Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 573 - 295: The Cause_1

Second watch, waiting for dawn.

**......****

When Lian Shouxin asked this, everyone was taken aback.

"...It won’t be possible to work the fields today, right?" Lady Zhang said somewhat hesitantly.

"I just went home. The Upper Room still has half of the fields unplanted. This morning, the fields were inaccessible. Old Master Lian was so anxious he was about to lose his temper, saying that we must check again in the afternoon," Lian Shouxin lowered his eyelids as he spoke.

Old Master Lian was known for his impatience, something that everyone was aware of.

"Most of our fields have already been planted. We just have to wait another couple of days to plant the sweet potatoes. We still have the plow. I plan to go help Old Master work for a couple of days," Lian Shouxin slowly raised his head, continuing, "Firstly, it’s hard for me to just sit by and watch Old Master working the fields. Secondly, if we go help out, the fields can be planted faster, preventing Old Master from getting overworked and falling ill again."

It wasn’t just about him going; he also planned to bring along the young ox and the plow, and it seemed like the whole family was expected to join. The reasons he cited boiled down to one point: it was all for Old Master Lian.

"If the fields are planted quickly, it also means the folks in the Upper Room can rest easy. These past few days, haven’t you seen everyone wearing long faces? Lady Zhou hasn’t cracked a smile in days," Lian Shouxin added.

"Planted or not, I’ve never seen my grandmother smile anyway," Lian Manman couldn’t help but interject.

Lady Zhou was not incapable of smiling; she just never bestowed her smiles upon them. Lian Manman surmised that Lian Shouxin must have seen her smile when he was a child, and cast a sidelong glance at him.

"That’s not... Let’s focus on the matter at hand," Lian Shouxin interjected.

Lian Shouxin wanted to discuss with them about going to help plant the fields for the Upper Room.

Lady Zhang and the children exchanged glances with each other.

"Dad, aren’t you tired?" Lian Manman was the first to speak up, "These past few days, with the shop and the fields, you haven’t had a full night’s sleep, have you? You helping out in the fields will surely make my grandfather happy. But if you really tire yourself out too much, wouldn’t my grandfather have to worry about you as well?"

"Exactly, you should really rest. Do you think you are made of iron?" While saying this, Lady Zhang picked up a slice of meat, more fat than lean, and placed it in Lian Shouxin’s bowl.

In the past few days, it wasn’t just Lian Shouxin who was worn out; Lady Zhang and the children, including Lian Manman, were all exhausted. Therefore, although their own fields were almost fully planted, their meals remained as robust as during the peak of the planting season.

Lian Shouxin hungrily wolfed down a mouthful of rice, along with the piece of meat Lady Zhang had picked for him. Realizing the truth in Lian Manman and Lady Zhang’s words, he acknowledged that he, as the man of the house, when tired, probably made Lady Zhang and the kids feel even more exhausted.

"Dad, the weeds in our garden have started to grow back. It’s time to weed," Lian Manman said again. The newly cultivated land was fertile and the vegetables grew well. However, precisely because it was a new field, the weeds were especially numerous. "My brother and Xiao Qi will be busy these next two days, and their break from farmwork is almost over. They should also find time to study."

"And there’s the yard behind our new shop. Lots of things there need to be sorted out soon," Lady Zhang added.

What Lian Manman and Lady Zhang said was the truth; there were indeed many other tasks to be done.

"This afternoon, if we can get onto the land, I’ll start by weeding the vegetable garden," Lian Shouxin mused.

Tenant farmers had a saying, "Vegetables for half a year provide as much as grain." With the recent plentiful rains, if they let the weeds grow rampant, with each passing day, the harvest of vegetables would be significantly reduced, which meant less food for the family. They couldn’t rely on others for their food supply. And the reason for going to help the Upper Room plant their fields was also because their own fields were nearly done.

"I’ll go by myself; all of you ladies should rest for a day," Lian Shouxin continued, "After the weeding is done, we’ll see how things stand and might still need to help my father and them."

"Dad, have you calculated how many people from my grandfather’s family are working the fields?" Lian Manman asked.

Now, with the Old Master Lian’s family planting fields, there were two people always at home cooking – Lady Zhou and Lian Xiuxiu – and one more person, Zhao Xiue, who didn’t work the fields due to her pregnancy. Each day, two people from the other branches rotated in to help with cooking rather than working the fields. This meant that every day they had fourteen people actively working the fields, with at least eight of them being able-bodied adults.