Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 1375 - 701: Another Family Split? (Part 2)

"Isn’t it true, Yeye is quite upset about this." Lian Manman said.

"It’s indeed infuriating." Lady Zhang nodded.

"However, on the other hand, it’s not worth getting angry with such people." Lian Manman continued, "Simply treat everything he says as unheard of, that’s the most peace of mind."

"Right." Lady Zhang and Lian Zhizhi both nodded.

The advice was sensible, easy to say, but much harder to implement amid the trivial matters of daily life.

This autumn rain added some hardships to the tenant farmer families. Fortunately, the weather afterward remained sunny, and the fields quickly dried up. The mud flattened by wheel tracks formed fish-scale patterns, with some thin enough to crumble with a pinch.

After two days of toil, luckily, the impact on the harvest wasn’t significant, and the tenant farmer families soon forgot the past hardships, indulging once again in the joy of a bountiful harvest.

Lian Shouxin ultimately did not lend the old family manor a big cart or any long-term workers, and Old Master Lian didn’t return to the fields. He merely urged his sons Shouren and Shouyi every day. In the end, they finished harvesting those few acres of land.

When Old Master Lian felt better, he went down to the fields once more, but the result nearly aggravated his stroke again.

Lian Shouren, Lian Shouyi, and the others did manage to harvest the crops back home, but their work was sloppy. The stalks of sorghum, millet, and corn were left over a foot high. Sorghum heads were visibly scattered in the furrows. As a seasoned farmer, Old Master Lian was naturally displeased—not just displeased, he felt quite ashamed.

Old Master Lian lost his temper in the fields, and upon returning home, he lay down on the kang bed, unable to eat. He stewed in his anger for several days before slowly recovering, though his vitality was reduced by a notch.

Wu Lang stayed a few days at the Luo family village estate, and upon returning, he heard about these matters and merely shook his head and sighed without saying much. The crops from their farmstead had been mostly gathered in, laid out on the threshing floor for drying. Lian Shouxin and Wu Lang then led people to the vineyard to start picking grapes, preparing to brew this year’s wine.

Once the wine almost was ready, Lian Shouxin began leading people again, organizing the fields and spreading manure, preparing to plant winter wheat.

During this period, after the eighth-month festival, this season’s river delicacies sold at a good price.

The entire family was so busy their feet hardly touched the ground until September, when the winter wheat was planted and they finally had a moment to catch their breath. After a month of hard work, not only did no one complain, instead, everyone was more energized and vibrant. Especially in the evening after hearing Lian Manman and Xiao Qi calculate the accounts with the abacus, Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang couldn’t stop smiling, and the others weren’t shy about sharing their delight.

"Another bountiful year." Lian Shouxin leaned back against the chair, stretching out comfortably and remarked.

The family started chatting casually, each saying bits and pieces.

"This afternoon Erlang went to deliver grain to the old family manor and stopped by our house for a bit while you were out." Lady Zhang said as she sewed with the last light of evening.

"Did Erlang say anything?" Lian Shouxin asked.

"He didn’t say much. I asked how his work at the workshop was going, and he said it was fine." Lady Zhang said, "Erlang looks thinner now. Every day going to the workshop, mornings and evenings, he still has to help at home with the fields. It’s a good thing he is strong; others wouldn’t have been able to keep it up."

"That boy Erlang, he has a hard life." Lian Shouxin’s expression dimmed somewhat, he spoke after a pause.

"A candle burning at both ends, alas." Lady Zhang didn’t look up, thus didn’t see Lian Shouxin’s expression at that moment. "I heard over there he faces a good face regularly, but when delivering grain here, it’s always a bad face."

"A candle burning at both ends, this is a saying, describing Erlang working in the workshop while also farming. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"What good does a good face do?" Lian Shouxin said, "Working so hard for the Old Luo family, if they didn’t even give him a good face, there’s no point in living."

Lian Shouxin spoke a bit sharply, Lady Zhang realized it. She looked up at Lian Shouxin and then said nothing.

"Enough, enough, what’s the use of talking about this." Lian Shouxin calmed down himself, yet still asked Lady Zhang, "Today Erlang went to the old manor, were there more insults from this Second Master couple?"

"Isn’t it obvious." Lady Zhang replied, "Since Erlang got that wage, the grain is delivered on time, that Second Master couple just kept demanding things from him, Erlang didn’t comply."

"No wonder the couple is getting lazier by the day." Lian Shouxin said, "With the grain Erlang sends monthly for them, they are even less inclined to work. Give them even more, they’d really act like overlords."

"The Second Master’s wife started visiting houses again. Heard she’s muttering behind backs against the Master, the Madam, and that whole bunch." Lady Zhang said, "The grain Erlang delivered was communal property, they only kept some clothes. Heard they had the cheek to tell folks that the Master’s family relies on them for a living."

"Could it be they want to separate families?" Lian Manman washed a few watermelons, arranging them on a tray, and overhearing Lady Zhang’s words, asked.

"I haven’t heard them say that." Lady Zhang said.

"The separation would happen sooner than later. Better sooner than later." Lian Manman said.

"That depends on the Old Master’s wishes. Although he says he’s through, he’s really not." Lian Shouxin sighed. Old Master Lian had been holding back from separating families, ignoring a comfortable life and laboring arduously, only to find dissatisfaction in the end.

"It’s just a matter of whether the Master or Second Master speaks up first. I think the Second Master will be the first to speak." Lady Zhang said.

"It’s not likely they’ll speak straightforwardly." Lian Manman pondered and said, "Surely there will be a fuss." (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) and cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes, your support is my greatest motivation.)