The Zhou family's old house was in an uproar. There were several Zhou Erzhu brothers, and no one expected that Erzhu, who had been separated from his family early on, would be the most successful. Everyone was clamoring about who wanted to go to the capital with Zhou Erzhu.
When Zhou Erzhu and his family of three came in, Zhou's mother took Zhou Erzhu's hand and said, "Erzhu, who are you planning to take with you to the capital this time?"
Zhou Erzhu asked in surprise, "What do you mean, who am I taking with me? The master didn't tell me to bring anyone. He just told me to go with Gouwazi's mother and Gouwazi."
Old Mrs. Zhou said angrily, "You're such a stubborn person! Do you think you two can manage such a big shop? Listen to your mother, I'll take you two brothers to the capital to help you with the business, okay?"
Zhou Erzhu was shocked and said, "Mother, this is absolutely unacceptable. The master of the house comes from a noble family, so he is a person of high status. He has his own ideas about who to send and who not to send. My wife and I are just there to work for him. How can we be in charge of his affairs?"
Hearing this, Zhou Ersao found it amusing. Her mother-in-law truly valued the older children and doted on the younger ones, never caring whether Zhou Erzhu's middle children were doing well outside or whether the crops in the fields were enough to eat each year. She would only visit their small courtyard once a year when it was time to deliver the grain to the elderly couple.
Old Master Zhou slapped the table and said, "Erzhuzi, your two brothers are getting old and hard to manage. Why don't you take your eldest nephew with you? Your eldest nephew is young. After a few years of training with you in the capital, he can figure out what kind of business to do when he comes back, right? Your eldest nephew is the eldest grandson of our Zhou family. The prosperity of the whole family depends on him. As his uncle, you must help with this."
Zhou Erzhu couldn't care less about finding a sense of self-worth in his marriage right now. He had been working for Xu Zhi for the past six months and knew her personality well. Although she seemed easygoing, she wasn't easily swayed. Besides, she was a benefactor, his employer. If he really took his eldest nephew to the capital, he shouldn't even think about continuing to work for his employer. He should just come back and go back to farming.
Zhou Erzhu squatted down abruptly and said in a muffled voice, "Forget it, forget it. I'll go tell the workshop manager tomorrow that our family isn't going. The boss only wants the three of us to go to the capital, which is obviously his decision. Do you think those noble ladies can be manipulated by us country bumpkins? Dad, I'm telling you this: if you really think our family is doing too well, then we won't go. Gouwa's mother and I will go back to the manager and go back home to farm. But you don't need the old pension money we give you every year. We'll just keep giving you the same amount of grain. Whether we're poor or rich, it's all our own life."
The Zhou family was shocked that Zhou Erzhu would be so audacious as to make such a definitive statement. Old Mrs. Zhou pointed at Zhou Erzhu and started cursing, "So what if you worked for a few days with a nobleman? So what if you went to the capital with a nobleman? What, are we, as your elders, not allowed to say anything to you? Erzhu, you and Gouwazi's mother don't need to scare us like this by refusing to work for others. If you don't want to work, then don't go. I'll have your older brother and the others go."
Zhou Ersao had just finished a trip to the capital, which broadened her horizons and elevated her mindset considerably. Hearing this, she couldn't help but sneer twice and said, "What a joke! In other people's businesses, they can send whoever they want. They don't allow you to help them plan things out. Let me tell you the truth, the boss told me to come back and take Gouwazi's father and Gouwazi to the capital as soon as possible. Things are very busy in the capital. If we go, we'll have to keep the shop running. Why did they send the three of us and even help Gouwazi get into the Yongning Marquis's clan school? It's because the boss values my and Gouwazi's father's abilities. We can also help the boss keep the shop running. What can you do there? Gouwazi's father, put the things down and let's go. We still need to visit Uncle Lizheng's house."
Zhou Erzhu put down the pastries he was carrying and left without looking back.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
