Chapter 57: The Head of the Household

  Since ancient times, there has been an adage "Wealth should not be revealed outside".

  The Qi family's property was not much, and they had just made a small fortune. Naturally, they didn't want outsiders to know about it, lest they be envied. But Master Chen insisted on forcing Mrs. Li to bring out the deed to take a look, as if he wanted to determine exactly how much property the Qi family had.

  Mr. Li is now slandering Mr. Chen Erlao for having greedy private thoughts, and Mr. Chen Erlao has nothing to say in his defense.

  Mr. Chen stood there, his face deathly pale.

  And what about Old Master Wang and Chen Da Lao Ye? Aren't they also embarrassed?

  A group of old men bullying a weak and timid woman, and it's an internal conflict, if this gets out, it will be truly embarrassing. All of this was stirred up by Old Master Chen.

  At this time, Mr. Chen Er became the target of public criticism.

  "Get up first, daughter-in-law," said the old master to Li Shi. Li Shi knelt down, forcing the old master to punish Chen Erlao, making it even more difficult for the people of Jingzhong Alley to come out.

  "Eldest sister-in-law, get up, great-grandfather will make things right for us." Chen Jing also advised.

  Some things, it's better to stop at the right moment.

  When driven too hard, even a dog will jump over the wall.

  How to punish Chen Erlao and Chen Mi is a private matter of Jingzhong Alley, it's best for Chen Xuan and Li Shi not to get involved. In this way, they maintained their superficial harmony with Jingzhong Alley as before.

  This harmony is a kind of dignity. With this dignity, Jingzhong Alley cannot openly oppose Chen Xiang.

  Once they had fallen out, everyone was no longer restrained and it turned out to be unfavorable for Chen Jing and Li Shi.

  After all, Qi Wan Xiang is still a weak force now.

  "Thank you, Grandfather!" Li heard Chen Jing's words and stood up. She had already thanked him, the old man didn't want to make things difficult for his son, nor could he explain anything to Li and Chen Jing.

  The old man nodded.

  Then, he glared at Chen Erlao and Chen Mian's father and son: "How old are you, listening to the wind is rain! Qiwan Lane has some private property, and it's not too late for them to cover up, this is called caution.

  You're actually quite good, insisting on showing everyone your family's secrets! Now that you've seen them, what's next? Are you going to collude with the bandits outside and come back to rob us?

  Mr. Chen Er and Chen Mei were so frightened that they hastily knelt down.

  They're not greedy for money!

  How did it end up being something they wanted to fight for in the narrow alleys?

  Their goals were originally lofty. Now they have all become despicable.

  With this matter, it's like adding another black mark to the account. Wanting to replace Da Fang and Chen Ying is even more impossible now. Originally wanted to move forward, but in the end retreated ten or so steps.

  It's not worth it!

  "Grandfather, it's the grandson who doesn't understand things, it was my father who told him, he knows his mistake now!" Chen Mian hastily interrupted and kowtowed to the old master.

  This son of a bitch, as soon as he saw something was off, he immediately sold out his dad.

  Mr. Chen II had a bitter heart and found it hard to express.

  Having given birth to such a son, I feel both angry and sad, but can't say a word.

  "With a mind that's gone astray, you've grown up to be such a fool!" The old man snorted.

  When he said this, his eyes were on Chen Min.

  The old man still knows the nature of these sons and grandsons at home.

  Chen Min's words were clear and concise. However, the old master knew Chen Erlao's temperament, and Erlao would not take the initiative to handle this matter. On the contrary, it was Chen Min who was restless and uneasy everywhere.

  "Go." Finally, the old master waved his sleeve and sent Chen Erlao and Chen Mei away.

  Mr. Chen II came with a flourish and left in a dejected manner.

  "Old Second is getting more and more muddled, not like when he was young. The older he gets, the more he goes back."

  Chen Ying didn't respond.

  He thinks his father can't get to the point when it comes to problems.

  The mastermind behind this matter is Chen Min, not Second Uncle.

  "Alright, you all go back too." The old master turned his head and said to Chen Jing and Li Shi, "Today's disturbance was excessive, don't take it to heart."

  Chen Jiong said yes, and Li also bowed and said yes.

  "...Great-grandfather, if this gets out and someone comes to our door to steal from us, what can we do?" Li asked again.

  "This won't be spread around." The old master said seriously, "If anyone spreads it out, I'll break their legs. You have your land deeds as a guarantee, and Jingzhong Alley will compensate you!"

  The old man is a person of great authority.

  This matter will be handled by Jingzhong Alley, and they will seal off the news.

  Mr. Li was satisfied.

  Uncle and aunt returned from Jingzhong Lane.

  On the carriage, Chen Jiong carefully told his sister-in-law about the origin of this money.

  "...I never told you, I was afraid it would hurt your feelings." Chen Jing said, "At that time, I just heard you and Qing Yun say that you wanted to sell the sacrificial field. I knew that if you weren't desperate, you wouldn't take this risk.

  I'm a man, I couldn't think of any other way to make money, so I didn't have the right to stop you from selling the sacrificial field. If I had stopped you, it would be like not knowing the difficulties of being in charge, speaking while standing and not feeling tired, it just doesn't feel right, at that time I didn't say anything either.

  So, I found Seventh Brother and went to Yuankun Pavilion, looking for an opportunity to make some money, not to indulge in the flowers. Unexpectedly, there really was an opportunity, and I cured Xiweng. The money and land deed were all given by Yuanniang. Except for that time, afterwards I didn't go again, nor did I drink flower wine with other girls.

  I knew you were expecting me to make progress and didn't like my decision to become a doctor. If I had told you about it out of the blue, I was afraid you would worry about me. Later, when I went to Yaojiang again, there was no chance to mention this matter either. Unexpectedly, I still caused trouble for you. It's all my fault!

  Li listened and was stunned for half a moment.

  Chen Jiong considered all aspects thoroughly.

  He not only gave Li respect but also maintained it everywhere.

  Li's heart was burning. The child she had raised herself, who had caused her so much pain, now seemed to have finally made something of himself, just like a mother watching her son succeed, making Li feel both relieved and moved.

  She thought that bringing Chen Jing from such a young age to this day, like a mother, was meaningful, and any more hardship was worth it.

  "You're not wrong, none of us are wrong!" Li was deeply moved, her eyes welling up with tears. "We just wanted to make the most of our lives. The ones who are wrong are those people from Jingzhong Alley, they have ulterior motives!"

  "Hmm, they're indeed uneasy about something." Chen Jing smiled and said.

  He thought that after this incident, his great-grandfather would probably never mention letting him study at Songhe Hall again.

  He didn't want to go to Songhe Hall and learn diligently as required by his uncle. He had his own judgment and was not a simple seventeen-year-old boy.

  Great-grandfather is so old and it's all for Chen Jing's good. If it weren't for Second Uncle and his wife making such a fuss, Chen Jing really wouldn't know how to refuse.

  It can be said that it is a blessing in disguise, and helped Chen Xuan solve a difficult problem.

  So this thing can't be said to be completely bad either.

  "...I'm afraid they might really spread the word about our land deed, attracting unwanted attention and bringing trouble to our family?" asked Mrs. Li anxiously.

  "We've been robbed, and he promised to compensate us by asking his great-grandfather." Chen Jing smiled and said, "I reckon they won't take the initiative to speak up. But there's always a chance, we should be prepared, or else we'll be caught off guard."

  "Yes, we don't even have a little servant." said Mrs. Li.

  Li thought about this matter for several days.

  She thought Chen Jing had grown up.

  A family cannot be without a man as its head.

  A man is the backbone of a family. Without a backbone, this family cannot stand up. The former Chen Jiong was young and taciturn, and could not take charge of the household.

  Now Chen Jiong is brave and resourceful, with superb medical skills, and can earn a lot of money.

  He has already qualified as a householder.

  He can hold up the gate now.

  After Li understood, he handed over the remaining house deeds, land deeds and silver to Chen Jing, saying: "From now on, you take charge of this family! What you say is what it is, until your brother comes back."

  Chen Jiong was shocked beyond words.

  He declined.

  "It's not that I'm asking you to do hard labor." Li said with a smile, "From now on, all the big things at home will be decided by you, and your sister-in-law won't interfere. From now on, you are the master of the house! We women and children will rely on you!"

  "Alright." Chen Jing saw that his sister-in-law had thought it through carefully, so he agreed.

  He thought that there was indeed some family property at home and couldn't continue to be lucky, someone should take charge, so as not to suffer again next time.

  Chen Jing replied, "Elder sister-in-law, I regard you as a mother. If there's anything I've done wrong, please don't hesitate to tell me."

  "Hmm, don't worry about it." Li smiled.

  Her clear eyes were filled with a gentle and moving light, which could reflect Chen Jing's firm face.

  She felt calm in her heart, as if she had found a support. Every woman hopes to have a big tree to rely on, to shield herself from the wind and rain.

  When young, rely on husband; when old, rely on son.

  After Chen Jing formally became the master of Qi Wan Xiang, one thing he did was to plan to change to a larger house. At least two courtyards, divided into inner and outer yards.

  In this way, family members can come and go freely without feeling constrained. Chen Xuan can also make some friends and invite them to visit his home.

  The elder sisters-in-law were in the inner courtyard, and they felt even more at ease.

  It's also possible to buy a few more maids, so that washing, sewing, sweeping and cooking aren't all left to Elder Sister and Qingyun, they're exhausted.

  Chen Jiong shared this idea with his sister-in-law.

  Mr. Li thought that having some money shouldn't be so extravagant. But thinking about it, the house in Qi Wan Xiang didn't even have a place to hide money, with only a few rooms in total, it was too cramped and inconvenient for everyone.

  "All right, you decide then." said Li, "Take a good look at the house and tell me about it. I'll go take a look too before making a decision."

  "Got it." Chen Jiong smiled and said.

  Li Balang heard that they were going to move house, so he gave Chen Jing some advice on the side: "Since we're moving house, we should also get some more servants. Buy two young boys to help with carrying water; buy a maidservant to comb my hair for me!"

  He was served by others at home since he was a child, and everything else was fine, but he didn't know how to comb his hair. On the first day he came to Qi Wan Xiang, he held a comb, hesitated for a while, then called Qing Yun to come and comb his hair.

  Qing Yun was unwilling and reluctant.

  Chen Jiong and Chen Wengong both tied up their own hair.

  Li Balang has been studying for so many days and still can't get it right, feeling extremely annoyed in his heart, thinking that Qiuyue Alley is too bitter and completely unnecessary.

  He didn't know at all that his second sister was already very poor, it's just that his second sister wanted to save face and wasn't willing to tell her natal family.

  As for fetching water, he fetched it for two days and his arms are still sore until now.

  He really didn't understand why he had to go through all this trouble.

  He came here to study, not to work as a laborer!

  Chen Jing burst out laughing: "......what's your grudge against combing your hair?"