Chapter 1478 Miss Thursday

The Zhou family, because of the donation of food and supplies triggered by Zhulan's painting appreciation banquet, several families sent their old clothes and food to the Zhouhou Mansion. The two Ninghou Mansions alone sent three carts of old clothes and four carts of food.

This is not even the entire Ning family, but only the amount of two marquisates.

The Wang family had fewer old clothes. The servants didn't have many old clothes either. The old clothes of the house-born children were left for their younger brothers and sisters. Of course, for the sake of decency, they would not be worn in the mansion after they were 50% worn out.

The servants' old clothes were not given for free; they were folded into silver and collected. The masters' clothes could not be donated because the fabrics were of different grades, and the children would not be able to wear them even if they were donated.

As the number of masters increased, the Zhou family also had a large number of servants, and also had some children. The Zhou family had been experiencing many happy events in recent years, and there were many opportunities for servants to double their monthly wages throughout the year, so they all had some family assets.

After Zhulan looked at the clothes of each family, she found that the Zhou family's servants had the best old clothes, which were basically 70% new. The next best was the Ninghou Mansion, which was 65%, and then the Wang family.

Zhulan focuses on the Yu family. The Yu family suffered a great disaster in the previous dynasty, and their accumulated wealth was said to have been confiscated. After returning to Dingzhou, they have been keeping a low profile. They must have hidden a way out, otherwise the Yu family would not have developed so well.

The Yu family's servants' old clothes were 50% new, and the quantity was not large. The Yu family had just arrived in Beijing, and the servants did not bring much. Instead, they donated five carts of food, and there were actually two carts of fine grain.

Zhou Lao Da stood beside his mother and reached out to touch the grains. "New rice."

It’s still new grain that hasn’t been mixed with old rice. There’s rarely new grain in grain stores on the market nowadays, so the Yu family is very generous.

Zhulan said, "The Yu family took this opportunity to thank our family."

"Thank you, family?"

"Well, if I don't invite the Yu family, the Yu family can't participate in charity and get a good reputation. If I bring the Yu family to charity, Mr. Yu's wife can quickly integrate into the circle of women in the capital through me."

Who did she invite? The Ning family was the Empress Dowager's maternal family, the Wang family was a prominent family, the Ran family was Concubine Ran's maternal family and the eldest princess's in-laws, and the Yu family had some face with everyone, so when they met them at banquets in the future, they would also take care of them.

The Yu family naturally wanted to express their gratitude and sent more food in the hope that the leader of the Zhou family would look better.

Boss Zhou thought about the taste and said, "The Yu family is really insightful."

"The Yu family can enter the capital again. The Yu family understands everything. Okay, you can register it here and send it to the Ministry of Revenue. Lord Zhang will receive it."

Zhou Laodao said, "Mom, you've been out for a while. The weather is very cold. You should go back and have a rest."

Zhulan did not turn back, but continued, "Send someone to the farm to pick some vegetables, and catch some geese to send to a few families. Everyone wants our family to take the lead in gaining reputation, so we should also give some gifts in return. The gift is not important, but the thought behind it."

Boss Zhou understood, but said hesitantly, "Mom, my son left some geese to lay eggs, and there aren't many left to eat."

Zhulan sighed, "I know who made the goose a rare species. You can catch it if you want."

Several families all own farms with sheep, pigs, etc., but not necessarily geese. Even if there are, there are not many and they would have been eaten up long ago. This is unlike the Zhou family, who raised quite a few geese on the farm because Shuren likes to eat geese, and they still have some in stock.

Boss Zhou treasured his goose very much. "Mom, I'll go and see it myself later."

He can now treasure the living creatures on his farm. The sheep cannot be moved as they need to be kept for reproduction. A few pigs can be killed, and there are quite a few chickens and ducks. Oh, and there is also the farm's big-headed cow, which cannot be killed.

Boss Zhou pursed his lips. It had been a long time since he had eaten fresh beef. Alas, his family had contributed too much to the imperial court's breeding.

Ministry of Revenue, Zhang Jinghong received Boss Zhou, "Why did the prince come in person?"

"I'm the freest person in the family, so I came here in person. Is my father here?"

Zhang Jinghong glanced at the vehicles. Oh, there were quite a lot of them. "The Minister has left the palace after the court session and has not yet left."

When Zhou Laoda heard that his father was not at home, he hurried to the farm and asked, "Master Zhang, here is the list, where do you think it should be unloaded?"

Zhang Jinghong had already cleared out several rooms. "Prince, please come this way."

Boss Zhou signaled the boy who was carrying the things to follow him, and when everything was moved down, he said, "I will go back first."

Zhang Jinghong personally escorted him out of the Ministry of Revenue, "Goodbye, Prince."

Boss Zhou brought so many horse-drawn carriages to the Ministry of Revenue, which attracted a lot of attention in the capital. Before Boss Zhou got home, those who were asking for information had already known about the donation of old clothes.

Because of Zhou Shuren's proposal in the morning, some people sneered at Zhou Shuren's hypocrisy, some people admired the Zhou family, and then nothing happened, no one donated anything.

Zhou Shuren left the palace in the afternoon. He had lunch with the retired emperor. When he returned to the Ministry of Revenue, he saw a room full of old clothes. There were quite a lot of them. He asked Zhang Jinghong to find someone to separate the men's and women's clothes and classify them by size. There were not many cotton clothes sent, and most of them were summer clothes.

Zhou Shuren already knew what was going on. The emperor took out money from his private treasury to set up an orphanage, but who asked the emperor to put his name on it? It would be embarrassing if he didn't pay the money. So he took out 20,000 taels of silver in one breath. With this money, he could do a lot of things.

At the Yu family, when Liu saw the gifts from the Zhou family, the smile on her face deepened. The Zhou family was willing to take the Yu family, and the return gift was proof of that. "Try the dishes from the Zhou family manor tonight."

The Yu family had just arrived in Beijing, and there was a war last year. There were no farms for sale near the capital, but the prices of farms were driven up to sky-high prices. The Yu family currently has no farms in the capital, and their roots are still in Dingzhou.

This year, due to the food shortage, it is even more difficult to buy vegetables in the capital. The Yu family is wealthy, but there are few vegetables they can buy with money. They are happy to see the vegetables today. Life without vegetables in winter is too sad, especially for the Yu family living in the south.

Bai, the wife of the eldest son of the Yu family, asked, "Mother, is there any marriage proposal for the granddaughter of Lord Zhou?"

Liu looked at her eldest daughter-in-law, "Are you talking about Miss Zhou Si?"

Bai nodded, "Yes, Miss Zhou Si, what do you think?"

Naturally, Liu was very satisfied. Miss Zhou Si had good character and good looks, but she had never thought about her son. How should I put it? It was not that she thought Miss Zhou Si was bad, but that she was too good. The Empress had praised her. Miss Zhou Si's biological father was also very capable. The old man had praised her last year.

As for her own son, no matter how partial Liu was to her biological son, she had to admit that her son looked silly when he smiled, and she felt that he was not worthy of her. The eldest daughter of the third branch of the Zhou family, Miss Zhou Si, could become the clan wife.

Bai was also feeling awkward. She didn't want to marry into the family with a powerful brother or sister, but the Yu family had been away from the capital for too many years. In Dingzhou, the Yu family was almost completely in control, but they ran into obstacles everywhere when they came to the capital.

Bai remembered that her husband said that the Yu family escaped from the conspiracy because of what Lord Zhou said. Is there any more suitable in-laws than the Zhou family?

Bai thought for a moment and said, "Mother, my second brother's personality requires a wife who can take charge of the family."

Liu said quietly, "It's easy for you and me to say that. That's the Zhou Marquis's Mansion, and it's a family that can be inherited from generation to generation. The Marquis has power, and his son is also promising. There are many noble families eyeing Miss Zhou Si, and the Yu family is not outstanding."

Bai choked. Yes, the Zhouhou Mansion might not look down on the Yu family. Bai felt depressed and did not mention it again.