Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 70 - 40 Sweet Cane_2

Chapter 70: Chapter 40 Sweet Cane_2
After drinking his fill and smoking a pouch of tobacco, Old Master Lian rose from the ground again.
"Second, you go push the cart," he said.
This meant that it was time to start transporting the harvest home.
Lian Shouyi complied and went to push the flatbed cart. First he cushioned it with sorghum stalks, then heaped it with bundles of sorghum ears. Once he had loaded the cart full, he began to deliver the load home. The other people in the field kept on with their tasks, waiting for Lian Shouyi to return from a run before rotating with the eldest, Lian Shouren, and Erlang. Afterward, it was Lian Shouli’s turn, followed by Lian Shouxin.
While Lian Shouyi was pushing the cart home, Si Lang and Liulang also went back to help with the pushing. The eldest, Lian Shouren, and Erlang worked as a team and needed no assistance. When it was Lian Shouli’s turn, Lian Yeye busied herself with helping her father push the cart. When it came to Lian Shouxin’s turn, Lian Zhizhi and a few other children would take turns to help.
By the time the sun reached its zenith, midday had arrived, bringing the hottest time of the day, and the field workers were preparing to call it a day.
Old Master Lian decided there was no need to cut anymore, instructing the last cartload of harvested sorghum to be delivered home, thus concluding the morning’s work.
The whole family headed home, and as they approached the village, they could see from afar several mule-drawn carts parked in front of the Lian’s family gate, along with several porters transferring items from the carts into the house. On one of these carts was a carriage-like hood, which the villagers called a palanquin cart. In this village, only Scholar Wang’s family owned such a palanquin cart, and so did Wang Youheng.
"Jizu has returned!" Lian Shouxin said with a smile.
Old Master Lian nodded and quickened his pace.
Entering through the gate, Lian Manman noticed a young man in a rouge-colored Lu silk robe with a fair complexion giving orders to the porters. It was Lian Shouren’s eldest son, Lian Jizu.
Upon seeing Old Master Lian, Lian Jizu hurriedly walked over to greet him.
"Grandfather," Lian Jizu was about to kneel.
Old Master Lian quickly steadied Lian Jizu. At that moment, Lady Gu, accompanied by a young daughter-in-law, came to greet them. This young daughter-in-law was Lian Jizu’s wife, Lady Chiang, who was holding a little girl about two years old in her arms, their daughter, whom they affectionately called Niuniu.
"It’s good you’re back. Let’s talk inside," Old Master Lian said.
The crowd bustled into the house, and once Old Master Lian sat down on the kang bed, Lian Jizu and Lady Chiang knelt down and formally kowtowed to him, even Niuniu was held by Lady Chiang to perform a kowtow.
An unmistakable smile spread across Old Master Lian’s face as he helped Lian Jizu to his feet to sit beside him and had Lian Shouren sit by his other side. Lian Shouyi, Lian Shouli, and Lian Shouxin all took their seats too, and the male members of the Lian family began to converse.
Lady Gu went outside to dismiss the porters, announcing that everything from the town had been moved back home, and the rented house had been vacated. Lady Chiang and Lian Huahua were arranging trunks and chests in the West Wing Room, as Lady Gu returned to inspect the gifts brought back from town with Lady Zhou and Lian Xiuxiu.
For a while, the whole house, inside and out, buzzed with activity.
Stepping into the West Wing Room, Lian Manman saw a jumble of large and small chests and trunks that nearly filled half of the room.
With the entire family now gathered, Old Master Lian was overjoyed beyond words.
"Manman, Xiao Qi, you two go to the temple gate and bring back half a pound of liquor for your grandpa," Old Master Lian instructed Lady Zhou to give money to Lian Manman to fetch the liquor.
Old Master Lian had two usual indulgences: one was tobacco, and the other was liquor. The tobacco was homegrown, dry tobacco leaves. As for liquor, that had to be bought from outside. Old Master Lian loved his liquor, but due to the family’s tight finances, he usually sent the younger ones like Lian Manman with a small jug to the miscellaneous goods shop by the temple gate, buying the liquor by the ounce. An ounce of liquor, accompanied by a little dish, could last two to three meals.
Lady Zhou was also elated, reaching into her purse to take out some money.
"Grandfather, I’ve brought some liquor back for you," Lian Jizu quickly intervened, "the genuine Pear Blossom White."
Lian Jizu stood up and picked up a jar of liquor from amongst the gifts to show Old Master Lian.
Old Master Lian, who usually drank small-batch sorghum liquor distilled in a makeshift stove, was immediately excited when he heard about the Pear Blossom White.
"Good, good, we’ll drink the liquor this eldest grandson of mine has brought, the Pear Blossom White."
"There’s also steamed sponge cake, sugar, and there are fabrics for Grandpa, Grandma, and Old Aunt to make clothes with," said Lian Jizu, pointing to two packages of steamed sponge cakes, a package of sugar, and two fabrics, one green and one red. "Month Mother also bought some Hangzhou powder for Grandma."
Lady Zhou laughed as well.
"What Hangzhou powder? That’s expensive. At my age, would I even use it? Give it to your Old Aunt instead," she replied.
"Grandma, you are not old," countered Lian Jizu. "Old Aunt’s share is separate, and there’s rouge too."
"Jizu, this child, knows how to care for people," Lady Zhou smiled as she stroked Lian Jizu’s back.
The room erupted with laughter.
The house was crowded, with hardly room to stand. Lian Manman tugged on Lady Zhang’s sleeve, and the mother and daughters left the Upper Room to head back to the West Wing Room. Lian Zhizhi brought in a basin of water for everyone to wash their hands and faces.
Lian Manman, observing the garb and manners of those from the Lian Family Main Wife’s side, couldn’t help but express the doubts that plagued her mind to Lady Zhang.
"Mother, were Uncle and Cousin making a lot of money in town?" Lian Manman asked.
The question seemed to stump Lady Zhang a little.
"...Your Uncle is a Scholar, and at first, he received two kilos of Government Granary rice every day and was exempt from corvée labor. But then he didn’t pass the Graduate exams, and every year, as a Scholar, he had to be graded in exams organized by the county. Only if he placed in the top twenty would he receive the Government Granary rice. Your Uncle only got it for a few years, and then he stopped receiving it altogether."
"But didn’t Uncle also teach at a school? How much could he earn per year doing that?"
"Well, initially, it was quite good, as he found reputable schools and earned about twenty taels of silver a year, plus additional gifts during the four seasons and festivals. Later on, when your Uncle couldn’t make the grade, he couldn’t get good schools to hire him. The school he just resigned from this year paid only ten taels of silver, but it included food and lodging."
"How much do they spend in a year?" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, I welcome you to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)