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In ancient times, it was unheard of for a woman not to marry. Chen Feng couldn’t refute this reasoning. She explained the reason she had been contemplating these past few days, “Father, mother, Dabao must recognize me as his mother. I believe that my sudden recovery from illness is all because of Dabao’s recognition of me. Are there any other fools in our village whose illnesses have been cured?”
Seeing Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang shake their heads, she continued, “That’s it. Dabao recognizing me as his mother’s son cured my illness, he is my benefactor in this lifetime. The monk at Lingyin Temple said I was blessed, perhaps foreseeing that I would encounter a benefactor. If Dabao stops recognizing me as his mother, what will happen if I fall ill again?”
Though Chen Feng spoke slowly and stuttered a bit, her argument was logical and well-founded, and both Chen Ming and Wang were convinced. They had always strongly believed in the concept of “recognizing the mother’s child,” especially since Mrs. Wang had entered the Chen household when Chen Ming was on the brink of death. At the time, the physicians had suggested making funeral arrangements for Chen Ming, but as soon as she entered the house, not only did Chen Ming’s illness improve, but a few years later, they also had a son.
A’Feng’s belief that Dabao had cured her illness was indeed plausible.
Moreover, Mrs. Wang had been pondering a question herself. A’Feng wasn’t Chen Ming’s biological child, but since she had made her intentions clear to her mother-in-law and elder brother-in-law before marrying into the family, they had approved at the time and still had some regard for A’Feng.
However, ever since bringing Dabao back home, they hadn’t been pleased. Particularly after A’Lu’s leg was injured, they had ceased to treat him with any respect. If her husband were to recognize Dabao as his son, they would surely be even more displeased, believing that the family’s inheritance should belong not only to A’Feng but also to Dabao. This would further disadvantage A’Lu.
If the mother-in-law and elder brother-in-law didn’t favor Dabao, and Hu had always been displeased with the second branch, and she resented A’Feng and Dabao even more. If they were to let her brother, Hu Laowu, secretly sell Dabao, what would they do then?
Mrs. Wang knew that they could buy a four- or five-year-old boy for ten taels of silver, either to serve in a rich household or a theater troupe. How could she bear the thought of Dabao being sold into such a pit?
Seeing that Mrs. Wang was lost in thought, Chen Feng continued earnestly, “Not every man who wants to become a son-in-law is unworthy, there are good men out there. Furthermore, I have recovered from my illness, and I’m sure there will be sincere men who will want to spend their lives with me. If that man truly treats me well, he wouldn’t despise Dabao. If the man’s character is questionable, even if I don’t bring my son, he would still disdain my past foolishness. Moreover, Dabao’s concerns are valid, father doesn’t lack a son, and my mother might think Dabao recognizing father as his son would lead to a division of the inheritance, further disadvantaging A’Lu.”
Chen Feng’s words struck a chord with Mrs. Wang, who expressed her own concerns.
Hu’s maternal younger brother, Hu Laowu, was known to be a notorious troublemaker in the vicinity, and even the more honest villagers were afraid of provoking him. Since he had spoken those words in front of Dabao, perhaps he did have such intentions. However, Mrs. Hu was afraid of Old Lady Chen and Chen Ye and didn’t dare let Hu Laowu do it. If she offended them, Hu Laowu would have fewer reservations. After all, the second branch of the Chen family was weak, and Dabao was just an orphan.
Chen Ming was also deeply concerned upon hearing this. Chen Feng was startled, as she had never realized that Hu’s maternal family was so malicious.
Looking at Chen Ming, Mrs. Wang suggested, “Then, let’s do as A’Feng says. We don’t know how clever A’Feng can be, so let her stay in the village to find a husband, and we can be at ease seeing her nearby.”
Chen Feng then coaxed Chen Ming, “Father, just agree with mother. You don’t want Dabao and me to leave the village, do you?” Her voice had improved considerably from the first few days, although it was not yet clear and melodious, it was soft and mellow, and quite pleasant to listen to.
Chen Ming had never been coaxed by his daughter in this manner before. He was deeply touched by her plea and the softness in her voice, and his eyes filled with a smile.
Seeing the father-daughter duo in such a state, Mrs. Wang was overjoyed. Deep down, she hoped her daughter would grow closer to her husband.
Chen Ming chuckled, “Oh my, A’Feng has completely confused me.” He hesitated before continuing, “A’Feng, establishing the female lineage and splitting from the parents isn’t exactly the same as splitting with a son. If a son splits, and there’s no money to build a house, he can still live with the parents. But if a female lineage is established, it means a complete separation from the parents. Your mother and I had planned that when Dabao was older and able to work, we would sell an acre of land and buy the small piece of land next to our home. This would provide enough space to build three thatched houses, which would be sufficient for you. Although there’s a dividing wall between the two households, with adjacent doors, it would still be convenient for us to provide care.”
It turned out that establishing the female lineage was quite complicated.
Chen Feng had originally planned to live together like this for now, and then, when they had the money, buy a larger piece of land and build a large courtyard where everyone could live together. She hadn’t realized that establishing the female lineage would necessitate living separately.
However, for the time being, this arrangement would suffice, serving as a transitional period. Later, when they had the means, they could build two adjacent large courtyards, with one side for herself and Dabao, and the other for her parents and brother.
In her previous life, she had been a professional woman and was quite capable. Although she had studied advertising in college, she had also taken additional courses in design. After working, she not only did advertising design but also rose to the position of marketing manager, showing her ability to interact with others. Although she couldn’t become a fashion or jewelry designer, she could still manage smaller endeavors. At the very least, she could sell recipes or small snacks, after all, her culinary skills were quite impressive. Moreover, it seemed she had an untapped potential and spiritual items.
She was confident in her ability to be a small landowner in this world.
She said, “Father, mother, let’s go with this plan.”
After pondering for a moment, Chen Ming said, “Establishing the female lineage isn’t just a matter of paperwork, it must also be based on property, such as having a house or land to establish the lineage. Currently, we only have this small courtyard and four acres of land. It’s not easy to transfer the house to you, and the wheat in the land is almost ready for harvest, so we’ll have to wait until the harvest is done before we can sell the land. I’ll first borrow a sum of money from my elder brother to buy the land next to our home and use it to establish your lineage.”
Then, he called Chen Dabao and Chen Lu over to discuss the next steps.
He asked Chen Lu, “A’Lu, your sister is a girl, and her health is not good, and Dabao is still young. Father wants to give them one acre of land to build a house and establish a lineage. What do you think?” Originally, he had wanted to give A’Feng two acres of land, using one acre to build a house and the other for their livelihood. However, considering his mother and elder brother, he could only allocate one acre, planning to secretly provide assistance in the future for their livelihood.
Chen Lu readily said, “Father, give sister three acres of land. Lu is a grown man and can earn his own livelihood.”
Mrs. Wang quickly interjected, “No, one acre is enough.”
Mrs. Wang knew her mother-in-law and elder brother’s mindset but didn’t dare let A’Feng and Dabao ask for more.
Chen Feng was deeply moved. Chen Ming and Chen Lu were really good, in ancient times, parents were not always willing to part with land for their daughters, let alone an orphan like herself.
She said, “Thank you, father, thank you, second brother. Dabao and I don’t need the Chen family’s property. We’ll sell the acre of land to build the house, and consider it a loan from us.”