A bright smile shone on their fifth great uncle, third great uncle, and his eldest son. Miao Chu He had already discussed the matter with them before, so they were not shocked by his announcement. Nevertheless, hearing Miao Chu He tell everyone about it made them extremely happy, even though they had prepared themselves beforehand. Besides, they had quite a few drinks just now, making their face red with glee and their eyes sparkling with joy.
So, this was the idea that Mr Wu had given my uncle! It’s terrific! Lu Xiao Shu cheered as she thought to herself.
With this, everyone in the Miao Family’s village would thank my uncle, and his reputation would be significantly improved! Who cares if my uncle had any issues with Madame Xia when everyone in the clan would definitely side with my uncle? Madame Xia and her son wouldn’t dare to cause more trouble for him anymore!
Even though the riches still would not be in my uncle’s possession, at least he gave it away in exchange for the clan member’s gratitude. That was far better than having to put up with Madame Xia and her son’s evil heart. They would take everything without thanking my uncle and complain that it was too little.
Lu Xiao Shu excitedly watched the drama unfold itself, thinking that if Madame Xia knew there would be more drama after she left, wouldn’t she badly regret leaving so soon?
While everyone was still shocked by the big news, Miao Tian Bao was the first to get back to his senses as he exclaimed furiously, “What is this? No way! I will NOT allow it!”
He had been watching everything placed in the ancestral hall greedily. They were already so far yet so close, now that the money was almost within his reach, he could not sleep peacefully at night. It was all because he was afraid that they would be taken by some shameless people, causing his family to suffer the losses.
Unexpectedly, Miao Chu He made a charity show and gave them all away! His nightmare immediately became true in the blink of an eye. All of the riches were now no longer his.
How could Miao Tian Bao hold back his anger? Therefore, he yelled without a second thought.
At that moment when everyone was still stunned in silence, Miao Tian Bao’s rage-filled voice rang across the hall ear-piercingly. Everyone turned their attention to him, and all of a sudden, there was a “boom” of chatter. Everyone was discussing how kind and understanding Miao Chu He was.
No one had realised what Miao Tian Bao shouted just then. Since the matter was not his to decide, Miao Chu He’s words were final.
“Everyone, quiet down!” Their third great uncle cleared his throat and raised his palm as a signal for them to stop chatting. He happily smiled at Miao Chu He, “Oh, Chu He! You’re such a good man who never forgets his roots! We thank you for your good deed, and we will never forget it. It’s no wonder that your studies are about morality since you truly are the pride of the Miao Family! This news must be recorded as our clan’s history. We must let the descendants of the Miao Family know about this!”
“That’s right! Chu He is a very generous man!”
“If you need any help in the future, just name it, and we’ll be there!”
Everyone agreed with his third great uncle as they nodded and praised Miao Chu He continuously.
Miao Chu He had expected everyone’s gratitude, but he had never imagined that they would go so far. He was suddenly overwhelmed by the crowd, but he stayed respectful and polite.
When Miao Tian Bao saw that no one took notice of him, he grew angry and yelled, “What gives? These all belong to my family! Why should they be given to the clan?”
“Insolence!” His third great uncle’s smile dropped as he snapped, “Miao Tian Bao! How dare you! Chu He is the one who achieved a Juren, and the head of your family is also Chu He! Are you in the position to sprout such nonsense? Know your place!”
“Yeah! He and you are brothers! What a contrast in their attitude— tsk tsk!”
“Hmm, they have different mothers. Of course, they wouldn’t be the same!”
“He’s so shameless! Compared to our Juren, he’s such a terrible man!”
“Scoundrel!”
“Outrageous!”
Jeers filled the hall as everyone glared at Miao Tian Bao with disdain.
Miao Tian Bao’s lungs could have exploded from rage. Was he outrageous? He was merely protecting his family’s belongings, which was only natural! All these people were the outrageous ones! They had the audacity to want a claim on his family’s things!
“You’re the outrageous one! All of you!” Miao Tian Bao was so provoked that he had lost his sense of rationality. He scoffed coldly, “Of course, you would call me names and disagree with me! You get to have my things and enjoy your life. Only idiots would disagree with that! Since all of you are so on board with it, why don’t you donate everything from your homes! Outrageous? You’re all hypocrites! Don’t think that I have no idea about how selfish the whole lot of you are!”
Of course, everyone was on board with it, but they felt ridiculed by Miao Tian Bao’s taunts. One by one, they yelled and screamed, pointing their fingers at Miao Tian Bao as they jeered at him.
“Watch your words!”
“Oh, is it your turn to speak yet? Do you think you can overwrite the decision made by our Master Juren?”
“What nonsense!”
His third great uncle, fifth great uncle and other elders were so furious that their faces grew red, and they were speechless. Miao Tian Bao had ruined a joyful celebration, sowing hate in every attendee, yet it wasn’t that easy to retort his outburst.
“Miao Tian Bao, that’s enough!” The only person with the right to speak up was Miao Chu He. He roared and coldly glared at Miao Tian Bao, “How dare you have the guts to disrespect the elders? Do you not have any respect? Kneel and plead for forgiveness now!”
He turned around and bowed towards the elders with respect, “Third great uncle, fifth great uncle, and all the other elders, Tian Bao had crossed the line without knowing what he just said. Please forgive him! Apparently, those who never studied cannot be reasoned with, but if he understood courtesy and has common sense, he would never have said such a thing! To make sure the elders’ sincerity and efforts to him don’t go to waste, we must build a school as soon as possible!”
“Chu He is right! I think it’s quite an urgent matter. I feel so guilty for not starting one earlier. We did have the idea, but we could’ve never done it without funding from Chu He. This will benefit everyone, but unexpectedly, this man has the audacity to say something so outrageous!” His third great uncle sighed heavily and glared at Miao Tian Bao, “You shameless creature! You’ve done so many ill acts before this. Reflect upon yourself and ask yourself how many times you have kneeled before the ancestors in this hall! Such a scoundrel! Chu He is the head of your family, while what you did is disrespectful! Why are you still standing there? Get on your knees now!”
How could Miao Tian Bao follow orders when he had just been terribly humiliated? Since things could not get any worse for him, he felt like they were always ganging up on him and making his life difficult on purpose. He yelled angrily at them, “Bloody old man! Who do you think you are? I haven’t said anything wrong! Why don’t you admit it? You old fools just want my family’s money! All of you—”
“Take him down now! Someone gag him!” Miao Chu He bellowed without letting Miao Tian Bao finish his sentence.
It had been long since everyone’s expression turned pale. The patriarch made a sign, and a group of strong men rushed forward, tackling Miao Tian Bao down. They did not have a cloth, but there was an oily old rag. They did not hesitate to grab it and stuff it in Miao Tian Bao’s mouth. The disgusting smell of the rag made Miao Tian Bao nauseous as he crossed his eyes.
Meanwhile, Lu Xiao Shu was silently laughing as she watched the spectacle. Miao Tian Bao is such a talented clown! He must have knocked his head so hard that his brain got dented, or else how would he do something so dumb?
It feels like he’s trying to make an enemy of everyone by saying something like that in front of the entire village. If his accusations were just to a random clan member, they would at most curse him and leave him alone. However, he offended the elders, and that would be landing himself and his mother in hell! Apparently, Mr Wu is a genius. His simple idea is so fantastic that the effects are so extreme, freeing my uncle from his worries.
“It’s my fault that my foolish brother is disrespectful! I even have to get help from the elders to teach him so that he would not make a fool out of the Miao Family’s village.” Miao Chu He added.
His third great uncle nodded and replied strictly, “This is something we’re supposed to do. Escort Miao Tian Bao to the ancestral hall and lock him in the wing-room. We’ll deal with him later.”
Everyone agreed, and Miao Tian Bao was dragged out of the hall.
Without the clown’s disturbance, the atmosphere quickly resumed its harmony and happiness. Everyone was on the same page, and they had the same goals. Only those who were crazy would bring up the unfortunate scene that just happened.
The elders were worried that once Miao Tian Bao was gone, Madame Xia would come back to cause more trouble. Thus, they ended the ceremony as fast as possible and dismissed everyone except Miao Chu He to discuss the distribution of the money and properties.
Miao Chu He only had one request, which was to build another house in Feng Ye Village. His excuse was that Mr Wu was very knowledgeable, and he could learn from Mr Wu if he stayed at Feng Ye Village. In a few years, he would work hard for an excellent result in the next examination.
Supposedly, Miao Chu He was able to participate in the Metropolitan Examinations next year. However, his mentor suggested that he took a few more years to study and strengthen his basics, tackle his weaknesses, and achieve another success. After all, it would not be a simple task to travel to the capital too.
Now that he had achieved a Juren, he could finally catch his breath as he was exhausted. Besides, he wanted to spend more time with his wife, sister, and brother-in-law, so he followed his mentor’s advice.
The elders knew his excuse to stay in Feng Ye Village was because he did not want to live with Madame Xia and Miao Tian Bao. After what had happened today, they obviously sided with Miao Chu He. Besides, to be fair, they would surely not want to live with both mother and son if they were in Miao Chu He’s shoes. How would he be able to concentrate on his studies if he had to put up with them every day?
