Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 567: Good Eye_1

Zhou Shuren put down the household register in his hand, stood up, and poured himself a cup of tea. He looked up at Wong Ju, who had taken two steps back. "Ah, you say, I’m listening."

Wong Ju let out a dry laugh, "At noon, may I invite you to the tavern for a drink?"

Zhou Shuren knew Wong Ju was a generous man, but he wouldn’t offer generosity without a reason. "Are you asking me for a favor?"

Wong Ju coughed, "It’s not me asking you, I’m just delivering someone else’s request."

Zhou Shuren put down his teacup. There weren’t many in the Government Office who could have Wong Ju run errands for them. He had a hunch and said, "It must be Magistrate Wang then."

Wong Ju was startled, "How did you guess?"

Zhou Shuren said, "Lately, you’ve been sticking closest to Magistrate Wang."

The two men were often seen huddled together; he had seen it several times already.

Wong Ju smiled, "Now that you’ve guessed it, please be sure to honor us with your presence."

As Wong Ju made to leave, Zhou Shuren said, "Don’t be in such a hurry to go. Since you’re here, take a look at that stack of shop archives on the desk. Write down any issues and submit them to me in the afternoon."

Wong Ju’s eyes flitted to the thick stack of shop archives, his fingertips trembling. So many documents—could he even finish reading them? And to write down the issues as well!

Wong Ju felt dejected. With a workaholic boss like this, he was considering retirement.

Zhou Shuren waved his hand, "No need to see you out."

Wong Ju trembled as he clutched the archives and left. His heart bled—he felt like he got the raw end of the deal acquiring an ancient book!

In Zhou family’s village, the carriage carrying Rongchuan arrived at the entrance to the Zhou family’s village and, following the directions of the villagers, reached the doorstep of Sister Xue Mei’s home.

Shen Xing and the house servant both disembarked, with Shen Xing saying, "Young Master, we have arrived."

Rongchuan smoothed out his clothes as he stepped off the carriage, standing at the gate and regarding the nearby streets, "It has been a few years, yet the Zhou family’s village hasn’t changed much."

Since entering the village, Shen Xing had been observing the surroundings, recognizing this as his master’s hometown. "Young Master, it’s starting to snow, let’s go inside."

Rongchuan nodded, looking at the villagers following the carriage. He felt a complex emotion stir within him. Years ago, he was the man who people avoided for fear he’d bring death at any moment. Now here he was, riding in a carriage, not to mention accompanied by five martially adept house servants, a personal guard from his uncle, and two young servants, as well as a coachman. His entourage was no different from that of a noble family’s son on an outing.

Xue Mei had already come out of the courtyard. Seeing Rongchuan, she felt overjoyed. "After receiving your letter, I thought you’d take a few more days to arrive. I didn’t expect you to come today."

Rongchuan quickly approached, "I was afraid the weather might cause delays, so I hastened my journey. That’s why I arrived early. Sister Xue Mei, let’s go inside quickly, it’s cold out here."

Having come out in a rush, Xue Mei indeed felt chilly. "Let’s head back inside."

Rongchuan turned to Xia Mo, "Move the things from the carriage into the house."

He then asked his sister, who was walking back, "Sister Xue Mei, which rooms are empty?"

Xue Mei inwardly rejoiced that she had built quite a few spare rooms back then. She pointed to the left side, "Those five rooms over there are unoccupied. You can arrange as you like. The rooms are clean, just light a fire and they will be ready to stay in. Oh, and you’ll be staying in the room on the right side, next to Jiang Zhu."

Rongchuan smiled. Five rooms were enough—Shen Xing would take one, and the rest could divide the remaining ones among themselves.

After returning to the house, Rongchuan said to Shen Xing, "We are home now, no need to be on edge. Everyone is quite tired, let’s light a fire and rest for a bit."

Shen Xing nodded, "Yes."

Once Shen Xing left, the items Rongchuan had brought back were also moved into the hall, and Qi Mo along with another young servant went out to organize the luggage.

Xue Mei pointed to the four trunks on the ground, "Are these all for me?"

Rongchuan stood up and opened the two larger trunks, "These two are what Auntie prepared for elder sister."

Xue Mei stood up to look, and one chest contained fabrics and little clothes, while the other was filled with food, all neatly packaged. From the scent wafting from the chest, she knew what it was. Her mother had often sent such things, including dried shrimp and fish among the items in the chest.

Rongchuan opened another chest, "This one was prepared by your brothers and Xue Han for you, sister."

Xue Mei glanced inside; most of the items were for the children, and there were also some for Jiang Sheng. She took out a box from within, opened it, and saw a gold bangle, "What’s this?"

Rongchuan said with a smile, "This is from fourth sister-in-law."

Feeling the solid gold bangles, Xue Mei thought how generous the Magistrate’s sister-in-law was.

Rongchuan continued, "The last chest has gifts for the clan, for brother Wu Ming, and also for the Dong family and the Li family. I will deliver them tomorrow."

Seeing the tiredness on Rongchuan’s face, Xue Mei said, "You should go rest in Jiang Zhu’s room for a while. I’ll call you when your brother-in-law returns."

Rongchuan, whose health had always been poor, had nurtured himself for many years, continuously exercising to maintain his well-being. Although his health had improved, the relentless travel was still too much for him, "Then I’ll go rest." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Xue Mei replied, "Go ahead."

Rongchuan’s return caused quite a stir in Zhou’s village; the once poor child who had no food to eat had now become a distinguished young master. The news spread from one person to another, with exaggerated gestures describing the grandeur of his return.

At noon, in the Jinzhou Tavern, Zhou Shuren and Lord Wang had arrived; Lord Wang had already been there a step ahead.

Zhou Shuren settled into his seat, his eyes observing the young man beside Lord Wang, who looked around sixteen or seventeen years old. Clearly very nervous, yet he held himself together, which was not too bad.

Lord Wang said with a smile, "The dishes and wine have been ordered, and they will be served shortly."

Lord Wang stroked his beard, "We’re all among friends here; no need for such formality. Sit down, Old Wang."

Zhou Shuren cast a sidelong glance at Wong Ju, finding the phrase "we’re all among friends" rather meaningful, "Old Wang, sit down."

Lord Wang’s lips twitched. He had a name, and yet to these two individuals, he was either Lord Wang or Old Wang. He sighed to himself; getting angry with these two foxes would only hurt himself.

Wong Ju laughed, "Shuren, this is He Shu, who will be sitting for the child student examination this year."

Zhou Shuren scoffed, "Old Wang wasn’t in a hurry to introduce him, yet you spoke up first. Seems like you have an ulterior motive."

He remembered that the Wang family’s illegitimate daughter hadn’t yet found someone to take her in!

Wong Ju kept a straight face, knowing he couldn’t deceive this fox, "I trust my own judgment."

Lord Wang clenched his teeth. Tsk, he wondered why Wong Ju had so readily agreed to help. He was eyeing He Shu, the only promising grandson of his mentor, and he couldn’t let him be ruined by an illegitimate daughter from the Wang family. "Heh."

Zhou Shuren laughed, Lord Wang’s dry laugh directed at Wong Ju. Nevertheless, Wong Ju had high standards; otherwise, the Wang family’s illegitimate daughter would have been passed on long ago, "What’s your name, He Shu? How old are you this year? From which part of Jinzhou are you?"

Now that they were in Jinzhou City, his place of origin was considered Jinzhou.

He Shu, listening to the adults’ banter and feeling much more at ease, answered steadily, "I am seventeen, from Luo County in Jinzhou."

Zhou Shuren nodded and then returned to his tea without further questions.

Lord Wang considered He Shu with pity. He wanted to take He Shu under his wing, but owed his mentor a great debt of gratitude. Naturally, he wanted to do his best for He Shu. In the entirety of Jinzhou, the best mentor was Lord Zhou. He hadn’t come with high hopes, just wanting to try. If it worked out, it would be good fortune for He Shu, and beneficial for himself too. But even if it didn’t work, at least he had tried.

Wong Ju shared the same sentiment. After testing He Shu, he believed the young man was a suitable candidate for a son-in-law, so he had given a push. If it turned out to be an unexpected joy, good; if not, no loss. He could still take him under his tutelage.

Lord Wang felt stifled. Lord Zhou must have guessed his intentions by now, but his silence was a clear statement, "Lord Zhou."

Zhou Shuren raised his hand, "The dishes and wine are here."

As he finished speaking, a waiter knocked on the door, carrying trays of food and wine.

Lord Wang’s courage, hard-earned, evaporated; it would now be even harder to broach the subject.