Reborn as a Landlord

Here is the line-by-line English translation of the text:

Besides the dishes, a variety of staple foods was prepared. In addition to plain rice, there was egg-noodle dough made by Lian Shouxin and hand-rolled noodles crafted by Lady Zhang. Because care was put into kneading and mixing the dough, the noodles exuded a delightful wheat fragrance when served. The noodle soup was clear, with vibrant green scallions floating on top and tender pea shoots steeped within, promising an appetite-stimulating sight.

With rice and noodles as staples, two types of steamed dumplings were also prepared. One was stuffed with shepherd’s purse and pork, the other with wild celery and beef.

Additionally, Lian Manman sliced a plate of melon seeds and mixed them with fragrant sesame oil. She also prepared a plate of finely shredded kelp, topped with minced garlic, sesame seeds, and chili oil.

This meal was crafted with meticulous effort and care by Lian Manman’s family, achieving a balance of lightness, elegance, and cleanliness.

Shen Liu and Shen Jiu joined the feast. Upon seeing the spread of dishes, Shen Jiu’s eyes curved into a smile, and even Shen Liu, known for his stoic demeanor, gave a nod of approval.

In this season, being able to prepare such a meal demonstrated the cleverness of thought and dedication invested, which happened to align perfectly with Shen Liu’s tastes. Shen Liu felt a sense of comfort in his heart.

During the meal, Fatty Shen ate until his stomach bulged, and Shen Liu didn’t hold back either.

The Lian Manman family was all smiles. Hosting guests is like this—the more the guests eat, the more validation the hosts feel, which naturally brings them joy.

After finishing the meal and clearing the table, Lian Manman was about to brew tea when Shen Liu stopped her. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"I’ve brought freshly picked tea with me; just brew two cups," Shen Liu said.

One of Shen Liu’s servants brought out the tea, and Lian Manman prepared and served it.

"Go and bring the items... also fetch two boxes of this new tea," Shen Liu said after taking a sip of tea and nodding slightly, instructing his servant.

The servant stepped out and soon returned with two boxes of fresh tea on a tray. Meanwhile, two other servants entered, one carrying two gift boxes in both hands, and the other holding several bolts of fabric.

"...This is this year’s Longjing tea, newly sourced and quite good. Do give it a try," Shen Liu said.

Lian Manman and her family quickly expressed their gratitude. By now, seeing that the time (Chinese hour) wasn’t early, Shen Liu stood up, preparing to return to Prefecture City today.

Fatty Shen seemed reluctant to leave, trailing behind Shen Liu with increasingly slow steps. At one point, he seized a moment of inattention from Shen Liu, turned back quickly, and ran to stand beside Lian Manman.

"Manman, won’t you come back with me?" Fatty Shen softly asked, still unwilling to give up.

Lian Manman shook her head.

"Manman, once I return home, who knows when I’ll be allowed to go out again? I won’t be able to visit you anymore. Make sure to come to Prefecture City and see me, alright?" Fatty Shen rambled on, only finally letting go of Lian Manman when Shen Liu called him back.

Seeing Shen Liu and his group leave the courtyard gate, since Shen Liu had several attendants with him, the Lian Manman family didn’t walk too far and stopped at a distance. Fatty Shen stood by the vehicle but didn’t board immediately. He turned around and glanced at Lian Manman, his expression suggesting he had something to say yet hesitated. Shen Liu, walking ahead, seemed to sense something, turning his head back to look at Fatty Shen.

Fatty Shen leaned in, whispering something softly to Shen Liu.

Shen Liu looked up and glanced in Lian Manman’s direction.

Lian Manman’s heart skipped a beat—could Fatty Shen be making some unreasonable demand? Surely not? Even if he made such a request, Shen Liu wouldn’t agree, would he?

The reason for carefully hosting Shen Liu was because, although he was strict on the surface, he had always treated her with respect, showing her proper courtesy. And Fatty Shen wasn’t a mischievously spoiled child either. Otherwise, their relationship wouldn’t have developed as it had.

After glancing at Lian Manman, Shen Liu withdrew his gaze and lightly shook his head at Fatty Shen.

Fatty Shen drooped his head, looking somewhat dispirited.

Finally, Shen Liu boarded the vehicle, and Fatty Shen followed him, still throwing several backward glances toward Lian Manman.

Once the guests were seen off, the family ate lunch and tidied up before retreating to the backyard.

Lian Manman pulled out the ledger of favors and gifts to record the items Shen Liu had left behind today.

Besides the two boxes of new tea, there were four decorative satin bolts, and the two gift boxes contained high-quality writing instruments. Lian Manman meticulously recorded each of these, as well as the four crabapple saplings and four persimmon trees.

"They said the mountain project should be finished by next spring. When it’s done, should we shut down our breakfast shop?" Lady Zhang asked as they sat together.

"No need to shut it down—just some changes are required," Lian Manman responded. "After the project is completed, they mentioned that the temple will attract pilgrims from everywhere. This is a temple dedicated to the worthy goddess; surely, it won’t lack visitors? At that point, we can turn the breakfast shop into a bun shop, and then we won’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn anymore."

Lian Manman had foreseen this issue since the early days of planning the breakfast shop.

"When the time comes, we can offer quality tea along with the buns. The business might even be better than it is now," she added.

Famous local spots drive tourism, and tourism subsequently boosts dining businesses and other related industries. For Lian’s future, there’s no need for concern.

"Besides the bun shop, we could even open a fish restaurant. It’ll surely make more than we do now," Lian Manman said.

"That sounds wonderful," Lady Zhang said with a relieved smile.

The saying goes: ’Agriculture brings stability, but commerce creates wealth.’ To truly achieve prosperity, one not only needs land but also channels for selling local products, and should strive to increase the added value of those products. That’s the only way to ensure stability and wealth.

Soon, the day arrived for Wu Lang to travel to Prefecture City for his exams. Accompanied by Wang Youheng and two classmates, there was far less worry compared to when Wu Lang had gone for his county-level exam.

Wu Lang had just left when a servant from the town’s restaurant delivered a letter.

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Here’s the end of this update. At month-end, requesting pink tickets, genuine subscriptions, and recommendation votes.

There’ll be a second update tonight. (To be continued. If you love this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation tickets, monthly picks—your support is my greatest motivation.)