Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 1538 - 782: A Coincidental Meeting of Minds

Lian Manman didn’t continue listening; instead, she smiled and returned to the west room. She could imagine that Lian Shouxin was now definitely silent, with a face showing both suffering and grievance. He had no choice but to endure it, because it was indeed the old house’s fault for being inconsiderate. The negative impacts caused by the actions of the old residence on their family were numerous. Lady Zhang was fairly even-tempered and didn’t frequently bring it up.

Nowadays, Lady Zhang, although still gentle and virtuous, perhaps due to living separately for a long time and because her children were successful, was more assertive and would sometimes get a bit upset with Lian Shouxin.

However, she never went overboard. When Lady Zhang got upset, it was mostly because of the old house. Since she was in the right, Lian Shouxin could only listen silently. The couple never really quarreled over these matters; instead, they grew more carefree around each other because of such small issues.

Lian Manman considered this as a bit of playful banter between Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang, and she would avoid it whenever she encountered it.

In the evening, the family sat together for a meal.

In Liaodong Prefecture, because winters are long and cold, every household, whether in towns or villages, has a heated brick bed. While eating, most families place a dining table on the kang and eat together. Only when there are many guests, and there’s no more room on the kang, would tables and chairs be set up on the ground. Usually, female guests eat on the kang.

Lian Manman’s family also dined on the kang, especially in winter; sitting on the warm kang and enjoying a meal was a very comfortable experience.

With better living conditions, the meals became richer. Fortunately, the whole family was hardworking, so no one became overweight because of it. However, since it was winter, after putting on some weight for the cold season and staying indoors, it’s inevitable to gain a few pounds.

This was not obvious on adults like Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang. Wu Lang, due to a recent trip and now focusing on studies and social interactions, had many things on his mind, so he only grew taller and not fatter. Only Lian Manman and Xiao Qi clearly gained weight.

The siblings both had rosy cheeks and looked like adorable and lovable little buns.

The main dish for dinner was a fish hot pot, with a rich broth made from fish bones and dried shrimp. The milky white soup was gently boiling, with fish balls, meatballs, tofu skin, frozen tofu, potatoes, lotus root slices, and vermicelli, along with a few light side dishes. The main staples prepared were just three: white rice, mixed-grain mantou, and white flour flower rolls.

A very homely meal.

Additionally, Lady Zhang heated a pot of white wine for Lian Shouxin.

Because of their good health and maintaining good work habits, the family’s appetite was substantial. Lian Manman ate a bowl of white rice and shared a mixed-grain mantou with Xiao Qi. Lady Zhang and Wu Lang had similar portions, sampling a bit of all three staples. Lian Shouxin had the largest appetite, preferring mantou and flower rolls over rice.

After dinner, the family gathered for digestive tea and discussed their next plans.

It was already December. In the past few days, everyone was busy with Lian Zhizhi’s wedding. Now that Lian Zhizhi was successfully married off, the family should start preparing New Year’s goods, and another major task was to assess the year’s earnings.

With enough hands at home, preparing for the New Year was just a matter of making a list and letting the stewards take care of the purchases. There were also experienced accountants hired for the estate, the ranch, and various shops, so the day-to-day accounts were clear. The year-end financial tally, though somewhat tedious, wouldn’t be chaotic.

However, Lian Shouxin and Wu Lang still needed to inspect various places. Lian Manman planned to stay at home to handle the New Year preparations and only look over the final shop accounts.

The assessment would start with the estates in Thirty Mile Camp and Luo Family Village.

The next day, the family got busy. Even Xiao Qi, besides studying, had to help Lian Shouxin and Wu Lang. Nonetheless, the family didn’t forget about Erlang. Lian Shouxin specifically instructed that after Erlang and Luo Xiaoying entered the city, someone should take them to the Fulai Cart Store and take care of them in every way, leaving two people to work in the cart store.

At lunch, someone came to report on this matter.

"The master leads you to the door; cultivation is up to the individual. From now on, it depends on them," said Lian Shouxin.