Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 1633 - 832: Retaliation (Part 2)

Si Lang should have realized he had thoroughly offended Lian Lanlan, and with the family planning to arrange a marriage for him, he really was behaving himself by working diligently in the shop and not going over to Lian Lanlan’s place.

If things continued peacefully like this, it would have been a good outcome. But soon, the streets were abuzz with gossip about Si Lang, painting him as a wastrel indulging in drinking, gambling, and womanizing.

Upon catching wind of these rumors, Si Lang was naturally outraged, and he quickly traced the source of the gossip. It turned out these rumors were spread by Lian Lanlan. Si Lang did not take this lying down and confronted Lian Lanlan, which resulted in the scene we just witnessed.

Alone in the city, Si Lang caused a scene at Lian Lanlan’s house and even got into a fight with Jin Suo, with neither side gaining any advantage.

Eventually, he was chased out by Lian Lanlan’s family. The two, aunt and nephew, insulted each other in the street, each claiming the other was spreading false tales, though all the rumors about each other were said to be indisputably true.

Lian Lanlan cursed Si Lang, calling him a wastrel, but Si Lang was no pushover and retaliated by exposing Yin Suo’s affairs in public.

Ultimately, Lian Lanlan had more people on her side and claimed the upper hand, taking advantage of being a local resident.

In reality...

"Both sides suffer, inflicting a thousand wounds on the enemy at the cost of eight hundred to oneself." Sending Xiao Hetao away, Lian Manman remarked. As she spoke, she couldn’t help but think of Old Master Lian. "If Grandpa knew, who knows how angry he’d be. He’d definitely say, not giving way, not being sensible, not being considerate, things like that."

According to Old Master Lian’s logic and reasoning, as long as one party yields and is willing to take a silent loss, the situation would not escalate to a point where both sides suffer.

Objectively speaking, there’s some sense to Old Master Lian’s perspective. Within a family, for the head of the house, it represents a single interest unit. To him, both parties in a conflict are flesh and blood. He’ll want the losing party to yield and be sensible, aiming to prevent mutual suffering that would harm the family’s overall interests.

For this goal, he would purposefully blur the line between right and wrong within the family.

As the saying goes, home isn’t a place for righteousness.

However, everything has a limit; excess is as bad as deficiency. Minor rights and wrongs might be allowed, but significant issues mustn’t be obscured. Even minor issues, when accumulated over time, can eventually lead to major problems.

Old Master Lian is not unique to his era. Many parents share similar beliefs. After all, as long as someone in the family yields and acts sensibly, the family can maintain "harmony" and remains easy to manage.

When both parties are "unwilling to yield" and "not sensible," the head of the household will have a headache.

"Ah," sighed Lady Zhang softly, "this is like the sharp end meeting the point, neither side willing to yield. Such temper, just like the old lady, refuses to take any loss."

Lian Manman glanced at Lady Zhang, holding back a smile. If it were someone else, Lian Manman would surely think they were taking the opportunity to disparage Lady Zhou, quite naturally at that. But Lady Zhang harbored no such ulterior motives; she simply said what she wanted, without much reservation now.

"It’s always worrying." Lian Shouxin also sighed, "Neither side gained any advantage, just made a joke out of themselves for outsiders. This fuss just made those who didn’t believe the gossip now more likely to believe."

"My dad is right," agreed Lian Manman. The spectacle between Lian Lanlan and Si Lang today would make onlookers see both as unreliable, leading them to lend more credence to the gossip they previously doubted.

With dinner prepared in the kitchen, the family ate and then invited Shopkeeper Chiang over for a discussion.

Lian Manman had already instructed Shopkeeper Chiang on purchasing cotton cloth, cotton, and sheepskin. Besides the stock in Lian’s Department Store’s warehouse, Shopkeeper Chiang had coordinated with other shops to gather the required amount for Lian Manman.

"Everything will be prepared by tomorrow morning, rest assured," promised Shopkeeper Chiang.

After discussing business, Lian Shouxin inquired with Shopkeeper Chiang about other matters.

"... How are Erlang and his brother-in-law doing at the coachman’s inn?" Lian Shouxin first asked about Erlang and Luo Xiaoying.

"They’re doing quite well," replied Shopkeeper Chiang. "Erlang is earnest and puts effort into his work, not being lazy. Though he might not be eloquent, hardworking staff who put in effort are still appreciated by both shopkeepers and customers. As for Luo Xiaoying, he’s relatively average compared to Erlang."

"He looks clever, well-groomed, and talks a lot when he’s with his brother-in-law, but is less talkative around others," noted Shopkeeper Chiang.

Lian Manman gave Shopkeeper Chiang a look, pondering that his words, as someone worldly-wise, were quite intriguing.

"And how about Si Lang at the Paper Craft Shop?" Lian Shouxin then asked about Si Lang.

"He’s doing alright," said Shopkeeper Chiang. "Being young, it’s his first time working. Initially, he might not have been used to it, but he’s gradually improving. Since the new year, he’s noticeably better than before the break... very motivated, as he wants to learn the craft quickly."

"Is he behaving in the shop, not causing any trouble?" asked Lian Shouxin.

"He’s doing alright, too," replied Shopkeeper Chiang.

"... You must have heard the gossip too, right?" Lian Shouxin finally asked.

...

Seeking pinks. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) and vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)