CH 125

Zhulan didn’t hold back laughing. Since Zhou Shuren became angry after Li’s howl last time, Zhou Shuren has not only become a strict father, but the family is not afraid of him. Mingteng was a noisy boy. Seeing his grandfather’s black face, he couldn’t wait to slip through the wall and run, but after thinking about it, Zhou Shuren used the Eldest to grind Li Shi’s temperament, all for her sake. After thinking about it, Eh, this tea tasted better to drink.

Li Shi’s intuition became more and more accurate. When the head of the family stayed in the main room, she knew it was going to be over. She cleaned up the kitchen and ran back to the house, secretly pulling Ming Teng to learn calligraphy, so that she would not be punished if the head of the house came back to teach. Huh, now she had to use her brain.

Zhulan was in a good mood all day long, but when some of the people who went to clan school come back at night, her mood was not so good.

Zhulan’s face darkened, “Chang Lian, you said that you met the second sister of the Wang family when you came back from school. The second girl of the Wang family, Wang Rong, fell and begged Chang Zhi to help her up? Am I right?

Chang Lian’s face also turned grim, “Mother didn’t mishear. When we were coming back from school, Wang Er Ya suddenly tripped and fell. Her shoe was stuck in the snow, and she couldn’t get up. She kept saying that she twisted her foot, all the while looking straight at Chang Zhi!”

His heart shuddered when he saw her eyes as if his younger brother was a fat piece of meat for her!

As soon as Zhulan thought about it, she knew that Wang Ru’s idea hadn’t gone away. She really wanted to eliminate all the factors that troubled her before she could rest assured. In the novel, the Zhou family was cheated by Wang Ru except for Zhou’s second son. Although the novel didn’t mention the achievements of the fourth son when the daughter was the heroine, since Wang Ru was afraid, it meant that the fourth son must have a good future.

Chang Lian looked at his father, who had been looking at his mother from the corner of his eyes when he didn’t say a word and looked away silently. Mother was quite angry just now, why was she happy again, “Mother, are you not angry anymore?”

Zhulan thought that as long as she stopped Wang Ru from cheating on her fourth son, he would have no problem with the imperial examination, and she would be in a better mood, but she couldn’t say, “Angry, I just laughed out of anger. The Wang family has no shame.”

Chang Zhi was also infuriated. He was just twelve years old, and the women from the Wang family were all mentally unstable. Even if they were normal, and even if they were stunningly beautiful, he couldn’t have any connections with them. Wang Ru from the Wang family was not someone who would stay put. Although the Wang family sold sausages for a while and later stopped selling, only sharing the recipe for a cut of the profits, they were still officially registered. Wang Ru had never established her own household and was still in the household of her father. Though it hadn’t been officially changed to a business household, she had some background, which was terrifying to think about!

Changzhi felt aggrieved, “Mother, what do the Wang family mean by destroying me?”

His greatest wish was the imperial examination, and cutting off his future was worse than killing him.

For the first time, Zhulan saw her eldest son’s eyes welling up with tears. This child had always been focused on his studies, and she never expected him to figure out the key to the situation so quickly. Today, he had truly been wronged. She beckoned him over, “Wait for me to seek justice for you. The Wang family has no shame; they will pay for what they’ve done.”

Zhou Shuren felt that the fourth son in Zhulan’s arms was an eyesore, so he pulled him over silently and patted his head, “You are a grown-up, how can you still act like a baby with your mother.”

Changzhi, “……”

Which eye of his Father saw him acting like a baby? He was obviously very wronged, okay?

Zhulan looked at Zhou Shuren with a blank face, and asked Chang Lian, “Are you the only one who saw Wang Erya fall?”

Chang Lian squinted his eyes, feeling a bit pleased with the misfortune of others. “There were many people who came back with the children today, all brothers from the clan who came to copy books.”

Zhulan chuckled. In the street where the Zhou family lived, there were not many families that pursued formal education in the clan school. Apart from Zhulan’s family, there was the Zheng family, whose children were studying in a private school, and another family that had a scholar from the clan and no longer attended the clan school. Wang Ru had assumed that only Chang Zhi and a few others were attending the school. She had been pondering how to handle the situation perfectly if it were just her son involved, but she hadn’t anticipated that there would be so many people. With so many witnesses, she wouldn’t even need to take action herself; the clan would deal with Fourth Wang’s family.

However, was Wang Ru too confident that she was not afraid of Chang Lian helping his brother? Then she thought that Chang Lian was shrewd on the surface, but he was selfish in his heart, and it was not in his nature to help.

Wang Ru had been around for quite some time and had also come to understand the temperaments of the Zhou family members. However, she seemed to think that only Chang Zhi lacked practical knowledge, assuming that he was just good at studying but not astute in other matters. She didn’t realize that he had not only mastered academic knowledge but also valued principles of propriety, righteousness, integrity, and honor, which were essential to learning. Chang Zhi cared deeply about the family’s reputation and upheld these values strongly.

It seems that even after staying for so long, Wang Ru hadn’t given up her modern thinking. When compared to her, one can see how cautious she was when she didn’t understand something, never daring to say much, and always relying on Zhou Shuren, who knew the rules, to teach her until she no longer made mistakes. However, when compared to Wang Ru, there was no sense of accomplishment; she was just too foolish!

Zhulan motioned for the children to go back, and when the children had left, Zhulan said, “After dinner, we’ll go to the Patriarch’s house. The patriarch will definitely be waiting for us.”

Zhou Shuren nodded, “Anyway, Wang Ru shouldn’t think that we are easy to plot, let her know that our family is not easy to provoke, and it will make her more jealous.”

Zhulan replied, “Yes, as for Wang Er Ya and Wang Rong, whether they acted with intent or simply followed Wang Ru’s instructions, they are both being led astray by her. I will talk to the clan leader’s wife and make Wang Ru’s intentions clear. If Wang Er Ya loses her reputation, it will be difficult for her to find a good marriage prospect in the future. Those who deserve to be hated must understand the consequences of their actions.”

Zhou Shuren stretched out his hand and squeezed Zhulan, “I listen to you.”

After dinner, Zhulan and Zhou Shuren waited for a while, presumably the Patriarch’s house had eaten, and they took two taels of tea to the Patriarch’s house.

The Patriarch Zhou’s family had just had dinner, and the Patriarch knew the purpose of coming when he saw two of them. Through their conversation, Patriarch Zhou gained a profound understanding that Zhou Shuren was not someone to be trifled with. He had a calm exterior, but he was capable of ruthless actions when provoked beyond his limits.

Patriarch Zhou knocked on the pipe, and he was waiting for these two to come. Not only were they annoyed, he was even more angry, “I’ve heard about Chang Zhi’s situation. This is not just your family’s matter; it concerns the whole clan. Let the old lady change her clothes, and then we’ll head over there together.”

Indeed, Zhulan knew that she didn’t need to say much when visiting the Patriarch’s house. The Patriarch would undoubtedly stand up for Chang Zhi. Chang Zhi was truly a promising talent, and for the Zhou family, which only had scholars, a child with such tremendous potential held immense significance. One person’s success could elevate the entire family’s status, and someone with the potential to achieve greatness was incredibly important.

Zhulan couldn’t help but think about the plot of the novel. In the novel, the Zhou family didn’t return to the clan, and Changzhi didn’t go to the clan school. The clan didn’t know how much potential Changzhi had, so Changzhi was tricked and they didn’t help. But Zhulan and Zhou Shuren came, and Changzhi entered the clan school. After being tested and affirmed by several talented people in the clan, the clan paid special attention to him, and Changzhi was not allowed to be framed and touched. Changzhi was the future of the Zhou clan.