The New Year came in the blink of an eye. The New Year in Zhou Hou Mansion was very lively. The children in each room grew up one after another, and the branches became more and more prosperous. The Zhou family was about to grow into a big tree.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, each family came to pay New Year's greetings. Mingyun already had a son and a daughter, and Mingteng's child was about to be born, so the eldest family had the most prosperous population.
When it was the second house's turn, Zhulan said to Zhao, "Your second house will also have to add people this year."
Zhao was beaming with joy. With her daughter-in-law married into the family, grandchildren would not be far away. "My daughter-in-law is looking forward to marrying someone soon."
She was extremely satisfied with her daughter-in-law, and she just wanted Lin Qing to have eyes only for her son.
Mingrui blushed for a rare moment, pinching his fingertips. He also looked forward to getting married and living a life together.
When the third room came to pay New Year's greetings, Zhulan felt a little sad. She handed red envelopes to Yuyi and the others, muttering, "The third brother and his wife have been away from home for many years. The third brother's wife has only come back once in these years, but the third brother has never come back. The family is incomplete."
Zhou Lao Da and the second brother looked at each other. Mother was missing the third brother. It was not easy for the third brother. He was an official outside and could not be transferred back to the capital, so it was difficult for him to go home.
Zhou Shuren shook his wife's hand and said, "When the third brother is not busy, ask him to come back."
Zhulan, "No, the third brother is too far away."
Yuyi lowered her head. She hadn't seen her parents for a long time and missed them very much.
The fourth room greeted the New Year, and Zhulan smiled, "I don't have any other wishes, I just want Yuwen to move around more."
Seeing everyone looking at her, Yu Wen said, "Grandma, I'll do my best."
Zhulan envies Yuwen. This girl doesn't like to move around, but she can eat a lot but never gain weight. She inherited this body type from Su Xuan.
Changzhong is not married yet, so he wishes New Year’s greetings by himself. “My wish as a son is that my parents can live a long life.”
Zhulan had a happy look on her face, but she felt a little sad in her heart. She and Zhou Shuren were already old, and they didn't know how many years they could live. Thinking of this, and wanting to see her son get married earlier, she thought about it for a long time and finally gave up.
The New Year passed quickly. Although the imperial court postponed the examination date for selecting scholars, Mingrui still returned to his hometown as planned.
Zhao didn't send her son out of the capital, she only sent him to the door. Zhulan asked, "You didn't send Mingrui, but Lin Qing sent Mingrui personally?"
Zhao smiled and nodded, "Yudie and my daughter-in-law said that, so I won't go over. Let them talk it out."
She has a good relationship with her husband, and she is not an evil mother-in-law. Naturally, she hopes that her son will live a happy life after marriage. Love is developed through getting along with each other, and it is rare for them to be alone together, so she will not disturb them.
Zhu Lan, "You are a thoughtful person. I was worried about your relationship with Lin Qing. Now it seems that my worries are unnecessary. You are also a rare good mother-in-law."
Zhao curved her eyes and said, "I also learned this from you. You taught me a lot. I was not sensible before and I worried about you."
"It's in the past."
At the city gate, Lin Qing saw the carriage of Marquis Zhou's mansion and got off the carriage quickly. Ming Rui also got off the carriage when he saw Lin Qing. "Why are you here in such a cold day?"
"I, I'm worried. By the way, I asked the kitchen to make your favorite snacks for you to take with you on the way."
Lin Qing continued, "It's cold now and the roads are slippery. Don't rush. Safety is the most important thing. Don't make yourself suffer on the road."
Mingrui didn't say anything the whole time, just listened to Lin Qing's instructions quietly, feeling warm in his heart. Seeing that Lin Qing's ears were already red from the cold, he reached out and helped Lin Qing put on the hood of her cloak, "I've taken note of everything, wait for me to come back."
Lin Qing's face flushed. When she came to her senses, the carriage from Zhou Houfu had already left. Lin Qing turned around and asked the girl, "Did you hear that just now?"
The girl smiled and said, "I heard that Mr. Zhou San told her to wait for him to come back."
Lin Qing jumped excitedly, "He really said it, he really said it."
Mingrui wants to set a date to marry her when he comes back. She knows that it is difficult to win Mingrui's heart, but she believes that sincerity can be rewarded with sincerity. She believes that sooner or later she will be able to warm Mingrui up, really warm him up!
Mingrui left early, and then it was Mingyun's turn. Mingyun had more things to pack as he was going to stay on the grassland for a long time.
Li's whole heart was on Mingyun, and she was deeply afraid that Mingyun would suffer on the grassland. Liu Jing was injured on the grassland, which was still fresh in Li's memory and she was very worried about her son's safety.
Zhulan came to the main room and asked, "Is everything ready?"
Li handed the list to her mother-in-law, "This is the list, mother, is there anything missing?"
Zhulan browsed carefully. It was rare for Li to be so attentive that she even prepared a lot of needles and threads. "I think there is nothing missing."
Li put away the list, "Mom, Ran Wan wants to go with you."
Zhulan, "What did Mingyun say?"
Li helped her mother-in-law sit down, "Mingyun disagrees. The two children are still young."
"I'm very happy that Ran Wan is not afraid of hardship and goes with you. Ran Wan is a good person. But as a mother-in-law, you should not get involved in this matter. Let Mingyun solve it himself."
After all, mother-in-law is not mother.
Li is not stupid. "I'm just telling you. I didn't get involved at all. Ran Wan told me that she hoped I could persuade her. I won't say anything to avoid being caught in a dilemma."
Zhulan tapped the eldest daughter-in-law's forehead affectionately and said, "Not bad, you are smart."
"My daughter-in-law is already this old. It would be foolish if she didn't act smart."
In the end, Ran Wan did not follow Mingyun. Mingyun's decision was difficult to change. Mingyun did not go with the luggage transport team, but left in disguise. There was no other way. The Zhouhou Mansion was at the center of the storm, so it was always right to be cautious.
After Mingyun left, Minghui and the others didn't dare to make any noise. Minghui was beaten, and the younger ones learned a lesson.
Time passed quickly. Mingrui passed the examination and became a scholar, and got the top spot. This was worthy of Mingrui's years of hard work. The Zhou family also became famous this time. Among the twenty people, twelve became scholars, which shows how talented the children of the Zhou family are this year.
This is the cornerstone of the Zhou family's future. These children will protect the Zhou family in the future.
Along with the results being sent to the capital, Zhou Shuren also sent back the clan rules along with his reply. The clan rules were very strict, with over a hundred items. Zhou Shuren and Zhulan wrote down everything they could think of, which was comparable to the criminal law.
There are also arrangements for orphans in the tribe to ensure the children's livelihood.
In the morning court, Zhou Shuren didn't care about Mr. Wen's sour face. He smiled at those who congratulated him and boasted a few times, "Mingrui has been a child that we don't have to worry about since he was young. I'm not surprised that he can get the top score. Haha, the child is really hardworking."
Master Wen, "!!"
I was so angry. I have many descendants, and one of them passed the imperial examination this year, but he didn't get the top spot.
Lord Qi said coldly, "Look at how Lord Zhou is showing off. He wants everyone to know that he is just a scholar."
It would be more convincing if it didn’t have that sour tone!
Zhou Shuren had sharp ears. "Since Lord Qi said that, I think you have confidence in your grandson. Then I will wait for Lord Qi's grandson to get the top score in the exam. I would like to congratulate you in advance."
Mr. Qi, "..."
Is it easy to get the top spot in the capital? Looking at the unhappy look on his colleague's face, he was shocked. Why is Zhou Shuren's hearing so sharp