Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
âYou donât need to worry about me. I have capable hands, and I wonât starve,â reassured Wang San.
Chen Linâer had already made up her mind to learn culinary skills from Qin
Zhenzhen. If possible, she also wanted to acquire massage techniques from Qin Zhenzhenâs health center. If Mrs. Su decided to open a health center in Shanglin, Chen Linâer was willing to lend her support.
Regardless, Wang San adamantly refused to accept Chen Linâerâs shop.
âIf you decide to return to the countryside, Iâll assist you in selling the shop and acquiring the fields. Iâll even help you with the planting, though Iâd prefer to rent the land from you.â
âYou can consider marrying someone else. When the time comes, any child will carry my name, and the fields will still be yours.â
âAs for me, donât worry. Iâve thought it through. The deceased are gone, and the living must go on. Iâll actively face the future.â
âIâll work hard to earn a living, get married, and have children. I wonât allow the Wang familyâs lineage to end.â
Chen Linâer was deeply moved. In ancient times, having no immediate relatives was a common predicament. For someone like her, without a child or husband, her family line would cease to exist, and her assets would be divided among her husbandâs cousins and clansmen. She might even be forced back to her motherâs house.
By voluntarily handing over her assets to Wang San, she expected him to accept, but he genuinely didnât want them.
âYou understand. Even if I donât give it to you, I wonât be able to protect it.â âI might as well give it to you now. Sell the shop before those people find out.â Only then did Wang San grasp Chen Linâerâs underlying concern.
Indignantly, he exclaimed, âWhat right does a clan member have to divide your assets?â
âWhen you were condemned to death, I pleaded with the clan leader to intervene, urging him to file a joint petition to overturn the case for you.
However, they were all so paralyzed by fear that they didnât even dare to show their faces, afraid that Ms. Zhangâs brothers would seek revenge.â
âThey argued that they needed to safeguard their families and couldnât risk antagonizing the mountain bandits. I understood their position, and I didnât press them further.â
âNow that youâve been acquitted and have reclaimed your assets, how can they shamelessly come forward to claim everything from you?â
Just as Wang San concluded, a dissenting voice interjected, âWang San, what are you saying!â
âThe clan has always had a rule! Every member of the Wang family must adhere to it!â
âHow can we allow outsiders to seize the assets our kinsfolk worked hard to earn?â
âAre you out of your mind? You stand to gain the most from this extinction. According to our clanâs rules, the one closer to extinction receives a greater share of the assets!â
The speaker was Wang Yi, the clan leader of the Wang family. Behind him stood four middle-aged men and two elderly members.
Wang Yi, aged about 60, had held the position of patriarch for two decades, succeeding his father, and commanded great respect within the clan.
The journey from the small mountain village to Shanglin Prefecture took them a day and a half. Aware of Su Binâs intent to overturn Chen Linâerâs case, they had sent someone to observe the proceedings. However, they remained concealed in the crowd, hesitant to reveal themselves, fearing retaliation from the bandits.
After Ms. Zhangâs execution, Chen Linâer reclaimed the house and the shop, but the matter of food extinction remained unspoken, as they dreaded offending the bandits.
Later, they received reliable information that Governor Su had issued a call to heroes worldwide, urging them to assist in eliminating the bandits and posted an announcement explaining the situation.
Shanglin was plagued by banditry, causing immense hardship for the people. Due to the national armyâs commitment to border defense, troops couldnât be spared to address the mountain bandits, allowing their audacity to grow unchecked.
The governorâs call sought to rally heroes from across the world in Shanglin, presenting a united force to eradicate the bandit menace..