Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 1529 - 778: The Return Banquet

Lady Zhou, Lian Shouyi, and Lady He were making a huge commotion, yet everyone else in the room, including Old Master Lian, acted as if nothing was happening. At the old house, Lady Zhou’s outbursts, manipulations, and scoldings had become so commonplace that everyone had grown accustomed to ignoring anything that didn’t directly involve them.

This led to strange scenes at the old house. On one side, a few people would be calmly chatting, while on the other, someone would be getting a severe scolding from Lady Zhou.

One of the reasons for this situation was that, except for Old Master Lian, no one at the old house could reason with Lady Zhou. If anyone attempted to intervene when she was angry or tried to say a fair word for the person being scolded, they would only bring trouble upon themselves.

Sensible or foolish, no one in the old house would engage in such self-sacrificial acts.

Lady He had only intended to persuade Lady Zhou to send someone to the Shouxin Family to ask for some leftover food from the feast. Unexpectedly, not only did she get a harsh scolding, but she also took a nasty fall, ending up looking like a mud-covered monkey. The ground was too cold, so Lady He got up angrily and realized her clothes were now too dirty to avoid washing, making her even more frustrated.

"What did I even say? I didn’t say anything, did I? What’s going on here, using me as a punching bag!" muttered Lady He as she patted the dirt off her clothes.

Even so, Lady He didn’t have the courage to confront Lady Zhou directly. Or perhaps, Lady He simply wasn’t the kind of person who argued with others; she rarely even got genuinely angry enough to fall out with someone.

Part of the reason Lady He could enter anyone’s home and sit comfortably on any kang was due to this aspect of her personality.

Lian Manman used to find it troublesome, unsure whether she should consider this quality of Lady He’s a virtue. She had discussed the matter with Lady Zhang and others. Lady Zhang suggested that no one is perfect, just as no one is entirely without merits. Lady He had her strengths. However, Lian Manman ultimately decided that Lady He was simply shameless.

"Get out!" Lady Zhou didn’t want to waste words, merely pointing to the door, urging Lady He to leave quickly.

With Wu Jiaxing and Lian Zhizhi not bringing any gifts, any hope of mooching a good meal was dashed, leaving Lady He feeling dispirited as she walked out of the Upper Room.

Lian Shouyi shook the water droplets off his robe, and for the same reasons as Lady He, he too was about to leave. But after taking a couple of steps, he stopped.

Earlier, as Lady He spoke with Lady Zhou, Lian Shouyi had been quite pleased. Lady He’s thoughts were simple; she only wanted some food. However, her words tried to sow discord between Lady Zhou and the families of Lian Shouli and Lian Shouxin. Lian Shouyi eagerly awaited the outcome of Lady He’s provocations, secretly cheering her on.

But who knew, Lady Zhou’s mood could be so unpredictable that instead of targeting Lian Shouli and Lian Shouxin, she turned on Lady He first. Lady He became a scapegoat, and he himself got caught in the crossfire.

Lian Shouyi felt a bit disappointed, regretting his hasty return from outside. He considered heading out again but changed his mind.

Lian Shouyi bent down to pick up a fallen bench, placed it under the kang near Old Master Lian, and sat down directly facing him.

"Dad," Lian Shouyi called twice before Old Master Lian responded with a grunt.

"Dad, Jiaxing and Zhizhi came over, and they didn’t bring anything. That’s gotta mean they’re inviting you over for a meal soon, right?" Lian Shouyi asked, his large eyes fixed on Old Master Lian.

According to custom, a new son-in-law and daughter return to visit after three days, and the father-in-law’s family is supposed to host a lavish feast. Additionally, esteemed elders from the family are to be invited to join, which is why Lian Shouyi asked.

However, if they had invited Old Master Lian for a meal, he shouldn’t still be sitting at the kang in the old house. In fact, Lian Shouxin and his people hadn’t even mentioned hosting a meal. They didn’t even bother with formalities.

Old Master Lian didn’t look up or glance at Lian Shouyi. Yet, the slight tremor in his hand hidden in his sleeve betrayed his current mood. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Second son, Jiaxing and Zhizhi came by to see their elders; why must they bring gifts? Our tenant farmer families don’t have such rules, and we didn’t prepare anything for them either. When it comes to living rightly, we Lian Family folks don’t bicker senselessly or nitpick ignorantly," Old Master Lian spoke calmly and sensibly.