After the house of Lian Shouyi and Lady He in Luo Family Village was completed, the couple moved out from Luo Xiaoyan’s house and into the new house. The new house was next to Luo Xiaoyan’s ho, sharing a common wall. At the request of Lian Shouyi and Lady He, a door was built into this wall to facilitate visits between the two families.
Lian Shouyi and Lady He’s intention was, of course, to make it convenient for Luo Xiaoyan to take care of them. They were now ready to act like the old masters, enjoying the blessings of their sons and daughters-in-law.
"That Erlang’s wife is sothing, saying she doesn’t cook any als at ho and just waits for her to co over and do it for her." comnted Lady Li. Obviously, staying at Lian Manman’s, she had heard quite a bit about the happenings at Lian Shouyi and Lady He’s side.
Lian Shouyi and Lady He requested Luo Xiaoyan to serve them three als a day, and Luo Xiaoyan didn’t refuse. Of course, even if she refused, Lian Shouyi and Lady He had a backup plan. They could simply walk through that door and co over to Luo Xiaoyan’s house for als.
"What do they have, living in such poverty, if it’s anything, it’s thanks to our Fourth Old Master’s influence, earned by our Erlang. If we eat, it’s only right. We’re not eating her Luo Family food." This was what Lady He said in public when they first proposed having Luo Xiaoyan take care of them.
Lian Shouyi and Lady He, being who they were, could both say and do such things.
Luo Xiaoyan, in response, didn’t argue with Lian Shouyi and Lady He, nor did she explain in front of others. She simply consolidated the als of both families into one.
Luo Xiaoyan continued to cook at ho every day, including portions for Lian Shouyi and Lady He. When it was alti, she would invite the couple over to dine with her family. With everyone eating at one table, naturally, the food was the sa. anwhile, Lian Shouyi and Lady He’s side didn’t cook, only lighting a fire to warm the kang in winter.
"Erlang’s wife had a point, she said her in-laws and parents don’t differentiate between each other, so why separate the food when they all have to eat. The sa food is served to both her parents and in-laws, and no one can complain. Whenever there’s so good food, she saves it for her in-laws." Lady Li said.
And this wasn’t all; Luo Xiaoyan had more to say.
Since the als were eaten on this side, and Lian Shouyi and Lady He didn’t cook, things like grain and vegetables naturally didn’t need to be sent over to their side anymore. Thus, the monthly food allowance for Lian Shouyi and Lady He was covered by those three daily als.
After all, the grain that Lian Shouyi and Lady He wanted was for the sake of eating, right?
As for the cloth and other things that Lian Shouyi and Lady He originally asked for, Luo Xiaoyan did not provide anymore. Ever since they started eating at Luo Xiaoyan’s place, Lian Shouyi and Lady He often complained about the blandness of the food. So, Luo Xiaoyan began adding so at for them. Then, she told Lian Shouyi and Lady He that the other offerings they wanted were being added to the food.
Luo Xiaoyan also said she would make clothes for Lian Shouyi and Lady He every year.
In this way, Lian Shouyi and Lady He were completely "raised" by Erlang and Luo Xiaoyan, eliminating the need for additional support. This was the commonly practiced and accepted way of caring for the elderly in tenant farr families.
"This is good, giving them stuff would just lead to them selling it for money to squander. It’s right not to let them have cash or items," Lady Zhang said.
"They probably still have money from the Old Mistress," Lian Manman said.
This money, Luo Xiaoyan couldn’t do anything about. Lian Shouyi held it tightly and Luo Xiaoyan couldn’t just take it by force. So, Luo Xiaoyan made sure they couldn’t spend it comfortably.
Luo Xiaoyan’s parents were not in good health, and they stayed ho every day. Luo Xiaoyan’s younger sister also seldom went out. The three of them were responsible for keeping an eye on Lian Shouyi and Lady He, preventing them from going out.
Of course, there were tis when they couldn’t stop them. At those tis, Luo Xiaoyan’s father would follow Lian Shouyi to ensure he didn’t go gambling. Luo Xiaoyan’s mother would watch over Lady He, and then Luo Xiaoyan’s sister would inform Luo Xiaoyan.
When Lady He went out, it was usually to socialize and chat, which could be allowed. The one who needed close watching was Lian Shouyi.
In Luo Family Village, most people were tenant farrs under the Lian Family’s instruction, so who dared invite Lian Shouyi to gamble? Not only did they not dare, but when they saw Lian Shouyi about to gamble, they even had to find ways to stop him or inform Luo Xiaoyan.
With everyone helping Luo Xiaoyan, things beca much easier. However, there were still two instances when Lian Shouyi managed to slip away and gamble in another village.
"Erlang’s wife went to look for him. Those gambling dens aren’t good places and don’t attract good people. If it were a shy wife, she would’ve hesitated at the door. But Erlang’s wife wasn’t like that; she went right in. She didn’t shout or make a fuss, just stood there, preventing them from gambling."
The people who would host Lian Shouyi for gambling were mostly small-ti troublemakers. These people didn’t dare do anything to Luo Xiaoyan. After all, everyone knew that in preventing Lian Shouyi from gambling, Luo Xiaoyan had the backing of Lian Shouxin and the group behind him.
No one dared to do anything to Luo Xiaoyan, so they couldn’t gamble with Lian Shouyi. In one instance, Lian Shouyi got upset and caused a scene.
"He laid a hand on Erlang’s wife," said Lady Li.
"Ah?" Lady Zhang was shocked, "The Second Master behaves like this? How outrageous!"
"It’s not like he hit her, he just reached out to push her," said Lady Zhao on the side, "Probably because he had so money on hand, his gambling addiction flared up, he was desperate, and resented Erlang’s wife for keeping him in check and not letting him gamble."
"What happened then?" Lian Manman asked.
"This is the interesting part," Lian Yeye laughed, "Yeye’s father pushed Second Sister-in-Law, but didn’t manage to move her; instead, Second Sister-in-Law flipped him over flat on his face!"
...
There will be a second update later, asking for pink tickets. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welco to go to Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.)
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