Chapter 173: Weak Foundation

Zhou Shuren let go of Zhulan and said, "You take a rest first. I'll ask Mingteng to run some errands."

Zhulan was indeed tired, as she had been thinking all day. She waited for Zhou Shuren to go out, changed her clothes, and then lay down on the kang to rest.

After dinner was ready, Zhulan heard her granddaughter calling her to eat. She was shocked to realize that she had slept for more than an hour. The granddaughter, Jiang Miao, was not very big. She held the edge of the kang with both hands and said in a baby voice, "Grandma, it's time to eat."

Zhulan sat up and touched her granddaughter's bald head. This girl had bad hair and shaved it every once in a while, unlike her older granddaughters who had long hair since childhood. The little girl didn't like being touched and kept shaking her head. Zhulan smiled and withdrew her hand to put on her shoes.

Xuemei bent down and picked up the girl. "Mom, this girl has come in several times. She saw that you were sleeping all the time, and I didn't let her speak, so she was always angry with me. Now she can finally speak, and look how happy she is."

Jiang Miao pouted, "Mom is wrong, grandma is not mom, she is grandma."

Zhulan looked at the little girl pointing out her mistake and laughed out loud, "Miaomiao is right, grandma is grandma."

The little girl was proud and acted like a fool.

Xuemei was speechless, "Mom, we shouldn't have agreed with her."

Zhu Lan waved her hands, "How old is she? You won't understand even if you tell me. Let's go eat. By the way, how long have you been here?"

Xuemei waited until her mother walked ahead before she followed. "We got here just as she was falling asleep."

When I thought about mom and dad going to the county grandfather's house today, I felt excited. I never thought dad was so capable!

I didn't prepare any special meal for dinner. Xuemei and her husband were getting closer now, and she was no longer the married woman who came home from time to time for a meal. It would have been inappropriate to prepare a special meal for her.

Besides, the food at Zhulan’s house is really good and every meal is delicious.

After the meal, Xuemei wanted to ask her mother about her visit to the county grandfather's house, but her father looked at her and she understood. He felt sorry for her mother being tired, so he helped her clean up the table and went home neatly.

Zhulan went back to the room, and Zhou Shuren followed in. Zhulan asked, "Can we talk about it now?"

Zhou Shuren took off his shoes and lay down on the kang. He was the most tired, having not rested for a day. "It's not the beginning of summer, it's going to be a rainy season. We are next to the river, and this year the county ordered the repair of the dike. Many people are needed in the county. The county magistrate thought Jiang Sheng was quite good, and told me that Jiang Sheng would help keep records, and he would be paid one or two taels of silver a month, with three meals a day, until autumn."

Zhulan was delighted, "This is great news!"

Although my studies were delayed, I heard Zhou Shuren say that Jiang Sheng has a solid foundation. Now I am no longer under the psychological pressure from the Jiang family. As long as I can stay stable next year and my luck is not too bad, I will have no problem passing the examination to become a scholar. So I am not afraid of wasting time. On the contrary, making money is what is important.

The eldest daughter and her husband have a lot of expenses every month. They have no land at home, so they have to buy food every month and pay rent. Jiang Sheng sometimes also invites people for dinner or something. It is really impossible to save much money with 500 coins a month.

Thinking about it this way, the family of the eldest daughter-in-law is really poor. After Jiang Sheng passes the examination to become a scholar, he still has to prepare for the imperial examination. His grandson is also grown up and needs to start elementary school, which requires another sum of money. Zhulan sighed. The family of the eldest daughter-in-law can only relax their finances after Jiang Sheng passes the examination to become a scholar, but it will take who knows how many years.

Zhou Shuren heard Zhulan sighing, "What are you worried about?"

Zhulan calculated the bills and said, "I am worried that Xuemei has no assets. She doesn't have any land, only a house, and the monthly expenses are quite high."

Zhou Shuren was silent for a while. "We will move to Pingzhou next year and let Xuemei and her husband live with the children. They will help us look after the house and land. We will provide them with food for a year as a reward for looking after the land and house. This is the last thing we, as parents, can do for them."

In the future, apart from studying, he will no longer help Jiang Sheng. After all, supporting the family is Jiang Sheng's own responsibility, and putting pressure on Jiang Sheng will give him motivation.

Zhulan spread the quilt and said, "Okay."