Zhou Laoda mourned for his wife in his heart, knowing that being caught by his mother was bad luck. Facing his mother’s angry face, he didn’t dare to hide anything. "She went to Wang Laosihu’s house to watch the excitement."
Zhulan was truly worried about Lady Li and felt it improper to inquire Zhao in front of her eldest son. "Just tell her I’ve returned. Go call her back."
Zhou Laoda promptly got up and left swiftly.
Zhulan first distributed the wooden sculptures she bought to her grandsons and granddaughters, sending the children away before pulling Zhao back to the bedroom. She motioned for Zhao to sit down, "Nothing troublesome happened at home during these days I was away, right?"
Zhao knew very well that her mother-in-law was asking about her sister-in-law. She placed her babe on the kang bed without daring to lie, "Mother, after you and father left, my sister-in-law didn’t dare to go out. Only because of the big fuss at Wang Laosihu’s place today did she go out."
Zhulan’s heart settled, and she teased her grandson who had grown noticeably chubbier. "You’ve gained weight again in just a few days."
Zhao felt warmth in her heart, their home had good food, and her breast milk was plentiful, so the babe grew quickly and well-fed. "It’s all thanks to your blessings, Mother."
Zhulan didn’t inquire about how Zhao’s three sons and older son were doing with their studies. As a sister-in-law, it wasn’t proper to monitor her younger brothers-in-law. With Zhou Shuren’s status, no one would dare bully them at the clan school.
Zhulan took out a jewelry box from her bundle, one large and one small. The larger one contained trinkets for a young girl, while the small one held three Silver hairpins. She took out one with a sapphire, "Blue really suits you. This hairpin is for you."
Zhao’s eyes widened. This was her first piece of jewelry. To say she wasn’t envious of her sister-in-law’s jewelry would have been a lie. Her husband had seen her covert glances at her sister-in-law’s hairpin and said he would buy one too, but she couldn’t bring herself to spend the money. With an additional child, no amount of Silver Coin seemed enough. She felt flat knowing she wasn’t as capable as her sister-in-law, who surpassed her in one fell swoop. The hairpin was truly coveted, her hands trembling too much to accept it.
Seeing Zhao hesitating to accept, Zhulan pulled her over and adorned Zhao’s hair with the hairpin herself. A beauty with a hairpin was a pleasing sight; if only the beauty would stop crying. "Does receiving a hairpin warrant such tears from you?"
Someone might think she was on her deathbed!
Zhao was deeply moved. Besides her own mother, her mother-in-law was the kindest person to her. Even her husband took second place. He always talked about buying her a hairpin but never acted on it, completely forgetting that the Silver was in her own hands. "Mother, wuu, Mother."
Crying was fine, but not the prolonged whining; it was as if she was really passing away!
Lady Li came in, oblivious to Zhao’s crying, but her eyes immediately noticed the hairpin in Zhao’s hair. Her heart lurched, and wishing she could slap herself for not being able to control her legs, she regretted attending the commotion. She felt as if she had missed out on ten taels of silver and, with a heavy heart, she wailed, "Mother!"
Zhulan jumped with a start, "....."
The commotion frightened Zhou Shuren, who had been chatting outside with his son, causing him to rush in, fearing something had befallen Zhulan. Seeing that Zhulan was fine, his face paled with anger. Faced with two bothersome daughters-in-law, he darkened his expression, "What’s this wailing for? Are you cursing your mother?"
Lady Li was frightened, having never seen the eunuch lose his temper before. Frightened, she began hiccupping, "Hic, no, no."
Zhulan pressed her brow. The jostling journey had been tiring enough without having to deal with the draining hearts of others. She pulled out an agate-set hairpin for Lady Li. "This is for you. It’s getting late, and I’m quite tired. Zhao, take the babe and go back. Lady Li, hurry up and cook. Everyone out!"
Zhou Shuren’s expression had not eased, and Zhou Laoda and Zhou Laodi, looking rather sheepish, quickly left with their wives; their father’s anger was frightening.
Zhulan noticed Zhou Shuren’s stern look and couldn’t help feeling a sweet sense of satisfaction inside. He really did worry about her!