Chapter 375 Express Yourself

Chang Lian didn't have any thoughts at all. He was not only afraid of his father, but he was even more afraid of his mother. His mother was very cruel. Anyway, the room was warm, so he might as well stand there!

Zhao and Dong lowered their heads even lower. If it were in the past, Dong would have felt a little dissatisfied, but now she was not dissatisfied at all. She just wanted to please her mother-in-law and hoped that her mother-in-law would protect her more before she consummated her marriage. When Dong thought of her mother telling her that Chang Lian might have a concubine in the future, her heart tightened. At this moment, she just wanted to please her mother-in-law, not to mention standing, she could even kneel down.

Time passed by little by little, and Steward Ding came in without looking away and said, "Madam, the luggage of the second and third masters has been delivered to the various courtyards, and the mountain products they brought have also been stored in the warehouse. Now the house is heated up, and the hot water is ready."

Zhulan asked, "Is the pot ready?"

"It's ready and served."

Zhulan stood up and said, "Everyone go over and eat first. After dinner, the second brother and Changlian will stay. Zhao will take the two children back to bathe and change clothes. Dong will also go back to pack the luggage. Changzhi will take Rongchuan and Mingyun back. The three of you will have one courtyard each."

Zhulan took the lead and went to the main dining room to eat. The pot on the table was already boiling. There were still few vegetables in winter, only radishes and cabbages. What was mostly on the table was meat, and the kitchen had also rolled some noodles.

Zhulan saw that they were all seated but didn't start eating, so she was waiting for him to speak. "Stop watching, eat quickly, and then take a rest. We can talk tonight."

After he finished speaking, Zhou Laoer and the others dared to pick up their chopsticks to eat.

Zhulan had finished lunch and sat aside to pick up food for her grandchildren. Although Mingrui had caught a cold, he had a good appetite and even picked out the meat to eat. "Slow down, slow down, no one is competing with you for food."

Mingrui swallowed the meat in his mouth, "Grandma, I haven't eaten meat for a long time."

Zhulan looked at Zhou Laoer, ".......Mom, don't listen to his nonsense, he even had meat buns this morning!"

Mingrui, "I mean, I haven't eaten meat so much in a long time."

Zhulan, "......."

Come on, Zhou Laoer doesn’t have to laugh at the eldest brother for having a son who betrayed his father, because he already has one too.

Zhou Laoer gritted his teeth. This kid was such a bastard. Every time he wanted to express something far from what he wanted to say. Later he figured out that this kid did it on purpose, especially when he was unhappy.

This kid was angry because he was not given lunch at noon, and he saw how powerful his grandmother was. This kid must have done it on purpose. Look at his excited eyes!

Butler Ding came with a doctor, and Zhulan asked the doctor to take the pulse of Zhou Laoer and his group one by one.

Only Mingrui felt a little cold, everyone else was fine. The doctor prescribed some medicine and left.

Zhao waited for the doctor to leave and explained, "This kid has a stubborn temper. He refused to wear the thick cotton clothes we asked him to wear, so he got a cold."

Zhulan held the teacup and looked at Zhao. Zhao felt uneasy when her mother-in-law looked at her. "Mom."

Zhulan found that Mingrui was not stubborn. Zhao had not been used to the child for more than a year. Mingrui was not only picky about food, but also put the food he didn't like into Zhao's bowl. He even provoked his father just now. It was useless for a good child to be so used.

Zhou Laoer also couldn't eat anymore. He really didn't realize that his son was being spoiled. Instead, he was happy to compete with him in wits and courage. However, when they got home and there were so many children around, his son's bad temper and disobedience were immediately revealed.

Zhou Laoer couldn't help but look at Mingteng, who was the noisiest. Mingteng sat obediently with his back straight. Even when he didn't eat, his eyes didn't wander around. When they were eating, he didn't say a word.

Zhou Laoer pursed his lips and said, "Mom."

Zhulan put down her teacup, "Mingrui is young, but his education cannot be neglected. Children should be taught well when they are young. Pack up Mingrui's things and move to Mingteng's house. The two brothers will live together, and Changzhi will enlighten Mingrui in the future."

Changzhi was stunned. How could this have anything to do with him? It was enough for him to teach Mingteng. He didn't even say the word "mother". When he met his mother's eyes, he immediately changed his words and said, "I listen to you."

He deeply realized that his mother was a man of her word, and thinking of the book he had always dreamed of, he agreed to many of his mother's conditions!

Zhulan hummed, stood up and said, "I'm going back to the room first. Lao Er and Chang Lian, come over after you finish eating. Everyone else, please go away!"

Zhulan left, and Zhou Laoer hurriedly said, "Brother, tell me about the situation in Lizhou."

Boss Zhou curled his lips in his heart. He called him "big brother" affectionately now, instead of standing stiffly at the door just now. He was upset about his younger brother. He smiled and said, "Okay, I'll talk to you guys."

Boss Zhou told everything that had happened, how much money the family had invested and how much money they had earned, and told every detail. Boss Zhou felt very happy when he talked, and he could also help his mother on his own.

Zhou Laoer's heart sank. He had been thinking about taking over the job from his eldest brother, but he didn't expect that his eldest brother could already handle it so well. The eldest brother was the only one he could compete with. There was no need to compete with his third and fourth brothers. Both of them had to take the imperial examinations, and he could not compare with them. Now even his eldest brother had risen up. What advantage did he have?

Chang Lian ignored his second brother who was in deep thought. He looked down at his eldest brother. Now that he was home, he still had to give his eldest brother what he owed. He took out a banknote from his purse and said, "Brother, this is the money my sister-in-law earned from selling prescriptions. It's all here."

Big Brother Zhou didn't understand, so Chang Lian explained the whole thing again. Big Brother Zhou finally understood. It was one thousand taels. Although it belonged to his wife, it also belonged to the eldest wife. After he was happy, he remembered that his mother had never mentioned it to him. It could only be said that his two younger brothers did not write it at all. Big Brother Zhou was happy. This was jealousy!

There are times when his younger brothers envy him, and it makes him feel good to think about it!

Li was so happy that she almost fainted. "This is one thousand taels?"

Boss Zhou smiled and said, "Yes, one thousand taels."

Li quickly put it away, "This is the greatest joy since I became pregnant."

With one thousand taels, she could save some dowry for her daughter!

Zhao and Dong looked at each other. Their attention had just been on their mother-in-law, but now they discovered that their eldest sister-in-law was pregnant again. Then they looked at their eldest sister-in-law's jewelry, a complete set of jewelry and headgear, and the cloak was also newly made. They looked at their younger sister-in-law, and their eldest sister-in-law's outfit was no worse than that of their younger sister-in-law.

The two of them were feeling extremely jealous. Did the mother-in-law raise the eldest sister-in-law as her own daughter?

A quarter of an hour later, Zhulan waited for Zhou Laoer and Changlian to arrive. Seeing Zhou Laoer holding the account book, Zhulan was impressed by his thoughtfulness and said, "Give it to me and have a look."

Zhou Laoer handed over the account book and took out the banknotes, "Mom, this is the money from selling the house. Some of the money from selling food in the past two years was spent on hiring a team of drivers and escorts. The rest, after deducting expenses, was spent on buying mushrooms and mountain products."

Zhu Lan responded without looking at the topic, motioning Zhou Lao Er and Chang Lian to sit down, "Have some apples, they are from our own garden."

Zhou Laoer and his brother responded. They had been thinking about the apples for a long time. This was a good thing. The artist took one and ate it slowly. The two brothers looked at each other and decided to go home and feel comfortable.

Zhulan believed that Zhou Laoer would not dare to make false accounts. Zhou Laoer was smart and would not be interested in such small profits. Zhulan simply skipped the expenses and paid more attention to the list of gifts received. Zhou Laoer was very careful and remembered all the gifts sent by the gentry very clearly, including how many vases, how many calligraphy and paintings there were, who gave them, and the estimated prices at the end.

Zhulan raised her eyebrows. Zhou Laoer is really smart. He wants to show his ability through the account book!

Zhulan estimated the money. The main thing was the gifts. The expensive ones were calligraphy and paintings. During the war, many people who had the courage to make a fortune could do so. People who were not familiar with calligraphy and paintings thought they were worthless, but in the hands of scholars, they were treasures.

Zhulan asked, "Have you brought them all?"

Zhou Laoer put down the apples in his hand and said, "I have packed them all and brought them here. I have also arranged everything in my hometown according to what my mother said."

Zhulan closed the account book, "I know you are considerate, your mother-in-law, don't worry, can you tell me about your eldest sister's family situation?"

(End of this chapter)