Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 1565 - 797: Lian Manman’s Proposal
It’s the third watch of the night, seeking pinks.
The Lian Manman family was in the backyard when they heard from a servant that Lian Shouli had arrived and wanted to see Lian Shouxin.
"...Third Master looks quite anxious." The person reporting added.
In the village, there were hardly any secrets, especially when those two large carts of timber came from the town and passed through the street. Lian Manman guessed that Lian Shouli had heard the news and came to ask Lian Shouxin about it.
A hundred sets of tables and chairs, with the buyer providing the materials and prepaying the wages, was a completely reliable and profitable business. The leftover scraps could be used as firewood or put together to make some small furniture. This single job was enough to cover a year’s expenses for an ordinary family.
Among the carpenters in the surrounding ten miles or so, none had likely taken on such a big job. And with the number of sets reduced from one hundred to fifty, the potential earnings would be halved. Lian Shouli couldn’t help but be anxious.
But there was no way around it—after all, they couldn’t delay the important matter of the school for the sake of letting Lian Shouli earn money.
"I’ll go take a look." Lian Shouxin stood up and said.
"Dad, please explain it well to my Third Uncle. He’s reasonable, and once he understands, everything will be fine." Lian Manman said to Lian Shouxin.
"Alright." Lian Shouxin agreed and went to the front yard.
"Are these tables and chairs really so urgent that they can’t wait?" Lady Zhang asked Lian Manman quietly after Lian Shouxin left.
"Mother, look at your question. If they could wait, would I have needed to make other arrangements?" Lian Manman replied while busy with her work, "To speak of it, it was because my dad got a bit too impulsive at the start. A hundred sets of tables and chairs—our school starts in spring, and it’s not a job one person can handle alone."
"Around here, my Third Uncle is not the only carpenter family. All are folks from the countryside. Many families are not well off, and we have to take care of them to some extent... My Third Uncle’s family doesn’t solely rely on our work now." Lian Manman continued. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Lady Zhang had no objection to the idea of sharing the work with other carpenters in the surrounding ten miles or so.
"You’re right. For our fellow townsfolk, we should support those we can." Lady Zhang said.
"Isn’t it so?" Lian Manman laughed, "I’ve split the carpentry work between two families this time. In the future, if there’s similar work, we should do the same... Let everyone benefit from us."
What Lian Manman just said was a little different from what she told Lian Shouxin earlier. However, since she put it differently, Lady Zhang didn’t notice the discrepancy.
"Others should say they’re benefiting, not you, child." Lady Zhang laughed.
...
In the front yard, Lian Shouxin and Lian Shouli sat facing each other in the front hall, and the atmosphere in the room was slightly tense. This tension came from Lian Shouli.
"Old Fourth, I, I just saw your cart of timber on the street. I heard you gave fifty sets of tables and chairs to Old Zhao from Zhao Family Village and Old Li from West Village?" Lian Shouli asked cautiously, looking at Lian Shouxin.
"Ah, that’s true. Third Brother, I..." Lian Shouxin nodded.
"Old Fourth," Lian Shouli interrupted before Lian Shouxin could finish, "Those fifty sets of tables and chairs, where are they for? You never mentioned it. They shouldn’t be for the school, right? I reckon a hundred sets of tables and chairs should be enough for the school."
Hearing this from Lian Shouli, Lian Shouxin was slightly taken aback. Since Lian Shouli had heard about it, he must have already known that those tables and chairs were part of the hundred sets needed for the school. Now, Lian Shouli’s meaning was quite clear.
"Third Brother, I was just about to tell you about this." Lian Shouxin didn’t hide anything and spoke to Lian Shouli, "Initially, I underestimated things. Now I see that fifty sets of tables and chairs for the start of spring won’t be enough. The remaining fifty sets have to be made by someone else."
"Old Fourth, you mean..." Lian Shouli tried to stay calm, but his voice still trembled slightly.
Lian Shouli, not having much experience with or having decided on important matters, couldn’t help but be nervous and show it in his expression when encountering something significant. In this respect, Lian Shouxin was much stronger than Lian Shouli. First, in terms of character, Lian Shouxin was more stable than Lian Shouli. Additionally, what Lian Shouxin had experienced and the training he had undergone was something Lian Shouli could not compare to.
Naturally, this also had to do with the different statuses of the two men at present.
"Third Brother, I apologize for this time. There’s no other way. I can’t let you work day and night endlessly. We’re getting close to the New Year, and you should take a few days off. Your health can’t endure too much strain." Lian Shouxin said.
