To draft the docunt, the presence of these witnesses alone would have sufficed; however, for a village matter, Lian Shouxin felt it was best to also invite the Lizheng, both neighboring families, several village elders, and Master Shanyuan, the Abbot of the temple at the head of the village.
That he required so many witnesses to attest to the matter indicated that subconsciously, he was wary of being entangled again.
The onlookers outside had not yet dispersed at this ti, and upon hearing that witnesses needed to be summoned, so enthusiastic villagers volunteered to run errands. Most of the witnesses were within the village, so even within the crowd of onlookers, so in a short while, all had arrived.
For penning the docunt, they did not trouble anyone else and simply asked Shopkeeper Wu for help. The Lian Family had frequent dealings with Shopkeeper Wu and knew that he wrote with fine penmanship and had a great skill in choosing words.
While a table and paper were being prepared, Wang Youheng and Scholar Wang struck up a light conversation. Soone from the Wang Family had recently been promoted, so everyone congratulated the uncle and nephew,
"Thanks to the high yield of sweet potatoes, both my eldest brother and another uncle of mine were granted promotions. Today, I am visiting my uncle here to discuss when we might head back to the county town to celebrate. It just so happened I passed through here..." Wang Youheng said with a smile.
Scholar Wang nodded with a smile.
"My elder brother has been practicing dicine for many years and has made many good connections. This promotion indeed relies on my brother’s good relations," Scholar Wang comnted, referring both to the origin of the sweet potatoes and indirectly to the gratitude owed by the Lian Family.
"In truth, much of the credit goes to Fourth Uncle Lian. When talking about the contributions, his should be considered the greatest. Had he not planted the sweet potatoes, the ones we harvested would have been consud simply as a novelty, and we wouldn’t have this rit today... It’s just a pity that Fourth Uncle Lian doesn’t have any official title, and Wu Lang and Xiao Qi have just started school and are too young. To grant such a favor..." Wang Youheng lightly tapped his fingers on his teacup, making his point clearer.
The people inside the room had a mont of realization, and they couldn’t help but look at Lian Shouren.
"...This... For my Jiansheng title and this position, I owe thanks to my in-laws of the Song surna, who had planned for this long ago, and only today has it finally co to fruition," Lian Shouren said with a cough, joining the conversation.
Everyone nodded, acknowledging that Lian Shouren had indeed made a good marital connection, and the conversation moved on to other topics.
Once the table, chairs, and papers were ready, Shopkeeper Wu prepared to write and naturally turned to consult Old Master Lian and Lian Shouxin. Lian Shouxin was firm that all property obtained from the division should be reserved for taking care of Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou in their old age.
Shopkeeper Wu duly wrote this down and then looked up at Old Master Lian.
"Old Master, do you have any other requirents?" he asked.
"No," Old Master Lian said, his mind uneasy beneath the gaze of all. "...These past years have been tough on Old Fourth and his family. I had intended... ah, never mind. The prosperity that Old Fourth has built since the division, it’s all been of his family’s doing; we haven’t contributed at all. We are still able-bodied; why would we need to be taken care of? With Old Fourth showing such filial piety, we are more than content."
Shopkeeper Wu wrote a few more lines on the docunt, then handed it over for Old Master Lian, Lian Shouxin, and the assembled witnesses to review. Shopkeeper Wu’s writing was clear, highlighting how Lian Shouxin had fulfilled his filial obligations. But he had also phrased things diplomatically, maintaining the Lian Family’s dignity. After reviewing, everyone nodded their heads.
Old Master Lian, Lian Shouxin, together with Lian Shouren, Lian Shouyi, Lian Shouli, and several other corroborative witnesses, all placed their handprints on the docunt.
"Shouldn’t we also have the matriarch review this?" Shopkeeper Wu then said, "If Lady Zhou has any requests, she can still voice them now. With so many present, we could ensure her satisfaction too."
Old Master Lian’s face soured slightly. He had stated nurous tis that he was the one to decide on family matters, but clearly, the crowd did not have faith in him.
"...What does she know, always causing trouble. The matter is settled as is," Old Master Lian declared.
"Let’s still inform my mother," Lian Shouxin interjected.
The docunt was handed over to Lian Shouren to present to Lady Zhou for her review.
"If the matriarch has any requests, she can voice them now. If she’s satisfied, then she can put her handprint on it as well," the crowd said one after another.
Lian Manman nodded to herself; this task had to be entrusted to Lian Shouren. If he wanted to maintain face and assu his new position smoothly, he had to prevent Lady Zhou from causing any further disturbances and ensure she handprinted the docunt.
As the eldest son, Lian Shouren couldn’t shirk the responsibility. He took the docunt and swiftly returned, having secured Lady Zhou’s handprint.
Indeed, Lian Shouren’s words carried weight with Lady Zhou; Lian Manman thought to herself.
User Comments
0 comments from readers