Chapter 24: The Old Lin Family Creates a Scene Again

Lin Daguan chose this moment to bring Lin Old Lady over, hoping that the village chief had not yet completed the paperwork for Lin Dayou’s establishment of his own household. As long as the process was not finalized, Lin Dayou was still tied to them like a kite on the same string, and he did not want to take over their burdens of food and shelter without any cost.

The ruckus was loud, intending to use these uninformed villagers to force Lin Dayou into bringing his mother home to care for her, thereby allowing their family to also enjoy free meals.

“This Uncle Lin, yelling and making a scene at our doorstep is quite rude, don’t you think?” Just as Lin Daguan was lost in his fantasies, Lin Wenqian stepped forward to shatter that illusion.

“How can you speak to your uncle like that, you have no manners!” Lin Old Lady, lying on a cart, was the first to jump in and retort upon hearing Lin Wenqian’s words.

“I don’t have an uncle! In our household, there’s only my father.” Lin Wenqian replied boldly, waving an axe in front of the villagers.

Lin Daguan’s expression turned blank when he saw the axe in Lin Wenqian’s hand. The paperwork had been finalized so quickly.

At a loss for how to respond, Lin Daguan directed his gaze towards his mother.

“Uncles, you may not know, but yesterday, the Lin family elder beat my brother into a near-death state, and my uncle snatched away my second sister’s betrothal. His daughter even pushed my sister into the river…”

Lin Wenqian eloquently recounted the events of the previous day, detailing the forced circumstances behind the severing of ties. He conveyed everything to the people present.

Upon hearing Lin Wenqian’s words, the crowd erupted in outrage, and all the blame pointed towards Lin Daguan. The elderly supporters of Lin Daguan fell silent, watching as the others turned on him and his family.

Those parents among them, who knew about the previous day’s events, stared at Lin Daguan, their eyes filled with warnings.

“My uncles, aunts, my sister, my brother is still lying in bed. Doctor Yang has said that whether he wakes up is still in question. With my parents facing such adversity and still bedridden, the old Lin family has done nothing to offer compensation. This situation is clearly trying to drain us dry…”

Lin Wenqian’s speech was heart-wrenching, inducing sympathy from the surrounding villagers who expressed their anger at Lin Daguan.

“No matter how you spin it, Lin Dayou still has the blood of the old Lin family running through him. He can’t deny that…” Lin Daguan attempted to argue weakly, hoping to push the responsibility of his mother onto Lin Dayou.

“True, he has your blood, but that is through the second uncle of the Lin family, not the old Lin family,” a representative from Lin Luoxi’s family, who was also a village elder, stepped in.

Previously, when the clan’s elders removed Lin Dayou’s name from the old Lin family registry, they had anticipated that Lin Daguan would pull this stunt. In the end, after asking Lin Dayou, if he was agreeable, they would place his name under the deceased second uncle’s lineage. For something harmless to him, Lin Dayou readily accepted and was quite grateful that the elders considered him this way.

“Village chief, what are you joking about? Lin Dayou is my mother’s son, so he must take on the responsibility of providing for her…” Lin Daguan said this with such shamelessness that one would think it was a matter of course.

“If you are illiterate, you can refer to the Lin family genealogy to see which family Lin Dayou belongs to…” The village chief responded confidently.

“I can testify!” A highly respected elder from the village stood up, looking spirited and radiant as he confirmed Lin Dayou’s connection.

“Mother, what should we do?” Lin Daguan looked around and saw that everyone was siding with Lin Dayou, leaving him completely at a loss.

“Lin Jiyong, if you can’t live with it, just find a tree to hang yourself from. Stop plotting day in and day out about this and that…”

The clan elder rebuked Lin Old Man sharply, his eyes sternly directed at the old man hiding in the corner.

Faced with such public chastisement, Lin Old Man had no choice but to step forward.

“What nonsense is this, causing such a public spectacle? You think you’re impressive just because you’re making a scene? Have you eaten too much?”

Lin Old Man’s heart was filled with resentment towards the clan elder, and he directed his anger at Lin Daguan, ultimately taking it out on the elder with veiled insults.

“Lin Jiyong, it seems you’ve truly learned to live like a woman, taking after your wife. You’ve brought shame upon our Lin family!”

Having lived most of his life, the clan elder was not easily swayed. He understood the underlying meanings in Lin Old Man’s words and replied directly without holding back.

This left Lin Old Man speechless, and he could only retreat in disgrace, taking Lin Daguan and the rest with him.

Watching the old Lin family walk away, the clan elder shook his head; he considered that branch of the Lin family worthless now.

The surrounding villagers, shocked by the recent events in Lin Dayou’s family, buzzed among themselves, sharing their thoughts.

Once the clan elder had turned his attention away from the old Lin family and noticed the gossip among the villagers, he immediately put on a fierce expression and barked:

“Are you all so idle? Have you finished your chores at home? Why are you gathered here, just to watch the fun?” His voice was commanding and authoritative.

After just three shouted sentences, the crowd that had gathered at Lin Luoxi’s doorstep dispersed like birds taking flight, leaving no trace behind.

Once the spectators had fled, the clan elder narrowed his eyes and revealed a mischievous smile.

“Great-grandfather, please come in,” Lin Luoxi said as she stepped out to invite the elder inside. Seeing the playful smile on the clan elder’s face made her feel warmth and affection towards him.

“Ah! You all understand my intentions!” The clan elder praised Lin Luoxi when he saw her polite manner.

“Great-grandfather, please take a seat. Let me get you something to taste…” Just as the commotion with Lin Daguan had started, Lin Luoxi had been simmering a pot of fish soup.

The reason the elder was able to arrive promptly was thanks to Lin Luoxi having asked Lin Luoning to fetch him.

“What is it?” The clan elder looked around the rundown house, still curious about what Lin Luoxi had prepared.

“You’ll know soon enough,” she replied with a smile. The village chief also remained as he observed the clan elder’s curious demeanor, chuckling and telling him to wait a moment.

“Here, Great-grandfather, this fish soup is good for your health…” Lin Luoxi brought over a bowl of fish soup and handed it to the clan elder, explaining its benefits as she did so.