They labor dutifully, live their days, and everything is good. If there are further disturbances, even the three-year-old children in the village can go up to question them and spit at them.

Wu Lang was seated among them and spoke very clearly, they support justice over kinship.

"Good medicine is bitter to the mouth but beneficial to the disease, ... with a heart devoted to painstaking efforts, let others judge." Wu Lang concluded.

The people invited today are quite knowledgeable, and after hearing such arrangements and words from Wu Lang, they unanimously praised Wu Lang for his boldness, responsibility, compassionate heart, and decisive actions.

In the hall, Wu Lang was speaking with everyone and reached a consensus. Outside the hall stood four people.

Lian Shouren, Lian Shouyi, Lian Jizu, and Erlang were called over, but they weren’t invited into the hall to sit at the table and eat, merely left there to listen to what was being said inside.

These people had neither the space nor the qualification to speak. They were the ones who had to be dealt with. Having ended up in this situation, they could not blame others. Lian Manman and her folks had given them plenty of opportunities; when these people first returned from Taicang, Lian Manman and Wu Lang could have done this.

Inside the hall, Wu Lang clarified everything, and then Lian Shouxin came out and told Lian Shouren, Lian Shouyi, Lian Jizu, and Erlang to go home, informing them that tomorrow, the Lizheng and others would visit, and at that time, they would handle the matters of land rent and land with the Woo Family Brothers.

Lian Shouren, Lian Shouyi, Lian Jizu, and Erlang did not dare to say anything and were escorted out of the door by Steward Han Zhong.

That night, Lizheng, Wu Yuchang, and two elderly villagers who had eaten at Manman’s home went to the Old Mansion and relayed all of Wu Lang’s words at the table to Old Master Lian. And the next day, these people again summoned the Woo Family Brothers, handling the rent dispute between the two families at the Lian Family Old Mansion.

The outcome of the handling was decided that day; thirty acres of land, the Woo Family should pay the Lian Family rent in the form of 3,000 pounds of sorghum, 800 pounds of millet, 300 pounds of soybeans, 100 pounds of small beans, 30 pounds each of mung beans, and grain, and 800 pounds of peanuts. Because the Lian Family wanted to reclaim the land early, they compensated the Woo Family with 150 pounds of sorghum and 50 pounds of millet. Additionally, the Woo Family gave the stalk and branches of sorghum from five acres of land to the Lian Family as firewood for Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou for the winter.

With the negotiations settled, Lizheng immediately brought people to move the grains and weigh them.

From the rent collected, 1,200 pounds of sorghum, 320 pounds of millet, 120 pounds of soybeans, 40 pounds of small beans, 12 pounds each of mung beans and grain, 320 pounds of peanuts, and the firewood from five acres of land were assigned to the care of Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou for a year, entrusted to Lian Shouxin and Lian Shouli for joint management, supplying Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou on a monthly basis as needed.

Not transferring all the grains and firewood to Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou at once was for the sake of the elderly couple. For example, if they needed to grind rice or flour, trade soybeans for soybean oil or tofu, sell peanuts for money, to supply the oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar they needed—all of which would be handled by Lian Shouxin and Lian Shouli, relieving Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou from any worry.

Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou, the elderly couple, only need to sit on the kang bed and wait to eat and drink.

The elderly couple’s clothing and use do not require provision from Lian Shouren and Lian Shouyi, yet they have the duty to care for the elderly. Their responsibility is to attend to the elderly couple with full thoroughness.

There won’t be a lack of food; if Lian Shouren and Lian Shouyi’s carelessness leads to any dissatisfaction or grievance for Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou, not only will Lian Shouxin and Lian Shouli disapprove, but the entire village won’t spare Lian Shouren and Lian Shouyi. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Apart from providing for Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou and deducting the compensation made to the Woo Family Brothers, the remaining sorghum of 1,650 pounds, millet of 430 pounds, soybeans 180 pounds, small beans 60 pounds, 18 pounds each of mung beans and grain, and peanuts of 480 pounds belong to the Lian Family Main House, encompassing everyone including Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou.

In total, there were 2,836 pounds of grain. Not counting Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou, each person in the Main House could receive between 258 to 220 pounds of food, with peanuts being an economic crop that, when sold, could be exchanged for more food to keep afloat. Including melons and vegetables, the nourishment could just about sustain them.

Lian Manman made a rough calculation, and thus, it’s nearly at the living standard of the Old Mansion before the family division.

Definitely won’t be full, with little oil, but won’t starve.

Only the elderly couple has firewood, which was a favor Lizheng and others granted to Lian Shouxin and Wu Lang. The amount of firewood was adequate for the elderly couple to burn but certainly insufficient for the Main House with so many people.

This seems to be a problem, yet in tenant farming families, it’s not considered a significant issue. Many tenant farmers have little land and insufficient firewood, so they have to gather firewood. This task can be done by everyone in the Main House except Er Niuniu.

This winter, there are no tasks at hand, thus those dozen mouthfuls can go gather firewood every day, keeping a little busy, quite good.

With the thirty acres collected, Lizheng then consulted Wu Lang about taking out those twelve acres next to Nanshan to hand over to Wu Lang. Wu Lang immediately leased these twelve acres to a family surnamed Wang Futian from Thirty Mile Camp according to the original rent.

During this time, Old Master Lian objected several times, first disagreeing with the clear division, and later opposing renting those twelve acres to others, claiming he could lead his offspring in the Main House to cultivate themselves. These differing opinions were persuaded away by Lizheng, Wu Yuchang, and others.

Old Master Lian then visited Lian Shouxin and Wu Lang.

Wu Lang only said two words to Old Master Lian...

...kill indulgently...

******

Offering one Chapter first, will be another Chapter tonight, asking for your pink support. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)