Zhulan had a smile in her eyes, and she knew that Li would come over, "Yes."
Li came in, holding the clothes. She wanted to ask for something but was too timid to do so. She tried to please him in a clumsy way: "Mom, you must be tired from sewing clothes today. Let me rub your shoulders."
Zhulan was silent. If Li had tried something else to please her, she could still tease her, but she couldn't afford Li's massage. Li's skills were all learned on the eldest brother. The eldest brother, who had thick skin, cried out in pain. Her small body couldn't stand it. She tapped the edge of the kang with her fingertips and said, "Take it."
Li then noticed the purse next to her mother-in-law and was instantly moved. It turned out that her mother-in-law had seen through her thoughts and was waiting for her to come over. She happily grabbed the purse and said, "Mother, you are so kind to me. Thank you, mother."
She was so touched. Her mother-in-law only gave her a purse, but she cared about her the most.
Zhulan chuckled. Li was so easy to satisfy. This was just a reward purse embroidered by a little girl. Even Zhao couldn't compare to it. Li could still keep it carefully. "It's getting late. Your father should be back soon. There are two more people tonight. Go and roll out some noodles so that you don't run out of food tonight."
Li received the purse and happily responded, "I'll go right away."
Zhou Shuren returned home on time and came out after changing his clothes. Zhulan had already helped Zhao set up the hot pot and was waiting for Zhou Shuren to sit down and start eating.
Zhou Shuren first exchanged some polite words with Doctor Lu and his son. Only when Mr. Lu was almost impatient did Zhou Shuren start to eat.
Zhulan suppressed the smile on her lips. Zhou Shuren was definitely doing it on purpose. Old Master Lu had teased Zhou Shuren many times. Now that Zhou Shuren had found the opportunity, he would naturally have to return the favor. Look how greedy Old Master Lu was.
For the hot pot in the evening, the ten pounds of pork belly we bought were all cut up. It looked like a lot, but after cutting it up and putting it in the pot, it became a whole plate. I didn't expect that even though Mr. Lu is old, he is the main eater and eats as much as Boss Zhou. Fortunately, Mrs. Li rolled enough noodles, otherwise it would not be enough.
Mr. Lu was very satisfied with the meal. He was lucky that he came to stay at Zhou's house, otherwise he would have missed the hot pot. He stroked his beard and had a premonition that he would gain a few pounds at Zhou's house.
As the head of the family, Zhou Shuren chatted with Grandpa Lu for a while and took the opportunity to inquire about the situation next door. Grandpa Lu didn't think much about it, as it was normal for the two families to be curious as they were neighbors.
Zhulan sat in the room listening to the noise. After a while, Zhou Shuren came back and asked, "Mr. Lu went back to rest?"
Zhou Shuren was exhausted from using his brain all day, so he took off his shoes and said, "No, the old man went to the next door to watch. He has to stay there for a while and told us not to close the door at home."
Seeing Zhou Shuren rubbing his forehead tiredly, Zhulan motioned for Zhou Shuren to lie down, and stretched out her hand to massage Zhou Shuren. While massaging, she said, "Do you think Wang Ru can make it?"
Zhou Shuren closed his eyes. "Whether she survives or not, she has nothing to do with us anymore. She can't escape being controlled while she's alive. In fact, death is a relief. Her death will be better for everyone."
Zhulan paused for a moment and looked down at Zhou Shuren. She could not compare to Zhou Shuren. Men's hearts were ultimately colder and harder than women's. Zhou Shuren had always been a cold person before he traveled through time. After traveling through time, Zhou Shuren quickly integrated into the ancient times and adapted very well. Now he talked about death even more casually. It could only be said that Zhou Shuren had seen the worthlessness of human lives when she didn't know.
Zhou Shuren felt Zhulan's fingers stroking his eyebrows, and reached out to grab Zhulan's hand, "What's wrong? Why are you frowning?"
Zhu Lan stared at Zhou Shuren's eyes, but she didn't ask. Zhou Shuren was out there as a scholar, and he suddenly won the favor of the young master of the Marquis's Mansion. He was already jealous, and he must have suffered more difficulties these days. The county magistrate couldn't protect him all the time. As long as Zhou Shuren didn't die and was wronged, the county magistrate wouldn't care. His eyes were full of heartache, "Nothing, I just wanted to see you."
Zhou Shuren's heart trembled, he hummed softly, and then closed his eyes. He had indeed encountered a lot of troubles recently. He sneered in his heart. Someone even deliberately took him to the prison for a day trip. Just today, he saw a servant who had his legs broken and was thrown in the rain just because he said the wrong thing. He watched the servant struggle in the rain quietly. Even though the servant was later sent to the clinic, he would not survive if he was unlucky. He realized more deeply the cheapness of the lives of the lower class people.
If the Zhou family wants to be well, he must work harder to climb up. Only if he has his own strength can he escape the fate of being crushed to death. Although he will still be controlled by the imperial power after climbing up, at least it is the imperial power that controls the fate of the Zhou family, not anyone with a little ability who can destroy the Zhou family.
He had never thought of telling Zhulan about these, but he did not expect that Zhulan was smart enough to hear some changes in his mentality from his words. She held Zhulan's hand tightly. If Zhulan was not there, he thought that in order to live a better life, his bottom line would definitely be very low, and he might even resort to any means. It was because of Zhulan that he had a place to rely on, a soft spot, and a bottom line.
Although neither of them spoke, their hearts were connected.
The two of them didn't talk before going to bed tonight. Zhulan nestled in Zhou Shuren's arms, and Zhou Shuren hugged Zhulan, face to face and heart to heart. Their hearts seemed to beat in sync, as if they no longer belonged to each other.
In the morning, Zhou Shuren didn't get up and watched Zhulan get up. "I forgot to tell you yesterday that from now on I won't go to the county anymore and will study wholeheartedly."
Zhulan was happy that Zhou Shuren didn't go out, so he wouldn't be bullied or wronged if he stayed at home. "What does Mr. Dong mean?"
Zhou Shuren nodded, "The male protagonist's identity as a young master of a marquis's mansion is troublesome. Yao Zheyu is using us to target Wang Ru, but outsiders don't know. It's too eye-catching. There are many people in the county who are jealous of me. After Master Dong and I discussed it, it's better for me to stay at home and study. If there is anything I don't understand, I can ask him when he is resting."
Zhu Lan said, "That's good too. I think if Wang Ru survives, Shi Qing will definitely take Wang Ru away. By then, the hero will also be gone, and our family will be at peace."
Zhou Shuren also thinks so. This time Wang Ru, the cash cow, is in trouble. Shi Qing will not let Wang Ru go free again. This big trouble is finally going to go away.
Zhu Lan put on her clothes and paused for a moment, then said with some concern: "You said Wang Ru is so obsessed with Xue Han, she is courting death and getting worse and worse, will she drag Xue Han down with her in the end?"
Zhou Shuren did not rule out this possibility. When a person's resentment reaches its extreme, it will form an obsession, just like being possessed by a demon. He was more concerned about whether it would drag down the entire Zhou family. "If Wang Ru survives, she will cherish her life more and will not fight to the death unless it is absolutely necessary. At least give me time to grow."
As long as you become a juren, pass the imperial examination and become an official, you will not be slaughtered at will.
For breakfast, Li made millet porridge and steamed vegetarian buns. When eating, only Mr. Lu’s son was there, and the old man was still sleeping.
Lu Lingzhi explained, "Father stayed up most of the night and just came back to rest. Please leave some food for him to eat when he wakes up."
Zhulan said: "This is as it should be."
Zhou Shuren asked, "Has the fever in the neighbor gone down?"