In the courtyard
Chen Xiaomi looked at Lu Lin, puffed out her cheeks, and said angrily, "You want me to give Chen Jing money? I don't want to give him any money."
Chen Jing caused this mess himself, why should he help him? He's already being kind by not kicking him when he's down.
"I heard that Old Mrs. Chen said that if you don't give her the money, she will hang herself at the shop entrance." The Chen family's affair has caused quite a stir, and it has spread throughout the village. Recently, when villagers come to deliver goods, they mention it to Lu Lin.
Chen Xiaomi said dismissively, "If she wants to die, then let her die." "Old hag, it's good that she's dead! It'll be better if she's dead."
Lu Lin said helplessly, "If she dies, it will be very troublesome."
This place has very strict social etiquette. If this old woman really hanged herself at their shop entrance, no one would care what past grievances they had; they would only say that Chen Xiaomi was unfilial.
"She was just saying it casually. Don't I know her? Before, when my dad didn't listen to her, she would threaten to kill herself every day, several times a month." But her father just couldn't resist her charms. Once she started making a scene, he was helpless.
Lu Lin rubbed his forehead and said, "You and the Chen family only verbally severed ties, without any real evidence. This is an opportunity. You can use this to coerce them into writing a letter of severance." With the letter stipulating that neither side will interfere with the other, the old man and old woman's affairs will no longer affect them.
When you arrive in a place, you must follow its rules. Although Lu Lin thought the local people's blind filial piety was foolish, the general environment was like this, and if he didn't have the ability to challenge these rules, he could only endure it for the time being.
The Huaxia Trading Company belongs to Chen Xiaomi, and Lu Lin is somewhat worried that this matter will be exposed. Once it is exposed, it will definitely cause a huge uproar.
Chen Xiaomi thought for a moment and said, "One hundred taels is too much."
Lu Lin pursed his lips and said, "Of course, it won't cost a hundred taels." If they paid too readily, they'd be seen as suckers. "Let's take this opportunity to get rid of the house in the countryside."
Chen Xiaomi frowned and asked, "Are you going to sell the house?"
Lu Lin nodded and said, "Yes, we don't live in this house in the countryside. It's pointless to stay locked up there all the time."
Lu Lin had been to the countryside a few times and found some problems with the house. It was likely that someone had sneaked into their house while they were away.
"We spent a lot of money on this house back then! It's such a waste to just sell it so easily," Chen Xiaomi muttered.
Chen Xiaomi blinked. Lu Lin had put in a lot of effort to repair that house.
Lu Lin sighed and said, "If we go to other places to develop in the future, the houses in the village will definitely be occupied by other people."
The third son of the Chen family has two sons, Chen He and Chen Qu. The eldest son, Chen He, seems to be approaching the age to get married.
The Chen family's house is getting a bit too small. It seems that Chen Laosan has his eye on their house. Right now, he doesn't dare to make a move, but as time goes on and they continue to develop in the town, it's possible that Chen Laosan will bring people to stay there. When that happens, the old lady will lie down in the house, and he can't just drag her out by force.
Even if he manages to get the person out of the village temporarily, he can't possibly watch over them every day. The old man is getting on in years, and if he gets hurt, it will be a huge problem.
There are too many unpleasant things in the village. The elders of the Lu and Chen families are not easy to mess with, and Lu Lin doesn't really like the countryside.
Lu Lin figured it was better to sell the house now than to go through the trouble later.
Chen Xiaomi scratched his head. This house in the countryside was his fallback plan, and he was still a little reluctant to sell it.
"I'll think about it some more." Chen Xiaomi thought to herself: This house took a lot of effort to build back then. If I had known it would turn out like this, I wouldn't have put in so much effort.
Grandma Shen was somewhat surprised to learn that Lu Lin wanted to sell the house.
"Ah Lin, are you short of money?" Granny Shen asked.
Lu Lin shook his head and said, "No, it's just that I don't live in the house in the countryside, so leaving it empty is a waste."
Grandma Shen nodded in deep agreement and said, "Yes! There's no use keeping this house closed. If you're looking for a place to stay when you go to the countryside, you can stay at Grandma's place."
Lu Lin nodded and said, "That works too."
Grandma Shen hesitated for a moment, then said, "Ah Lin, the one who owes money is Chen Jing, it has nothing to do with you."
The news of Chen Jing owing money had already reached Granny Shen's ears.
This matter is now the most popular topic of conversation among the villagers. Recently, when many villagers come to deliver goods, they try to probe Granny Chen's words, wanting to know whether Lu Lin and Chen Xiaomi will give Chen Jing money, how much money Chen Xiaomi and Lu Lin have earned, and how much money they can give.
Many people expressed their sorrow over the Chen family's plight.
Lu Lin nodded and said, "Grandma, I know." He didn't intend to let the Chen family take whatever they wanted; at most, he would only pay half the money.
Lu Lin squinted, a hint of speechlessness flashing through his mind. He thought to himself: These two elders of the Chen family are really biased. Chen Jing has caused such a big mess, yet they are willing to clean up his mess. Before this, the family was already struggling to make ends meet, so they forced their son to go hunting in the mountains.
Chen Xiaomi figured that Chen Jing's matter would probably come to him sooner or later, but if the Chen family didn't contact him, he would pretend he knew nothing.
Before Chen Xiaomi could figure out how to handle the Chen family's affairs, news came from the Chen family that the patriarch had invited her.
"The patriarch of the Chen family is looking for me!"
“Clan chief!” Lu Lin scratched his head. The clan chief has a lot of power and should be given some respect. However, they are currently making a living in the town, and the clan chief can only manage so much.
The Chen family didn't know how they managed to get the patriarch of the Chen clan to step forward. The old patriarch was very old and seemed to have been out of the public eye for a long time.
"The Chen family is going to hold a clan meeting in the ancestral hall." Chen Xiaomi pouted, showing limited respect for the clan leader.
Lu Lin frowned and said, "The clan gathering is really quite a big deal."
Chen Xiaomi squinted and said, "Maybe the old man gave the clan chief a gift, he must have given a gift." Most people in this village are only concerned with their own affairs and don't care about others. He doesn't live in the village anymore, and the clan chief even asked someone to pass on a message to him, so he must have accepted the gift.
"Very likely," Lu Lin thought to himself: Even the clan chief needs to eat. There are several clan chiefs in this village, and most of them live a modest life.
The news that the Chen family was going to hold a clan meeting spread quickly throughout the village.
The villagers were very curious about the Chen family association.
"Why is there a clan meeting all of a sudden?"
"It's probably because of Chen Jing's matter. Chen Jing borrowed so much money, it has to be resolved eventually."
"Why did Chen Jing owe so much money? This old lady Chen said that Chen Jing was deceived, but she didn't explain how he was deceived."
“I’m telling you, but don’t tell anyone else that Chen Jing bought fake exam papers, which is why he owes so much money.”
"Fake exam papers! Cheating on the spring exams!"
Those who heard the truth were shocked.
The Lu family and the Chen family had a long-standing feud. Since the Chen family was in trouble, Tang Shi naturally wanted to kick them while they were down. After hearing her son's speculation from Lu Chengyu, Tang Shi exposed the truth.
This matter was not something that could be discussed openly, but it circulated widely in private.
the next day.
Chen Xiaomi and Lu Lin went to the countryside together and went directly to the ancestral hall of the Chen clan.
"Xiaomi, you've arrived."
"Brother Xiaomi, it's been a long time."
The Chen clan held a clan meeting, and many other clan members came to watch the excitement.
Chen Xiaomi now lives in the town. Rumor has it that he saved the town's big boss. Many people in the village now rely on Huaxia Trading Company for their livelihood. So, as soon as Chen Xiaomi appears, people come up to him to get close to him.
As soon as Chen Xiaomi entered the house, she saw many elderly members of the clan who were quite old.
When Grandma Chen saw Chen Xiaomi, she looked at her sharply.
Chen Xiaomi was wearing a light blue robe, and her hair was tied up with a hair crown, making her look very energetic.
In Mrs. Chen's memory, Chen Xiaomi was still a bratty boy wearing tattered clothes. Seeing Chen Xiaomi's drastic change, she felt very bad.
The space inside the ancestral hall was limited, and only a few elderly members of the clan could sit; the others had to stand.
Chen Xiaomi, being a junior, could only stand.
"Xiaomi!" said Master Chen, who was sitting to the side, looking at Chen Xiaomi.
Grandpa Chen is over seventy years old and is the village's oldest living man, with a very high seniority. He was invited to this clan gathering as well.
Chen Xiaomi said calmly, "Seventh Master, you flatter me. I'm just trying to make a living and barely have enough to eat."
“Xiaomi, you must have heard about your cousin’s situation. After all, you are family, connected by blood. Only you can help him out in this matter,” Chen Ding said, looking at Chen Xiaomi.
Chen Xiaomi glanced at the clan leader and said indifferently, "I don't understand what you mean, clan leader. What happened to my cousin Chen Jing? My cousin Chen Jing has been studying the classics since he was a child and has received the teachings of sages. He knows much more than I do. Why would he need my help?"
Grandpa Chen sighed and said, "Xiaomi!"
Lu Lin frowned upon hearing this. Old Master Chen was being far too biased, immediately accusing Chen Xiaomi of being heartless and unwilling to help. This was going too far.
Lu Lin said with difficulty, "Grandpa, is Brother Chen Jing going to die? If he's sick, we need to see a doctor. If someone wants to kill Chen Jing, we should report it to the authorities!"
Hearing Lu Lin speak, Old Mrs. Chen immediately exploded, "Shut up! Do you even have the right to speak here?"
Chen Xiaomi glanced at the old lady and said, "Grandma, you're in pretty good spirits! It seems that my cousin Chen Jing is alright, so I don't need to worry about him."
The clan chief glanced at Old Madam Chen and said somewhat angrily, "You better keep quiet."
The clan chief frowned. They had called Chen Xiaomi over, hoping she would pay for it, but the old lady acted as arrogantly as ever.
The clan chief could see that Chen Xiaomi was pretending to be stupid. Chen Ding did not believe that Chen Xiaomi was still unaware of Chen Jing's affairs after so many days. However, the clan chief had no choice but to accept Chen Xiaomi's pretense.
"Your cousin owes a hundred taels of silver. You should help pay some of it, otherwise, those people might take your cousin Chen Jing's life!"
Chen Xiaomi said unhappily, "Clan leader, I just had a baby, and I can barely afford to raise my own child. Do you want me to starve my son to make money to support my cousin Chen Jing?"
"Just a little Shuang'er." The old lady was vaguely disdainful when she heard Chen Xiaomi mention her son. In her opinion, Xiao Shuang'er was not a son at all. This time, the old lady did not shout loudly, but just muttered softly.
Grandpa Chen glared at the old lady unhappily. They were still hoping to get Chen Xiaomi to contribute money, but his wife was putting on airs at this time. If Chen Xiaomi quit, and the 100 taels really had to come from the family, how would they live in the future?
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