At the mourning hall, there were those who were literate and could understand, and naturally, there were also those who were illiterate and could not comprehend.
Those who understood chuckled quietly, while those who did not understand repeatedly asked others.
Once those who did not understand found out the meaning, there inevitably followed a burst of sneaky laughter.
There were also those who secretly pointed and gestured at Madam Zeng.
Madam Zeng so wished she could strangle Song Jiyun to death and also cursed Song Youliang in her heart for having such an uncontrollable daughter.
However, outwardly, she had to pretend she hadn’t seen anything, could say nothing, and could do nothing; otherwise, she would prove Song Jiyun’s words true and ruin Song Sanliang.
Song Sanliang’s gaze at Song Jiyun was fiery enough to burn.
Whether for the immediate benefits or his recently slandered reputation, he couldn’t just stand there and take it.
Suppressing his rage, he laughed and said, "My dear niece, that’s not how you say it. Your grandmother also did it for your own good."
As he spoke, he glanced at Madam Qian, seemingly comforting but actually threatening further, "You are still young and naive. Even if your second aunt had a son, wouldn’t we, your uncles and brothers, need to help with his upbringing? Moreover, raising a child isn’t so simple; they can die from smallpox, playing in the water, or even from eating sweet rice dumplings. Don’t act rashly and harm your brothers and sisters."
Song Sanliang had once again redefined Song Jiyun’s opinion of him.
She grabbed a candlestick from the altar and hurled it at Song Sanliang’s face, "You bastard, dare you repeat what you just said in front of my father’s spirit? Let me tell you, if anything happens to my children, even losing a single hair, you’ll never hear the end of it!"
Under everyone’s eyes, nobody dreamed she would actually strike, not only hitting him squarely on the head but even drawing blood from his forehead.
Madam Li screamed and rushed forward to clash with Song Jiyun, "I’ll kill you, you little wretch!"
How could those around Song Jiyun let her suffer a disadvantage?
They immediately stepped in front of her.
Madam Qian also ran over, standing in front of her.
Madam Wang and others, concerned with maintaining appearances, continuously urged Madam Li, "Talk it out! How can you, being her aunt, quarrel with your niece like this?"
Madam Zeng was furious, pointing at Song Jiyun and Madam Qian and shouting, "This is outrageous! Such ill-bred creatures!"
Zeng Family members naturally supported Madam Zeng and crowded around.
The Song Family certainly would not allow their own to suffer, and also stepped forward.
Song Jiyun, burning with anger, did not mind adding fuel to the fire, saying, "This is the Song Family, not the Zeng Family. Are you bullying us because you think the Song Family has no one?"
The mourning hall was in complete chaos, and just as they were about to erupt into violence, Ninth Master Song had no choice but to stand on the spring stool and shout loudly, "Stop! Anyone who dares to fight will have to kneel in the ancestral hall!"
It was not easy to calm the situation.
Ninth Master Song initially wanted to scold Song Jiyun, but seeing her fierce and sharp demeanor, he felt a chill in his heart. His instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm closed his eyes and, pretending not to see, shouted loudly, "No quarreling! None of the families here is trouble-free. Today I will decide, let the great-grandson of the Fourth Grand Master take the responsibility of breaking the pot. We’ll discuss the matters of the second household after the funeral!"
Immediately, someone from the Song Clan pushed forward the great-grandson of Ninth Master Song’s brother.
Song Daliang and Song Sanliang, who had always regarded the second household’s property as their own, were stunned.
Only Song Jiyun, with a resolute voice, shouted, "Wait!"
All eyes turned to her.
Song Jiyun said, "It’s said that one should not avoid kin when appointing the capable! I appreciate Ninth Grand Master’s goodwill. But breaking the pot is a major event, one cannot simply carry the reputation without reaping the benefits."
Having already witnessed her mettle, Ninth Master Song’s heart skipped a beat, his voice tightening as he said, "What do you mean by that?"
Song Jiyun said, "Fourth Grand Master and our family have already severed the funeral garments five times removed. By right, our family still has a group of relatives who haven’t exceeded five times removed. It’s not appropriate to trouble his descendants with the breaking of the pot or adoption."
Then she changed her tone and said, "But since you’ve said it, there must be your reason. I can’t be petty."
She called out to Nanny Zheng, "Bring one hundred taels of gold as a token of appreciation for the great-grandson of the Fourth Grand Master for showing filial piety in front of my father!"
This meant drawing a clear line.
Nanny Zheng complied and departed.
Yet, the members of the Song Clan were in an uproar.
Breaking a basin for a reward of one hundred taels of gold, when even operating a kiln earned merely five or six taels, who could resist feeling envious?
Especially those who were not within the fifth degree of kinship with the Song Family.
Why should the great-grandson of the Fourth Grand Master receive this benefit?
If the Song Family was so wealthy, and if Madam Qian had a daughter to discuss adoption matters, with Ninth Master Song being a clan elder, were they using the basin-breaking incident as leverage, wouldn’t those more closely related by blood see the family’s wealth eventually fall into the hands of the Ninth Master Song’s group?
"There’s no such rule!" someone immediately shouted, "Even if we’re breaking a basin, we should arrange it by closeness of kinship. Why let the great-grandson of the Fourth Grand Master do it? Our son is more qualified."
Song Daliang and Song Sanliang both shuddered and came to their senses.
The brothers finally agreed and cried out in unison, "The second brother has his own direct nephews, why should he break the basin for our Second? We won’t accept this!"
The scene descended into chaos once again, this time involving only the Song Clan members.
As the auspicious moment approached, while everyone was getting further off-topic, Ninth Master Song’s face darkened, and he rebuked, "Ridiculous fools! Disrespecting your elders, are you trying to leave the clan?"
The clan members are the ones connected by blood. When something happens, they are more reliable than taking matters to the Government Office and bribing officials and legal advisors.
The Song Clan members all quietened down, including Song Daliang and Song Sanliang.
Madam Zeng looked at her two useless sons and truly wished her second son could climb out of his coffin and take charge of the family.
However, Song Jiyun unequivocally and loudly declared, "Fine! Leave the clan, then! The silver donated to the Song Family from our family’s Jitian and Righteous Manor, you don’t have to repay it, but don’t expect another penny from us."
At these words, the Song Family people exploded.
Especially the clan elders, who looked particularly awful.
Song Youliang was the wealthiest of the clan, and many depended on his silver for their livelihood.
Ninth Master Song, incensed by her assertive tone, spoke somewhat indiscriminately, "What rights do you have to make decisions? That’s the Song Family’s silver! The Song Family’s property! You’re just a girl about to be married, what does it have to do with you!"
"I am the eldest daughter of the second branch. Even if our family has no son, we can still take a son-in-law." Song Jiyun retorted sharply, "How does our family’s silver have nothing to do with us? How did our property become the Song Family’s? Since when does the law of our dynasty have such a rule? If you can’t clarify, I’ll go ask the County Yamen. If the County Yamen can’t clarify, I will go ask The Prefecture Yamen. I refuse to believe there’s no place to seek justice in this world!"
This meant a lawsuit was being considered.
The Song Family members thought of Song Jiyun, who was to marry out, and their family still had two daughters.
Taking a son-in-law sounds good!
As long as they could share in the fortune.
Everyone had different thoughts, each household with their own calculations; under the weight of gold and silk, even the "respectable and prestigious" position of Ninth Master Song as a clan elder couldn’t suppress it.
The crowd was noisy and clamorous, and the hall of mourning turned into a marketplace.
Yuan Yunzhong, holding his tea cup, contentedly sipped his tea.
This time it was Yangxian Snow Buds Tea from before Grain Rain, its brew green and lucid, sweet and refreshing.
The tea-making skill was also quite good.
It’s a pity there’s no place to brew tea, no way to admire the tea leaves’ silver hairs. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
It’s said that in Guangdong, people use glass cups to brew tea, which allows one to appreciate the tea leaves floating in the water, offering a different interest than teapots and lidded bowls.
Should he also get a glass cup to brew tea?
Especially like Rock Tea, some with red stems or red leaves would look even better in a glass cup.
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