I couldn't take it anymore; when I went home for Chinese New Year, the family genealogy book ha

The six tin boxes were left open on the bluestone floor of the ancestral hall.

Bundles of hundred-yuan bills were neatly stacked, each one brand new, gleaming red under the lights of the ancestral hall.

The air was filled with the distinctive smell of new banknote ink.

No one spoke.

Even breathing sounds were almost gone.

Liu Cuifen's eyes widened, her mouth was open and she couldn't close it, and she made a muffled "ho" sound from her throat.

Sun Yumei stuck out her tongue and licked her chapped lips, her gaze fixed on the banknotes, unable to look away.

Jiang Jianwen's black-rimmed glasses slipped down to the tip of his nose, and he stood there frozen, unable to move, as if someone had struck his pressure point.

Jiang Chen walked to the metal box, casually grabbed a wad of banknotes from the top, and threw it on the table without even looking at it.

One hundred thousand yuan.

It's the same as throwing away waste paper.

"The Chu family is offering 50 million for your share, is that right?"

Jiang Chen's tone was as calm as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.

"I'll offer 300 million."

"Three...three what?" Jiang Jianmin thought he had misheard.

"Three hundred million."

Jiang Chen repeated it, holding up three fingers.

"Three hundred million yuan per household to buy out all your homesteads, profit-sharing rights, and clan registration in Jiangjia Village."

Throwing out this number is no different from detonating an atomic bomb in a crowd.

The hundreds of people in the ancestral hall gasped in unison.

The sounds blended together, like a bellows being pulled.

Jiang Jianguo was dumbfounded, staring at his son with his mouth agape, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

Liu Cuifen's legs went weak, and she sat down on the bench next to her with a "thump," her chest heaving violently as she gasped for breath.

Three hundred million.

Three hundred million per household.

Fifty million was a number she never dared to dream of.

Three hundred million?

The calculator in her head had completely crashed.

Sun Yumei's version is even more outrageous.

Her legs were shaking like leaves, and she was gripping Jiang Jianmin's arm so tightly that her nails were digging into his flesh.

"Old...Old Jiang...Third...Third..."

She couldn't even say the word "hundred million".

Jiang Chen didn't give them time to recover.

He turned around and took a stack of printed documents from Attorney Zhou, slamming them onto the table with a "thud".

"But I have one condition."

Jiang Chen's gaze was like a knife, sweeping across the faces of Jiang Jianwen, Liu Cuifen, Sun Yumei, and Jiang Jianmin one by one.

"I accepted the money and signed this document."

"From now on, you will have no further connection with Jiangjia Village."

"They cannot do anything in the name of Jiangjia Village. They cannot enjoy any benefits from Jiangjia Village. They cannot participate in any ancestral worship activities."

"Even if you're begging for food outside, don't say you're from Qingshui Town, Jiang County."

He picked up the stack of 100,000 yuan on the table and patted it upright.

"Move out of the village within three days."

"Get out now. Immediately. Right now."

The last word, "Get out," echoed in the ancestral hall.

The entire room fell silent.

Jiang Jianwen's expression changed repeatedly.

He certainly knew what signing this document meant—extermination of his clan.

In Chinese clan culture, being removed from the family genealogy is more shameful than going to jail. It means being cut off from one's roots and having no way to survive.

After they die, they can't even be buried in their ancestral graves.

Can……

Three hundred million.

Three hundred million!

Is it possible for a person to earn 300 million in their lifetime?

Jiang Jianwen's Adam's apple bobbed up and down several times.

His gaze darted back and forth between the agreement and the metal boxes.

The ancestral hall was so quiet that you could hear the faint sound of tobacco burning in the copper pipe.

"I'll sign."

The first to speak was Jiang Jianmin.

Everyone looked at him.

Sun Yumei tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Old Jiang, have you thought this through? This could mean being kicked out of the family..."

"Fine, let's get going!"

Jiang Jianmin shoved his wife's hand away, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at the banknotes.

"With 300 million, you can be a tyrant anywhere! Who would want this run-down village!"

He rushed to the table, grabbed a pen, and signed his name on the agreement with trembling hands.

"Snapped!"

The handprint was pressed on.

Once the first person took the lead, the others couldn't hold back any longer.

Liu Cuifen was the second to rush up.

She didn't even finish reading the contents of the agreement; her eyes were only fixed on the words "three hundred million yuan." She quickly signed her name and pressed her fingerprint into the paper as if she wanted to.

"Wait! Let me sign first!"

Sun Yumei pushed aside the people in front of her and squeezed to the front of the table.

Those who were hesitant just now are now more anxious than anyone else.

Jiang Jianwen stood there, his lips pressed together until they turned white.

He was an educated man after all, and he thought for a few seconds longer than those fools who only saw money.

But it only lasted a few seconds.

When he saw Liu Cuifen carrying a tin box and walking out with a radiant face, he realized that Liu Cuifen had already picked up a tin box and was walking out.

Jiang Jianwen gritted his teeth and strode to the table.

"I'll sign."

The sound of the pen tip landing on the paper was crisp and clean.

Jiang Haoran has it easier.

He didn't even bother to read the agreement, picked up a pen, drew his name, pressed his fingerprint on it, and turned to leave.

He muttered to himself as he walked, "Three hundred million! I'm rich! Tomorrow I'll buy ten Lamborghinis and drive one every day!"

It took less than ten minutes in total.

All four households have signed.

Attorney Zhou stood aside, expressionless, and carefully put all the legal documents into his briefcase.

Every agreement is legally binding. Every signature and fingerprint was witnessed in person.

Irrevocable.

No going back on your word.

Those families were carrying heavy metal boxes, not even bothering to pack their luggage.

Liu Cuifen, carrying the box in both arms, jogged out of the ancestral hall with her back bent.

One of his shoes was lost while he was running, but he didn't bother to pick it up.

Halfway there, Sun Yumei glanced back at the remaining people in the ancestral hall and muttered, "A bunch of idiots, what future do they have guarding this poor place?"

Jiang Jianwen walked at the very back.

He paused at the entrance of the ancestral hall and glanced back at Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen sat back down in his chair, picked up his teacup, and slowly took a sip.

She didn't even look at him.

Jiang Jianwen's face twitched, then he turned and strode away.

The ancestral hall door creaked shut as Wang Dagou reached out and pushed it shut.

The sound of the wind was kept out.

The remaining few hundred people in the ancestral hall looked at each other.

No one speaks.

The air was so still it felt stifling.

Jiang Mancang squatted in the corner, rubbing the calluses on his hands, and spoke in a muffled voice.

"Brother Chen... is it worth it for you to spend over a billion like this?"

Jiang Chen put down his teacup.

"Uncle Mancang, do you think it's more worthwhile to spend money to remove a few wood-boring insects from a tree, or to wait for them to eat the whole tree to death?"

Jiang Mancang thought for a moment and nodded: "Then... it's more worthwhile to get rid of the bugs."

That makes sense.

Jiang Chen stood up and scanned the faces of everyone in the ancestral hall.

Jiang Jianguo, Jiang Jianping, Jiang Shitou, Jiang Xiaobei, Jiang Huixin, Hu Lahua, Zhou Tiejun, Cao Dachui...

These people include elders, brothers, and business partners from other families.

Without exception, they were all people who had suffered, sweated, and shouldered burdens with him over the past two years.

"Starting today."

Jiang Chen's voice wasn't loud, but every word landed with a resounding thud.

"Those who remain in this ancestral hall are the true members of the Jiang family."

Wang Dagou heard everything clearly at the door. His nose tingled with emotion, and he quickly turned his head away, pretending to look at the scenery outside.

Just then.

An aged voice came from the center of the ancestral hall.

"Brother Chen".

It was Grandpa Jiang Wanshan.

All eyes turned to the white-haired old man sitting in the armchair.

The old man took out a brass key from his pocket.