Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 2406 Rectifying the Family Business ([-])

Chen Lin walked around the village, and called on the elders of the clan one by one according to the etiquette of the younger generation returning home.The dead kowtow in front of the spiritual tablet; the living sit down and chat for a few words.

His family has a very high status in the clan, even the elders have to perfunctory him.But he felt uneasy in the words and expressions of the elders.

He originally thought that this uneasiness had something to do with his second uncle taking away the silk workshop: he was afraid that when he came back, uncles and nephews would fight and troubles would arise in the clan.During the conversation, they realized that they were even more disturbed that the second uncle colluded with Australians to seize clan power and then colluded with "foreign surnames".

Although there are not many foreign surnames in Nansha, they account for almost one-third of the population.Most of them are workers and tenants.In the past, under the rule of the Chen family, these foreign surnames always bowed their heads and whispered a few restlessness. As long as the elders of the clan said a word, they would take care of themselves.

Chen Lin's second uncle, Chen Xuan, is a libertine and has no prestige in the clan. Even if he became a "liaison officer" and relied on the influence of the Australians to get his position, it is not easy to speak in Nansha, and the members of the clan are also very difficult to speak. unwilling to be driven by him.Naturally, Chen Xuan could only bring in foreign aid.

The Australians were too far away for him, and as a "liaison officer" in the village, the Australians would not send someone to support him, so Chen Xuan came up with the idea of ​​these "foreign surnames".

No matter what the elders of the Chen family said about how they treated Wai Xing kindly in the past, the fact is that Wai Xing is not grateful for this. After Chen Xuan made such a mess, he immediately "revenged his kindness".

Now not only the village administration is controlled by foreigners, even the newly established Xiangyong is also controlled by foreigners.With their support, Chen Xuan could almost do whatever he wanted in the village.

"...The foreign surname is very serious nowadays. Clients force the landlord to lower the rent and interest rate; those who work in the workshop, no matter whether they are long-term or short-term workers, have to pay more. Even the servants of various families in the clan are eager to move and speak wild words , Alas, it’s really lawless..." The clan elders lowered their voices and complained, "Whoever disobeys their wishes will be beaten and scolded at least, or robbed at worst...they even threatened to kill people."

"Second uncle doesn't care?"

"Him? He's relying on the influence of this group of foreigners now. Besides, people have to submit to your control now."

After hearing this, Chen Lin felt more and more heavy.To be honest, it is a trivial matter for the family workshop to be taken away by the second uncle-after all, it is an ancestor.But the second uncle colluded with foreign surnames, which is a big deal!If he is allowed to go on like this, the Chen family's foundation in Nansha will be destroyed in his hands!
"Let's go back to the ancestral hall." Chen Lin said.

Right now, I don't have a place to stay. Sister-in-law Osmanthus is a widow, and my younger sister can spend the night there, so it's inconvenient for me and Chen Qing.We can only live in the ancestral hall for a few days to see the situation.

The appearance of the ancestral hall is also very miserable, with all the doors and windows smashed, but the plaque is still there.There are two more strong men standing in front of the gate with spears-what kind of rule is this?

Chen Lin was full of doubts, and just about to enter the ancestral hall, he was stopped before going up the steps:
"Stop! What are you doing?"

Chen Qing hurriedly said: "This is Chen Lin, the ninth master of the 'Second Room'!"

The upper two households are the head of his house. The Chen family in Nansha is divided into the upper three houses, the north three houses and the lower seven houses. There are thirteen branch door houses.Among them, the upper three families are close branches of the direct lineage, and the patriarchs are usually the children of these three families.

Chen Lin ranks ninth among his peers in the clan, and usually only outsiders and servants call him that.But Chen Qing saw that the two strong men did not know each other, so he knew that they were not from the tribe.

"What are the eighties and nineties who go to the second room and the hut?" The young strong man looked disdainful, and waved his spear. "This is the Nansha Village Office! If you have nothing to do, go away!"

Chen Lin was taken aback: Has the name of the ancestral hall been changed? !Just as he was about to speak, another older man scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about! This is Lin Jiuye! Chen Paijia's nephew!" Lord, don't be as knowledgeable as this kid! He has only been in Nansha for a few days, so he doesn't recognize you..."

Chen Lin saw that the older man looked familiar, but he couldn't remember who he was. The current situation was obviously not a time to pretend to be a grandpa, so he immediately smiled politely and said, "You are..."

"Little Wu Quan," Zhuang Ding hurriedly said, "It turned out to be Bei Yifang..."

"Are you a long-term worker of Uncle Kuan's family?"

"Yes, yes, it's hard for Lord Jiu to remember." Wu Quan's face beamed with joy, "This kid is a distant relative of mine, and he was just introduced to be a militiaman here——I don't know you as an old man. Don't blame me..." After finishing speaking, he scolded: "I haven't come up to make amends!"

Chen Lin hurriedly waved his hands and said, "Those who don't know are not guilty." Seeing the boy's reluctance, he hurriedly imitated the new fashion in Guangzhou, and said, "Now it's the New Life Movement, so don't do it!" Divert the conversation: "Is Second Uncle there?"

"Yes, yes," Wu Quan said hurriedly, "Second Master Xuan is now the leader of the village. He is in charge of all the expenses and food. Go out and do errands."

Chen Lin wondered, it was almost dark, where did Second Uncle go to do business?He didn't care about these, so he said, "I just came back from Guangzhou and I want to meet my second uncle..."

"It's easy to say, easy to say," Wu Quan nodded again and again, and immediately told the young man: "Xiaomin, go and report!"

Chen Lin thought that the second uncle was so powerful!In the past, when the clansmen wanted to see the patriarch, they didn't say that they would report it. At most, they could just call at the door.

After a while, the young man came out and said, "Master Pai Jia said to invite Lord Lin Jiu to come in."

His mood at the moment is quite complicated. Judging from this posture, the second uncle holds great power in the village, and it is obvious that he is already a one-size-fits-all existence.

Although Chen Lin was young, he understood the ways of the world.The world is most afraid of "little people succeeding".Second Uncle is now, out and out, a villain.He couldn't help but feel tense, secretly thinking about how he and his father had offended him in the past.

It seems that there is no major offence.After all, when he was stealing and selling silk and satin, he just stopped his errand and still gave him an allowance.But as an older brother, Lao Dou has often reprimanded this brother.When the second aunt forced the second uncle to write a letter of divorce, the second uncle went to the ancestral hall and cried and asked the clan elders to come forward. It was his father who said that it was his fault. Although the other party wrote the divorce letter too aggressively, it is understandable.

To say that in the end it was the elders who made the decision not to come out of the clan, but it was Laodou who started.If the second uncle thinks about the "hate of taking his wife"...

Thinking of this, Chen Lin couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat.It's troubled times right now.Once the second uncle has the power in his hands, there is no guarantee that he will not use this to avenge his personal revenge...

He secretly regretted coming to the ancestral hall to stay overnight, it was still rash!I didn't consider the key points before and after!

But now it is impossible to say "no" - it will only irritate the second uncle.Now he had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow Xiang Yong in.

The inside of the ancestral hall is still neat, the ancestral tablets in each room are intact, and there are tribute incense candles on the confession case.It looked like someone was cleaning it up.Chen Lin felt a little relieved: the ancestral hall is finally safe.

He was taken to the three main rooms in Dongkuayuan—this is the place where the clan does business, and his father only came here to do business in the past.Now the courtyard remains the same, but things have changed.

At this moment, Chen Lin's mood was mixed, but the most important thing right now was himself.He settled down, straightened his clothes, and walked in.

The second uncle Chen Xuan was sitting on the grand master's chair.This well-known libertine of the Chen family is not yet forty, but years of debauchery have already loosened the flesh on his face.Generally speaking, most of the direct descendants of such a large family of farming and education in the local area are good-looking, but Chen Xuan has a sinister face. As he ages, his skin and flesh loosen, his eyebrows droop, and he looks more sinister and cunning.

After Chen Lin entered, he greeted Li respectfully and called out, "Second Uncle."

"You're back." Chen Xuan looked at his nephew, saw that he was wrapped in a white cloth, snorted, and said, "The journey is going well?"

"The road went smoothly." Chen Lin thought that since the second uncle became an Australian card player, why not boast about it, "Speaking of which, the road is much smoother than before, and there are village warriors patrolling and standing guard everywhere along the way. The common people seem to be Quiet. The Australians really manage well."

"Naturally." Chen Xuan was quite satisfied with his choice, "My nephew is from Guangzhou. I don't know how the situation in Guangzhou is?"

"It can be called Shanghai Yanheqing." It can be seen that the second uncle loves to listen, and now Chen Lin can't care less about the numbness. "If the world can be like Guangzhou, it will be a rare prosperity..."

"Hahaha," Chen Xuan laughed loudly, "Nephew is right. The Australians are indeed amazing!" He suppressed his smile and asked, "Tell me about the situation in Guangzhou."

"I don't know what Second Uncle wants to hear?"

"You choose important things to talk about!"

Seeing that his second uncle liked to listen, Chen Lin picked out the major events after the Australians entered the city and narrated them one by one. He also talked about the Australians' governance and management of the people, especially the New Life Movement.Chen Xuan was fascinated by it, and Chen Lin talked back and forth for almost an hour before being interrupted by him.

"Interesting! Interesting! It seems that what they said is true!" Chen Xuan sighed, "I thought it was somewhat exaggerated, but I didn't expect my nephew to solve my confusion! Good! Good!"

Chen Lin didn't know who the "they" in the second uncle's mouth were, and he didn't know where the "good" was.But he immediately thought of what his sister said: the one who manages the weaving workshop is the Kun people.The so-called "they" probably refer to these people.

He responded with a random "yes".

However, Chen Xuan changed the subject and asked, "Have you visited your father's grave?"

"Yes." Chen Lin hurriedly stood up, "I only regret that I was in Guangzhou at that time, and I couldn't take care of my father's death by myself. It all depends on your uncles and relatives..."

"Brother died terribly," Chen Xuan said with a sad look, "The clan and village were all destroyed by rebels, and several of the elders passed away. Thanks to the trust of the Australians, now I can only take on the burden. It's a heavy burden."

"Yes, thanks to Second Uncle's hard work, Nansha Village is safe."

Chen Xuan took a look at this nephew, feeling secretly proud——Your father and son were polite in the past, why have you ever looked at me in your heart?Now even a dragon has to be coiled for me!

(End of this chapter)