The pen has a green bamboo handle with a jade-like object inlaid at the end, and it feels cool to the touch.
The ink block that the old woman had snatched away was completely black, with a faint scent of pine resin emanating from it.
Among the crowd was a scholar in a long gown, Zhang, the scholar from the next alley, who usually boasted of having a good eye.
When he saw the ink block in the old woman's hand, his eyes widened instantly.
He staggered forward, pointed at the ink blot, and his voice trembled.
"This, this is ink from Huizhou! And this paper, this brush..." "Heavens! This whole set would cost at least fifty or sixty taels of silver, don't even think about it!"
Fifty or sixty taels!
"hiss……"
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
This is a huge sum of money that a farming family couldn't save up in ten years!
The discussion immediately erupted.
"Are you crazy? Spending sixty taels of silver to let a maid write for fun?"
"This Scholar Yu is too extravagant! Three nieces, and each of them has a house?"
"Generous? I think he's lost his mind! With that money, he could buy things for his cousins! Those are boys! They can help them pass the imperial examinations in the future!"
"Exactly! Those boys from his great-uncle's family, though a bit mischievous, are still men! If one of them becomes a scholar or a graduate in the imperial examinations, it will be an honor for the entire Yu family!"
Some people were muttering to themselves.
"But isn't this great-uncle a rather distant relative? Why should he give us money for nothing?"
Upon hearing this, Scholar Zhang immediately shook his head and adopted a lecturing posture.
"That's not right! Everyone has a share in the glory of the clan! When the men succeed, it brings honor to the family and makes the ancestral graves emitting auspicious smoke. This money should be spent wisely!"
Upon hearing the figure of fifty or sixty taels, the eyes of my great-uncle's family instantly turned red.
The old woman had only been throwing a tantrum before, but now she was clutching the inkstone like it was a gold ingot, refusing to let go no matter what.
She simply plopped down on the ground, right next to her beloved grandson, and started slapping her thighs and wailing.
"This is outrageous! Heaven, open your eyes and see! My grandson doesn't have money to buy pens for school, but they're throwing money away! This favoritism is down to the last detail!"
The great-uncle was so angry that he trembled all over, and one finger pointed at Yu Luo's grandmother with a trembling motion.
"You! You senile old fool! Are you just going to watch this unfilial son squander the family fortune?"
"I'm telling you! If you don't leave this house behind and give me another hundred taels of silver for my grandson's education, you won't be leaving this house today!"
"If you dare to leave, don't ever come back! Our Yu family ancestors don't recognize you good-for-nothings!"
Grandmother was so angry at the scene that her face turned pale. She clutched her chest and couldn't say a word.
The mother's lips trembled; she wanted to curse back, but the other party's shameless arrogance silenced her completely.
The eldest sister-in-law, meanwhile, huddled in the corner, filled with deep regret.
If she hadn't said that extra word, and if she had kept her voice down, she wouldn't have attracted this bunch of scoundrels!
My little nieces were terrified; they huddled together, their tiny bodies trembling.
The yard was in chaos, with chickens running wild, dogs barking, crying, and cursing, but Yu Luo remained calm, as if she were an outsider.
She watched the farce unfold before her silently, her eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.
"For you?"
Her voice instantly drowned out all the noise.
"I'd rather feed all this stuff to the dogs than give you a single hair."
She paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and added a sentence.
"Besides, it's too late to say these things now."
Her gaze swept indifferently over the old woman who was sitting on the ground throwing a tantrum.
"What you're sitting on now is someone else's land."
"I've already sold this house. Judging by the timing, the new owner should be coming to take possession soon."
The howling in the courtyard stopped abruptly.
The finger that his great-uncle was pointing at the sky froze in mid-air.
The neighbors who had been watching the commotion at the door instantly fell silent.
Everyone's actions seemed to have been paused.
Even Yu Luo's grandmother, who had always protected her, suddenly turned her head, her face filled with shock and confusion.
"An'er," she asked in a trembling voice. "What did you say? When was this house sold?"
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