Chapter 92 Ancient World: Stepmother (9)
Zhao Lianhua didn't sleep well all night.
With Li Fusheng gone, she had no one to talk to, and both of her children were going against her, which gave her a lot of headaches.
The next morning, I prepared the meal.
Li Qingyue and Li Xiangling returned from outside, their faces beaming with smiles, and they deliberately spoke loudly.
"Heh, they actually went to Aunt Dongzhi's house to borrow grain. Don't they know that old woman has always been against our family? Sure enough, if you're not family, your hearts aren't on the same page."
The brother and sister went out early in the morning, naturally to see what would happen, and they kept a close eye on Changqing and his companion, their movements were very clear.
Zhao Lianhua pricked up her ears.
Asking to borrow food? Looks like they're thinking of surviving for a while, haha, how naive. Even if they manage to borrow some, so what? Once they run out, are they going to keep borrowing? They'll probably have to beg to go home after a few days.
"Qingyue, Xiangling, let's eat."
She carried the dishes to the table.
Li Xiangling glanced at her stepmother's expression and continued, "Brother, isn't it funny? They even split up! One went to Aunt Dongzhi's house, and the other went to Uncle Liu's house, hahaha—"
Clang!
Zhao Lianhua dropped the bowl of food she was holding on the ground, and her expression changed drastically.
"What did you say? Changqing, he, he went to Uncle Liu's house?"
She was worried about this happening yesterday, but when her son left without mentioning it, she assumed he hadn't thought of it at all. But this morning, he actually went to Uncle Liu's house.
That involves land rent!
You should know that Uncle Liu's whole family were refugees from other places and have always made a living by renting land. The family is hardworking, they farm a lot of land, and their harvests are good every year. They are also generous with rent. It's not even the end of the year yet, so what is Changqing doing at his house?
Li Qingyue and his sister were unaware of these matters. Seeing Zhao Lianhua's exaggerated reaction, they assumed she was worried about her own son. Li Xiangling immediately rolled her eyes at her.
"Yes, he went to Uncle Liu's house. I saw it with my own eyes, haha. But he definitely didn't get any grain. He went in empty-handed and came out empty-handed."
Zhao Lianhua took off her apron and walked outside.
"No, I have to go to Uncle Liu's house to ask."
Li Xiangling immediately blocked her way.
"What? Are you going to personally go and borrow grain for your son?"
Zhao Lianhua was furious. She walked right past Li Xiangling and ran out quickly. Although she didn't care about the family's money, she knew that the rent from those lands must be quite high, so she was naturally anxious.
"elder brother!"
Li Xiangling watched Zhao Lianhua's figure disappear outside the door and couldn't help but stomp her foot.
Li Qingyue, however, remained seated and motionless.
"Let her go. If she borrows it, so be it. If she can't pay it back, that's their problem. We'll just stay home and watch over our belongings."
Li Xiangling was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.
"Brother, how could I not have thought of that!"
Li Qingyue smiled slightly, quite pleased with himself.
“Your brother is an educated man. Have you heard of the Thirty-Six Stratagems? As long as we protect our home, we’ll be fine. I’ll stay home and study for the next two months. You don’t need to learn embroidery anymore. Hehe, we’ll wait for Dad to come back.”
Li Xiangling nodded emphatically, "Yes, be careful of that woman who betrays us."
The two men shared a common hatred for the enemy, and their morale soared.
At this moment, Zhao Lianhua hurriedly ran to Uncle Liu's house and stopped the family who were about to go to the fields.
"His fourth uncle, did Changqing come looking for you? Did he... did he ask you for grain?"
After catching her breath, she quickly asked the question that was on her mind most.
Uncle Liu was not tall, but he was very strong. He had expected this situation, so he was not flustered at all.
"The landlord did come, and he even reduced our rent by 30%. However, he wanted to collect the rent in advance, and we don't have any grain right now, so we scraped together the money and gave it to him..."
Zhao Lianhua felt as if she had been struck by lightning, and she swayed.
The landlord? He even reduced the rent and gave me money?
“Changqing is just a child, how can you give him the rent? Besides! Reducing the rent by 30% is such a big decision, how can he possibly make it! I don’t agree!”
She couldn't hold back any longer. A 30% rent reduction was a huge loss, and Zhao Lianhua felt the pain in her own heart.
Uncle Liu lit a pipe, not in a hurry at all. For him, it didn't matter who he paid rent to, but the kid had reduced the rent by 30%, which was a real benefit, so of course he would support it.
Moreover, it is only natural for a son to inherit his father's land. In the past, the mother managed the land on his behalf because the child was young. Now that he has started living independently, it is perfectly reasonable to hand it over to him, no matter where he is.
He exhaled a puff of smoke and calmly tapped his pipe.
“Madam, you have remarried to Li Fusheng. Just manage the household well and take good care of his land. Since the landlord is no longer living with you, it is reasonable for me to give him the rent. If you have any objections, you can talk to the landlord or the head of your Li clan.”
"Please don't make things difficult for a tenant farmer like me. We have to go to the fields, so we won't entertain you any longer. Please go back."
He gestured for her to come, picked up his hoe, and walked out. His two sons quickly followed behind, creating a gust of wind that nearly knocked over the unsteady Zhao Lianhua.
"You, all of you!"
She wanted to reprimand them, but found that she couldn't find any reason to do so. After pausing for a moment, she hurriedly headed back towards the old house.
However, when she arrived at the old house where she used to live, she found that the gate was closed and locked.
"Tsk tsk, isn't this Fusheng's house? What are you doing here? Did you have a change of heart and want to bring some food for the child? No, wait, you're empty-handed. Oh dear, you're not here to freeload off the child, are you?"
Aunt Dongzhi appeared at the corner, a smug smile on her face, holding a sickle in her hand, looking like she was about to get to work.
"What are you doing here? Where's Changqing?"
Zhao Lianhua had no time for arguing. She took two steps forward and hurriedly asked.
Aunt Dongzhi raised her sickle. "Get to work! Changqing asked me to help clear the weeds around the house. Oh, and he also hired people to repair the house. Tsk tsk, he's got the annual rent, so he has money in his pocket. The old house needs some repairs."
"How could he waste money like that!"
Zhao Lianhua's eyebrows shot up when she heard this. She could do weeding and house repairs herself, why hire workers? How much copper coins would that cost? Qingyue's studies and Xiangling's embroidery lessons both cost money. How could this be so wasteful!
She desperately wanted to find Changqing immediately and take the money from him to keep it safe.
"Go back here! You're not needed to work here!"
Aunt Dongzhi brandished her sickle, startling Zhao Lianhua into taking two steps back. She then let out a sneer.
"Fusheng's wife, what's wrong? You've remarried, but you still want to be in charge in your ex-husband's family?"
The constant references to Fusheng's family reminded Zhao Lianhua of the fact that she had remarried, which made Zhao Lianhua feel suffocated. Yes, she had remarried, but couldn't she even take care of her own son?
If it weren't for Aunt Dongzhi's large and strong physique and the sickle in her hand, she would have loved to slap her across the face.
"Come on, Fusheng's family, don't keep me from getting to work. Have you fed your livestock? Have you finished working in the fields?"
Aunt Dongzhi's words brought Zhao Lianhua back to her senses. There were still a lot of things to do at home, so she couldn't bother looking for Changqing anymore and hurried home.
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