Lady Zhou imdiately stopped crying, got up from the Kang bed, and headed towards the east room. Lady Li and a few others hurriedly followed, since they were all concerned about the division of the family property and saw nothing untoward with Lian Manman and Lian Zhizhi frying dishes in the outer room.
In the east room, Old Master Lian asked Zhang Qingshan for his opinion on the family division.
"Big brother, I won’t ddle in your household affairs," Zhang Qingshan drew on his pipe before turning to Lady Li, "You wives are not allowed to ddle either. Listen to the big brother."
Lady Li naturally remained silent, while Lady Zhou’s face changed several tis. She took Zhang Qingshan’s words to an that she should not blurt out anything nonsensical either.
The Lian Family didn’t have much in property, all accounted for in the open, and with only Lian Shouxin’s family breaking off from it, the division was soon made clear.
The house where Lian Shouxin currently lived, with all its furnishings, along with half of the courtyard to the west, were all allocated to Lian Shouxin. Furthermore, six acres of the fields below Nanshan were also divided out for Lian Shouxin.
"Things like pots, pans, and ladles should be enough for them, as well as two sets of tools for farming. All of this year’s crops have been gathered, and when it cos ti to thresh the grain, we’ll still work together. Once the grain is threshed, it will be divided by the number of people, one catty per person, to give them their annual provisions," Old Master Lian said.
Everyone nodded in agreent.
"These years, this is all the inco we’ve had; we haven’t saved much. As for silver coins, we won’t give them any," Old Master Lian continued, "The expenses for calling the Imperial Physician, the necessary formalities, it’s a debt of gratitude owed by the Lian family. In a couple of days, I will take Old Fourth with to the town, to Jisheng Hall and also to see Imperial Doctor Shi, to return the visits."
It was implied that the debt of seventy taels of silver would be paid out of the family’s public fund. Lian Manman, in the midst of her busyness, listened at the door and breathed a sigh of relief.
Lady Zhou pressed her lips tightly together. Seventy taels of silver would practically empty out all the cash she had on hand. She was reluctant, but after thinking about the words Lian Manman had said to her, and seeing the attitudes of Zhang Qingshan, Lady Li, and Lady Wang today, she finally refrained from speaking out.
"And as for the family’s pigs and chickens..." Old Master Lian went on.
Having already spent seventy taels of silver, if they were to divide pigs and chickens to give to Old Fourth’s family as well, that would not sit well. Lady Zhou, distressed at the thought, coughed softly.
"Does auntie have a sore throat? You didn’t have this problem at all earlier today," Lady Wang said, "Caiyun, fetch a ladle of cool water for your big sister-in-law."
"No need, no need," Lady Zhou hastily said.
"These pigs and chickens, Old Fourth’s wife and the kids have all tended to them diligently. With New Year not many months away, let’s... not divide them. Co ti to slaughter pigs for the New Year, we’ll give them so pork," said Old Master Lian.
"All right, dad, we’ll do as you say. Our family doesn’t have much money, and aside from the grain, we’re relying on these few pigs. The money for returning visits to the town and the pork we’ll sell at New Year should help us recoup so of the costs," Lian Shouxin said. He didn’t ntion the chickens, knowing that they were Lady Zhou’s lifeline; Zhang Qingshan had already claid two, and he thought that was enough and shouldn’t ask for more.
"Fourth brother is a generous man," Wu Yuchang said with a smile.
The Lizheng, Old Master Wang, and the others all nodded their heads in agreent. The matter of the family division was thus settled. To write the docunt, they needed no one else, as Old Master Lian himself took up the pen. After he finished writing, he showed it to Zhang Qingshan first, then to the Lizheng and a few others to review. Only then did he call over his sons and had everyone press their fingerprints on the docunt for the division of the family property.
"I still have one last thing to say, over the years, in order for the eldest to attain scholarly honor, our family has been tightening our belts. Old Fourth and his family have also contributed a lot. Although they have now split off, he is still my son, the eldest brother’s sibling. If by chance one day, the eldest makes a na for himself, he must not forget Old Fourth. I want everyone present to bear witness to my words. Eldest, what do you say?" Having secured the docunts, Old Master Lian suddenly spoke.
"Dad, you can rest assured, Old Fourth and I will always be brothers," Lian Shouren said.
"One brushstroke cannot produce two ’Lian’ characters."
"Even separated, we are still one family, and we must support each other."
With laughter and talk, the matter of the family division was settled. Lian Manman had heard everything from outside, not being one to quibble over every detail. Being able to have her own portion was good enough, and to have it settled this way was a satisfactory outco.
After the discussion, Old Master Lian asked if the al was ready. Only then did they notice Lady Zhou, Lian Xiuxiu, and Lady Chiang sitting in the room.
"Who’s preparing the al?" Old Master Lian asked.
Lady Zhou imdiately snapped to attention and hurriedly went to check.
Lian Manman lifted the curtain and ca in, "Sir, the al is ready. Shall we serve it now?"
Only then did Old Master Lian realize that it was Lian Manman who had been cooking outside. He felt sowhat annoyed with Lady Zhou, but since the matter was already settled, he said nothing more and agreed to have the al served.
Once the dining table was set, Lian Manman and Lian Zhizhi brought out the dishes. There were four cold dishes in the middle, and a large deep plate holding an entire sweet and sour carp, plus five hot dishes, and a big plate of fried pastries, half golden brown and half snowy white. The staple food included white rice and wheat flour buns. The al looked very appetizing, and Old Master Lian’s concerns subsided slightly. After tasting each dish, not only did he feel completely content, but a smile also crept into his eyes.
"Everyone, dig in. We didn’t prepare anything special, so please don’t laugh," Old Master Lian invited them to eat.
The al was still divided into two tables. Old Master Lian, Zhang Qingshan, Zhang Qingnian, the Lizheng, Old Man Wang, Wu Yuchang, and also called the four sons and the eldest grandson, Lian Jizu, to sit at one table. The other table was for the lady guests, including Lady Li, Lady Wang and Zhang Caiyun, Lady Zhou, Lian Xiuxiu, and Lady Chiang accompanying them. Zhang Qingshan and Lady Li wished to favor their grandson and granddaughter; one called Wu Lang to the table, the other held Xiao Qi in her arms. After Lian Zhizhi and Lian Manman finished serving the dishes, they, too, were called over by Lady Li to join the al.
Lian Manman took a few bites, then took another bowl and plate, scooped up a bit of each dish, and took it to Lady Zhang to eat.
After tasting each dish, the Lizheng and others couldn’t stop praising how good the food was.
"Even if we had invited a head chef from a downtown restaurant, the spread would only be about this good."
"This table must showcase the handiwork of our eldest sister-in-law, right?" the Lizheng asked.
Upon hearing this, everyone at the table turned their faces to look at Lady Zhou. (To be continued... If you enjoy this work, you are welco to vote for it with recomndation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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