Chen Lin walked around the village and visited the elders of the clan in turn according to the etiquette for younger generations returning home. Those who have passed away kowtow in front of their souls; those who are alive sit down and chat for a while.
His family has a very high status in the clan, and even the elders have to deal with him. But he felt uneasiness in the elders' words and expressions.
He originally thought that this uneasiness was related to his second uncle taking away the silk workshop: he was afraid that when he came back, the uncle and nephew would fight and cause trouble in the clan. During the conversation, they discovered that they were even more uneasy about the fact that the second uncle colluded with the Australians to seize clan rights and then colluded with "foreign surnames".
Although there are not many people with foreign surnames in Nansha, they still account for almost one-third of the population. Most of them are laborers and tenant farmers. In the past, these foreign surnames had always been submissive and occasionally restless under the rule of the Chen family. As long as the elders of the clan said a word, they would take care of it themselves.
Chen Lin's second uncle, Chen Xuan, was a prodigal and had no prestige within the clan. Even though he became a "liaison officer" and rose to power with the help of the Australians, it was not easy to speak in Nansha, and the younger members of the clan also Don't want to be driven by him. Naturally, Chen Xuan could only bring in foreign aid.
The Australians were too far away for him, and as he was a "liaison" in the village, the Australians would not send someone to support him, so Chen Xuan came up with the idea of these "foreign surnames".
No matter what the elders of the Chen family said about how they treated Wai Xing well in the past, the fact is that Wai Xing was not grateful for this. Chen Xuan immediately started to "repay kindness with enmity" after such troubles.
Nowadays, not only the village administration is controlled by foreigners, but also the newly established Xiangyong is also controlled by foreigners. With their support, Chen Xuan can do almost anything he wants in the village.
"...Nowadays, people with foreign surnames are in trouble. Customers are forcing landowners to reduce rents and interest rates; those who work in workshops, regardless of whether they are long-term or part-time workers, have to pay more. Even the slaves of each family in the clan are ready to make moves and speak arrogant words. , Alas, it’s really lawless..." The clan elders lowered their voices and complained, "Whoever violates their will will be beaten and scolded at least, and robbed at worst... They even threaten to kill people."
"Second uncle doesn't care?"
"Him? He relies on the power of this group of foreigners. Besides, people have to be under your control now."
After hearing this, Chen Lin felt heavier and heavier. To be honest, it was a small matter that the family's workshop was taken away by my second uncle - after all, we have an ancestor. But the second uncle's collusion with a foreign surname is a big deal! If he is allowed to continue such nonsense, won't the Chen family's foundation in Nansha be destroyed in his hands!
"Let's go back to the ancestral hall and have a look." Chen Lin said.
At the moment, he has no place to stay. Guihua's wife is a widow. It's easy for her sister to stay there, but it's inconvenient for herself and Chen Qing. We can only stay in the ancestral hall for a few days to see how it goes.
The appearance of the ancestral hall is also very miserable, with all the doors and windows smashed, but at least the plaque is still there. There are two more strong men standing guard in front of the door with spears - what kind of rule is this?
Chen Lin was full of doubts. Just as he was about to enter the ancestral hall, he was stopped before he could reach the steps:
"Stop! What are you doing?"
Chen Qing hurriedly said: "This is Chen Lin, the ninth master of the second room!"
The upper two houses are his doormen. The Chen family in Nansha is divided into thirteen clan gatekeepers: the upper three houses, the north three houses and the lower seven houses. Among them, the upper three families are the closest branches of the direct sect, and the clan leader is usually the descendant of these three families.
Chen Lin is the ninth among his peers in the clan, and usually only outsiders and servants call him that. But when Chen Qing saw that he didn't recognize the two strong men, he knew that they were not members of his tribe.
"Why are you going to the second room and the latrine?" The young man looked disdainful and waved his spear, "This is the Nansha Village Office! If you have nothing to do, stay away!"
Chen Lin was startled: Has the name of his ancestral hall been changed? ! Just as he was about to speak, another older man scolded: "What nonsense are you talking about! This is Mr. Lin Jiu! Chen Paijia's nephew!" After saying that, he greeted him with a smile, bowed and said, "Jiu Master, don’t be as familiar with this kid! He has only been in Nansha for a few days and doesn’t recognize you..."
Chen Lin looked familiar to the older man, but couldn't remember who he was. The current situation was obviously not the time to show off, so he smiled politely and said, "You are..."
"Little Wu Quan," the strong man said hurriedly, "it turned out to be Bei Yifang..."
"Are you a long-time employee of Uncle Kuan's family?"
"Yes, yes, I can't help but Master Jiu still remembers it." Wu Quan's face lit up with joy, "This guy is a distant relative of mine. He was just introduced here to serve as a militiaman. He just makes a living and doesn't recognize you. Don't blame me..." After saying that, he scolded: "Why don't you come up and apologize!"
Chen Lin quickly waved his hand and said: "He who doesn't know is not guilty." Seeing the young man's expression of reluctance, Chen Lin quickly imitated the new fashion in Guangzhou and said, "Now is the New Life Movement, we don't want to do this!" He quickly said Change the topic: "Is second uncle here?"
"Here, there," Wu Quan said hurriedly, "Second Master Xuan is now the leader of the village. He is in charge of all matters related to transportation and food supply. He is very busy! You must have come at a good time. Otherwise, he will ask for help later." Go out and do some errands."
Chen Lin was wondering, it was almost dark, where would his second uncle go to do errands? He didn't care about this and said, "I just came back from Guangzhou and want to meet my second uncle..."
"Easy to say, easy to say," Wu Quan nodded repeatedly and immediately told the young man: "Xiao Min, go and report it!"
Chen Lin thought that his second uncle was so impressive! In the past, when tribesmen wanted to see the tribe leader, they didn't even ask for notification. At most, they just asked him at the door.
After a while, the young man came out and said, "Master Paijia asked Master Lin Jiu to come in."
His mood at the moment was quite complicated. Judging from this posture, the second uncle held great power in the village and was obviously a man of his word.
Although Chen Lin is young, he understands the ways of the world. The world is most afraid of "the villain succeeding". Now, the second uncle is truly a villain. He couldn't help but feel nervous, secretly thinking about how he and his father had offended him in the past.
It seems that there is no big offense. After all, when he was stealing silk and satin, he just stopped his errand and still gave him the allowance. But as the elder brother, my father had scolded this brother many times. When the second aunt forced the second uncle to write a letter of divorce, the second uncle went to the ancestral hall and cried and asked the clan elders to come forward. It was his father who said that the matter was his fault. Although the other party's divorce letter was excessive, it was understandable.
The final decision to not come forward was made by the clan elders, but it was Lao Dou who started the process. If the second uncle thinks about this "hatred of seizing his wife"...
Thinking of this, Chen Lin couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. These are troubled times. Once the second uncle has power, there is no guarantee that he will not use it to avenge his personal revenge...
He secretly regretted coming to the ancestral hall to stay overnight, which was too rash! I didn’t consider the key points clearly!
But now it is impossible to say "no" - this will only anger the second uncle. At the moment, I had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow Xiang Yong in.
The inside of the ancestral hall is quite neat, with the ancestral tablets in each room intact, and there are also tribute incense and candles on the altar. It looked like someone was cleaning it. Chen Lin felt a little relieved: Finally, the ancestral hall was safe.
He was taken to the three main rooms in the east cross courtyard - this is where the clan does business, and his father used to come here to do business. The courtyard remains the same now, but things have changed.
Chen Lin's mood was mixed at this moment, but the most important thing at the moment was himself. He calmed down, adjusted his clothes, and walked in.
Second uncle Chen Xuan was sitting upright on the Taishi chair. This well-known libertine of the Chen family is not yet forty, but years of dissolute life have made the skin and flesh on his face loose. Generally speaking, most of the direct descendants of such a large local farming and studying family have good looks, but Chen Xuan has a sinister face. As he gets older, his skin and flesh become sagging, his eyebrows droop, and he looks more sinister and cunning.
After Chen Lin entered, he greeted Li respectfully and called: "Second uncle."
"You're back." Chen Xuan looked at his nephew and saw that he was wearing a white cloth around his waist. He snorted and said, "Did the journey go smoothly?"
"The road went smoothly." Chen Lin thought that since his second uncle had become the leader of the Australians, he might as well brag about it. "Speaking of which, the road was much smoother than in the past. There were local warriors patrolling and standing guard everywhere along the way. The common people seemed to be too. Be quiet. Australians are really good at governing."
"Of course." Chen Xuan was quite proud of his choice. "My nephew comes from Guangzhou. I wonder what the situation is like in Guangzhou?"
"It is worthy of the name of Shanghai Yanheqing." It was obvious that his second uncle liked what he heard, and Chen Lin couldn't care less about the nausea now. "If the world could be like Guangzhou, it would be a rare and prosperous age..."
"Hahaha," Chen Xuan laughed, "My nephew said it well. Australians are indeed amazing!" He stopped smiling and asked, "Tell me about the situation in Guangzhou."
"I wonder what the second uncle wants to hear?"
"You choose the important things to talk about!"
Chen Lin saw that his second uncle liked to listen, so he selected the major events after the Australians entered the city and recounted them one by one. He also talked about the Australians' governance and people management, especially the New Life Movement. Chen Xuan listened fascinated, and Chen Lin talked for almost an hour before being interrupted by him.
"Interesting! Interesting! It seems that what they said is true!" Chen Xuan said with emotion, "I thought it was somewhat exaggerated, but I didn't expect that my nephew came and solved my confusion! Okay! Okay!"
Chen Lin didn't know who the "they" his second uncle meant, nor what was "good" about them. But he immediately thought of what his sister had said: Kun is the one who manages the weaving workshop. The so-called "they" probably refers to these people.
He responded with a random "yes".
Chen Xuan changed the subject and asked, "Have you visited your father's grave?"
"Yes." Chen Lin quickly stood up, "I just regret that I was in Guangzhou at that time, and I couldn't take care of my father's death personally. I had to rely on all my uncles and relatives..."
"My eldest brother died tragically," Chen Xuan said with a sad expression. "The clan and the village were harmed by the rebels, and several elders also passed away. Thanks to the trust of the Australians, now I can only take on this responsibility. It’s a heavy burden.”
"Yes, thanks to my second uncle's hard work, we can keep Nansha Village safe."
Chen Xuan glanced at his nephew and felt secretly proud - you and your son were so polite in the past, how could you ever look at me seriously? Now even a dragon has to be coiled for me!
(End of chapter)
