Back at ho, Lian Shouxin, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi all sat on the kang bed, while Lady Zhang and Lian Manman opened the cabinet to prepare the items for Lian Shouxin and Wu Lang’s travels.
Lian Shouxin needs to go to the pasture in the west tomorrow, while Wu Lang will go to the county town. Xiao Qi isn’t going anywhere; he will stay ho with Lian Manman and Lady Zhang to arrange the New Year’s festivities.
"When we were leaving, the Old Master wanted to see us off into the fields. I noticed his movents weren’t as nimble as before," Lian Shouxin said after a pause.
Everyone nodded at this; they’ve all noticed that Old Master Lian’s health was declining day by day. It was precisely because of this that they were so upset today.
Lian Manman didn’t know much about dical matters, but she could guess that Old Master Lian’s illness was likely a stroke, possibly with a tendency for a cerebral hemorrhage. Both conditions are most aggravated by overthinking, anxiety, and emotional agitation. With Old Master Lian’s temperant and the environnt of the old family ho, even the best dical care would yield limited results.
But what could be done? Old Master Lian’s temperant wouldn’t change, and he insisted on remaining at the old family ho, refusing to co live with them.
"...He’s worked hard all his life, lived frugally, and never enjoyed much. Let’s make the New Year’s gifts more substantial this year," Lian Shouxin suggested.
Working hard and being frugal was initially to provide Lian Shouren and Lian Jizu’s father and son with a luxurious lifestyle for their studies. Now, both Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou were thrifty, unwilling to spend money. All matters regarding the old couple, both in life and death, were left to Lian Shouxin. Their savings were ant for sothing obvious.
"We’ll definitely make them more substantial," Lian Manman agreed. "My mother and I will prepare first, and then you, Father, can adjust as you see fit."
"Alright." Lian Shouxin nodded with satisfaction. Whether it was Lady Zhang or the children, they never scrimped when it ca to supporting Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou.
"By the way, Father, in these past two days, there have been many people coming to our ho or sending others to inquire about enrolling in our school. I’ve calculated with my brother and Xiao Qi, and it seems fifty sets of desks and chairs might not be enough for spring," Lian Manman suddenly recalled and ntioned to Lian Shouxin.
"If fifty sets aren’t enough, then quickly tell your third uncle to make a few more," Lian Shouxin responded.
"Father, it’s not just about making a few more sets. Besides, even for the fifty sets, my third uncle would need to work day and night. And there’s the New Year; he’ll need a couple of days off. His health hasn’t fully recovered yet, as far as I can tell," Lian Manman said.
"Then we need to find soone else; we can’t delay the school matters," Lian Shouxin thought and said.
"That’s all we can do," Lian Manman replied.
"I’ll have to talk to your third uncle about this," Lian Shouxin said thoughtfully. "Initially, I told him I wanted a hundred sets of desks and chairs, all made by him."
"It’s an unavoidable situation. The school can’t wait, and we can’t push my third uncle to the point of risking his health to make these desks and chairs. Even if he wanted to push himself, he couldn’t make that many sets," Lian Manman calmly said while folding clothes and packing them into a bundle. "Whenever we have woodworking needs at ho, we always prioritize my third uncle. But our family has too much work, so he can’t handle it all by himself. It was like this before, and it will still be the sa in the future."
"My third uncle isn’t solely reliant on our family; he has other work too," Wu Lang added.
"My third uncle is reasonable. Given the situation, if he’s willing, we will still prioritize him for any future work," Lian Manman continued.
"Alright, I’ll discuss this with him," Lian Shouxin thought and nodded in agreent.
What Lian Manman said was true. Ever since the news of their school opening spread, many people from the surrounding villages beca keen to pre-register their children for fear that they wouldn’t be able to enroll later. Moreover, a significant portion of these people didn’t have the intention of taking the imperial exam; they had a clear goal of attending the school to learn to read and write and do arithtic, so they could secure a good job in the Lian family’s enterprises in the future.
Attending school and acquiring skills ant that even if they couldn’t work in the Lian family’s enterprise, they could find better jobs elsewhere and earn more money.
Carpenter Zhao from Zhao Family Village had two young boys, the older being twelve and the younger ten. They aid to attend the school with such intentions. Carpenter Zhao approached them, willing to exchange his labor as tuition for his two sons.
Lian Manman had learned that Carpenter Zhao had a good reputation and was well-regarded in Zhao Family Village. Although the two boys were a bit mischievous, their character wasn’t bad, so she agreed. Conveniently, there was the task of making desks and chairs, so she assigned thirty sets to Carpenter Zhao.
Carpenter Zhao intended to work in exchange for tuition, initially saying that making the desks and chairs wouldn’t cost anything, but Lian Manman didn’t agree. Carpenter Zhao’s family was large and relied on craftsmanship to make a living. Thirty sets of desks and chairs would take ti for him and his eldest son to make.
Finally, Carpenter Zhao agreed to a 20% discount off the market price, which Lian Manman accepted. The Lian family still provided the timber and prepaid part of the labor costs.
In West Village, another carpenter with the surna Li also had relatives eager to enter the school, so he was assigned twenty sets of desks and chairs on the sa terms set by Carpenter Zhao.
To ensure the school opened on ti, the Lian family steward bought timber to send to West Village and Zhao Family Village. Before Lian Shouxin could reach out to Lian Shouli, Lian Shouli hurriedly ca to them.
**
Here’s the second Chapter update. Writing in the sweltering heat, asking for pink votes.
Dropped to sixth place, after working hard for a month, always leading but finally overtaken. If the gap were significant, it’d be fine, but it’s just a few votes. It feels painful (┬＿┬). As June counts down, please check if you have any pink votes saved; don’t waste them.
"Rebirth of the Little Landlord" has co this far thanks to your support. No matter what, I thank you all and ask for your continued support. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
User Comments
0 comments from readers