Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 861 - 439: Entertain the Guest

Second update, begging for pink hearts.

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Old Master Lian thought of the marriage certificate and asked Lady Zhou to find it.

Lady Zhou opened the cupboard and rustled through it for a moment, then took out a piece of paper.

Old Master Lian unfolded the paper, tilted his head, brought his face close to it, and carefully read it from beginning to end by the light coming in from outside.

"Is the year of birth on this certificate incorrect?" Old Master Lian asked.

"There’s not a single mistake on the marriage certificate," Lian Shouren hastened to say.

Old Master Lian’s gaze moved away from the marriage certificate and stared intently at Lian Shouren.

Lian Shouren regretted his slip of the tongue, but it was also not appropriate for him to retract his words.

"Born in the year of Bingzi, if the birthday isn’t wrong, then he, he this year is seventy-six years old?" Old Master Lian tentatively asked, as though he hoped there was a mistake that someone could correct.

Regrettably, this wish of his ultimately went unfulfilled.

"Seventy-six? Oh my heavens..." Lady Zhou started crying again. Most people facing unpleasant situations would harbor some hope against hope. Like Lady Zhou now, even though she had seen Third Old Master Zheng’s old age and had personally cursed him as a "coffin stuffer", she still harbored the wishful thinking that he did not look as old as he was.

Seventy-six, at that age in this era, he could even be the father of Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou.

"Seventy-six, is that correct?" Old Master Lian’s hands started to tremble again, "His eldest son, isn’t he the one who came to pick up the bride, looking at most in his forties?"

"Dad, all the daughters Third Old Master Zheng had earlier are now gone, the one who came that day is the oldest son," Lian Shouren said, following it with a soft mutter, "...these matchmakers seemed to have mentioned it."

Even if it had been mentioned, who would seriously remember how many daughters an old man on the brink of death had previously lost? After all, they were also of advanced age by now.

"My heavens..." Lady Zhou clutched her head, elongating her wails in anguish, "What sins have we committed..."

In this era, it was not uncommon for young women to marry older men as their subsequent wives, but the age of Third Old Master Zheng was undeniably too old.

"Brother Ming was just padding his age, adding a couple of years," Lian Shouyi quickly interjected, "Besides, they live well, eat well, they aren’t like an old farmer, they seem much younger."

"Young my foot!" Lady Zhou, enraged by Lian Shouyi’s words, trembled violently, fat gob flying imprecisely and lacking the strength to hit Lian Shouyi’s face, instead falling to the ground halfway.

"...Heartless, you are sending Xiuxiu to the pits of fire. Why did I raise such beasts, animals, if only I knew this, the moment you were born, I should have drowned you in a urine pot..." Lady Zhou, as if possessed by madness, came down from the bed and pummeled Lian Shouren and Lian Shouyi.

The room was thrown into chaos again, and in the end, it was Lian Lanlan who helped Lady Zhou back onto the bed.

Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou sat on the bed, while Lian Shouren and Lian Shouyi knelt on the ground, as obedient as could be.

Lady Gu had already taken the chance to slip away amidst the commotion and was now nowhere to be found.

"Old man, you say something, how should we handle this matter?" Lady Zhou cried, "Our dear Xiuxiu..."

Old Master Lian hung his head in silence, and Lady Zhou understood that Old Master Lian was out of options as well, so she hugged Lian Xiuxiu and began to weep anew.

In the end, Old Master Lian rose from the bed and took Lian Shouren and Lian Shouyi into the main hall. Lady Zhou also closed the door of the eastern room, leaving only Lian Xiuxiu and Lian Lanlan inside, the mother and daughters speaking in low voices. It was but a quiet interrogation of Lian Xiuxiu, with Lian Lanlan gently trying to console her on the side.

In this era, there were no explicit rules forbidding women from remarrying, but many deeply believed that women should remain faithful to one husband for life, and that remarriage was shameful, immodest, and would bring dishonor to their families. Old Master Lian would never wish to have a daughter who remarried, and this standard did not waver even for Lian Xiuxiu.

Lady Zhou also believed in this, but for Lian Xiuxiu, she could make an exception.

Lady Zhou could scold and curse, but her actual problem-solving ability was negligible. Faced with the reality, she had no choice but to accept her fate. She resigned herself to it and expected Lian Xiuxiu to do the same.

This matter was now irrevocable.

It was already noon, and no one had eaten yet, but at this moment, who could even remember to eat. Lady Zhang, along with Lian Manman, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi returned to the eastern wing room and began to pack up.