Zhulan motioned for Zhao to sit down first, and after Zhao sat down, she said, "Mother has nothing else to say, but I want to give you some advice. Wu Ning's brother Wu Ming, a sixteen-year-old scholar, is now a disciple of Xu Jinshi, who is the dean of Qingshan Academy. Wu Ning's brother is young and has a famous teacher, so he has a promising future. Mother's idea is that you should not only guide Wu Ning, but also accept Wu Ning as your disciple if possible. With the status of master and disciple, you can also have a good relationship in the future."
Zhao was touched by her mother-in-law's consideration for her. Since the head of the family could not take the imperial examination, the family did not split up and lived together. The current gap was not too big, but with the third and youngest brothers taking the imperial examinations, the second branch, which is not the eldest branch but has the eldest son and grandson, would have less and less status in the future. It would take many years for her son to grow up and support the second branch!
Now that her mother-in-law is guiding her, the second house will also have its own network of contacts in the future. "Mom, I understand. Thank you for planning for us."
Zhulan likes to talk to people who understand things, it's really effortless, "As long as you understand, that's enough, go back!"
"Mom, I'm going home first."
"kindness."
Zhulan waited for Zhao to leave, then rubbed her neck. She and Zhou Shuren tried their best to maintain a balance, but as time went by, the gap between the parties would become bigger and bigger. It seemed that there were no conflicts now, but conflicts would definitely arise over time. Even the tongue would hit the teeth. How could there be no conflicts in a big family!
The eldest couple may be stupid, but they are good at giving birth to sons. After a few years, Mingyun grew up and was able to take on the responsibility of being the eldest wife. Mingyun also had the status of the eldest grandson, so the status of the eldest wife had always been stable. Therefore, the eldest couple were the most blessed in the family.
The second house is different. The child is too young, and it will take more than ten years for Mingrui to grow up. As for the marriage through Yushuang, Zhulan will not allow it. She hopes that Yushuang can find someone to care for her, so the second house is the weakest among the houses.
In the third house, Zhou Shuren is training Chang Lian, who has potential and can be helped by his in-laws. Even if Chang Lian is separated, he can still live a good life.
Changzhi is good at studying. Although he is not good at household chores, he is not stupid and has a very clear mind. As long as he has a good wife to help him, his future will not be bad.
Now that the Wu family has brought this good fortune to their doorstep, it is a rare opportunity. If the second branch seizes it, it will also be beneficial to Yu Shuang and Ming Rui in the future.
Zhulan also felt relieved and waited for Zhou Shuren to come back in a good mood.
At noon, Zhou Shuren didn't come back. Zhulan understood that he must have been waiting for him, otherwise he would have come back long ago.
In the afternoon, Zhou Laoer came back, looking unhappy. Zhulan was prepared, so she patted Zhao to comfort him and glared at her second son, "Don't be so gloomy and silent, your wife and I are waiting!"
After Zhou Laoer found out, he was very angry. "Mom, I found out in Qianjia Village that the man my mother-in-law married later was very capable. When he was the steward, he bought himself a family business. After he became free, he bought some land. He lived a good life in Qianjia Village. He was one of the richest families in Qianjia Village. But even though he was such a rich family, my mother-in-law didn't live a good life."
Zhulan had guessed that Zhao's mother was sold into the Yun Mansion. Even if she was not sold to the Yun Mansion, she had no maternal home and was a stepmother, so she was still sold. If Manager Qian had protected her, her life could have been better. Unfortunately, the situation is now heading in a bad direction.
Zhao was anxious, "What happened to my mother?"
Zhou Laoer let out a long sigh. "From what I heard, my mother-in-law not only took care of the Qian family's children, but also had to take care of the whole family, cooking three meals a day. Her health was not very good, and the children she gave birth to were also bullied. I saw them at the door of the Qian family. Several children were pushing her, but I didn't dare to stop them. I was afraid that if I chased away the children who bullied her, she would be bullied even more severely when she got home. I waited until the children left before I helped the little guy up and stuffed a few cakes into the child's mouth."
My cheap brother-in-law is not very big and his clothes are okay, but he has some injuries and you can tell he is often bullied. When I think back to the words that the child said about being bullied, I think I heard them from the adults at home.
Zhu Lan sighed, "Bullying children is just a test for the Qian family's sons. As long as Manager Qian protects them a few times, the sons won't dare to go too far."
It’s a pity that the manager of a merchant family pays more attention to value. The older sons are more valuable, so the mother-in-law and the younger sons are naturally abandoned.
Zhao couldn't help crying, "Master, I will go and meet my mother tomorrow."
Zhou Laoer felt sorry for his wife and said, "Okay, I'll go tomorrow."
Zhulan did not stop her. With Zhou Laoer around, there was no need to worry about the Zhao family being plotted against. Now that her mother-in-law had a daughter, she would no longer be helpless, and the Qian family would be able to restrain themselves a little.
In the afternoon, everyone in the Zhou family knew why Zhao was crying. Li felt even more sympathetic towards Zhao, as Zhao's mother also had a miserable life.
Mrs. Dong had seen a lot of things, so her reaction was not that big. She just disliked the Qian family and felt that this relative was annoying.
Zhou Shuren returned home after dinner. Although he acted as usual in front of the children, Zhulan knew him very well and knew that the matter must have been settled.
After Zhulan finished washing up and returned to the room, Zhou Shuren picked her up and spun her around twice. "Okay, next time Jiang Ming has a day off, come with me to the competition."
Zhu Lan glared, "Put me down first."
She had just spun around twice so fast that her heart was beating fast. She was scared.
Zhou Shuren also felt his hands a little sore and let go of Zhulan. Well, he still overestimated himself.
Zhulan sat down on the kang, and after a while she said, "Do you have anything else to prepare?"
Zhou Shuren rubbed his arm and said, "To be more certain, I will visit more antique shops these days. I will know more and be more certain."
Zhou Shuren had always been thorough in his work. Zhulan stopped asking questions and told Zhao's mother about her situation. "This is what happened. Tomorrow, Changyi and his wife will go to recognize their relatives. I was thinking of taking a pair of decorative vases as a return gift from Dong's brother-in-law. What do you think?"
They acknowledged each other openly and were not begging for money, so naturally they brought some valuable gifts, especially since Qian had been a steward and had seen a lot of good things. The only gift that Zhou family could give to Zhao to support her was this pair of decorative bottles.
Zhou Shuren doesn't like to display bottles. It's not his taste. This pair of bottles is not valuable for display. What matters is the style. Although it's not an antique, it's worth dozens of taels of silver. "I have no objection."
Zhulan continued, "You can't bring the same gift when you visit a relative. We have a lot of pens and ink at home. Take out two sets of unused ones. The Qian family lives in the village, so they must want to take the imperial examination. Their children must be educated. It's appropriate to give them pens and ink, and it can also show that we are a family of scholars. Add some fabrics. Most of the fabrics that Dong Lin sent during the New Year are new styles from the south, which are hard to find in the north. Let the second wife take the last thing. Zhao has a small embroidered screen, which would be nice to take with her."
Although he didn't like the Qian family and didn't want to give them an advantage, Zhao's mother was a member of the Qian family after all. He didn't know what Zhao's mother was planning, so the most important thing right now was to make her live a good life. The Qian family would also be cautious about the Zhou family giving out so many things, but there was no need to be impatient about what would happen in the future.
On the second day, Zhulan took out the gift of recognition. Needless to say, Zhou Laoer understood her intention and felt guilty, "Son, I am ashamed."
He couldn't refuse the recognition gift his mother brought him, but he didn't have the money to buy a high-end gift.
Zhao was so moved that she wanted to kneel again, but Zhulan hurriedly pulled her back, "Okay, it's getting late, you should go early and come back early."
Zhulan glanced at Zhao's face again. Although her hair was still blocking her view, the scars on her face were painted so realistically. She never expected that Zhao had this skill. It showed that when she was in her hometown, Zhao had learned a lot from Wang Ru. Zhao was really clever and skillful.
In the afternoon, Zhao and Zhou Laoer came back. Zhulan was a little surprised when she saw the gifts they brought back. Even if it was a return gift, they shouldn't have given so much!