Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 646 - 332: Snatching_2

"These years, all of us brothers have been supporting you two, and now you want to divide the household. You must calculate the money spent over these years, with interest, and repay us every single penny. Otherwise, I will go to the County Yamen and sue you. Big brother, the things you’ve been doing, there’s not a single thing done properly!" Lian Shouyi said with a threat.

"I, as a Scholar, need your support? If it weren’t for the glory lent by my title, you—a mere rustic bumpkin farmer—could never have enjoyed such prestige. What money from the household have I ever spent? I’ve earned every bit back. And you, just think about how much you have squandered—the house in town, you just goddamn wasted it." Lian Shouren retorted, even resorting to the Three Character Classic—but this classic was not that kind of classic. "If it weren’t for my Scholar’s reputation protecting us, the other day you brothers would have been locked up and paraded through the streets, put in a cangue, and even if not beaten to death, you would have lost a layer of skin!"

Shedding the facade of a cultured Scholar, Lian Shouren let loose completely. He paced about in the room, pointing and cursing at Lian Shouyi.

"I haven’t even brought up where Erlang has gone off to, why he hasn’t returned. If it wasn’t you who plotted with him, it was to swindle my house, and then swindle the family’s silver coins, wasn’t it?... Definitely the case, I know you too well. You’re the kind who’d fish coins out of a pot of boiling oil to spend."

Lian Shouren and Lian Shouyi, the brothers, exposed each other’s secrets, refusing to back down. Lian Manman, listening from outside the window, found it unbearable to watch. Family ties, kinship, became so fragile in the face of interests. It was an extremely ugly scene indeed. With the temperament of Lian Shouren and Lian Shouyi, Lian Manman expected that today’s events would not be pleasant, but the conflict escalated so quickly that it was somewhat beyond her expectations.

"Shut up, you beasts, both of you shut up!" Old Master Lian shouted furiously, followed by a fit of violent coughing.

Lian Shouren and Lian Shouyi were initially unmoved, but only stopped their quarrel when they saw Old Master Lian coughing so hard he could hardly catch his breath.

Lady Zhou and Lian Xiuxiu were giving Old Master Lian water to drink while patting his back, and it took a good while before he finally caught his breath.

"Filial sons, all of you are filial sons. It’s all misdeeds, misdeeds indeed," Old Master Lian kept lamenting.

By this time, the sun had long set, and Lian Manman felt an itch at her heel. Glancing down, she saw Xiao Qi scratching her foot with his hand.

"Sister, mom’s calling you to eat," Xiao Qi communicated with the shape of his mouth.

Not to mention it better, now that Xiao Qi brought it up, Lian Manman really felt hungry.

Lian Manman gestured to Lian Shouxin inside the house.

"Dad, mom, it’s getting late, time for dinner. Whatever matters there are, let’s continue after dinner. Otherwise, you’ll all starve," said Lian Shouxin, indicating to Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou that Lian Manman was calling him home for dinner, suggesting as much.

"Eat what? While you still have the appetite for dinner. I’m so angry I could be full on that alone, you might as well just infuriate us two old fogeys to death today, it would be less troublesome for you," Lady Zhou cursed without distinction.

Of course, Lian Shouxin was inevitably caught in the crossfire.

"First, we’ll cook, have dinner, and then we can talk," Old Master Lian said.

After a round of cursing, Lady Zhou also felt hungry and called several daughters-in-law over to cook.

"You’re nothing but black-hearted, not caring for others at all. If I don’t say something, nobody thinks of cooking. It’s like you hate this old man to death and would be happy only to starve me to death." Watching the daughters-in-law cook, Lady Zhou went off on another tirade.

In the West Wing Room, as they ate, the sound of Lady Zhou’s incessant scolding could be heard coming and going in the Upper Room.

"We’re about to split the household, and yet she still curses like that," Lady Zhang murmured.

"It’s exactly because we’re splitting the household that she’s cursing, she won’t have the chance later," Lian Manman whispered in reply. Once the household was divided and they no longer ate together, Lady Zhou would no longer be able to control her sons and daughters-in-law.

"That’s why your grandma doesn’t want the family split. Once split, who’s left for her to manage, to curse?" Lady Zhang said.

"There will always be someone who comes asking to be scolded," said Lian Manman, glancing in the direction of Lian Shouxin.

Lian Shouxin could only offer a wry smile.

In the Upper Room East Room, they hadn’t yet cleared the dishes from the dinner, and Lian Shouren and Lian Shouyi were already at each other’s throats again. One demanded money, the other claimed there was none.

"You say there’s no money, but none of us believes that," Zhao Xiue sat on the kang bed, picking her teeth with a toothpick, before crisply chiming in, "I have a way, right now let’s bring all the chests and cabinets from Uncle’s room over here and open them up to see if there’s really no money inside."

Lady Gu and Lady Chiang were clearing the dinner table and they both changed color at Zhao Xiue’s words.

"That won’t do," Lian Shouren quickly objected.

"Why not?" Zhao Xiue inquired.

"Just now, Old Master said that what’s in each room belongs to that room," Lian Shouren said.

"That was about each room’s furnishings, but that doesn’t include the money you embezzled for personal use," Zhao Xiue scoffed, adding, "Uncle, don’t even try to say that is your wife’s and daughter-in-law’s belongings. Everything they brought at their marriage is accounted for. Anything valuable in those chests would have been swiped from Erlang over the years."

"My dowry was kept in town, and it was you, the Scholar Master, who led people to plunder it. Today this is Lian Family’s property and we all have a share; how dare you stop us from touching it? Heh, others might fear you, the Scholar Master, but I do not."

Zhao Xiue spoke, and with a sneer gestured toward Erlang.

"Erlang, Sanlang, what are you standing around for? Go and move those things!"

"I have to supervise, you lot better not damage the stuff with your clumsiness," Lian Shouyi declared, taking the lead toward the west room.

"Such old things, you lot can’t carry them over, I’ll help you out," Lady He rolled up her sleeves and grinned, following behind Lian Shouyi.

Zhao Xiue glanced at Lady Chiang with triumph and whispered smugly,

"This is truly instant karma, it strikes fast!"

**...***

I offer the fourth update, about twelve thousand words today, rolling and begging for your likes. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommended votes, monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)