Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 910 - 465 Refutation_2
Being questioned like this by Lian Manman, Lian Lanlan’s face alternated between red and white.
"... You have your sons, daughters-in-law, grandsons, and granddaughters—how can the elderly’s responsibility be pushed onto me? What do I know? It was Jizu who brought your grandmother back. When we reached the county seat, I was worried about the old lady and helped escort her back." Lian Lanlan defended herself. "And now you’re blaming me? If word gets out, who would be the laughingstock? I took care of the old lady out of consideration for you all, but instead of thanking me, you’re gossiping about me."
"Aunt, such things need to be considered in context. You originally didn’t bear any responsibility, but there’s a saying: ’Accepting an entrusted task means completing it faithfully.’" Lian Manman looked at Lian Lanlan meaningfully, intentionally emphasizing the phrase ’accepting an entrusted task.’ She suspected that Lian Lanlan agreed to come and act as Lian Jizu’s buffer because she had gained benefits from the main branch of the family. Otherwise, given Lian Lanlan’s shrewdness, why would she have taken on such a task?
Of course, if Lian Jizu managed to escape smoothly, Lian Lanlan could justifiably shift the responsibility of taking care of Lady Zhou onto Lian Shouli and Lian Shouxin. After all, as Lian Lanlan herself claimed, she was a married daughter and did not bear the obligation of supporting Lady Zhou. By saying publicly that she cared for Lady Zhou for several days out of her filial piety, the brothers of Lian Shouxin would have to show their gratitude, and outsiders would also give her a thumbs-up.
However, with Lian Manman around, Lian Lanlan’s attempts to please everyone would only remain an unfulfilled fantasy.
"You accepted my eldest uncle, aunt, and Jizu brother’s request, and you agreed to it. Reasonably and ethically, you should fulfill the agreed-upon task—taking care of my grandmother. If you want to shirk this responsibility, it’s not up to you to tell us. Instead, you should have my eldest uncle and aunt come forward and explicitly take back the responsibility from you. Only then will you be free to do as you please, and at that point, we wouldn’t have anything further to say."
"Until then, even if my grandmother says she doesn’t want you to care for her and tells you to leave, we wouldn’t agree." Lian Manman stated calmly.
"You..." Lian Lanlan was rendered speechless by Lian Manman.
"Aunt, if we’re going to talk about blame, it should be said in reverse. If you couldn’t shoulder the responsibility of taking care of my grandmother, you shouldn’t have agreed to my uncle, aunt, and Jizu brother’s request in the first place. You agreed but couldn’t follow through—doesn’t this amount to throwing my grandmother into the well?"
"That day, when my grandmother mentioned falling into the well, I didn’t quite understand what she meant. Today, Aunt, your visit and your talk with my father have clarified things for me."
"What kind of nonsense is that?" Lian Lanlan’s face turned awkward, and she kept glancing at Lian Shouxin, hoping for help.
Lian Shouxin sat there like a meditating monk, silent and motionless. He was beginning to grow annoyed with Lian Lanlan’s behavior but couldn’t win arguments against her. Now that his daughter had stepped in and successfully rebuffed Lian Lanlan, while he couldn’t do much, he also knew this wasn’t the moment to help her.
"By the way, when I walked in just now, Aunt, I heard you say we shouldn’t hold a grudge against my grandmother. That statement puzzles me too. Aunt, could you tell me what grudge we supposedly have with my grandmother?" Lian Manman questioned Lian Lanlan again.
"... ..."
Lian Lanlan left in defeat.
"Thirsty." Lian Manman exhaled and said.
"Sister Manman, I’ll pour you some water." Lian Yeye said with a smile.
"Let me do it, let me do it." Lian Shouxin rushed to pour water for Lian Manman.
At midday, the family gathered at the shop to eat. Lian Manman recounted how Lian Lanlan had come by earlier.
"Good, Manman, you said exactly the right things. Hearing it warms my heart. It’s only right to question her like that. What kind of mess did she make? We’ve been mindful of her status and didn’t pick on her, but she turned it around and came to pick on us. She deserved to be questioned like that." Lady Zhang said happily.
Lian Manman thought to herself how much Lady Zhang disliked Lian Lanlan.
As food was laid on the table and the family was about to start eating, Lian Jizu arrived.
As soon as he stepped into the room, Lian Jizu’s eyes landed on the dining table. Seeing the fare—coarse rice, two plates of hot dishes, a pot of potatoes stewed with dried green beans, a pot of pickled vegetables stewed with tofu, and a plate of scallions with soybean paste—Lian Jizu couldn’t hide a flicker of disappointment on his face.
"Jizu, have you eaten? Want to eat a bit more?" Lian Shouxin invited him warmly.
"No thanks, I... I’ve already eaten." Lian Jizu replied.
Lian Manman and the others exchanged glances among themselves—they’d all noticed the way Lian Jizu had looked at the food on the table.
"Jizu, feel free to sit down. We’ll eat." Lian Shouxin said.
The family sat down to eat.
"Fourth Uncle, Fourth Aunt, is this what you’re having for lunch?" Lian Jizu, sitting on the kang edge, couldn’t help but ask as he watched everyone eating heartily.
"Brother Jizu, we eat this every day. That fish yesterday was sent by my Brother Jiaxing. You’ve never lived in the countryside before—when the family hadn’t split yet, what we ate was even worse than this." Lian Manman said.
"My eldest uncle is a county magistrate. Jizu Brother is in Taicang, surely dining daily on delicacies from the mountains and the sea. As for this pickled vegetable, Jizu Brother might not’ve even seen such a thing before." Wu Lang added.
"Then grandma must eat like this too, right?" Xiao Qi raised his head from his bowl and said with a mischievous smile. "Grandma is really living the good life."
"Even here, grandma has it just the same, doesn’t she? With Brother Jizu and Aunt looking after her, who in this village could enjoy such fortune?" Lian Manman remarked.
"Jizu is filial. No wonder your grandmother adores her eldest grandson." Lady Zhang added with a smile.
After sitting on the kang edge for a while, Lian Jizu finally spoke up.
"Fourth Uncle, Fourth Aunt, I have my exams coming up this year—it’ll all come down to this attempt. I still have so many books to read.... I’ll head back and also discuss with my grandfather about Fourth Uncle and Aunt’s intentions. Let’s see what my grandfather says—whether he’ll come to pick up my grandmother or send someone to keep her company. If I return early, this matter might get settled sooner rather than later."
Within a day, even Lian Jizu couldn’t stay and decided to return to Taicang.
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Here’s the second update, asking for pink votes.
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Recommendation for Ruoyan’s completed book: "The Brocade Screen Chronicles," a light house fight farmland tale featuring family matters within a grand residence and tangled grievances.
Book number: 1771214
A direct link is provided below—click to reach straight there. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
