Chapter 541: Chapter 278: Arguing_2
As soon as Lian Manman’s words had fallen, not only Lian Shouren but also Old Master Lian’s face turned sour. The implication of Lian Manman’s words was clear: she was accusing Lian Shouren of being a thief within the family.
"Manman, as a young lady, you should speak more gently. In our house... it’s okay for now, but you must be careful when talking with outsiders," Old Master Lian advised tactfully.
No matter the fault, Lian Shouren was an elder. Being criticized so bluntly by Lian Manman, his preadolescent niece, made Old Master Lian feel unpleasant.
"Manman, this girl, doesn’t hold her tongue, not at all like her father or mother. Her maternal grandparents were also kind people, not so sharp-tongued. Who on earth does Manman take after?" Old Master Lian pondered to himself.
"Father, Manman is only ten years old. She hasn’t studied for decades like her uncle. She just says what’s on her mind. A child doesn’t have all these ulterior thoughts. She doesn’t lie, and she doesn’t harm others," said Lady Zhang at this time, "We’re lucky to have her in our family. Otherwise, her father and I, both not very articulate, would let people trample over us without knowing how to retort."
"Sir, Mr. Loo teaches Xiao Qi and me," Wu Lang said, "Mr. Loo dislikes trouble. He teaches Xiao Qi and me because he likes us. We agreed not to tell others about this, to avoid bringing Mr. Loo any trouble, otherwise, he might not be able to continue teaching Xiao Qi and me. Not many people know about this. My uncle keeps to his studies, so where did he hear about it?"
After Wu Lang spoke, he looked toward Old Master Lian and Lian Shouren.
"Your father mentioned this to me once," Old Master Lian said forcefully as he took a couple of drags from his pipe, "Don’t worry, we’ll just talk about this within our own walls. Once we step outside, I assure you, not a word will be said."
After speaking, Old Master Lian glanced at Lian Shouren, signaling for him to speak.
"Isn’t this a good thing? Why fear..." Lian Shouren began but, seeing Old Master Lian’s expression, he changed course, "I definitely won’t tell."
"Now I can rest assured. It wasn’t easy for Xiao Qi and me to start studying today. Uncle has agreed to let us study, hasn’t he? If Uncle had objected, even if our family had made some money to support Xiao Qi and my studies, we wouldn’t have dared to go to school."
"Xiao Qi, let’s bow to our uncle. We should thank him for his generosity," Wu Lang said as he stood up, pulling Xiao Qi with him to bow to Lian Shouren.
"What, what is this for!" Lian Shouren’s face changed from pale to flushed as his arm waved frantically in front of him, not willing to accept Wu Lang and Xiao Qi’s gesture of respect.
Watching Lian Shouren’s awkwardness under such pressure, Old Master Lian felt a complex mixture of emotions and could not immediately say what was wrong with Wu Lang and Xiao Qi’s actions.
Lian Manman could not help but smirk, deciding to add fuel to the fire.
"Brother, Xiao Qi, why are you thanking him?" said Lian Manman, "For so many years our uncle has been a Scholar, teaching in town, wearing gold, and looking so distinguished, right? All those years, did he let you and Xiao Qi go to school? Brother, why did you have to wait until now, until after our family split, to be able to study? Don’t you resent him, and yet you thank him? That must be quite embarrassing for Uncle!"
Wu Lang and Xiao Qi laughed.
"Old Fourth, I always thought you were a straightforward man. I was mistaken; you let your daughter and son insult your elder brother like this," Lian Shouren said with heartfelt regret, pained by how Lian Shouxin let the family morals decline once they separated.
Wu Lang, Lian Manman, and Xiao Qi, the three siblings, kept provoking, their words slapping his face like palm strikes. Even with the thickest skin, he was left with no place to hide his shame.
Lian Shouren stormed out, unable to stay in the room any longer.
Yet, he wouldn’t consider that he had initiated the quarrel, bringing all this upon himself.
"Big brother, don’t leave yet, let’s clear things up," Lian Shouxin finally spoke up. He stood and pulled Lian Shouren back.
"What more is there to say?" Lian Shouren shook off Lian Shouxin. Though he spoke so, he stayed. His dignity trampled by a few children, he longed for Lian Shouxin to say something to ease his face. Otherwise, how could he continue to put on airs as the elder brother and uncle?
"Since everyone is here, let me clarify. The money to send Wu Lang and Xiao Qi to school is earned and saved penny by penny by us. We didn’t spend anyone else’s money, we wronged no one. As long as their conscience isn’t skewed, they have no right to have an opinion," Lady Zhang stood and spoke loudly, "Furthermore, Uncle, all the world could speak against our Manman, but none could do it like you. You wronged our Manman; you are the one with a debt of conscience, owing our Manman. In this lifetime, you’ll always owe her. In front of our Manman, you should hang your head! Don’t assume we’ve forgotten the past, acting as if you’ve done nothing."
Lady Zhang grew emotional, not only were her eyes reddening, but her hands were shaking as well.
Lian Manman quickly moved to her side and took her hand, thinking to herself that it was well said. With some people, you need to make things clear; you can’t let them think they can fool everyone.
"It was my idea to let Manman learn to read and write," Lian Shouxin said, "Thanks to her literacy, she can take on many responsibilities at home. My daughter is just as good as a son."
Lian Shouren’s complexion turned green, while Old Master Lian’s eyelids twitched twice. They both disliked Lian Shouxin’s last remark.
"Don’t say my parents didn’t spend lots of money on me, even if they did, that was our own hard-earned money. Others can be envious, but that’s just empty envy," Lian Manman said, looking at Lian Shouren with a smile, "I’m just worried that some might not just be envious, they might also be scheming against us behind our backs!"
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Here’s one update for now; another will come later.
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