Chapter 17: Going Home

Since ancient times, autumn is sad and lonely, but I say autumn is better than spring.

A crane in the clear sky soars above the clouds, leading poetic feelings to the blue sky.

Lin Chen's heart was burning, and even his steps were light.

Compared to half a year ago, his mood could not be mentioned in the same breath.

Half a year ago, he went home with anticipation. Although he was excited, the path of the Martial Way was not yet clear. Now that he had embarked on the true path of the Martial Way, his eagerness to go home was more about missing his loved ones, and more about wanting to share this joy with his parents and eldest brother.

Arriving at the entrance of the village.

Lin Chen slowed his pace.

Gu Fei had returned to the village long ago. With Gu Fei's mouth, his brilliant performance in the Wu Tang had probably spread throughout the village.

Who doesn't have vanity!

Lin Chen admitted that he couldn't be an exception. Vanity wasn't a bad thing, and to some extent, vanity and face were the driving forces for a person to move forward.

As long as one wasn't blinded by vanity, appropriate vanity wasn't excessive.

Soon, Lin Chen met a villager.

"Lin Chen?"

The villager saw Lin Chen and didn't dare to confirm. A few months ago, Lin Chen went home once and left in a hurry the next day. Many villagers hadn't seen him.

During the year in the Wu Tang, because of the rapid increase in Qi and blood, Lin Chen's height and appearance had changed greatly from before.

His eyes were bright, his face was rosy, and his whole person was strong, completely different from the teenagers in the village.

"Uncle Li, it's me."

Lin Chen nodded slightly, waiting to accept Uncle Li's exaggerated words that would follow.

"Lin Chen, you've come back just in time. Something seems to have happened at your house. Someone came to make trouble, and your father..."

Before the villager finished speaking, he found that Lin Chen's figure had already run out more than ten feet.

This speed stunned him.

Lin Chen was also anxious in his heart. It couldn't be that cliché, could it?

Just as he embarked on the Martial Way, something happened at home.

This plot was so cliché that even web novel authors wouldn't write it like this now.

Running toward his home in one breath, Lin Chen looked at the villagers gathered not far ahead and felt relieved in his heart.

These villagers were not gathered in front of his own house, but at the Lin family's ancestral home.

It wasn't his own house that had the trouble.

Feeling slightly relieved, Lin Chen walked into the crowd. With his current height, he was already considered a tall person in the village, and he could see the situation in front of the crowd at a glance.

Lin's father, his eldest uncle, and his second uncle, the three brothers, along with his eldest brother, were holding hoes and shoulder poles, confronting several strong men.

Standing behind them were his grandfather and eldest aunt. His second aunt was holding Lin Hui, who had collapsed on the ground, with tears in her eyes. His mother was holding his cousin Cheng Xi, but his eldest aunt was nowhere to be seen.

"Repaying debts is a matter of course. Your family borrowed ten taels, and now, including principal and interest, it's fifteen taels. Either pay the money or hand over the land deed, otherwise, it won't be of any use even if you take it to the government office."

The leading strong man opposite, with a face full of fat, had a mocking tone: "If you don't have money, don't learn to practice martial arts. Don't even think about what kind of material your family is."

Hearing this conversation, Lin Chen frowned. Were these strong men from the bank?

Did grandfather borrow ten taels from the bank?

If it weren't for his own father, Lin Chen wouldn't want to bother with this matter at all. Since they had already separated the family, the debt owed by his grandfather and eldest uncle's family had nothing to do with him. But now that his father was also involved, he naturally couldn't turn a blind eye.

"Uncle Zhang, please move aside."

"Uncle Xu, let me in."

Lin Chen patted the shoulders of the villagers watching in front. When these villagers turned back and saw Lin Chen, they were all shocked, but soon they made way.

"Lin Chen is back."

"Lin Chen? The youngest son of the Lin family? I heard he has good grades in the Wu Tang."

"It seems Gu Fei's kid didn't lie. This tall guy, my kid stayed in the Wu Tang for a year and only grew half a head. He grew at least a foot taller."

The villagers discussed in low voices. Lin Mu was very excited when she saw her son return. Holding Cheng Xi, she was about to walk over: "Why did you come back at this time? Gu Fei said you still had to practice in the Wu Tang for another month."

"Came back to see you, Mother."

If it weren't for this scene, Lin Chen could satisfy his mother's vanity and say directly, "Child has developed Essence Qi." But now he wanted to know what had happened.

"Mother, what is going on?"

Hearing her son ask this, Lin Mu curled her lips: "Last month, Lin Ming came back to ask for money again. It's not like you don't know your grandfather. He is responsive to his eldest grandson. Privately, he borrowed ten taels from the bank, agreeing on five taels of interest per month. If he doesn't pay, he will use the land deed as collateral."

Lin Chen's mouth twitched, looking at his grandfather standing behind his father, and smiled self-deprecatingly.

Such high interest, and he dared to borrow it!

As expected of the only grandson of the Lin family, ten taels weren't enough, so he borrowed another ten taels from the bank.

"This matter has nothing to do with our family, right, Father and Second Uncle?"

Since it was grandfather who borrowed the money, the fields divided when the family separated belonged to the eldest uncle, and it had nothing to do with his own family or the second uncle who was assigned a fishing boat.

"People came to ask for money, and your grandfather didn't want to give it, so a conflict arose. At that time, Lin Hui happened to come home and saw it. Thinking these people were bullying your grandfather, he rushed over and was beaten down..."

Lin Chen understood. Grandfather didn't want to give the land deed, these people who came to collect the debt beat Lin Hui, Father and the others rushed over upon hearing the news, and the people in the village also rushed over.

If people from other villages came to make trouble, the Linhu Village would still be very united.

But now the problem was that it was the bank collecting the debt, with white paper and black ink on the note. The Lin family was fundamentally unreasonable, and there was no reason for the villagers to help. Furthermore, those who could open a bank were not easy to deal with, and the size of these strong men was enough to make the villagers fearful.

Lin Mu explained the situation and whispered: "This is your grandfather and eldest uncle's family's business. You must not be impulsive."

"Mother, don't worry."

Lin Chen knew his mother was worried that he would be soft-hearted and take on this debt for his grandfather.

He couldn't be soft-hearted.

From the moment the family separated, he had no family affection for his grandfather and eldest uncle's family.

"Father, people came with a loan note to collect the debt, which is a matter of course. If you block it today, they can also take away the land deed through the government office tomorrow. There is no need to block it."

Lin Chen took the initiative to speak to Lin's father. As soon as he said this, before Lin's father could answer, the eldest aunt standing behind spoke first:

"Chen'er, how can you help outsiders? This is the fertile land passed down by our Lin family ancestors. If it's gone, how can we face the ancestors of the Lin family?"

"As long as the money can be repaid, who would care about your few acres of broken fields? We are all from the same town. Our bank has always been reasonable. How much money we borrow and how much interest we collect are all agreed upon in advance. It's not like no one in Linhu Village has borrowed money from our bank. Have you ever seen us make trouble?"

The leading strong man snorted and looked at Lin Chen: "This little brother is reasonable. If this matter drags on, and we have to wait for the government office to handle it, we will have to pay more for travel expenses."

Government officials in the county office don't go to the countryside. If they come down to handle a matter, they have to charge travel expenses.

Therefore, generally, if there is a dispute in the village or town, it is the village chief or some respected elders who preside over justice to resolve it. Things that go to the government office are extremely rare.

"Can't hand it over, that's the root of our Lin family." Grandfather Lin Chaoyang spoke: "My eldest grandson wrote to me the day before yesterday that he has already developed Essence Qi. This money can be repaid in a few days."

Developed Essence Qi?

Hearing grandfather's words, the watching villagers discussed one after another.

"Lin Ming developed Essence Qi?"

"Should be. This Lin Ming has been practicing for almost three years. Look at the family situation three years ago, and then look at it now. It's even separated. Spent so much money, it's time to develop it."

"Lin Ming developed Essence Qi, so the Lin family's life is going to get better."

The villagers' envious words made the grandfather's old face have a smile, and the eldest aunt on the side also had a look of smugness on her face.

She hadn't told anyone about her son developing Essence Qi, originally thinking of publicizing it on the day her son returned, but she didn't expect her father to say it now.

But now that so many people had come to the village, it was good to say it today.

"Delay? Bah!"

The leading strong man's expression remained unchanged, and he spat a thick phlegm on the ground, instantly making the smiles on the eldest aunt and grandfather's faces stiffen.

"It took almost three years to develop Essence Qi. It's hard to say whether he can even open acupoints in this lifetime. Either pay the money today, or hand over the land deed. There is no other way."

"You... you..."

"What about me? Do you really think we didn't investigate your family's situation when we lent money?"

The leading strong man sneered. Could he not be clear about the situation of Lin Ming of the Lin family?

Lin Ming spent all his family's savings and owed a debt of debt to develop Essence Qi. Such a person could have no future in the Martial Way, and he couldn't even get the money for subsequent martial arts practice.

Since he had already offended him, he must offend him to death and cut off the other party's source of money.

Grandfather Lin Chaoyang was trembling with anger because of the strong man's words. The Kirin son of his Lin family, who spent so much money to develop Essence Qi, was belittled by the other party as worthless, and it was in front of so many people in the village. How could he accept it?

"Second and Third, this is the farmland passed down by our Lin family ancestors. It cannot be lost just like that. They want money, you three brothers pool it together, pay the money to them first. Tomorrow, when Essence Qi is developed, this money will be repaid to your two families in no time."

Grandfather Lin Chaoyang looked at Lin's father and the second uncle. A good Lin family happy event was now stirred into this state.

The second uncle was a bit moved, but he didn't understand martial artists. However, he often heard Lin Ming say how glorious it would be after developing Essence Qi. If he helped at this time, Lin Ming would also remember his kindness as an uncle.

Lin's father looked at Lin Mu and Lin Chen. Now the family's financial power was in his wife's hands, and his wife listened more to his youngest son.

"Our family is not pooling this money."

Lin Chen looked at his grandfather's bossy posture and sneered: "I think this person is right about one thing. It took three years to develop Essence Qi. With the situation of the eldest uncle's family, it's a question of whether the eldest cousin has money to practice martial arts later."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 18 =====