"That’s thanks to Old Huang taking care of things, and Old Master Lian taking them away beforehand. Otherwise, it would have been hard to say." Lian Shouxin remarked.

"What exactly happened?" Lian Manman asked, "Did they say something weird?"

"Yeah, what happened?" Lady Zhang also inquired.

"Um... Didn’t your eldest brother and uncle tell you?" Lian Shouxin didn’t answer immediately, instead, he asked Lady Zhang.

"No, they didn’t say anything to me before leaving. I didn’t see any sign of trouble either." Lady Zhang said in confusion, "Husband, did the First Master and Second Master tell my brothers something?"

Lady Zhang wasn’t foolish; she guessed correctly within a second.

Lian Shouxin was somewhat relieved to see Lady Zhang unaware of the matter, but he also felt regret. He felt relieved because Zhang Qingnian and his brother didn’t cause any trouble for Lady Zhang. He regretted bringing it up since she wasn’t aware.

"Dad, just say it. Mother definitely won’t be mad at you. If you don’t tell her now, she’ll find out from someone else sooner or later, and that won’t be good." Lian Manman said.

"Go on, why keep it from me? I know what kind of people the First and Second Masters are." Lady Zhang added.

Having reached this point, Lian Shouxin had no reason to hide it anymore. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

It turned out Zhang Qingnian and his brother were seated with Lian Shouren and Lian Shouyi. Lian Shouren and Lian Shouyi were used to fine dining in Taicang, but back in Thirty Mile Camp, they had been having bland meals just to get by. Seeing a table full of good food and drink, they unreservedly indulged.

The people at the table were drinking, and after Old Huang toasted the brothers with one round, nobody paid attention to them and instead drank with Zhang Qingnian’s brothers.

Without anyone to drink with them, they drank by themselves.

After drinking half to drunkenness, Lian Shouren was alright, but Lian Shouyi started babbling. He didn’t target anyone else, just Zhang Qingnian and his brother.

Lian Shouyi said that the Old Zhang family got rich thanks to the Old Lian family’s influence. He also said that the Old Zhang family relied on their daughter to get by. Moreover, he claimed that Lady Zhang wasn’t a good wife, favoring her maternal family over the Lian family.

Zhang Qingnian’s brothers were straightforward men and couldn’t bear listening to Lian Shouyi’s nonsense.

Zhang Qingnian almost upended the table, but Zhang Qingshan stopped him.

"He’s drunk, why lower yourself to his level?" Zhang Qingshan scolded Zhang Qingnian, "Everyone here is aware and knows the truth of it. You sit down quietly, eat if you have to eat, drink if you have to drink; listen to what your Brother Shouyi says. Today is your brother-in-law’s feast for the pig slaughter, and if someone causes trouble, you have to endure. Don’t spoil the mood, keep the good omen. For your sister, brother-in-law, nephews and nieces, just bear it!"

After saying this, Zhang Qingshan casually raised his glass to toast Old Master Lian.

Old Master Lian wasn’t foolish; how could he drink that cup? Could Zhang Qingshan’s promise really mean he’d let it slide? Nobody could take those words lightly. Zhang Qingshan spoke openly and handled the situation well, but if Old Master Lian muddled through, not only would he lose face, but it would also mean enmity with the Zhang family.

Old Master Lian accepted Zhang Qingshan’s toast but didn’t drink it; instead, he loudly scolded Lian Shouyi. He solemnly declared to everyone present that Lian Shouyi was spouting nonsense, that Lady Zhang was a dutiful daughter-in-law, and that the Zhang family hadn’t taken advantage of the Old Lian family.

Lian Shouxin was of an honest nature and slow to react in such situations, but he understood that this was no laughing matter, so he too stood up to speak.

"...Second Brother just got it wrong. My in-laws have helped us a lot over the years. Especially after we split from the family, they even sent over a dozen old hens for Manman’s mother to recuperate. Manman’s mother is known in the village as a dutiful daughter-in-law; this is not me bragging. No matter what anyone says, we must be fair and honest. Whoever says Manman’s mother isn’t dutiful, I’ll be the first to disagree."

Everyone naturally concurred.

"Brother, I owe you a drink for this. I apologize for him. The second one is just a scoundrel and nobody believes him anyway." Old Master Lian turned around and offered a toast to Zhang Qingshan.

Zhang Qingshan laughed and declined, saying that Old Master Lian was senior and he shouldn’t accept his toast.

Old Master Lian couldn’t stay seated anymore, claiming he was drunk and left with Lian Shouren, Lian Shouyi, Lian Jizu, and Erlang.

This was what happened in the main hall during the banquet; nobody had come to tell Lady Zhang. Lian Shouxin, worried that the Zhang family would tell Lady Zhang and make her angry, let it slip. Lian Manman pried, and that was how the truth came to light.

"I am grateful to his grandfather and appreciate his uncles. If it were anyone else, there would have been a fight at the banquet." Lian Shouxin commented. More than that, it was commendable that the Zhang family didn’t tell Lady Zhang about it.

"What kind of people are they, really? All that good food and drink wasted on them." Lady Zhang said after a moment, not acknowledging Lian Shouxin. After a while, she angrily continued.

"Mother, you shouldn’t insult the dogs like that. Our Da Pang and Second Fatty are so obedient and useful." Lian Manman quickly defended the family’s two large dogs.

"That’s right, Mother. Saying that is unfair to Da Pang and Second Fatty." Xiao Qi joined in.

"Exactly, feeding them would have been better than wasting it on those people." Lady Zhang said, "We treated them with such respect, yet they took advantage. Fine, I’m not virtuous; from now on, none of them are stepping foot in our house. Better to feed our things to the dogs than to them."

"I’ll say it straight: this is the last time. In the future, if we kill a pig or anything, they won’t be invited. People can say what they want. They aren’t courteous, so why should we be courteous to them?" Lady Zhang was truly furious, and anyone in her position would feel the same.

"What Mother says is... quite..." Lian Manman began, then stopped and looked at Lian Shouxin, "Father, what do you think?"

******

Here’s the first Chapter, asking for pink hearts, and more coming soon. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations, monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)