Then Zhou Shuren came up with a plan. He was too old to do it, but his sons were old enough, so he still needed to plan. The famous teachers in ancient times could avoid many detours. Zhou Shuren was aware of his own shortcomings. His imperial examination was not replicable. He took advantage of modern viewpoints, but his sons could not do it. It would be better to find a famous teacher to guide the orthodoxy, as all he could teach was strategy.
In mid-April, Zhou Shuren finally finished his social engagements and finalized his itinerary to return home.
Zhulan entrusted the courtyard to Wu Lishi. It should have been entrusted to Zhao Bo, but unfortunately Zhao Bo followed his clan members to the capital to prepare for the imperial examination next year.
The quilt from Zhulan's house could not be taken back and had to be hung out to dry frequently, so it was finally entrusted to Wu Li.
Now that Wu Li had finished her work for Zhulan's family, she no longer had to help out there. Her life became easier, and she believed that the Zhou family was her noble family, so she was happy to help take care of them.
The day before returning home, Zhulan accepted Wu Li's invitation to go to the temple to worship Buddha, and Zhou Shuren specially hired a carriage to take them there.
People in ancient times were superstitious, and there were always many people worshipping in temples. Zhou Shuren and Ming Qing had burned incense, but the scenery in the temple was not good enough, so they went out to see the scenery.
Wu Li was familiar with the temple. She lit incense and took Zhulan with her. "Master, your interpretation of the divination is very accurate. Let's go and draw a fortune."
Zhulan became excited. The plot of the novel would be included in the divination. She was very curious about what would be revealed. However, she would not pray. What if she really saw something? She would feel guilty. Wu Li asked for a good fortune. The master sat very steadily. "What do you want?"
Wu Lishi, "Please pray for the future of my eldest grandson."
The master put down the fortune and said, "With the help of a noble person, the ups and downs will pass and the future will be smooth."
The rest of the words were not mentioned. The officials had a prosperous career and the most common people seen in the temple were their families. They had long learned to say half and keep the other half. Some words would bring disaster to others if spread out, which was not good.
Wu Li chanted "Amitabha" and thought to herself that it was indeed very effective. She was even more convinced that the Zhou family was their noble family. "Thank you, Master."
Zhulan was shocked. It seemed that he was really capable, so she didn't dare to go forward. Wu Li made sure that Zhulan didn't want to ask for a fortune, and then she left with Zhulan.
Zhulan told herself that she must not be curious about masters and not ask for divination. Although it is considered superstition in modern times, there were people who were good at reading faces in ancient times. After seeing this today, she reminded herself not to be arrogant and that being low-key is the best way to go. She even wanted to stay away from temples!
It took two horse-drawn carriages to go home. Zhulan had lived in Pingzhou for almost two months and bought a lot of things. She brought five boxes when she came and seven when she left. Mingqing also brought one more box.
It was almost May and the snow had melted, making the road difficult to walk on and very muddy. Even though the day was long, it was dark by the time Zhulan got home.
I didn't write home in advance before going home, and when I got home, they were having dinner.
Seeing the carriage enter the courtyard, everyone came out. Zhou Shuren just helped Zhulan get off the carriage. Li ignored her youngest son's outstretched arms and looked at her mother-in-law with tears in her eyes, "Mother, you are finally back."
She finally realized how hard it was for her mother to take care of the family's food. She didn't feel that the housekeeper's power was that great at all. She just felt that she was losing hair every day. She counted the days one by one, and finally her mother came back. She didn't have to worry about being bald anymore!
Zhulan took a step and Li followed. If Zhou Shuren hadn't had a gloomy face, Li would have followed her back to the bedroom.
After changing clothes, Li came over immediately and said, "Thank you for your hard work. What do you want to eat? I'll make it for you right away."
Zhulan didn't eat much at noon and was indeed hungry. "Get some white flour and make noodles with soybean paste."
Li took out the spare key her husband had given her and said, "Mom, this is the key the head of the household gave me. I opened the granary when you were away. Now that you're home, I'll give you the key. Or you can give me the flour. I'm not sure how much to measure."
She was originally worried that her mother would not come back on the appointed day. Before she could worry about food, her husband took out a spare key and said that it was left by her mother when she left. If her mother did not come back on the appointed day, he would use the key to open the granary. Only then did she realize that even though her mother was gone, everything in the house was still under her control.
Who knows, maybe her mother has a lot of backup plans. After getting the key, she didn't even dare to leave the house, for fear that her mother would find out and come back to punish her!
Zhulan didn't take the key. "The key will be yours in the future. Mother believes in you. Go get the flour."
She specially made a spare key before leaving home, specifically for Li. She didn't want to worry about food. Three meals a day was really a headache. She had prepared everything, so how could she allow Li to push it!