Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 539: It’s Been a Tough Journey_1

Lady Dong leaned on the chair’s armrest and sat down, "Mmm, I’m about to give birth, and my sister wanted to come visit. This is her visiting letter."

Zhulan had already opened the letter; there weren’t many words in it—just an apologetic note for the disturbance, and at the end, the specific date of the visit was written. Looking at the date, it was five days away.

Lady Dong felt puzzled inside. Her sister said she was coming to see her, and she didn’t think it was simple. Her sister should have come when she was giving birth, but now it seemed a bit early, especially considering that the New Year was soon upon them.

Zhulan laid the letter down, "Your sister will stay in your courtyard. You should prepare the room yourself, and if you need anything, just ask Xue Han for it."

Lady Dong barely concealed a sigh of relief. There had been many things happening at home recently, and she was genuinely afraid that her mother-in-law would refuse. At the same time, she felt touched; on all issues that didn’t involve principles, her mother-in-law was truly good to all the daughters-in-law, "Thank you, Mother."

"What’s there to thank among family? Also, it’s snowing outside. In the future, if anything comes up, just let Chang Lian come. It’s too dangerous for you with your big belly."

Zhulan looked at Lady Dong’s belly and felt quite moved. The household was about to gain another member, and the Zhou family was indeed flourishing.

Lady Dong thought of her husband with warmth, "Mother, I haven’t told my husband yet."

Zhulan’s eyes curved, thinking that Chang Lian and Lady Dong’s relationship wasn’t as intense as the fourth branch, nor as lively as the eldest branch, yet these two had a deep understanding of each other. Their love was understated but heartwarming. Truth be told, Zhulan favored this kind of gentle and intimate affection more.

Lady Dong glanced at the pastries on the table, "The eldest sister-in-law must have just made these, right?"

Zhulan noticed Lady Dong’s lips curving slightly. Ever since Lady Dong had passed through her morning sickness phase, she had been able to eat a lot more. She pushed the plate forward, "Try them out. The two types of pastries on the left are pretty good."

Lady Dong felt embarrassed to take them as she had grown increasingly greedy during her pregnancy. Among all the Zhou family’s branches, the third branch had to spend their own silver to add to their food expenses every month. She couldn’t help but swallow her saliva, took a piece, and after a bite, her eyes brightened, "Delicious."

Fruit was rare during winter, and turning them into pastries was even more luxurious. Ever since the Zhou family rose in status, there had never been a lack of fruit in the house. With more ingredients available to her, the eldest sister-in-law had come up with some really good pastries.

Zhulan smiled, "If you like them, take some back with you to eat."

Even though Lady Dong liked them, she didn’t dare to take any back, her skin wasn’t that thick. "Mother, a few pieces are enough for me."

Zhulan gestured for Liu Ya to pack them and said to Lady Dong, "Eat them. Your eldest sister-in-law makes pastries and sends them over here; I don’t lack for pastries."

After hearing these words, Lady Dong’s ears reddened, and she accepted them bashfully, "Thank you, Mother."

When Lady Dong headed back to her courtyard, Zhulan wasn’t at ease. It was snowing quite heavily outside, so she had Nanny Song accompany her.

Zhulan looked out at the falling snowflakes with some worry. The Li family’s caravan was due to arrive in a couple of days, and she hoped the heavy snow wouldn’t block the roads. Thinking of household expenses, Zhulan fell silent. With Zhou Shuren’s trip to the capital, another five hundred taels were gone.

The heavy snow stopped by the afternoon, which eased Zhulan’s mind.

Two days later, the Li family’s caravan arrived. Lady Li’s father, accompanied by his eldest son and grandson Li Gui, came over; since it wasn’t Zhou Shuren’s day off, the eldest Zhou son greeted them at the door.

Zhulan waited in the back courtyard. Lady Li’s father didn’t look much different, even his clothes hadn’t changed much, still the plain and honest man Zhulan remembered.

Zhulan rose to greet him. "My dear in-laws, you must be exhausted from your journey."

Lady Li’s father, accustomed to rubbing his hands together, found the opulence of the host’s residence overwhelming. Upon entering, he hardly knew where to cast his eyes, nor where to place his hands, and for a moment, he stammered, "My, my dear mother-in-law is too kind. It’s all expected, after all. Rather, it is the Li family who should be grateful to our in-laws."

The Li family’s fortunes today are all thanks to the in-laws.

In anticipation of meeting Lady Li’s relatives, Zhulan had deliberately dressed in plain clothes and wore no head jewelry except for a single hairpin, but even so, Lady Li’s father was still nervous. Zhulan fell silent, restraining her presence to be as approachable as possible, but compared to last year, she had changed too much. The Li family, with intuitive yet precise senses, had noticed her transformation.

Zhulan was helpless; the environment she was in and the people she met had changed her. Even when she tried to contain her aura, some of it inevitably seeped out, and as she was a woman of the household, Lady Li’s father felt even more constrained.

Zhou Shuren, the eldest, personally held the teapot and poured a cup of hot tea for his father-in-law. "Father-in-law, your journey must have been tiring, please have a cup of hot tea."

He then addressed the standing elder brother and oldest nephew, "Please sit down; we’re family here, no need for formalities."

Seeing that everyone was looking at her, Zhulan smiled and said, "We’re at home now, please don’t be so formal and take a seat."

Zhou Shuren’s honest demeanor eased the Li family’s tension, and the atmosphere improved a lot thanks to his mediation. At least Lady Li’s father was no longer stuttering.

Once the warm tea was in their stomachs, Lady Li’s father remembered the business at hand and took out a bundle from the table. "These are the account books of two estates, and inside the box is the Silver Coin from selling grain; it’s all here."

When it came to bookkeeping, Li Cong was grateful to his in-laws. Thanks to the in-laws, his grandson had the opportunity to learn accounting from the Accounting Room master. They say a hardworking sparrow flies first, and although their own child wasn’t the brightest, effort led to progress. In a year’s time, the accounts he kept were quite satisfactory.

Zhulan took the account books, which were earnestly written, even if the handwriting wasn’t very pretty. Every character and stroke was clear, and the tallied figures were correct. Without examining them in detail, Zhulan closed the account books, "It turns out, the eldest daughter-in-law’s arithmetic is quite good, and it seems there’s a good reason for that."

Li Cong smiled innocently and straightened his back. He had never expected his own child to be good at arithmetic—only it was a pity that reading seemed such a struggle. Now that the family had extra money, they had sent his grandson to the Zhou family clan’s private school. The grandchildren worked hard, but they were still at the bottom of the class. They managed memorization and dictation, but when it came to writing and appreciation, they fell short, and his just-straightened back quickly slumped again.

Zhulan blinked and then caught on. Every time Lady Li received a letter from home, she would find Zhulan to grumble about it. The Li family had a hard time with their studies.

Zhulan thought of Lady Li boasting on her behalf, claiming she was fertile, and that Mingyun and Ming Teng did well in their studies, which made Zhulan choke—pah, it was clearly the good genes of the Zhou family.

Zhou Shuren had long learned to read the room; given his father-in-law’s demeanor, he didn’t expect an answer and turned to his eldest nephew, "You recorded the accounts, right?"

Li Gui, feeling embarrassed, scratched his head, "Yes, about that, my handwriting wasn’t good, I’ll definitely practice more when I return."

His last words came out hurriedly, obviously anxious not to appear negligent in the eyes of the Zhou family.

Zhulan truly liked the Li family. At this moment, Liu Ya entered, "My lady, the meal is ready."

Zhulan told Zhou Shuren, "Your father is not home, so you must take good care of your father-in-law."

Zhou Shuren helped his father-in-law to stand, "Mother, rest assured."

Zhulan’s household had already eaten lunch, so she didn’t join them. Zhou Shuren hosting his father-in-law would put them both at ease; if she went over, the Li family might not dare to eat.