Reborn as a Landlord

Without sunshine on an overcast day, it was impossible to dry the remaining fifty pounds of garlic-flavored peanuts. Thus, they couldn’t fulfill their agreement with Shopkeeper Wu. As Lian Manman walked into the courtyard, she felt the air was damp. Instinctively, she stretched out her hand and felt drops of water falling into her palm.

It was raining.

The rain was not heavy, but with the sky covered in dark clouds, it didn’t look like it would clear up any time soon.

Lian Manman went back into the house and looked at the peanuts in the baskets that were still not dry. What to do now? 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"How about frying them again in an iron pot?" Lian Shouxin suggested.

Lian Manman shook her head. Frying the already cooked peanuts would not only fail to remove the moisture but would also ruin their skins, making them unsellable.

"Then what shall we do?" One suggestion after another was made by the family, but none were feasible, and all were rejected by Lian Manman. Everyone started to worry. If they could not deliver the two hundred pounds of garlic-flavored peanuts by that afternoon, according to the agreement, they would have to accept the penalty. They wondered what Shopkeeper Wu would impose on them—could it be a hefty fine? They had used half the money they earned from selling the garlic-flavored peanuts to improve their living conditions, and didn’t save much. They would have to use the money they made from selling their bitter melons and, additionally, the silver given by Shen Liu.

After all, Lian Manman was still a child. At the time, all she thought about was making a profit, not foreseeing such an unexpected situation. Lady Zhang wanted to scold Lian Manman, but seeing her frown, she swallowed her rebuke.

This family was supposed to be supported by her and Lian Shouxin through their earnings. Manman, as a child, shouldn’t have been concerned about making money. If it wasn’t for the family’s poverty, Manman wouldn’t have needed to come up with all sorts of ways to make money. Manman had already done so well; how could she, as her mother, scold her at such a time, adding insult to injury? Moreover, scolding Manman now would not help resolve the issue. It would be better to wait until after the matter had passed to talk to her and make sure she learned from this experience to be cautious in the future.

Thinking this, Lady Zhang looked at Lian Shouxin. He too was worried, but he showed no intention of blaming Manman.

"We still have half a day. Let’s try our best to think of something. If all else fails, we’ll deliver what peanuts we have finished. Your father and I will both go. If Shopkeeper Wu wants to fine us, let him. He can’t go too far. Both your father and I are here for you," said Lady Zhang.

"Right," Lian Shouxin nodded in agreement.

Lian Manman lifted her head, her heart touched and cheered by the support. Although Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang were simple folks, they had many redeeming qualities in their character and conduct. Many people, when facing difficulties, would first blame others instead of thinking of solutions, but Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang were not like that. They were more positive and more proactive.

Take the current situation for instance. They might lose money, which would be a huge blow for an already impoverished family. Another set of parents might have berated her, saying it was all her fault. But Lady Zhang and Lian Shouxin did not. They didn’t utter a single complaint; instead, they comforted her, showing that they, as parents, were ready to bear the responsibility.

It was precisely because of the characters of Lady Zhang and Lian Shouxin that the children of the Lian Family Fourth Household were good-natured, generous, and polite, maintaining harmonious and loving relationships among themselves.

"Dad, Mom, I’ve thought of a way," said Manman, suddenly inspired.

"What way?" The family all looked toward Manman.

The final drying step in mass-producing garlic-flavored peanuts usually involved equipment like drying machines. With no means to create a drying machine and their production scale even smaller than a small workshop, they had resorted to sun-drying.

Now that there was no sunshine to utilize and a drying machine out of the question, was there another possible way to dry them? The answer was yes.

In Thirty Mile Camp, every household slept on kang bed-stoves made from dried clay bricks. There was a flue in the center of the kang, with one end passing through the wall to the outside stove, and the other end linking to a vertical flue in the wall leading up to the chimney on the roof. During winter, they heated the kang by burning fuel in the outside stove, which warmed the bed through this flue.