CH 79

Li shi couldn’t say that she wanted to show off in the village, because she was afraid that her mother-in-law will scold her badly for that. So she panicked and said, “I heard from my mother that families with means and backgrounds will start saving for their daughter’s dowry the day she is born. I know that my mother will prepare the same for Yulu, but I also want to do it as a mother. Now that I have some money at hand, I want to buy some jewelry as Yulu’s dowry.”

Zhulan didn’t know what Li Shi was thinking, so she gave Li a high look, “Ok, let’s go to the jewelry shop.”

Zhulan was also thinking about visiting a jewelry shop to see the prices of the jewelry she had. She thought that if Zhou Shuren failed to make money in the South, she could make money by selling the jewelry. She can also exchange them for some jewelry dowry for the girls in the family. When married, not only their natal family was their strength, but the amount of dowry she bring in also increases her prestige in her in-law’s house.

There were two jewelry shops in the county with good reputations. At the entrance of Feng’s jewelry shop, Li shi is timid again. Even if she was wearing her best clothes, she felt the contempt in the eyes of the maid accompanying a Miss. One look from the maid and Li shi said, “Mother, I won’t buy it.”

Zhulan gave a look to the maid, who scurried away, she said, “Stand up straight and raise your head.”

Li Shi obediently stood up straight, and Zhulan was satisfied, “Go in with Mother.”

Seeing that Mother was not influenced by the maid at all, Li shi adored her. So she happily followed her in.

The jewelry shop had two floors, the first floor was for ordinary people, the second floor was for the rich and famous, and the first floor had fewer people. Unless someone was getting married in the family, an ordinary family did not have spare money to visit the jewelry shop.

The shopkeeper, noticing Zhu Lan’s simple attire, didn’t neglect her either. With the declining status of merchants, they had to improve their customer service. “All the jewelry in the shop is the latest style. Whatever style you both like, I’ll fetch it for you,” he said.

Zhulan signaled Li Shi to come forward, she was not the shopper there.

Li, no longer feeling insecure, had long been captivated by the dazzling jewelry. She pointed at the intricately carved silver hairpin and asked, “How much does this hairpin cost?”

The shopkeeper flattered her, saying, “Big sister-in-law has great taste. This style sells the best. Including the craftsmanship, it’s one tael and two maces, which is equivalent to one tael and two qian in weight.”

Li Shi felt a little bit pained, “It’s a bit costly!”

The shopkeeper explained, “This particular piece is hand-carved by a master, so it’s naturally more expensive. Additionally, due to higher taxes, we only make a modest profit.”

Li genuinely liked the silver hairpin and ended up buying it along with a pair of silver earrings, totaling one tael and four qian in cost. As soon as they stepped out of the shop, Li immediately put the hairpin on her head and exclaimed, “Mother, when I go back, all the village women will envy me.”

Zhu Lan felt a sense of being slapped in the face. Well, she thought Li was trying to make her granddaughter feel special, but it turned out she did it for herself. Zhu Lan had prevented Li from showing off everywhere, but now she found another way to flaunt her jewelry. Her face turned dark, and she said, “Didn’t you say you were saving it as a dowry for Yu Lu?”

Li shi was so happy that she didn’t see her mother-in-law’s black face, “Mother, Yulu is still young. I will keep it for now, and melt it down to make her something new when she gets married.”

Zhulan didn’t bother to talk to Li Shi, and closed her eyes to rest.

Li shi still thought that she is smart, and had already figured out what attitude to show off. She was going to walk around the village in her new jewelry just two times, and not four!

In the end, Zhulan went to the medical center. She had finished her tonic, and her body was in good shape. It was time to change her prescription because she gave the ginseng, Zhulan’s body-replenishing medicine saved a lot of money.

The doctor felt the pulse, and re-prescribed medicines mainly for nourishing qi and blood, and some conditioning. She took the medicine for seven days and spent 200 Wen. She also bought the doctor’s chilblain ointment, ten wen, making a total of 230 yuan.

Zhu Lan was waiting to collect her medicine when she saw Wang Ru coming out from the inner room. Wang Ru had bloodstains on her body and was anxiously looking for a doctor, not paying attention to Zhu Lan. It suddenly dawned on Zhu Lan that Wang Ru had encountered the merchant’s illegitimate son, and she must have learned that Xuehan was the female protagonist. From now on, all eyes would be constantly focused on the Zhou family. Just the thought of it tensed her up.

After getting the medicine, Zhulan didn’t want to stay in the county for a moment. Seeing Zhulan’s complexion is not good, Li shi quieted down. She was afraid that she could say something wrong and be wiped out by her mother-in-law.

Back home, Zhulan was not in the mood. There was someone who wanted to plot against you at this very moment, increasing the difficulty of the already Zhou family’s difficult life. No matter how you thought about it, you can’t be happy with the situation.

Seeing that his mother came back with a bad face and entered the main room, Second Zhou thought something happened and hurriedly asked his elder brother, “What happened?”

T/N Sorry for the delay in posting. I am new at blogging and after a long trial and error (and help from WordPress Support Team), made the TOC page to my liking. This is my hobby, and so I have limited time to do the translation. In this regard, a small request; if you can add my site to your adblocker, if you are using one, and not use it while reading this novel here, it will be a small but great help.

And one thing I want to tell about the dowry thing; people in other culture may not grasp the importance of it. But those of us still living in a country where this is highly practiced, people still do start saving when a girl is born.