Dusk!
Beyond the slanting sun, white gulls dotted the sky by the tens of thousands, flowing water winding around the mountain village.
The assessment had ended in the morning. Today was a rest day for the students, and many chose to leave the Martial Hall and return home.
For the past six months, the Martial Hall had required daily fist practice. Many students whose homes were in the villages below had not returned home even once in those six months.
Lin Chen was returning to the village, and so were Gu Fei and two other youths from the same village.
The four traveled together, chatting and laughing along the way. Having all passed the assessment, the pressure was gone, and even Lin Chen noticed his steps felt lighter.
Upon entering the village, the villagers who saw the four of them greeted them one after another.
"You're back—how's studying martial arts at the Martial Hall?"
"With you little rascals gone, the village's been a lot quieter."
At fourteen or fifteen, it was the age of mischief. In the past, Lin Chen and the others had caused no small amount of trouble in the village.
But after half a year in the Martial Hall, everyone had matured a great deal.
Learning martial arts at the Martial Hall represented not only hope, but also pressure.
Pressure was the thing that made a boy grow up the fastest.
"Chen-zi, want to come sit at my place?" Gu Fei asked.
"No, I'll head home first."
"Alright then. We'll meet at the village entrance tomorrow morning."
After parting with Gu Fei, Lin Chen also split up from the other two youths at the crossroads. Without delay, he headed straight home.
His house was at the tail end of the village, so he had to walk through most of it.
When he reached the gate, Lin Chen saw his mother through the bamboo fence, drying fishing nets in the yard.
"Mother!" Lin Chen shouted.
"Chen'er?"
Lin's mother froze for a moment. When she looked up and saw Lin Chen outside the fence, her face lit up with surprise.
"You've really grown taller. Your big brother told me you'd grown a whole head taller, and I didn't believe him."
Not having seen her son for half a year, Lin's mother was extremely excited seeing her youngest now taller than herself, circling him as she looked him over.
Her eldest son, Lin Liang, had gone to the Martial Hall several times and would always tell her about her younger son's situation.
"You've gotten thinner," Lin's mother said with some heartache.
Lin Chen smiled. "Mother, I'm growing right now—of course I'll slim down a bit. That's normal. Our instructor said that after a few months I'll bulk up. Is Father and Big Brother working in the fields?"
"Your father and brother are irrigating the crops. Why are you back today?"
"Mother, your child missed you."
"You only know how to say nice things to make Mother happy. If you really missed me, would you only come back once in half a year?"
Lin's mother didn't fall for it, but she was very pleased by her son's change. Before going to the Martial Hall, her youngest had been quiet and withdrawn. She hadn't expected that after going there, he'd not only become more cheerful, but also sweeter with words.
It was good to have a sweet mouth—being sweet-tongued would make it easier to marry a wife in the future.
"Did you pass the Martial Hall assessment?"
"Mother really is divinely perceptive—you guessed it right."
Lin Chen flattered her, and Lin's mother said smugly, "You were born from my belly—how could I not know what little schemes you've got? Since you passed the assessment, your grandfather should support you learning martial arts. Tonight I'll talk to him about it. Go find your father in the fields and tell him to bring back a jug of wine from the village entrance—your grandfather likes to drink."
"Alright. I'll go see if Father and Big Brother need help."
Lin Chen agreed, took a hoe from home, and headed toward their fields.
The three father and sons were happy to see each other. Seeing that there was still a small patch of land left unirrigated, Lin Chen helped carry water and finished watering the field before heading back.
After returning home and putting down their tools, the three went to the ancestral house in the back, where Grandfather lived.
The Lin family hadn't split yet; the whole extended family ate together at the ancestral house.
"I was wondering why my younger sister-in-law suddenly took the initiative to cook today—turns out Chen'er is back."
A woman sweeping the front yard smiled as she spoke when she saw Lin Chen enter.
"Second Aunt," Lin Chen greeted her.
"You've grown quite a bit—almost caught up to your father," Second Aunt said with a smile as she looked him over. Just as she was about to say more, a little girl came in from the gate, holding a lump of greenish mud in her hand.
"Oh my, didn't I tell you not to go near the chicken coop? And you're holding chicken droppings!"
Second Aunt couldn't sit still. She rushed over and knocked the chicken dung from the girl's hand. The little girl giggled nonstop, but when her small eyes landed on Lin Chen, they showed a look of unfamiliarity.
"Xiao Xi, you don't recognize Fourth Brother anymore?"
"Fo… Fourth Brother."
His cousin Lin Xi had a habit—when thinking, she would unconsciously put her fingers into her mouth to suck on them.
Babies liked sucking their fingers from a young age; some grew out of it, while others kept the habit until five or six.
Lin Xi still had chicken dung on her hand, and when she put her finger into her mouth, she was promptly smacked by Second Aunt. This time she couldn't laugh anymore and burst into tears.
Seeing his cousin beaten to tears, Lin Chen felt a bit awkward—but this didn't really have anything to do with him.
"Why are you crying at mealtime?"
An aged voice rang out. Grandfather Lin Chaoyang walked out of the main hall with his hands clasped behind his back. When he saw Lin Chen, he paused for a moment, then called toward the kitchen, "Chen'er is back. Youngest daughter-in-law, add two more eggs later to nourish Chen'er."
"Thank you, Grandfather. Your grandson has studied at the Martial Hall for a full six months," Lin Chen said, deliberately letting something slip.
"Six months is enough. Even if you get eliminated, it's fine. Farm properly in the future. If you want to learn a craft, you can talk to your father," Grandfather said kindly. "In a few years, it'll be time to marry a wife."
"Father's eager to hold a great-grandchild. Too bad Ming'er still has to learn martial arts—he can only count on Hui'er and Chen'er," First Aunt said as she and First Uncle walked in from outside.
Seeing Lin Chen, First Aunt smiled warmly. "Our Chen'er is quite handsome—he'll be able to marry a good wife."
"Elder Sister-in-law, my Chen'er didn't come back because he was eliminated. He passed the Martial Hall assessment and came back to tell everyone the good news."
Lin's mother came out of the kitchen. Hearing First Aunt's words made her displeased. What did she mean, "too bad Ming'er still has to learn martial arts"? Her son could continue learning martial arts too.
As Lin's mother finished speaking, the hall fell silent.
First Aunt and Second Aunt stared wide-eyed in shock. After a long moment, Second Aunt reacted. "I remember the family didn't give you any money. You still passed the assessment? Back then, Lin Ming spent three taels of silver just to reach two hundred jin of strength."
"That just shows Chen'er has martial talent. In the future, he'll surely succeed in martial arts."
Second Aunt's offhand remark made Lin's mother beam with joy. Lin Chen noticed First Aunt's face darken instantly.
"That's not how it should be said. When my Ming'er was in the Martial Hall, he reached two hundred jin in the fourth month. Chen'er only came back now, which means he only reached it this month—there's still a gap."
First Aunt's words made Lin Chen's mouth twitch. Give him three taels of silver, and he could do it in four months too.
"Besides, even if Father didn't give money, it doesn't mean younger sister-in-law didn't. And Liang'er's eel-catching these past months has been getting less and less."
The implication was that Lin's mother had secretly given money.
"What do you mean by that?" Lin's mother flared up, hands on her hips. "What do you mean I gave money? All household money is handed to Father every month. Where would I get money from? Liang'er catching eels makes only a few coins a month—how could that compare to what the family spent on Lin Ming?"
"I didn't name names. If you feel guilty, that's your problem."
"You didn't name names? You're clearly talking about our family!"
"Enough. Why are you arguing in front of the younger generation?"
Grandfather spoke to stop them, then looked at Lin Chen. Lin Chen didn't hesitate and said directly, "Grandfather, you said back then that if your grandson could pass the Martial Hall assessment, the family would support me learning martial arts."
"The family has to support a second person learning martial arts?"
Before Grandfather could answer, Second Aunt spoke with worry in her voice. Her son Hui'er didn't learn martial arts; all the family money had gone to Lin Ming. If Lin Chen was added, wouldn't their family just be working for First Uncle's and Third Uncle's families?
"Second Sister-in-law, Father promised this to Chen'er back then. You didn't object at the time," Lin's mother immediately retorted.
"I'm not opposing Chen'er learning martial arts," Second Aunt explained. "I'm saying the family really doesn't have that much money. If Chen'er wants to learn, then split part of what's given to Lin Ming each month to Chen'er."
Anyway, the family had only so much money—whether it went to Lin Ming or Lin Chen didn't matter to her family.
"No!" First Aunt immediately refused. "Ming'er is at a critical stage in his training. He's about to cultivate vital essence. This is exactly when money is needed. I've heard Ming'er say his senior brothers' families give four or five taels a month. Ming'er's sensible—he knows our family doesn't have that much, so he never asked for more."
"Five taels of silver? Even if he dared to ask, our family couldn't take it out," Lin's mother snorted. "There are others in the village who learn martial arts. At most, after two years without cultivating vital essence, they all give up. Only our family keeps supporting it—people would laugh if they heard."
"How is that laughable? Once Ming'er succeeds, he'll be the first in our village in three years to cultivate vital essence. Even the fortune-teller said Ming'er is our Lin family's qilin child."
"If I gave the fortune-teller ten wen, he'd immediately change his tune and say Chen'er is our Lin family's qilin child."
"Enough!"
Grandfather Lin Chaoyang cut off the quarrel with a dark expression and looked at Lin's father. "Youngest, tomorrow take Chen'er to see Master Zhang. I'll give half a string of cash to buy some gifts and formally apprentice him to learn bamboo weaving."
Lin Chen's pupils shrank. He hadn't expected Grandfather to refuse.
"Grandfather, your grandson wants to learn martial arts, not bamboo weaving," Lin Chen said firmly.
"Silly child, even if you passed the Martial Hall assessment, so what? The further you go in martial arts, the more money it costs. Your big brother has already spent over forty taels. Even if you spend less, it'll still be twenty taels. The family has already spent everything on your big brother. Even if we wanted to borrow, we couldn't."
"Grandfather, I won't need that much money."
Grandfather Lin Chaoyang shook his head. How much martial arts cost wasn't something one could decide with words.
Ming'er had also said he only needed twenty taels, but by now he'd spent forty.
Three days ago, Ming'er had come back from the county and said there was a secret medicine in the city. After taking it, he could cultivate vital essence—but it was very expensive, ten taels per dose.
The last of the family's money had already been taken by Ming'er.
Once Ming'er cultivated vital essence, the family would still need to scrape together tuition for the martial arts school. They might even have to mortgage the land deed to borrow money from a pawnshop.
So much had already been spent on Ming'er—surely they couldn't let him cultivate vital essence and then be unable to afford the martial school fees.
"Father, when Lin Ming came back last time, did he make up another excuse to ask for money?" Lin's mother seemed to realize something, her gaze shifting between Grandfather and First Aunt. First Aunt didn't dare meet her eyes.
Lin's mother understood. Most likely, all the family money had been taken by Lin Ming. She said coldly, "If Father won't give money, then I'll go borrow it."
"Younger sister-in-law, don't be impulsive. Borrowed money has to be repaid," Second Aunt immediately objected. The Lin family hadn't split yet. If Third Sister-in-law borrowed money, her family would have to shoulder a share too.
"If you're afraid the debt will fall on you, then split the family!"
As soon as Lin's mother said this, the place fell silent again. Second Aunt's eyes darted around as she thought.
"Third Sister-in-law, how can you say such nonsense?" First Uncle said unhappily.
"What's wrong with what I said?" Lin's mother cut him off angrily. "Why is it that only your Lin Ming can learn martial arts, but our Chen'er can't?"
"Isn't it because the family has no money?" First Uncle said helplessly. "If we had money, Father would definitely let Chen'er learn martial arts."
"If there's no money, then borrow it. Otherwise, why should the money we earn be spent on Lin Ming? Now my Chen'er needs money to learn martial arts, and your family doesn't want to shoulder it? You get all the good things in the world?"
Lin's mother's words left First Uncle speechless. Seeing this, First Aunt interjected, "Third Sister-in-law, our family has already borrowed quite a bit. We can't borrow any more."
"Whether it can be borrowed is my concern. You don't need to worry about it. Just tell me—will your family acknowledge this debt or not?"
Lin's mother's gaze was sharp as she stared at First Aunt. First Aunt felt guilty and didn't dare meet her eyes.
Looking at his silent grandfather, then at First Aunt's guilty expression, Lin Chen let out a self-mocking smile.
He understood now. First Aunt only wanted to suck his family's blood and didn't want to bear the cost of his learning martial arts.
As for Grandfather, it wasn't just sunk costs that made him let his eldest grandson continue learning martial arts—it was genuine favoritism.
"Youngest, are you just going to let your wife talk like this?" Grandfather Lin Chaoyang frowned and looked at Lin's father.
Lin's father pleaded, "Father, Chen'er wants to learn martial arts. Let him learn. If we borrow money, our family will repay it."
"You know nothing! Martial arts is a bottomless pit. Do you think it's just a few taels of silver? When the time comes, what will your family use to repay it?"
Lin Chaoyang shouted angrily. Lin Chen couldn't help but say coldly, "So learning martial arts isn't a bottomless pit for Big Cousin? May I ask, Grandfather, is it only Big Cousin who is your grandson?"
"Impudent!"
Lin Chaoyang's face turned iron-blue. "Youngest, is this the good son you taught—to speak to me like this?"
"Don't talk about my husband and son," Lin's mother said, like an enraged lion. "If a grandfather plays favorites, on what grounds does he expect the younger ones to still be filial?"
"Actually, splitting the family is quite good. If Chen'er wants to learn martial arts, let Third Uncle's family figure it out themselves."
Second Aunt muttered quietly from the side. Her family had also been drained by Lin Ming, and she'd long wanted to split the family.
Lin Chaoyang shot a glare at his second daughter-in-law, then looked coldly at Lin's mother. "What if I don't agree to split the family?"
Lin's mother showed no fear. "Then I'll go tell the entire village about this ugly business. A grandfather who allows his eldest grandson to spend dozens of taels learning martial arts, but won't give a single coin to his youngest grandson. Let's see whose face is lost. Let's see whether your precious eldest grandson can still hold his head up in the village!"
Those words struck Grandfather's sore spot.
Lin Chaoyang's face turned ashen, his whole body trembling as he threatened, "If we split the family, none of the family land will have anything to do with your household."
"We don't want it. We'll just take the two mu of land we cleared ourselves. The Lin family land can all be left to your precious eldest grandson. Liang'er, Chen'er, let's go. This won't be our home anymore."
Lin Chen gave Grandfather a deep look, then turned and silently followed behind his mother. His elder brother Lin Liang suddenly spat a thick wad onto the ground—he was filled with resentment as well.
He had thought Grandfather let Lin Ming learn martial arts because Lin Ming, as the eldest, had the advantage of starting early. He had willingly gone eel-catching to send to First Uncle's family. Now it was clear—Grandfather only cared about Lin Ming.
He and Chen'er were nothing as grandsons.
"Liang'er, what are you doing?" First Uncle said sternly.
Lin Liang ignored him, following behind Lin Chen as the two supported their mother and walked out of the courtyard.
"Father, your child is unfilial," Lin's father said, looking at his departing wife and children. Without hesitation, he turned and followed.
"Bastards, truly bastards!"
From the old house, Grandfather's furious voice echoed far into the distance…