Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 56 - 33 Tea Stall_2

Chapter 56: Chapter 33 Tea Stall_2
Lian Manman tried hard to remember all the grievances from her past and present life, and soon, her tears started to fall.
"Manman, why are you crying? Don’t cry, let’s talk things over with mom," Lady Zhang became instantly anxious.
"Second Sister, don’t cry." Xiao Qi hurried over upon seeing Lian Manman cry.
Lian Manman pulled Xiao Qi close, "Xiao Qi, we are so pitiful, woo woo woo..."
Xiao Qi, being young, was quickly influenced by Lian Manman’s emotions and started to shed tears as well.
Lady Zhang’s heart softened because of their crying. Manman was right, it was all because she was too weak, too keen to please Lady Zhou, that she had always neglected her own children. She was not fit to be a mother.
"Second Sister, stop crying, or you’ll cry yourself sick." Xiao Qi sobbed.
Good Xiao Qi. Lian Manman pinched Xiao Qi’s little hand and sobbed as well, "Let’s take out the money we earned and buy something for Granny and Aunt so mom’s life can get better..., Xiao Qi, the wound on my head hurts..."
"Manman, Manman, why does your head hurt again?" Lady Zhang hurriedly reached out to check the wound on Lian Manman’s head.
Lian Manman dodged and embraced Xiao Qi, crying together in a huddle.
Lady Zhang finally stamped her foot.
"I won’t buy those pieces of cloth anymore. If this money is to be spent, it should be for my Manman and Xiao Qi." Lady Zhang decided to face the consequences, even if it meant getting scolded when she returned home.
Only then did Lian Manman gradually stop crying. Her tears and the wound on her head were indeed the ultimate weapon, which she needed to continue utilizing wisely.
Having returned the cloths that Lady Zhang had picked out, Lian Manman asked the shopkeeper how much money was needed for the cloths she and Lian Zhizhi had chosen.
"...It comes to two hundred and thirteen Wen Money, but I’ll just charge you two hundred and ten." said the shopkeeper.
"We bought too much," Lian Zhizhi was about to return the piece of bright red fine silk gauze she had chosen, but Lian Manman stopped her. "What do you mean, too much? I’m worried it’s not enough." Later, she asked for a few more yards of fine white cloth, planning to make an extra set of clothes for changing.
"Shopkeeper, shouldn’t we get a bigger discount since we’re buying so much..." Lian Manman, having dried her tears, bargained energetically with the shopkeeper and finally brought the price down to two hundred Wen Money.
Lian Manman paid with satisfaction. Initially, she didn’t intend to use the silver piece from Lady Zhang, but upon reconsideration, she decided to let Lady Zhang be content with her finances and be at ease, also sparing Lady Zhang from the allure of trying to please Lady Zhou yet again.
After weighing Lady Zhou’s silver, which was one qian two fen, Lian Manman added eighty more Wen Money to settle the account with the shopkeeper.
Lady Zhang, seeing Lian Manman act this way, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry and remarked, "Our family should have Manman in charge in the future."
"It would be good with Second Sister in charge." Before Lian Zhizhi and Wu Lang could say anything, Xiao Qi eagerly spoke up.
Lian Manman said nothing, but she considered this to be a very good idea inwardly.
After leaving the silk and satin shop, the family went next door to the grocery store, bought a set of needles, and many different colors of silk thread, spending a total of thirty wen money. Then, they all went to Chen’s Bun Shop, where Lian Manman and the others each had two meatball-stuffed buns and a bowl of noodle soup, and got three meatball-stuffed buns and also a bowl of noodle soup for Lady Zhang, along with a bowl of braised meat and a stack of pickled vegetables. Once they had finished eating, they got four more meatball-stuffed buns and a piece of braised meat, asking the shop assistant to wrap them in oil paper to take back for Lian Shouxin to eat.
Lian Manman counted out sixty wen money for the assistant, and the family left Chen’s, now heading towards the blacksmith’s shop.
The blacksmith’s shop was at the west end of Qingyang Town, and when Lian Manman and her group arrived, Lian Shouxin was squatting in the shop, watching Blacksmith Feng work. The scythe had already been fixed, and there were still two iron hoes to repair.
"Dad, are you hungry? Have some buns first," Lian Manman handed the buns to Lian Shouxin.
"Dad, there’s also meat," Xiao Qi held up the package of meat to Lian Shouxin.
Lian Shouxin, sweating profusely inside the blacksmith’s shop, felt a cool breeze on seeing how sensible and filial his children were, feeling comfortable inside and out.
"Big brother, go and have your meal. You still don’t trust my skills? I’ll make sure they’re repaired perfectly," Blacksmith Feng said.
Opposite the blacksmith’s shop, there was a tea stall, where one could get a large pot of strong tea for one wen money, with refills included. The family went over to the tea stall, ordered a pot of tea, found a table, and sat down.
"...Having such wealth is no defense against Yama Raja’s call. The Sun Family’s Young Master died two days ago, and that newly married wife of his also hanged herself. They were both placed in the same coffin, and now, after completing all the funeral services, they’re about to be buried in the ancestral grave. Didn’t you see? The funeral was arranged so grandly, with banquets..."
At the next table, two traveling merchants were chatting animatedly.
"Wasn’t it already rumored that Young Master Sun wouldn’t survive a month, and yet someone was willing to marry off their daughter to him?"
"Why wouldn’t they? Just ten miles from here, at Liu Family Village, is the Liu’s third daughter, who just turned ten this year. The Sun Family gave a whole three hundred taels of silver."
"That’s not so bad, except for that poor little girl. Even if she doesn’t seek death, so young, she will have to live as a widow, it’s pitiful."
"Brother, you’re being naive. The Sun Family didn’t want her as a widow. Do you think they wanted her to live in mourning? No, they wanted her to die as a sacrifice for their young son, so he wouldn’t be alone underground. Spending a few extra taels is more respectable than marrying off the dead, you see."
"That, that young wife didn’t die by her own hands; does the Liu Family know about this?"
"Of course, they know, it’s a life after all. Her family had to agree, otherwise, there’d be obstacles later. I heard it was the wife of Liu Laifu who personally helped with the... The Sun Family paid a large sum... Yang Chengfeng specifically rushed back from his brother-in-law’s place to deal with it, without keeping the Liu Family in the dark. I even heard there was another family that was willing, but something happened, and it didn’t work out, so the good fortune fell to the Liu’s..."
The two traveling merchants, when they got to the secretive part, lowered their voices slightly, but Lian Manman’s table still heard everything.
Biting into his bun, Lian Shouxin’s face turned purple-red, and Lady Zhang’s hand on the table began to tremble.
Lian Manman clenched her fists and turned her head away.
"Are you talking about the Sun Family from Qingfeng County?"