Lian Shouyi and Lady He went out early in the morning, so they’re not home right now.

"...Do you know where they went?" Lian Shouxin asked.

"Where can they go?" Lady Zhou curled her lips in disdain and said, "They don’t have anywhere proper to be. The wife of the second son is always wandering around, never home. And the second son... he’s even more aimless."

Lady Zhou’s words were accurate, but utterly worthless.

Lian Shouxin then turned to look at Lian Shouren and Lian Jizu. Both shook their heads, indicating they had no idea where Lian Shouyi and Lady He had gone.

"Does Yaya know?" Lian Manman asked as soon as she caught sight of Lian Yaya.

Lian Yaya seemed startled. After a moment, she realized Lian Manman was speaking to her and quickly shook her head.

"She doesn’t know anything. That couple doesn’t tell her anything,... they completely ignore this child." Lady Zhou said.

No one knew where exactly Lian Shouyi and Lady He had gone, but they still needed to be found and brought back. Wu Lang then called in a servant, instructed him thoroughly, and sent him home to search, spreading out across Thirty Mile Camp and nearby villages to look for Lian Shouyi and Lady He.

"...Tell them there’s something urgent, and they must come back at once." Wu Lang finally winked at the servant, implying that even if Lian Shouyi and Lady He were unwilling to return, they should be dragged back if necessary.

After sending people to look for Lian Shouyi and Lady He, everyone waited at the old house. Lian Shouxin, Wu Lang, Lian Manman all had nothing to say to Lady Zhou, and Lian Shouren and Lian Jizu dared not speak up, while Shang Huaide took the chance to chat with Lian Shouxin.

What serious matters could Shang Huaide have? It was nothing more than idle chatter. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Lian Shouxin wasn’t fond of it but he dealt with it.

Lian Manman exchanged a glance with Wu Lang. The siblings felt that Shang Huaide and Younger Lady Zhou lacked tact; the Lian Family was dealing with household matters, and they didn’t know to avoid but instead watched eagerly nearby.

Indeed, they were invited by Lady Zhou, but look how Lady Da Zhou handled things. With Shang Huaide being so clever, would he really fail to read the room? Lian Manman certainly didn’t believe it. Knowing they were unwelcome yet choosing to linger, Shang Huaide and Younger Lady Zhou undoubtedly had their own little schemes.

These schemes weren’t hard to guess; simply put, they wanted to increase their presence, so the Lian Family wouldn’t underestimate them, and if an opportunity arose to gain some benefits, even better.

Aside from these schemes, their actions also related to their personalities and conduct. After all, not everyone could be as cultured and sensible as Lady Da Zhou about when to advance or retreat.

Shang Huaide and Younger Lady Zhou’s actions, for tenant farmers, were downright irksome.

If Old Master Lian were still around, they wouldn’t have been invited at all. Now, Wu Lang had agreed to Lady Zhou’s request, and the matter going forward didn’t need nor was it appropriate for outsiders to witness, Shang Huaide and Younger Lady Zhou completely had no reason to remain. Even Lady Zhou didn’t need to insist on keeping them.

"...What is Aunt Baorong busy with today that she didn’t come along?" Lian Manman asked with a smile.

Upon hearing Lian Manman refer to Shang Baorong as Aunt, Shang Huaide’s face almost broke into a grin.

"Your aunt is about to get married in a couple of days, so she’s preparing at home." Shang Huaide replied, smiling heartily.

Lian Manman smiled and, upon glancing up, met Lady Chiang’s gaze directly; Lady Chiang promptly returned a smile.

"And Third Aunt Granny and Third Maternal Grandfather are quite busy too; it’s the busy season, still they took time to come over." Lady Chiang promptly continued Shang Huaide’s words.

Seeing Lady Chiang being so clever and considerate, Lian Manman smiled again.

Lian Shouxin was inwardly annoyed by Shang Huaide, but since Lady Zhou invited them as guests and they were elders, he couldn’t easily ask them to leave; now that the conversation reached this point, he naturally wouldn’t miss the chance.

"Oh, well, Third Aunt, Third Maternal Grandfather, there’s not much going on, you should go back and focus on the preparations for Baorong’s wedding. That’s a big event; it shouldn’t be delayed or have any mistakes." Lian Shouxin said as he stood up.

This was evidently a gesture to send them off.

Lian Shouxin was very unwelcome to them continuing to linger and observe the Lian Family’s domestic affairs. Shang Huaide and Younger Lady Zhou could no longer feign ignorance and looked toward Lady Zhou.

At this moment, Lady Zhou’s words held power.

"Well ... maybe you should head back now." Lady Zhou looked at Shang Huaide and Younger Lady Zhou, then at Lian Shouxin and the other two, clasping her hands together, hesitated for a moment before speaking, "...Old Fourth just told me about Baorong’s things, he sent word to her father-in-law’s side, Old Zhang family will definitely add to the dowry. On Baorong’s day, someone from the Old Fourth Family will certainly be there."