Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 103 - 56 - Family Feast _1

Chapter 103: Chapter 56 - Family Feast _1
Added another Chapter, two Chapters combined into one. Please support the official subscription, pink, recommendation, all kinds of votes.
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A group of people walked in from outside, the one in the lead was a tall old man with a purple face, dressed in green clothes, hands clasped, striding forward. A fair-faced woman in her forties was assisted by a daughter-in-law with her hair in a bun and a young girl following behind. Following that, the main gate opened wide, and a man bearing a striking resemblance to the old man leading the carriage came inside.
Old Master Lian, Lian Shouxin, and the others hurried out of the house to greet them.
"In-laws!"
"Older brother."
Old Master Lian and the old man exchanged greetings, and Lian Shouxin also hurriedly went forward to give a deep bow to the old man.
"Father-in-law!"
This turned out to be Lady Zhang’s father, Zhang Qingshan, with Lady Zhang’s mother, Lady Li, elder sister-in-law, Lady Wang, and niece, Zhang Caiyun, following. Driving the carriage was Lady Zhang’s elder brother, Zhang Qingnian.
Lady Zhang’s natal family lived about fifty miles from Thirty Mile Camp in a village in the mountains, named Burner Pot Village. The Zhang Family also farmed dozens of acres of land and owned several dozen acres of orchards in the mountains, qualifying them as a wealthy household. The elderly couple had only two sons and two daughters. Both sons were married, and the eldest daughter was Lian Manman’s mother, married into Thirty Mile Camp.
Lian Manman, Lian Zhizhi, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi all rushed to call out to their grandpa, grandma, elder uncle, elder aunt, and cousin. Old Master Lian led Zhang Qingshan into the Upper Room, while Lady Li took her daughter-in-law and granddaughter to see Lady Zhang in the West Wing Room. Lian Shouxin took Wu Lang to help Zhang Qingnian with the livestock, feeding them hay and water, and moving things into the house.
The few people invited to the Upper Room, upon realizing that the arrival of Lady Zhang’s family meant the division of the family might be delayed, or even altered, took their leave and excused themselves.
"... I’ve brought a jar of strong liquor; let’s drink heartily together later, brothers." Zhang Qingshan offered.
The Lizheng and others, some calling him older brother and some uncle, refused to stay and took their leave nonetheless.
Old Master Lian invited Zhang Qingshan to sit on the kang bed, and Zhang Qingshan took out a dry tobacco pipe, filled it with tobacco, and slowly began smoking.
"Older brother, although our homes are not separated by mountains and seas, you should have sent me a message if something happened." Zhang Qingshan said slowly.
Lian Shouxin, who was just coming in from outside, hurried to admit that it was all his fault.
Zhang Qingshan glanced at Lian Shouxin but said nothing, while Old Master Lian’s cheeks flushed with a tinge of red, knowing that Zhang Qingshan had probably heard everything about the Lian Family’s situation.
"I neglected proper courtesy, the autumn work was too busy, I didn’t manage to..." Old Master Lian attempted to explain.
"Older brother, do you remember how we became acquainted..." Zhang Qingshan cut off Old Master Lian’s words, starting to recount their past experiences together.
In his youth, Zhang Qingshan had travelled as a peddler, engaging in many trades, including horse trading up in the northern steppes, dealing in silk and fabric south of the Yangtze River, and even involving himself in the illegal salt trade. At that time, Old Master Lian was working as a shopkeeper for a store in the county. Gradually, the two men became acquainted.
"We are relatives out of affection. Older brother, you are an honest and sincere man. Back when you were a shopkeeper, you treated everyone fairly, young or old. Brother, I admire your character. The Lian Family is upright and respectable. Having my daughter marry into your family, I can rest assured that she’s in good hands..."
Zhang Qingshan didn’t bring up Lady Zhang’s matter, only chatting with Old Master Lian about the days when they were young. Old Master Lian felt both ashamed and grateful, and their conversation became increasingly heartfelt.
In the West Wing Room, there was a different scene.
Upon seeing each other, Lady Li and Lady Zhang’s mother began to cry, with Lady Wang and Zhang Caiyun consoling them at the side. But when they heard about Lian Manman lying unconscious for three days, nearly dying, and how Lady Zhang had miscarried and barely recovered, they too started wiping tears.
"You foolish child, why didn’t you send a message home? If your brother hadn’t been at the Back Mountain Village fair and run into someone from your camp who told him of this, I would still be in the dark." Lady Li chided Lady Zhang with heartache, "You almost broke your mother’s heart, do you know that?"
Lady Zhang just cried, "Mother, I didn’t want to worry you..."
Lady Zhang cared about face, and she would always tell her natal family how well she was doing, never speaking a bad word. Of course, she also did not want Zhang Qingshan and Lady Li to worry for her sake.
"Sister, if you’re in trouble, you should not only tell parents, but also find a way to inform me and your brother." Lady Wang, with a loud voice, said, "Our Zhang family girls aren’t to be bullied like this. If this gets out, I, Wang Yufeng, will have nowhere to put my face. Sister, you spell out the rules, and your elder sister here will stand up for you today all by herself."