The second update, asking for pink votes.

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Unlike Lian Manman’s family, Lian Shouli’s family after the division has Lian Shouli in charge.

"He didn’t say much, just said that if we don’t send it, he won’t send it either. If we do send it, just give him a heads-up, and he’ll send it along too," Lian Shouxin said.

"His Third Uncle, this... sigh," Lady Zhang sighed softly.

Without a son, it’s not just Lady Zhao who feels uncertain, but also Lian Shouli. That’s why everything in their family revolves around following Lian Shouxin’s lead. In this era, women like the boss lady from Old Wang’s Large Cart Inn in Taicang, Wang Qi’s mother, who are bold and decisive, are far too rare. Even as a man, Lian Shouli can’t compare to her.

"People are just different, look at the Old Wang Family," Lady Zhang said again. "We’ve mentioned Old Wang Family’s story to his Third Aunt several times, all in hopes of making her realize. I don’t think his Third Aunt is unwilling—she’s just soft-hearted and still needs to see what his Third Uncle wants..."

"His Third Uncle probably agrees, but..." Lian Shouxin sighed again.

If, in the future, Lian Yeye really were to bring in a husband to live within their household and provide elderly care for Lian Shouli and Lady Zhao, then first and foremost, Lian Shouli and Lady Zhao must be able to stand firm themselves. Lian Shouli cares so much about the Upper Room simply because he lacks a son, which makes him overly conscious about matters relating to it. This is why he tends to follow Lian Shouxin’s family’s lead whenever there’s a situation involving the Upper Room—just to avoid the pressure from the Upper Room of the Lian family and the gossip around them.

This is essentially a sign of being unable to hold his own ground.

Unlike the irresponsibility of Lian Shouren and Lian Jizu, Lian Shouli and Lady Zhao are just too honest, too soft.

It seems that efforts to cultivate Lian Yeye need to be intensified, Lian Manman thought to herself while folding paper swallows.

...

After the Dragon Boat Festival, the weather began to grow hotter day by day. By June, during the hottest days of summer, it became the season where tenant farming households saw the most abundance in fruits and vegetables throughout the year. Thanks to early planting at Lian Manman’s farm, their tender corn was at its tastiest by this time.

Due to strict control over the corn seeds, during this season in Liaodong Prefecture, the only household selling tender corn was still Lian Manman’s family. The primary buyer of tender corn remained Big Boss Woo Woo Zhonglian.

This year, thanks to having sufficient corn seeds, Lian Manman’s family planted almost three times as much tender corn as the previous year. Considering various factors, Lian Manman decided to lower the price of tender corn this year. She classified the corn cobs by size and appearance into several grades, with prices ranging from 200 Wen Money per cob to 300 Wen Money per cob.

However, Big Boss Woo Woo Zhonglian could no longer monopolize the tender corn sales this year. Lian Manman’s family had signed contracts with several other major restaurants to supply tender corn. These restaurants included ones from Jinyang County, other county towns within Liaodong Prefecture, and even the two largest, most prestigious restaurants in Prefecture City.

Thus, Lian Manman also shared some tender corn recipes with these restaurants, such as Pine Nut Corn, Corn Vegetable Cream Soup, Corn and Spare Rib Soup, Corn Rice, Corn Porridge, and more. She believed that with her suggestions, these restaurants would certainly come up with even more varieties of tender corn dishes. This turned out exactly as she had anticipated. All the major restaurants launched their own specialty tender corn dishes, making the demand for her family’s tender corn exceed supply. Even people from outside the prefecture came to buy tender corn, sparing no expense and even employing fast horse couriers and ice packs for transportation due to the distance.

After several consecutive days of sales, Lian Manman estimated roughly that by selling all the tender corn from this batch in their garden, their earnings would amount to at least 850 taels of silver.

The tender corn from Lian Manman’s family not only allowed her family to earn abundantly but also benefited those in Thirty Mile Camp and nearby villages who ran transportation businesses. The ones who profited most were Wang Shiliu’s Family and the Lu Family from the town—of course, this was because Lian Manman’s family intentionally favored these two households.

Wang Shiliu personally drove a mule cart owned by his family, while the Lu Family had two mule carts, sometimes even sending three, driven by their long-term workers.

All the tender corn in the vegetable garden was meant for sale. However, that didn’t mean Lian Manman would neglect her own family.

In the corners of the two inner courtyards behind their own house, Lian Manman also planted some tender corn, which was enough for their family to eat. Xiao Qi could finally eat as much tender corn as he wanted—sometimes even skipping other food entirely during dinner—eating tender corn as the main course without needing vegetables.