When Lin Yan returned home, his aunt hadn’t come back yet, so he continued practicing his Pile Skill in the courtyard as usual.
Half an hour later, his aunt and younger brother still hadn’t returned. Lin Yan stopped his training, put some rice on to cook, and then headed out the door.
"Aunt Liu, have you seen my aunt?"
"Aunt Zhang, have you seen my younger brother?"
"Your aunt went that way. She’s probably visiting her family."
’Visiting her family?’
Listening to the neighbors, Lin Yan pondered. ’Unlike the Lin Family, which has few relatives, my aunt’s side of the family is quite large. She has four brothers alone.’
The Liu Family wasn’t wealthy, but with so many siblings, they had a fair amount of influence in the neighborhood—far more than the Lin Family, at least.
However, Lin Yan wasn’t familiar with the Liu Family. He only remembered them visiting each year back when his uncle hadn’t been conscripted for state labor. After his uncle was taken and all news of him ceased, his aunt moved with the children, and they hadn’t seen the Liu Family since.
’Why would Aunt go visit her family now?’
’Did she go to borrow money?’
Lin Yan suddenly realized a possibility. ’My next step is to learn the Skin Smoothing Technique at a Martial Arts Hall. Even though Aunt doesn’t understand Martial Arts, she’s bound to have learned a thing or two since I started my training. She would know that apprenticing at a Martial Arts Hall is expensive, and the money we’ve saved probably isn’t enough.’
’If it’s not enough, she’d have to borrow it.’
Lin Yan hurried toward the Liu Family’s residence, but he ran into his aunt and younger brother halfway there.
"Yan’er, why are you here?"
His aunt looked a little surprised to see her nephew. She quickly smiled and said, "I just took Mo’Er to visit my family, so we were delayed. Let’s head home now."
Though his aunt hid it well, Lin Yan could tell from his younger brother’s expression that something was wrong.
His younger brother couldn’t hide his feelings; his face was a mask of fury.
Since his aunt clearly didn’t want to talk about it, Lin Yan decided not to press her. "Aunt, I came to share some good news," he said instead. "You know how Zhang Wei works at the Weiyuan Escort Agency? Well, an Escort Master there heard that I built up my strength in only four months. He not only recommended a Martial Arts Hall to me, but he also sponsored me with fifty taels!"
"Fifty taels?"
His aunt stopped in her tracks. "Yan’er, are you serious?"
It was no wonder she was skeptical. For a family like theirs, saving fifty taels would take more than a decade.
"Of course it’s true," Lin Yan said with a nod. "Aunt, I know fifty taels is a fortune to us, but for a Lord Martial Artist, it’s nothing. They can make over twenty taels a month in salary alone. The Lord Martial Artist sponsored me because he thinks I have talent. Once I make a name for myself in Martial Arts and earn some money, I’ll pay him back."
"This Lord Martial Artist is so kind," she said. "Yan’er, you must train hard. You cannot disappoint him."
Her expression turned solemn. Then she added, "We have some money saved at home. I’ll give it all to you as well."
"Thank you, Aunt."
"There’s nothing to thank me for. You and Mo’Er are all that’s left of the Lin Family. The family’s money is for you two to use."
After returning home, they had dinner.
"Younger brother, come outside."
His aunt was inside, mending clothes. Lin Yan pulled his younger brother out the door.
"Tell me what happened when you and Aunt went to her family’s home today."
Lin Mo hesitated, shaking his head. "Brother, Mom told me that if you asked, I was supposed to say nothing happened."
The corner of Lin Yan’s mouth twitched. "I’m not asking. You’re telling me voluntarily. That way, Aunt won’t be able to blame you."
"You’re smart, Brother."
Lin Mo tilted his head, thought for a moment, and decided his older brother had a point. His expression immediately turned to one of fury. "Today, Mom took me to Grandpa’s house to try and borrow some money. Our uncles found out, and not only did they refuse to lend us anything, they yelled at Mom! They said she was siding with outsiders and no longer treated the Liu Family as her own."
As he listened to his younger brother’s story, Lin Yan’s expression darkened.
Perhaps the Liu Family members thought he was too young to understand, because they didn’t hold anything back in front of him and laid everything bare.
In the Liu Family’s eyes, with her husband gone to state labor and all news of him lost, the aunt was now the head of her household. Therefore, her loyalty should have been to her maiden family. When she sold the land and house, she should have told them first. The Liu Family was large and needed more housing.
But his aunt hadn’t notified her family, for a simple reason: she knew perfectly well that they would have offered her a price far below market value. Worse, they might not have even paid the full amount, finding excuses to delay for years until the debt was simply forgotten.
Even now, the Liu Family still coveted the house Lin Yan’s parents had left behind.
’No wonder Aunt so rarely visits her family,’ Lin Yan thought. ’She doesn’t want them scheming after her property.’
"First Uncle also said that the only reason our family has been safe is because of them. He said that if Mom doesn’t help their family, they’ll disown her, and then all the local thugs will start coming after us."
Lin Yan’s eyes narrowed. It was true that over the years, his aunt had managed to raise him and his younger brother without being bullied. He couldn’t deny that the Liu Family’s influence was part of the reason. But that didn’t give them the right to covet his family’s property.
"I understand. Don’t bring this up in front of your mother."
"Okay, I won’t," Lin Mo promised, looking up at Lin Yan. "Brother, they say Martial Artists are really strong. When you’re strong enough, can you beat up Second Uncle and my cousin for me?"
"Beat up your Second Uncle?"
"Yeah! He was the one yelling at Mom the worst today. He even said my cousin is training at a Martial Arts Hall too and is sure to be more successful than you."
Lin Mo wasn’t close with his cousins. Every time he visited his grandfather’s house, they would badmouth his older brother and tell him to ignore Lin Yan.
But he wasn’t a fool. Besides, his mother always told him that he was a member of the Lin Family, and that now, the Lin Family was just him and his older brother. The two of them had to help each other.

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