Reborn as a Landlord

Chapter 1917: Chapter 977: Wedding Gift (Part 2)

Therefore, when Lian Jizu said he was going to Chunzhu’s house, Lady Zhou did not stop him.

"It’s dark out there, come back early," Lady Zhou instructed Lian Jizu.

Lady Zhou had a peculiar habit; she went to bed early and expected the whole family to retire early too. As she explained, she feared hearing the front gate and worrying it might be a thief coming to harm her. The community around Thirty Mile Camp was simple and honest, not quite to the point of not locking doors at night, but close. Nasty incidents were rare; petty theft was infrequent, but internal family disputes were inevitable.

Lady Zhou wasn’t afraid of theft; she feared being harmed, which was rare in the countryside. She was an elderly woman who rarely went outside the gate, so who would want to harm her?

The reasons and knots behind Lady Zhou’s excessive worry and caution might only be known to Lady Zhou herself.

...

After the Lian Manman family returned from the village, they talked for a while before going their separate ways. Xiao Qi needed to do his homework, Lian Shouxin and Wu Lang had matters to attend to outside, and Lady Zhang, Lian Manman, and Lady Li sat on the kang with a small low table beside them, covered with various teas and snacks, merrily chatting and sewing together.

As night fell, the kitchen steward came to inquire about dinner arrangements.

"Where will my aunt be eating tonight? Should we send a carriage to bring her over for dinner?" Lian Manman asked Lady Li and Lady Zhang.

"Don’t worry about her. Let her eat over there tonight, and stay there. She’ll be going back home in a couple of days. Give her some space to get closer to Caiyun," Lady Li replied.

Lian Manman understood Lady Li’s reasoning. However, while discussing the meal with Lady Zhang and Lady Li, she instructed someone to invite Lady Zhang Wang over for dinner from the town.

Just after sending the kitchen staff away, a young maid came to report that someone from the village had arrived.

Lian Jizu and Lady Chiang had arrived with Da Niuniu.

"So soon..." Lady Zhang was puzzled, having just returned from the village and discussed everything they needed to say; why were Lian Jizu and Lady Chiang visiting again?

"Probably things that are hard to say at home, so they’ve come here to chat," Lady Li commented as she put on her shoes, "I’ll go to the other room for a bit; it might be awkward for her with me here."

Lady Li went to the west room, while Lady Zhang asked someone to bring Lady Chiang in.

Soon, the young maid led Lady Chiang and Da Niuniu inside. Lian Jizu was kept in the front yard by Lian Shouxin for a conversation.

After greeting each other, Lady Zhang invited Lady Chiang and Da Niuniu to sit down. Lady Chiang sat opposite Lady Zhang and asked Da Niuniu to sit beside Lian Manman, then pulled out a cloth bundle from the basket she carried and opened it.

"For Wu Lang’s joyous wedding, we don’t have much to offer, just these few items as a token of goodwill. I hope you don’t find it inadequate," Lady Chiang said with a smile. freewebnovёl.ƈom

Indeed, she came to give a wedding gift to Wu Lang.

Lian Manman and Lady Zhang exchanged a glance and smiled. Earlier, the mother and daughter privately speculated about Lady Zhou having nothing to offer, but Lian Manman guessed that Lady Chiang would surely express goodwill. This was not difficult to predict; Lady Chiang was clever and considerate, and would certainly not neglect protocol.

"The old lady spoke like that, but even if she had the intention, she wouldn’t dare go against the old lady’s wishes," Lady Zhang had said, "When your sister got married, the Old Master insisted on adding to the dowry, and she added a few things as well."

Now, it turned out exactly as Lian Manman predicted.

Lady Zhang was pleased not because of the items Lady Chiang brought, but because by doing so, Lady Chiang showed she still cared about Wu Lang and them, the fourth uncle and aunt.

"Oh dear, why did you bring anything at all?" Lady Zhang chuckled, "Didn’t we agree at the old lady’s place that just having the thought was enough, no need for any gifts."

"That’s what the old lady said, but afterwards, Niuniu’s father and I persuaded her, and the old lady changed her mind," Lady Chiang replied with a smile, "I had prepared these items earlier; if you don’t accept them, you’d be rejecting my needlework, and I would be quite embarrassed."

Lady Chiang used the gifting occasion to mention Lady Zhou but did not include her in sending the items, nor did she tell Lady Zhou about it.

The people of Lian Family all knew Lady Zhou’s temperament, even if Lady Chiang said that, Lady Zhang and Lian Manman did not truly believe that Lady Zhou had changed her mind. Moreover, she just mentioned that the items were prepared a long time ago, clearly contradicting her previous statement.

This was the shrewdness of Lady Chiang.

Listening to her, Lady Zhang and Lian Manman wouldn’t feel gratitude towards Lady Zhou, but would instead develop more fondness towards Lady Chiang.

"Oh, listen to you," Lady Zhang chuckled, "I know your needlework, but it was kind of you."

It was kind of Lady Chiang to have the thought, to prepare gifts for Wu Lang’s wedding in advance, and to buy those things, also taking time and effort to do needlework and embroidery.

Lady Zhang laid out the items from the bundle one by one, starting with two pieces of brightly embroidered silk, which caught her fancy, calling Lian Manman over to take a look.

"Really, it looks almost real; you’ve put so much effort into this," Lady Zhang remarked. Recognizing that this needlework wasn’t something that could be accomplished in a short period, Lady Chiang indeed had made early preparations.

"This is appropriate," Lady Chiang felt happy seeing Lady Zhang and Lian Manman’s joy.

"Manman, look, ... it’s perfect for making a screen, or a kang screen... both dignified and beautiful," Lady Zhang measured the silk’s dimensions and said.

...

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