Chapter 550: Money for a Memorial Hall
Chapter 550: Money for a Memorial Hall
After climbing Mount Heng, Lu Jiaxin returned to her hometown.
As she neared Lu's village, she recalled her previous visit. The last time she had come home, she could only borrow a cart, but this time, she had upgraded to a car for her trip back.
It was already past four in the afternoon when Lu Jiaxin arrived. At this time, most of the villagers were busy in the fields, except for a few children playing. Upon spotting the car, they gathered around curiously.
Lu Jiaxin took out a bag of candies and distributed them to the children. As soon as the children got their treats, they ran back home. Lu Jiaxin's uncle's house didn't have enough space to accommodate the drivers, so they drove to a hotel in the county town and would return the next morning.
When Lu Jiaxin reached her uncle's house, she found the door open and called out, "Uncle, Aunt..."
Soon, a person emerged from the house, yawning widely as they stepped out. Upon seeing Lu Jiaxin, she exclaimed in surprise, "Jiaxin, when did you get back? Why didn't you call us before coming?"
Lu Jiaxin had intentionally avoided calling ahead; otherwise, she would have been greeted by the entire village, perhaps even the county leaders. After the incident in Yixian, she wanted to avoid any dealings with local officials.
"Where's my uncle and aunt?" Lu Jiaxin asked.
Lu San'er's expression changed, and she replied awkwardly, "Your uncle went to the county for some business, and your aunt... she went to gather pig grass."
She had intended to say that her mother-in-law was visiting a neighbor but found herself unable to lie under Lu Jiaxin's piercing gaze.
Lu Jiaxin's face darkened. Her seventy-year-old aunt was out gathering pig grass while her lazy forty-something daughter-in-law was taking a nap indoors.
Lu San'er tried to justify herself, "I told her not to go, but she wouldn't listen..."
Facing Lu Jiaxin's sharp eyes, she stumbled over her words, "I-I'll go find her and bring her back now."
Before Lu Jiaxin could say anything, Lu San'er scurried off.
Miao Na smiled and said, "I've heard that mainland daughters-in-law are often bullied by their mothers-in-law. But look at your aunt, who's in her seventies, going out to gather pig grass while her daughter-in-law sleeps soundly indoors. It's quite the opposite of what people say!"
"San'er is lazy," Lu Jiaxin acknowledged, "but my aunt insists on doing it herself. It's not her daughter-in-law's fault."
Miao Na snorted, "How can you say that? If she had gathered the pig grass properly, your aunt wouldn't have to go out in this hot sun. Boss, I think there might be something wrong with the feng shui of the Lu family. Your third aunt is lazy, and I've heard that your second aunt's daughter-in-law, Xiangye, was also very lazy."
"Xiangye is a thing of the past, let's not bring her up again," Lu Jiaxin said firmly.
Before her aunt returned, Lu Jiaxin's seventh grand-uncle arrived. He had heard about the candies Lu Jiaxin gave to his great-grandson, who then shared them with his sister. Curious, he had come to see if it was indeed Lu Jiaxin who had returned.
Lu Jiaxin recognized him from her previous visit, when her uncle had specially brought her to meet him. "Seventh Grand-uncle, what brings you here?" she asked.
It was unusual for him to be out and about without the assistance of a younger family member.
The seventh grand-uncle smiled and said, "I heard you were back, so I came to see you. Jiaxin, you are the pride of our Lu clan."
Lu Jiaxin immediately became alert. She knew that flattery often preceded a request. When she was younger, her grandmother would constantly boast about her father's business, and word would spread throughout the village. As a result, even distant acquaintances would come to borrow money.
"I haven't done anything special," Lu Jiaxin said humbly.
Her seventh grand-uncle found her modesty endearing. "Because of you, our Lu clan has prospered. Now all the children can go to school, and last year, six of them got into university!"
"There are two children from the Lu family branch among the six college students, but it's also quite remarkable for a single village to produce four college students, with two in undergraduate programs and two in junior college," Lu Jiaxin thought to herself. This alone would be enough to make Lu Jiaxin's family the talk of the town for miles around.
Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, "It's all due to the children's hard work."
The seventh grand-uncle shook his head and said, "If it weren't for your sponsorship of their education and the abundant study materials you provided, Dongzi and Xiumei wouldn't have made it."
While Lu Jiaxin had indeed sponsored their tuition and living expenses, she was unaware of the study materials, which must have been arranged by her older brothers from outside the village. Nonetheless, such materials were scarce and indeed precious for rural children.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the seventh grand-uncle brought up the reason for his visit. "Jiaxin, two months ago, one of the walls of the ancestral hall collapsed. I found someone to fix it, but this ancestral hall is so old that repairs can only be a temporary solution."
"The ancestral hall needs to be demolished and rebuilt. Otherwise, there's a risk of it collapsing during future ancestor worship ceremonies, which could lead to casualties. Jiaxin, you are the most accomplished member of the Lu family. This concerns our Lu family's ancestors and feng shui, so you can't ignore it!"
Even before returning home, Lu Jiaxin had anticipated that this trip would require some financial contribution on her part. However, she hadn't expected the first request to come from the seventh grand-uncle.
"Seventh Grand-uncle, how much money is needed to renovate the ancestral hall?" she inquired.
Seeing a glimmer of hope in Lu Jiaxin's response, the seventh grand-uncle eagerly said, "Jiaxin, I hope you can donate money to rebuild the ancestral hall. I've calculated that 30,000 yuan should be enough."
Although Lu Jiaxin was reluctant to donate money for this purpose, she couldn't refuse the request of the elderly seventh grand-uncle who had come to her door. Moreover, the amount wasn't excessive. "I have two conditions," she said. "If you agree to them, I'll donate the money for the ancestral hall. If you don't, then I'll pretend I never heard this request."
"Go on," the seventh grand-uncle urged.
Lu Jiaxin's conditions were straightforward. First, girls from the clan should be allowed to enter the ancestral hall to worship their ancestors. Second, benefits related to mountains, forests, and land allocation should be distributed equally, regardless of gender.
"That's out of the question..." the seventh grand-uncle protested.
Lu Jiaxin smiled and replied, "If it's not acceptable, then forget about it. Seventh Grand-uncle, you can find other successful men in the clan to fund the construction of the ancestral hall!"
The seventh grand-uncle was at a loss for words. After a moment, he said, "I'll have to discuss this with the other villagers."
"Take your time then!" Lu Jiaxin responded.
Just then, her father's eldest sister-in-law returned home and overheard the conversation. "Jiaxin, what are you discussing with the seventh grand-uncle?" she asked.
Lu Jiaxin explained the situation, and then added, "When they want me to donate money to build an ancestral hall, they don't mind that I'm a girl. But when it comes to distributing benefits like mountain forests and applying for land to build houses, girls are excluded. Where's the logic in that?"
The seventh grand-uncle sighed. "This isn't something I can decide alone. We need the agreement of the entire clan."
He saw no issue with girls entering the ancestral hall to worship their ancestors, but the allocation of mountain forests and land had always been restricted to male descendants, with no precedent for including girls.
Her father's eldest sister-in-law smiled broadly and said, "In that case, seventh grand-uncle, you can call a meeting to ask for everyone's opinions. If they disagree, then we'll drop the matter."
Lu Jiaxin added, "If they don't agree, I'll only sponsor the education of girls in the clan from now on. Since the boys enjoy so many privileges, let the girls have this one benefit."
The seventh grand-uncle's face froze.
Her father's eldest sister-in-law, who had also not anticipated Lu Jiaxin's condition, quickly voiced her support. "Seventh grand-uncle, please discuss this with the others and see if they're willing to agree."
(End of Chapter)
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