Zhulan looked through the gap in the car curtain and saw the situation ahead. There were a lot of people blocking the entrance to the village.

The driver replied, “I don’t know what happened up ahead, I’ll go down and take a look.”

Soon the driver came back and said, “A girl fainted at the entrance of the village. The villagers gathered around to watch but no one helped her. I asked everyone to move aside first.”

Zhulan opened the car curtain and made way for the front, revealing the girl lying on the ground. Her clothes looked familiar. After a closer look, wasn’t it Wang Xin?

No wonder no one in the village helped her. They were afraid that she wouldn’t be relied on. Looking at Wang Xin’s appearance, she walked back by herself.

As the carriage drove out of the village, Zhulan heard crying and looked back curiously. Sun Shi and Fourth Wang came, followed by Wang Rong. Wang Rong didn’t look at Wang Xin but glanced at the carriage Zhulan was sitting in. When Zhulan looked again, Wang Rong was already squatting to look at Wang Xin.

On the way back to Pingzhou, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren were not in a hurry. The carriage moved slowly. The two were a little tired from traveling, and they felt more comfortable if they took it slow.

When they arrived in Pingzhou, it was almost dark and the city gates were about to close. The carriage swayed to the door of the house. The sun had completely set. Zhulan and Zhou Shuren got out of the carriage. The door of the Zhou family was closed.

Zhou Shuren went to knock on the door, and Zhulan gave the two drivers two taels of silver and said, “Thank you for your hard work on the journey. This money is for wine tonight.”

The driver received extra money and said, “Thank you, ma’am. We’ll leave now.”

“Slow down.”

As soon as the two drivers left, a man in the yard asked, “Who is it?”

Zhou Shuren said, “It’s me.”

Rong Chuan called out, “Uncle.”

As he spoke, he quickly opened the door and Rong Chuan said excitedly, “Uncle, you and Aunt are back.”

Rong Chuan felt relieved to see his uncle and aunt. He had been worried about whether his uncle and aunt were safe along the way. He was afraid that something might happen to them. Now he can finally put his mind at ease. Besides, his uncle and aunt were not at home, so he seemed like an outsider in the Zhou family. He felt uneasy. With his uncle and aunt back, his backbone was also back.

Zhou Shuren said, “Go call your brothers to come over and move the things.”

As for the carriage, it could only be parked outside for the time being. There was no place to raise horses at home. There were special places for stabling horses in the city. You paid money every month and someone raised the horses for you. The people who cared for the horses were some old soldiers and horse-raising veterans who had retired from the front line and knew the most about raising horses.

Just send it over tomorrow. The carriage could also be stored together. Many families in the city liked to store their animals there. It was worry-free and cheap.

Many policies of this dynasty were good, especially the treatment of retired old soldiers and their families who had no land. Although the Emperor of this dynasty killed many people, he was indeed a good Emperor for the people.

While Zhulan was waiting for Rong Chuan to call the eldest and second brothers, she had already carried the important things out of the car and followed Zhou Shuren into the yard.

Before reaching the backyard, Boss Zhou and Second Zhou walked in front, followed by Li Shi and Zhao Shi.

This time it wasn’t Zhao Shi who wiped her tears, it was Li Shi who wiped her tears, “Mom, you’re finally back.”

Zhulan saw that Zhao Shi looked relieved, while Li Shi was crying so sadly. She looked carefully in the moonlight and asked, “Li Shi, why have you lost so much weight?”

She looked at her and saw that she had lost two pounds, at least 20 kilograms!

Li Shi cried even louder and threw herself into her mother-in-law’s arms, “Mom, I missed you.”

Zhulan, “.”

She didn’t believe it. She had suffered a lot of grievances. Alas, she could still pamper Li Shi at home, and Li Shi would be happy as long as she cooked. Now that she was gone, Li Shi, as the eldest sister-in-law, had to take on more responsibilities. Not only did she have to worry about everything, but she also was plotted against by her two younger siblings. How can she not cry!

Zhou Shuren looked impatient, crying gave him a headache, “Boss, Second, our carriage is outside the door, go and move the things in the carriage back, and you can stay in the front yard at night, watch the carriage, and listen to the noise, and deposit it at the stable tomorrow morning.”

Li Shi heard the impatience in her father-in-law’s tone and came out of her mother-in-law’s arms, “Mom, look, I’m crying because I’m so happy. Mom and Dad must be tired and haven’t eaten. I’ll go make dinner for them.”

Zhulan felt a little upset. During her absence, Li Shi had really grown up a lot. She was better at reading people’s expressions and listening to their voices than before. “You have all eaten, right?”

Zhao Shi knew that her eldest sister-in-law had a lot of grievances, but she didn’t rush to express them. Now that her mother-in-law asked, she didn’t say anything, as if she didn’t care. “We’ve eaten, Mother. I cleaned the main room every day. I took out the quilts to dry in good weather. I looked forward to my mother and father coming home every day. Mother, let me help you go back to the room!”

Zhulan thought, looked at Zhao Shi, Li Shi was still not smart enough, and said to Li Shi: “Mother misses the noodles you made, just make two bowls of noodles.”

Li Shi had just been worried because of her brother and sister-in-law’s words, fearing that her mother would think she had done nothing. But after hearing her mother-in-law’s words, she felt relieved. Her mother really favored her. “Hey, I’ll go roll the noodles now.”

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren returned to the main room. It was just as Zhao Shi said. She had cleaned the room every day, and there was no dust at all. Zhao Shi picked up the teapot and said, “Mom, I’ll go make a pot of tea.”

“Go ahead.”

After leaving the main room, Zhao Shi regretted that she had been too over-the-top and too deliberate. She also sighed in her heart that her mother-in-law really liked her eldest sister-in-law the most.

Zhulan put down the bag in her hand and said, “I’m finally home.”

Zhou Shuren, “Yes, we are home.”

Whether it was a good nest or a bad nest, your own nest was the best. It looked good no matter how you looked at it.

Xue Han stood up and said, “Mom, I’ll go get some hot water for you and Dad to wash your faces.”

Zhulan touched her little girl’s face. She felt that she had lost weight. She felt very accomplished. The whole family was thinking about her and Zhou Shuren. “Okay, mother will enjoy her little girl’s service, too.”

Xue Han felt sorry for the tiredness on her mother’s face. Her parents were getting old. “Yeah.”

As soon as Xue Han left, Yu Shuang, Yu Lu, and Ming Rui were left in the room. The three were well-behaved children. They called Grandpa and Grandma, and Zhulan kissed them one by one. The little kids were so adorable.

When Zhao Shi came back, she saw her son sitting in his mother’s arms. She was delighted. The eldest son and the youngest grandson were the treasures of the elders. Her parents liked Mingrui, so the second branch would not be too weak. When her parents-in-law went out this time, she and her husband deeply realized the gap between the branches.

Their younger brother’s wife, Dong Shi, was a daughter from an official family. She was strong-willed in everything. Without a mother-in-law to pressure her, she always went to the Jiang Mansion. She met more officials’ wives and her demeanor had changed a lot. She respected her and their eldest sister-in-law less and less.

Her mother came to visit the family several times. Dong Shi didn’t say anything, but her eyes couldn’t lie. Dong Shi looked down on her mother who had been a servant, and she despised the Qian family even more. When she helped her eldest sister-in-law entertain guests, she often interrupted her eldest sister-in-law. Many times, her eldest sister-in-law stood there like a housekeeper!

Dong Shi had long forgotten what her mother-in-law had said before she left!

Zhulan felt Zhao Shi’s enthusiasm. Zhao Shi had suffered a lot when she and Zhou Shuren were not at home, but she was smart. Zhao Shi didn’t say anything about the grievances she had suffered, but she was waiting for Li Shi to complain to her!

It was a pity that Zhao Shi would be disappointed. She felt that Li Shi had grown a lot a would not complain to her.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren moved all the things they brought back into the house. The quilts and mattresses needed to be washed. Zhulan decided to let her daughters-in-law do these tasks. It was a good opportunity to temper their tempers. For example, Dong Shi was a little arrogant. She felt very angry that they didn’t come back at this hour!

(End of this chapter)

---

T/N Next is my most favorite chapter from this ark. Posting it soon, and made up for all the pending posts for this week!