Chapter 19: One Twist After Another—How Many Twists?

Among the crowd.

Lin Chen’s gaze was sharp; he stepped forward, and the woman recoiled several steps in fear.

“Lin Chen, you… what are you doing?”

“Auntie, what’s there to fear? You’re an elder—how could your nephew possibly not know respect for age and hierarchy?”

Lin Chen’s words eased the woman’s tension: “If you know that, then…”

“Since Auntie has said this much, I too have words I must speak.” Lin Chen’s gaze swept over his grandfather Lin Chaoyang without pause—this old man meant nothing to him now.

The old man’s desolation only brought him satisfaction.

“When Lin Ming entered the Martial Hall, our family paid two taels of silver monthly. Every ten or fifteen days, Auntie would bring eggs and eels caught at home to the Hall to nourish Lin Ming. But during my six months in the Hall, our family never once offered me a single coin. We’re both grandsons—why such unequal treatment?”

The woman’s lips twitched, wanting to protest, but she had no reply—Lin Chen spoke the truth.

“I knew it was hard enough for our family to support Lin Ming’s training. I even made a pact with Grandfather: if I passed the Academy’s six-month exam, the family would then fund my training.”

“Because we had no money, I couldn’t afford meat at the Hall and was mocked by other students. Gu Fei and two other villagers can testify to this.”

“I finally passed the Martial Hall’s exam—so what did Grandfather do?”

Lin Chen’s face twisted with mockery: “He simply said, ‘We have no money.’ When Mother suggested borrowing, he refused. I truly thought he feared we couldn’t repay the debt—turns out he was hoarding the valuable land deeds to lend to Lin Ming.”

“I could endure the humiliation from outsiders, but betrayal by family—I simply cannot accept it.”

“Such a grandfather—I cannot acknowledge him. Since the night we split the household, our family and yours have been two separate families.”

Each word pierced the heart; every question pressed relentlessly.

The woman’s face turned pale; she dared not meet Lin Chen’s gaze.

The villagers looked at Lin Chen with sympathy—they knew Lin Chaoyang favored one grandson, but never imagined it went this far.

Aren’t they all grandsons?

If the younger grandson shows promise, shouldn’t he be the one trained in martial arts?

Seeing their sympathy, Lin Chen felt no surprise. Half his words were spoken because they had festered too long—he had to let them out.

The other half was deliberately meant for the villagers: his family had no ties left to his grandfather; he, Lin Chen, would never recognize him.

He had cultivated essence—unless he made this clear, who knew if his grandfather or the woman might later use his name to scheme behind his back?

“If you don’t want the ancestral land to leave the family, bring out the land deeds. My family and Second Uncle’s can pool the money to pay off the debt. Or does Grandfather believe the land only stays ‘in the family’ when it goes to Auntie’s side—but becomes ‘outflow’ when it goes to Second Uncle or me?”

As he spoke, Lin Chen fixed his gaze on his grandfather Lin Chaoyang—he wanted to see what decision this biased old man would make now.

Lin Chaoyang’s lips moved several times, but no sound came out. The village chief could no longer hold back: “Chaoyang, Lin He and Lin Jiang are your sons too. Giving them land isn’t letting it leave the family. If you lose the land, how will you face your ancestors?”

By the end, the village chief’s voice had grown stern.

Lin Chaoyang’s favoritism had been a family matter—he, as chief, had no right to interfere. But now it was different: Lin Chen had cultivated essence, a blessing for the entire Linhu Village.

Lin Chen was going to the city to train. Lin Jiang and his wife would remain here. The few barren acres Lin Jiang received were hardly worth calling property. In a few years, once Lin Chen made a name for himself in martial arts, the whole family would move away.

Giving those few acres to Lin Jiang would at least give them something to hold onto.

“Divide it. Once the debt’s paid, the land belonging to the eldest son—let your two brothers split it.”

Lin Chaoyang finally agreed. After speaking, his already hunched back seemed to collapse entirely—he lost all spirit.

“Second Uncle, Second Auntie—your family takes four mu, mine takes one. Is this arrangement acceptable?”

Lin Chen turned to Second Uncle, who nodded. Second Auntie, her emotions calmer now, sniffled and said, “You decide, Chen’er.”

“Father, Mother…”

“No need to ask. I agree—do as Chen’er says.” Lin Mu answered directly.

Lin Chen turned to the burly man: “Fifteen taels. Come back tomorrow to collect.”

The lead burly man grunted: “Fine. We’ll return tomorrow.”

Come to hell!

He wouldn’t show up tomorrow—not even if they beat him. If they came, it’d be someone else.

The burly man and his men left. The village chief turned to Lin Chen: “Xiao Chen, let’s go welcome the Martial Hall’s delegation.”

“Alright.” Lin Chen nodded, then looked to Second Uncle: “Second Uncle, go to town and fetch a physician. Tell him about Hui’s condition first—have him bring medicine. Don’t skimp on the cost.”

Normally, villagers went to town to get a physician’s prescription, then bought medicine at the apothecary. The physician could bring medicine himself, but it cost more.

Second Uncle hurried off. Second Auntie and Lin Mu helped Lin Hui home, murmuring as they walked: “You really need to train in martial arts—look how glorious Chen’er is. Sister-in-law… you’ll be living in comfort now.”

“Comfort? After Chen’er starts training, expenses will only grow. And as his mother, I still need to save for Liang’s bride price. I won’t be like someone else—favoring one over the other.”

“With Chen’er as his brother, how could Liang fail to find a bride? Many girls would marry him without any bride price.”

Second Auntie flattered him. Lin Mu laughed, her crow’s-feet stretching wide. Several village women nearby chimed in with sweet words too.

Lin Chen and his father followed the village chief toward the approaching good-news delegation.

Before the ancestral home, only the grandfather, First Uncle, and First Auntie remained.

“Father.” First Auntie looked at the grandfather with a pitiful expression.

The grandfather shook his head, his face desolate: “It’s all my own doing. I’m old now—I won’t interfere anymore.”

First Auntie watched him turn, hunched and shuffling into the house. Frustrated, she turned to First Uncle: “The land…”

“Enough.” First Uncle suddenly glared at her. “Lin Chen was right: we’ve truly wronged Second and Youngest for the sake of Lin Ming’s training. Now that Ming has cultivated essence, let him walk his own path. I, as his father, have no more strength to help him.”

“Lin Hai, what are you saying? Now you care about brotherly bonds? You think your nephew’s about to rise, so you want to play the good uncle? When Father refused Lin Chen money, where were you then?”

“What do you, a woman, know?”

“I don’t know? If I hadn’t been the one whispering sweet words to Father every day, if I hadn’t cared for him more than I cared for my own father, would he have spent so much on Ming?”

…

…

Lin Chen didn’t know about the quarrel between First Uncle and First Auntie—and even if he had, he wouldn’t have cared.

At this moment, he was hosting the Martial Hall’s good-news delegation.

To his surprise, the leader was Manager Zhang—and from Zhang’s private words, he learned this was arranged by Instructor Yu.

Such a good-news ceremony had never happened before.

Only if he entered the Martial Academy and ranked in its grand competition would the Academy send someone to announce it, with the Hall’s delegation following.

Lin Chen thought for a moment and understood why Instructor Yu had done this.

He had told Instructor Yu about his family’s situation—so Instructor Yu was giving him a chance to make them eat their words.

Manager Zhang and his team sat in Lin Chen’s home for a while. The inner room was small, so villagers brought tables and stools from their own homes and placed them in Lin’s courtyard.

Seeing this, other villagers immediately understood—they rushed to bring fruits, cakes, and snacks from their homes.

This was a perfect chance to curry favor with the Lin family.

Everyone knew: from today on, the Lin family would soar.

Manager Zhang sat in the courtyard for nearly half an hour, lavishly praising Lin Chen’s performance at the Martial Hall, drawing gasps and exclamations from the crowd gathered inside and outside the yard.

Lin Chen listened, secretly amused. Manager Zhang had a gift for storytelling—Lin Chen’s own uneventful time at the Hall had become a tale of twists and turns, how it twisted… all in glorious, exaggerated praise.

After completing his flattery, Manager Zhang took his leave. The villagers still lingered, reluctant to part.

“Xiao Chen winning first in the Martial Hall is a great joy for our village. I suggest we hold a banquet tomorrow…” the village chief said cheerfully.

“Chief, that might be too showy—I haven’t even entered the Martial Academy yet.”

Lin Chen frowned. He had no intention of throwing a banquet—it cost too much.

But Lin’s father and mother’s eyes lit up. What greater pride could parents feel than seeing their child succeed?

A banquet would make the whole village—and neighboring villages—know their son had cultivated essence and ranked first in the Martial Hall.

“Xiao Chen, don’t worry about it. It’s our village custom—I’ll handle everything myself.”

Hearing this, Lin Chen knew the village would pay. Seeing his parents’ hopeful gazes, he nodded in agreement.

“Alright. If you want to watch the spectacle, come to the banquet tomorrow. Now go home, everyone.”

The village chief dispersed the crowd, then whispered a few words to Lin Chen before leaving. Lin Chen watched him go, lost in thought.

“Chen’er, did the chief say something to you? If it’s something hard, let’s cancel the banquet—I’ll tell him.” Lin’s father, seeing his son standing still, asked anxiously.

“Father, the chief told me good news—it’s about Jiang the Provincial Graduate.”

(End of Chapter)