Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 884 - 451 Money Earned Is Meant to Be Spent_2

"Yes, Auntie Four, Sister Manman, this is too much money, we can’t accept it," Lian Yeye also said.

"We had an agreement from the beginning, just take it," Lady Zhang urged. "I’ve raised pigs before, and feeding six pigs several times a day is no easy task."

"Yes, Auntie, you should just take the money," Lian Manman also said, "With this money, next spring, you can buy a few piglets and raise your own pigs."

In the end, after everyone’s persuasion, Lady Zhao and Lian Yeye gratefully accepted the money.

...

Wu Yugui and Wu Jiaxing returned from the west, bringing back two slaughtered sheep and twenty pounds of beef, which they split evenly with Lian Manman’s family. Since they bought whole sheep and had it slaughtered there, Lian Manman’s family also got one sheepskin.

Lady Zhang decided to send the sheepskin to the tanner’s shop in town to have it processed, planning to make a sheepskin jacket for Lian Shouxin.

The sheep and cattle, just like the ones they brought, were raised by the Hui people who migrated from further west. The Hui are very skilled at raising cattle and sheep; their sheepskins are very soft and thick, and the quality of the beef and mutton is very tender and fresh.

"Back when I was at my maternal home, we also ate beef and mutton, but since we moved here, in these years, we have only eaten it twice," Lady Zhang said with some nostalgia, "Back then we didn’t have you few, only Zhizhi, and the Upper Room still had fifty mu of land, it wasn’t as poor as later."

"How shall we eat this meat?" the family discussed.

The beef and mutton could be stewed, minced for fillings in dumplings or buns, or prepared in various ways such as braised or marinated.

"We could have hot pot and mutton slices to be cooked in broth," Lian Manman’s eyes curved into crescents. She had been here for over a year, lived through two winters, and had yet to experience hot pot and mutton slices to be cooked in broth.

"Our house doesn’t have a pot for that. If we want to have hot pot and mutton slices to be cooked in broth, we’ll need to buy a pot first," Lady Zhang said.

In this era, hot pots were mostly handmade from pure copper, a luxury item out of reach for ordinary tenant farmers’ families. If a family had a copper hot pot, it was an immediate sign that they were well-off.

"Then let’s buy it," Lian Manman said.

Wu Lang and Xiao Qi both looked at Lady Zhang.

Lian Zhizhi sat beside them, smiling quietly without speaking.

Seeing them like this, Lady Zhang realized that all four children wanted to buy a hot pot and enjoy eating hot pot and mutton slices to be cooked in broth.

With the Lunar New Year approaching and the need to buy New Year’s goods, the next day was the big market in Qingyang Town. After getting everything at home in order, Lian Shouxin drove the ox-cart, and the family headed to town.

Upon reaching Qingyang Town, Lady Zhang, Lian Manman, and Lian Zhizhi alighted from the cart in front of the jewelry shop, while Lian Shouxin took Wu Lang and Xiao Qi to Lu Family’s general store, which sold ready-made copper hot pots.

Lady Zhang, Lian Zhizhi, and Lian Manman entered the jewelry shop, and the Shopkeeper promptly greeted them.

"Fourth Madam, two misses, please take a seat over here. Take a look; if there’s anything that catches your eye, we can also take custom orders. Our shop guarantees pure gold and pure silver, with fair prices, and our craftsmen’s skills are in no way inferior to those in county towns or Prefecture City..."

The Shopkeeper, with a face full of smiles, ushered the three of them into a private room at the back of the shop and then brought in the finest gold and silver jewelry box by box for them to choose from.

With enough silver coin at hand this year, Lian Manman planned for the three of them to add some new jewelry.

"I won’t add any for myself; you sisters pick," Lady Zhang said.

Lian Manman first chose four gilded silver necklaces and four gilded silver lock pendants, intending to give Wu Lang, Xiao Qi, Lian Zhizhi, and herself one set each. Then, Lian Manman selected three pairs of Red Gold Earrings, one pair for herself, Lian Zhizhi, and Lady Zhang. Following that, she chose two pairs of Twisted Pattern Empress Silver Bracelets and two pairs of Garlic-head Fortune Silver Bracelets. All four pairs of bracelets weighed approximately one tael each, and she and Lian Zhizhi would each have two pairs.

Next, Lian Manman also picked out two Silver Hairpins and two plain Red Gold Rings for herself and Lian Zhizhi.

Finally, Lian Manman picked a Silver Hairpin for Lady Zhang and placed an order with the Shopkeeper for a pair of mudfish-back Silver Bracelets.

"Each should weigh two taels," Lian Manman told the Shopkeeper.

Lian Manman and Lian Zhizhi were still young, and heavy jewelry didn’t suit them well; Lady Zhang, however, was of an age that could carry heavier pieces. Such heavy items were not just for adornment but also served as a form of savings.

After selecting the jewelry, Lian Manman asked the Shopkeeper to box everything up and deliver it to her home in the afternoon. Naturally, the shopkeeper agreed readily.

Coming out of the jewelry shop, the mother and daughters headed toward the Lu Family’s general store, passing by a furrier’s shop.

"I wonder when that sheepskin will be ready. When it is, we’ll use that teal satin for the outer layer of the sheepskin jacket," Lady Zhang said offhandedly.

"Mother, why don’t we just buy a few more skins," Lian Manman suggested, struck by a thought.

The group then entered the furrier’s shop, where both the Shopkeeper and the clerks greeted them with smiles.

"My brother and Xiao Qi go to school every day and get exposed to the wind; they should each have a warm mao da chang (fur overcoat). My sister and I should each get a fur coat too, and Mother, you should have one as well," Lian Manman said, directing the Shopkeeper to bring out lamb skins for them to select.

"Manman," Lian Zhizhi gently tugged at Lian Manman’s sleeve, "how about we buy two more skins, so Wu Lang and Xiao Qi can each have a pair of sheepskin boots? That way they won’t be afraid of stepping in the snow while going to and from school."

"The kind that Brother Xing wears?" Lian Manman laughed, "Then two more skins won’t be enough. I think Brother Xing’s boots are quite worn; he should also have a new pair."

****...***

Here’s one update, and there will be another later.

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