Three days later, Second Zhou returned from Chuanzhou. He didn’t buy a house in Chuanzhou city, but a two-courtyard house near the orchard. Even though the house was bought, Zhao Shi couldn’t move there alone; she had to wait for Second Zhou to return from Pingzhou.

The next morning, Second Zhou and Chang Zhi left for Pingzhou.

Zhou Shuren sorted out a collection of books for Xiùcái Xu, while Zhulan added some bolts of cloth for Xiùcái Xu’s niángzi. The two of them had worked hard, worrying over Chang Zhi.

As for Xue Mei, this time Zhulan didn’t send anything back, but wrote a letter.

After Second Zhou left, Fang Shi came to find Zhulan, accompanied by Zhao Shi.

Zhulan asked, “Is there something wrong, Qīnjiāmǔ?”

Second Zhou wasn’t home, and Fang Shi rarely left the house. She didn’t even appear before Zhulan, instead claiming illness and hiding in the courtyard. Zhulan knew Fang Shi was embarrassed and didn’t bother to call a doctor.

Fang Shi clutched her handkerchief, her heart aching. The Qian family had sold some antiques, bringing in a total of 35,000 taels of silver. She had painstakingly siphoned 30,000 taels from the Qian family, and now she was sending back 22,000 taels. The remaining 8,000 taels, plus the 2,000 taels she had saved from selling jewelry and antiques, left her feeling resentful. Her lips were stiff. “I’ve bothered you for a while now. I’ve come to say goodbye.”

Zhulan asked, “Where is my Qīnjiāmǔ going?”

Fang Shi gave a dry laugh. “I’ll stay at an inn first, and then buy a house to live in.”

She didn’t want to stay at the Zhou family’s house anymore. Her daughter had been very critical of her lately, and her son-in-law even more so. Now that her son-in-law was gone, it was better for her to leave as soon as possible.

Zhulan frowned. Fang Shi went out to stay at an inn; anyone who didn’t know better would think the Zhou family couldn’t tolerate their in-laws, a widow and her child.

“Steward Ding is familiar with the brokers, so Qīnjiāmǔ, there’s no need to rush off. It’s not too late to leave after you’ve bought the house.” Fang Shi wanted to retort, but seeing her Qīnjiāmǔ’s slightly displeased face, she didn’t dare utter a word. “Thank you, Qīnjiāmǔ.”

Zhao Shi wished she could disappear into the ground. This time, meeting her mother, she realized how petty her mother truly was. She saw herself reflected in her mother; just as she saw her mother, the Zhou family must see her the same way—petty, narrow-minded, and utterly unpresentable. The more Zhao Shi thought about it, the hotter her face burned.

Fang Shi couldn’t stand it any longer. She was furious. Even if she was wrong, she shouldn’t have sent back 22,000 taels. “Mother-in-law, I’ll be going back now.”

Zhulan looked at Fang Shi calmly. “Mm.”

Fang Shi turned and left. Zhao Shi’s face flushed red. She felt so unfamiliar with her mother now. These past two days, her mother had been criticizing her for being useless and had even berated her husband. Her mother had even wanted to give them 10,000 taels and have them pretend to have taken the money and sent it back to the Qian family. She was shocked.

Seeing her mother standing there helplessly, Yu Shuang secretly tugged at her Nainai’s clothes.

Zhulan patted Yu Shuang’s hand and said to Zhao Shi, “Steward Ding is efficient. Go tell him; he can get it done this afternoon. Go and buy some grain and vegetables for your mother; it’s a way of showing your filial piety.”

Zhao Shi stared blankly at her popo. Her mother-in-law was still guiding her. No matter how many wrongs her mother had committed, outsiders would only look at how the Zhou family conducted themselves. “Mother, I’ll go right away.”

After Zhao Shi left, Zhulan said to Yu Shuang, “You must remember to be magnanimous. Even if you don’t want to, you must consider the bigger picture and your family’s reputation.”

Yushuang nodded in understanding. Nǎinai disliked her waipo, yet for the sake of the Zhou family’s reputation, Nǎinai still guided her niáng on what to do. She understood even more clearly that her waipo was the weaker party, while the Zhou family was now an official family. People were often inclined to sympathize with the weak, especially when Yéye’s influence was at its height. Many would be eager to find fault with the Zhou family, but by handling things this way, Nǎinai left others with nothing they could criticize.

Yu Shuang understood but felt somewhat aggrieved, especially considering her Nǎinai was the matriarch of the household. “Nǎinai.”

Zhulan said with a smile, thinking how well she had raised her own child. She was showing concern for her, but the child didn’t know that she had never truly cared for Fang Shi.

That afternoon, Steward Ding helped Fang Shi buy a house and shops. Zhulan wasn’t curious about how much money Fang Shi had, nor did she want to calculate it. Zhulan instructed Steward Ding to prepare some fabric and furs to send to Fang Shi; this was the Zhou family’s token of their appreciation.

The next morning, Fang Shi took her son to the purchased house, and Zhao Shi went along, taking with them the Zhou family’s token of appreciation and Zhao Shi’s filial piety.

The next day, Sun Shi brought Zhulan’s dàsǎo to the Zhou family home.

Zhulan asked, “Mother, is something wrong at home?”

Sun Shi chuckled, “It’s spring now, the weather’s getting warmer, and I couldn’t stay home any longer, so I came to visit you.”

Zhulan smiled, “Mother, there must be something else!”

Sun Shi was puzzled, “How did you know?”

Zhulan chuckled, “If you couldn’t stay home, Father would have taken you for a stroll outside the city. Why would he send you here alone?”

Sun Shi smiled, “To tell you the truth, you know Zheng Hong’s daughter, right?”

Zhulan nodded, “Yes, the eldest daughter of the Zheng family, a steady and capable young lady.”

Sun Shi smiled and said, “It’s good that you like her. I also think she’s a good girl. What do you think of her and Chang Zhi?”

Zhulan was speechless.

She really hadn’t expected the old lady to come for Chang Zhi.

Seeing that her daughter didn’t seem happy, Madam Sun asked, “Is it not suitable?”

She thought it was quite suitable; she genuinely liked the Zheng family’s daughter.

Zhulan explained, “Mother, let me tell you, even if Shuren is transferred elsewhere in the future, our family will not form a marriage alliance with the Zheng family.”

Sun Shi asked, “Why?”

Zhulan thought of a simpler explanation. “Everyone knows Shuren is the Emperor’s confidant now. If Shuren wants to rise in rank, he can’t form a marriage alliance with the Zheng family.”

Sun Shi, a rather ignorant old woman, widened her eyes. “It will affect Shuren? Fine, forget it today.”

Zhulan thought to herself, she just didn’t want to frighten her mother. Actually, the simpler explanation was that if Zhou Shuren wanted to retire peacefully, the Zhou family couldn’t form a marriage alliance with a military family.

Especially Zheng Hong of the Zheng family; Zheng Hong was clearly also a confidant of the Emperor. Ha, a marriage alliance between the two families, plus the Yang family—the Emperor wouldn’t be happy to see that.

Old Master Zheng did think highly of Ming Yun, but unfortunately, he didn’t expect Zhou Shuren to be so favored by the Emperor. The Zhou family received a blessing from the Emperor, and Old Master Zheng and Zhou Shuren never mentioned Ming Yun’s name again in their letters.

Sun Shi dared not give a false introduction and chatted with her daughter about other things. “Time flies so fast, a year has passed in the blink of an eye. A few days ago, your father and I went outside the city and saw many farmers buying seeds to prepare for spring planting.”

Zhulan’s smile deepened. Zhou Shuren had finished digging the ice cellar. To finish it quickly, he hired many people, paying each person twenty coins a day, including lunch. They worked continuously for ten days, earning each person two hundred coins.

Each household had a considerable number of able-bodied men, with some households having two participants and others having four or five. Every household earned quite a good amount of money.

The money earned before spring planting was just enough to buy seeds, all of which Zhou Shuren had planned carefully.

There was still some money left over from digging the ice cellar, but Zhou Shuren didn’t keep it in the account. He continued to hire people to repair the dikes, having considered both drought and flood.

The only thing that Zhou Shuren regretted was that no one donated money. If there were money, he would have liked to build a ditch ten miles outside the west city!

(End of this chapter)

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