Chapter 91: The joy of youth lies in the future

Below the arena.

The crowd dispersed, leaving only the villagers of Linhu Village behind.

"Ancestor worship, return to the village for ancestor worship."

Zhao Canghu was very excited, slapping Gu Fei on the shoulder: "Xiaofei, go back and notify the villagers, clean up the ancestral hall, Lin Chen will return to the village for ancestor worship in a while."

When a major event occurs, one must worship the ancestors.

Gu Fei's mouth twitched. Seeing Lin Chen approaching, he still wanted to say a few words to him.

"Village Chief, can't you arrange for someone else to go back?"

"You are also practicing martial arts, your legs and feet are nimble. If you don't go, who will? Hurry up and go back for me!"

Uh...

Gu Fei couldn't find any words to refute, so he had to leave.

"Young Lin Shi, you go ahead first. Once the envelope is found, you must notify me."

Hua'er saw the Linhu Village villagers looking at Lin Chen and knew she shouldn't disturb Lin Chen's celebration with his family at this moment.

"Sister Hua'er, rest assured, the letter will definitely not be lost." Lin Chen comforted her again.

"Mm, I believe Young Lin Shi can find it back."

Hua'er had figured it out by now; the letter she kept in her bosom must have been stolen, but since Young Lin Shi had taken first place this time, the government office runners would surely help find the letter.

Watching Hua'er leave, Lin Chen walked toward his parents.

"Why did A-Fei leave?"

Arriving before the villagers, having accepted their praise all the way, Lin Chen walked up to the Village Chief and his parents, asking with some curiosity.

"I sent Gu Fei back to the village to report the good news. You took first place; that is a major event for our Linhu Village, so we must worship the ancestors."

Ancestor worship?

Lin Chen fell silent. The Village Chief seemed particularly keen on ancestor worship; he himself had already led the worship twice this year.

"Do you need to return to the Martial Hall? If you don't have time, Lin Chen, there's no rush; it can be put off until later."

Seeing Lin Chen's silence, Zhao Canghu thought it was inconvenient for him and that he had to return to the Martial Hall, so he immediately gave Lin Chen an out.

"I don't need to return to the Martial Hall today; I can go back to the village for ancestor worship."

Lin Chen finally agreed. He could understand why the Village Chief was so keen on ancestor worship.

Firstly, it was to hope he would have more sense of belonging to the village, after all, his Lin family ancestors were also enshrined in the ancestral hall; secondly, it was to provide a role model for the village youths; and thirdly... perhaps it was just the Village Chief's personal hobby.

"Good, then let's return to the village."

Zhao Canghu waved his hand, preparing to take the villagers back, but Lin Chen called out to stop him because he saw Lin Xiuyong walking toward them.

"Young Lin Shi, there is news about the letter."

"Found it?"

"Not exactly... but I received news that someone picked up two letters and turned them over to the people at the Wuzheng Office."

Hearing that the letters had fallen into the hands of the Wuzheng Office, Lin Chen was surprised but also relieved. Since they were in the hands of the Wuzheng Office, they could be considered recovered.

As for the claim that someone had "picked them up," Lin Chen naturally didn't believe it. The most likely scenario was that the thief had peeked at the contents of the letters, and combined with his performance in the arena, realized the letters were troublesome, daring neither to destroy them nor hand them over to him directly, eventually giving them to the Wuzheng Office.

"Sorry to trouble you, Lin Lin Shixiong, I understand."

"Young Lin Shi is too polite, then I won't disturb you any further."

Lin Xiuyong was also very tactful and spoke to leave, but Lin Chen thought for a moment and said: "Lin Lin Shixiong, if you don't mind, why not come to the village for a drink."

Given the Village Chief's style of doing things, Lin Chen could anticipate that after the ancestor worship, there would be a flowing banquet.

Although Lin Xiuyong was just a low-level government runner—in the words of later generations, a temporary contract worker—one could see clues from the matter of the girl Qianqian; this kind of low-level government runner was actually the most helpful to the village.

With his current strength and the potential he had revealed, it wouldn't be difficult to befriend a Constable, but those Constables giving him face didn't mean they would give the villagers face.

When encountering minor issues, the ones who could best solve problems were soap-runners like Lin Xiuyong.

He would be focusing on the Martial Way in the future, and the Village Chief couldn't come to him for every little thing in the village.

Lin Xiuyong was startled; he hadn't expected Lin Chen to invite him to Linhu Village for a drink. Naturally, there wouldn't be any fine wine at a village banquet, but was he concerned about the wine?

"Since Young Lin Shi has invited me, I will shamelessly ask for a cup of thin wine."

Seeing Lin Chen invite Lin Xiuyong, Zhao Canghu also had a look of gratification on his old face; Lin Chen hadn't forgotten his roots.

"Father, Mother, let's return to the village."

"Mm, let's return to the village." Lin Mu grabbed her son's arm, feeling immensely proud.

Linhu Village.

Gu Fei, who had returned first, shouted as soon as he entered the village: "Good news, Lin Chen has taken first place in the Martial Hall competition and is returning to the village for ancestor worship immediately!"

"Auntie Li, hurry and move your tables and stools to the entrance of the ancestral hall; our village will definitely be holding a flowing banquet today."

"Uncle Gen, don't just stand there, hurry and clean the ancestral hall."

"You little brat, who are you ordering around? Why don't you go clean it yourself?"

"I don't understand the rules, do I? In our village, you are the best at cleaning the ancestral hall, with all the four corners and three lines..."

"That's called the Four Directions and Three Lords. Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you."

Uncle Gen grumbled while taking a broom from his house, a look of pride on his face. Young people didn't understand the rules; cleaning the ancestral hall wasn't that simple. One had to start from the four corners, following a specific sequence, so as not to disturb the ancestors...

Gu Fei, having returned to the village, shouted at the top of his lungs, going almost door-to-door, and the entire village knew about it.

Most of those remaining in the village were women and children. The children didn't understand what "first place in a competition" meant, but they understood "flowing banquet," and one by one, they ran toward the ancestral hall, beaming with joy.

The Lin Family Ancestral Residence.

The age spots on Lin Chaoyang's face were extremely prominent, covering almost his entire old face, his temples already snow-white. Lying in the courtyard basking in the sun, the commotion outside startled him, and he opened his turbid old eyes.

"Eldest, what's the situation outside?"

"Father, listening to Gu Fei just now, Lin Chen has taken first place in this year's Martial Hall competition. The Village Chief will be bringing Lin Chen back for ancestor worship in a while, and our village will be holding a flowing banquet."

Eldest Uncle Lin Hai walked out from outside the courtyard and answered truthfully.

"Lin Chen took first place in the Martial Hall competition?"

The Eldest Aunt walked out from the inner room, a trace of jealousy on her face, but she quickly concealed it: "This is a great thing. You didn't go to the ancestor worship in early spring, but you must go this time. No matter what, Lin Chen is your grandson, isn't he? I heard from others that the Wuzheng Office has very strict requirements for students. If a student is disrespectful to elders or doesn't observe filial piety, they will also be punished."

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

Eldest Uncle Lin Hai glared at his wife with dissatisfaction: "Father, if you don't want to go, then don't."

Lin Hai knew his father had a knot in his heart, and if he went to the ancestral hall, there was no telling how the villagers might mock him.

"Does the Wuzheng Office really have such a rule?"

Lin Chaoyang was thinking of much more. Over these days, he had figured out a lot. He had indeed been wrong in the beginning, and since Lin Chen, as a grandson, didn't recognize him as a grandfather, he no longer held any resentment.

Now, he was worried that if Lin Chen were truly called "unfilial," it might bring negative influence upon him.

"Father, would I lie to you? If you go to the ancestral hall, Lin Chen will certainly have to support you personally. His status is different now; he can't be as unruly as before."

Lin Chaoyang pondered for a moment: "Then I'll go. Eldest, get me that set of clothes from the room."

"Father, you'd better not go."

Just as Lin Hai was preparing to go into the room to get the clothes, the figure of the Second Aunt walked into the courtyard entrance.

"Second Brother's wife, what do you mean by that? If our father doesn't go, how will people look at Lin Chen? Returning home for ancestor worship without even seeing his grandfather's face?"

Hearing the Second Aunt's words, the Eldest Aunt immediately refused to accept it. The Second Aunt snorted coldly: "Some things are covered up by the Village Chief for our family's sake for Chen'er's sake, but if you want people not to know, you shouldn't have done it. Do you, as a mother, not know what good deeds Lin Ming has done?"

The Second Aunt didn't care about the Eldest Aunt's anger; she had come this time specifically to prevent the father-in-law from going to the ancestral hall, which was also what the Village Chief had instructed her before leaving the village.

In the Village Chief's eyes, Lin Chen being able to stand in the arena was already a great joy, and regardless of the final ranking, he would bring Lin Chen back to the village for ancestor worship.

If it weren't for the Lin Ming incident, no one would stop the father-in-law from going to the ancestral hall; it would represent that the father-in-law had opened his heart and was willing to bow his head.

"What's wrong with Lin Ming? Lin Ming he..."

"Shut up!"

Lin Chaoyang suddenly scolded, his old eyes showing majesty for the first time, interrupting the Eldest Aunt's words, and he looked at the Second Aunt: "Second Brother's wife, speak clearly, what has Lin Ming done?"

"Father, not long ago, Qianqian from our village was abducted, and the person who left the village on the same day was Lin Ming."

"Second Brother's wife, what does Qianqian being abducted have to do with Ming'er? Besides, wasn't Qianqian found back? It's already been proven that it had nothing to do with Ming'er. All those in the village who were wagging their tongues have shut up."

"Hmph, that's because the Village Chief was concerned about Chen'er's reputation and the reputation of our entire Lin family. The person was found by Chen'er. The city-guarding runners have already confirmed that when Qianqian entered the city, she was accompanied by a man who looked exactly like Lin Ming."

The Second Aunt looked at Lin Chaoyang and Lin Hai: "Father, Eldest Brother, you didn't know about this because the Village Chief didn't let anyone talk about it outside, including why Qianqian's mother wanted to take Qianqian to live with distant relatives for a while—it was because she was afraid that Qianqian was young and would blurt out Lin Ming's name when asked by villagers. If that happened, our Lin family's reputation would be completely ruined."

Lin Chaoyang and Lin Hai, this pair of father and son, were immensely shocked. One hadn't expected that the grandson he had once valued the most, and the other hadn't expected that his own son, could commit such a heartless and unconscionable act.

If the rules of Linhu Village were followed, their entire family would have to be driven out of the village.

"Eldest Daughter-in-law, did you know about this?"

Zhou Chaoyang's withered hands gripped the armrests of the rattan chair tightly, his old eyes staring fixedly at the Eldest Aunt.

The Eldest Aunt's expression was flustered, her eyes cast downward.

"Of course she knew. The Village Chief told her after he returned. He didn't tell Father because Father is old, and the Village Chief was afraid you would be angered into illness."

The Second Aunt took over the conversation directly. She had figured it out now: Lin Chen was the future backbone of the Lin family, while Lin Ming was the cancer of the Lin family. This eldest nephew had spent so much of the family's money, not only failing to achieve anything in martial arts but also committing such acts. If it wasn't made clear, it would only implicate the entire Lin family.

"How could I, Lin Hai, have fathered such a beast of a son."

Eldest Uncle Lin Hai was very agitated, and the next moment he knelt down abruptly, kneeling before Lin Chaoyang: "Father, it is the son who is useless."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After kowtowing three times in succession, Lin Hai stood up from the ground and turned to walk toward the door.

"Father, I'm going to bring this beast back."

Lin Chaoyang didn't stop his son from leaving. Seeing the Eldest Daughter-in-law about to speak, he immediately scolded: "You shut up for me! Lin Ming reaching this point today, you as a mother and I as a grandfather both have responsibility. From today on, you are not to wander around the village."

The Eldest Aunt was dissatisfied and was about to refute, but Lin Chaoyang didn't give her a chance: "If you think I, as a father-in-law, am doing wrong, you can leave the Lin family."

Leave the Lin family?

The Eldest Aunt shook her head hurriedly. Although Lin Chen had conflicts with their family and even didn't recognize his grandfather, this matter was only known to people in the village, and the Village Chief had long ago instructed the villagers not to talk about it outside.

Her son hadn't achieved anything in martial arts, and she didn't have much confidence when she returned to her maiden home. But ever since Lin Chen entered the Martial Hall, when she returned to her maiden home, her relatives were all enthusiastic toward her, and even when she returned to the village, the Village Chief was still polite when seeing her.

"When the Village Chief and the others return, tell the Village Chief that I invite him to come over tonight."

Lin Chaoyang instructed the Second Aunt, and the Second Aunt nodded in agreement. She had completed the task the Village Chief had entrusted to her and didn't want to stay here any longer; she also wanted to go to the ancestral hall to join in the fun.

At dusk, Linhu Village was very lively.

After Lin Chen finished the ancestor worship, there was nothing left for him to do, and the villagers were busy preparing the flowing banquet.

Meat was bought in town, and as for fish, some villagers took fishing nets to catch them in the lake. In this season, there were plenty of vegetables in the fields, and each family picking some from their fields was enough.

The rural flowing banquet didn't focus on exquisite dishes; the main point was a large quantity to fill everyone up. As long as there was meat, it was enough.

"Lin Chen, your few Junior Brothers have arrived!"

Just as the banquet was about to begin, a villager shouted loudly, and Lin Chen saw Lu Yongfeng, Zhao Jingchuan, and Cheng Ying entering the village.

The three of them had agreed to meet after returning to the Martial Hall and had come by boat to the pier.

"Lin Lin Shixiong, you truly shocked everyone this time."

"Lin Lin Shixiong, you don't know, but now all eight Martial Halls are spreading your deeds wildly, and those Senior Brothers who are a tier higher can't sit still either."

Zhao Jingchuan and Cheng Ying spoke with smiles, while Lu Yongfeng on the side was somewhat silent.

"Lin Lin Shidi Lu, did you think of something?" Lin Chen asked curiously, seeing Lu Yongfeng's silence.

"Lin Lin Shixiong, back at the Martial Hall, you said the opponent's strength was not below yours—was that true or false?"

Lin Chen:...

Zhao Jingchuan smiled slightly and took over: "On the way here, Lin Lin Shixiong Lu, Lin Lin Shidi Cheng, and I were discussing this matter. Lin Lin Shixiong, were you being overly modest when you said that?"

"It wasn't modesty. At that time, my strength hadn't reached this level yet. This also has to be credited to the help of the three Junior Brothers. Without the silver you lent me, it would have been difficult for me to achieve what I have today."

As he finished speaking, Lin Chen took out silver notes from his bosom.

"Lin Lin Shixiong, let this money be the gift money for the three of us coming to drink without an invitation." Zhao Jingchuan pushed it away.

Lin Chen's expression turned serious, and he said earnestly: "I am extremely welcoming of the three Junior Brothers coming, but this money must be accepted. If you don't accept it, others will think that I, Lin Chen, am a person greedy for silver. Could it be that the three Junior Brothers want to trap me in the position of a greedy villain?"

The three of them looked at each other. When they came, they had already discussed it: the money Lin Lin Shixiong borrowed from them would be treated as gift money for coming to drink, and they wouldn't ask Lin Lin Shixiong to pay it back. They truly hadn't thought of this layer.

"Lin Lin Shixiong is right, then we will accept this money." Lu Yongfeng reacted and was the first to accept it, with Zhao Jingchuan and Cheng Ying following closely behind.

Seeing the three of them accept the money, a smile reappeared on Lin Chen's face.

Was he short of money?

Yes!

But a gentleman loves wealth and acquires it in the right way.

"The three Junior Brothers must drink a few more cups today; I will introduce you to a guest."

Seeing Lin Chen bringing Zhao Jingchuan and the others over, Lin Xiuyong, who was chatting with the villagers, immediately walked over quickly.

"Lin Lin Shixiong, these are my three Junior Brothers from the Martial Hall, and they are all students of the Martial Hall now."

He knew clearly in his heart that those who could be called Junior Brothers by Young Lin Shi should all be Open-Acupuncture martial artists, and his status as a soap-runner wasn't enough in front of them.

Soon, the banquet began, and the five of them sat at a table with the two Open-Acupuncture martial artists who had gone out from Linhu Village.

Cups were exchanged, and the wine went through three rounds.

It was truly enjoyable.

The banquet dispersed, and the sky grew dark.

Lin Chen returned home, but didn't go straight to rest; instead, he continued to practice martial arts in the courtyard.

Although the Clear Wind Palm was already perfected, the Water Cloud Palm had not yet reached great success. The path of the Martial Way is long, and one must not slack off due to a momentary achievement.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 92 =====