Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 1546 - 786: Clear-Cut Stances

As Lian Shouxin finished speaking, Lian Manman quickly glanced at Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou. The elderly couple said nothing for a moment, but it was easy to imagine what was going through their minds. They were likely berating Lian Shouxin for lacking ambition, for not having the drive or ability to stand firm and take charge of the family. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

To think he was already planning to let Wu Lang be the head of the household!

This was far too unambitious; lacking any sort of drive. Look at Old Master Lian—despite his age, he still sat firmly in the leading chair of the household, managing all its major affairs. But here we have Lian Shouxin, in the prime of his life, already preparing to hand over the reins to his son.

Lady Zhou, with her hands clasped together, ultimately kept silent. These days, she spoke very little in front of Lian Shouxin’s group of people. Most of the time, she merely held a stern face, maintaining her position.

Old Master Lian only opened his mouth, then said nothing. The thoughts he had just uttered were ones he had long prepared, and the opportunity had presented itself today to express them. However, there were more pressing matters to resolve, so these topics could certainly be deferred to a later time.

As Old Master Lian’s thoughts churned, he realized he might have been too hasty, so he decided to ignore Lian Shouxin’s words and brought the subject back around.

"Old Fourth, by establishing this school, you are doing a great charitable deed, accumulating hidden virtue. Father supports you. If you succeed with this, the reputation of the Old Lian Family will be established, and our future generations will also benefit from it." Old Master Lian spoke eloquently to Lian Shouxin.

"Father is old, and unable to offer you much help. There are those in the family you can call upon, use them as you see fit. It’s also a way for them to accrue virtue, for the benefit of our Old Lian Family."

"As I always say, you can’t write ’Lian’ without two strokes. If your family is doing well, it’s not truly doing well unless the whole Old Lian Family is well off. That way, outsiders will also view us favorably, like we’re really something. I won’t speak in abstractions; having them help is mainly for their own good."

"I really put a lot of effort into this. In your great charitable endeavor, having them contribute some effort allows them to share in the glory, so that when I’m not around, they can still go out and be respectable. It also atones for past wrongs. No matter the situation, it’s best if they can assist you just a bit... It’s a win-win situation."

"To put it plainly, if others can help, why can’t our own family contribute?"

"Old Fourth, Wu Lang, what do you think?" Old Master Lian looked at Lian Shouxin and Wu Lang, his eyes full of expectation.

As expected, it all came back to the matter of the school.

"Grandfather, let me elaborate on the school plans with you," Wu Lang said, neither affirming nor denying Old Master Lian’s request, but instead confidently detailing the school’s plans to Old Master Lian. "...When students enroll, we must assess both their character and that of their family. Those with poor character cannot be admitted to our school. The school’s instructors are even more critical. They must not only possess good knowledge but also be highly esteemed. Only then can they nurture students to be both capable and virtuous."

"I’ve sent a letter to Mr. Loo, asking for his recommendations. Additionally, I plan to ask my teachers at Shengjing Academy for referrals."

"At the school, apart from the instructors and students, there are no plans to hire additional staff. Chores like cleaning and boiling water will be done by the students on a rotational basis. The school tuition is low; it doesn’t support idleness. Those graduating from this school should not be physically lazy or ignorant of basic farming."

"The work of making tables and chairs has been contracted to my third uncle. What remains is the work of building houses in the spring; anyone from the old homestead willing to help can do so. At that time, there will certainly be many people from neighboring villages coming to help. This kind of assistance naturally does not involve payment, as building houses is labor-intensive."

Having relayed his plan to Old Master Lian, it was clear that if the old residence truly wanted to accumulate hidden virtue, the only option was to assist during house construction. This kind of help naturally came without pay, as building houses was physically demanding work.

"Well..." Old Master Lian hesitated, looking at Wu Lang several times. Wu Lang spoke in such a way that left no room for argument, often leaving Old Master Lian speechless.

"For enlightening young children, it’s not necessarily required to have extensive knowledge... Your eldest uncle is a Scholar—well, he’s been a Scholar for many years and has read extensively. Ah, I understand, let’s not bring that up. But there’s still Jizu. Jizu has no faults; he was just affected by association."

"Old Fourth, you’ve watched Jizu grow up. Aside from being unable to work in the fields, he’s a good kid in every other respect. He never quarreled or caused any trouble. He’s been studying for many years and is a Tongsheng. In our county, those who can pass the Tongsheng exam are rare. Old Fourth, could it be possible to let Jizu help with educating the children at your school?" Old Master Lian looked at Lian Shouxin with cautious hope.