Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 816 - 416: Collecting Rent_2
"Jizu, you received the Emperor’s reward in Taicang, when did this happen, why have you never mentioned it to us? What gold did you receive?" Lian Manman asked intentionally with a smile.
"What reward did we get?"
Lian Jizu was initially startled before he realized what Lian Manman was asking about.
"The brothers are talking about Fourth Uncle’s house, didn’t Fourth Uncle receive a reward of one hundred taels of gold? We, the Old Lian Family, are all one family, aren’t we?" Lian Jizu said.
When discussing those lands, they say "it is my family’s land", and when the rent can’t be collected, they say "our family’s land’s rent". Shouxin received the reward, and now he is part of the Lian Family. Where was he when Shouxin’s family was enduring hardships?
Lian Jizu is not fooled at all, Lian Manman sneered.
"That one hundred taels of gold..." Shouxin turned his head to look at his wife and children before slowly saying, "it is the Emperor’s reward, cannot be spent. We need to treat it as a family heirloom, passing it down to Wu Lang’s children, generation after generation."
"Father, there really are quite a few people eyeing this reward." Wu Lang said, "Even the people from the Woo Family are thinking about it, who do they think they are!"
"Shameless!" Xiao Qi exclaimed.
"Dreaming about it is pointless, it was hard-earned by our family of six. Didn’t you hear what your father said? That gold can’t be spent, it has to be saved for you all, to be passed down generation after generation. And also remember, be self-sufficient, and don’t squander that gold." Lady Zhang said.
"Yes, mom, we remember." Lian Manman and her siblings responded in unison.
While the family was talking, Lian Jizu and Lady Chiang’s faces looked rather displeased.
Shouxin, still concerned about the dignity of the Lian Family, stopped there without continuing.
"Jizu, continue, what happened next, there must be some resolution to this." Shouxin asked Lian Jizu.
"Last night, we didn’t really conclude anything, it was too late, so we just came back. Today, I went to see them again, wore myself out the entire day, I’ve never met people so stubborn... no matter how nicely or harshly I talked, they just gave me two hundred catties of peanuts, one thousand catties of sorghum, one hundred catties of millet, eighty catties of soybeans, twenty catties of adzuki beans. They even said this much was squeezed out from the gaps between their teeth."
"They said if I pressured them more, they would let their blind old mother hang herself right at our front gate. Letting everyone know how ruthless and unkind we are." Lian Jizu was full of distress.
Apart from that old lady, the clothing of the Woo Family’s two daughters-in-law was so worn that their skin showed, and those kids, the girl slightly better, the boy simply had a swaddling band around his waist, his body covered in either dust or mud, it seemed to be ingrained into their skin and could never be washed off.
"You should have seen that family, Uncle, not a single person in proper clothing, they are unbearable to look at." Lian Jizu said.
Lian Manman quickly calculated in her mind, originally the Old Master handed over the lands to the Woo Family Brothers for the autumn harvest, and it was agreed that aside from the food and grain tax required for the family of three of Lian Shouli to survive a year, the rest would be divided into four parts, the Lian Family taking three parts and the Woo Family taking one.
At that time, it was close to the harvest season. All those lands were cultivated by the Lian Family themselves, the Woo Family merely harvested but still got such shares, it was the Old Master treating them generously, practically giving away food for free.
But now, seeing the land rent handed over by the Woo Family Brothers, it is clear that they are taking three parts, and the Old Master can only take one.
Biting the hand that feeds, and excessive greed.
Leaving this matter unchecked doesn’t seem right, but intervening also brings many inconveniences, and even after intervening, Lian Manman felt unease in her heart.
Why, knowing well what kind of people the Woo family are, did he still insist on renting the land to them?
"Jizu, what do you plan to do about this?" Lian Manman then asked Lian Jizu.
"Me, I was coming to consult with Fourth Uncle, wasn’t I?" Lian Jizu and Lady Chiang exchanged a look before he continued, "Fourth Uncle, you know me, these years, I have just been studying. I don’t understand anything about farming. They fool me, and I don’t even realize it. Fourth Uncle, my grandpa, my grandma, they are all depending on this grain to survive. Fourth Uncle, you have to help me claim this rent."
"Jizu, all these years, you surely know how my dad behaves, his temper, both you and my sister-in-law must know. How could my dad help in this situation? The Woo family, such people, with my father’s honest nature, even if he wants to help, he can’t really help." Lian Manman said.
Lian Jizu instantly fell silent.
A moment later,
"What was Grandpa thinking, good lands, could rent to anyone, why rent to them?" Lian Jizu said distressedly.
"Fourth Uncle, Fourth Aunt, I know, it shouldn’t be troubling you. But we also have no choice, we’re pushed to this. We can’t do without that rent. To be honest, not afraid of you laughing at me, my grandpa, my grandma, the whole family is waiting for this grain to be cooked." Lady Chiang pleaded with a bitter smile.
"Fourth Uncle, Fourth Aunt, you can’t just ignore this situation." Lian Jizu also said.
They had made up their minds, determined to rely on the Lian Manman family for help. Lian Manman silently sighed.
"This matter..." Shouxin didn’t say whether he agreed or disagreed but instead used his gaze to seek his wife and children’s opinion.
"As Third Uncle has also told you, Grandpa’s lands were rented to their family before. They haven’t just become like this now, all these, Grandpa was well aware of." Lian Manman said, "Jizu, sister-in-law, there must have been some instructions from Grandpa when you came, right?"
"Grandpa knew they were like this and still let them cultivate the land?" Lian Jizu asked incredulously.
Apparently so.
"When we came, Grandpa didn’t say anything." Lian Jizu continued speaking, his tone and expression slightly hesitant.
***......*** 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
Releasing this update, asking everyone for your pink support. Another update coming later.
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