Chapter 135: A Stick

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye it is already March. Even though spring is almost here, the snow in the north has not melted yet, and the daytime temperature is still very low. There are more windy days in March, and the spring breeze is bone-chilling. Going out for a walk will make you feel freezing cold, as if your bones are aching.

Even though it was April, it wasn't much warmer. Instead, the earth was warming up. When the cold finally came to an end, Zhulan felt even more distressed for Zhou Shuren. His hands, which had been healed with great difficulty, were going to suffer again.

Time flies, and soon it is late March. The carriage and caravan to Pingzhou have been found, and we will set off for Pingzhou tomorrow.

This time when she went to Pingzhou, Zhulan brought Mingteng, Yushuang and Xuehan with her. They would stay in Pingzhou for at least one and a half months as Zhulan would be too lonely by herself.

This time Zhou Shuren didn't think those kids were light bulbs.

There are two grandchildren, one from each of the first and second wives, without any bias.

After more than a month of Zhulan's instruction, Li was able to read characters in a way that others could understand. He basically knew all the characters related to the names of dishes, and he had a plan in his mind. He learned to use his brain, and he was busy learning characters every day. His gossiping habit had also improved a lot.

The day before she left, Zhulan called Li and Zhao. Looking at Li's surprised eyes, she was so happy that she couldn't even wait for her to leave. Zhulan played with her fingers, thinking that Li would cry soon. It was really exciting.

Since Li knew that her mother was going to accompany her father to Pingzhou, she had sweet dreams every night. Finally, she didn't have to think about what to cook for three meals a day, and she didn't have to learn to read anymore. Life finally returned to its good state. Her voice became sweeter. "Mom, is there anything else you want to tell us?"

Zhao wanted to cover her eyes. The eldest sister-in-law was stupid again. Didn't you see that mother was smiling? This is a signal. Every time mother cheats people, she smiles!

Zhulan snorted in her heart. Li's tail was too high. "There are indeed some things that I haven't explained. Li, I've been gone for more than a month. You can't stop writing the menu, and you can't be careless. Write it every day and give it to your sister-in-law. I'll check it when I come back."

Li was as shocked as if struck by lightning. She felt that her mother had done this on purpose. She had not asked her to write a menu for the past few days. She thought that she would not have to write it after her mother left, and she had been secretly happy. Unexpectedly, she was hit by a stick before she left, "Mom."

You will lose your eldest daughter-in-law if you do this!

Zhulan handed the purse in front of her to Zhao, "Your sister-in-law is in charge of more than a month's food. Here are two taels of silver. When I'm not at home, the meat, eggs and other daily expenses will all come from here. I know you are smart and you can read. You have been learning to read with the second brother since you got married. Please remember all the expenses. I will come back to see them."

Zhao hooked her fingertips. She had never said that she could read. When did her mother-in-law know about it? She had also learned to read with the head of the household in secret. She had never expected that her mother-in-law knew about it. She felt that her mother-in-law was unfathomable. She lowered her head respectfully and took the purse. "Mom, I will keep track of the account."

Zhulan nodded. She knew that Zhao's ability to read was just a coincidence. For Mingrui, Zhao would carry Mingrui to accompany her whenever Zhou Shuren was not around. Sometimes when she was writing, Zhao would watch with her peripheral vision. After so many times, she discovered that Zhao's fingers had traces of holding a pen. She found out out of curiosity by chatting with her eldest granddaughter and asking her questions.

Seeing that her mother-in-law didn't want to say much, Zhao understood that she was not angry and was happy. She did know how to read, but she didn't learn much from her mother. It was a pity that her mother didn't know much either. Later, she married the head of the family. The head of the family knew that she could read and had been teaching her, and he had never stopped over the years. Her mother-in-law didn't get angry with her for wasting ink and paper, and she treated her mother-in-law as her own mother even more in her heart.

Zhulan did not mean to criticize Zhao when she said this. She supported it very much. Only when her daughter-in-law could read and understand etiquette could she set an example for the next generation. It was all bullshit that a woman without talent was virtuous. How many daughters of noble families or officials could not read? Some daughters of officials read as much as boys. If she taught her concubine a single word and did not understand etiquette, then she was not marrying off the two families. She was simply raising the concubine to be abandoned to take revenge on the in-laws!