pity that he couldn’t say it, and he didn’t dare to say it. He was lonely!
Chang Lian saw that his second brother had lost, and he felt sad. All the fools in the family were so smart that he looked at his eldest brother in reproach, “Brother, you don’t have the responsibility of being a big brother now!”
Boss Zhou, “.Oh, you found it a little late.”
Whoever wanted to be the big brother in this family could do it. He was not happy to be the big brother. These brothers were annoying. They let him be in front when something was going on, but they didn’t seem to care for him as a big brother when nothing was going on. It was sad to think about it!
Chang Lian, “.”
Chang Zhi couldn’t help laughing. Seeing that several brothers were looking at him, “Don’t mind me, I’m just a spectator.”
Chang Lian covered his chest. He was also a gēgē2 and had an annoying dìdì3.
Mingyun quietly finished reading and then turned to look at his simple-minded smiling younger brother. He realized that education for his brother must start from a young age; it would be too late when he grew up.
Zhulan saw Dong Shi was stunned and said lightly, “You will get used to it.”
Forget it, she worried in vain. It was all because of her guilty conscience! The kids in the family were so convoluted and guessed in other ways.
Dong Shi, “.”
Was this really the dàbó gē4 she knew? The most honest dàbó gē in her heart? Weren’t they supposed to be like brothers, complimenting each other? How come all she sees is them digging pits for each other, almost wanting to step on each other more!
Zhou Shuren took Rongchuan and Mingyun away, and Zhulan also went back to the house. Only the four brothers were left in the yard staring blankly.
Zhou Shuren came back at noon. Zhulan waited until there was no one in the afternoon before asking Zhou Shuren, “Is the transfer done?”
(End of this chapter)
Footnote
- Sister’s husband
- Elder brother
- Younger brother
- Eldest brother of the family/husband’s family
Translating one chapter one day at a time 
Leave a comment