Reborn as a Landlord

Fifth update, countdown for the Pink List has begun, asking for support in pink.

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"Ah?" Lian Shouxin looked down at Lian Manman, somewhat puzzled by what she meant. Neither he nor Lady Zhang had ever hit the children; not even the two boys, Wu Lang and Xiao Qi, let alone laying a finger on Lian Manman and Lian Zhizhi. "Manman, your dad has never hit you."

He cherished his own daughter too much to ever think of hitting her.

Lian Manman pouted slightly and pointed at Lian Shouli and Lian Yeye with her finger.

"Dad, please advise Third Uncle and Aunt to stop hitting Yeye from now on," Lian Manman whispered into Lian Shouxin’s ear, pretending to lower her voice, but deliberately making sure that Lian Shouli and Lady Zhao could hear her.

"Oh," Lian Shouxin finally understood.

"We don’t hit our children either," Lian Shouli said. "But today, I was forced into a situation with no other choice."

Using the method of hitting children to curry favor with Lady Zhou? Lian Manman was quite disdainful. She remembered a story from "The Twenty-Four Examples of Filial Piety," where there was an account of filial sons and daughters. To better honor their elders, the couple deemed their little son a burden, consuming the food they could have used to support the older generation, so they decided to bury their son alive.

As it turned out, someone witnessed the act, the unfortunate child was rescued, and the couple was praised for their supreme filial piety, their good name cherished through the ages.

Lian Manman remembered her outrage when she first heard this story; it was indescribable. She even imagined that the couple had dark intentions, pretending to bury the child and intentionally letting others see, refusing to believe that parents could be so foolish and heartless.

"Even if there’s no other way, you still can’t hit Yeye. She’s your only child," Lian Manman said.

Lian Shouli and Lady Zhao fell silent.

"I know dad didn’t truly want to hit me," Lian Yeye said softly.

"Third Brother, I really must say a few words to you. Yeye is a bit younger than Manman, she’s also ten years old now, isn’t she? Girls are more delicate, and even if she does wrong, words should suffice; there’s no need to resort to hitting anymore," Lian Shouxin advised Lian Shouli.

Lian Shouxin sincerely believed this; both he and Lady Zhang were gentle when it came to educating children, preferring to reason with them, never resorting to violence. Of course, all their children were sensible and didn’t cause them worry.

"Yes," Lian Shouli nodded in agreement.

"Today, it was Yeye who went to fetch grandfather to come back, and it was really thanks to her that grandfather decided in favor of Aunt. Yeye is truly a great contributor, not inferior to a son at all," Lian Manman said with a smile.

Lady Zhao lifted her hand to pat Lian Yeye’s head.

"Yeye is a good child."

"Third Uncle, Aunt, what are your plans for the future?" Lian Manman asked Lian Shouli and Lady Zhao as the conversation reached this point.

"Future plans?"

Lian Manman glanced at Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang, then climbed onto the kang and sat down next to Lady Zhang.

"Third Uncle, Aunt, now that you have only Yeye as your child, won’t you have to rely entirely on her in the future?" Lian Manman continued to prompt Lian Shouli and his wife.

"What will happen in the future is unknown to us all. Perhaps Uncle Three and his wife will have a son someday, but for now, you should consider your options more carefully. Auntie Three is always so anxious, isn’t it because she fears having no one to rely on later on?" Seeing that the couple still didn’t understand, Lian Manman felt compelled to add another sentence.

"This..." Lian Shouli and Lady Zhao exchanged glances, and their eyes eventually rested on Xiao Qi.

"If you ask me, you could take in Yeye as your adopted son," Lady Zhang hurriedly suggested. As a mother, she was quite sharp on certain matters.

The gazes of Lian Shouli and Lady Zhao dimmed slightly.

Hey, what are you all thinking about? It’s either taking someone in or adopting, can’t your minds be a bit more open? Lian Manman couldn’t help but facepalm at their reactions.

"Uncle, Auntie, in my opinion, you should just raise Yeye as your own son," Lian Manman simply spelled it out.

"Raise Yeye as our own son?!" Lady Zhao pondered this sentence.

"It’s not as if there’s no precedent for this," Lady Zhang pondered and then said, "I remember my father mentioning a family in the neighboring village. They also had only one daughter. That girl was famously strong-willed, but she’s a good person. She told everyone that her parents only have her to carry on the family name, and that she had to be formidable. And she was, managing both home and field affairs. Eventually, she found a husband who moved into her home, a craftsman. That couple lived better and better over time, and the first son took the girl’s surname."

Lian Manman nodded along, although the conversation had steered toward taking in a son-in-law again, at least Lady Zhang’s initial point resonated with her. Even Yeye was entranced by Lady Zhang’s words, his eyes shining with longing.

"I never dared to consider this before," said Lady Zhao, implying her approval of the idea.

Lian Shouli didn’t speak immediately, clearly giving the matter serious thought.

Lian Manman knew that this was a significant issue for Lian Shouli and his wife and that they needed time to deliberate. She believed that they would make a clear decision. Once this issue was resolved, Lady Zhao would no longer have to be subservient in front of Lady Zhou. Yeye would receive more attention. As a hardworking family of three, how could their life not improve?

......

Lady Zhang personally took charge of cooking the evening meal. This past month, the children had been attending to her, and with both comfort and worry in her heart, she made an extra effort. She cleaned a pig’s liver several times before slicing it thinly. Then, she marinaded the slices in a mix of salt, ginger, Sichuan pepper, and other spices. Next, she heated a large pot, added a bit of oil, tossed in spring onions, garlic, star anise, and bean paste to bring out the aroma, then added the ribs (which Lian Manman had asked the butcher to chop) and stir-fried them until they changed color. She then added the chopped green beans and eggplant, stir-fried everything briefly, and added enough water. She placed the prepared dough for steamed buns in the steamer and set it on top of the pot, covered it with the lid, and started to cook.

Originally, Lian Manman intended to make sweet and sour ribs, but villagers seldom stir-fry dishes on ordinary days, preferring one-pot meals like what Lady Zhang was doing. Once the pot of stew and steamed buns was ready, she would make a stir-fried liver dish—a real treat. Living in such a large compound, it was important not to stand out too much.

After the pot of stewed vegetables and steamed buns was ready, she served everything in a large basin. Lady Zhang could cook without help—she added wood to the fire, cleaned the wok, added oil, and stir-fried the dish, completing the series of actions smoothly. She made the fire in the stove blaze away, and the thinly sliced liver only needed a few flips in the wok before changing color. The stir-fried liver dish used hot peppers as side ingredients and looked and tasted wonderful when served.

Such a feast was, of course, meant for Old Master Lian. Lian Manman carried the large bowl up to the Upper Room, where the table was already set for mealtime.

"Manman, I have something to ask you," Lady He stopped her on her way.

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Here’s the fifth update, and the next one will be a bonus Chapter at 430 votes.

The countdown for the Pink List is on, so cast your votes quickly before the system becomes capricious, and your votes become void.

Diligent Ruoyan has updated five Chapters today, a total of 10,000 words—looking for some pink encouragement.

Next Chapter: Lady Zhang’s Untouchable Scale

(Ruoyan closes her eyes to say a prayer, hoping to reach 500 pink tickets, it will happen, right? 10 tickets for a bonus Chapter, all will be well.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote with recommendation votes and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)