Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 78 - 44 Contradiction_2

Chapter 78: Chapter 44 Contradiction_2
"You’re trying to kill someone, you’re trying to burn me to death," Lady He jumped up and down, about to grab Lian Xiuxiu, but turned around to see Lady Zhou watching her, so she had to bear with it, "Mother, look, why is Xiuxiu so heavy-handed?"
"Xiuxiu, tend to the fire properly," Lady Zhou commanded, then turned to Lady He, "Old Second’s wife, can’t you just wait quietly to be served? You lazy woman, always shirking your work, I’ve never seen you eager to help in my life. What mischief are you up to now? If I let you tend to the fire, I’m afraid you’ll burn through my pot. Go do whatever you’re supposed to be doing and stop getting in the way."
Lady He, having tried to curry favor and failed, dismayedly left the Upper Room and stood at the door, knocking her shoes against the threshold; she was wearing cloth shoes, and the tips had already burned through, revealing two holes, and even through her socks, her insteps were reddened from the scorch.
Lady He then headed to the East Wing Room, muttering under her breath as she walked: "Wretched girl, so spoiled she’d lift tiles off the Upper Room. Just wait till you fall into my hands, then we’ll see how I’ll deal with you."
Lady Zhang had learned her lesson this time and didn’t offer to help upon seeing Lady Zhou’s displeased face. The mothers had all washed their hands and faces, figuring that the pancakes must be almost ready. Lady He from the second room in the East Wing and several children had gone to the Upper Room, and they followed suit shortly after.
Lady Zhou had already made several basins of wheat pancakes and was pushing away Liulang, who was circling around her legs.
"What are you looking at? You won’t miss out. One catty of pancakes for each person, so you all have plenty to eat," Lady Zhou scolded.
Lady He, seeing this, pulled Liulang aside and slapped his hands twice.
"Glutton reincarnated, a bastard who’s never seen good things, getting above yourself. Why don’t you take a look in the mirror? You’re not that lucky. Daring to reach out, wouldn’t it be better if someone beat you to death, then we could all have some peace," she berated.
Liulang opened his mouth wide and started to cry loudly.
Lady Zhou was so angry her hands trembled.
Lady Zhang, seeing the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law about to quarrel, quickly intervened, trying to take Liulang away.
"Old Fourth’s wife, where are you going?" Lady Zhou immediately called out to Lady Zhang, "Where have you been hiding all morning, letting me work myself to the bone for you all? Go pick a couple of cucumbers and make a soup."
Lady Zhang, though rebuked, didn’t take it to heart; instead, she pushed Liulang to Si Lang to take him inside, then she picked up a basket and went to the backyard to pick cucumbers. With Lady Zhang’s interruption, both Lady Zhou and Lady He also dispersed.
Lady Zhang, nimble and with the help of Lian Zhizhi and Lian Manman, quickly made a cucumber slice soup and brought it to the table.
Just as Old Master Lian said, one catty of pancakes for each person was enough. Lady Zhou thought about it and, not daring to be stingy, maintained a stern face as she distributed four pancakes to each person.
"Enough for all of you to eat," Lady Zhou said.
Ignoring Lady Zhou’s tone, that was almost like a kind word. Lian Manman took it as such, devouring the soup and pancakes with relish. Among the women of the main room, Lady Chiang didn’t join the table, saying Niuniu was feeling unwell and that she had to take care of her. Lady Gu, Lian Huahua, and Lian Xiuxiu all bowed their heads, but Lian Duoduo, like Lian Manman, ate her pancakes and drank her soup with big bites.
"Mother, why are my pancakes so small?" Lady He asked Lady Zhou as she looked at the pancakes in her hands.
"If you’ve got something to eat, just eat," Lady Zhou chided, "Everything is supposed to be the same size unless it’s made by immortals. You have the nerve to fuss about this, why don’t you think about those steamed buns you ruined! Useless at everything, never satisfied with what you eat. If you think it’s not enough, here, take mine too and see if it’s enough to fill that bottomless pit... The money for Yaya’s foot-binding cloths, you’ll provide it yourself, don’t come asking me for it."
...
After the meal, Lian Manman returned to the West Wing Room. Unable to finish four pancakes in one sitting, she sneaked some back with her.
"Who hasn’t had enough to eat? I still have some pancakes here," Lian Manman said, taking out the pancakes.
As it turned out, Lian Shouxin, Lady Zhang, Wu Lang, Lian Zhizhi, and Xiao Qi also each produced a few pieces of pancakes. It seemed that everyone had had the same idea.
What should have been the most satisfying meal left no one truly sated, yet everyone was content with the outcome.
"Let’s not hold onto them; pancakes are best eaten hot. If we reheat them for the next meal, they won’t taste as good," Lady Zhang said with a smile.
After finishing the pancakes, everyone lay on the kang to take a nap.
"This meal used up half a bag of white flour; mother is going to fret over it for a long time," Lian Shouxin said.
"Father was really serious this time. Seeing how swollen Xiuxiu’s eyes were, sigh," Lady Zhang heaved a sigh, "she’s just a child after all, and it’s not her fault."
"Mom, think about what Old Cousin said about us," Lian Manman said to Lady Zhang, expressing her dissatisfaction.
When it came to what Lian Xiuxiu had said, Lady Zhang was unable to defend her.
"Your Old Cousin is a little thoughtless; she’ll be better when she grows up a bit."
"My sister is the same age as her, but she’s so much more sensible. She would never say such things. I’m even younger than her, and she’s my elder. Mom, why do you always take her side, even more than your own daughter?"
Lian Manman said this half-jokingly.
"Your Old Cousin and Zhizhi are about the same age; their birthdays are just a few days apart. I’ve watched her grow up," Lady Zhang explained.
Lian Zhizhi, who had been silent throughout, gently turned over.
With the pancakes consumed, the autumn harvest continued. The Lian Family busied themselves for several days, first finishing up the fields to the north before moving on to the fields at the foot of Nanshan to the south. The land here was divided into smaller plots with a variety of crops. There were a few acres of peanuts and several acres of mixed grains and beans, including small beans needed for making sticky buns in winter, as well as soybeans and green beans.
Field work was exhausting, and after several consecutive days of labor, everyone returned home only wanting to collapse into sleep. For the men, tobacco became a refreshing indulgence, even the usually non-smoking Lian Shouxin would sometimes roll one to smoke.
That evening after dinner, Lian Manman did not immediately go back to the West Wing Room; instead, she sat on the kang helping Old Master Lian with his tobacco leaves.
Lady Gu came in from outside and paused upon seeing Lian Manman, but she still walked in.
"Mom, I want to discuss something with you." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian.com with recommendation votes or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)