From that day on, Lady He claid to be pregnant and unsteady, unwilling to do any work and staying at ho all the ti. She too wanted to have her own separate kitchen, but with no rice or flour, she made Liulang and Xiao Qi steal chicken eggs. Liulang was older than Xiao Qi but not as clever; whenever he tried to snatch the eggs from Xiao Qi, Lian Manman would be standing by with a kitchen knife, watching him. The children from the Second Household were already afraid of Lian Xiuxiu, who had been beaten so badly that she couldn’t get up for days, and they all knew it was the work of Lian Manman and the others. Therefore, even though Liulang was older than Lian Manman, he beca timid and resentful when he saw her angry, not daring to provoke her anymore.
Lady Zhou was still holding a grudge, so Lian Xiuxiu also did no work. Lady Chiang was frail and not accustod to heavy labor, and she had to take care of Niuniu, so all the household work fell upon Lady Zhao alone. Since Lady He couldn’t order Lian Manman around, she ordered Lady Zhao instead. Lady Zhao, overworked and on her period, eventually fainted in the fields.
Without enough food to eat, there was no strength for work; even with Old Master Lian’s supervision, people began to slack off.
Seeing the moisture in the air grow heavier and the anticipated rain drawing near, yet the Lian Family still had patches of peanuts and beans that hadn’t been brought in, Old Master Lian beca anxious and irritated, with blisters forming around his mouth.
Once again it was alti, but they faced cold stoves and pots; Old Master Lian led by munching on a hard lump of food before going to work in the fields. However, aside from Lian Shouxin and Lian Shouli, Lian Shouyi and his household did not budge from their spots.
"We can’t work on an empty stomach, we truly have no energy."
"Old Fourth’s wife lies around all day, eating her fill of polished rice and white flour, along with chicken, duck, fish, and at. I’m pregnant too and my kids are worn out from toiling." Lady He forcefully argued, "Father, you must be fair. We break our backs working and can’t even get a warm al, while Old Fourth, with just one worker, has so many mouths to feed, yet his wife is pampered like a princess."
Old Master Lian looked at Lian Shouyi.
Lian Shouyi kept his head down, silent.
"Shouren, Jizu, co with to the fields." Old Master Lian barked at Lian Shouren.
Lian Shouren took two steps back.
"Father, you know , I have never worked in the fields; I would just be in the way. Let Jizu go." Lian Shouren said.
"Sir, my foot is still not healed, the doctor said it’s a hundred days for bone and tendon injuries and told not to work." Lian Jizu hesitantly said.
Old Master Lian looked around and saw that only Lian Shouli, Lian Shouxin, Lian Zhizhi, and Wu Lang were willing to work in the fields with him.
"All of you, aren’t you ashad. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re really thinking. You all just want to divide the family property, don’t you?" Old Master Lian angrily picked up a teacup and smashed it on the floor, "Fine, let’s divide. I’ll do it right now!"
"Father, I don’t want to split the family." Lian Shouren hastily said.
"Father, neither do I want to split." Lian Shouyi said.
"Didn’t mother say to let Old Fourth move out?" Lady He said, "And don’t downplay it, the trouble we’ve had at ho these past six months has all co from Old Fourth’s Household. Just look at his Manman, she was dead once and ca back to life, and then there’s Old Fourth’s wife, tsk, all the trouble they’ve caused the family..."
"Sister-in-law, stop talking." Lian Shouxin interrupted Lady He.
"Mother, isn’t that what happened?" Lady He turned to Lady Zhou.
Lady Zhou sat on the kang bed, silent.
"Father, I need to speak with you." Lian Shouxin pulled Old Master Lian from the Upper Room and stood under the cucumber trellis in the back courtyard.
"Father, you’ve seen the situation today. What the second sister-in-law said isn’t just her own opinion. If we don’t establish so Rules and Regulations, we won’t be able to gather the crops, and we can’t go on like this. Father, let’s yield to everyone’s wishes and divide the family. My wife and I have thought it over; her health has deteriorated, and we don’t know what will happen in the future. There’s only working in our room, and the children are all young. Plus, there’s the debt of Seventy taels of silver from the famine. She might need dicine or sothing in the future, and it’s a huge burden. Requesting help from my brothers, I couldn’t bear it. Let’s split, just separate out, and I’ll shoulder my own debts."
"Old Fourth, that won’t do, it’s still my call to make in this house, and I can’t allow you to be wronged." Old Master Lian said, trembling.
"Father," Lian Shouxin knelt before Old Master Lian, "even if you suppress it this ti, there will be a next. This ti, Big Brother and Second Brother haven’t said a word, the affection of brothers... is still there. But next ti..."
Lian Shouxin didn’t finish his sentence. Lian Manman was beside him, crushing a cucumber leaf, wondering if their affection was still truly present. Lian Shouxin’s words were just to save face for everyone.
"Father, let’s divide the family..." Lian Shouxin kowtowed to Old Master Lian.
Old Master Lian helped Lian Shouxin up, turned his face away, and wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand.
"Let’s gather the crops first."
Old Master Lian and Lian Shouxin went back inside.
"A large tree branches out; it’s ti for this family to split." Old Master Lian spoke those words as his straight back seed to sag slightly.
"Father, we really shouldn’t split." Lian Shouyi quickly said.
"If Old Fourth wants to leave, let him go on his own." Lady He said.
Lian Shouren and Lian Jizu remained silent; Lian Shouli lowered his head, also remaining mum.
"Big Brother, Second Brother, I’ve talked to father, I will move out." Lian Shouxin said with a forced smile.
"Old Fourth, why do you want to separate? That’s not right." Lian Shouren hastily said.
"Yes, Old Fourth, the things their mothers said just now, that’s not what I think at all." Lian Shouyi said.
"Father, we shouldn’t split if we can avoid it." Lian Shouli said.
"If Old Fourth is unwilling to live with us and insists on leaving, we shouldn’t stop him." Lian Shouyi glanced at Lian Shouren.
Lian Shouren nodded.
"Enough, don’t speak anymore." Old Master Lian waved his hand, "The matter of splitting the family is settled. First, let’s get the crops in. Anyone who doesn’t work hard, I’ll have them roll out of the Lian Family."
*****
Outside, a fierce storm raged, frightening Ruoyan as she typed this Chapter. She would have to shut down her computer. Please subscribe, like, recomnd, and vote for all sorts of tickets. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to co to Qidian (qidian) to cast your recomndation votes, monthly tickets, and your support, which is my greatest motivation.)
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