Chapter 140

After the letter and gifts were returned, Master Fan and his wife were somewhat angry and dissatisfied.

If they were to follow the old man's dying wish, they would only be able to work alongside their brothers as servants to the eldest son for the rest of their lives. But he refused, believing that even so, he could still live a life of wealth and honor.

But his elder brother might not be able to keep the family business. Several shops had been developed under his leadership, and he really didn't want to.

"Master, what should we do?"

The two women's privately devised solutions were proving useless, and Madam Fan was extremely worried.

"The third sister-in-law's uncle is also an official."

I had intended to sneak past Wen Shi, even though he had stated he wouldn't accept bribes when he came, but how could anyone keep that up forever?

He secretly sent the money, and no one knew, much less had any leverage over him. Unexpectedly, when the money reached Wen Shi, he returned it all, leaving not a single penny untouched. The meaning behind this was quite clear.

“If we can’t get through here, then we’ll prepare more. I’ll go back to the prefectural city and see if we can find another opportunity. We’re not short of time.”

“Alright, we can’t let ourselves be taken advantage of. The eldest son’s family has so many children, while you and I only have a few. It’s too unfair to keep dividing things equally like this. It’s clear that most of the family business was built up thanks to you, Master.”

The couple were of one mind on this point, and both felt resentful and indignant.

The dispute over the inheritance within the Fan family hasn't come to light yet, and not many people know about it. The elders in the clan have been mediating, and Wen Shi has heard about it. Unless a formal complaint is submitted, he won't get involved.

A few days later, he focused on processing those lawsuits.

Unfortunately, when that family came to respond to the lawsuit, they actually brought a so-called will with their fingerprints on it. It clearly stated that the man had no sons and felt guilty towards his parents on his deathbed, so he wanted to return everything his parents had originally given him.

"Oh my god, this is really going to kill my daughter and me."

The woman nearly fainted after seeing it clearly.

“Sir, according to the law, this house and land belong to my parents. My sister-in-law must have lost her mind to dare to take our elders to court.”

The old man's tone became very unpleasant at the end.

“We informed her long ago, but she refused to believe us no matter what. We even showed her the will, but she insisted that we fabricated it and falsely accused us, her brothers, and her parents of deceiving you, sir. Filial piety is the most important thing, sir. She has no respect for her parents-in-law. Please punish her severely.”

Wen Shi looked at the witness brought by the family. The woman hadn't mentioned this matter before, and even though he had a guess in his heart, he didn't take it seriously.

Unexpectedly, her husband really didn't leave her and her daughter any way out.

"You all sign and press your fingerprints to seal the case file."

"She recently lost her husband and has two children. These two children are still yours. Their father is gone, are you really going to just sit idly by and do nothing?"

The person speaking was clearly the father-in-law. Upon hearing this, he stood up and said, "Sir, these two granddaughters are indeed from our family. I have a request: if the bride price can be given to our family when they grow up, then I can let the sisters live in the house until they get married. She can also live there and take care of them. They can come to my house for three meals a day. But the land cannot be given to us; it belongs to our family."

"To prevent her from changing her mind later, we must draw up a written agreement in advance, and if she finds someone in the future, she must not bring that person to my house."

"My life is so hard, I'm really so unlucky."

The woman continued to wail.

At this moment, everyone's eyes were on her, some with sympathy, others with the thought that she was making trouble out of nothing.

"What can I do? What other option do I have but to agree?"

Apart from emperors, no one is greater than the law. While one may sympathize with the person before them, it is impossible to break the law just because they are pitiful.

"You're perfectly capable, there's always a way to make a living. At worst, you can rent a few acres of land, work a little harder, and you won't be unable to survive."

These words were spoken by a woman in the hall.

"But I still have to advise you, a woman can't be without a son. After these two girls get married, someone will have to take care of you in your old age and see you off when you die."

"If you ask me, you might as well give your two children to his family and find a new man. You can live the same life that way."

“They won’t take good care of my child. No way. Why are we three so unlucky? We can’t even live on our own.”

"Ah, ah."

After a long while, the woman who had been kneeling on the ground finally got up. She sobbed and looked at Wen Shi, saying each word clearly, "Sir, I am willing to make an agreement with them and do as my father-in-law says."

In the end, the matter was resolved just like that.

Besides these two children, the rest of the family members are all grandsons. They definitely favor boys over girls. If the children are sent back, they can forget about having a good life.

The woman wanted to fight for her child's sake, but she never expected that even after her husband separated from her family, he always favored his family and left them nothing before he died.

When Yingxiang heard about it later, she remained silent for a long time.

Beijing

Lately, with the continuous heavy snowfall, Old Man Wen hasn't gone out. He sits in the backyard watching the several large, fat pigs that Second Sister Wen raises in the pigsty, his lips moving slightly.

"Second son's wife, are you still selling all of these pigs this year?"

Yuqin put a lot of effort into taking care of the pigs. She not only had to mix the pig feed but also dig up pigweed, all in order to raise them well so that she could sell them for money.

"Dad, we definitely have to sell it; we need money for the child's education."

Yuqin said without looking up.

"Didn't the second son sell all the grain? Wasn't that enough?"

“Father, now that the third son’s child is studying at such a good academy, I can’t let Jinyu stay in that school forever. I also want to save up so that the child can study at a good academy in the future and pass the imperial examination as soon as possible.”

Speaking of Jinyu, he is not a smart kid and learns slower than others, but he also has his advantages. He is willing to put in the effort, is not afraid of hardship, gets up early and goes to bed late every day, and is very serious. Over time, he will make progress.

A while ago, Xiao Wu came back and checked his homework. Previously, it was all about Wen Shi. After checking, Wen Laodi asked him about it privately.

Wen Xiaowu said that as long as this child continues to be this diligent, he will definitely have no problem passing the imperial examinations and will not have to toil in the fields like his father.

The eldest son's two are smart, but they can't settle down. They're not exactly good, but they're not bad either.

Liu came from the front yard, and she naturally heard everything clearly.

“The third son is an official now, he’s rich. You two don’t earn much, but you’re quite ambitious compared to him.”

"If you ask me, you should keep one of these fat pigs. We can slaughter it for the New Year and make some cured meat and sausages. Wouldn't that be great? You've raised quite a few over the years, but you haven't kept a single one for the family."

Liu's words were unpleasant to hear, and Yuqin ignored her. She was unwilling to accept this. This year, she brought home a total of eight piglets, but in the end, only five of them survived. She cherished them like the apples of her eye.

If her family needs meat, she buys it herself; in a way, this is her livelihood.

"Mother, I've already made an agreement with them to sell it to them, so I can't go back on my word. Let's talk about it next year."

Not far away, Xiuyu pursed her lips, but she didn't go over to say anything.

Thinking back to when my second son's wife first came into the family, and looking at her now, there's been quite a change.

However, when a woman has a child, she always thinks about the child. Years ago, Yuqin had a big disagreement with Liu because of the child's medical treatment. Later, it was mostly just a matter of saving face.

In addition, Old Man Wen was willing to support his promising son and tried to be fair in family matters, without showing favoritism.

If Wen Chuanzong were to say anything bad about Wen Shi, he would definitely give Wen Chuanzong a thorough dressing-down.

If the second brother argues or quarrels with the fourth brother, he will curse them both at the same time.

The daughter-in-law and mother-in-law had a dispute. If it weren't for the daughter-in-law's fault, he wouldn't have spoken up for Liu.

That's how our family has managed all these years.

"If you want to eat cured pork and sausages, just go to the city and buy them ready-made. You usually love going out, so why aren't you moving now?"

Liu nowadays utterly despises snowy days; she avoids going out when there's snow on the ground and won't even step out of the house.

"When Xiao Wu comes back, I'll have him buy it."

Old Man Wen didn't say anything. It was the off-season for farming, and nothing could be grown in the fields. His second and fourth sons had found jobs in nearby towns and could earn a little money each day, which was good. Staying at home, they wouldn't earn a penny.

The fourth son is growing up quite a bit.

Old Man Wen couldn't help but touch his head; it seemed like he had a few more gray hairs this morning.

"Later, we'll take the last ginseng root and stew it with chicken."

Liu did not object. Originally, Xiuyu wanted to go along, but Liu wouldn't let her do it at all.

Finally, a large pot of ginseng chicken soup was stewed. Liu and Old Man Wen ate every last bite, sucking the bones clean, and didn't share any soup with the children.

"These nourishing foods are really good."

"Old man, we should eat more and try to live a few more years."

Liu didn't have many concerns. Although Old Man Wen didn't say it, he really thought the same thing.

The others were speechless but dared not say anything. After all, it was Wen Shi who brought it. No one would be willing to spend their own money to buy these expensive supplements.

The two old people just ate like that, and the others could only watch.

A few days later, Wen Xiaowu returned. He first inquired about Wen Jinyu, and then heard his father nagging about his marriage.

He sat in the hall, his posture upright. He was no longer the child who used to run around the village. He wore a long robe, his hair was neatly tied up, and he sat there with a serious and proper demeanor, looking like a scholar.

He looks completely different from Wen Shi. He is handsome, tall, and very kind. He seems easy to get along with.

"Father, let's talk about this after the exam next year. Even if I'm not as promising as my third brother, as long as I become a scholar, I won't have to worry about finding a wife."

“I think the village head’s youngest daughter is a good match. Her father told me privately that he was willing to marry his daughter to you and give you eight acres of land as a dowry. I think it’s a good match. His family seems to be quite wealthy.”

Old Man Wen was more interested in these few acres of land.

“What you said makes sense. Your father also wants you to marry a good wife, so we will do as you say. But if you are not as capable as your third brother and do not pass the exam next year, then you should get married and have a child. Your mother and I will not have anything to worry about in the future.”

"Several years have passed in the blink of an eye. If this were in our village, someone your age would have two children. You can't afford to delay."

Wen Xiaowu nodded. He didn't object. He wasn't ambitious enough to insist on marrying a lady from a prominent family.

After all, our family's circumstances are what they are. We didn't care before because our studies were the priority. Next year, we'll see the results, and no matter how good or bad, we definitely can't delay the marriage.