Chapter 88 Zhou Mingrui

Zhulan is the calmest person in the family. She walked to the box, which was full of fabrics, half of which were fine cotton fabrics and the other half were neatly stacked silk fabrics. The compacted fabrics were enough for two or three outfits for each person in the family. "Why did you buy so much?"

"The patterns in the south go out of style quickly, and the cloth shops were clearing out their stocks before the New Year, so many fabrics were cheap. Since we have a large family, we bought more."

Zhou Shuren said regretfully, "We are farmers. Even if I pass the imperial examination, it won't be of much use. Many of the fabrics are unwearable. Otherwise, how can I buy you some expensive fabrics to make clothes?"

Zhulan complained about the ancient times, where there were rules for the fabrics used for clothes. She looked at the box containing pens, ink, books, and some tea. She knew a little about pens and ink, as her grandfather loved calligraphy and taught her some. The box was worth a lot of money. "Did you buy these too?"

I didn't expect that Zhou Shuren couldn't save money. How much money would this box cost?

Zhou Shuren understood Zhulan's hidden meaning and explained, "The pen, ink, paper and inkstone were rewards for helping to identify the works. I borrowed books and copied them, and I also bought second-hand books. There are many readers in Jiangnan, so I really brought back some rare books from my family."

Zhulan flipped through the books and found that there were indeed flying edges and many annotations. These books were all made by Zhou Shuren with great effort. "Thank you for your hard work."

Zhou Shuren felt relieved. After hearing Zhulan's words, he felt that all the hard work was worth it. "The remaining two boxes are special products."

In the box were cakes, fans, handkerchiefs, and two sheepskins in good condition. The largest item was beef jerky. "Where did it come from?"

Zhou Shuren said, "We bought the beef jerky and sheepskin from the Tibetan merchants. We kept half of the beef jerky and gave the other half to Dad and Mom. We made the sheepskin into leather jackets for Dad and Mom to wear."

Zhulan knew that this was something Zhou Shuren specially gifted to the Yang family elders. Her eyes fell on the last box. No wonder it smelled so strong. There were many dried sea fish. The most surprising thing was a ham. She widened her eyes. Is there ham now?

Zhou Shuren had been paying attention to Zhulan, and immediately understood, "Ham existed at the end of the previous dynasty, but it was only popular among the rich and powerful. The one I got was given to me as a favor."

Zhulan was very surprised, and finally there were some dried shrimps.

All the things seem to be many, but they are just for the appearance of the boxes. There is really not much in the boxes.

Li was so anxious that she was waiting for the distribution of things. She had already set her eyes on the cloth and the fan. "Mom."

Zhou Shuren interrupted Li and opened the small box beside him, "I bought this for the maids at home. The jewelry in Jiangnan is exquisite. Please share it with the maids."

Zhulan saw that there were four couples inside, and Zhou Shuren thought that Zhao was pregnant with a daughter. "By the way, you have a grandson, and you are waiting to name him!"

Zhou Shuren pondered, "Born in winter, and with plenty of snow this year, it's a sign of a good harvest. Zhou Mingrui, I hope the child has a smooth life."

Zhou Laoer grinned, his son's name has a good meaning, "Thank you, Dad."

Zhulan also distributed the jewelry, giving one set to each of her daughters and two granddaughters, and keeping the extra set for future girls. Each of them received a pair of silver bracelets, a pair of silver earrings, and a silver lock.

Zhulan saw that Zhou Shuren was tired and exhausted from the journey, so she said to the boss, "Boss, go get some firewood."

Then he asked Zhou Shuren, "Have you eaten breakfast this morning? Let's have breakfast together and then rest?"

Zhou Shuren had no appetite and waved his hands, "I won't eat anymore, you guys eat, I'll go back and lie down for a while."

Zhulan signaled the second son to get some hot water for Zhou Shuren to wash up, and then said to Li: "Make breakfast first, and then go home after breakfast. Don't forget to come back and make lunch at noon. Everyone else should do what they are supposed to do."

Li looked at the two boxes of fabrics and pastries without moving her feet, her eyes were rooted to the ground. Zhulan gritted her teeth, "I'll call you after I've divided them. If I don't, your reading will be useless. Hurry up and cook."

Li then moved her eyes and smiled flatteringly, "Mother, you can't be partial."

Zhu Lan was in a good mood because Zhou Shuren returned safely, "Okay, I know what's going on."

Li was sure that her mother did not lie to her. She just remembered when she reached the door that she forgot to ask her father-in-law how much money her father had earned. But her father-in-law had gone into the house, so she did not dare to chase him to ask and could only worry about it anxiously.