Chapter 2: The Decision

“Recently there have been two incidents here in Xinyu, and even more in Raoshan, with five incidents, all suffering during the day,” Lin Hongzhen whispered, her expression solemn.

“Is Elder Uncle and Elder Aunt preparing to move into the Inner City?” Lin Hui suddenly asked.

He remembered that Lin Hongzhen’s parents were business people in the town, and their family was better off than his. Furthermore, Lin Hongzhen herself was an apprentice at the Sha Yue Great Pharmacy, earning a good wage, so moving into the Inner City was a real possibility.

“Yes, soon. Many towns have recently had door-crashing ghosts, and my parents plan to move into the city to avoid them,” Lin Hongzhen nodded slightly. Her relationship with Lin Hui was decent; they played together quite a bit when they were young, and she was one of the few family members in the Lin clan who was still willing to interact with them.

“Things aren’t peaceful lately. Be careful yourself and stop joining in on all the excitement,” Lin Hongzhen warned again.

She was about to continue, but a girl with goat-horn braids tapped her from behind to say hello.

“Xiao Qin, is that you?” She turned, her face brightening, and immediately started chatting with the girl.

Lin Hui, who was about to ask something else, decided not to speak up. He noticed that the girl, who looked fifteen or sixteen, was dressed in extremely revealing clothing: a white tube top and a leather mini-skirt that only covered her thighs. She wore a simple snakeskin belt around her waist, typical of the Inner City style. A brown wavy short knife was strapped to the outside of her thigh.

Finally, he took one last look at the bloodstains in the courtyard before turning and silently leaving.

He continued along the dirt road toward the town, and before long, his back disappeared around the bend.

The young girl then glanced over in his direction and looked at Lin Hongzhen.

“Your younger brother?”

“Yes, a cousin, from the Fourth Branch. Just an honest kid,” Lin Hongzhen nodded. “For this selection, do you think he has a chance to be chosen? His family’s circumstances aren’t great, and you know the situation lately; staying in Xinyu isn’t an option.”

“His looks aren’t up to par. You know how the Yugong selection works—looks are prioritized first. If you don’t have the looks, you at least need to bribe your way in…” The girl shook her head. “To be honest, among your Lin family, only Lin Hongyu could be chosen based on her aptitude. As for the rest…”

“Don’t mention Lin Hongyu; just hearing that name annoys me. But what about my cousin? Could you perhaps bring him in as a runner where you work? He’s starting to look for things to do lately,” Lin Hongzhen probed.

“Why don’t you suggest he go work as an official in the Chen Family?” The girl looked speechless. “Aren’t you clear on the situation inside Sha Yue?”

Lin Hongzhen gave an awkward laugh.

“It’s mainly because he’s this age, and we get along well, so I wanted to find a path for him too.”

Lin Hui was quite a well-known figure in the Lin family. His parents were famously doting, providing him with good food and drink since childhood and unwilling to send him away to suffer and learn a trade. Now that he was older, they realized the urgency.

In an average family, a child should be sent out to learn a skill before the age of ten. The Lin family was a large clan with many members, and Lin Hui’s father had a decent income, at least qualifying as a steward. He doted on and spoiled his only son.

In the eyes of others, the reluctance to send him out to learn a trade was already seen as excessive pampering.

And now…

Lin Hongzhen shook her head internally. Even she had been sent out as an apprentice runner at the age of ten. Now, after seven years, she had finally gained the qualifications to officially become a regular member of the Sha Yue Cult last year.

In Tu Yue, there were only three paths for a commoner to make a name for themselves:

Selection by the Government (Yamen), selection by Sha Yue, or selection by the Chen Family.

If none of these three paths worked, they could only farm or become a shop assistant and learn a trade.

If neither of those worked, it led to Lin Hui’s current situation, where he would have to sell his labor or take dangerous jobs just to make a living.

Essentially, in the eyes of the poor, Lin Hui was already the only son of a steward, a young master who had completely escaped a poor family background.

In Xinyu Town, he could barely be considered a minor second-generation rich kid.

Therefore, Lin Hui’s father would never want his only son to take dangerous paths.

Lin Hongzhen was very aware of this.

Xinyu Town, Xinyu Oil Workshop.

In a dark corner, sticky with grease, large oil drums were lined up neatly like soldiers in formation.

Lin Shunhe, Lin Hui’s father, his eyes bloodshot, was quietly stuffing a heavy gray money pouch into the hands of a pot-bellied old man in an official-style coat.

“Elder Chen, what about that quota to move into the Inner City?”

“The goods are good, and the job was done beautifully. Don’t worry, Little Lin, I’ve already passed the message along.” The old man smiled faintly.

Lin Shunhe’s heart jumped upon hearing this. He gritted his teeth and pulled out another silver-edged money pouch he kept close to his body, handing it over.

This was his retirement savings, originally intended to be his and his wife Yao Shan’s nest egg for retirement in the Inner City. But now, he couldn’t worry about trifles.

His son had been at home idle and muddled for over a year. If this continued, he would surely be ruined.

If he could get him a job as an employee in the Chen Family, it would be worth the immense effort he had put in. It was known that going from an entry-level apprentice or helper to an employee takes at least seven or eight years. His private order and the savings he was handing over now would save him those seven or eight years.

Everyone in all of Tu Yue knew that the Chen Family’s benefits were top-notch. As long as one could get into the Chen Family, the minimum benefit was living in the Inner City, guaranteeing basic safety.

“Now, now, there’s no need for this formality, is there? But managing the connections up and down also requires expenses. Brother Lin, rest assured, I’ll take care of this matter.” Elder Chen’s smile widened. He opened the pouch for a quick look and weighed it in his hand.

“Just bring the person over later. It’s Lin Hui, correct?”

“Yes, exactly.” Lin Shunhe nodded repeatedly.

“Alright, I’ve made a note.” Elder Chen nodded. “It’s getting late. I’ll go have a meal now. You can bring him to Chen Family Fortress, Gate Three, probably tomorrow afternoon. That’s the gate where you can see the Haoyi Tower from outside. Don’t go to the wrong one.”

“Understood, I’ll be on time!” Lin Shunhe quickly replied.

Watching Elder Chen slowly and leisurely walk out of the oil workshop’s storage area with his hands clasped behind his back, a massive stone was finally lifted from his heart.

Although he had spent years of savings and even his retirement funds in one go, as long as his son could get in and become respectable, money could always be saved up again with hard work in the future.

Lin Hui wandered around the town.

The entire Xinyu Town was a miniature town shaped like a comb, formed by five intersecting streets. The so-called streets were actually just ordinary, compacted dirt roads.

The town’s main industries were the dozen or so workshops: the Oil Workshop was just one of them, along with the Clothing Workshop, Tannery, Grain Workshop, Fruit Workshop, and so on.

Aside from the workshops were the residential houses, which were either square earthen houses or stone-walled courtyards.

The only thing that left a deep impression on Lin Hui was a dilapidated temple he passed by on the roadside.

He didn’t enter the broken temple, only peered through a hole in the ruined wall from outside. Nothing was enshrined inside; there were just rows of mutilated clay sculptures of children.

The dark, muddy sculptures were exquisitely crafted and lifelike, looking exactly like rows of children under three years old sitting cross-legged inside the temple, their faces full of smiles.

But because they were mutilated, the sight was particularly eerie.

This was also the reason he dared not go inside.

As it slowly approached noon, Lin Hui turned to go home. On his way back, he looked toward the outside of the town from afar.

White mist permeated the area, a gray expanse where nothing could be clearly seen or discerned.

The mist enveloped everything in this world. People could only survive by clustering around the giant city to gain access to the ‘Mist-Free Zones.’

Sighing, Lin Hui quickened his pace, hurrying back. Just as he was about to reach the Lin family compound.

He happened to encounter three or four Lin family members respectfully sending off a pot-bellied old man.

Standing at the front of that group was none other than the Lin family patriarch, Lin Chaoyi.

The old patriarch, now over seventy, was the current leader of the Lin family. At this moment, he leaned on his jujube-red cane, his complexion rosy, his silver hair neatly combed back. His usual stern face was now exceptionally gentle.

He was carefully holding the hand of a pretty young girl next to him, continuously speaking to the pot-bellied old man.

Seeing Lin Hui return, the old patriarch paused his conversation, then patted the young girl’s arm one last time.

“This matter is settled,” the old patriarch declared decisively.

“But… wouldn’t this be inappropriate? This is the quota that my old friend Lin Shunhe fought for…” The pot-bellied old man was Elder Chen, who had just come from the oil workshop. He hadn’t expected that immediately upon leaving, he would be invited by the Lin family’s old patriarch, who had been waiting outside. The patriarch didn’t hesitate to give him a larger sum of money as a bribe, with the sole request being to switch the quota to Lin Hongyu, who was also a Lin family member.

The patriarch’s bribe was larger, so Elder Chen was naturally happy to agree. However, this quota was obtained by Lin Shunhe at a life-threatening risk, secured from the young master. If he changed it like this…

“There’s nothing inappropriate. We are all Lin family members, and I am the patriarch; all matters, big and small, are decided by me,” Lin Chaoyi stated firmly. “I didn’t expect Shunhe to succeed before. Now that he has, such a great opportunity to enter the Chen Family would be a waste if given to Xiao Hui. It should only be given to Hongyu. With her talent and perseverance, if she develops well in the Chen Family and achieves a high status, she can then pull Xiao Hui up later. That is the greater path and the optimal choice for the entire Lin family.”

“What about Shunhe?”

“I’ll talk to him. I am his father! If he dares not listen, this cane isn’t for nothing!” Lin Chaoyi said in a deep voice.

Elder Chen glanced at this group of Lin family members and shook his head internally. It seemed this family had been waiting here all along, aiming to exploit Lin Shunhe’s family.

Ruthless.

However, this was an internal matter of the Lin family. He only needed to receive the benefit, and the rest was none of his business. After all, he had fulfilled the quota for the Lin family.

Seeing Lin Hui slowly approach at this moment, the old patriarch lowered his voice and spoke a few more words to Elder Chen before sending him off to board the carriage on the roadside.

The group walked past Lin Hui, pushing him aside. After sending the man off, the old patriarch turned and looked at Lin Hui. He scrutinized his skinny body and lifeless eyes, then snorted coldly and led the others back into the courtyard.

Lin Hongyu and her father, Lin Shuntao, were also in the group seeing the guest off. Lin Shuntao looked at Lin Hui and felt a little embarrassed about taking his quota, so he quietly nudged his daughter.

“Go say hello to your cousin; you should be closer in the future.”

“If you want to go, you go. I’m not going,” Lin Hongyu turned and said impatiently. “I have to temper my mind every day; how do I have the time to wander around like him? It’s not like I owe him something. The worst is that I’ll pay him back double later.”

Seeing her father try to urge her again, Lin Hongyu grew even more impatient.

“Don’t push me. He’s incompetent himself. If he has an opportunity and can’t grasp it, who is there to blame?”

The group returned to the courtyard amidst their bickering, leaving Lin Hui watching everything with confusion, feeling that something was amiss.

The people opposite didn’t speak loudly, and he was too far away to hear what they were saying.

Now seeing everyone returning, he also entered the courtyard. He was genuinely tired after wandering for so long.

BANG!!!

“What!! You gave Xiao Hui’s quota to Hongyu!!??”

A teacup was violently smashed against the wall.

Lin Shunhe, Lin Hui’s father, his face contorted in rage, stood up, covered in hot tea.

He was trembling all over, glaring at the patriarch Lin Chaoyi, who was seated in the main hall. His chest heaved rapidly like a bellows.

“That was the quota I fought for with my life for my son!!”

He stared at Lin Chaoyi, emphasizing every word.

“How dare you??”

“Are you trying to rebel!?” Lin Chaoyi also stood up abruptly, smashing a teacup onto the floor.

“I am your father! What’s wrong with using some of your things!? What’s wrong!? I raised you, and this is how you repay your old man!?”

Lin Chaoyi roared furiously, walking step by step toward Lin Shunhe, leaning on his cane.

“What’s the matter? Have you grown balls!? Dare to smash things in front of your old man!? Got guts now!?”

He grabbed Lin Shunhe’s arm and forced it toward his own head.

“Come on, if you’ve got the guts, come and hit me! Come and hit your father! I’m standing right here! Hit me if you dare!!”

“HIT ME!!” Lin Chaoyi’s roar shook the entire hall.

Their arms were locked in a tight struggle, veins bulging on their dark skin.

Lin Shunhe’s face was flushed purple, his eyes blood-red, staring intently at his father.

His fist was clenched tightly, but he didn’t move it.

“The quota has been submitted for Hongyu! The Chen Family has already admitted her! Accept it. It cannot be changed anymore. All you need to do is face the facts! Help Hongyu develop and grow strong in the Chen Family, and then she will have a chance to pull your son up later! At that time, two people from our Lin family can enter the Chen Family—that is a truly beneficial outcome for the entire family!!” Lin Chaoyi’s tone softened slightly, seeing that he had suppressed his son, and he began to explain coldly.

Lin Shunhe kept his fists tightly clenched, looking at his father’s face full of “admonishment.” The disappointment and sorrow in his heart were almost overflowing.

From childhood to adulthood, he had never received any support from his father. Any benefits almost always went to Hongyu’s family. Even his current position as the Oil Workshop Steward was a benefit he earned himself after an accidental appreciation from a nobleman in the Yamen.

He had originally thought he could just endure it for himself; after all, he was his father, and life would pass. But he never expected that the quota he fought for with his life for his son would be so calculatingly targeted and snatched by this old man!!?

The more Lin Shunhe thought about it now, the angrier and more aggrieved he felt.

Lin Chaoyi in front of him was still rambling on, saying that Lin Shunhe should prioritize the entire Lin family. As long as the family as a whole became stronger, it would be of immense benefit to everyone. He shouldn’t hold resentment because of a temporary sacrifice…

“AH!!!”

Suddenly, Lin Shunhe fiercely flung away his father’s hand, pointed his finger at him, clenched his jaw, and trembled all over.

“From childhood to adulthood, I have never relied on you for anything! I tolerated it when you sacrificed me before, but now you’re sacrificing my son!! Fine!! From this day forward, my family of three—Lin Shunhe, my wife, and my son—will have nothing to do with your Lin family!! No more connection!!!”

He roared with all his strength, then turned and walked away without looking at the red-faced Lin Chaoyi.

“You!!” Lin Chaoyi pointed at him, too angry to speak a complete sentence. “Ungrateful son!! You… ungrateful son!!”

BANG.

The door of the main hall was slammed open. Lin Shunhe strode out and quickly disappeared around the corner of the courtyard.

Only Lin Chaoyi remained where he stood, gnashing his teeth and gasping for air. But he didn’t dare call anyone, as this matter was indeed disreputable on his part. If it were to spread, it would have a negative impact on him and the entire Lin family.

“But what did I do wrong!? Everything I did was for the Lin family, for everyone!” Lin Chaoyi gritted his teeth and gasped.

(End of Chapter)