Chapter 19

Just when she had figured out a way to get rich, it was cut off abruptly, which would frustrate anyone.

The system still wanted to comfort her a few more words, but Shen Cui angrily blocked the system. Then, she looked up and saw Mrs. Zhou hesitating at the threshold.

Shen Cui wiped her face and asked Mrs. Zhou why she suddenly came.

Although Mrs. Zhou was simple-minded, she had a somewhat passive nature. Like before, she had thought about showing filial piety to her mother-in-law during the New Year, but she just waited at home. She waited until New Year’s Eve, feeling she couldn’t delay any longer, and then took the initiative to bring things over.

Now that the New Year had passed, she surprisingly came over on her own initiative, which naturally caught Shen Cui off guard.

Mrs. Zhou had been observing at the main gate for a while. Seeing Shen Cui alternately smiling and frowning, she couldn’t decide whether to come in or not.

But since Shen Cui noticed her, she couldn’t hide anymore and walked in.

This time, she didn’t come empty-handed and brought a jar of pickled vegetables she made herself.

Once in the courtyard, Mrs. Zhou put down the jar of pickled vegetables and said, “It’s only right for a daughter-in-law to show respect to her mother-in-law. There’s no special reason. After all, after my husband finishes the county exam, he still has the provincial exam and the imperial exam to attend. He will be studying at the academy in the provincial capital for quite some time. Although we don’t live together, we’re still one family.”

Mrs. Zhou’s words seemed very ordinary, but Shen Cui sensed something was off.

Mrs. Zhou was a simple woman from the countryside who couldn’t even recognize a single character. When Er Pang asked her to read what he wrote, she didn’t even know how to write her own surname, so how could she know about the arrangements for the imperial examinations?

Could it be that she just found out about these things and they were fresh in her memory, unintentionally mentioning them?

Shen Cui nodded and smiled, “Indeed, what you said makes sense. Speaking of our family, it’s been quite some time since I last saw my eldest son. I wonder how he’s doing at the academy.”

Top of Form

Mother-in-law has really changed now. In the past, she wouldn’t have bothered to worry about her husband at all; she wouldn’t even bother mentioning him.

Mrs. Zhou’s expression softened slightly, “Husband is doing well at the academy, but he looks a bit thin.”

After hearing this, what else did Shen Cui not understand?

Mu Yunchuan had just come back, and he must have told Mrs. Zhou some things, so that’s why she came over.

“Since we’re one family, we should spend more time together.” Such words might deceive Mrs. Zhou, but Shen Cui didn’t believe it was Mu Yunchuan’s true intention.

Moreover, the timing was too coincidental. The day before happened to be the day Mu Yunchuan saw Mu Er Pang in the city, and on that day, he came back and made arrangements with Mrs. Zhou.

After pondering for a while, Shen Cui probably guessed his intentions—

He must have noticed that Er Pang had improved and specifically came back to confirm it with Mrs. Zhou. Even after receiving confirmation, he still had doubts in his mind, so he had Mrs. Zhou come over to keep an eye on things.

Mrs. Zhou wasn’t exceptionally clever, but she wasn’t stupid either. She was tactful and meticulous, and she was deeply devoted to him. She was the perfect informant.

This was actually beneficial to Shen Cui.

Of course, she didn’t want to stand against Mu Yunchuan.

Last time, when she tried to make amends, Mu Yunchuan probably thought she was up to no good again and secretly tried to sabotage her.

Now that Mrs. Zhou had come over, she could serve as a witness, and…

Let’s be blunt: Shen Cui’s intelligence is far inferior to Mu Yunchuan’s, and Mrs. Zhou is even a bit worse than her. Having her around wouldn’t make anyone uneasy.

At the same time, Mrs. Zhou’s words just now also revealed some information to Shen Cui, indicating that Mu Yunchuan will truly be busy for a while and won’t be able to intervene directly.

In the original storyline, there was indeed a period when Mu Yunchuan went to the provincial capital to study.

In other words, during this time, she could accompany Mu Er Pang in his studies without worrying temporarily about Mu Yunchuan seeking revenge.

As for why it’s temporary… Mu Yunchuan’s personality is too complex. Even as someone who has read the entire book, Shen Cui finds it hard to understand him completely.

His current thoughts are like this, for the next ten or twenty years, who knows if he’ll have other ideas?

Or perhaps ten or twenty years later, when he holds a high position, someone might want to flatter him and help him settle old scores.

So Shen Cui’s ultimate goal is still to nurture her own Mu Er Pang into talent.

But a temporary ceasefire is already great news, and Shen Cui’s mood couldn’t help but improve.

So Shen Cui said to Mrs. Zhou, “What you said makes sense. From now on, come here often. Did you take on the laundry and mending work? Your old house doesn’t have a well, and fetching water outside is inconvenient. The yard is also not as spacious as here. In the future, you can come over when you’re doing chores.”

Mrs. Zhou, feeling honored, asked, “Wouldn’t it disturb Er Pang’s studies?”

Shen Cui waved her hand dismissively, “Just washing clothes outside won’t disturb him. If he gets distracted by that, he’s too easily distracted.”

Mrs. Zhou then nodded in agreement.

So, that morning, Mrs. Zhou moved the clothes that hadn’t been washed at home to Shen Cui’s place.

She worked very efficiently, taking the dirty clothes piled up like a small mountain, putting them one by one into the basin, then vigorously scrubbing them with soap.

By mid-morning, she had already hung all the clothes out to dry.

Mrs. Zhou wasn’t as fearful of her mother-in-law as she used to be. Seeing her looking at her with approval, she smiled and said, “Mother-in-law is right. Not having to fetch water outside saves a lot of trouble. The chores that used to take a whole day can be finished in less than half a day today.”

As she hung more clothes out, she had washed so many that Shen Cui’s place was full, so Mrs. Zhou took some back to hang at her own broken-down house.

When she came back again, it was already noon, and Mu Er Pang came out of his room hungry.

After the monthly exam task, the system didn’t immediately release new tasks. This morning, Mu Er Pang didn’t want to idle away; he continued reviewing previous content and practicing calligraphy.

Although there were some unpleasant incidents the previous day, Mu Er Pang didn’t blame his elder brother for it. Naturally, he wouldn’t hold any grudge against Mrs. Zhou when he saw her.

He first called someone with a smile, then with a bit of cunning, he approached Shen Cui and whispered, “I heard someone was washing clothes outside for a long time. I thought my mother had suddenly become diligent.”

Shen Cui laughed and patted him, then asked him as usual, “Is steamed bun and pickled vegetables alright? I’ll add an extra boiled egg for you!”

Before Mu Er Pang could respond, Mrs. Zhou couldn’t help but interject, “Mother-in-law, forgive me for being meddlesome. Reading and practicing calligraphy are exhausting activities, so he should eat more nutritious food.”