The conspiracy of the courtyard

Chapter 206: Ancestral Hall Showdown

The two brothers stumbled back home with everyone from their mother's grave. Looking at the messy main room, Fan Qiang could no longer suppress the grief in his heart and burst into tears.

Until the sun set, the aunt next door secretly came to the house, prepared dinner for the two of them, and coaxed Fan Rong to sleep.

The two brothers spent countless days in a daze. Except for the occasional dinner cooked by the aunt next door, they had to make do with what they had. When they were hungry, they threw sweet potatoes into the stove, roasted them until the skin turned black, and then ate the skin. When they were thirsty, they took a ladle and scooped water from the water tank to drink...

When Mr. Fan limped into the house, he saw two slovenly children, one big and one small, sitting in the messy yard. He strode to the stone table next to the children, put his bag on the stone table, and took out a bag of cakes that had been crushed into crumbs. Then he picked up the broom and started sweeping. After cleaning up the two brothers, he went out.

For the next ten days, Fan's father would go home to cook at mealtime and go out after dinner. Every night, Fan's father would bring back a lot of food.

"I remember the last time I saw my father was late at night. He told me as usual that no matter what situation I faced in the future, I must live strong. He also said that starting from the next day, he would go out to reorganize the troupe, continue to make money, and eat at my uncle's house in the future."

After Fan's father left, the two brothers went to their uncle's house for dinner as requested. Their uncle's family did not stop Fan Rong from going out to play. From the fragments of conversation among the adults, they learned about the strange things that had happened in the village recently.

The group of women who usually gathered in front of the small temple in the village and chatted with each other fell ill one after another for no apparent reason. The loudest one kept coughing, the one who loved to visit the most had abscesses all over her face, the one who arrived at the temple the fastest became deaf, and the one who talked the most could not speak...

Big hospitals and local doctors were helpless against those symptoms. People said that it was not a disease, but retribution for them. Gradually, the small temple that used to be bustling with people became deserted.

When everyone thought that this divine punishment had ended, a huge fire broke out in the Fan Family Ancestral Hall, which not only burned the wooden house with carved beams and painted rafters to ashes, but also turned the ancestral tablets, the family tree handed down from generation to generation, and the inherited clan rules all to ashes.

The next day, the head of the Fan family summoned all clan members to the old site of the ancestral hall, including women who were not allowed to enter the ancestral hall in the past. Even two-year-old Fan Rong was carried to the site by Uncle Fan. The clan leader was furious and ordered all clan members to contribute money and effort to rebuild the ancestral hall.

As soon as money was mentioned, some people immediately raised questions:

"No, clan leader, when the third actor started out, he said that he would be responsible for repairing the ancestral hall. Why is he asking us to pay for it now?"

"That's right. Otherwise, with so many young people in the tribe, how could he get a chance to learn skills and make money? We won't go out."

"It really is true that whores are heartless and actors are disloyal. They have only enjoyed their glory for a few days, but they dare to go back on their words. If they really make a lot of money in the future, they will definitely forget about us, their humble relatives."

"..."

Uncle Fan saw that everyone was furious and all the criticism was directed at his family. He immediately hugged Fan Rong who was sitting on his neck and shouted:

"Stop! When did my third brother ever say that he would pay for the renovation of the ancestral hall? Lai Zi, tell me!"

Lai Zi, who was named, did not reply, but just looked at Uncle Fan with disdain.

"You can't tell, right? He was the one who gave money to the elderly in the family who had no one to support them. When did he say that it was for repairing the ancestral hall? Ask your parents standing behind you. Do they dare to say that your disabled uncle didn't survive with his help? You are such an ungrateful thing."

"You, Danniu, didn't I persuade you to go when my third brother was learning the craft? Or didn't I inform the young people in the clan? What did you say at the beginning? You were afraid of the hardship and refused to learn, but now that you see he can make some money, you jump out and complain about others. Where is your face? Aren't you afraid that your father will climb out of the coffin and strangle you to death?"

"And you, Gouzi, anyone has the right to say whores are heartless and actors are disloyal, but you don't. You borrowed money from actors to redeem a whore from a brothel and make her your wife. So what? Do you think that now that you've paid off the money, you can hug the whore and scold the actor with a clear conscience? You are a heartless and disloyal person."

"You, you, you, which family of yours has not received the kindness of my third brother? And you dare to frame him here, you are all ungrateful bastards."

Uncle Fan cursed with spit flying all over his body, causing those who had just made sarcastic remarks to lower their heads and remain silent. Then he turned to the clan leader and said:

"Chief, you still have the nerve to let our family come to the ancestral hall? Back then, my third brother paid you to become the chief so that you could take good care of your wife and children at home. You did a great job of taking care of them. But now that our family is not at home, you are bullying the orphans and widows, right?"

Uncle Fan shook Fan Rong in his arms and whispered a warning to the clan leader:

"If you really piss us off, don't blame us for not giving face to your nephew who can speak bird language. A little Japanese translator won't scare us. At worst, we'll all be finished.

If you don't give me an explanation about my brother's wife, I will make you regret coming into this world."

Without waiting for the pale-faced clan leader to speak, Uncle Fan continued in a loud voice:

"From today on, everyone who owes us money must pay it back within three days. If anyone fails to pay us back within the deadline, don't blame me for not acknowledging that we share the same ancestor. I will destroy your house one by one."

The clan leader raised his eyebrows with a dark face and sneered:

"Is that all? You are all very capable. You feel like you have grown wings after running around for a few days, and you still dare to threaten me. Since you are so powerful, you don't need to come to the ancestral hall anymore. Just expel me from the clan.

In addition, tomorrow you should hand in the good citizen certificates that the clan paid for you, and go to the county to get them yourself. If you have the ability, go out and use it, don’t act like a bully here.”

Uncle Fan and the other man stopped talking and left with their families.

"His father, if he really hands over his good citizen certificate, he won't be able to enter the city. Otherwise, he will be unable to take revenge in a short time. It's better to make money first. What do you think?"

On the way home, the second aunt's wife looked at the second uncle with a frown on his face and asked cautiously.

Uncle Fan turned around and looked at Auntie and said:

"No need. Just look at what dishes are available at home. My brother and I can treat the village chief to a meal tonight."

When it was getting dark, the village chief and two people from the militia went to Uncle Fan's house at the agreed time and drank until late at night.

At dawn the next day, the big bell hanging on the century-old tree in the center of the village was rung hastily...