Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 562 - 289: Undermining the Enemy’s Foundations_1

At the second watch, looking for a splash of pink.

**...**

Next to him, Zhao Xiue pursed her lips, trembling with laughter. Lady He’s face split with a grin, eagerly watching the spectacle.

Lian Manman held her forehead, "Filial piety—the debt of upbringing is greater than heaven—everything you have is given by me—what I say goes, and if you dare say a single word of dissent, you’re being disobedient and unfilial, you’re heartless." This spell was Lady Zhou’s specialty. Using it on Lian Shouxin worked every time, without fail.

Lian Shouxin was humiliated by Lady Zhou, and the intense shame made him speechless. His heart was torn by her words. Lady Zhou was his mother, and the concept instilled in him since childhood prevented him from defying her.

He believed he had not been bad to his parents, yet he still suffered this kind of chastisement and humiliation every now and then. In the surrounding villages, indeed there were those who were disobedient and indifferent towards their parents, but who among them had fallen to such a state as his? Sometimes, he would quietly ask himself, why don’t other people’s mothers hang the debt of upbringing over their heads every day, using it as a bargaining chip to threaten their sons? Why don’t other people’s mothers demand the Water Fee from their sons?

He didn’t understand why this was, so he always tried to do better, to please Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou. However, no matter how hard he strived, such humiliations would still come his way. He could only comply more, even more obediently, but this submission seemed to have no end.

His daughter had been sold, costing him half his life; his unborn son died in the womb, never seeing a sliver of the sun in this world; his wife, Lady Zhang, had barely survived a trip to the brink of death.

All these bitter realities he had swallowed forcefully, and he even tried hard to make his wife and children forget them. But his own mother showed not the slightest empathy for his pain, continuing her relentless torment of his wife and children.

What could he do to satisfy his mother, then?

Lian Shouxin looked at Lady Zhou with a certain blankness, thinking that satisfying her would put an end to this humiliation and fulfill his filial duty towards her. And to satisfy Lady Zhou, he would have to sacrifice his own wife and children.

Heh, his own wife was Lady Zhou’s daughter-in-law, his own children her grandchildren. How could Lady Zhou be unkind to them? Even if she was, it was just outward, for the good of his wife and children, wasn’t it? Letting out her frustrations wouldn’t really harm them, right?

Unaware of his own state of mind, Lian Shouxin chuckled grimly.

Lady Zhang and Lian Manman, even though they were behind Lian Shouxin, still sensed that something was amiss.

"Dad, what’s wrong with you?"

"Husband, what’s wrong with you?"

The calls of Lady Zhang and the children pulled Lian Shouxin back to reality. He allowed Lady Zhou to keep berating and hitting him, turned his head, and saw the concerned gaze of Lady Zhang and the four children.

"Mom, dad doesn’t seem right," said Lian Manman, feeling a stirring in her heart. She had heard Lian Shouxin’s earlier laugh, which was desolate and—eerily strange. "Mom, do you remember my uncle? The one who almost killed himself bowing his head during that argument about the division of the family property."

"What?" Lady Zhang turned ice-cold with fright.

Lian Manman’s words were also overheard by Lady Zhou. She paused in her scolding.

Lady Zhou glared, observing Lian Shouxin, but she didn’t notice any signs of madness in him. She then thought of Lian Manman’s tricks and assumed this was just another one of her schemes.

"Old Fourth, you’ve become so capable, trying to frighten me by pretending to be insane. Don’t scare me, you might as well just strangle me..."

"Mom, you must be tired of scolding. Stop scolding, just tell me directly what it is you want," said Lian Shouxin, his voice sounding somewhat different than usual.

Lian Shouxin’s calm response slightly startled Lady Zhou. However, she quickly composed herself. Lian Shouxin was just submitting to her in a different way; there was no need to be surprised.

"What do I want from you? I gave birth to you, raised you, why should I demand anything from you?" Lady Zhou said robustly, "This is what I want to ask you, Manman splashed water on her aunt, what kind of child does that? And you just indulge her? Your wife also just watched, she probably came up with that bad idea. Tell me, what should be done?... First, let Manman apologize to her aunt!"

Lian Shouxin turned around and glanced at Lian Manman.

Lian Manman didn’t utter a word, her large black eyes gazing back at Lian Shouxin.

"Are you even a man, unable to take charge of a child’s home! How did I give birth to such a useless thing..." Lady Zhou scolded.