Chapter 289: Habit

Zhou Lao Da and Zhou Lao Er stood aside. Li came in with noodles in her hand. "Mom, I made the brined noodles that you and Dad like to eat, and I also made vegetable soup."

Zhulan's stomach growled. She hadn't eaten Li's cooking for a long time and missed it very much. She stood up and sat down at the round table in the room.

The meals cooked by Mrs. Li are delicious and tasty, and they make you hungry just by looking at them.

Li served noodles to her parents and passed the chopsticks to them, then stood next to the head of the household. She saw that everyone in the room was standing except for a few little kids, and there was no change on her parents' faces. But she could tell her directly that they were very angry.

Zhu Lan looked at Li a few more times. She and Zhou Shuren didn't say anything either. They just lowered their heads and ate noodles. Since they didn't say anything, no one in the room dared to speak.

Zhulan ate a bowl of rice and said to Li and Zhao, "Take the children back to their respective rooms first."

Zhou Shuren interrupted, "Mingyun stays."

The two agreed and took the four children back to the house. Mingteng from the first wife looked after Yu Lu, Yu Shuang from the second wife looked after Ming Rui, and Li and Zhao came back soon.

A quarter of an hour later, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren finished their meal. Zhao took the initiative to clean up the dishes, and Xuehan followed her out to help clean up.

Zhulan returned to sit on the kang, which was already heated. She had eaten and drunk her fill and didn't want to say much. She would have time tomorrow, so she was not in a hurry.

Zhulan instructed Li, "There is a newly purchased box near the cabinet. There are cloths and some rouge in the box. Take them out. When Zhao comes back, you two can divide them among the rooms."

Li had a lot to say to her mother-in-law, but now that her mother-in-law was back, she felt relieved and all the words in her heart disappeared. She liked being called by her mother-in-law, and felt relieved. "Hey."

Listening to his wife's tone, Boss Zhou knew that she was very happy. He had been feeling distressed these days. Whoever's daughter-in-law she was, he would feel distressed for her. Although Li was not as pretty as Zhao, nor as well-born and educated as Dong, he still liked Li!

Zhao came back. Zhulan and the others divided the cloth and rouge, took out the jewelry box, and distributed the jewelry to Li and Zhao. "This is for you two. There are also two pairs of pearl earrings for the two maids. You keep them. Okay, take the gifts from each room and go back!"

Zhao was stunned for a moment and looked at her sister-in-law. She saw her sister-in-law happily holding the hairpin and putting it on her head. Why didn't she complain?

When Li saw Zhao looking at her, she curled her lips in her heart. She had grown a lot since her mother was not at home. She held the cloth and rouge and said, "Mom, I'm going to go home first. Mom, I've heated two large pots of hot water in the pot for Dad and Mom to take a bath."

Zhao held the cloth and said, "Mom, I'll go home first."

After the daughter-in-law left, Zhulan handed the things for Xuehan to Xuehan, and Xuehan also went out.

Zhulan went out to clean the bathtub, leaving the space to Zhou Shuren. Zhou Shuren remained silent, feeling angry.

The eldest and second oldest Zhou don't want their mother to go out. When their mother is not in the room, their father's expression changes immediately. They feel that something bad is going to happen.

Zhou Shuren first asked Mingyun and Rongchuan, "How are you two doing in the academy?"

Rongchuan spoke first, "Everything is fine."

Mingyun said in a very soft voice: "My results in the test a few days ago were not very good."

As the eldest grandson, he knew his responsibilities. However, Pingzhou City was not the clan school, so there were many talented people there. He had been distracted recently and did not do well in the exams.

As for Zhou Shuren's two children, Rongchuan is more talented than Mingyun. In addition, Rongchuan is older than Mingyun, so his comprehension ability is naturally better than Mingyun.

Zhou Shuren waved his hand to signal Mingyun to come over.

Zhou Lao Da was worried. Dad wouldn't be angry and want to hit Ming Yun, right? "Dad, if you want to hit someone, just hit me. It's all because of me who failed Dad's expectations. It's because I didn't take good care of the family that Ming Yun has to worry about it. He was distracted because he was thinking about me and Li."

Zhou Shuren's face darkened, "Which eye of yours saw me wanting to hit someone?"

He obviously just wanted to comfort his eldest grandson. He knew that his eldest grandson was distracted, and it was precisely because he knew this that he felt that his eldest grandson had a hard time. Why did he want to hit someone just because of the eldest son's words?

Boss Zhou shut up. Dad probably wants to beat him now!

When Mingyun saw that Grandpa was looking at his father unkindly, he wanted to cry but couldn't. "Grandpa."

Zhou Shuren retracted his gaze and touched Mingyun's hair. He was the one who caused the little guy's pressure. "Grandpa is back. Your uncle Rongchuan will ask for a leave for you tomorrow. Grandpa will take you to learn horse riding."

Boss Zhou, "........"

Since he was a child, his father has never been gentle to him. They say that grandparents are closer to each other. He is jealous of his son. Now that he is an adult, he also wants to learn how to ride a horse.

Zhou Laoer pursed his lips. The first wife has Mingyun, and his father is always thinking about her. What about the second wife?

Mingyun's eyes widened, "Really?"

"Of course it's true."

Boss Zhou, "........"

It’s so heartbreaking. A father is not as good as his son!

Zhou Shuren took Mingyun not only to learn horse riding, but also to let the little guy relax. The child is still too young, and it is not good for him to be under too much pressure.

Zhou Shuren signaled Rongchuan and Mingyun to go back and rest. After the two children left, he looked at Zhou Laoda and Zhou Laoer with a dark face, "I am very disappointed."

Zhou Lao Da and Zhou Lao Er felt a pang in their hearts and lowered their heads to admit their mistakes.

Zhou Shuren was really disappointed. He knew that the eldest brother couldn't control his younger brothers, but he didn't expect that the eldest brother regarded himself as the housekeeper. "Big brother, are you the housekeeper of the family?"

Boss Zhou lowered his head and said, "No."

"Very good, since you know it's not you, why don't you act like a big brother? When I'm not at home, you are the head of the family, how do you manage the family? Why didn't Chang Lian come back at night? Why did Dong follow him out?"

Boss Zhou wanted to say that Chang Lian often went to Jiang's house, but he felt that it was wrong. Even if he went to Jiang's house, he would not stay until dark. He knelt down all of a sudden, "Dad, it's my fault. I didn't act as a good elder brother."

It is true that he is too corrupt, which is why he comes back later and later.

Zhou Shuren snorted, "I know you don't have enough confidence in your heart. Is it because I didn't give you enough confidence? As the eldest brother, you don't know how to follow the rules. Instead, you wait for Chang Lian to come home and open the door. You are the eldest brother, not the housekeeper. You are used to them."

If he was at home, he would not open the door if Chang Lian dared to come home late again and again. Lord Jiang would not stay until dark with Chang Lian. It was obvious that this kid Chang Lian had made friends!

Based on his understanding of Chang Lian, this kid must have tested the boss's attitude more than once, and when he saw that the boss didn't say anything, he became bolder.

Old Zhou lowered his head even more. His father had indeed given him a lot of confidence. Before leaving, he warned his younger brothers and even left him one hundred taels of silver. It was because of his step-by-step concessions that he was able to retreat to the position of steward.

Zhou Shuren looked at Zhou Laoer, very disappointed, "You have too many thoughts, you are unwilling to confront Chang Lian, you have long forgotten that I told you to help your elder brother. I don't believe you can't see Chang Lian's temptation, but you didn't say anything and didn't remind your elder brother. You are avoiding it, huh?"

Zhou Laoer, "Dad, I don't have enough confidence."

Zhou Shuren raised his eyebrows. This guy dared to say, "I didn't split up the family, and I didn't force you out. Your mother and I are the ones who make the decisions in the family. You should know that if you give in too much, it will become a habit. You should not fight or force yourself. It's unrealistic to expect your mother and I to protect you. Now our family is small, and when we have more children, your mother and I won't have that much energy. Think about it yourself!"

Zhou Laoer felt like he was being too smart for his own good. Thinking back carefully, the second wife did seem to have little presence. He felt a little uneasy, and said, "Dad, I'll think about it."

Zhou Shuren left to test the waters, but the result was worse than he expected. He waved his hand and said, "Okay, both of you go back and think about it carefully!"

As he spoke, Zhou Shuren walked out first. He wanted to help Zhulan carry the bathtub.

The eldest and second eldest Zhou looked at each other, and they helped each other to stand up. The second eldest Zhou bowed and apologized, "My younger brother did not do well, so here is my gift to you, elder brother."

Boss Zhou waved his hands, "I didn't do well either."

In the kitchen, Zhulan finished brushing the tub and saw Zhou Shuren coming over. "Are you done talking?"

Zhou Shuren: "Yes."

Zhu Lan said to Zhou Shu Ren, "I just asked Rong Chuan to lock the door."

Zhou Shuren was amused. Zhulan was much more ruthless than him. "Have you asked clearly?"

Zhu Lan nodded, "Xue Han came over just now and told me everything that happened at home. Today is the first time that Dong and Chang Lian went out for a social event. I estimated that the two of them should be back by now."