Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 1594 - 812: A Muddled Account

There was no one in the courtyard, and Lian Yeye walked straight into the Upper Room. As she entered the outer room, she saw Lady Chiang sitting absentmindedly by the stove, adding fuel to the fire.

Lady Chiang never participated in the quarrels at the old house. Now, sitting there, it seemed more like she was avoiding the arguments inside the house rather than tending to the fire.

Hearing a sound, Lady Chiang looked up and saw Lian Yeye.

"Big Sister-in-law, is my father here?" Lian Yeye greeted first.

"Yes, he is inside," Lady Chiang replied with a slight smile. Originally, when everyone lived in the old house, Lady Chiang had little interaction with Lady Zhao and Lian Yeye, but they were courteous when they met. Now that Lian Yeye’s family had moved out, Lady Chiang felt a bit closer to them beyond the formalities.

This change was quite apparent, and Lian Yeye noticed it long ago.

Lian Yeye smiled at Lady Chiang, lifted the door curtain, and entered the east room.

In the east room, Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou were seated at the kang’s head, with Lian Lanlan sitting beside them. Lian Lanlan had also taken off her shoes and was sitting cross-legged on the kang. At the kang’s end were Lian Yaya and Liulang. Lady He was leaning on the kang’s edge.

Seated on the floor were Lian Shouren, Lian Shouyi, Lian Jizu, and Si Lang. Slightly apart from them, Lian Shouli and Luo Baocai sat on the same bench, both with their heads bowed.

The main argument was between Lian Lanlan and Lian Shouyi.

Lian Yeye entered the room confidently, greeted her grandpa and grandma, and without waiting for Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou to respond, she greeted Lian Shouli.

Lian Shouli lifted his head and responded with an "Ah."

Lian Yeye walked over to the kang without waiting for anyone to invite her and sat down on the edge.

Old Master Lian seemed lost in thought and didn’t seem to notice Lian Yeye’s arrival. Lady Zhou, however, saw Lian Yeye, but she didn’t respond to Lian Yeye’s greeting. However, her gaze followed Lian Yeye until she sat down.

Lady Zhou frowned, her eyes filled with disdain and some anger looking at Lian Yeye. Lady Zhou really disliked Lian Yeye’s tendency to come uninvited. Lady Zhou believed that this little girl always came to watch the fun. She also knew that everything Lian Yeye saw and heard here would be passed on to Lady Zhang and Lian Manman.

Lady Zhou had not refrained from chasing Lian Yeye away, but to no avail. Lian Yeye always came and went as she pleased, seemingly without regard for her.

Lady Zhou was quite frustrated by this, but since Lian Yeye no longer ate or lived with her, aside from complaining to Lian Shouli, she could do nothing about it.

"None of them are acting appropriately. They’re learning from bad influences," Lady Zhou thought furiously. In her mind, Lian Yeye was being led astray by Lian Manman.

Lian Yeye’s entrance didn’t disturb the argument between Lian Lanlan and Lian Shouyi at all.

"...I’m telling you straight, you better give up on that idea. No matter what you say, I will never allow Yin Suo to marry into your family as a daughter-in-law," Lian Lanlan shouted, pointing at Lian Shouyi’s nose. "Second brother, you’ve lost your conscience. What grudge do you have against us that you would harm Yin Suo like this? Aren’t we siblings from the same parents? Don’t you care at all about that bond? Even if you don’t consider the clergy’s face, you should at least care about Buddha’s face. Where do you place our parents in all this? In your heart, in your eyes, do you not see our parents at all?"

"Your brother-in-law is right here. Say with your conscience, do you think what you’ve done is justified? Whenever you went to the county town, didn’t your brother-in-law treat you with respect as a valued guest? Every time he prepared a table full of dishes for you, every hot pot was thrown to the dogs?"

"And I even carried stuff for you, didn’t I? Thirty miles isn’t just for fun," Lian Shouyi retorted with wide eyes. "Besides, haven’t you taken enough benefits from the family? For Huahua’s dowry..."

Lian Shouyi began listing everything one by one.

Lian Lanlan’s face turned uglier, and she decisively interrupted Lian Shouyi.

"Let’s not talk about anything else, just this matter. What you did is utterly unscrupulous. Yin Suo, she’s your niece. You’re ruining her like this, fabricating lies, tarnishing her reputation."

Lian Lanlan turned again, tears streaming down, looking at Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou.

"...It’s the New Year, and at home, we were doing well, and then we heard this news. ...It’s spread to the county town, and we’re the last to know. Yin Suo doesn’t want to live anymore; she took a rope to hang herself, and thank goodness her father saw it and saved her. Her brother and sister-in-law are constantly watching her, afraid she’ll try to harm herself again."

"If anything happens to Yin Suo, I’ll fight to the death with you." Lian Lanlan glared fiercely at Lian Shouyi, Si Lang, and gave Lady He a meaningful look.

"Dad, Mom, you must stand up for me. Second brother, he’s gone too far," Lian Lanlan sobbed to Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou.

While Lian Lanlan was both arguing with Lian Shouyi and crying, Luo Baocai sat there in silence, his face looked quite grim.

Luo Baocai was known for his honest nature and not being good with words. However, when it came to matters concerning Yin Suo, as her father, there was definitely fire kept inside him.

"That wasn’t spread by us..." Before Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou could speak, Lian Shouyi waved his hand and said, "We didn’t go to the city to spread it."

"You’re still denying it!" Lian Lanlan’s face turned red with anger upon seeing Lian Shouyi act so shamelessly, "Do you dare say that it wasn’t you and your wife who spread those words?"

"...We only mentioned it in our village, and it was only to families we’re close with." Lian Shouyi glanced at Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou and changed his tone.

"Right, I only talked about it with our own family, only mentioned it at his third uncle’s house. After that, I didn’t say anything else. Whatever rumors are in the city, that’s none of our business... His third uncle’s family probably didn’t spread it either," Lady He said with a wide grin.

"It’s not just your Yinsuo... Those words aren’t false, even if we didn’t say them, there’s always someone else who knows and spreads them. Don’t blame everything bad on us," Lian Shouyi said again.

Lian Shouyi was still shirking responsibility.

"What’s not false? Isn’t it all something you made up? Second brother, you’re a man; you should have the courage to own up. Do you not dare admit to the words you spread? Are you worse than a woman?" Lian Lanlan said angrily.

This kind of provocation is something most men couldn’t stand. But Lian Shouyi wasn’t an ordinary man.

"I admit to what I said, but if I didn’t say it, why should I admit to it?" Lian Shouyi said shamelessly, showing complete indifference, "Don’t let someone else ruin Yinsuo’s reputation, and you come to vent your anger on us unluckily. What, are you hoping Si Lang marries Yinsuo?"

"You’re too late, it’s not easy to negotiate this matter now. Our father already talked to the matchmaker. In a couple of days, they’ll find a good match for Si Lang. Much stronger than your daughter," Lian Shouyi continued.

"Even if my daughter rots at home, she won’t be given to you!" Lian Lanlan was so furious she made a move as if she would scratch Lian Shouyi.

Lian Shouren and Lian Jizu quickly stepped forward to break it up.

"Such inhumanity, worse than beasts..." Lian Lanlan cursed.

"Say a few words less!" Lady Zhou scolded Lian Shouyi with a dark face.

"Dad, Mom, your son-in-law is here too, say something fair," Lian Lanlan cried and pleaded to Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou again.

It turned out that although Lian Shouyi and Lady He stopped spreading bad words about Yinsuo under Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou’s intervention, the words that had already been spread could not be taken back. Someone even spread these words to the county town, and they reached Lian Lanlan’s ears.

Related to an unmarried daughter’s reputation, this was no small matter. Lian Lanlan was both angry and anxious, and immediately had Luo Baocai drive over. The couple came to Thirty Mile Camp to settle accounts with Lian Shouyi.

But Lian Shouyi kept shirking the responsibility, and now they could only ask Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou to come up with an explanation.

Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou had remained mostly silent. Lady Zhou never took such matters to heart and couldn’t handle them. As for Old Master Lian, he was troubled.

Old Master Lian hadn’t expected the situation to escalate so much. He originally thought he had stopped it in time. But now the only solution seemed to be marrying Yinsuo to Si Lang.

No matter whether in the city or countryside, such matters had always been solved this way.

However, Lian Lanlan was adamant, refusing to let Yinsuo marry Si Lang. What could be done?

Old Master Lian’s gaze swept across the sons and grandsons sitting below. If only Lian Shouxin were here, but he wasn’t. This truly made it difficult for him.

"Big girl," Old Master Lian thought for a long time before slowly speaking to Lian Lanlan. "Big girl" was Old Master Lian’s nickname for Lian Lanlan. "Second Brother was wrong at the start. I’ve already scolded him. He didn’t spread it far, just to a few neighboring families, and we’ve already talked to them afterward."

"How did it spread to the county town then? No one is happy with the situation turning out like this. Honestly, if things are as bad as you say, there’s no better solution. How about discussing it further with your husband? Yinsuo and Si Lang... are of the same age, Si Lang now has prospects. If Yinsuo marries in, family ties become tighter, and she’ll definitely not be mistreated... She’ll surely be valued..."

"No, no way, Dad, that’s unacceptable," Lian Lanlan reacted fiercely, "If it could work, I would have agreed last time. There’s not a chance!"

Lian Lanlan spoke adamantly.

"Dad, how can you indulge Second Brother like this? Isn’t this deceit? The family’s integrity is being ruined by him. He’s done such immoral things and still gets a wife. That’s too indulgent; even the heavens won’t tolerate it!"

Old Master Lian’s eye twitched, and his expression grew even darker.

"I’m old, and set in old ways. Big girl, Baocai, what do you two think should be done?" Old Master Lian pondered for a moment longer, then looked up and asked. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)