Chapter 379: Chapter 196 Self-blame_2
"Do I not want to cook?" Lady Gu frowned, fire in her voice. Noticing Lian Manman had entered, she quickly smoothed her brow and softened her tone. "Your mother doesn’t allow us to light the fire, she made me put it out."
"I’ll go talk to mother." Lian Shouren was about to head to the east room.
"Don’t go," Lady Gu hurriedly stopped Lian Shouren, "We’ll light the fire for cooking later, just endure it for a bit."
Lady Gu gave Lian Shouren a meaningful look and pulled him back to the west room.
This was smart cooking, knowing that Lady Zhou and Old Master Lian were still furious, they utilized patience and avoidance. Once the old couple’s anger had slowly subsided, a father and son would still be father and son. If Lian Shouren really got cold from the unheated kang bed, the old couple would pity him. Lighting extra fire would not be a problem, and other matters would also become easier to handle.
...
In the east room, Old Master Lian was leaning on the rolled-up bedding, resting with his eyes closed. According to Doctor Li’s instructions, he should be lying down at this time. But he was a restless person, and even under Lady Zhou’s vigilant watch, preventing him from walking about, he would sit whenever he could instead of lying down. Lady Zhou and Lian Xiuxiu were sitting under the window, sewing shoe soles.
"Grandpa, Grandma." Lian Manman, with Wu Lang and Xiao Qi, moved all the things they had bought from town into the room, arranging them along the edge of the kang bed.
"Why have you bought so many things?" Old Master Lian opened his eyes and saw all the items, he and Lady Zhou both were surprised.
"Hehe." Lian Manman smiled and showed each item to Old Master Lian, "Ten jin of japonica rice for making porridge for grandpa, Doctor Li said this is the most nourishing. Ten jin of white flour; grandpa, once you feel a bit better, grandma will roll out noodles, make dumplings, and bake flatbreads for you to eat. In the next few days, you should eat fine grains, don’t consume coarse grains... Two jin of white sugar, two jin of brown sugar, here are also five jin of chicken eggs, five jin of meat, a pig’s stomach, and two jin of tangerines, which are hard to find. We were lucky to get them today, had we gone later, we couldn’t have bought them."
"This... how much did it all cost!" Lady Zhou exclaimed in shock.
Old Master Lian also knew these things must have cost quite a, but what was even more precious was how meticulously and thoughtfully Lian Manman had planned the purchases.
"Grandma, Aunt Zhou, let’s quickly put these things away," Lian Manman said.
Lady Zhou and Lian Xiuxiu were busy getting down from the kang bed to tidy everything away.
"Manman, Wu Lang, Xiao Qi, come up to the kang and sit next to grandpa," Old Master Lian beckoned them.
Lian Manman, along with Wu Lang and Xiao Qi, all climbed up the kang and sat beside Old Master Lian.
"Grandpa, I wanted to talk to you about going to the city yesterday, but after you took your medicine, you fell asleep," Lian Manman said.
Had Lian Manman not come, Old Master Lian would have sent someone to look for her to inquire about the previous day’s events. He had already asked Erlang and Sanlang, knowing what had happened at Lian Shouren’s place, but they knew nothing of the Song Family’s affairs.
"Then speak now, I have the energy to listen," Old Master Lian said.
"Alright." Lian Manman replied and began to speak.
Wu Lang and Xiao Qi also chimed in, and the three children, joking and laughing, went through the events again.
As for how to negotiate with Lian Huahua to get her to contribute money, only Lian Manman knew. She did not conceal anything, except for Lian Huahua’s comment: "Is he doing this for me, isn’t it just for the Lian Family to have someone in an official position?"
This sentence, Lian Manman could not bring herself to say in front of Old Master Lian. "It turns out, I’m also one of those with thin skin and a soft heart," Lian Manman thought to herself.
"I think if Sister Huahua had planned to raise the money earlier, she could have done so already. I really don’t understand why she did this," Lian Manman finally added.
After listening to Lian Manman’s recount, Old Master Lian remained silent for a long time.
Lian Manman, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi also sat in silence.
"Huahua has spent more days living in the town, and only a few in the village. She doesn’t share deep feelings with us," Old Master Lian said slowly after a moment.
"It’s all because of that seductress mother of hers leading her on," Lady Zhou, having gone out to freeze the pork, came back in time to hear this and immediately responded. "That girl, longing for that, just like her mother."
When Lady Zhou spoke like this, she was gnashing her teeth. Although she was angry with Lian Shouren for what happened, her primary rage and hatred fell upon Lady Gu. Her son was someone she had raised since he was a child; he couldn’t have been that bad. It must have been Lady Gu’s instigation, or perhaps she had even tricked him, that led to this incident.
"The mistake started from the very beginning," Old Master Lian said, lowering his head and pondering for a while, "During the days I lay on the kang bed, my mind never rested. When Huahua’s situation came to light, I knew we shouldn’t have continued to cover it up. A broken Jade Pendant is broken, we should have explained the situation clearly to the Song Family and dealt with it accordingly. We should never have borrowed from usurers."
There were some thoughts Old Master Lian still kept to himself. Had it not been for the enticing opportunity from the Song Family to donate an official position for Lian Shouren, his choice at that time might have been different.
"People can’t deceive their hearts, nor can they resort to shrewd tricks," Old Master Lian sighed deeply, "It is because of that incident that we are now beneath the Song Family...
Lian Huahua’s mistake was tantamount to Old Master Lian’s complicity. In his own heart, he had already shouldered the responsibility for not going to the county city and not actively engaging with the Song Family.
Lian Manman had a thought, wondering if even if Old Master Lian hadn’t fallen ill at the time, would he still have refrained from going to the city to collect the debts? Did Lian Huahua and the others rely precisely on this fact, emboldening them in their actions? Had Old Master Lian gone to the city, and Lian Shouren hidden away, Lian Huahua surely wouldn’t have worried about Old Master Lian approaching the Song Family, would she?
"...To be debt-free is to be carefree," Old Master Lian revitalized himself from his self-blame and despondency, "Fortunately, it’s not too late. From now on, we will simply live honestly and cultivate our land."
Was Old Master Lian implying that from now on, they should live by farming, no longer hoping for Lian Shouren to become an official?
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