The reputation is completely ruined, needless to say, everyone can guess what happened.

"It’s said she went back to Jinyang County Town once, to find that Constable Zhou." Lady Wu Wang mentioned this, then paused slightly.

Everyone in the room held their breath, listening to what would come next. The incident between Zhao Xiue and Constable Zhou was known to everyone.

"I heard Constable Zhou didn’t even meet her face to face, but let his wife lead people to drive her out... It’s said that in Taicang, she also tried to find Wang Qi, but he ignored her. Clearly, there’s no hope for this matter to resolve, and who knows what she’ll plan next." Lady Wu Wang finally said.

"People like that always have something up their sleeve." Lady Zhang Wang said, "I suppose she might come back here. After all, she still has her husband and child here."

"By the way, has anyone seen Yingzi?" Lady Zhang asked Lady Wu Wang again.

"No one has really seen her." Lady Wu Wang shook her head.

"Unseen alive or dead, Yingzi’s father finally has something to rely on this lifetime." Lady Zhang Wang said.

Talking about the old house brought endless trouble, so everyone quickly changed the subject. Lady Wu Wang and Lady Zhang Wang were gathered in a corner, whispering about who knows what.

Soon, the banquet was arranged, a table in the front hall for male guests and a table in the back courtyard for female guests. After the meal, Old Master Lian, Lu Family and Son, and Wu Yugui’s family all successively bade farewell, Zhang Qingshan also had Zhang Qingnian prepare the carriage to return home. Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang invited Zhang Qingshan and Lady Li to stay at home for a few more days, but the old couple said it was near the New Year, and matters were pressing, so they refused.

Lady Zhang, with Lian Manman, had long prepared the New Year gifts for the Zhang Family, including four blocks of frozen tofu, four large fish, four ducks, four bolts of cloth, ten pounds of pork, ten pounds of lamb, ten pounds of beef, a bag of fifty pounds of spring wheat flour, a bag of twenty pounds of rice, two jars of grape wine, two jars of white wine, and additionally, two boxes of tea leaves and two boxes of pastries.

Additionally, Lady Zhang gave Lady Li a basket of salted duck eggs, since Zhang Qingshan’s family did not raise ducks.

Lian Manman naturally wrapped the small general merchandise for Lady Li, Lady Zhang Wang, Zhang Caiyun, and the absent Lady Hu, loading them onto the carriage. Zhang Caiyun had seen these items in the house earlier and liked them immensely, making Lady Li and Lady Zhang Wang very happy.

Old Master Lian received the gifts sent by Zhang Qingshan and also sent over two boxes of pastries in return. When Lian Manman saw those two pastry boxes, they looked very familiar, and she remembered that they were sent by Old Madam Song from Song Family to Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou a few days ago. Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou had not eaten them, kept them, and now gave them to Zhang Qingshan as return gifts.

During festive seasons, tenant farming families visit relatives, often with two packages of sponge cakes. Most of the recipients of such cakes also hesitate to eat them, choosing to keep them to give as gifts to others. Everyone does this, and these two packages of sponge cakes might pass through many hands, finally finding their way back to the original gift-giver.

Pastry boxes, however, are a more upscale gift than sponge cakes. It’s not surprising for Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou to handle things this way.

Lian Manman also knew that the box of deer antler slices and Goryeo ginseng gifted by Old Madam Song had been sent to the pawnshop in town by Old Master Lian through Erlang to get some money for the family to use during the New Year. As for those bolts of cloth, Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou kept them because even though food supplies were secured, clothing for the family still needed to be arranged.

According to reality, Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou had everything they needed in abundance and didn’t require such thrift and calculations, but with the entire household’s clothing and food needs to consider, they had little choice.

In the blink of an eye, it was late winter and early December, the family of He Laoliu’s wife had not moved out of the old house. It’s heard that they knelt to Lady Zhou, admitting their wrongdoing, and promised to move out by spring.

Lian Manman paid no attention to this at the time, as the family chose a fine sunny day to ride into town; this year, there were some New Year goods they needed to buy in the county town.

Upon arriving in the county town, they naturally headed to the house at Willow Tree Well Alley to settle in. It was the first time Lady Zhang and Lian Zhizhi had come, and after seeing the house, Lian’s Department Store, and Lian’s Restaurant, then looking at the rented-out storefronts, Lady Zhang was so joyful she didn’t know what to say.

"These, really belong to our family." Lady Zhang deliberately asked Lian Manman.

"Of course, mom." Lian Manman replied with a smile, and after confirming several times, Lady Zhang finally believed.

After seeing their own store, they went on to visit other stores; the mother and daughters first arrived at the county town’s largest Silver Building. This time, Lian Manman skipped silver jewelry and went directly to red gold jewelry.

"Sister, let’s choose what we like. Mom, you choose too." Lian Manman told Lian Zhizhi and Lady Zhang.

One tael of gold stands for ten taels of silver, and in the county town’s big Silver Building, the extra labor fees weren’t comparable to the small jewelry stores in Qingyang Town. Lian Zhizhi and Lady Zhang hesitated at first, but Lian Manman persuaded them, and thinking about the household’s grape wine, as well as the fish pond and Lotus Pond income, the mother and daughters let go.

Lian Manman first helped Lady Zhang choose a pair of Dragon and Phoenix Red Gold Bracelets, each weighing about one tael and two qian, then picked a pair of Loach-Back Red Gold Bracelets, each weighing two taels.

Lian Zhizhi saw that the Dragon and Phoenix Bracelet was pretty, so she picked a pair as well.

"Mom, it’s time to prepare my sister’s dowry." Lian Manman smiled with her lips curled.

****

Here’s the second update, the last day of February, if you have pink tickets in hand, please vote for "Reborn as a Landlord", your support is urgently needed.

****

Recommending a complete book by Ruoyan: "The Brocade Screen Chronicles" light house fight farmland tale, about mundane family affairs in grand homes, entanglements and grudges.

Book number: 1771214

There’s a direct express below, click to go straight there. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly ballots, your support is my greatest motivation.)