Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 541: Purpose_1

Zhulan watched as the three from the Li family got into the carriage, still unable to recover from the shock. She truly pitied them. Casting a glance at Su Xuan, who was fuming with rage out of the corner of her eye, she silently turned around and left.

Zhou Shuren coughed, took Jingyan, and headed for the government office.

Lady Li clutched her handkerchief, feeling desolate in her heart. It seemed unlikely that her natal family would dare to visit now. Turning to the head of the household, she gestured, "Help me up."

Zhou Laoda looked at his wife, who had been struck by misfortune, twitching the corners of his mouth. He wanted to say he had matters to attend to and wouldn’t return to their courtyard, but seeing his son’s skinny body, knowing he couldn’t support his mother, he decided to do it himself. As he reached out to help her, she didn’t hesitate to lean on him. She was indeed heavy!

Mingyun, dragging the stunned Ming Teng and Ming Rui, also retreated. Truth be told, he was somewhat afraid of his fourth uncle!

Soon, only the young couple from the fourth room remained at the large gate. Chang Zhi hurried to leave as well, but to his misfortune, he was caught just as he was running away. Su Xuan asked with a gentle smile, "Husband, where are you going?"

Chang Zhi, "....My lady, could you stop smiling?"

It was strangely unnerving.

Su Xuan, "Hmm?"

Chang Zhi, "....I’m going back to the courtyard with my lady."

Qi Mo watched his master and couldn’t help but cover his face, unable to bear to look!

The next afternoon, Lady Dadong arrived in a carriage. Lady Dadong didn’t come alone; she brought her son and daughter with her. This wasn’t merely a visit to Lady Dong, it should be noted that Jiang Muchen was the legitimate heir of the Jiang Residence and he was already nine—no longer a small age. At this age, he should have been by Mr. Jiang’s side for guidance.

Lady Dadong brought numerous gifts. The entire Zhou family was prepared, having brought the New Year’s gifts in advance along with the visitation gifts. The Jiang Residence had truly bled money this time. Zhulan looked at the screen given to her, "You are really too kind."

Lady Dadong said apologetically, "By rights, I should have visited sooner, but there were too many things to tend to at home. I hope Auntie doesn’t hold it against me."

Hearing this, Zhulan carefully observed Lady Dadong. Women who are unhappy age quickly, and Lady Dadong’s clothes had shifted to darker hues. With her face covered in thick makeup, Zhulan felt a wave of sorrow. She had once told Zhou Shuren that Lady Dadong had married for love, but it turns out Mr. Jiang couldn’t resist the allure of beauty. "Such words! How could I blame you? You are actually too modest."

She paused, then continued, "Muchen and Mulan, I haven’t seen you in years and you’ve both grown so much. Let me have a good look at you."

Lady Dadong nudged her children on their backs, and the two children stepped forward to greet her, "Greetings, Grandma Zhou."

Zhulan, now accustomed to being called ’Grandma,’ smiled and beckoned. The two children were quite handsome, especially the girl. Even though the boy was not yet ten years old, he was already a well-mannered and gentle young master, "Let me take a good look at you."

While speaking, she gave Song Laonainai a signal with her eyes. Zhulan and Song Laonainai had a good understanding, and the latter retreated, only to return quickly with a tray in hand.

Zhulan took the Jade Pendant from the tray and handed it to Muchen, and the exquisite headdress was given to Mulan.

Lady Dadong glanced at them, her feelings complex. In just a few years, the Zhou family had accumulated a not inconsiderable fortune. The Jade Pendant and headdress were both rare and fine pieces. "Auntie, you’re too generous."

Zhulan smiled, "I really like these two children."

Lady Dadong had brought gifts for each household, so of course, each household had to reciprocate. The gifts all came back to benefit the two children. Each branch of the Zhou family owned its own businesses, and they had their own friends outside; they indeed had some nice things to give, and the return gifts were equally substantial.

Seeing the two children looking slightly constrained, Zhulan turned to Xue Han, "You are about the same age as they are. There’s no need to keep us company. Go out and play."

Xue Han, as the elder, replied, "Mother, we’ll be going out then."

"All right."

Xue Han led the younger ones out; the house suddenly seemed less crowded without the children around. It wasn’t long before Lady Li and the others with their own matters to attend to also left, leaving only Lady Dadong and Lady Dong.

Without really thinking, Lady Dadong casually mentioned, "Auntie’s two granddaughters, Yushuang is already eight years old, and Yu Lu is six, right?"

Zhulan raised an eyebrow. She had only met them briefly earlier and hadn’t mentioned her granddaughters’ ages. She smiled and said, "Yes, the older one is eight, and the younger one is six."

Lady Dadong continued the conversation, "I heard that Sister Xue Han was betrothed early. Haven’t you thought about arranging marriages for the girls?"

Zhulan understood. Lady Dadong had come with her son, aiming for the two girls, who had suddenly become highly sought after in Jinzhou City. Many invitations had been declined by Zhulan, who truly hadn’t considered betrothing her granddaughters. Yushuang was beautiful, and that required careful thought. Yu Lu was quite assertive and not in a hurry either. Zhulan replied with a laugh, "The children are still very young; there’s no rush, no rush at all."

Lady Dong looked at her sister, feeling a surge of anger, but that feeling subsided when her gaze landed on the wrinkles at the corner of her sister’s eyes. All that was left was a sense of sorrow. Her sister wanted to arrange a marriage for Muchen, which meant she didn’t trust her brother-in-law and also wanted to bolster her own confidence. For the Jiang Residence, the Zhou family was a rare match for alliance.

Lady Dadong smiled. She was not in a hurry, she had confidence in her son. As for what her sister said about the Zhou family not taking concubines, she truly envied that. Having been hurt by men twice, she only hoped her son would be a man of passion and loyalty. "Auntie is right. They are indeed too young; there’s no need to hurry."

Zhulan raised an eyebrow; this meant Lady Dadong had not given up. Smiling, she said, "You must be tired from riding the carriage for so long. You should go back and rest first. When you’re rested, we’ll have time to talk."

Lady Dadong indeed felt tired, having woken up early in the morning and not been in a carriage for such a long time. Her back was sore. "Auntie, I’ll go rest first."

"Go ahead, and if you need anything, just tell Lady Dong. Don’t be shy."

"Okay."

Lady Dong and her sister left the main courtyard. Supporting her sister, Lady Dadong admired the scenery inside the garden, "The garden is exquisite, quite nice."

Lady Dong carefully stepped forward, "The garden will look even better when the plum blossoms are in bloom."

Lady Dadong smiled. Now that only family was around, she said, "Do you resent me for coming here with an ulterior motive?"

Lady Dong sighed. "I was angry at first, but later I wasn’t. Sister, you haven’t had it easy."

Lady Dong’s big sister had remarried their brother-in-law, and with her own family unable to provide support, she never really had a strong backing. Returning to the capital, their brother-in-law became ambitious, and everything changed. She couldn’t help but squeeze her sister’s hand more tightly.

Lady Dadong’s lips curled slightly. She felt truly at ease now that they were out of the Jiang Residence. She had changed too, with blood on her hands. She and her husband could never go back to the way things were, "Between us two sisters, I’m truly envious of you."

A heavy feeling weighed on Lady Dong’s heart. Compared to her older sister, she was indeed more fortunate. All she could do was listen.

The two sisters returned to their quarters. Lady Dong led her sister to a room, "Sister, this is your room; next to it is Muchen’s, and across is Muchen’s. Oh, and we have a tutor at home. Let Muchen join in too. As for Ming Teng, let Chang Lian look after him."

Lady Dadong was touched by her sister’s arrangements, "Next year, your husband will take part in the provincial examinations. Is he confident?"

Lady Dong had considerable confidence in this, "With Master Meng and Father teaching him, he should have no significant issues."

"When I was coming here, your brother-in-law mentioned Chang Lian. If Chang Lian has time, he should go to the capital. He misses him quite a bit."

Lady Dong replied, "I will mention it to Chang Lian."

Her brother-in-law took good care of Chang Lian, a pity that the Zhou family really wasn’t suited for moving to the capital!