Zhulan sat down and replied, "I had a serious illness last year. After I recovered, I felt relieved. When people feel relieved, I cherish myself more. I spend more time on myself and take good care of myself to achieve the current results. Sister-in-law, don't mind. Can I talk to you about it?"
Girls like them who come from farming families do not have the health and beauty background of a big family. Although what Zhulan said is common in modern times, it is still useful for those who have no background.
Lin raised her eyebrows. Yang was also good at chatting. She called her sister-in-law, and Yang called her sister-in-law. It seemed that they had become closer. "Okay, sister-in-law thanks sister-in-law."
Then she looked at the little girl standing there obediently and said with a smile, "This must be your little girl, I remember her name is Xue Han, what a nice name, she is also pretty, come to your aunt's place."
Xue Han was not someone who had never seen the world. She remained calm and walked forward with a smile, "Xue Han greets auntie."
Lin took out the box that she had prepared long ago and said, "This is a little gift from auntie, take it quickly."
Zhulan didn't give Dong Chuchu a gift. She was a lady from an official family, and she was just a scholar's wife. Even if she called Lin's sister-in-law, she didn't have the nerve to call the official lady over. When Zhulan saw her daughter taking the box, she said, "Why don't you thank your aunt quickly?"
Xue Han bowed, "Xue Han thanks aunt for her love."
Lin's eyes were filled with smiles. The girl from the Zhou family was not petty. She was happy to see this child progressing at a reasonable pace despite her age. She liked her girl even more and pulled her over. "This is your sister Chuchu. She is twelve years old this year. Let your sister Chuchu take you out for a walk. Let the two sisters kiss each other."
Xue Han placed the box next to her mother and stood up to greet her, "Hello, Sister Chuchu."
Dong Chuchu was a girl who grew up in the county. Her father was a juren when she was born, and later became the county magistrate. She met many girls in the county, some from businessmen and some from government officials, but unfortunately, there was no one she liked. She didn't like the flattery of business girls, and she didn't like the comparison of government girls. She liked this sister and smiled, "Hello, sister Xuehan. Come with me. I will take you out for a walk."
Xue Han could sense Dong Chuchu's kindness, and she felt relieved. She was afraid that the county magistrate's daughter would be difficult to get along with, so she was prepared to be wronged when she came here. Unexpectedly, the young lady was a nice person. "Yeah."
Lin was surprised. She knew her daughter well. Because she was a little girl, she and her husband could not help but spoil her. This girl had her grandmother's temperament. She was straightforward and explosive. She didn't like to beat around the bush. She had few friends and was very good at confronting people. She didn't expect that she would get along with the girl from the Zhou family when they first met. She thought about her husband's words and became closer to Yang. "These two girls get along well."
Zhulan smiled and nodded. She had analyzed the possible situations and grievances with her daughter yesterday. It seemed that she had been thinking about it in vain. "This is fate."
Then I thought to myself, the Dong family has checked everything about their family, and they even know the names of everyone in the family. But that's good too, I will feel relieved if I can find out everything clearly.
Zhulan turned the conversation to how she maintained her looks, which was the best topic for women to chat about. It was lively and could easily bring people closer together. Zhulan talked about some little tips, and Lin also knew about honey for maintenance, but the only thing she didn't know was milk.
Lin was surprised, "Is milk really that effective?"
Zhu Lan nodded, "I just happened to know about it. It works well for me, but some people have experienced rashes after using it. Depending on your physical condition, you should still give it a try."
What Zhulan wanted to say was allergy, but unfortunately in ancient times, she had to use another way of saying it.
Lin took it to heart, and then told Zhulan his experience in flower maintenance. Zhulan took note carefully. People in ancient times were also good at flower maintenance, especially with fresh flowers.
Zhulan and Lin had a very good chat, from maintenance to their respective children. Lin was also a peasant girl, and she got to where she is today because of her husband's success. Not all sons are suitable for studying, and some became gentry. After chatting for a long time, Zhulan also got a lot of useful information.
For example, the reason why Dong County Magistrate could become the County Magistrate was because of the help of his son-in-law. Dong County Magistrate's son-in-law was the Tongzhi of Pingzhou, a fifth-rank official, in charge of grain, military farming, water conservancy, etc., and had the same rights as the Tongpan!
Zhulan really didn't expect that the Dong family would have such a powerful son-in-law. He was a fifth-rank official, and not everyone could hold that position. The Dong family was also very secretive, so Zhulan didn't try to probe much. Zhou Shuren knew a lot about the officials in Pingzhou, so she would know after going back to ask. She also knew in her heart that the Dong family really thought highly of Zhou Shuren, so they leaked the news.
Afterwards, the two talked about books again. Zhulan had read a lot of books since ancient times. Lin was obviously a smart woman. Although Zhulan did not study hard, she could still say a few words, which made Lin think more highly of Zhulan. She was so happy that she took Zhulan to appreciate her paintings.
Although Zhulan does not have Zhou Shuren's ability to appreciate the authenticity, she has had some vision since childhood. Her grandfather loves calligraphy and painting and can really appreciate it. This has allowed Zhulan to find new interests. She can also try ink painting, and in the future, she will appreciate tea tasting. In order not to be despised and looked down upon, she has to work hard to learn it. She never expected that she would learn a special skill in ancient times.
Zhulan was worried again. She had no time nowadays as all her time was spent on studying. She didn't know if she had a talent for painting.
After a year of hard work, she has no natural talent for calligraphy, and her handwriting is at best neat and neat. If she wants to write well, she needs several years of hard work. If she wants to write with her own style, she needs understanding.
Because of Lin's kindness and advice, Zhulan knew that she would have a lot to learn in the future.
Dinner was left for the afternoon, and Zhou Shuren ate in the front yard. There was not only Zhou Shuren, but also the new county magistrate in the front yard. There were only two guests in the backyard, Zhulan and her daughter. After a morning of getting to know the guests, Zhulan learned that in order to keep a low profile, the Dong family did not bring anyone with them. The old couple only brought their unmarried daughter.
It was about three o'clock in modern times when Zhulan's family said goodbye and left, and it was almost four o'clock when they returned home.
Zhulan didn't ask her daughter how she and Dong Chuchu got along. She was not blind. The two of them ate next to each other, and Dong Chuchu looked reluctant to leave. The two of them got along very well.
Zhulan and Zhou Shuren returned to the house, and Zhulan said, "Did you know that the eldest son-in-law of the Dong family is the Tongzhi of Pingzhou?"