Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!

79: Chapter 79 Met_1 79: Chapter 79 Met_1 Lady Li couldn’t say that she wanted to show off in the village and was afraid that her mother would slap her; instead, she concocted an excuse, “I heard from Grandmother that some families with a nest egg have been saving up for their daughters’ dowries since birth, and I knew mother would prepare one, but as her mother, I also wanted to save some for her.

Luckily, I have some spare money and thought it’d be good to buy some jewelry to bring back.”

Zhulan was unaware of Lady Li’s true thoughts and regarded her with higher esteem, “Alright, let’s go to the jewelry shop.”

It just so happened that she also wanted to see the prices of the jewelry in the silver shops, figuring that even if Zhou Shuren did not make any money when he returned, she could still pawn jewelry if necessary.

She planned to prepare some jewelry and dowries for the girls in the family, since a girl’s marriage depended not only on her parents but also on her dowry—the more substantial the dowry, the more confidence she’d have.

There were two reputable jewelry shops in the county.

Arriving at the entrance of Phang’s Jewelry Shop, Lady Li grew timid again.

Even in her best clothes, she felt inferior to a young lady’s maid.

With one contemptuous glance from the maid, she shrank back, “Mother, I won’t buy anything.”

Zhulan saw everything clearly and scolded her, “Stand up straight and lift your head.”

Lady Li immediately stood up straight as ordered, pleasing Zhulan, who then said, “Come inside with mother.”

Seeing that her mother was unaffected by the maid’s disdain, Lady Li looked at her with full-blown admiration.

She was indeed formidable, and Lady Li hurriedly followed her in.

The jewelry shop had two floors: the first floor catered to ordinary folks while the second floor was reserved for the wealthy and people of status.

There were fewer people on the first floor; typically, only those who were marrying off a family member would visit the jewelry shop unless they had spare money to spend.

The clerk, upon seeing Zhulan’s plain dress, did not neglect her service.

Merchants were becoming less and less esteemed, which led to increased courtesy toward customers, “All the jewelry in our store is the latest design.

If the elder lady and sister-in-law have a liking for any piece, I’ll bring it over for you.”

Zhulan gestured for Lady Li to step forward as she did not plan to buy anything.

Lady Li, now less self-conscious, was already dazzled by the sparkling jewelry and pointed to a carved silver hairpin, asking, “How much for this hairpin?”

The clerk flattered her, “Sister-in-law has great taste!

This is our best-selling hairpin – it weighs one ounce, including the craftsmanship fee, so it’s one ounce and two coins.”

Lady Li winced at the price, “That much more!”

The clerk explained, “This piece is hand-carved by our master, naturally it’s a bit more expensive.

Moreover, taxes have increased so we barely make a small profit.”

Lady Li really liked the silver hairpin and ended up buying it along with a pair of silver earrings, spending a total of one ounce and four coins.

As soon as they left the shop, she adorned herself with it, “Mother, when I go back, I’ll surely make the village daughters-in-law jealous.”

Zhulan felt like she had been slapped in the face – she thought Lady Li wanted to give her granddaughter a higher status, but it turned out it was all for herself.

She forbade Lady Li from showing off, but Lady Li had found another way to boast through her new jewelry.

Zhulan’s face darkened, “Didn’t you say you were saving it for Yu Lu’s dowry?”

Lady Li, still caught up in her own delight, did not notice her mother-in-law’s dark mood, “Mother, Yu Lu is still young.

I’ll wear it first, and when Yu Lu gets married, I’ll melt it down to make new pieces.”

Zhulan couldn’t be bothered with Lady Li anymore and decided to rest with her eyes closed.

Lady Li still thought herself clever and had already planned how she would show off her new status—she would surely walk through the village every morning and evening, no need for four times a day!

At last, Zhulan went to the medical clinic; her replenishing medicine was finished.

She had recuperated well and needed to change her prescription.

Because it was made with her own ginseng, Zhulan saved a significant amount of silver coins on her health remedies.

The doctor took her pulse and wrote a new prescription, mainly to replenish qi and blood as well as to regulate her body.

She paid for seven days’ worth of medicine, which cost two hundred wen coins, and also purchased some chilblain cream from the doctor, spending a total of two hundred and thirty coins.

While waiting for her prescription, Zhulan saw Wang Ru come out of the inner room, frantic, her clothes stained with blood as she searched for a doctor without noticing Zhulan.

It was only then that Zhulan vaguely remembered that Wang Ru had met with the merchant’s illegitimate son and must know that Xue Han was the female lead.

From then on, Wang Ru’s attention would be continuously focused on Zhou’s family, which Zhulan found suffocating to even think about.

After receiving her medicine, Zhulan did not want to stay in the county for another second.

Her face visibly upset, Lady Li drifted by quietly, thoroughly subdued for fear that her mother-in-law might snuff her out for any misstep.

Upon returning home, Zhulan felt quite vexed.

The existence of someone always scheming against you made life for Zhou’s family much more challenging, and it was disheartening to contemplate.

Zhou’s second son saw his mother return with a troubled look on her face and entered the main room.

Worried that something had happened, he quickly asked his older brother, “What’s wrong?”