A Time-Traveling Mishap: I Became an Ancient Nobleman

Chapter 8 Madam, please calm down.

Just as she was thinking this, a deep and magnetic voice came from outside the door, with a hint of cynical laughter in its tone, "Madam, do you know what good things I brought back today?"

Hearing the sound, Zhou Hanzhang unconsciously looked towards the door.

A middle-aged man wearing a silk shirt embroidered with delicate dark patterns, a dark brocade belt around his waist, and a jade pendant walked in through the doorway.

His long hair was tied up with a simple headband, and slightly messy strands fell beside his broad forehead and deep eyes, adding a touch of casual charm.

His face was handsome, with well-defined features, as if he were a work of art carefully sculpted by God.

His eyes were bright and expressive, and although his skin wasn't as delicate as a woman's, it was healthy and radiant, revealing a kind of untamed masculine beauty.

Madam Zhou frowned as she looked at the birdcage he was carrying. "Husband, you're back."

Unaware of what was happening, Mr. Zhou handed the cage in front of Mrs. Zhou, saying, "Madam, look, aren't these colorful birds beautiful?"

Madam Zhou then noticed the bird in his cage, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Husband...husband, is that the parrot that the overseas merchant brought back some time ago?" Madam Zhou's voice trembled slightly.

When Mr. Zhou saw that his wife recognized the bird immediately, he was delighted. "Madam truly has a discerning eye; she recognized it at a glance."

He patted the cage. "Quickly, greet Madam."

The parrot was quite cooperative; Zhou's father patted the cage and began to chirp, "Greetings, Madam! Greetings, Madam! Congratulations on your fortune, long life, and ever-growing beauty..."

The people present: ...

Madam Zhou suppressed her anger and controlled her voice, "Husband, how did you get your hands on this parrot? I heard that it was intended to be presented to the emperor by an overseas merchant."

"As expected, nothing can be hidden from the madam. Although the overseas merchant said he would present the parrot to the emperor, it couldn't compete with the amount of money I spent."

Mr. Zhou looked smug, saying, "People die for money, birds die for food; everything has its price."

Looking at her father's handsome face, Mrs. Zhou forcibly suppressed the urge to slap him.

He thought to himself, "His only redeeming quality is his face. If his face is injured, then he'll lose his only redeeming quality."

After suppressing her anger, she asked gently, "How much money did my husband spend?"

Mr. Zhou looked unconcerned, “It’s not much, just a thousand taels of gold.”

Madam Zhou's voice softened further, "One thousand taels of gold?"

Mr. Zhou suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Looking at Mrs. Zhou's gentle expression, he instantly realized what had happened.

"Madam, I bought this especially for you, so that you can find some enjoyment while managing the business, and not be so busy every day..."

Before Mr. Zhou could finish speaking, Mrs. Zhou, disregarding the presence of Granny Zhou, stepped forward and grabbed his ear.

"So you mean it's all for me?!" Madam Zhou's voice was still gentle, but everyone could hear the gritted teeth in it.

Mr. Zhou immediately cried out, "Madam, be gentle, be gentle... If you don't like it, I'll return it."

"Can this be returned? I know that overseas merchants have a rule that once goods leave the country, they cannot be returned or exchanged."

As Mrs. Zhou spoke gently, she increased the pressure in her hand and twisted Mr. Zhou's ear around once.

Tears welled up in Zhou's father's eyes from the pain. He looked at Zhou Hanzhang beside him and said, "Son, please help your father."

Seeing this, Zhou Hanzhang didn't dare to speak, silently turning his head to the side and pretending to drink tea.

Seeing this, Zhou's father knew there was no hope in relying on his son, so he quickly looked at Granny Zhou again, "Granny, Granny, please help me persuade Huijun, or my ears will fall off..."

Granny Zhou felt a pang of pity, but she didn't speak up for him. "With your temper, only Consort Hui can handle you. And Consort Hui's grip seems a bit too light."

"Ah...ah...I was wrong, Madam, I was wrong..." Seeing that neither of the two people present who could speak up for him would speak up for him, Mr. Zhou could only howl at Madam Zhou.

Madam Zhou grabbed his ear and pulled him to a stool before letting go.

With great foresight, Mr. Zhou quickly poured a cup of tea, knelt down in front of Mrs. Zhou, and held the teacup above his head with both hands.

"Madam, please calm down."

Seeing that Madam Zhou had accepted the teacup, Mr. Zhou tried to get up, but Madam Zhou gave him a cold look, and he immediately knelt down and lowered his head.

Mrs. Zhou finished her tea and slammed it down on the table, startling her father, who was kneeling.

As soon as Madam Zhou reached out her hand, Father Zhou immediately knelt back two steps.

Madam Zhou said with disdain, "Granny Zhou and the child are still here. What kind of appearance do you make? It makes people think I'm bullying you."

Mr. Zhou quickly shook his head, “My wife is virtuous, gentle, polite, magnanimous, fair and selfless. I have wronged her. I am not human.”

He paused and continued, "I saw that it was a hot summer day, and this floor looked very cool. I thought that getting some cool air would help me cool down. It has nothing to do with you, Madam."

Granny Zhou looked on with disbelief, while the maids in the room lowered their heads and secretly laughed at the sight.

Zhou Hanzhang was dumbfounded.

Madam Zhou said helplessly, "Get up, dinner is about to start, what kind of behavior is this?"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhou quickly got up, took small steps behind Mrs. Zhou, and began to massage her back. "Madam, what about this thousand taels of gold?"

"Oh, since you paid for it, then we'll deduct it from your monthly allowance."

Mr. Zhou was so frightened that he stopped abruptly and wailed, "Madam, I don't have much money left each month, when will I be able to pay it back?"

"It's alright. If you don't want to have it deducted from your monthly allowance, that's fine too. I remember you have some South China Sea red coral in your inventory. I think it cost five thousand taels back then? Using it to offset that should be enough."

"No, madam, no..." Zhou's father was devastated.

"Anyway, you'll only see it a few times a year if you keep it in the storeroom. The money you get from exchanging it will be enough for you to buy some other fun things. The other day, Mrs. Chiang said she wanted to find some rare and precious items for her daughter's dowry."

"No, Jiang Mingzhi is trying to get his hands on my collection by marrying off his daughter? No way, I'm going to find him." Zhou's father immediately tried to leave.

Madam Zhou's voice drifted over softly, "Husband, if you go out today, it will be inconvenient for you to come back later."

"Ah, Madam, I'm not going out. Didn't we say it was time for dinner? I'm just wondering why it hasn't been served yet. It's fine if I'm hungry, but it wouldn't be good if Madam and the nanny were hungry."

Mr. Zhou, who was about to leave, quickly pulled his foot back and grinned at Mrs. Zhou.

Seeing Zhou's father like this, Granny Zhou couldn't help but shake her head and sigh, saying to Madam Zhou, "You've really had a hard time."