Chapter 292
Chapter 292: 286 Chapter Aggressive_1 Chapter 292: 286 Chapter Aggressive_1 Zhao Quan and Zhao Xing had already been so embarrassed by Lin Yue’s veiled mockery that their complexions were rather unsightly. Now, hearing what Lin Yue said, their faces turned even darker. If that were the case, why on earth did they go to such lengths to take this matter upon themselves, only to gain nothing and receive no gratitude? Some things could only be done in secret and not spoken of openly, so they couldn’t refute Lin Yue. They had to think of another plan, as they were absolutely not willing to engage in something that brought no benefits to them.
“Since that’s the case, everyone might as well hand over the silver to me,” Zhao Quan resolved, planning to get the silver first before anything else. Once the money was in his hands, everything else seemed insignificant. Even if he didn’t do as the Lin Family suggested, he could just claim he was too busy with other matters when the time came—who could do anything to him then?
Hearing Zhao Quan say this, no one else saw any need to delay. The silver had to be handed over sooner or later, and since Zhao Quan and Zhao Xing had been chosen to manage the finances and procurement, the money could only be given to them. Procrastination would be futile. However, Lin Yue stopped everyone in their tracks, “Hold on, don’t rush to hand over the silver. We need a witness. Otherwise, when the time comes…”Listening to Lin Yue, Zhao Quan knew this woman had set another trap for him. Losing his patience, he lashed out, “Lin Family, is this enough for you?! Hasn’t everything been made clear? What more do you want? If you keep this up, I’ll wash my hands of this matter. Let whoever cares take over!”
Lin Yue was unfazed by Zhao Quan’s anger. “Third brother, why get so angry? Initially, no one wanted you or fifth brother to handle this matter. You both insisted on taking charge. What does this mean now? If you don’t want to manage it, that’s fine. We can choose someone else, and you can just hand over the silver.”
“Nonsense, I’ve stopped managing it, and you still want me to cough up silver? You think I’m a fool. Dream on!” Zhao Quan knew he couldn’t outreason Lin Yue and defiantly tried to push her into backing down. Zhao Xing took the same stance.
“Third brother, fifth brother, you don’t really believe you can just shirk your responsibilities with words, do you? Since you took your share of father’s estate when we split the family, you should contribute the silver. Otherwise, you can hand back the share you received. The village head and our Zhao Family elders were there to witness during the division. You should remember what father said,” Lin Yue chided.
Although Lin Yue wasn’t present on the day of the division, she had heard the account from Liu’s and Li Xiaomei multiple times. Soft approaches were useless against people like Zhao Quan and Zhao Xing; they needed to be dealt with harshly. Her father had been muddled all his life, but in his last moments, he finally saw clearly and did a good thing for Zhao Dahuo and his wife. With the backup of Zhao Jingen’s words left with the village head and the elders, there was no fear that Zhao Quan and Zhao Xing would really drop their responsibilities unless they were willing to give up their inherited properties.
After Lin Yue finished, Zhao Quan and Zhao Xing looked even more sullen but said no more, evidently cornered by Lin Yue’s words. By now, the village head and several family elders had also arrived, agreeing to witness for the brothers, ensuring that Zhao Quan and Zhao Xing couldn’t deny their obligations later.
Amidst the commotion, Zhao Dahuo and Zhao Cheng were very willing to take out their silver, admiring Lin Yue’s tactics that left Zhao Quan and Zhao Xing without a leg to stand on, forced to follow the rules. Both Zhao Dahuo’s and Zhao Cheng’s spouses were gratified to see Zhao Quan and Zhao Xing reluctantly parting with their silver.
Erhu had seen through Lin Yue’s intentions to outmaneuver Zhao Quan and Zhao Xing from the start and had silently supported her. Seeing Zhao Quan and Zhao Xing glaring at his wife with resentment and anger, Erhu subtly intercepted their gaze, giving them a warning look not to harm his wife, growing more wary of them in his heart.
“Zhao Erhu, it’s time for your family to hand over the silver too,” Zhao Quan pressed, unable to vent his anger sparked by Lin Yue’s maneuvers. “Everyone agreed on two taels of silver per household. You speak so righteously; don’t tell me you’re planning to back out now.”
Seeing that his wife had already smoothly resolved the situation, Erhu was naturally willing to pay and was about to hand over the silver when Lin Yue stopped him. Now Erhu was truly puzzled, “My wife, what’s the meaning of this?”
“Lin Family, what are you trying to do? Don’t want to give the silver now?” Zhao Quan became even more agitated, believing he had caught Erhu and Lin Yue in the act.
“Indeed, I have no intention of giving it. You all received a share of father’s estate. It’s only right that you contribute silver for father’s funeral expenses. However, my family’s Erhu didn’t receive a single cent of father’s property. It was also father’s wish that he needn’t bother with his affairs after he’s gone. He said Erhu didn’t even need to kowtow to him, so naturally, Erhu doesn’t need to contribute. Village head, elders, would you agree that this is fair?”
The village head and the elders knew that Erhu’s family was now well-off and two taels of silver wasn’t a significant amount for them. Yet, no matter what, Jingen was Erhu’s own father. They were somewhat displeased with Lin Yue’s behavior, but she was technically correct, prompting them to nod in agreement with her statement.
Although Dahuo and Cheng had previously supported Erhu, thinking he should not have to contribute the silver, they felt uncomfortable now that Lin Yue had spoken up. After all, Jingen was their father.
“Village head, elders, you’re being unfair. Isn’t this obviously favoritism towards Erhu’s family? We can’t accept this!” Zhao Quan bellowed, accusing the village head and the elders, then turning to Erhu, “Zhao Erhu, you heartless thing, that’s your own father. Your family has earned so much money, yet you refuse to give even two taels of silver for father’s funeral. Has your conscience been eaten by dogs? And Lin Yue, you woman, inciting my second brother to do such an unfilial thing, you truly are a vicious woman! You deserve to be cast out!”
Upon hearing Zhao Quan speak this way about his wife, Erhu was immediately up in arms—accusations aimed at him were one thing, but against his wife, he wouldn’t stand for it! He was about to teach Zhao Quan a lesson when Lin Yue stopped him.
“Third brother, why are you so upset? You make it sound as if my husband is utterly unfilial and beyond redemption. If Erhu were truly unfilial, he wouldn’t have given so much silver to get a doctor for father back then. I remember at that time, second mother and you brothers had all given up on father, leaving him to die. Why didn’t you say Erhu was unfilial then? Later, I didn’t see you contribute anything towards the medicine either. Even if you didn’t contribute any medicine expenses, showing up to care for father for a day or two would’ve been something, yet you never did,” Lin Yue retorted.