The next morning, the whole family got up early. After having breakfast, Zhulan checked whether anything was missing from the ancestor offering, and then the whole family returned to Zhoujia Village.

The Zhou clan had an ancestral hall. After passing the imperial exam, this was the first time Zhou Shuren came here, so he first offered sacrifices in the ancestral hall, and then he took Boss Zhou and his other sons, along with Mingyun and Mingteng, to the mountain to pay respects at the graves of the parents of the original body.

Zhulan brought several daughters-in-law to meet the women of the clan in the old house. Zhou Shuren passed the imperial examination and bought land for the clan. The Zhou family’s status in the clan was almost as high as that of the Patriarch’s family.

If the Patriarch had not been working hard for the clan, Zhou Shuren would have surpassed him long ago.

It was only after listening to the old man’s words that Zhou Wang Shi realized that Zhou Shuren was the shrewd and scheming one. Zhou Shuren had been scheming against the entire Zhou family since he took the initiative to return to the clan. From winning the favor of the clan members by presenting books to now buying land to win the hearts of the people, Zhou Shuren was very scheming and was moving forward at every step.

After hearing this, Zhou Wang Shi was angry because it threatened their family’s status. The old man was also upset. But he was also happy because he was happy that the Zhou family had produced a capable person. In the future, the Zhou family would become a big family, and might even be more powerful than the Dong family!

Zhou Wang Shi felt very complicated. She was angry, but she couldn’t show it because her grandson would have to rely on Zhou Shuren’s support in the future!

Zhulan kept watching Zhou Wang Shi out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t say much when Zhou Wang Shi came. She understood the disappointment Zhou Wang Shi felt. The fact that she could come along and even smile at her showed that she was very strong. Not everyone can adjust their mentality overnight.

Zhulan poured the tea herself and handed it to Zhou Wang Shi, “Auntie, have a cup of tea.”

Zhou Wang Shi regained her composure and suppressed her complicated feelings. Zhou Shuren and his wife were not simple people. They served her the tea with both hands, which showed that they still respected her. She took it with a smile, “It’s amazing that you can still pour tea for me.”

Zhulan heard the hidden meaning in the words and curled her lips, “Don’t say that I am now the wife of a juren. Even if I really become the wife of an official, you are still my aunt and I will still pour tea for you.”

Zhou Wang Shi looked at Yang Shi seriously. Yang Shi was not joking. She took a sip of tea and said, “This tea tastes good. Auntie will wait for you to pour more tea for me.”

Zhulan: “This is natural.”

Zhou Wang Shi was completely relieved. She was afraid that Yang Shi’s identity had changed and her attitude towards the elders in the clan would also change. Fortunately, she did not misjudge her.

Zhulan thought to herself, that she was not stupid, it was time for Zhou Shuren to win the hearts of the people, and she was not the kind of person who would forget who she was once she gained power.

Furthermore, although Zhou Wang Shi and the Patriarch had some flaws, they were mostly worthy of respect. Zhulan admired their spirit of caring for the clan.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren had discussed that they would not hold a big celebration in their hometown to celebrate his success in the imperial examination. Instead, they would just invite the elders in the family to a meal, with only three tables.

Zhulan didn’t let Li Shi cook either. After Boss Zhou and Second Zhou came back, Zhulan asked them to go to the county restaurant and order three tables for a banquet.

There were not enough tables and chairs in the old house, so they borrowed them from neighbors. Each table had twelve dishes, all of which were the restaurant’s specialties. When they ordered a banquet, it came with plates. They just had to wash the plates after eating and send them back to the restaurant. Of course, they had to pay a deposit, and if they didn’t send them back, then the deposit would be gone. The deposit left was far more than the money for the plates!

They enjoyed the delicious food and wine until three o’clock in the afternoon, modern time. When the Li family members finished cleaning up, it was almost four o’clock, and they returned to Lijia Village at four o’clock.

The Zhou family was used to having three meals a day. If they didn’t eat at night, they would be hungry at night. After returning to the house, they rested for an hour. Li Shi made noodles with soybean sauce and crucian carp noodle soup for Xuemei.

Early the next morning, Zhou Shuren brought Boss Zhou back to the village to buy land and happened to go to see the county magistrate to transfer the ownership of the land.

Dong Shi and Chang Lian also packed up the things they were taking back to Pingzhou, and Second Zhou drove the carriage to take the couple to the county government office.

Only Zhulan and Zhao Shi were left at home. Li Shi had gone back to her parents’ home. This time she would not be able to come back for the New Year, so she wanted to spend more time with her parents.

Zhulan and Zhao Shi sat together to make clothes. Zhulan wanted to make more clothes for the two children before leaving, especially as winter was approaching, so cotton-padded jackets and trousers must be prepared.

Zhao Shi stole a glance at her mother-in-law several times, thinking to herself that it would be good to learn from her dasao. She should express her thoughts directly so that her mother-in-law would pay more attention to her. “Mom, don’t worry, I will take good care of my elder sister.”

Zhulan bit the thread, took it again, and said, “You are the most careful among the three daughters-in-law. I believe you.”

Zhao Shi received the affirmation from her mother-in-law, and the corners of her mouth could not help but curl up, “Mother, take good care of yourself when you go to the capital.”

Zhulan then remembered what she had overlooked. Juren could employ slaves. This rule was quite unfair. It was completely aimed at students from poor families. Students from official families who were not Juren could also employ servants. Well, this could be said to be a matter of fathers. Those who didn’t have good ancestors and good fathers could only rely on themselves.

Ancient times interpreted the concept of relying on one’s father to the fullest. In ancient times, having a good father was the end of one’s life!

Take the Zhou family for example. They changed their father unknowingly, and in just two years, the fate of several of Zhou’s sons changed, and the future of Zhou’s grandchildren had been planned!

Zhao Shi saw that her mother was distracted and was about to prick her hand, so she quickly reached out to hold the needle, “Mother.”

Zhulan came back to her senses and looked down, almost stabbing herself in the hand, “Look, I was distracted.”

Zhao Shi didn’t think much about it, she just thought it was normal for her mother to be distracted because of her age.

Fortunately, Zhulan didn’t know what Zhao Shi was thinking, otherwise, she would have vomited blood. She was not even forty yet. She was only thirty-eight this year. Thirty-eight, and thirty-eight in lunar age, so she was only thirty-seven in actual age!

Xue Han asked, “Mom, are you worried about life in the capital?”

Zhulan shook her head, “No, Mother is thinking that our family can buy a slave, and I am thinking about whether I should buy a family of slaves.”

Xue Han was stunned. She had never thought that their family could use slaves. With servants, won’t she become a real lady?

Zhao Shi almost pricked her hand and lowered her head. She thought of her mother, who had been a slave. She felt that fate was really magical. She went from being worried about her fate to now having a beloved husband, a son, and a daughter. It had only been a short time, and their family could use slaves.

Xue Han didn’t understand, “Why did mother want to buy a family of slaves?”

Zhulan said, “Because it’s easy to control. The slave contracts of the whole family are in my hands. They dare not have any evil thoughts, otherwise, it will harm the whole family. Mother tells you, when choosing slaves in the future, first, don’t choose single slaves, and second, don’t choose slaves from wealthy families, especially slaves who were resold.”

Xue Han didn’t understand, “Why?”

Zhulan said, “There are too many unknown factors about the status of a single slave, so we can’t take him for the sake of caution. The slaves that are resold by wealthy families are usually those who have committed crimes. They are either sneaky or cunning. You should know that loyal servants are rarely resold.”

Of course, some loyal slaves do get framed, but unfortunately, the probability of it was too small. The masters of wealthy families were not fools and they all liked loyal servants.

Xue Han was surprised, “There are so many things to think about when buying a slave!”

Zhulan smiled and said, “There is a lot of knowledge in it. Mother will tell you, when you choose a maid in the future, don’t choose one who is strong in everything, no matter how loyal she is. Don’t choose one who only knows how to do things, no matter how good she is at work.”

(End of this chapter)

---