"Well, that is splendid! Zeguang, your two boys are sitting for the autumn imperial exams this year, aren't they?"
Lin Wangshui made the final pronouncement, though he changed the subject rather abruptly.
Zeguang was still lost in Third Uncle Lin Shisheng's words and failed to react for a moment, so he simply followed the clan patriarch's lead and answered.
"Grand Patriarch, thank you for your concern. We are just letting those two good-for-nothings try their hand at the exams this year to take down their arrogance a bit. Otherwise, they won't know the immensity of heaven and earth."
"That's wonderful! If those two pass as scholars, I will open the ancestral hall for them and give them a dedicated page in the genealogy, so the descendants of our clan can widen their horizons."
With that, Lin Wangshui burst into hearty laughter, excitedly stroking his already sparse beard with his hand.
Only at that very moment did Zeguang catch the underlying meaning. The patriarch was putting him in his place.
Severing family ties did not sound good, and scholars had to cherish their reputations.
Adoption presented no such problem; it could separate the fourth son from the family without causing the clan to lose face.
Third Uncle Lin Shisheng's approach could be described as killing three birds with one stone—no wonder the patriarch was laughing so heartily.
To avoid awkwardness, Zeguang hurriedly stood up and bowed to Lin Wangshui.
"Your grandson thanks Grand Patriarch for your generosity."
"Zeguang! Zeguang! Sit down and speak, sit down. We came to your house, so you are the host."
"Fourth boy, what do you think?"
"I leave everything entirely to the decisions of Grand Patriarch, the clan elders, Second Uncle, Third Uncle, and elder brother."
"Zozong! Zozong! Don't just sit there. Read out the list of items allocated to the fourth boy so everyone can hear."
Lin Zongzong had not expected the matter of severing ties to take such a sharp turn into adoption. It was only when clan patriarch Lin Wangshui called out to him that he snapped back to his senses.
"Right away, Grand Patriarch."
Fifty taels of silver in cash;
Twenty mu of paddy fields;
Thirty mu of dry land;
Three rooms at West Village End;
Five taels of silver for house repairs;
One mule;
One mule cart;
One set each of farming tools and cooking utensils;
Fifty catties of polished white rice;
Twenty catties of white flour;
Fifty catties of coarse grains;
Two catties of soybean oil;
One cattie of salt;
And all the furniture, beds, and other items that the fourth son had used in the West Side Room where he currently lived.
Adoption document;
Genealogy record;
Identity paper application;
Family division document;
......
Everything was drawn up in quadruplicate, with the parties involved and witnesses signing and pressing their fingerprints.
By the time the signatures and fingerprints were finished, two hours had passed. Zeguang originally wanted to keep them for a meal, but since the Lin household was still in the mourning period, the patriarch and the others declined.
After Lin Zezu finished his evening meal, the sky had already grown dark.
Fugui had already confirmed from the other servant boys that his young master was going to sever ties and leave the estate.
Yet since his young master had not brought it up, he did not dare to ask.
With his mind occupied by this heavy matter, Fugui was constantly absent-minded and kept making mistakes while working.
"Fugui, you've lost your soul today. You're all thumbs with everything you do."
Zezu feigned sternness.
With a heavy thud, Fugui dropped to his knees, his neck stiff and his eye rims red.
"Young master, take me with you."
"Where do you think you're going in the middle of the night?"
"Aren't you taking me out of the estate, young master? You said you would let me follow you."
"You heard about it?"
"Yes, it's all over the estate. They say the young master is cutting ties and leaving the family."
"I... I... have no family left in the estate. Please just let me follow the young master out. No matter how bitter or tiring it is, this little servant can endure it."
"Get up and speak. Stop dropping to your knees at every turn. Following me will be much worse than having your next meal uncertain—are you still willing?"
"I am willing. Even if I die out there, at least I'll be a ghost who died of his own free will."
"You rascal, talking such nonsense. Don't worry, I already asked my eldest brother for you yesterday, and he agreed. It's not severing ties from the family, though—it's being adopted out."
Since Zezu regarded Fugui as his only kin in this world, he told him everything that had happened today.
"Then... then... the young master can set up his own household and stand on his own feet outside!"
Fugui was so happy he almost jumped for joy.
For more than ten years, the master and servant had lived under too much oppression and grievance. Being able to be masters of their own destiny was a wild luxury they never dared to imagine.
"Keep your voice down. But we still have to thank Third Uncle for this. If it weren't for his old man coming up with this foolproof method, even if I could leave the estate, I would still be at the mercy of the Old Residence at any time," Zezu mused with emotion.
Zezu was also infected by Fugui's excitement.
As a modern soul, if not for his personal experiences over the past few days, he would never have fully grasped how monumental setting up one's own household truly was to a living person.
"Oh no... Young master, this is terrible!"
"What is it? Why are you so jumpy?"
"That house is unlivable!"
Fugui looked at Zezu's puzzled face, only then realizing he hadn't made himself clear just now.
His young master still did not know the condition of those three rooms at West Village End.
Anxious, Fugui slapped himself across the face a few times.
"Young master, those three rooms at West Village End—they're just three sheds, completely unlivable! They used to be where the family stored green grass and fodder for the livestock."
Hearing Fugui's words, Zezu could not help but smile bitterly.
He had expected his eldest brother not to be all that generous, but he never imagined his brother would actually allot him three fodder sheds.
Even after anticipating the worst, he had still underestimated how dilapidated those three houses were. Who would have thought they were even worse than he had imagined?
No wonder the original owner had such a cowardly and reclusive personality, staying cooped up in the West Side Room day in and day out without ever stepping outside.
He didn't even know all the people in the village, let alone those three fodder sheds located at the very edge of the village, furthest away from everything.
"Heaven won't cut off all our paths. We'll figure it out tomorrow."
Things had already progressed to this point; the only option was to find a way to solve it, and there was no other choice.
After washing up, Zezu lay down on the bed, pondering his plans for the next day.
The processing of the adoption documents, identity papers, and formal declarations would still take some time.
As agreed yesterday, he would only move out of the Lin Family Old Residence once those documents were actually in his hands.
Taking advantage of these few free days, he should start by getting familiar with Linjiang Village.
After all, this village would be the place where he would live his life in the future. Thinking this, he drifted off into a heavy slumber.