"When my family divided our assets, I didn’t get a single Wen Money. We’re relying on selling that corn for money to live on and to provide for my brother and Xiao Qi’s schooling. Even so, my mother still said she would bring you so, no matter the cost. We can barely bring ourselves to eat it ourselves. What more do you want?"
At this mont, the sound of the door curtain was heard, and Old Master Lian walked in from outside.
"What’s the matter, what’s all this noise about?" Old Master Lian asked.
"Nothing, Grandfather, we just ca to see my granny and we’ll be leaving soon," Lian Manman said.
Lian Shouxin, Lady Zhang, and the children also felt it pointless to stay any longer and stood up, following Lian Manman’s lead.
Lady Zhou and Lian Xiuxiu, feeling in the wrong, didn’t say a word upon seeing Old Master Lian arrive and Manman not ntioning anything.
The family ca out and left the Upper Room. Instead of heading back to the West Wing Room, Lian Manman, holding onto Xiao Qi, just stood at the door.
After a while, they saw Old Master Lian co out. He had put on a new overcoat and was getting ready to head to the garden out front to tend to the tobacco. Tobacco is best cultivated in the early morning or evening when the sun isn’t strong. If the sun’s rays beco too harsh, the leaves and stems secrete an oily substance that is quite unpleasant on the skin and difficult to wash off if it gets onto clothes.
Old Master Lian had the habit of going into the garden in the evening to tend to the tobacco.
Seeing Old Master Lian erge, Lian Manman and Xiao Qi followed him.
"Grandfather, my parents had already agreed to send so corn to Grandpa and Grandma. It’s just that we have to wait a few days. These past days, Shopkeeper Wu has been demanding a lot, and we have made a contract with him. If we were to eat the corn ourselves, it wouldn’t be right to do so," said Lian Manman, her voice full of grievance as she spoke to Old Master Lian.
Old Master Lian imdiately stopped in his tracks.
"What? Manman, who is asking you for corn?"
"No, nobody..." Lian Manman deliberately said, lowering her eyelids and avoiding Old Master Lian’s questioning gaze.
"Grandpa, it’s my old aunt who wants the corn; she said she heard it’s valuable in the county town and wanted to have her fill of it. My dad didn’t reply right away, so she scolded my dad for being a mute," said Xiao Qi, who was younger than Manman. As the youngest child, he had the privilege of telling tales. "My mother told my grandma and old aunt that she would definitely give them corn, just that they would have to wait a couple of days. Then Grandma scolded my dad and mom."
"Grandpa, the corn seeds ca from the Shen Family. Whatever cos of this corn, we have to listen to the Shen Family. We can’t just decide on our own," Manman added.
"Grandpa, why does Grandma always look unhappy when she sees us? Why does she always scold us?"
Xiao Qi blinked his large eyes at Old Master Lian, asking innocently.
Upon hearing that Lady Zhou was unpleasant toward her son and daughter-in-law who had co to visit and that Lian Xiuxiu was asking for food again, Old Master Lian beca very angry. He no longer headed to the garden but stomped back to the Upper Room, and soon after, verbal chastisent could be heard from there.
"How old are you now? You’re at the age to be betrothed and yet you can’t do anything right, you never have enough to eat. Is it easy for tenant farrs like us to live? You’re a grown girl, how can you not... take care of your own reputation. You’re embarrassing , I’m losing face because of you."
Old Master Lian was a hardworking man, and he despised laziness above all. He was very disciplined, believing that laziness and gluttony were the worst traits to have. That’s why he was so angry about Lian Xiuxiu wanting to eat the high-priced corn from the Shouxin Family.
Lian Xiuxiu wasn’t afraid of anyone else, but she feared Old Master Lian. After his scolding, she was both ashad and scared, and began to cry quietly.
"Why are you scolding her? If you have an issue, take it up with ," Lady Zhou said, pulling Lian Xiuxiu behind her in defense, "You know that Xiuxiu is about to be betrothed, yet you still scold her like that. You make her lose face, how can she go about getting married now?"
"Respect is sothing you earn for yourself, not sothing others can give you," Old Master Lian said, "You always protect her. Look what you’ve turned her into. Coddling a child is like killing a child, how many tis have I told you, yet you never learn?"
"How have I coddled Xiuxiu? Look at the life you force us to live, scraping by in such poverty. I want to indulge her but I need sothing to indulge her with. Where did you get this foul mood from? You don’t dare take it out on others, so you pick on us, the ones who can’t defend themselves..."
"You... you nagging woman, I don’t want to talk to you. Xiuxiu, get out there and work with . If you don’t work, you won’t understand the hardships of the farr!" Old Master Lian roared.
"Work on what? It’s getting late in the day," Lady Zhou imdiately retorted.
"If you don’t want to work, don’t eat tomorrow. If she won’t work now, tomorrow she’ll go into the fields..." Old Master Lian’s voice rose even louder.
Soon, the sound of footsteps could be heard from the Upper Room. Lian Manman and Xiao Qi exchanged a glance, ran back to the West Wing Room, closed the door, leaving only a crack open, and peered out through the gap.
Old Master Lian marched out of the Upper Room and into the garden, followed by Lian Xiuxiu, who was bowing her head and wiping away tears.
"Pick the tobacco leaves. If you don’t finish picking all the leaves in the garden, don’t even think about coming back in to rest tonight," Old Master Lian instructed Lian Xiuxiu as he pointed to the tobacco in the garden.
Lian Xiuxiu, while wiping away tears, squatted down to start picking tobacco leaves.
When Old Master Lian truly got angry, even Lady Zhou had to give way, and Lian Xiuxiu had no choice at all.
They say, Who knows from where our al cos, each grain is hard-earned. Getting Lian Xiuxiu to do so farm work and understand the hardships of farrs was indeed a good idea.
Lian Manman and Xiao Qi looked at each other, giggling quietly together.
×××...××
Here’s the first update; I’ll try to get a second one out later.
It’s almost the end of the month, so I’m asking everyone for your pink encouragents. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to co to Qidian (qidian) to cast your recomndation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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