Lin Guangzong and Lin Yaozu were inside the house eating peanuts. The two sat across from each other, sipping tea and popping peanuts into their mouths, looking quite at ease.
“Brother, do you think Second Uncle will agree?”
“He wouldn’t dare refuse. As long as Grandma stands on our side, Second Uncle has to hand everything over. Otherwise, he’s unfilial.”
Lin Yaozu added, “I keep feeling like Second Uncle is different now. In the past, whenever he saw us, didn’t he bow and scrape to please us, terrified that we wouldn’t provide for him in his old age? This time when we went over, he didn’t even look us in the eye.”
Lin Guangzong dismissed it. “That’s just a temporary stubborn streak. Lin Pandi is his own flesh and blood, after all.”
“True. That family Mother found for her really isn’t much, and the dowry they offered is small. Pandi is good-looking; it would be better to take her to the city and sell her as a maid to a wealthy family. We’d get more money that way.”
“I’ll go ask around later. Wealthy houses aren’t that easy to get into.”
“Actually, those places are easy to get into, it just doesn’t sound good. We both have to take the Imperial Examinations in the future; we can’t have a cousin in a brothel.”
The two brothers ate their peanuts and discussed their female cousins as if they were discussing livestock that could be sold off at any moment.
Lin Guangzong said, “Second Uncle has no sons, so he’s a ‘dead end.’ When he’s old, he’ll have to rely entirely on the two of us. It’s only proper that we take over his property sooner rather than later.”
“If he gave it to us willingly, we might still think well of him. But since he’s making things difficult, I’m not exactly itching to perform his funeral rites later.”
Lin Guangzong sneered. “Suit yourself. He won’t know once he’s dead anyway. But I truly didn’t expect a man like him to get praise from the Prefect.”
“So what if he did? He’s still a damn dirt-digger. In the end, all the benefits will belong to us brothers,” Lin Yaozu chuckled.
Both brothers believed that with Old Mother Lin on the move, Lin Er would have to obediently hand over everything, even if he was unwilling. He’d even have to personally take them to visit the Prefect and hand over his connections and wealth.
Just as they were enjoying themselves, a commotion broke out outside.
Lin Yaozu jumped up. “They’re back! Brother, our good fortune has arrived!”
Lin Guangzong clapped the peanut dust off his hands and stood up, ready to welcome his grand future.
“Didn’t you hear the noise? Hurry up and lend a hand!”
“I used to hear Lin Da brag about how clever and filial his sons were, but they’re right here at the door and don’t even come out to help.”
“Don’t even bother. They’re just like their father. Sixth Aunt has had such a major accident, and these two were inside eating peanuts.”
“Raising these two was a waste of breath.”
The murmurs outside made Lin Guangzong’s expression shift. When he saw his grandmother lying on the cart moaning, and his deathly-pale father standing behind it, he knew something was wrong.
Lin Guangzong quickly masked his face with a look of concern and rushed forward. “Grandma! What happened to you? You left in good health, how did you come back lying down?”
At this moment, he still thought the plan had just hit a snag—that Second Uncle hadn’t yielded, so his grandmother was still faking it.
A bystander couldn’t hold back and retorted, “What do you mean ‘left in good health’? Sixth Aunt fell ill at home before being pushed to the city!”
“You two, move out of the way! Let us carry her in first.”
“Like father, like son. Do you want her to get better or not?”
Lin Yaozu snapped, “What are you all blabbering about? What happened to my grandma? Dad, say something!”
Before Lin Da could speak, Lin Yu pushed them aside and directed the group: “Carry Mother in first. If the wind hits her, she’ll get even worse.”
The group scrambled to lift Old Mother Lin into the house. Lin Yu carefully tucked the quilt around her before looking up at the Lin father and sons.
“Mother has had a stroke. This illness won’t be cured anytime soon. We need to discuss how to handle this.”
The hovering villagers refused to leave; they all wanted to see how the brothers would settle things.
Lin Da walked in with a dark face. “The household has no money or grain, and the burden is too great. Now that you’ve struck it rich, Mother should obviously go with you to enjoy some luxury.”
Lin Yu narrowed his eyes. “That’s not what you said when we split the family.”
The Clan Leader and the Village Chief arrived in a hurry. Hearing this, they both knit their brows. The Clan Leader reacted even more strongly, jumping up to curse: “Lin Da, what the hell do you mean? When the family was split, it was agreed: the lion’s share of the property went to you, and in exchange, you are responsible for providing for Mother. The Second only has to send gifts during festivals.”
“What? Now that your mother is sick, the agreement doesn’t count?”
The Clan Leader knew he had offended Lin Yu previously and was looking for any chance to suck up to him. Besides, the split agreement was official; his argument was perfectly reasonable.
Lin Da lowered his head and muttered, “I didn’t expect Mother to have a stroke. The family’s conditions are poor. If she stays with me, wouldn’t she just suffer?”
Old Mother Lin lay on the bed, hearing her eldest son’s words clearly. She looked at him in disbelief. She had spent her life favoring him, planning for him in every way. When the family split, she made sure most of the assets went into his pockets, and all her savings over the years had gone to supplement him.
Now that she was sick and paralyzed, her eldest son didn’t want to deal with her. For the first time, she felt true terror, and old tears began to stream down her face.
The Village Chief also frowned in disapproval. “You can’t say that. Since it was an agreement, you must fulfill your duty. You can’t take all the benefits and throw the burdens onto your brother.”
The villagers who had gone to the city chimed in: “Lin Er paid for everything at the pharmacy. Lin Da only offered his mouth.”
“He wasn’t even willing to treat her. We totally misjudged him.”
Lin Guangzong and Lin Yaozu listened, their hearts pounding with fear. Grandma had left the house perfectly fine to fake a sickness—how did she come back truly ill, paralyzed with a stroke? Looking at the old woman on the bed, the two grandsons’ first thought wasn’t pity, nor was it the care she had given them over the years. Instead, it was the terrifying burden of caring for a paralyzed patient.
They looked at each other and stayed silent.
Lin Da knew he was in the wrong, but the thought of the ongoing medical costs and the labor of nursing her terrified him. He simply said, “Second Brother is also her biological son. Now that she’s sick, you can’t leave it all to me.”
“I see it now. You are an unfilial beast! When things were good, you called her ‘Mother’ every second. Now that she’s sick, you want to wash your hands of her!” the Clan Leader cursed.
Lin Da’s face darkened as he defended himself. “Uncle, you know our situation. With these two children in school, we’re stretched to the limit. Where would I get money for her medicine?”
“Besides,” he continued, as if finding a perfect excuse, “I never said I’d wash my hands of her. But Mother isn’t just my mother. The Second has three daughters at home; since they’re all there anyway, wouldn’t they be perfect for taking care of her?”
He spoke as if he had found a brilliant solution. “They’re idle anyway. Serving their grandmother is their duty. Second Brother, tell us: are you willing to let your daughters care for her?”
He kicked the ball directly into Lin Yu’s court.
Lin Yu’s expression shifted slightly. “If Brother insists on not caring for Mother, then I am willing to take her in.”
Lin Da shouted with joy: “You all heard it! He said it himself! I didn’t force him!”
The Clan Leader paused, thinking that Old Mother Lin’s previous slander about the Second Son was truly hogwash. Look at how filial Lin Yu was, willing to take on the massive burden of a paralyzed patient. He sighed, “Erzi, this is too much of a grievance for you.”
Lin Yu smiled and added, “However… how shall we handle the medicine costs?”
Before Lin Da could speak, Lin Yu began calculating: “Mother needs fifty coppers for one dose of medicine, which only lasts seven days. She’ll need more after that. That’s at least two hundred coppers a month. That’s not a small sum.”
“I can take her back to care for her. But you’re right—she isn’t just my mother. Surely I shouldn’t be the only one providing both the labor and the money?”
The people present nodded; this made perfect sense.
The Clan Leader added, “That’s fair. Lin Da, you are the eldest son, and the split agreement says the burden of care is yours. Since Lin Er is willing to take over the nursing, it’s only right that you cover a larger portion of the medical costs.”
“No!”
There was no way Lin Da would part with money; it was his lifeblood. He said sullenly, “Second Brother smashed my house to pieces recently. We don’t have a single copper left. Where would I get money?”
Lin Guangzong couldn’t help but speak up: “Second Uncle just received a reward from the Prefect. Surely he isn’t so short on cash that he needs to haggle over two hundred coppers? Why make things difficult for us over this?”
The Clan Leader was losing his patience. “How is this making things difficult? So, when your grandmother was healthy, she stayed here to work like an ox, and now that she’s paralyzed, you don’t plan to do a thing?”
Lin Da stammered, “I didn’t say I wouldn’t do anything. I’ll go visit her every few days to show my filial piety.”
The Clan Leader roared, “Bullshit! Who here believes that? I’m telling you, the Lin clan doesn’t work that way. Either you provide labor or you provide money. Anything else is unfilial!”
Lin Da took a “dead pig unafraid of boiling water” stance: “The house simply doesn’t have it. Uncle, are you trying to drive me to my death?”
The Clan Leader was so angry he almost toppled over. He regretted even more believing Old Mother Lin and causing trouble for Lin Yu before. Now, it was proven that Lin Da was the truly unfilial one, and everyone was laughing at him. He turned his fury toward the two “scholars” his family valued so much.
“Your father thinks this way, but you two have been to school! You’ve read the books! Do you think this way, too?”
“When your grandmother was well, she doted on you. She raised you from infancy and saved every scrap of good food for you. Is this how you treat her now?”
Old Mother Lin’s tears soaked her collar, but no one looked at her. She desperately wanted to crawl up and tell them that Guangzong and Yaozu were the most filial—that they would surely care for her.
But the next moment, she heard her precious eldest grandson’s voice.
“Grandfather Clan Leader, as you said, we have to go to school. We don’t have time to care for Grandma. Besides, we aren’t as meticulous as girls. Having my three cousins look after her is the best choice.”
The Clan Leader pressed: “And the money? If there’s no labor, you have to provide money.”
Lin Guangzong sighed deeply. “We are still reliant on the family to support our studies. How could we produce silver?”
“Exactly,” Yaozu added. “Aren’t you just making things difficult for us on purpose?”
Old Mother Lin heard it all with agonizing clarity. She couldn’t believe it.
Lin Yu watched it all, waiting until they had said every hateful thing possible before speaking: “Then there is no reason for me to bear the burden alone.”
Before they could react, he added one more thing: “Otherwise, if word gets out that Guangzong and Yaozu are unfilial, then their future prospects…”
Lin Guangzong and Lin Yaozu caught the implication immediately. Their faces darkened. Second Uncle was threatening them—if they didn’t provide money, he would ruin their reputations and their careers. Panic flared in their hearts, and they both looked at their father.
Lin Da crumpled, wiping away tears. “Second Brother, you’re driving me to my death! The house truly has no money. You clearly have plenty, why can’t you help? Are you going to watch Mother die?”
Lin Yu narrowed his eyes. “If you truly cannot produce the money… I have another way.”
Maria Lian On CFRFGC Chapter 104