He Tiantian and He Chun exchanged glances, and He Tiantian said, "Father, let's go take a look too. Just in case we need any help."
He Chun nodded in agreement.
The two quickened their pace to keep up, the road was muddy after the rain. By the time they arrived at Lingdang's house, both of them had mud on their feet.
Zhao Lingdang's three uncles and aunts formed a circle around her, and little Zhao Lingdang was enclosed within this circle.
"You silly child, just tell me! Your mother couldn't have left nothing unsaid."
"You don't want to pay back the money to my family, do you? Let me tell you, that won't do."
The small, thin bell was filled with fear and sobbed.
"Waaah... I really don't know. I don't know what you're talking about."
The three uncles and three aunts had long since lost their patience. In their eyes, although the bell was young and still a child, it was definitely lying to them.
"Enough! Do you even have the demeanor of elders?!" Zhao Tingzhang, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, shouted upon seeing the scene.
Taking advantage of the moment when her three uncles and aunts were stunned, Zhao Lingdang quickly broke out of their encirclement.
Then she hid in Qian Shuishui's arms and said, "Auntie, I'm scared."
Qian Shuishui patted Zhao Lingdang's head, feeling very sorry for her. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'll call the village head to stand up for you."
The three uncles and aunts still cared about their reputation, and they didn't dare to go too far in front of Zhao Tingzhang.
"Um, I was just asking..."
"Alright," Zhao Tingzhang interrupted impatiently. "How would a child know about the family's wealth? Do your own children know where the family's money is hidden?"
this……
Adults hide money; how would children know?
The group exchanged glances, and finally the old man stepped in to intervene, "Chief, we just couldn't find it at home, so we came to ask about the bell."
“If it can’t be found, then it doesn’t exist. Even if the You family is so poor, how much savings could they possibly have? As his relatives, you should give him the money even if it’s wasted.”
Zhao Tingzhang was absolutely right. In those impoverished times, whether it was a funeral or a wedding, the cost was shared among the members of the clan.
"Since you can't give me money, how about land? Lingdang's family has six acres of land!" the uncle said.
Zhao Tingzhang scoffed, "You've got a good plan. Do you even know how much land costs now? Sixty copper coins can't even buy an acre of land."
He looked at Lingdang, who was standing to the side wiping away tears, and Zhao Tingzhang felt a lot of pity.
“This house and land definitely belong to Lingdang. Here’s what we’ll do: whoever is willing to adopt Lingdang can temporarily take care of these things. Of course, once Lingdang gets married, these things will still belong to Lingdang.”
"I'm willing," the auntie agreed without hesitation.
“I’m willing too, the bell should go to my house,” Second Aunt chimed in.
“Lingdang should go to my family. My family is better off than yours. Lingdang won’t have to suffer there,” Third Aunt retorted.
All three families wanted to take the bell to their own homes, fearing that one of them would get a free ride.
Zhao Tingzhang frowned deeply. Since they all lived in the same village, everyone knew what kind of people each family was.
Seeing the selfish faces of the three aunts, He Tiantian realized that no matter which family Lingdang ended up with, she would probably have a hard time in the future.
So she suggested, "Chief, since that's the case, why don't we let Lingdang choose which house to go to herself?"
Hey, that's a good idea.
The three aunts who were arguing stopped and all looked at Lingdang.
"Lingdang, tell me yourself, whose house do you want to go to?" Zhao Tingzhang asked slowly.
Zhao Lingdang finally stopped crying and looked at everyone with her big, watery eyes.
"I...I want to go to Aunt Shui's house, is that okay?"
"What?"
Everyone present was stunned, including Qian Shuishui.
"Lingdang, you said you were coming to my house?" Qian Shuishui was a little incredulous.
Zhao Lingdang nodded and looked timidly at Qian Shuishui.
"Aunt Shui, you're so kind to me, I want to come to your house. Don't worry, I won't just eat for free, I can work..."
"This..." Qian Shuishui was at a loss. She did like children, that was true. But, but should she wait for Dazhuang to come back and discuss such a big matter together?
Zhao Tingzhang seemed to think that Qian Shuishui was sincere towards Zhao Lingdang, and that if Zhao Lingdang went to Dazhuang's house, her future life wouldn't be so difficult.
"Dazhuang's wife, this is such a big matter, you and Dazhuang should discuss it tonight. This isn't something you can decide alone..."
“Chief, if you’re willing to take care of him, I’d like Lingdang to come to my house. I’ll treat him like my own child.”
Before Zhao Tingzhang could finish speaking, Qian Shuishui interrupted him.
As if she had made up her mind, she, who was usually soft-spoken, was incredibly determined at this moment.
“This won’t do, Pavilion Chief! Why is Lingdang going to a stranger’s house instead of visiting our own clansmen?” Third Aunt was the first to react.
"That's right, there's absolutely no logic to it!"
"Chief, how are we supposed to face anyone in the village after doing this?"
The three aunts were right. If the children of relatives didn't come to their own homes but went to other people's homes, it was like slapping them in the face.
But Zhao Lingdang seemed determined, firmly stating, "Uncles and Aunts, I've never eaten a single grain of food from your family before. When I was starving, it was Aunt Shui who gave me steamed buns. Aunt Shui treated me better than any of you."
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