Chapter 433: Chapter 225 Old Master Lian’s Condition_1
Zhao Wencai sat for a while, and when he saw that Lian Shouxin hadn’t even offered a cup of tea and was not attracting to what he had said, he had to speak up himself.
"Fourth brother, my visit this time is regarding your second nephew and his wife... We are proper relatives. When Xiu E married into the Lian Family, she became just like your own daughter... This is not such a big deal, so why leave Xiu E in town, ignored like that? Ah, I won’t talk about this anymore." Zhao Wencai put on an appearance of magnanimity and said, "It’s all for the children’s sake. Since you didn’t come to fetch her, we went ahead and sent Xiu E back ourselves. We’ve done the right thing, haven’t we?"
When Zhao Wencai finished speaking, he looked expectantly at Lian Shouxin. As long as Lian Shouxin acknowledged that he had done the right thing, naturally reciprocity was expected, such as graciously accompanying them to the Lian Family and standing on their side to mediate, urging the Lian Family to accept Zhao Xiue back and somehow help them regain some lost face.
Zhao Wencai was confident that Lian Shouxin wouldn’t snub his face, for Lian Shouxin was known across ten villages as an honest man, and dealing with honest people was something the Zhao Family was quite adept at.
Contrary to his expectations, Lian Shouxin hesitated and did not nod.
"Fourth brother, speak up," Zhao Wencai, getting a bit anxious, urged. From "brother Lian Si" upon entering the door to "fourth brother," his address for Lian Shouxin had become increasingly intimate.
"Brother Zhao, as you know, our branch of the family has split off to live separately," Lian Shouxin thought for a while before saying, "As for the Upper Room’s affairs, some we really aren’t clear on. The Old Master and the Old Lady were especially angry about this incident, especially the Old Lady, who was so upset that she hasn’t eaten properly for several days. Erlang’s father and mother have told me, they’ve given up hope... The fifteenth didn’t go well for our family. In the house, anyone daring to speak of this matter immediately gets a scolding."
"Exactly," Lady Zhang picked up the thread, explaining to Zhao Xiue and her daughters, "You didn’t need to come looking for us; if we could be of any assistance, we would have done so already. We asked twice, hoping to mediate a bit. But as soon as we started, the child’s grandmother scolded us out of the house... She even said if we kept pushing, it meant we were intentionally trying to upset her unto death."
"How can this be!" The four from the Zhao Family looked at each other, astonished. They had taken the initiative to send someone back, yet the Lian Family’s response was so unyielding—did they really not want Zhao Xiue anymore? What were they to do?
Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang exchanged a knowing look. If the Zhao Family knew of any other way, they would have sent Zhao Xiue back. Since they had returned her, the Lian Family couldn’t help but show them the response they deemed fit.
To deal with those who are less than honorable, one must use methods that are less than honorable. In this way, they’ll be respectful. And if you treat them with too much decency, they not only fail to appreciate it, they assume you’re weak and easily bullied.
"Fourth brother," Zhao Wencai said with a distressed look, grasping Lian Shouxin’s hand in entreaty, "As the old saying goes, ’Better to demolish a temple than to break a familial tie.’ Fourth brother, you carry weight with the Old Master. For these two children’s sake, please step in to mediate; it’s also an act of kindness."
"Sister-in-law Xiu E, were the lanterns in the county town on the fifteenth pretty? Tell us about it," Lian Manman emerged from the inner room and said cheerfully to Zhao Xiue.
"Which lanterns? I didn’t go see them," Zhao Xiue quickly replied.
"Sister-in-law Xiu E, you didn’t go? I was saying just that, it must have been Duoduo who tricked me again; I’m going to settle scores with her in a bit." After saying this, Lian Manman turned and headed back into the inner room.
Zhao Xiue and her daughters sat there, their faces turning alternately pale and flushed.
During those days, Zhao Xiue mostly stayed at the Lian Family’s house while in town. However, on the Lantern Festival, she dressed up and went to the county town to see the lanterns. This news spread to the village and angered the Lian Family greatly. This was also why the Wu Family Brothers were unwilling to mediate for the Zhao Family.
"Xiue’s grandmother lives in the county town, and every year Xiue spends seven out of ten festivals at her grandmother’s," Zhao Xiue’s mother, Lady Wu, said with a forced smile. "It just so happened that on the fifteenth her grandmother sent for her, and she stayed there for two days. We’ve been busy and didn’t have the chance; we were just about to discuss it with the family."
"...It’s not just one or two issues, anyway, the Old Master, the Old Lady, as well as my second brother and his wife are all very upset. Manman is just a child, and Brother Zhao, you’ve come so far to visit me first; I might as well give you a heads-up. For this matter, it won’t do any good for anyone else to speak; it really has to be you personally who addresses this to set the record straight," Lian Shouxin then said, "The Old Master and Old Lady are not unreasonable people. Brother Zhao, your family should just humble yourselves a bit; anyway, according to seniority, it wouldn’t be unfair to you. Now that everyone is at home, it’s a good time for you to visit; if you wait too long, it will be more difficult to handle."
