Chapter 5

Lin family.

Lin Chen's own small home.

Ten zhang away from the old house.

Lin's father didn't go home but went straight to the village chief's house to ask the village chief to write the family separation document.

"Chen'er, you go to the Wu Tang to learn martial arts with peace of mind. Mother will find a way to solve the money problem."

Lin's mother walked into the inner room and came out with a cloth bag after a while. It contained some broken silver, and there was more than two taels when poured on the table.

"Mother, where did you get this money?" Lin Liang was very curious.

"Silly child, although the money in our family is all handed over to your grandfather, Mother has to save a little privately. With your grandfather being so biased, if our family encounters any trouble, counting on your grandfather to take out money is a dream. Not just Mother, your Second Aunt is the same."

The three Lin brothers handed over whatever they earned, but the three sisters-in-law kept an eye on it.

Lin's mother and Second Aunt were the same, secretly hiding a little. It was impossible for the family not to keep a penny.

"Chen'er, don't blame Mother for not giving you money this past half year. Learning martial arts is indeed too expensive. You saw how much money your eldest cousin spent learning martial arts. Mother is also afraid in her heart."

"Mother, the child understands."

Lin Chen saw his mother's guilty expression and shook his head quickly. He wouldn't blame his mother because he could understand her thoughts.

Lin Ming spent too much money learning martial arts. The savings the whole Lin family had earned over the years weren't enough for Lin Ming to spend alone. Although Mother felt sorry for him, she also had to consider the family situation. It was impossible to let the whole family not eat or drink just to let him learn martial arts.

"Mother knows that every time Liang'er goes to town, he will send you some money. But how much money can Liang'er save by secretly selling eels? Even so, you were able to pass the assessment. Then Mother will support you in learning martial arts. You will definitely be more promising than Lin Ming."

"Two taels of silver is not much. Take it to the Wu Tang and use it first. Since the family is separated, Father and Eldest Brother don't need to hand over the money from selling fish. We can save one tael of silver a month, and we will send it to you then."

Lin's mother was originally worried that the cost of learning martial arts was too high, but her son passed the assessment after spending only that much money. Then she would support her son in learning martial arts even if she had to smash the pots and sell the iron.

She wanted to let Grandfather and Eldest Uncle's family see who was the real Qilin child of the Lin family.

"I will be frugal in the Wu Tang and will definitely achieve something."

Lin Chen promised seriously. He knew that Mother said this to set his mind at ease. With Grandfather's degree of favoritism, the family's only fishing boat would definitely not be divided to their family. Without a fishing boat, they couldn't go out to the lake to catch fish. Setting ground cages completely depended on the weather, and one tael of silver was not easy to earn.

"Silly child, how could Mother not believe you?" Lin's mother saw Lin Chen's serious expression and said with a smile: "You are Mother's son. Since you want to learn martial arts, Mother will do her best to support you, even if it means making your eldest brother suffer."

"Mother, I support Chen brother learning martial arts. There is no suffering. Giving money to Chen brother to spend is better than giving it to Lin Ming."

Eldest brother Lin Liang smiled honestly. Lin Chen saw his eldest brother's honest smile and thought of the thick phlegm his eldest brother spat on the ground at the ancestral house. With his eldest brother's honest personality, he could make such a move. One could imagine how deep the hatred in his heart was at that time.

"You two brothers must help each other. Liang'er is helping you now. Chen'er, you must remember your eldest brother's kindness in the future."

"Mother, no need."

Eldest brother Lin Liang waved his hand quickly, but Lin Chen laughed: "Need to. When I achieve something in martial arts, I will find a wife for Eldest Brother first."

Lin's mother laughed and said: "If your eldest brother wants to marry a wife, it can only be Chen's second girl. I see your eldest brother is interested in her."

"Mother, no such thing." Eldest brother's face turned slightly red.

"No such thing? Mother saw you sending lotus seeds to her."

"That... that's not her family's lotus pond. I helped her family pick lotus seeds, and she promised to give me a few lotus pods."

"There's this too? I think Second Sister-in-law Chen is a good person. It's okay to be Eldest Brother's wife." Lin Chen recalled Chen's second girl in his mind, who was a bit chubby.

Chubby is good, big buttocks can give birth, and her body is also sturdy.

The mother and her two sons talked for a while before Lin's father hurried back.

"What were you talking about? I saw the eldest's face turn as red as a carp?"

Lin's father was very curious. He was still furious at the ancestral house just now, but now he was telling jokes.

"Father, Mother and I were discussing finding a wife for Eldest Brother."

"The eldest wants to marry a wife?" Lin's father was stunned and asked.

"Father, don't listen to Chen brother. I don't plan to marry a wife yet. I'll go back to my room to sleep."

Eldest brother Lin Liang fled in a panic. Lin's father looked at Lin Chen: "Chen'er, you have to go to the Wu Tang tomorrow, go to sleep early."

"Hmm."

Lin Chen knew that his father and mother had things to discuss privately, so he also got up and entered the room he shared with his eldest brother. The brothers slept in one room, each on a wooden bed.

Lying on the bed, Lin Chen could vaguely hear the sound of his father and mother talking, but couldn't hear the specific content.

Even if he couldn't hear the content, he could imagine that his father and mother were probably discussing how to scrape together money for him to learn martial arts.

He wasn't selfish, wanting to learn martial arts when the family had no money.

This was his only chance.

If he had traveled here a few years earlier, he could have found a way to earn money to improve the family's life. But when he traveled here, he was exactly fifteen years old. If he missed this year, he would have no chance.

Even if he really earned a lot of money in a few years and could spend money to learn martial arts, martial artists not from a martial arts hall could only be bodyguards for wealthy families or join gangs in the county to be thugs for those gangs.

Having experienced his previous life, Lin Chen clearly understood which path was the broad road.

As for earning money quickly in a short time, he had thought about it, but ultimately didn't find a way.

A scholar is useless.

In his previous life, he was a liberal arts student, his physics and chemistry grades were average, and he had no technical way to make a fortune.

He did remember some mentions in time-travel novels that there would be saltpeter in toilets and pigsties, which could be used to make ice.

He did find some saltpeter, but the ice he made was just a tiny bit. To put it bluntly, a piece of ice chiseled from the surface of Poyang Lake in winter and left over until the following spring would be more than what he made.

Without technical ways to make a fortune, he could only use his brain.

Relying on the knowledge from his previous life, he looked for any business opportunities.

But after he understood the laws of the Great Liang, he found that this path also didn't work.

The laws of the Great Liang were very strict about the occupations engaged in by the common people.

To do business, one must have a commercial registration document because the government's taxes are levied at different levels according to different registrations. Doing business without a document is unlicensed operation, which is a serious crime.

Blacksmith shops pay forging taxes, fish shops pay fish taxes, and those with fishing boats pay fishing boat taxes. The only thing not restricted is farming. Regardless of the industry, one can farm.

Due to various restrictions and age reasons, he had no other path to take besides learning martial arts.

Walking to this step, he experienced today's change.

Learning martial arts was no longer just his own business.

He not only wanted to change his own destiny but also the destiny of his family.

This night, Lin Chen had a rare case of insomnia.

And it wasn't just him who had insomnia, but also his eldest brother.

Although his eldest brother didn't move while lying on the bed, his eldest brother used to snore while sleeping, but today he didn't, so Lin Chen understood that his eldest brother was pretending to sleep.

It was normal for his eldest brother to be unable to sleep after the change in the family today.

He didn't know how much time had passed when Lin Chen heard his eldest brother's voice.

"Chen brother, are you asleep?"

"No."

Lin Chen's immediate reply made his eldest brother silent for a few breaths.

"Chen brother, practice martial arts well. You must achieve something and show it to Grandfather and the others!"

(End of chapter)