Li was delighted. If she hadn't remembered her mother's instructions, she would have been carried away. She kept telling herself in her heart, "I can hold on, I can hold on," "Aunt."
Zhao, acting as the eldest sister-in-law's shadow, hurriedly followed and called out, "Aunt."
Lin looked at Zhao a few more times. According to his experience, the most low-key and least visible person is the one with the deepest thoughts. He glanced at Yang and realized that he really couldn't believe the news he had heard. He heard that Li was stupid and Zhao was timid and weak. But after seeing it with his own eyes, he realized how wrong the news he had heard was!
Zhulan had been keeping an eye on Lin, and from Lin's reaction she knew that Lin thought the information she had heard was wrong.
Zhulan knew very well that even though Li and Zhao had changed a lot in a year, the better off they were, the more jealous the young wives in the village became. In addition, Zhulan had become a scholar's wife, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had attracted enough hatred from the women in the village. When someone inquired about them, they would naturally say the worst. It was not Lin's fault that the information was wrong. Lin just misjudged the dark side of human nature.
Then the Lin family gave away gifts. Xue Han got a silver bracelet, Yu Shuang and her granddaughters got silver locks, and the grandsons got pens and ink. There were also unopened gifts that the county magistrate had prepared for Zhu Lan's sons.
Zhulan also prepared a gift for Chuchu, a pair of hollow silver bracelets with the highlight being the emeralds inlaid in them, which was Dong Chuchu's favorite color. Although they were not particularly expensive, they were full of thoughtfulness.
Lin was very satisfied and Dong Chuchu liked it too.
Because Lin was a female relative, the eldest and second Zhou brothers left after meeting her once.
As for Zhou Shuren, he had gone to the county early in the morning. These days, the county magistrate had been teaching Zhou Shuren a lot in literature, and he went to the county almost every day. After all, it was a visit from female relatives, so it would not be appropriate for Zhou Shuren to stay.
There was a carriage parked in front of the Zhou family's door, and a lot of gifts were moved in. There were people hanging around the door all morning. If they hadn't found out that it was the county magistrate's wife, someone would have come in long ago.
People were afraid of officials, especially in ancient times, and even the most curious people did not dare to visit them.
Zhulan was chatting with Lin, while Xuehan took Chuchu back to the house. Even though it was their second meeting, they didn't seem to be strangers at all.
After the children had all left, Lin smiled and asked, "I heard that your sister-in-law is learning to paint?"
Zhu Lan was silent. This news could only be leaked by Zhou Shuren. She smiled and said, "I've been exploring on my own. I can't say I've learned anything, but I just think it's good to learn more."
Lin smiled and said, "Can you show it to my sister-in-law?"
Zhulan was happy, she just needed someone to give her some advice, "Okay."
As she spoke, Zhulan took out her paintings. She discovered that she did have a talent for painting and had developed new skills. Zhulan painted for several days in a row, but stopped only when she became busy at home.
Zhulan took out a painting of a fish and said with some embarrassment, "It's not a good painting."
Lin took it and looked through it. Although she was a beginner who was just learning by herself and her painting was not very vivid, the fish she drew was quite realistic. "It's already very good. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe that my sister-in-law was a beginner."
Zhulan felt guilty. As a beginner, she had seen her grandfather paint many times. Even if she hadn't learned it, she had remembered some of the techniques. "I can catch my sister-in-law's eye. It seems I have some talent."
Lin smiled and nodded, "He is indeed talented."
This is good. The more talented Yang is, the less embarrassed she will be when she goes out in the future. If the two families really become friends, she won't be afraid of being implicated and embarrassed.
She knew too well how much officials' wives loved to compare, especially those who were born into wealthy families. They loved to hold tea and painting parties, and were particularly willing to invite wives from farming families to highlight their own talents and elegance. She had suffered a lot of losses before, so she made up her mind to learn.
Lin thought that the old man did not dare to estimate whether Zhou Shuren could pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi, but in the next provincial examination, as long as Zhou Shuren had good luck, he would have no problem passing the juren examination. Thinking of this, the smile on her face became more genuine. It would not be a hardship for her daughter to marry into a juren family. Even if she could not pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi, the master could help her find an official position in the future. The Zhou family could rely more on the master, and her daughter's life would be happier.
Lin became more friendly and gave Zhulan more careful guidance, which benefited Zhulan a lot.
At noon, the meal was ready and the boys who had gone to school came back to eat. Lin also met the boys. Chang Lian was fifteen years old and had grown taller. According to modern calculations, he was about 1.7 meters tall, almost catching up with Zhou Shuren. In addition, his facial features had grown, he looked good, and he was dressed neatly. Not to mention that he was really the type that girls liked.
Changzhi is twelve years old and has grown a little taller, but because his facial features have not fully developed and he has some baby fat, he looks younger.
Rongchuan had become fairer, but still thin, due to severe nutritional deficiency. All the nutrition he had gained in half a year had made up for the deficiency. He had not grown much. He was obviously eleven years old, but looked like eight or nine years old.
After comparing the three boys, Chang Lian stands out the most.
After Lin asked them questions one by one, Zhulan let the three boys go out for dinner.
Lunch was served at two tables. Zhulan originally wanted to eat separately, but Lin was thinking of letting her daughter see the idea, so she stopped Zhulan and asked them to eat together in the main hall.
Ever since Chuchu asked Xue Han about her two brothers, she knew the purpose of the Dong family's sudden visit. She was surprised but also very curious. Of the two brothers, she preferred the youngest brother. She felt that the third brother was not suitable for Chuchu. Chuchu was straightforward, while Chang Lian was too cunning.
Zhulan glanced at Dong Chuchu out of the corner of her eye. The girl was very sensible. She looked at her for a few seconds and then started eating. She didn't show it on her face, so she didn't notice anything. This girl was straightforward but had a lot of plans in her mind. She was very satisfied with Dong Chuchu. According to her standards for finding a daughter-in-law, she indeed liked Dong Chuchu more.
Chang Lian and Chang Zhi were even more unaware and had no idea why Mrs. Dong came. They just thought that their father was so awesome and that their family had a really good relationship with the county magistrate's family!
The main reason is the huge gap, and even the smart people in Chang Lian dare not think too much about it.
This is also the reason why Lin dared to bring her daughter here. The Zhou family didn't dare to say anything. Outsiders could see the big difference, and they never said it clearly, so who knew what they were here for
In the afternoon, Zhulan saw Lin and Chuchu off, thinking that she would know if there would be any follow-up when Zhou Shuren came back in the evening.