After Lady Zhou sent Lady Chiang over, Lian Manman’s family didn’t rush to the old family home. Given Lady Zhou’s temperament, being able to send someone to deliver a gift indicated how urgent her request was. If it were someone else, Lian Manman would be very willing to help. But with Lady Zhou, it couldn’t be done that way.

Because if she did, Lady Zhou would not only fail to be grateful, it would backfire.

For two consecutive days, Lian Manman was busy with her own family’s affairs. It wasn’t until the third day, when Lady Zhou couldn’t stand it any longer and sent Lian Jizu over to urge them, that Lian Manman nodded in agreement.

Lady Zhang stayed at home and didn’t go. Although Lady Chiang delivered the message that she wanted Lady Zhang and Lian Shouxin to go together, everyone understood it was just Lady Chiang’s way of saving face and being courteous. Lady Zhou would not want Lady Zhang to go to the old family home.

Now that Lady Zhang has an imperial decree and both her sons are accomplished, she surpasses Lady Zhou in every way. Not to mention seeing Lady Zhang, just the thought of her makes Lady Zhou upset. She wouldn’t want Lady Zhang around to annoy her. If things went according to Lady Zhou’s wishes, it would be best for Lian Shouxin to go to the old family home alone.

With Lady Zhou, it’s most comfortable to talk to her own son and make requests. No one else owes her anything, but Lian Shouxin is her son, for this lifetime he owes her. Furthermore, Lady Zhou always thought she could control Lian Shouxin’s temperament. Of course, this would require Lian Shouxin to be out of Lady Zhang’s and the children’s influence.

Xiao Qi didn’t go because he had school. Only Lian Shouxin, Wu Lang, and Lian Manman took people to the old family home.

The reason for their visit wasn’t merely because Lady Zhou called them. Since the family was planning to go to Prefecture City in a few days and would not be back for a while, they had originally intended to visit Lady Zhou before leaving. When living in Thirty Mile Camp, they would visit Lady Zhou at the old family home on the first and fifteenth of each month.

Approaching the old family home, Lian Shouxin’s pace slowed down. It wasn’t due to hesitation; he was just slowing down to carefully observe the old house from the outside.

Without Old Master Lian, the old family home seemed very different, even from the outside.

On the east side outside the main gate, leaning against the courtyard wall, there were high, neatly stacked piles of firewood. However, on the west side, there was only a short stack. Lian Manman knew that the firewood on the east side belonged to the Upper Room, while the west side belonged to Lian Shouyi’s second family branch.

At this time of year, most hardworking tenant farmers had long since gathered their autumn harvest and brought the firewood home. Of course, there were a few lazy and negligent ones whose firewood was still left in the fields. Clearly, Lian Shouyi belonged to the latter category.

"Did your second uncle say when he’ll bring the firewood home?" Lian Shouxin asked Lian Jizu, who was accompanying him.

"He didn’t say," Lian Jizu answered honestly. "In the past few days, Second Uncle hasn’t been home much. During the autumn harvest, it was you, Fourth Uncle, who pushed him, with Erlang’s help; otherwise, who knows how it would have turned out. Maybe they’d have just sold the crops in the field."

Lian Shouxin could only shake his head, feeling disappointed. During the planting season, it was him supervising; for the autumn harvest, it was him again. Now, bringing the firewood home seemed to depend on his management as well. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

In farming families, there are some who do nothing all year long, refusing to make a living. When they plant crops, they do not harvest them. Instead, they sell them right in the field, stalks and all, to someone else. Selling this way is very convenient, but the price is lower.

Some do this because they are idle, while others are forced to do so due to urgent financial needs. The former is contemptible, while the latter evokes great sympathy.

"Living in the same courtyard, you need to be attentive. Don’t let him sell off the firewood as well. In the bitterly cold winter months, what are they going to burn? Use your firewood, or go around warming themselves at other people’s stoves? It looks like this family is falling apart!" Lian Shouxin said to Lian Jizu as he walked into the courtyard.

"Don’t worry, Fourth Uncle. We will definitely be mindful. If anything happens, I’ll send you a message right away," Lian Jizu quickly replied.

Lian Shouyi’s family had no firewood, so it would be most convenient to use the Upper Room’s from the old family home, or cozy up to them for warmth.

After entering the main gate of the old home, there were two completely different scenes on each side. On the west side, there were three fat pigs in the pigsty, and the alleyway was piled with firewood. In the garden above, the vegetables were long harvested, but traces of the once lush garden were still visible. On the east side, the alleyway was overgrown with half-human-tall yellowed weeds. The pigsty door was open and empty, with a large gap in the wall.