Chapter 528: Chapter 272: Moving_2
Lian Shouyi has always been this way. No matter how much Lady Zhou scolded, he would just smile. Whatever Lady Zhou said, he wouldn’t take it to heart, which really frustrated Lady Zhou.
As Lady Zhou’s foot crossed the threshold, she suddenly turned back and caught sight of Lady He coming in along the wall from outside.
The root of the trouble was He Laoliu; it was Lady He! Lady Zhou’s temper flared again.
"Where have you been cackling off to again, leaving as soon as you’re full? Do you think this is some sort of inn?" Lady Zhou, with one foot inside and one foot outside, pointed at Lady He and scolded, "Just look at you, sneaking around like that. Do you think you’re a hen about to lay an egg?"
Speaking of laying eggs, Lady Zhou remembered another issue, which made her see Lady He in an even less favorable light.
"Last fall, weren’t you the one fussing about being pregnant? How come you’re clinging to that egg, so reluctant to lay it?"
Lady He grinned, unable to utter a single word.
Outside the main gate, a few peals of laughter rang out. In the West Wing Room, Lian Manman and Lian Zhizhi couldn’t help but giggle secretly. Last year, Lady Zhang had a miscarriage, had to rest for a few days, and couldn’t work. Jealous, Lady He claimed she was pregnant too, so she didn’t have to work and needed her own small stove.
This was also a factor that later contributed to the division of the family.
Of course, after the division of property, the matter of Lady He being pregnant faded away. However, whenever Lady Zhou remembered it, she would use the incident to criticize Lady He. Fortunately, Lady He had thick skin and didn’t take it seriously.
"You false-reporting old hen!" Lady Zhou cursed before she took Lian Xiuxiu and went inside the house.
Usually, when hens lay eggs, they stand up and cluck for a while. There are also hens that, for some psychological or physiological reason, make the same noise, leading the owner to check but find no egg. The tenant farmers called this behavior in hens "false reporting."
Peace finally returned to the Lian Family.
Lian Shouxin, who had been out visiting friends, also came back with news. As soon as he entered the West Wing Room, he felt the unusual silence. Lady Zhang sat on the kang bed, staring blankly, while the children all kept close, taking care.
"What, what happened?" Lian Shouxin jumped in fright, wondering if Lady Zhang had been involved in the argument.
Lian Manman quickly went over and whispered the whole story in Lian Shouxin’s ear.
Lian Shouxin let out a sigh of relief, but seeing Lady Zhang’s vacant expression, his heart ached for her.
The scar in Lady Zhang’s heart, or rather her heartache, couldn’t be alleviated by anyone’s words. It was a mother’s pain, and only a mother herself could slowly heal it over time.
"I’m fine. What are you all staring at me for?" After a while, Lady Zhang seemed to have recovered a bit and pretended as if nothing had happened.
"Well, there’s nothing wrong, just sitting around." Lian Shouxin said.
"Ah." Lady Zhang sighed.
"I think, from now on, this yard is never going to be quiet." Lian Manman thought for a moment and said, "Dad, you didn’t see Grandma and Sister-in-law Xiu E; they were arguing ferociously. My aunt was so frightened in her room that she turned pale and trembled. We were all terrified too."
"Yeah, it was quite frightening." Xiao Qi nodded.
"Dad, look at my mom. I’m afraid we’ll have to deal with similar issues in the future," Lian Manman added.
Lady Zhou and Zhao Xiue were both fond of stirring up trouble. During today’s quarrel, their words had already implicated them. And this was just the beginning. What about the future? Would they always be brought up as appetizers to accompany the drinks?
Living in the same courtyard, it was impossible to avoid each other completely. If someone intentionally dragged them into the disputes, there would be no escape. Lian Manman worried that they would get caught up in the crossfire and become collateral damage.
"Can my mom withstand their provocations again and again? My brothers and Xiao Qi need a quiet place for their studies. And my sister, with the house in constant uproar, prospective matchmakers might be deterred from approaching her. I’m afraid someone might say, if she’s exposed to all the cursing and fighting every day, what if she starts to pick up the same habits?" Lian Manman expressed her worries.
"How about we move out?" Lady Zhang suggested.
Lian Manman, Wu Lang, Lian Zhizhi, and Xiao Qi all turned their gaze toward Lian Shouxin.
Lian Shouxin broke out in a cold sweat, utterly unprepared for Lian Manman’s words.
"It hasn’t come to that!"
This place was Lian Shouxin’s home, where he had lived since birth. It held memories from his childhood, his youth—many happy recollections. While Lian Shouxin had thought about purchasing land and building a house for his sons, he had never considered moving out.
"It really has come to that," Lian Manman insisted.
Lian Shouxin grew anxious; he glanced at Lady Zhang. She remained silent, apparently preoccupied with her own thoughts.
"This matter requires careful consideration... Besides, we’re short on money right now, and it’s almost time to start farming. Building a house is no small matter... We’d have to wait at least until... until after the autumn harvest. By then, we can... we’ll see!"
"Mhm," Lian Manman reluctantly nodded. She knew this was a significant and difficult decision for Lian Shouxin. He needed time to slowly adapt to the idea. Additionally, practically speaking, their finances were insufficient.
Indeed, they could have first invested their money in building their new residence—a possibility Lian Manman had considered. But ultimately, she decided to invest the silver coins in more profitable ventures.
...
That very night, Zhao Xiue had Erlang call the doctor because she claimed to have aggravated a pregnancy-related condition. Lady Zhou immediately fainted in the Upper Room and, once revived, claimed she had been overwhelmed by anger causing her old ailment to flare up.
Old Master Lian became furious, but both Lady Zhou and Zhao Xiue miraculous recovered without the need for medicine.
Afterward, just as Lian Manman had predicted, the Lian Family dove into a pattern: minor arguments every three days, major quarrels every five. Lady Zhou and Zhao Xiue were fully invested, fighting with increasing vigor.
In the springtime, as all things began to sprout and grow, Lian Manman and Lian Zhizhi went to the fields early to collect the freshest and tenderest shepherd’s purse, bringing back a basketful.
Once home, the sisters busied themselves. They made a bamboo steamer full of shepherd’s purse dumplings and boiled ten eggs, packing everything into food containers. Lian Zhizhi packed a basket with large dates and Balixiang pears, and also wrapped two pairs of layered cotton-padded satin shoes in cloth before placing them inside. She then handed the basket to Lian Manman.
"Sister, you take the basket. Don’t you want to come with me?"
***....*****
Second watch, asking for pink (end of part). (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
