Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 692 - True Friend_1

At that moment, Ning Zhixiang finally turned his attention to the face of the Tanhua. When he came out, his focus had been on his third uncle, and he hadn’t taken a proper look at the Tanhua before him. But now, with a closer examination, he found a resemblance to his father—about a quarter, to be precise. Still, even if the young scholar resembled someone from the Ning family, his third uncle shouldn’t be looking so complacent.

Therefore, with a furrowed brow, Ning Zhixiang felt that the situation was far from simple. "Third Uncle," he said.

Marquis Ning waved his hand, "It’s not good to stand at the entrance of the teahouse. Let’s go inside."

Zhulan released a sigh of relief, finally able to go inside. She had already felt quite a few scrutinizing gazes on her. The sensation was rather unpleasant. Had it been just casual glances, she could have ignored them, but these were filled with various judgments and inquiries—being under such scrutiny felt akin to having one’s skin peeled off.

Rongchuan nodded as a sign, then without further delay, turned and walked away.

Xue Han exhaled softly. Truly a day rife with coincidences. Seeing Rongchuan look her way, Xue Han gave an imperceptible shake of the head as a signal that she was fine.

Having noticed this, Ning Xu stroked his chin, impressed by their clear affection for each other. His opinion of Miss Zhou was quite high; Zhou Shuren came from a scholarly farming family, and the poise that Miss Zhou carried was exceptionally rare.

As Ning Xu walked, he mused about Zhou Shuren’s wife, who truly did not seem to come from a peasant family.

Zhulan no longer felt like continuing her stroll. She was genuinely afraid of encountering someone else, as the chances of such coincidences seemed alarmingly high. She was discovering just how impossibly small the capital really was! freёnovelkiss.com

Inside the teahouse, Ning Xu entered a private room, his brow furrowed. He hadn’t expected his nephew’s wife to be there as well. He wasn’t fond of this niece-in-law; because of Zhixiang’s poor health, his second brother and sister-in-law were exceptionally lenient towards Zhixiang’s branch of the family.

The second nephew’s wife had given birth to a healthy son, which had greatly boosted her confidence. Coupled with his sister-in-law’s consistent indulgence, this niece-in-law’s ambitions had grown, as had her pride.

Now that he had miraculously survived and even inherited a Marquis title, her aspirations had become more apparent. Despite her smiling face, her eyes betrayed her true intentions.

Ning Zhixiang felt awkward; he hadn’t expected his wife to come as well. He knew her thoughts all too well, especially after learning that his third uncle couldn’t have children. Had he been tempted? Certainly, but regardless of whether he was as intelligent as his eldest brother, the Ning Residence still belonged to the latter.

As for himself, without eligibility for the imperial examinations or martial achievements, he coveted only the title of a Ning family son and his third uncle’s Marquisate.

At the Zhou residence, upon returning home, Zhulan’s party was met with Lady Dong’s surprise. "Mother, you’ve returned so soon?" she asked.

Zhulan replied quietly, "I’ve come to feel that going out in the capital doesn’t suit me these days, so I decided to return early."

Lady Dong didn’t quite understand and turned to her younger sister-in-law for an explanation, but alas, none was forthcoming.

Zhulan inquired, "I see the young servant moving quite a few flowers in at the entrance. Are you planning to replace the garden’s flowers?"

Lady Dong nodded, "Mother, didn’t you say the garden’s flowers were too monotonous? So I bought some new ones. Mother, do you like them?"

She had chosen them to match the flowers from the gardens of Jinzhou Residence!

Zhulan recognized each flower and was familiar with them. "You’ve put a lot of thought into this."

Lady Dong responded, "It’s the duty of a daughter-in-law. Mother, please rest."

Zhulan was not physically tired, but she felt mentally exhausted and had truly no desire to go out.

Xue Han said, "Mother, I’ll also head back to my courtyard."

Zhulan replied, "Alright."

Rongchuan immediately followed Xue Han. Zhulan saw this and thought of Zhou Shuren, turning her head away to not look anymore. She too had someone who loved her. She felt no envy!

As Xue Han and Rongchuan headed towards the garden, Xue Han looked back, "Your courtyard isn’t in the same direction as mine, why are you following me?"

Rongchuan took a step to walk alongside Xue Han, "I heard an interesting story in the teahouse and wanted to share it with you."

Xue Han looked towards the pavilion in the garden, "Let’s discuss it in the pavilion."

Rongchuan signaled to the young servant to bring over some cushions, "Alright."

Liu Li tactfully said, "Miss, I’ll go and fetch some refreshments."

They had just finished breakfast not long ago when Xue Han couldn’t bring herself to eat any more pastries, and Rongchuan, having probably drunk too much tea, couldn’t eat either, "Just bring some nuts, forget the pastries."

Liu Li responded, "Yes."

Chang Lian stood on the other side of the garden, watching from afar as his sister and Rongchuan walked towards the pavilion. After pondering for a moment, he decided not to go over and instead went to look for his wife.

In the afternoon at Jinzhou Government Office, Zhou Shuren had Jingyan fetch Ming Teng’s grades from the Academy, "They’ve slipped quite a bit."

Jingyan thought to himself, more than just a bit. The teacher had been pulling him aside, hoping he’d come back to talk things through more often, of course it was all to complain.

Zhou Shuren asked, "Did the teacher say anything?"

Jingyan replied, "The teacher said that Young Master Ming Teng has been inattentive in class several times and his recent schoolwork hasn’t been as conscientious as before, also mentioning that the young master has a good foundation and should be watched more closely."

Zhou Shuren knew Jingyan had sugarcoated the words. Although Ming Teng didn’t excel in his studies, he was above average, yet this time he hadn’t even made it to the middle ranks, "Today, Ming Teng is definitely getting a beating."

Jingyan felt like laughing inside. When Young Master Ming Teng saw him at the Academy, he kept sweet-talking him, clearly showing a strong desire to live, "The young master said quite a few assurances."

Zhou Shuren holding the report card, "I plan to post the grades on Ming Teng’s bedroom door."

Jingyan, "...."

The eldest lady will see it every day; Young Master Ming Teng is sure to get quite the thrashing. But then again, Young Master Ming Teng is especially tough; his skin is thick!

Zhou Shuren checked the time, "I’ve made an appointment with Mr. Ran, it’s time to go, let’s head out."

Jingyan, "....Yes."

At the Academy, Ming Teng was hunched over with his neck drawn in, looking utterly dispirited.

Ming Rui nudged his second brother’s foot with his own, "Come on, you’ve been squatting for quite a while now."

Ming Teng, "You don’t understand."

Ming Rui rolled his eyes, "Second brother, you’re used to getting beaten by now. Just tough it out and it will be over."

Ming Teng glared, "I’m afraid of grandfather!"

Ming Rui, "Then, second brother, you’ll just have to fend for yourself. I can only offer my sympathy."

Ran Xun, the third son, walked over, "What are you doing hiding out here?"

Ming Teng, with an indescribable look at his friend, who was still unaware of anything, struggled to stand up with numb legs, leaning against a tree, "Let me ask you, no matter what happens, we are still good friends, right?"

Ran Xun, looking at the grimace on his friend’s face and hearing him gasp for breath every now and then, wondered how long he had been squatting. Regardless, he gave an affirmative reply, "Yes."

Ming Teng, gasping and struggling with the numbness in his legs, "Remember what you said today, brother. See you tomorrow."

Ran Xun, seeing Ming Rui’s sympathetic look, "Are you guys keeping something from me?"

Ming Teng shook his head, "No, there’s nothing. You’re overthinking it."

Ran Xun, "...."

He wasn’t panicking even when he ranked at the bottom of the class, confident his mother and grandmother would protect him, but now he felt a bit uneasy!

Ming Teng, grabbing Ming Rui, ran off but still questioned uncertainly, "Will Ran Xun still talk to me tomorrow?"

Ming Rui said, "If Ran Xun still talks to you tomorrow, then you truly are good friends."

That evening, at the Zhou Residence in the capital city, dinner was lavish. Zhulan said, "It’s your first day on the job tomorrow. Mother will have a drink too, to wish you all smooth sailing in the days ahead."