Mrs. Dong held onto the handle of the chair and sat down. "Well, I'm about to give birth, and my sister wanted to come over and take a look. This is a letter from my sister."
Zhulan had already opened the letter. There wasn't much in it, just an apology for disturbing her and the specific date of the visit at the end. Zhulan looked at the date: five days later.
Mrs. Dong was confused. Her sister said she came to see her, which she thought was not a simple matter. Her sister would come to see her when she gave birth. It was a bit early for her to come now, and the New Year would be coming soon.
Zhulan put down the letter and said, "Your sister is coming to live in your courtyard. You can prepare the room yourself. If you need anything, ask Xuehan for it."
Mrs. Dong breathed a sigh of relief. There had been a lot going on at home recently, and she was really afraid that her mother-in-law would refuse. At the same time, she was touched. As long as it didn't involve issues of principle, her mother-in-law was really good to her daughters-in-law. "Thank you, mother."
"What's there to thank as a family? It's snowing outside. If you need anything else, ask Chang Lian to come. It's too dangerous for you to be pregnant."
Zhulan looked at Mrs. Dong's belly and felt quite emotional. The family was going to have another addition, and the Zhou family would be prosperous.
Mrs. Dong thought of her husband and said gently, "Mother, I didn't tell my husband."
Zhulan curved her eyes and said, to be honest, the relationship between Changlian and Dong was not as strong as that of the fourth room, nor as lively as that of the first room. The two of them had a tacit understanding, and it was light but very warm. To be honest, Zhulan preferred this kind of gentle and supportive relationship.
Mrs. Dong looked at the snacks on the table and said, "This must be something freshly made by my sister-in-law."
Zhulan saw Dong pursed her lips. Since Dong had gone through the morning sickness period, she could eat a lot more. She pushed the plate down and said, "Try it. The two snacks on the left are quite good."
Mrs. Dong was too embarrassed to pick it up. She had been getting more and more greedy since she became pregnant. Every branch of the Zhou family, including the third branch, had to pay for food expenses every month. She couldn't help swallowing her saliva, picked up a piece and took a bite. Her eyes lit up, "Delicious."
Fruits are hard to come by in winter, and making snacks out of fruits is even more of a luxury. After the Zhou family got rich, there was never a shortage of fruit in the house. The eldest sister-in-law had more ingredients to use, and the snacks she made were really good.
Zhulan smiled and said, "If you like it, take it home and eat it."
Mrs. Dong liked it but didn’t dare to take it back. She was not so shameless. “Mom, a few pieces are enough for me.”
Zhulan motioned Liuya to put it on and said to Dong: "Eat it. Your sister-in-law will make some snacks and send them over. I don't need any snacks."
After hearing this, Mrs. Dong's ears turned red, and she finally accepted it with embarrassment, "Thank you, mother."
When Mrs. Dong returned to the yard, Zhulan was worried because it was snowing heavily outside, so she asked Mrs. Song to go back with her.
Zhulan looked at the snowflakes outside the window with some worry. The Li family's convoy would arrive in the next two days, and now it happened to snow heavily and the road was blocked. Thinking of family expenses, Zhulan kept silent. Zhou Shuren's trip to the capital was short of another 500 taels.
The heavy snow stopped in the afternoon and Zhulan breathed a sigh of relief.
Two days later, the Li family's convoy arrived. Father Li came with his eldest son and grandson Li Gui. Because it was not Zhou Shuren's day off, Boss Zhou greeted them at the door.
Zhulan was waiting in the backyard. Father-in-law Li's appearance had not changed much, even his clothes had not changed much. He was still the simple man in Zhulan's impression.
Zhulan stood up to greet him, "Father-in-law, you have worked hard on the journey."
Li's father rubbed his hands as usual. The in-laws' house was too luxurious. After entering the house, he couldn't even look at it. He didn't know where to put his hands. He stuttered for a while, "My dear, you are too polite. This is what I should do. In fact, it should be the Li family who are grateful to my in-laws."
The Li family’s current status is all thanks to the in-laws.
In order to meet Li's family, Zhulan wore ordinary clothes today. She didn't wear any jewelry on her head, only a hairpin. Li's father was still nervous. Zhulan was silent. She restrained her aura and tried to be easy-going. However, she had changed a lot compared to last year. The Li family were all simple-minded but had very accurate intuition, and they noticed her changes.
Zhulan had no choice. The environment she was in and the people she met were different. Although her aura was restrained, some of it would still leak out. Plus, since she was a female member of the family, Li's father became even more reserved.
Boss Zhou took the teapot and poured tea for his father-in-law himself. "Father-in-law, you've worked hard on the journey. Have a cup of hot tea."
Then he said to his eldest brother-in-law and nephew who were standing, "Please sit down. Don't be polite now that we are home."
Seeing that everyone was looking at her, Zhulan smiled and said, "We're home now, don't be shy and just sit down."
Boss Zhou's honest appearance eased the tense mood of the Li family. Because of Boss Zhou's mediation, the atmosphere became much better. At least Li's father stopped stuttering.
After the hot tea went into his stomach, Li's father remembered the business and took the bundle on the table. "These are the account books of the two farms. The box inside contains the money from selling grain. It's all here."
Speaking of bookkeeping, Li Cong is grateful to his in-laws. Because of them, his grandson has the opportunity to learn bookkeeping from the accountant. It is said that the early bird catches the worm. His own child is not smart, but as long as he works hard, he will make progress. After a year's work, he has done well in bookkeeping.
Zhulan took the account book. The handwriting on the account book was not beautiful, but it was written very carefully. Every stroke was clear and the calculations were correct. Without looking at it carefully, Zhulan closed the account book and said, "Come to think of it, the eldest son's wife is good at math. It seems there is a reason."
Li Cong straightened his back with a silly smile, he had never expected that his children were good at math, but it was a pity that studying was so difficult. Now that the family had extra money, he sent his grandsons to study in the Zhou family's private school. The grandsons all worked very hard, but they were still at the bottom. They were good at dictation and rote memorization, but their skills were exposed when it came to essay appreciation. The back that had just straightened up bent again in an instant.
Zhulan blinked her eyes, then reacted. Every time Li received a letter from home, she would come to her and complain about how the Li family was really not good at studying.
Zhulan thought about how Li was flattering her. Li said she could give birth and that Mingyun and Mingteng were both good at studying. Zhulan was choked when she heard this and thought, bah, it's obvious that the Zhou family has good genes.
Boss Zhou had long learned to read people's expressions. His father-in-law looked like he didn't expect him to answer, so he said to his nephew, "You remember the account book, right?"
Li Gui scratched his head in embarrassment, "Well, that character is not well written. I will work harder on practicing calligraphy when I go back."
The last words were spoken in an urgent tone, obviously afraid that the Zhou family would think he was not serious.
Zhulan really likes the Li family. At this time, Liuya came in and said, "Madam, the food is on the table."
Zhulan said to Zhou Laodao: "Your father is not at home, you have to entertain your father-in-law well."
Boss Zhou helped his father-in-law to stand up, "Mom, don't worry."
After Zhulan's family had lunch, Zhulan didn't go over. It was more comfortable for Zhou Lao Da to entertain his father-in-law. If she went over, the Li family didn't dare to eat.