Zhulan thought to herself, thankfully, Li Shi remembered she was pregnant and didn’t bump into her with her big belly; otherwise, Li Shi’s force could easily have caused an accident. But she’d only been gone for less than two months; how come Li Shi was acting like a crying baby?

Zhulan’s gaze swept over Zhao Shi and Dong Shi, then quickly looked away. She had just reprimanded them, and these two daughters-in-law wouldn’t dare bully Li Shi.

Zhao Shi, “…”

Dong Shi, “…”

They felt like they’d fallen into a vat of vinegar. They exchanged a glance; their mother-in-law truly treated their sister-in-law like her own daughter!

Dong Shi stared blankly at the dining table, somewhat dazed. She never expected that the experience her mother had taught her about dealing with concubines would be used prematurely to win her mother-in-law’s favor!

Zhou Shuren coughed, and Li Shi immediately stopped crying. Not only did Li Shi stop crying, but she was also drenched in a cold sweat.

Li Shi had only been thinking about her mother-in-law’s return, completely forgetting how frightening her father-in-law’s gloomy face was.

Eldest Zhou slowly moved his feet, sidling up to his wife. Hmm, his father must be holding a grudge against him. Today, he truly witnessed his father’s possessiveness; his wife dared to step forward and even push his father aside! Wow, his wife was the most capable in the whole family!

Zhulan coughed, then comforted the pale-faced Li Shi and led her to her seat. “Alright, everyone, sit down and eat.”

Zhou Shuren silently watched Zhulan lead Li Shi to her seat, feeling a pang of envy. He only knew Zhulan liked Li Shi, but he hadn’t expected her to like her this much.

Eldest Zhou quickly slipped back to his seat. He and the second eldest had finished dividing the gifts they brought home and inquired from Chang Lian what had happened when they were not here. They were shocked by the old man’s deeds and had been anxious all afternoon, fearing their father would think their mother had lost weight and punish them.

Zhou Shuren sat down, picking up his chopsticks and looking at the dishes on the table: fresh chili peppers and winter melon—a rare treat in winter.

Seeing Zhou Shuren picking up winter melon with his chopsticks, Zhulan smiled and said, “I bought quite a lot, but many of them froze on the way. However, I’ll give some to my parents as New Year’s gifts, send some out, and eat the rest sparingly. It’ll be enough to last until the New Year.”

Zhou Shuren smiled. “You decide.”

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren started eating before the others. Sometimes Zhou Shuren ate at the yamen, where Lord Chen would treat him. Lord Chen was wealthy and from Jiangnan, where his estate would occasionally send vegetables over. Zhou Shuren ate a lot of vegetables there and didn’t find it particularly special.

Zhou’s eldest and second eldest sons had been with Zhulan for a month, eating at inns every day. In ancient times, as long as you could afford money, you could eat vegetables. Zhulan wasn’t one to skimp on herself; she hadn’t been stingy with her food for almost two months while away. Now that they were home, they were specifically looking for meat and vegetables. Those who stayed home found it all special and focused on the vegetables. Chang Lian and the others ate mostly vegetables.

After dinner, the atmosphere at home improved because Zhulan had returned. Laughter returned to the house after a long absence, making the mother-in-law seem even more important to the daughters-in-law.

After dinner, Zhulan felt a little shy. She hadn’t even had a boyfriend in modern times, but in ancient times, she was given a husband. They started dating and lived together—cough cough—and their relationship lasted for several years. Zhulan calculated her age; she was almost thirty in modern times. Today, she was getting married.

The red candles in the room and the wedding quilt on the kang (heated brick bed), though imperfect, were filled with heartfelt sentiment.

This time, with no one to bother him and no need to worry about his age or shyness, Zhou Shuren, who considered himself a bold man, was surprisingly clumsy back in his room. The Zhou Shuren who had tricked countless people outside was now just a simpleton!

The next day, Zhulan was the first to wake up. Before she could exchange sweet words with Zhou Shuren, there was a knock at the door. Liu Ya brought hot water to help her wash up. Zhulan sat up abruptly, quickly dressed, and then pulled Zhou Shuren to change the bedsheets.

After they finished, the room was back to normal. Zhulan was covered in sweat. Looking at Zhou Shuren’s dark face, she laughed heartily.

Zhou Shuren couldn’t help but chuckle too. The restrictions of their status meant they had to sneak around; it was quite amusing.

Liu Ya had been standing outside the door for a while. When she finally entered, she noticed that both the mistress and master were in exceptionally good spirits. She knew they didn’t like being waited on hand and foot, but what she saw made her realize that the master was serving the mistress, his mind filled with thoughts of his own age. Looking at the mistress’s age, she instantly felt that the head of the household wasn’t treating her particularly well.

After breakfast, Zhou Shuren went to the yamen with light steps.

The entire Zhou family noticed that the old master was in a particularly good mood today, so good that he smiled at everyone. Everyone in the Zhou family, from masters to servants, once again sighed that they couldn’t do without Zhulan.

After Zhou Shuren left, Zhulan had Steward Ding pack up the vegetables and fruit she had brought back. Zhulan wanted to visit her parents so they wouldn’t worry.

At the Yang residence, Madam Sun ate longan. “Your father and I have enjoyed your good fortune quite a bit. Now we can even eat such rare fruits.”

Zhulan smiled. “Even if Mother likes them, she can’t eat too many. Eldest son asked the doctor yesterday, and he said that eating too many of these fruits can cause internal heat. I brought back quite a few pears. The house is dry in winter, so Mother and Father should eat more.”

Madam Sun smiled. “Good, good. Did your trip go smoothly?”

“Mother, everything went smoothly. Do I look a little heavier since I came back?”

Sun’s eyesight was a bit blurry, so she couldn’t see clearly up close. Zhulan deliberately stood a little further away. Sun smiled and said, “You have indeed gained a little weight. You’re always so tired at home, worrying about your own family and taking care of your maternal relatives. Take better care of yourself in the future.”

Zhulan nodded with a smile. Next year, she wouldn’t need to worry about the Yang family anymore. She had taken her maternal relatives on a tour, and they had gained experience. Her eldest son could also manage the orchard, and with Second Zhou’s help, she wouldn’t need to keep a close eye on things all the time. Zhulan couldn’t help but touch her belly. She still wanted a child of her own. Since coming to ancient times, she had been careful about maintaining her health, and she hadn’t stopped even after arriving in Lizhou City. Her family had a doctor to see her every month, and her health was excellent. She knew Zhou Shuren didn’t want children anymore. Zhou Shuren didn’t want to take risks because he cared about her, but she wanted a child. Even though she was constantly embracing the roles of mother and grandmother, she knew in her heart that she always felt a lack of belonging. There was no connection between her and Zhou Shuren here.

Without her and Zhou Shuren’s child in the house, she always felt something was missing.

But she was indeed getting on in years; she’d be forty this year (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning). She decided to leave it to fate. If she conceived within a year, she would have the confidence to ask Grandpa Lü for help; if not, that was fate, and she wouldn’t dwell on it or think about it again.

(End of Chapter)

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