Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 900 - 460: Why Come Back
First update, asking for pink votes.
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Lian Manman walked into the front hall and immediately saw Lian Jizu sitting awkwardly on a chair. Wu Jiaxing and Wu Lang were seated to his left and right.
When Lian Shouxin, Lady Zhang, and the others entered, Wu Jiaxing and Wu Lang stood up first. Lian Jizu hesitated for a moment before standing up as well.
After exchanging greetings, Lian Shouxin sat down in the chair at the head position. Lady Zhang, Lady Zhao, Lian Manman, Xiao Qi, and Lian Yeye all sat down on the heated brick bed. Meanwhile, Lian Zhizhi remained in the backyard watching over the house and didn’t come along.
"Jizu," Lian Shouxin looked at Lian Jizu and said, "When did you arrive? When you came, you took a detour, and when you left, you avoided our door entirely! Jizu, this is truly disheartening." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
"Fourth Uncle..." Lian Jizu shifted uncomfortably in his chair and tried to explain.
Lian Shouxin, still fuming, waved his hand at Lian Jizu.
"Jizu, do you even see your uncle and aunt as family? Have we ever treated you poorly? Are you harboring grievances against us? Not even strangers would act in such a way. You come back, yet you can’t stop by to see us for just a moment? Say a few words? Would it cost you your dignity as the County Magistrate’s Eldest Young Master? We don’t owe you anything, so what are you afraid of? Afraid we might cling onto you?"
"If someone hadn’t seen you and sent word to us, and if Jiaxing hadn’t managed to intercept you, were you planning to pretend as though you’d never returned at all?"
One question after another left Lian Jizu speechless.
Lian Manman, seated at the edge of the brick bed, thought to herself: This was the first time Lian Shouxin had ever spoken so harshly, and it was directed at Lian Jizu—Old Master Lian’s cherished eldest grandson and heir. But then again, given how out of line Jizu was this time, Shouxin was being rather polite. If it had been someone with a worse temper, they might have physically chastised Jizu by now, and people wouldn’t just condone it—they’d say Shouxin was right to do so.
"Fourth Uncle, you’ve misunderstood." Lian Jizu lifted his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his forehead and forced a smile as he explained, "I wasn’t planning to leave. I just had some matters to attend to and intended to come back later to visit you and Aunt."
Jizu put on a pitiful expression and managed a placating smile at Lady Zhang. Deep down, he believed Lady Zhang’s temperament was gentler, and she was more forgiving and kind toward younger family members. This gesture of his betrayed his hope that Lady Zhang might speak up, help him out, and offer him a way to gracefully retreat.
Lady Zhang noticed Jizu’s pitiful gaze, but at that moment, she was deeply repelled by his conduct and understood the gravity of the situation. It was rare for Lian Shouxin to appear so authoritative, and this wasn’t the time for her to offer an easy exit.
"Brother Jizu, I was chasing after you and calling your name for ages, but you completely ignored me. Your carriage even exited the town and got onto the official road heading toward Taicang. If it weren’t for someone up ahead managing to stop your carriage for me, I wouldn’t have been able to catch up to you by myself," said Wu Jiaxing with a chuckle.
Wu Jiaxing was sharp and perceptive. Seeing the attitudes of Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang, he knew there was no need to spare Jizu’s dignity anymore and simply revealed the whole truth.
Lian Jizu’s face instantly turned beet red.
"...It’s just that the exams are coming soon. I—I was doing this for the sake of the Lian Family," Jizu stammered evasively.
"Brother Jizu, stopping in front of our door for less than fifteen minutes—would that delay any major plans of yours?" Lian Manman spoke up. "Brother Jizu, just say it plainly—do you have some issue with our family? Or do you simply look down on us?"
"No, no, of course not," Lian Jizu quickly waved his hand in denial.
"Brother Jizu, what exactly do you mean? Just be upfront," Wu Lang added.
The entire room was staring at Lian Jizu.
Sweat poured continuously from Jizu’s forehead as he hesitated for a long time. Finally, he stood up and bowed deeply in apology.
"I was wrong in how I handled this matter. Fourth Uncle, Aunt, I offer my sincerest apologies."
"Brother Jizu, unless you make things clear, we cannot accept your apology." Lian Manman, seeing Jizu’s attempts to evade, pressed him further. "Brother Jizu, why have you returned? Why did you deliberately avoid us? Is this your own decision, or did someone instruct you to act this way?"
Though they already knew Lady Zhou had returned, their plan was to interrogate Lian Jizu thoroughly and establish authority first—a strategy the family had agreed upon while outside.
His apology was outright rejected. And with Lian Manman’s remarks hitting all the right points, Jizu found himself cornered. Standing felt awkward, sitting felt worse, and he had no idea how to respond.
