Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 148 - 74 Misfortunes Never Come Singly_2

Chapter 148: Chapter 74 Misfortunes Never Come Singly_2
Wang Youheng felt something was odd and he slightly sat up.
"Manman, what’s wrong?"
Lian Manman sniffed and slowly lifted her head.
Wang Youheng was startled, as Lian Manman’s normally pale face was now flushed red, her large eyes brimming with tears, which were dropping down her cheeks one after the other.
"Manman, why are you crying?" Wang Youheng said, "Are you angry at Shopkeeper Wang? Don’t be upset, Manman, I’ll be sure to speak to him properly."
In the room, although he didn’t have a clear picture of what was happening outside, he knew some of Shopkeeper Wang’s thoughts. Shopkeeper Wang must have stopped Lian Manman and Xiao Qi from coming to see him.
"No, I’m not angry," Lian Manman said through tears.
"Then what’s wrong, Manman? Are you worried about me? Look, I’m fine, Shopkeeper Wang is making a fuss over nothing. This injury is trivial, it will heal quickly." Wang Youheng added and took a handkerchief from under the pillow to wipe Lian Manman’s face.
Lian Manman’s tears fell like pearls off a broken string, impossible to wipe clean.
"Manman..." Wang Youheng had never seen Lian Manman like this, and even though he was a few years older, he felt somewhat at a loss at this moment.
"Brother Youheng, don’t hide it from me, did Imperial Doctor Wang punish you when you went home?" Lian Manman asked between sobs.
"Manman, how can you say such things? Why would father punish me?"
"...It’s all my fault," Lian Manman said, "Brother Youheng, I’m sorry.... That time I came to town to fetch a doctor for my mother, Brother Youheng, I heard what Shopkeeper Wang told you. Imperial Doctor Wang and Imperial Doctor Shi, they don’t get along, and Brother Youheng, you used Imperial Doctor Wang’s note to invite Imperial Doctor Shi. When Imperial Doctor Wang found out, he must have punished you. Brother Youheng, I’m sorry, I heard everything back then, I pretended not to hear, just thinking about how to save my mother..."
Lian Manman was truly remorseful. When she heard Shopkeeper Wang urging Wang Youheng not to personally invite Imperial Doctor Shi, she understood that the feud between Imperial Doctor Wang and Imperial Doctor Shi was not just a simple discord but rather a competitive rivalry, a bitter enmity. Wang Youheng using Imperial Doctor Wang’s note to invite Imperial Doctor Shi was like Imperial Doctor Wang willing to lower himself before Imperial Doctor Shi. The strange way Imperial Doctor Shi treated Wang Youheng was also because of this reason.
The reason why Wang Youheng was able to persuade Imperial Doctor Shi was due to this delicate situation.
Lian Manman was not an ignorant child; she understood that there must have been some unresolved issues between Imperial Doctor Wang and Imperial Doctor Shi. Even if Wang Youheng was neither servile nor overbearing in front of Imperial Doctor Shi, even using reverse psychology, the act of using Imperial Doctor Wang’s note to invite Imperial Doctor Shi, in Imperial Doctor Wang’s view, might be seen as a son betraying his father, making the father lose face.
If there was a major grudge between Imperial Doctor Wang and Imperial Doctor Shi, then it would be even more tragic.
"Manman," Wang Youheng looked at Lian Manman, "stop crying, you haven’t done anything wrong, nor have you wronged me. If I were in your place, I would have done the same."
Wang Youheng’s words made Lian Manman feel deeply ashamed.
"Brother Youheng, I’m sorry."
"Don’t say that, Manman... Indeed, my father and Imperial Doctor Shi, they knew each other from their younger days. As for the specifics, father never spoke of them, probably because of their differing views, hence they stopped interacting with each other. It’s not as serious as you think, there are no deep-seated hatreds between them. It’s just some... well, a matter of pride, I guess." Wang Youheng tried to explain it lightly, "A matter of pride, no matter what, is not greater than a human life."
"But Imperial Doctor Wang did punish you, he beat you, didn’t he?" Lian Manman felt slightly better hearing Wang Youheng speak like this. She wasn’t sure how Imperial Doctor Wang had beaten Wang Youheng, and if it was on the buttocks, then she really wouldn’t be in a position to ask to see it.
Wang Youheng saw the look in Lian Manman’s eyes and guessed what she was thinking.
"Just a couple of strikes on the legs, it’s completely fine." Wang Youheng said. He was not telling the truth; at that time, Imperial Doctor Wang was extremely angry and wanted to throw him out of the house. He even took a plank to beat him, threatening to break his legs, but his grandmother, mother, and brothers stopped it. Later, he was punished to kneel at the ancestral hall. His injury hadn’t healed when he returned to town, still hiding in fear of Imperial Doctor Wang seeing him and getting angry, preferring to hide first.
Of course, he wouldn’t tell Lian Manman any of this.
Just then, footsteps were heard outside the door; it was Shopkeeper Wang himself carrying a teapot to serve tea. Normally, such chores would be done by a young shop assistant, but Shopkeeper Wang came personally, fearing that Lian Manman and Xiao Qi would disturb Wang Youheng’s recovery. Lian Manman already felt guilty towards Shopkeeper Wang and Wang Youheng, and seeing Shopkeeper Wang acting so protective, she didn’t blame him in her heart.