Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 99 - 54 Dividing the Family_1

Because of the commotion that lasted all night, no one really slept well. The next day, they still woke up early to rush into the fields for the harvest. In the morning, when it was time to cook, Lady Zhou didn’t get up, leaving Old Master Lian no choice but to let Lady He and Lady Zhao take turns cooking.

At breakfast, Lian Manman looked at the steamed buns shaped oddly and did not say a word. She scooped another spoonful of millet rice and almost spit it out. Lady He had made the rice undercooked again. Old Master Lian fared even worse, nearly breaking a tooth on a grain of sand in his meal, and simply put down his bowl, choosing not to eat at all.

Skipping breakfast was one thing, but the work couldn’t be skipped. Old Master Lian went to the fields on an empty stomach, leading his sons and grandsons.

Lian Manman stayed back at home to take care of Lady Zhang.

The belly of the old hen was full of fat, which Lian Manman rendered out in an iron pot, filling a small ceramic jar to save for cooking later. She divided the whole chicken into two portions and cooked it into a thick broth for Lady Zhang to drink on two separate occasions, and also made Lady Zhang eat the chicken meat. Later, Lady He also brought over a small hen, which, after being cleaned and dried, was preserved with salt inside and out and hung from the beam outside the room, intending to prepare it slowly for Lady Zhang to eat.

Now, after making a separate meal for Lady Zhang, Lian Manman poured some of the chicken fat from the small jar into the pot and fried the undercooked buns until they were done on both sides. She also stir-fried some rice with the chicken fat and added some chopped green beans. She and Xiao Qi ate some first, and the remaining food was left in the pot for Lian Shouxin and Lian Zhizhi when they returned.

Just as she finished up, she heard the front door of the Lian Family home bang. Lian Manman quickly went out to see Lady He sitting in a cart, pushed back by Erlang, followed by Liulang.

Lian Manman was wondering what was happening when Erlang had already helped Lady He down from the cart.

"Mother, rest a while; Father told me to return soon," Erlang said.

"Go back then, slowly, don’t exhaust yourself," Lady He instructed.

Watching Erlang walk away, Lady He headed toward the West Wing Room with Liulang.

Lian Manman quickly made eye contact with Xiao Qi, signaling him to lock the door from inside.

"My mother is sleeping; the Imperial Physician has instructed that she must not be disturbed," Lian Manman blocked Lady He.

Lian Manman wouldn’t let Lady He into the house, and having seen in recent days that Manman was not someone to be trifled with, Lady He turned and went to the Upper Room. Lian Manman, standing in the courtyard, could hear Lady He’s loud voice speaking with Lady Zhou in the Upper Room.

"...I wondered why I’ve been feeling weak these days, with no appetite. Turns out I’m pregnant. Mother, I feel dizzy whenever I bend over, and I can’t do any work. I’ve told Father, and I’ve come back home to rest," Lady He said.

"What, did you get pregnant with a golden egg?" Lady Zhou said irritably. "Go look around, which daughter-in-law stops working because she’s pregnant? Old Fourth’s daughter-in-law worked right up until she gave birth, both in the house and the fields—everything had to be done. Who indulged this fault in you?"

"She enjoys working, but what about this time!" Lady He said. "She scared me to death. If it were like her case and the child was lost, even if my life was spared, it would still cost a huge sum of money."

Lady Zhou fell silent. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Mother, do you have any eggs left? Give me two; your grandson in my belly is crying with hunger..." Lady He said.

"Want eggs? Go lay them yourself," Lady Zhou yelled. "Each and every one of you thinks you’re some precious miss; take a good look at yourself in the mirror..."

Huh, Lady He was pregnant? As Lian Manman was thinking about that, Lady He came out of the Upper Room.

"Manman, Lady He is with child. Sister Yaya has bound feet, and she isn’t much help with chores. You’ll have to pay more attention to Lady He," said Lady Zhou.

Lian Manman rolled her eyes inwardly.

"Lady He, I’m just a child, what can I take care of? My mother is easy to please; she doesn’t complain about the food whether it’s undercooked or overcooked. Lady He, now that you are carrying a child, you are precious, and if something were to happen, I couldn’t bear the responsibility," Lian Manman said.

"Lady He is not picky either. Manman, I didn’t eat my fill this morning; if you have white flour, please make a pancake for Lady He, or if you have anything to eat, give me a bite too. The aroma is so enticing; Sister Yaya has said that you can really cook well; everything you make is fragrantly delicious," Lady He said.

Lady He, Liulang, and Lian Yaya all looked at Lian Manman eagerly. The morning buns and rice had been too hard for them to swallow as well.

"Lady He, if you don’t eat the food you cook yourself, who can you blame? If you want something to eat, go ahead and get it, but don’t come asking from me. I’m just a child who depends on adults for food," Lian Manman retorted.