Chen family

Looking at the empty money jar, the old lady sighed, "Why is my life so miserable!" She had been so busy solving Chen Jing's problem that she hadn't had time to feel sad. Now that the matter was resolved, she began to feel melancholy.

Fifty-odd taels was no small sum. The old lady took out all the money she had hidden away, and now, looking at the empty money jar, she felt dizzy and disoriented.

The old lady, who used to like Chen Jing the most, was now resentful. She felt that Chen Jing was unreliable for borrowing money from those vicious people, and she also felt that Chen Jing had gone too far. Since he had borrowed the money, why didn't he tell her sooner? Why did he wait until the interest doubled before telling her? If Chen Jing had told her earlier, the family wouldn't have had to sell the land.

The old man smoking a cigarette made him look several years older.

The old lady looked at the old man and said, "Old man, how are we supposed to live like this?"

The old man sighed, "How are we going to get through this? We'll just have to get through it as it comes. Everyone's busy with spring planting right now. Let Jing get ready and go to the fields too." The family had suffered such a major upheaval, and the old man was quite exhausted.

The old lady exclaimed in surprise, "Let A-Jing go to the fields! This A-Jing is going to be a high-ranking official!" Chen Jing's studies were not very good, but his ability to coax people was first-rate. Chen Jing often whispered to the old lady about passing the imperial examination and making her proud.

The old lady heard it so many times that sometimes she actually believed it.

The old man said with a dark face, "Alright, he's been taking the exam for so many years and hasn't achieved anything. If this continues, will the whole family be ruined? There are only a dozen acres of land left in the family now, and so many mouths to feed. We can't afford to support him anymore."

Thinking about the trouble Chen Jing had caused this time, the old lady sighed and said, "Alright, that kid Chen Xiaomi must still have money. If I had known, I should have asked for more."

The old lady initially thought she had asked for thirty taels, but then she regretted it when she saw how readily Chen Xiaomi agreed.

The old man sighed and said, "The severance agreement has already been signed, so stop thinking about it."

The old man also felt a little regretful. Although many people in the village said that Chen Xiaomi had made something of herself and made a lot of money in town, the old man didn't really believe it. Chen Xiaomi was a twin, and the old man always felt that twins couldn't accomplish anything great.

Even though the big boss in town paid high wages, Chen Xiaomi didn't work there for very long.

The old man was surprised to find that Chen Xiaomi was quite capable, producing thirty taels of silver in one go.

Not to mention the old lady's regret, the old man was also feeling uneasy, but since the relationship was already severed, it was too late for regrets.

Chen Ding stayed in the room, feeling rather down.

To avoid trouble, Chen Xiaomi entrusted the sale of the house to Chen Ding, the patriarch of the Chen clan. In a hurry, Chen Ding sold the house for seventeen taels of silver, which was quite a lot. However, Old Madam Chen felt that he had taken a kickback, so she sold the house at a low price.

The villagers felt that Chen Ding had taken money from the Chen family, so he was making things difficult for a young girl named Shuang'er. They gossiped that Chen Xiaomi had finally managed to make a living, but Chen Ding was forcing a young girl like Shuang'er to sell her house. It was clearly Chen Jing who caused the trouble, but Chen Jing seemed to be completely unaffected. They felt that Chen Ding was being unfair.

Because of the Chen family's affairs, Chen Ding found himself in a difficult position, pleasing neither side.

“Father, the Chen family is a mess, you shouldn’t have bothered with them. Now look what’s happened, you’ve gotten yourself into trouble for nothing. The old lady said the house could have sold for at least twenty taels, but it only sold for seventeen taels. You’ve swallowed the remaining three taels of silver,” Chen Yang said.

Chen Ding sighed and said, "I never expected their family to be like this."

“Father, Chen Jing owed so much money because he was buying exam papers for the spring examination. If the authorities find out about this, it will be a real problem,” Chen Yang said sullenly.

In this era, the principle of collective punishment applies. If Chen Jing is caught cheating, in serious cases, no member of the Chen clan will be allowed to participate in the imperial examinations again. Chen Ding frowned and asked, "Are you sure?"

Chen Yang shook his head and said, "I don't know, but that's what everyone in the village is saying." The village had been keeping this a secret from the Chen clan, but once the clan meeting started, it became impossible to hide. "The old lady's evasiveness suggests it's probably true."

Chen Ding's face darkened as he said, "Chen Jing is really too reckless." Chen Ding originally thought Chen Jing was a gambler, and that some villagers had been scammed by the gambling den in town, but he didn't expect it to be like this.

The Chen family.

When Chen Jing saw Chen Shouxin, he said, "Father, Grandpa wants me to work in the fields? How can I do that? I'm a scholar."

Chen Shouxin sighed and said, "We don't have the money to support your studies anymore. From now on, you'll have to work in the fields with us."

Chen Jingman said excitedly, "Father, how can I not study?"

Chen Jing disliked reading at all; every time he saw those messy words in a book, he felt dizzy. However, reading had many advantages. He could occasionally ask his grandparents for money under the guise of his academy teacher. Moreover, since he was studying, his grandparents wouldn't make him do chores, and their lives were much more comfortable than those of the villagers who farmed in the countryside.

Chen Shouxin looked at Chen Jing and said with some regret, "The family doesn't have the money to support your studies anymore."

Although Chen Shouxin felt sorry for his son, Chen Laoda was also heartbroken that Chen Jing had caused such a big problem.

Chen Jing said excitedly, "Isn't Chen Xiaomi rich? Go ask him for it!"

“This time, because of your situation, I even signed a letter severing ties with Chen Xiaomi. From now on, we have absolutely no connection.” Chen Shouxin told Chen Jing, “How could they do this? I’m going to find Grandpa and Grandma.”

Chen Shouxin said with dissatisfaction, "Alright, your grandparents are annoyed. This time, because of your matter, the family has offended the clan chief and the clan chief's son. They came and said that in the future, don't bother his father with the Chen family's affairs. His father will not get involved."

Chen Jing said somewhat dejectedly, "How did we offend the clan leader when everything was going well?"

Chen Shouxin shook his head, not wanting to say much, only saying, "Get up quickly! Chen Xiaomi and the Chen family had already severed ties. This time, because of Chen Jing's matter, they called Chen Xiaomi back and forced her to sell her land. Many people say that Chen Ding, the clan leader, did not act kindly. The two elders of the second branch of the Chen family are dead. It is already difficult for Chen Xiaomi and her younger brother Shuang'er to raise two younger brothers. They even forced her to sell her house."

Chen Ding originally thought Chen Xiaomi was living a good life, and now that the Chen family was facing such a hurdle, it would be best if Chen Xiaomi could help out. However, things turned out badly, and Chen Ding ended up pleasing neither side.

Chen Ding handled Chen Xiaomi's house. If we wait, we should be able to sell it for twenty taels of silver.

However, this loan sharking couldn't wait, so Chen Ding acted rather hastily. The villagers probably knew that the Chen family was in a hurry to sell the house, so they offered a relatively low price of only seventeen taels. This was only because of Chen Ding's influence; otherwise, the price would have been even lower.

However, the old lady of the Chen family did not think so. She felt that the clan leader was taking advantage of their misfortune and took a kickback to sell the house at a low price.

The old lady had long coveted that house and treated it as her own.

The old lady had no sense of propriety, and some troublemakers spread her words.

When Chen Ding learned of Old Madam Chen's statement, he was so angry that he fell ill. Afterward, he declared that if anything else happened to the Chen family, he would absolutely not care.

Knowing he had offended the clan chief, Old Master Chen made a special trip to apologize, but Chen Ding refused to see him, so Old Master Chen had to leave in a sorry state.

Around noon, Grandpa Chen sat at the dining table, waiting for his meal.

After Chen Shouxin and the others took their seats, a series of clattering sounds came from behind them.

The old man frowned and asked, "What's wrong now?"

When the old man and the others arrived at Chen Jing's house, they found that Chen Jing had fought with Chen He and Chen Qu. The two brothers, Chen He and Chen Qu, were a little younger than Chen Jing, but in a two-against-one fight, Chen Jing was at a disadvantage.

The old man looked at the three fighting and said angrily, "What are you three doing?"

Chen Jing said excitedly, "Grandpa, look at Ahe, he's gone mad, he's going to beat me to death."

Chen He said with red eyes, "You should have died long ago. If you died, the family wouldn't have to pay compensation. You bastard, you spent so much of the family's money and it still wasn't enough. You even had to borrow money from loan sharks. You even lost the money I had saved to get married. I'll fight you to the death."

"Grandpa, look at him! He's actually trying to harm me for the sake of a little girl."

The old man sighed and said, "Alright, things are as they are now, let it go."

The old man was also disappointed in Chen Jing. Although he paid off Chen Jing's debt, he still felt uneasy whenever he saw Chen Jing.

The old lady felt bad looking at Chen He and Chen Qu. Their family was originally well-off, and many people came to propose marriage. However, now that this has happened, she was afraid that no one would come to propose marriage in the short term. The old lady was also worried that if Chen He and Chen Qu dragged this out, it would cause problems.

Chen Qu is alright, but Chen He is already seventeen and will soon have to pay his taxes.

Chen Jing sat on the bed, covering his broken lip, feeling extremely frustrated.

Looking at his grandparents' faces, Chen Jing felt extremely disappointed. He had been expecting them to stand up for him, but they didn't say a word to him after they entered the room, and there was even a hint of reproach in their voices.

Because he had fought with Chen He and Chen Qu and hadn't gained any advantage, Chen Jing was holding a grudge and said he wouldn't eat.

As a result, Chen Jing said he wouldn't eat anymore, and Grandpa Chen didn't bother him.

Chen Jing lay in bed for a while, but no one came to comfort him. Instead, he got hungry, so he went to check the kitchen. As a result, everything in the kitchen had been eaten.

Chen Jing suddenly felt an indescribable sense of loss. In the past, even if he came home late, the old lady at home would always leave him a meal and an egg. Now, however, there was nothing left.

Chen Jing felt that everyone in his family had changed. The Chen brothers, Chen He and Chen Qu, who used to be very polite to him, now dared to fight with him. Even his grandfather, who had always favored him, now looked at him with disappointment.

There are no secrets that stay hidden forever, and the news of the Chen brothers' fight spread throughout the village.

Wasn't the Chen family's matter all resolved? Why did they start fighting?

It seems that Chen He's marriage has fallen through, and the old lady used all of Chen He's betrothal gifts to fill the hole for Chen Jing.

That's true. The Chen family is relatively well-off in the village, but the amount Chen Jing caused is no small sum. The Chen family has probably suffered a major blow this time.

"I heard that Chen Jing borrowed fifty taels of silver, and the interest alone was fifty-five taels. These people who lend money at exorbitant interest rates are really too greedy."

"That's why you shouldn't touch this stuff. Chen Jing is educated, yet he has no sense of propriety at all."

"With Chen Jing making such a fuss, the marriage between Chen He and Chen Qu is indeed a problem."

"The Chen family sold five acres of land in one go. I'm afraid their lives aren't going to be too easy."

"If Chen Xiaomi hadn't given half of it, the Chen family would have been in trouble this time."

"That old man Chen is really something. Chen Xiaomi has been separated from the family for so many years, and now that something has happened, he still has to ask Chen Xiaomi, a little Shuang'er, to come out and solve it."

"That means that when Chen Xiaomi left the Chen family, she also lived in a cave."

"The patriarch of the Chen clan is really senile."

"They must have received a gift, otherwise, why would they be so eager?"

"Chen Xiaomi has sold her house, is she not planning to go back to her hometown?"

Several villagers sighed with emotion when they mentioned Chen Xiaomi.