Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 94 - 52 Sawing_1

Chapter 94: Chapter 52 Sawing_1
In the dead of night, they begged for pink powder.
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"What, you killed the chicken? Your mouth must be longing for disaster. At my age, I’ve raised these chickens from chicks and can’t bear to eat them, yet you’ve gone and had your fill first. Why didn’t you just slaughter me instead?" Lady Zhou pointed at Lian Shouxin and scolded. She knew the chicken was meant for Lady Zhang to eat, but since she couldn’t scold Lady Zhang, she took it out on Lian Shouxin.
Lian Shouxin felt somewhat abashed. Being an honest man, he was accustomed to enduring hardship before enjoying comforts. Now that he had enjoyed the comforts first, he felt a sense of guilt welling up inside him for no apparent reason.
However, the chicken was meant for Lady Zhang, who had lost her child and bled profusely. The old hen was precisely what Lady Zhang needed. As for Lian Manman claiming that Lady Zhou knew about the killing of the chicken, Lady Zhou said it was done behind her back. He was puzzled about what really happened and, seeing Lian Manman not making a sound, he guessed the truth of the matter.
So, it was up to him to take the responsibility.
Lian Shouxin simply lowered his head, letting Lady Zhou scold him without a word in response.
"My mother is postpartum, why shouldn’t she eat a chicken? Even if we slaughtered all the chickens, if it could bring back my mother’s health, it would be worth it," Lian Manman spoke up, "Auntie, I discussed this with you, you disagreed and even scolded my mother and me. Does my mother mean less to you than an old hen?"
"So it was you, you little wench, stronger than I thought. Old Fourth, is this how you and your wife show filial piety?" Lady Zhou pointed at Lian Shouxin.
"What’s all the fuss about, it’s just a chicken. Eat and be done with it. Shouldn’t you have thought to stew one for Old Fourth’s wife earlier?" Old Master Lian stated.
Upon hearing Old Master Lian speak like this, Lady Zhou almost toppled over in anger.
"I’ll be damned, I tend to these chickens from dawn till dusk. You want to eat, right? Fine, I’ll kill them all today, let her have her fill," Lady Zhou stomped out from the house, grabbing a kitchen knife from the chopping board on her way to the chicken coop.
Lian Shouxin, Lian Shouyi, Lian Shouli, Lady He, Lady Zhao, and a few half-grown lads from the second wife’s side all followed her out.
Although Lady Zhou had bound feet, she moved swiftly now. Lady He reached out feebly, naturally missing her grasp, as Lady Zhou wielding the kitchen knife, entered the chicken coop.
Lian Shouxin was the first to rush after her.
Lian Manman’s heart skipped a beat, knowing this was a critical moment.
She had anticipated that the killing of one chicken would not end the matter with Lady Zhou so easily. Those chickens were as dear to Lady Zhou as life itself; she would rather bear the pain of loss than let them go. If the chicken had been meant for Lian Shouren or Lian Xiuxiu, perhaps it wouldn’t have mattered, but it was for Lady Zhang, and Lady Zhou could not accept it in her heart. More importantly, in Lady Zhou’s eyes, Lian Manman had challenged her control over the family with this act.
Lady Zhou rarely stepped out beyond the Second Gate, unlike other village elders who would work the fields or sell things at the market to earn a livelihood. Her control over the family—and particularly her children—lay primarily in controlling the food. For instance, every cooking decision, regarding the amount of rice or flour, or what vegetables to use, had to be determined by Lady Zhou. Of course, whenever you asked her, she would scold you, lamenting her old age and the burden of looking after you, but if you acted without her approval, even slightly so, you were in for a storm.
Now it wasn’t just about a bowl of brown rice, a bowl of coarse flour, or a dish of backyard vegetables, but an old hen. Hence, the impending storm wouldn’t be just any storm, but a tornado, an earthquake.
Lady Zhou was now hellbent on killing the chickens, effectively demanding that Lian Shouxin and the others surrender to her will. And if Lian Shouxin did fold, everything would revert to how it was before, making all of Lian Manman’s efforts futile.
Lian Manman could not allow this to happen.
"Dad," Lian Manman pulled Lian Shouxin back, "Listen, mom is calling for you."
Lian Shouxin’s pursuit of Lady Zhou hesitated for a moment.
"Mom has been saying she’s uncomfortable, feeling some pain in her stomach. You should go and see her, and if it gets worse, we need to call the doctor quickly," Lian Manman urged anxiously.
Upon hearing that Lady Zhang’s stomach was in pain, Lian Shouxin immediately grew flustered. He was frightened by Lady Zhang’s previous ordeal, fearing something might happen again. He thought to himself that with Lian Shouyi, Lian Shouli, the sisters-in-law, and a whole bunch of children present, they could surely restrain Lady Zhou, so he hurriedly turned and ran towards the West Wing Room.
Lian Manman followed suit, saw Lian Shouxin enter, then closed the door behind him and bolted it from the outside.
She then stood by the door of the West Wing Room, joined by Lian Zhizhi, Wu Lang, Xiao Qi, and a few others. Meanwhile, Lady Zhou had entered the chicken coop; Lian Shouyi and Lian Shouli struggled to hold her back and persuade her to leave, while she vigorously swung the kitchen knife.