Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 71 - Camouflage_1

The saying goes that a man forgets his mother once he takes a wife, and he played the dutiful son well.

After hearing his wife’s words and realizing the gravity of the situation, Zhou Shuren hurriedly came to the main house.

Standing at the entrance, he saw his mother’s changing expressions and felt his heart pounding.

He fell to his knees all at once, “Mother, your son is at fault.”

Zhulan, “….”

Zhou Shuren was indeed the smartest person at home; he knew she had discovered Madame Zhao’s beauty.

Seeing his mother’s emotionless face which was unnerving, Zhou Shuren grew apprehensive.

His mother was not the same person she used to be.

“Mother, I had no choice.

Madame Zhao’s beauty is too great, and bringing her into our family is a curse.

If discovered, we cannot protect her, and she could bring disaster upon us.”

He indirectly explained why Madame Zhao often resorted to tears.

As Zhulan recalled Madame Zhao’s visage and winced in sympathy, her thoughts turned to her oldest granddaughter.

She resolved to push Zhou Shuren harder.

He had to not only become an official but a high-ranking one at that, for even a small ranking official could not guarantee his children’s protection.

Zhou Shuren was inwardly nervous.

He was the first to notice Qiu Niang’s beauty and didn’t want to bring calamity upon himself by considering marriage.

He simply paid attention, unable to control his feelings.

It’s tough for a plain man to resist a beauty.

Still, he had a conscience and didn’t want to cause trouble for his family, so he refrained from acting.

Later, it was Qiu Niang who took notice of him and directly approached him.

Externally, he appeared to be the most honest man in the family, but inwardly, he was the most rebellious and purposeful, especially after meeting his eldest brother’s wife.

He became determined to marry a clever woman.

It is said that beauties are all looks and no brains, but when he realized Madame Zhao’s tears were a facade and encountered her intelligence, he was attracted.

Thus, he bartered grain for a wife.

Later, even with his mother disapproving, they agreed on the marriage.

But Madame Zhao couldn’t stay indoors forever.

He and she knew too well that the less she appeared in public, the more people would grow curious—particularly about a wife bought with grain, speculating what made her worth such a trade.

They had no choice but to venture out, always accompanying his mother, for she was skilled in martial arts and people would not dare to approach too closely.

As for the subsequent abuse of his wife, leading to his mother being labeled the harsh mother-in-law, he and Madame Zhao never anticipated his mother would take the blame.

At first, they thought the village would lose interest in a weepy, weak wife.

Little did they know how envious the village women would be of his mother.

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Consumed by guilt, Zhou Shuren could only kneel as his mother remained silent.

Zhulan considered that if the original soul were still alive, she would surely have been furious—not at Madame Zhao, but at the distrust shown by their son.

Now that it was her, she felt Zhou Shuren deserved punishment and should kneel; it was for the original soul’s sake, not her own.

“Keep kneeling.

Rise when you have knelt for an hour.

Reflect on your mistakes during that time.”

Her son in the capital needed education.

This stepson had always felt insignificant and lacked a sense of belonging to the family.

It was not entirely Zhou Shuren’s fault; the original couple had their issues as well.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too late—the stepson had been showing considerable dedication to the Zhou family recently.

Leaning against the wall with closed eyes, Zhulan also estimated the time.

Nearly an hour had passed without the stepson getting up.

Opening her eyes, she saw him pale, his legs unable to bear the kneeling any longer.

She nodded internally, knowing he recognized his fault and wanted to atone through kneeling.

A smile flickered in Zhulan’s eyes.

The martial arts she and Zhou Shuren practiced weren’t in vain, “Stand up.”

Zhou Shuren had reflected on many things during the half-hour.

People fear letting their thoughts spiral out of control.

Since acknowledging his parents, he tended to consider things from their perspective.

With a heavy heart, he bowed his head, “Mother, your son has been unfilial.

I used to blame my parents for not caring for me, never looking at my own faults.

You and father have never mistreated Madame Zhao and me, yet I never appreciated you and distrusted you, even used you.

I have failed you both as a son.”

Zhulan’s smile deepened, “Get up.

I’m not angry at you.

I, too, am at fault.

The tumultuous years of war distracted me from paying adequate attention to you.

I apologize to you and ask that you not blame your mother.”

Zhou Shuren’s eyes reddened.

He had never suffered hunger or cold during the years of chaos, recalling how his mother hunted for food and never played favorites.

His heart ached, “Mother, I was wrong.”

Zhulan stiffened.

Her stepson was weeping in her lap.

Even though she wasn’t the original person, and it took some getting used to, feelings were infectious, and she couldn’t help but stroke his hair and curve her lips into a smile.

Not only were Zhou family’s children changing, but so were she and Zhou Shuren.

She realized she had started to feel like a real mother, no longer just playing a role.