Reborn as a Landlord

Because of Lian Shouxin’s status, and his desire to maintain face, no matter what he does, someone will always find fault, saying he is doing it wrong or not doing enough. But if it were Lady Zhou doing something more outrageous, no one would say a word.

The human heart is complicated; even Lian Manman can’t fully explain it, though she feels there are certainly thoughts of bullying the weak and fearing the strong at play.

When it comes to Woo Ergou and Woo Sangou, Lady Zhou, as a widow, could come out swinging a stick and beat the Woo Family Brothers, and no one would dare say anything.

Of course, such matters should only be handled by Lady Zhou.

There are taboos surrounding matters of mourning and celebration, the most taboo being things that are not smooth. The Woo Family Brothers dared to return and kneel after being dragged away, relying on the filial sons of the Lian Family to not act harshly against them. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Lian Manman didn’t plan to do anything to these two at this point, for the simple reason that it wasn’t worth it.

Wu Yuchang rose to go ask Lady Zhou in the Upper Room, while Lian Manman sent a steward out to talk to the Woo Family Brothers at the gate.

"... You two better stop crying now. If you truly have a conscience and sincerely want to repent, where have you been until now? Now, after our Great Grandfather is gone, you come knocking without really doing anything. Are you here to mourn or to infuriate him back to life?" The steward stopped the Woo Family Brothers from crying and loudly reprimanded them.

These words were half for the Woo Family Brothers and half for the onlookers.

"These two lowlifes are obviously trying to take advantage, showing up empty-handed, just kowtowing a couple of times, looking for a free meal." Someone within the crowd spoke loudly.

As soon as these words were spoken, laughter erupted from the group. Mourning ceremonies differ from celebratory events; in mourning, as long as you show up to help, you don’t need to pay respects or present gifts, and you can join the feast. One reason for this custom is mourning events emphasize gatherings; the more attendees, the better.

"If you want to go in and kowtow to our Great Grandfather, regardless of your intentions, we’ll assume you’re sincere. But, as for this matter, it’s not up to anyone else; our Lady has to agree. The steward has gone to ask our Lady, so wait and see. If our Lady believes your repentance and lets you in to kowtow, then you can go in. If our Lady doesn’t let you in, then don’t say anything and hurry back to where you came from."

"You don’t need anyone to remind you of the disgraceful things you’ve done, right? Because of you two, Old Master fell ill several times. Otherwise, he surely could have lived past a hundred. Now, Old Master is gone, but our family is busy. When we eventually find time, we will deal with you properly. But right now, we can’t have you infuriate our Lady too, can we? If that happens, it’s not just your lives; your whole family can’t afford to pay for it."

The steward’s words were so fierce that the Woo Family Brothers were immediately frightened into kneeling, and this time, they dared not cry out loud, only shivering where they knelt.

"That’s the way to deal with it," Lian Manman said upon hearing from the servant Xiao Hetao about the situation with the Woo Family Brothers. "Otherwise, any stray cat or dog, playing clever tricks, would dare come to take advantage. How could we let that happen?"

By this time, Wu Yuchang also returned from the Upper Room. Then, Lady Zhou’s loud voice came from the Upper Room.

"Make those two bastards roll away at once, as far away as possible. With what face do they come here crying, like cats crying over mice? Just seeing them makes my heart race! If they ever come to my door again, break their legs with a stick!"

Lady Zhou’s voice was still full of energy. The passing of Old Master Lian hadn’t hindered Lady Zhou’s eating and drinking in the slightest; according to Lian Yeye, Lady Zhou ate two large bowls of rice at noon along with several dishes; she ate no less than a strong laborer.

"Did you hear that? Our Lady has spoken; hurry and leave, lest you find yourself unable to leave." The steward said to the Woo Family Brothers.

By this time, the Woo Family Brothers had lost any chance of hope. Their plans upon coming here were long cast aside, and they timidly rose, stooped down low, avoiding the crowd, and sneaked off along the wall. In that manner, they looked like two live street rats.

"If they truly have a heart, they don’t need to come front and center like this; standing further back, honestly kowtowing a couple of times and offering incense would suffice as expressing their sentiments." Lady Li sighed quietly.

"If they sincerely repent, even without these gestures, it would be better than anything else." Lady Zhang added.

By evening, the kitchen prepared another banquet, and everyone ate. The old residence was lit up inside and out; nobody came to mourn at night, but the filial sons needed to keep vigil before the spirit all night, and from time to time, they had to cry a bout.

"I’ll accompany my old brother for a while; you should rest if you need to." Zhang Qingshan said to Lady Li and the others, and he truly went to the spirit hall and sat talking in front of the departed spirit, as if chatting with Old Master Lian in life.

Shang Huaide saw this and also moved a stool over to sit beside Zhang Qingshan.

"I’ll accompany my brother-in-law too."

When an elder passes away, besides the filial sons keeping vigil before the spirit, it is also necessary to have two or three close friends, so loneliness doesn’t prevail. It becomes a touching tale for others.

Zhang Qingshan stayed by Old Master Lian’s spirit until late at night, while the kitchen prepared a late-night banquet. Though fewer people came at night, there were still eight or nine tables.

...

Requesting pink. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) and vote with recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)