"This is outrageous! The Zhou Family has gone too far! Father, look at how badly they've beaten my sixth brother!"
The young scholar was not only passionate but also had particularly active tear ducts. As he spoke, tears of anger began to fall.
Lin Yuanshan had certainly seen it. Even with his eyes closed, he knew this little brat wouldn't have fared well at the Zhou Family. But this was his brother's only son, the stubborn fool who insisted on breaking ties with them to return to his mother's family!
Why had he, despite being so angry at the time, still gritted his teeth and handed over all of the second branch's property?
Wasn't it to leave this damned kid a backup plan, to ensure he had money to rely on and wouldn't be bullied at will?
But now, he had been beaten to such a miserable state! This was a descendant of the Lin Family. No matter how worthless he might be, he was still a Lin, and the Zhou Family dared to bully him so casually?!
Lin Yuanshan kicked the broken table leg on the ground again, glaring fiercely at Lin You'an, and asked through gritted teeth:
"I'll ask you one last time, what do you want to do?
If you're still bewitched and believe in that Zhou woman, then get out of here! Go die outside, don't come back and dirty our Lin Family's place.
If you've come to your senses now and want to live a decent life from now on, then give me a straight answer!"
Though his tone was harsh, beneath all the anger was frustration at the younger generation's inability to meet expectations!
Lin Yuanshan was truly at a loss. The two branches of the family had been separated for many years. If this nephew couldn't stand on his own, what right or reason did he, as an estranged uncle, have to seek justice from the Zhou Family on his behalf?
What if this little bastard, swayed by his mother's tears and manipulation, turned around and bit the hand that fed him? Then he, Lin Yuanshan, would be caught between a rock and a hard place!
Their family's reputation had already been tarnished by the Zhou Family's actions. Things had finally started to settle down over the past few months, with people gradually forgetting about the past troubles. Now this brat had come running back to cause more problems.
If it weren't for the brotherly bond he shared with his younger brother, why would he care about this kid's fate?
Lin You'an stood up, his face filled with shame. Hearing his sister's babbling beside him, he raised his flushed face to seek help from his uncle.
"Uncle, I know I was wrong! I want to bring Wanwan back to the Lin Family. This is our true home! Please take pity on your nephew. When I grow up, I will definitely repay your kindness today."
With that, he fell to his knees with a thud.
Bang, bang, bang, he kowtowed hard on the ground three times, immediately causing his forehead to turn purplish-blue.
This was what he owed his uncle's family.
"Sixth brother, what are you doing? Get up quickly!"
Lin Youwen reached out to pull his cousin up, but Lin You'an was determined to kneel and beg for forgiveness. How could he be so easily pulled up?
"Second brother, don't pull me. Let me kneel. It makes me feel better inside."
"Why are you kowtowing so hard? Look at the new injury on your forehead. Why are you so stubborn, child?"
Lin Youwen turned to look at his father, urging him with his eyes to quickly agree.
"Father..." Lin Yousheng opened his mouth to say something, but it all disappeared under his father's glaring gaze.
Lin Yuanshan kept a cold face and said nothing, but his eyes guiltily glanced at his wife.
Lady Liu, who had been sitting silently on the side, felt her husband's gaze and closed her eyes wearily. Even though she was reluctant, she knew that these two children would be staying.
Her husband had always appeared fierce, but he had poured his heart out for his brother for so many years. He wouldn't change just like that. Even if he was furious now, he couldn't possibly ignore his brother's now-fatherless children. She had long gotten used to this damned brotherly love.
She tried her best to console herself.
Although that Zhou woman had always been pretentious and troublesome, her brother-in-law had always been respectful to them. If it weren't for his second uncle's guidance and instruction, Youwen wouldn't have been able to become a lower degree candidate.
Feeling the quiet little girl in her arms, who wasn't crying and was leaning against her without any shyness. She was truly adorable and lovable. After all, she was a child of the Lin Family and knew who her real family was.
Ah, never mind.
It's just feeding two more kids, right? The family already had quite a few children, so one or two more wouldn't make much difference.
Let's consider it as accumulating good karma for future generations.
Lady Liu, having finally convinced herself, opened her eyes and glanced at Lin Yuanshan without much emotion, making him shudder inside.
Despite his tall stature and fierce appearance, nobody knew that he was actually quite afraid of his wife in private.
Lady Liu stood up, holding the little girl.
"You men discuss the rest. I'll take the little girl to bathe and feed her. The room in the south near the woodshed will be for You'an from now on."
This meant she agreed!
Lin Yuanshan's eyes immediately lit up, and he grinned gratefully at his wife.
"Mother!" Lin Yousheng called out, but didn't know what else to say. There were some things that he, as the eldest brother, couldn't say directly in front of his younger brothers. But if he didn't say anything, his wife wouldn't understand his intentions!
Lady Liu was sharp and perceptive. Noticing the difficulty on her eldest son's face, she decided to speak plainly.
"You'an, although you're young, you've always been clever. You should understand the ins and outs of this matter quite well.
I'll be frank with you today.
This family property was redeemed by selling your eldest brother and sister-in-law's marital home in town, and borrowing quite a bit of money from here and there.
So now, your uncle and I can decide to take you in, but we can't just give this property back to you for nothing. My own children and grandchildren need to live too, and we don't have enough money to support your branch of the family.
In the future, if you want to reclaim this house and land, that's fine, but you'll need to exchange it with an equivalent amount of money. Otherwise, don't casually ask for it back. It would ruin the relationship between you brothers.
Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Lin You'an nodded vigorously and kowtowed three more times to his aunt.
"I understand, aunt. Thank you for taking pity on my sister and me. In the future, I will definitely redeem the family property with money, and not let my two elder brothers suffer any loss."
With things said so clearly, what else could Lin Yousheng say? He could only awkwardly pull his cousin up and say a few polite words.
"Sixth brother, I'm not as clever as you and second brother, able to read and write. I can only rely on my physical strength, now working as an escort in a security bureau. It's a job where I risk my life, and I really don't have the financial means to support you. Please understand."
"Elder brother, you're being too kind. This whole situation is entirely my fault, and I can't blame anyone else," Lin You'an responded appropriately, immediately admitting his mistake.
"I'm already incredibly grateful that uncle and aunt are willing to take us in. How could I shamelessly ask my brothers to support me?
However, elder brother and second brother, I will definitely redeem this family property. I hope you both will allow me to do so in the future."
"Alright! As long as you have a plan, feel free to come and redeem it in the future!" Lin Yousheng wasn't the type to bully his brothers, so he agreed promptly. Lin Youwen nodded in agreement without hesitation.
With everything out in the open, they could finally consider themselves truly reconciled.
