Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 4: Partial Division
Dusk!

Outside the setting sun, there are thousands of white gulls flying and the water flows around the mountain village.

The assessment ended in the morning. The students took a retreat today and many chose to leave the martial arts hall and go home.

During the first six months, the martial arts hall required them to practice boxing every day. Many students whose families lived in the villages below had not returned home for six months.

Lin Chen wanted to go back to the village, and so did Gu Fei and two other teenagers from the same village.

The four of them went home together, talking and laughing along the way. Everyone had passed the test and no longer felt any pressure. Even Lin Chen found that his steps had become lighter.

When they entered the village, the villagers saw the four of them and greeted them one after another.

"I'm back. How's your study in the martial arts hall?"

"With you bastards gone, our village is a little quieter now."

Fourteen or fifteen years old is the age when children are naughty and playful. Lin Chen and his friends have done many troublesome things in the village before.

However, after half a year of life in the martial arts hall, everyone has matured a lot.

Learning martial arts in a martial arts hall not only represents hope, but also pressure.

Pressure is the best way to make a teenager mature quickly.

"Chenzi, come to my house and have a seat?" Gu Fei asked.

"Forget it, I'll go home first."

"Okay, let's meet at the village entrance tomorrow morning."

After separating from Gu Fei, Lin Chen parted ways with the other two teenagers at the intersection. He did not delay and went straight to his home.

His home is at the end of the village, and one has to walk across most of the village to get there.

When he arrived home, Lin Chen saw his mother drying fishing nets through the fence.

"Mom!" Lin Chen shouted.

"Chen'er?"

Mother Lin was stunned at first, but when she looked up and saw Lin Chen through the fence, her face was filled with surprise.

"You've really grown taller. Your eldest brother told me that you've grown a whole head, but I didn't believe it."

Having not seen her son for half a year, Lin's mother was extremely excited when she saw her little son who was taller than herself, and she kept circling around her son.

The eldest son Lin Liang went to the martial arts hall several times and would tell her about the younger son's situation when he came back.

"You've lost some weight." Mother Lin felt a little distressed.

Lin Chen smiled: "Mom, I am growing now, so I will definitely become taller. It is normal to be thin. Our teacher said that I will be strong in a few months. Dad and big brother are working in the fields?"

"Your father and brother were watering the crops in the fields, why did they come back today?"

"Mom, I miss you."

"You only know how to say nice things to me. If you really miss me, you can only come back once every six months."

Lin's mother was not fooled, but she was very happy about the change in her son. Before going to the martial arts hall, her youngest son had a dull personality, but after going to the martial arts hall, he not only looked cheerful, but also became sweeter.

It’s good to have a sweet mouth, it will be easier to find a wife in the future.

"Have you passed the martial arts hall assessment?"

"Mom, you are really smart. You guessed it all."

Lin Chen flattered her, and her mother said proudly: "You were born by me, how could I not know about the little tricks in your belly? Since you have passed the test, your grandfather should support you in learning martial arts. Wait until the evening when I tell your grandfather about this. You go to the fields to find your father and ask him to get a pot of wine from the village entrance when he comes back. Your grandfather loves to drink."

"Okay, then I'll go see if Dad and Big Brother need any help."

Lin Chen agreed, took the hoe from home, and walked towards his own field.

The father and his two sons were happy to see each other for a while. Lin Chen saw that there was still a small piece of land in the field that had not been irrigated, so he helped to fetch water to irrigate the field, and did not go back until he finished the work.

The father and his two sons returned home, put down their farm tools, and walked towards the ancestral house where their grandfather lived.

The Lin family has not yet split up, and the whole family eats in the ancestral home.

"I was wondering why my sister-in-law took the initiative to cook today. It turns out that Chen'er is back." The woman who was sweeping the floor in the front yard saw Lin Chen come in and spoke with a smile.

"Second Madam." Lin Chen greeted the woman who was sweeping the floor.

"You've grown a lot taller, almost catching up with your father." Second Mother looked at Lin Chen with a smile. Just as she was about to say something else, a little girl walked in from the door, holding a green mud cake in her hand.

"Hey, didn't I tell you not to go to the chicken coop? Why are you still holding onto chicken manure?"

Er Niang couldn't sit still anymore, so she ran over and knocked the chicken manure off the little girl's hands. The little girl just kept giggling, and when she saw Lin Chen, her little eyes showed a strange expression.

"Xiao Xi, don't you recognize Fourth Brother?"

"Four...fourth brother."

My cousin Lin Xi has a habit. When she is thinking about something, she subconsciously wants to put her fingers in her mouth and suck them.

Three or two candies for baby fingers. Babies like to suck their fingers from a young age. Some of them give up the habit when they grow up, while others continue to do so until they are five or six years old.

My cousin still had chicken manure on her hands and her fingers in her mouth, so she was severely beaten by Second Mother. This time she couldn't laugh and burst into tears.

Seeing his cousin crying after being beaten, Lin Chen felt a little embarrassed, but it seemed to have nothing to do with him.

"Why are you crying while eating?"

An old voice was heard, and grandfather Lin Chaoyang came out from the main hall with his hands behind his back. When he saw Lin Chen, he was stunned for a moment, and then shouted to the kitchen: "Chen'er is back, youngest wife, add two more eggs to nourish Chen'er's body."

"Thank you, grandfather. I have been studying in the martial arts hall for six months." Lin Chen revealed some information in his words.

"You only need to learn for six months. It's okay if you are eliminated. Just farm well in the future. If you want to learn a skill, you can also tell your father." The grandfather had a loving expression on his face: "After a few years, it will be time for you to get married."

"Dad is anxious to hold his great-grandson, but unfortunately he has to learn martial arts tomorrow, so I can only count on Hui'er and Chen'er."

At this time, the aunt and uncle also walked in from outside. When the aunt saw Lin Chen, she smiled and said, "Our Chen'er is very handsome. He can marry a good wife."

"Sister-in-law, my Chen'er didn't come back because he was eliminated. He passed the assessment of the martial arts hall and came back to tell everyone the good news."

Mother Lin came out of the kitchen and felt unhappy when she heard what her sister-in-law said. What a pity! My son has to learn martial arts tomorrow. My son can also continue to learn martial arts.

After Lin's mother finished speaking, the main room fell silent.

The eldest and second wives opened their mouths in shock. After a while, the second wife reacted: "I remember that your family didn't give you any money. How can you pass the test? When Lin Ming's strength reached 200 kilograms, it cost three taels of silver."

"So, Chen'er has a talent for martial arts and will definitely be able to achieve success in martial arts in the future."

Second Lady's subconscious words made Mother Lin smile happily, but Lin Chen noticed that the eldest lady's face suddenly darkened.

"That's not the case. My Ming'er reached 200 kilograms of strength in the fourth month in the martial arts hall. Chen'er just came back, so he reached that level this month. There is still a gap."

The old lady's words made Lin Chen's mouth twitch. If she gave herself three taels of silver, he could also reach a strength of two hundred kilograms in four months.

"Besides, even though Dad didn't give any money, my sister-in-law may have given some. Besides, Liang'er has caught fewer and fewer eels in the past few months." The implication was that Lin's mother gave money privately.

"Sister-in-law, what do you mean by that?" Lin's mother was not happy. She put her hands on her hips and said, "What do you mean I gave money? Every month the money in the family is given to Dad. Where did I get the money? Liang'er only makes a few dollars a month catching eels. How can it be compared to the money the family spends on Lin Ming?"

"I'm just worried that some people secretly made money and didn't hand it over. I didn't mention any names, so why should they feel guilty?"

"You didn't mention any names, so you were talking about our family, right?"

"Alright, stop arguing. Why are you arguing in front of the youngsters?"

Grandfather started to scold and looked at Lin Chen. Lin Chen didn't hesitate and said directly: "Grandfather, you said that if your grandson can pass the martial arts hall assessment, your family will support your grandson to learn martial arts."

"Does the family have to support a second person to learn martial arts?"

Before grandpa could answer, Second Mother's voice was full of worry. Her son Huier didn't learn martial arts, and all the family's money was spent on Lin Ming. If Lin Chen was added, wouldn't their family just be working for their eldest brother and uncle's family?

"Second sister-in-law, this is what Dad promised Chen'er, and you didn't object at the time." Mother Lin immediately retorted.

"I'm not against Chen'er learning martial arts." Er Niang explained, "I'm saying that our family really doesn't have that much money. It's okay for Chen'er to learn martial arts. If you want me to look at the money I give to Lin Ming every month, I can give some of it to Chen'er."

Anyway, the family only has so much money, so it doesn’t matter whether it is given to Lin Ming or Lin Chenxue.

"No!" The old lady refused immediately: "Ming'er is in a critical period of martial arts training now. He is about to develop his energy. Now is the time to spend money. I heard Ming'er say that his fellow apprentices' families give him four or five taels of silver a month. Ming'er is sensible and knows that our family does not have that much money, so he did not ask for more."

"Five taels of silver? Even if he dares to ask for it, our family can't afford it." Mother Lin snorted, "It's not that no one in the village practices martial arts. At most, they give up if they can't cultivate their energy in two years. Only our family continues to support them. If others tell others about it, they will laugh at us."

"How can this be a joke? When Ming'er succeeds, he will be the first person in our village in the past three years to have mastered the essence of Qi. The fortune teller also said that Ming'er will be the Lin family's Qilin child."

"If I give the fortune teller ten cents, he will immediately change his mind and say that Chen'er is our family's Qilin child."

"Stop arguing." Grandfather interrupted the quarrel between the two sisters-in-law with a sullen face and looked at Lin's father: "Youngest, take Chen'er to see Master Zhang tomorrow. I will give him half a coin to buy some gifts and take him to become his apprentice. Then he will learn to make bamboo strips from Master Zhang."

Lin Chen's pupils shrank. He didn't expect that his grandfather would disagree.

"Grandfather, my grandson wants to learn martial arts and doesn't want to learn how to make bamboo strips." Lin Chen's attitude was also very firm.

"Silly child, even if you pass the martial arts hall's assessment now, what can you do? Learning martial arts will cost more and more money as time goes by. Your elder brother has spent more than 40 taels so far, and you should have at least 20 taels. The family has already spent all the money for your elder brother to learn martial arts, and you can't borrow money even if you want to."

"Grandfather, your grandson doesn't need so much money."

Grandfather Lin Chaoyang shook his head. It is impossible to estimate the cost of learning martial arts by just talking about it.

Ming'er said at the time that it would only cost twenty taels, but up to now I have spent forty taels.

Three days ago, Ming'er came home from the county and said that there was a secret medicine in the city. After taking it, he would be able to cultivate his essence. However, this secret medicine was very expensive and cost ten taels per dose.

The last money in the house has been taken away by Ming'er.

By the time he has mastered the martial arts skills, his family will have to raise money for the tuition of the martial arts school. By then, he may even have to mortgage the family land deed to borrow money from the bank.

Ming'er has spent so much money on learning martial arts. I can't end up with great skills but not have enough money to pay for the tuition.

"Dad, did Lin Ming make excuses to ask for money again when he came home last time?" Lin's mother seemed to have thought of something, and her eyes moved between grandfather and aunt. Aunt did not dare to meet Lin's mother's eyes.

Mother Lin knew what was going on. She was afraid that Lin Ming had taken all the money in the family. She said coldly, "If Daddy doesn't want to give me the money, I'll go borrow it."

"Sister-in-law, don't be impulsive. You have to pay back the borrowed money." Second Mother objected immediately. The Lin family has not yet split up. If the third sister-in-law borrowed money, their family will have to pay a share of it when the time comes.

"If you are worried that the money will be charged to you, then split up the family!"

As soon as Lin's mother said this, the scene fell silent again. Er Niang's eyes rolled around, and no one knew what she was thinking.

"Third brother's wife, why are you talking such nonsense?" the uncle said dissatisfiedly.

"What's wrong with what I said?" Lin's mother interrupted her uncle and said, "Why is it that only your Lin Ming can learn martial arts, but our Chen'er can't?"

"Isn't this because the family is broke?" The uncle said helplessly, "If we had money, Dad would definitely let Chen'er learn martial arts."

"If you don't have money, go borrow it. Otherwise, why should we give the money we earn to Lin Ming? Now my Chen'er needs to spend money to learn martial arts, and your family is unwilling to bear the cost? Are you the one who gets all the good things in the world?"

Mother Lin's words left the uncle speechless. Seeing this, the aunt interrupted and said, "Third sister-in-law, our family has already borrowed a lot of money, and we can't borrow any more."

"Whether I can borrow the money or not is my business. You don't need to worry about it. I just want to know whether your family recognizes the debt or not."

Mother Lin stared at the aunt with sharp eyes. The aunt felt guilty and did not dare to look at Mother Lin.

Lin Chen saw his silent grandfather and then looked at his aunt's guilty expression, a self-deprecating smile appeared on his face.

He realized that the old lady only wanted to suck the blood of his family and was unwilling to pay for his martial arts training.

As for my grandfather, it was not just because of the sunk cost that he let my cousin continue to learn martial arts, but he was truly partial to me.

"Youngest brother, how can you let your wife talk like this?" Grandfather Lin Chaoyang frowned and looked at Lin's father.

Father Lin pleaded, "Dad, if Chen'er wants to learn martial arts, let him go. We will pay him back if we borrow money."

"What do you know? Learning martial arts is a bottomless pit. Do you think it's just a matter of a few taels of silver? What will your family use to pay you back when the time comes?"

Lin Chaoyang shouted at him, but Lin Chen couldn't help but said coldly: "So, my eldest cousin's martial arts training is not a bottomless pit? May I ask, grandfather, is my eldest cousin the only one who is your grandson?"

"Bastard!"

Lin Chaoyang's face turned pale: "Youngest, this is the good son you taught, and he talks to me like this!"

"No need to talk about my husband and son." Lin's mother was like an angry lion: "As a grandfather, how can you expect a younger brother to be filial to you when your grandfather is biased?"

"Actually, it's a good idea to split up the family. Chen'er wants to learn martial arts, so let my uncle's family figure it out on their own."

Er Niang muttered softly on the side that her family was also being sucked dry by Lin Ming and she had long wanted to split up the family.

Lin Chaoyang glared at his second daughter-in-law and looked at his mother with a cold face: "What if I don't agree to split the family?"

Mother Lin was not afraid at all: "You don't have to divide the family. I will tell the whole village about this ugly thing in our family. As a grandfather, you are biased. You can spend dozens of taels for your eldest grandson to learn martial arts, but you don't give your youngest grandson a penny. Let's see whose people are lost. Let's see if your great grandson can still hold his head up in the village!"

These words touched upon my grandfather's soft spot.

Grandfather Lin Chaoyang's face turned pale, his whole body was shaking, and he threatened: "If you want to divide the family, the land in our family will have nothing to do with your family."

"No, we only want the two acres of land we have reclaimed, and the Lin family's land will be left to your great grandson. Liang'er, Chen'er, let's go. This is no longer our home."

Lin Chen looked at his grandfather deeply, turned around and followed his mother silently. However, his eldest brother Lin Liang suddenly spat a mouthful of thick phlegm on the ground, and he was also full of hatred in his heart.

I originally thought that my grandfather let Lin Ming learn martial arts because Lin Ming had the biggest advantage of learning martial arts early. He also caught eels and sent them to his uncle's house without any regrets. Now it seems that my grandfather only cares about Lin Ming.

He and Chen Di are nothing but grandsons.

"Liang'er, what are you doing?" The uncle's face turned serious.

Lin Liang ignored him and followed Lin Chen, supporting his mother as they walked out of the yard.

"Dad, I am an unfilial son." Father Lin looked at his wife and children leaving, and turned around without hesitation to follow them.

"Asshole, what a bastard!"

Inside the old house, the grandfather's angry voice could be heard from far away...

(End of this chapter)