Chapter 34

Before the person arrived, their voice was heard first. It turned out to be Qin Wanru, the matriarch of the Chu family. As soon as she entered, she glared angrily at Zuan An.

Anger from Qin Wanru +478!

Zuan An was startled, wondering how she found out about his truancy so quickly. Suddenly, he noticed Cheng Shouping, who was hiding behind her, and almost exploded with anger.

This dog, he's really good at tattling.

"I don't want to go to school," Zuan An said stiffly, facing Qin Wanru's murderous gaze. He had to fight for his own rights, though he wasn't sure if he would succeed.

"That's not up to you!" Qin Wanru said coldly. "You must go tomorrow, and I will send someone to follow you every step of the way. If you cause any trouble, don't blame me for being harsh!"

She snorted and turned to leave, but then felt unsatisfied and turned back. "This matter can't just be let go. Go to the confinement room and copy the family rules 100 times, not a single one less!"

"Family rules?" Zuan An was flabbergasted, never expecting that a scene from a TV drama would happen to him.

Cheng Shouping, hiding nearby, stifled a laugh, clearly enjoying the spectacle. Qin Wanru saw him and snorted.

"Since you failed to notice your master's truancy today, and you're laughing so happily, you can accompany him in copying the rules."

Cheng Shouping: "???"

He suddenly felt like he was watching a fire from a safe distance, only to realize that his own house was burning.

Chu Huanzhao, standing nearby, stuck out her tongue and hurriedly ran over to hold her mother's arm. "Mother, perhaps Brother-in-Law is just not used to school yet. Maybe he'll get better in a few days. Don't be angry."

"What did you call him?" Qin Wanru's eyebrows shot up.

"Brother-in-Law." Chu Huanzhao blushed, feeling ashamed about losing the bet.

"Such a good-for-nothing doesn't deserve to be called your brother-in-law. Don't call him that in the future, do you understand?" Qin Wanru glared at her daughter, already annoyed, and now her daughter was siding with him.

"Okay~" Chu Huanzhao made a face at Zuan An, indicating that this wasn't her fault for losing the bet, but her mother's word.

Qin Wanru grabbed her daughter's hand and walked out. "Follow me back. Stay away from people like him, so you don't get corrupted."

Watching the fiery Chu matriarch leave, Zuan An was puzzled. If she disliked him so much, why did she agree to the marriage? The Chu matriarch was beautiful, but too fierce. No wonder Chu Zhongtian hadn't taken any concubines over the years. He felt sympathy for his new father-in-law.

He also wondered if Ji Dentu had a masochistic tendency, to have such thoughts about such a woman.

At that moment, Old Mi's voice rang out. "If you skip school again tomorrow, I'll break your legs." He then hobbled away.

Zuan An was startled; the old man didn't seem to be joking.

After the others left, Cheng Shouping exclaimed, "He's gone mad! A mere gardener dares to speak to you like that, Master. Don't worry, I'll report him to the matriarch and have her teach him a lesson."

He tried to run out but was pulled back by Zuan An. "Looks like you're quite experienced at tattling."

Cheng Shouping fell to his knees, hugging Zuan An's leg. "Master, you're wrong. I was worried about your safety when I didn't see you at the school gate after class, so I immediately informed the matriarch. My admiration for you is like a river, endless, and my loyalty is as clear as the sun and moon."

Zuan An laughed. "So, I should thank you?"

Cheng Shouping immediately said with a sly smile, "I don't deserve it. I'm just glad you're not upset."

"Considering your flattery, you shouldn't be in such a bad position. Did you offend the matriarch?" Zuan An recalled that the matriarch had also punished him with the copying task, feeling something was off.

"No, I wouldn't dare offend the matriarch," Cheng Shouping shook his head. "When the matriarch and the master talked about taking a concubine, I even went around to find suitable girls for her to consider."

Zuan An suddenly understood. The matriarch had just been talking casually, but Cheng Shouping had actually found a bunch of candidates. It was a miracle he wasn't beaten to death.

"Master, let's go to the confinement room and start copying the rules. Otherwise, the matriarch will punish us again," Cheng Shouping said with a pained expression.

"What's the rush? It's just the family rules. How long can it take?" Zuan An thought about how he used to copy class rules in elementary school, which only took a few minutes.

If he had a computer, it would be even faster. He almost forgot about copy and paste.

He wondered if his keyboard would have such functions in the future.

Despite his reluctance, he followed Cheng Shouping to the confinement room, a place used to punish the Chu family's descendants, similar to a small cell in a prison, but with better conditions.

"This name sounds bad, like a purification room," Zuan An commented sarcastically.

"Master, let's start copying. Otherwise, we won't be able to sleep tonight," Cheng Shouping said with a sad face.

"It's just 100 times the family rules. What's the big deal?" Zuan An rolled his eyes, thinking of how writers in his previous life typed millions of words.

"Where are the family rules?" Zuan An looked around, searching the bookshelf.

"There." Cheng Shouping pointed to the wall, thinking that Zuan An didn't realize the severity of the situation.

Zuan An turned and saw a large stone tablet on the wall, extending from the ceiling to the floor, covered with thousands of tiny characters.

"Wow!" Zuan An exclaimed.

The Chu family must have a lot of rules. This was clearly designed to torment their descendants.

Cheng Shouping, on the verge of tears, handed him paper and a pen. "Master, start copying."

Zuan An's eyes darted around. "Little Ping, didn't you claim to be loyal to me?"

Cheng Shouping straightened up. "Of course, my loyalty to you is as clear as the sun and moon..."

Zuan An interrupted him. "Forget the sun and moon. There's a chance for you to show your loyalty now."

He pushed the paper and pen back into Cheng Shouping's hands and patted his shoulder. "You're the one who has to do it."

Cheng Shouping: "???"

Looking at the wall of rules, Cheng Shouping felt like crying. "Master, I can't do it. There's too much for one person to copy."

"Men don't say they can't," Zuan An encouraged. "Believe me, you can do it."

Seeing his doubt, Zuan An added, "If you help me this time, I'll help you get alone time with Xue'er in the future."

"Really?" Cheng Shouping's eyes lit up.

Zuan An nodded. "Of course. As the husband of the Chu family's eldest daughter, I can create opportunities for you and Xue'er to be alone."

Cheng Shouping, moved to tears, grabbed his hand. "Master, you're so kind~"

Zuan An shuddered and pulled his hand away. "Don't be so effeminate. Get to work, I'll be back later."

Thinking of Xue'er, he remembered that Chu Chuyan had left on business, and Xue'er, as her personal maid, would be with her. This was a good opportunity to search their room for clues about who wanted to kill him.

As the son-in-law of the Chu family, although many people in the household looked down on him, no one would openly stop him from wandering around.

He arrived at Chu Chuyan's courtyard, where she usually preferred quiet and was served only by Xue'er. If there were other maids, it would be hard to avoid them.

He pushed the door, but it was locked.

"Who are they trying to keep out?" Zuan An muttered, but he was prepared.

Looking around to ensure no one was nearby, he covered his face with a black cloth. He didn't want to be caught sneaking into his wife's room.

He circled around to a secluded window, took out a dagger, and inserted it into the gap to unlock the latch.

"Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run," Zuan An thought, recalling scenes from historical dramas.

He pushed the window open and jumped in, smelling a sweet fragrance. He marveled at his wife's scent, though he couldn't touch her.

He had been there once before, so he knew his way around. He searched the study but found nothing valuable, then moved to the bedroom.

He checked under the bed, as TV dramas often showed hidden compartments there.

He didn't find any compartments but discovered a book under the pillow titled "Sweet Darling Wife: 99 Days of Love with the Tyrant Sword Immortal."

Zuan An: "..."

He remembered this was the book Chu Chuyan had been reading in the carriage. Curious, he flipped through it, finding the content similar to modern romance novels.

He noticed a note in elegant handwriting: "Love knows no reason, it deepens with time..."

Zuan An's jaw dropped. He never expected his cold wife to have such a... hidden passion.

"Tsk tsk tsk~" Zuan An quickly put the book back, ensuring it was in the same spot. If she found out he read it, she might kill him.