Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 162 - 80 Lian Huahua Comes Back_2

Chapter 162: Chapter 80 Lian Huahua Comes Back_2
Lady Gu’s complexion changed upon hearing Lady Zhou’s words; she covered her mouth and let out muffled sobs, but dared not say anything more.
"Where could Duoduo have gone? She’s just a child," Lian Shouren said, frowning as he sat.
At that moment, they heard the sound of the front door; Lian Shouxin and Lian Shouli returned with a few men.
The people in the Upper Room heard the noise and guessed that they had returned, so they came out of the house. Although Lady Gu had bound feet, she walked at the forefront. When she saw that all the men entering were from the village, and Lian Duo was not with them, she immediately collapsed to the ground, crying. Lady Chiang hurried to help Lady Gu but was pushed away by her. Lady Chiang lowered her head, and it was Lady He who eventually dragged Lady Gu up from the ground.
"Maybe she hid herself somewhere and will come back on her own in a couple of days," Lady He said.
Such words, of course, could not comfort Lady Gu; they only added fuel to the fire.
"...We’ve been searching nonstop all through the night, through Xiao An Tun Village, Big An Village; all have been scoured, sigh..." Lian Shouxin said, sighing. His face was covered in dust; his trouser cuffs, shoes, and the soles of his feet were all muddy and stained with various leaves and cocklebur. Lian Shouli and the other men who had gone with him looked almost the same.
If they couldn’t find her after searching all night, then Lian Duo was either dead or had been kidnapped; there were hardly any other possibilities.
Lady Gu made a gurgling sound in her throat, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
"Bring your mother to the West Room to rest for now," Old Master Lian hurriedly said.
Lian Shouren, Lian Jizu, and Lady Chiang quickly carried Lady Gu to the West Room.
"Start a fire and prepare a meal," Old Master Lian said to Lady Zhou, "Everyone has been tired all night; let’s have some hot food first."
The men all said it was not necessary.
"That won’t do, how can you not have a meal; if you don’t, you would be looking down on your elders," Old Master Lian insisted.
The villagers help each other generally without asking for payment, but it’s an established custom to provide a meal, and the better the meal prepared, the more face both the host family and the helpers gain. After some polite refusals, the men did not insist further and said they would go home to wash up before coming back to eat.
Now, only the Lian family members were left. Lian Shouyi was also woken up and came to the Upper Room. The family discussed what to do next.
"Father, Mother, we must bring back Duoduo no matter what," Lady Gu said, now conscious and crying.
Old Master Lian had a somber expression and did not speak. Everyone who could help from the village had come the day before, and after searching through the night, no one was made of iron; they all needed a break, and Old Master Lian found it hard to ask for more help.
"I’ll go search again," Lian Shouxin volunteered.
"I’ll go too," Lian Shouli said.
"Then I’ll go as well," Lian Shouyi said after looking around.
"Just the three of us won’t be much help," Lian Shouren said, struck by a sudden idea, he turned to Lian Shouyi, "If we can’t find people in our village, then... Erlang’s Old Uncle doesn’t he live in West Village? It’s not too far away. Let’s ask his uncle to find some people from their village to help look."
Lian Shouyi and Lady He exchanged glances.
"In the midst of harvest, everyone’s busy," Lady He said, somewhat troubled.
"No matter how busy it is, Duoduo’s situation is most important. If your brother won’t help, then I’ll break off relations with him," Lian Shouyi declared loudly.
"Good, good, Erlang can get things done," Lian Shouren said appreciatively.
"Big Brother, I can make the decision regarding his Old Uncle, but as for finding others from their village, our family doesn’t have any connection with them, and everyone’s busy with the harvest; I’m afraid it’ll be difficult to ask for help,"
"What, what can we do?" Lian Shouren hadn’t expected such a turn from Lian Shouyi.
"I will pay for their labor," Lady Gu declared.
After the meal, Lian Shouxin, not even bothering to change his shoes this time, set out with Lian Shouli and a few young men willing to continue the search for Lian Duo. Lian Shouyi, with a string of coins from Lady Gu in his pocket, and Lady He with a few children, all went to West Village. Soon after, Si Lang returned, saying that Old Uncle He had gathered quite a number of people who had spread out to search for Lian Duo.
As dusk fell, Lian Shouxin and Lian Shouli returned first, followed by Lian Shouyi, but Lian Duo was still not found.
In everyone’s hearts, they understood that after such a long time, Lian Duo was unlikely ever to be found.
In the West Room of the Upper Room, Lady Gu lay on the kang bed, sick and weak.
Lady Chiang tiptoed into the room from outside and offered a cup of hot tea to Lady Gu.
"Mother, please have some tea."
Lady Gu, lifting her eyelids, swatted the cup of tea from Lady Chiang’s hand. The cup shattered into several pieces on the floor, while Lady Chiang cried out in alarm. The tea was hot, and it splashed onto her hand, immediately turning the area red. Lady Chiang’s eyes rimmed with redness too.
"Drink what tea? If anything happens to Duo, I might as well not be alive," said Lady Gu.
Lady Chiang’s eyes flashed, and she remained silent as she went to pick up the broken pieces of porcelain from the floor.
"Mother, there are no outsiders in this yard. If Duoduo didn’t leave on her own, then who could have forced her? It’s her own lack of understanding what’s right, it has nothing to do with the eldest sister-in-law. She has always been kind to Duoduo, and this is also hard for her," Lian Huahua suddenly spoke up.
Lian Huahua had been sitting silently on the kang bed since her return, and this was the first thing she had said.
Lady Chiang was somewhat surprised and grateful.
"Mother, it’s my fault. You can beat or scold me, and I’ll have no complaints," cried Lady Chiang.
Lady Gu looked at Lian Huahua, then at Lady Chiang, and let out a long sigh.
"Yue E, I don’t blame you. It’s just that my heart aches, and I have to hold it in in front of your grandfather and grandmother. Only in front of you can I show my grief," Lady Gu said as she sat up and wiped her tears, "From now on, I only have you two daughters."
...
In the West Wing Room, as soon as Lian Shouxin came back he was so exhausted that he didn’t even eat, just lay down on the edge of the kang bed in his clothes and fell asleep.
Lady Zhang, Lian Manman, and several other women sat on the head of the kang, talking softly.
"Sister-in-law," a voice called from outside the door.
*****
A friendly recommendation for Gui Ren’s "Chonghua" (Book ID: 2273205). Synopsis: Enmities of this life settled in this life; a rebirth unfolds a new splendor! Double updates daily, good plot consistency, please enjoy.
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