Page 597 of Doted By The Regent King

An ox cart traveled along the official road, the cart consisting only of a few planks attached to the ox, with no other cover, and the whooshing north wind swept past, causing sheer pain on the travelers’ cheeks.

In the ox cart, aside from the driver, there was a family of four, each holding a small bundle, huddling together to shield themselves from the cold wind, murmuring quietly.

"Mother, is Wufu’s house really that big and beautiful?" asked a young girl dressed in a pink dress.

The group was none other than Zhou Xuennian’s family, except for the good-for-nothing Zhou Dajun, Zhou Xuennian and his wife, along with Zhou Xiuer and Zhou Eryong, were all there.

Madam Lu adjusted her hair and said, "Of course it is. Their house is even larger than Landlord Li’s residence in the town, and much more beautiful, too."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiuer’s face lit up with longing and envy. She had long heard from Madam Lu about how prosperous Wufu’s family had become, living in a fine mansion with a large estate, bedecked in gold and silver, surrounded by servants.

She had always wanted to see it for herself but never had the chance—until now. She was determined to ingratiate herself with her aunt, hoping the latter would agree to have her stay there.

Indeed, the family was using the visit to the Lu Family as a pretext to actually mooch off Wufu’s family.

They had it all planned out, yet they didn’t consider that their last successful mooching happened only because Wufu was not at home. This time, whether they would even be allowed through the door was uncertain!

Zhou Xiuer, however, had thought of this and cautiously asked, "Mother, what if Wufu’s family doesn’t let us in?"

"Dare she!" exclaimed Madam Lu, her eyes widening though her voice somewhat faltered—they were invoking that scourge...

She unconsciously looked towards Zhou Xuennian sitting stiffly in front. Swallowing hard, she reminded herself that it was he who insisted on coming, and she was simply following her husband—a wife mustn’t disregard her husband’s words, right?

But would Wufu let them in?

Madam Lu wasn’t so sure herself, and recalling her mother-in-law’s words, she felt even more uneasy.

She embodied the typical bandit’s mentality—both afraid of death and eager to play the bandit.

"Husband..." Madam Lu began.

Zhou Xuennian glanced at her and said, "What’s there to panic about? Everyone living there must already be acquainted with them. If a family shows up, would they really turn us away and tarnish their reputation? I am her elder brother, her own uncle by blood."

Everyone knew what an uncle meant in the family—a figure of great importance. The saying went ’a mother’s brother holds dear affection,’ positioning him at the very top of the family hierarchy, and even at the whitest of affairs, the saying ’no feast is complete without the uncle’ held true.

So, could they truly dare to deny us entry? Afraid of damaging their reputation, of being drowned in a sea of spittle, they will just have to endure.

Seeing her husband’s serene and confident demeanor, Madam Lu also felt somewhat reassured.

Indeed, they couldn’t dismiss the uncle—neither the Lord of Thunder in the heavens nor the Uncle Lord on earth could be ignored!

Zhou Xuennian’s sudden confidence also stemmed from a recent meeting with an old classmate. During the visit, he happened upon his classmate paying respectful greetings to a visiting uncle, and they discussed the significance of uncles.

With this in mind, he had the courage to exploit this fact.

For this visit, his requests weren’t extravagant; he only wanted them to find him a stable job with good benefits, so then everyone could live in harmony.

If they couldn’t accommodate such a small request and he suffered, then so would they all, regardless of their reputation.

Zhou Xuennian, contemplating this, his eyes flashed a determined resolve, putting aside the hardships he’d endured in prison for the moment.