Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 808 - 412: Cotton-Padding

It was the second watch of the night, a silent request for the pink of dawn.

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

Lian Manman was looking around cheerfully when she suddenly felt something amiss beside her. She turned her head slightly and saw Lian Zhizhi and Zhang Caiyun were also sitting up in bed, craning their necks and peeking outside.

Lian Manman cocked her ear to listen, but heard nothing unusual from the outside room. Secretly nodding to herself, she thought that Lady Li must be exhausted from the past few days and was thus sleeping deeply.

Lian Shouxin stood outside the door explaining, but after a long while, there was still no response from Lady Zhang. Lian Shouxin took a couple of steps towards the door, seemingly wanting to return to his own room. Just then, a shoe flew out from inside, striking Lian Shouxin’s chest.

Lian Shouxin’s body leaned backward, the shoe clattering onto the ground. Then came the sound of the door being shut and bolted, followed by Lady Zhang’s light footsteps moving towards the eastern chamber.

Lian Shouxin walked to the door and gave it a push, which naturally did not budge. He had no choice but to turn around, bend over to pick up the shoe Lady Zhang had thrown out, and then sat down on the steps.

The night had turned colder.

Only wearing a thin layer, even Lian Shouxin began to feel the chill after sitting in the corridor for a while. He stood up and walked back to the door, trying to push it again, but it remained latched. Lian Shouxin then walked over to the window of the eastern chamber and tapped on it.

"My wife, the mother of our children," Lian Shouxin called out in a low voice.

Inside, Lady Zhang had already laid down in bed and, upon hearing the sound of Lian Shouxin knocking on the window, she turned over and then lay still.

Lian Shouxin stood dully under the window for a long while, until finally, he gave up hope that Lady Zhang would soften and open the door for him.

Having no other option, Lian Shouxin slowly walked away from the window, his head lowered as he headed for the front courtyard.

In the western room, watching Lian Shouxin dejectedly heading to the front courtyard, Lian Manman finally let down the curtain and got back into bed.

"The Eldest Aunt has chased Uncle out," Zhang Caiyun said softly.

"Hmm," Lian Manman nodded, "Let’s not worry about them, let’s sleep."

"Eldest Aunt has a temper too, huh? I heard from my mother that Eldest Aunt is very good-natured," Zhang Caiyun murmured again.

Of course, Lady Zhang had a good temper; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been as simple as just driving Lian Shouxin out. Snickering to herself under the covers at the thought of Lian Shouxin’s despondent departure, Lian Manman then fell asleep again.

The next day, she awoke refreshed, tidied up a bit, and along with Lian Zhizhi, Zhang Caiyun, and Lady Li, they headed to a breakfast shop for an early meal.

Lady Zhang and Lian Shouxin had both risen early and were busy inside the shop. However, the atmosphere between the two was delicate. Lian Shouxin’s face bore a conciliatory look, while Lady Zhang kept avoiding him, seemingly unwilling to even glance at him.

"Xiao Qi," Lian Manman asked in a whisper, "did Father come up to your place last night?"

For convenience with schooling, Wu Lang and Xiao Qi stayed in the front courtyard. They lived in the outer room of the study, next to Mr. Loo’s bedroom.

"Yes," Xiao Qi said as he set down a bowl of well-mixed cat food on the kang bed, calling over the kitten, Da Hua, to eat.

Most children love small animals like kittens and puppies. While they may enjoy playing with them, not many are patient enough to take care of the animals consistently. Xiao Qi was different; without needing much supervision from adults, he patiently prepared food for the kitten Da Hua every day. He didn’t even mind getting dirty, changing the cat litter daily.

It wasn’t a passing fancy, but a daily dedication that required no reminder.

No wonder everyone liked Xiao Qi, and no wonder Da Hua, the kitten, liked him best.

"In the middle of the night, when my brother and I were asleep, Father came to knock on our door... He ended up sleeping on our kang, sighing and lamenting," Xiao Qi told Lian Manman.

"Sister, are Father and Mother mad at each other?" Xiao Qi asked Lian Manman.

Lian Manman nodded and then leaned down to whisper some instructions to Xiao Qi.

"I got it," Xiao Qi blinked and nodded his head.

Everyone sat down together for breakfast, with Lady Zhang continuing to ignore Lian Shouxin. The children also kept their heads down, quietly finishing their meal. Wu Lang and Xiao Qi then shouldered their school bags, ready for school.

The two children were very well-behaved. Wu Lang said his farewells to everyone in the room before leaving. Xiao Qi also bid farewell to everyone except Lian Shouxin and quietly passed by him with eyes cast down.