Lin Family.
The little home of Lin Chen
was ten zhang away from the old house.
Father Lin didn't go home but went directly to the village head's house to ask him to write the family separation document.
"Chen'Er, you just focus on learning martial arts at the Martial Hall, I'll figure out the money for you," said Mrs. Lin.
Mrs. Lin went inside and came out shortly with a cloth bag full of some broken silver, which amounted to a bit more than two taels when poured onto the table.
"Mom, where did you get this money?" Lin Liang asked curiously.
"Silly child, although all our money is handed over to your grandfather, your mother has to save a bit secretly. With your grandfather's partiality, if something happens in our family, hoping for him to give money is a dream. Not just me, your second aunt is the same," Mrs. Lin explained.
Father Lin and his brothers handed over all their earnings, but the sisters-in-law kept a little secretly.
Both Mrs. Lin and the second aunt would hide some away, it wasn't as if no money was left in the household.
"Chen'Er, don't blame your mother for not giving you money for half a year. Learning martial arts indeed costs too much, you've seen how much it cost your eldest cousin, and it scares me," Mrs. Lin explained.
"Mom, I understand,"
Lin Chen quickly shook his head upon seeing his mother's guilty expression; he would not blame her, because he understood her concerns.
Lin Ming's martial arts training exhausted a large amount of the Lin Family's savings over the years. Even though his mother felt sorry for him, she had to be considerate of the family's situation; they couldn't afford for the whole family to go without food and drink just for his martial arts training.
"I know Liang'Er gives you a little money each time he goes to town, but with just the little he can save from secretly selling fish, you've managed to pass the assessment. So I will support your martial arts studies; you will certainly achieve more than Lin Ming," Mrs. Lin said.
"Two taels of silver aren't much for you to take to the Martial Hall. Since the family is divided now, your father and brother won't have to hand over the money from selling fish, they can save one tael of silver a month and send it to you," she added.
Initially, Mrs. Lin worried about the high costs of martial arts training. However, knowing her son passed the assessment with just a bit of money, she was willing to go to great lengths to support Lin Chen's martial arts training.
She wanted to show the grandfather and the uncle's family who the true prodigy of the Lin Family was.
"I'll be thrifty at the Martial Hall, and I'll surely achieve something,"
Lin Chen promised earnestly, knowing his mother said this to reassure him. Given his grandfather's favoritism, the family's only fishing boat was sure not to come to them. Without the boat, they couldn't fish in the lake, and it was difficult to earn even one tael of silver relying solely on fish traps.
"Silly child, doesn't your mother trust you?" Mrs. Lin chuckled upon seeing Lin Chen's serious expression, "You're my son, and since you want to learn martial arts, I'll fully support you, even if it comes at a cost to your brother."
"Mother, I support Brother Chen in his martial arts practice. There's nothing to worry about. It's better than spending money on Lin Ming,"
said elder brother Lin Liang with a simple smile. Lin Chen saw his sincere smile and recalled the time when his brother spat at their ancestral home. For such an honest man to act like that, one could imagine how intense his feelings were then.
"You two brothers must help each other; Liang'Er helps you now, Chen'Er should remember his elder brother's kindness,"
"There's no need, Mother,"
eldest brother Lin Liang quickly waved his hand, but Lin Chen grinned, "There is a need. Once I've made a name in martial arts, I'll find a wife for brother first."
Mrs. Lin chuckled, "Your brother's wife can only be Erya from the Chen Family. I see your brother is interested in her."
"Mother, there isn't!" Eldest brother's face turned slightly red.
"Not even? I saw you giving her lotus pods,"
"That...that wasn't her home's lotus pond. I helped her pick lotus pods; she agreed to give me some,"
"Oh, I see? I think Erya is good; she'd make a fine wife for brother," Lin Chen recalled Erya from the Chen Family, slightly plump.
Plump is good, wider hips can bear children, and she's strong too.
The three of them chatted for a while before Father Lin returned hurriedly.
"What were you all talking about? Eldest's face is as red as a carp's?"
Father Lin was very curious. He was furious at the ancestral home not long ago, and now laughs were heard.
"Dad, we were discussing finding a wife for elder brother,"
"Eldest wants to get married?" Father Lin was a bit surprised and asked.
"Dad, don't listen to Brother Chen; I haven't planned any marriage, I'm going to sleep now,"
Eldest brother Lin Liang hurried away. Father Lin looked at Lin Chen, "Chen'Er, you have to go to the Martial Hall tomorrow, go to bed early."
"Okay,"
Lin Chen knew his parents had something to discuss privately, so he got up and went into the room he shared with his brother, each having a wooden bed.
Lying in bed, Lin Chen could vaguely hear his parents' conversation but couldn't catch the details.
Even if he couldn't hear the content, he knew they were likely discussing how to gather money for his martial arts studies.
He wasn't selfish for wanting to train in martial arts when the family was short on money.
It was his only chance.
If he had transmigrated a few years earlier, he could've thought of ways to improve the family's life. But he came at fifteen, and a year later would've been too late.
Even if he earned good money in a few years and could pay for martial arts training, a martial artist not from a martial arts school could only become a bodyguard for a wealthy family or join a gang in the county to be a henchman.
Having experienced a previous life, Lin Chen knew clearly which path was the road to prosperity.
As for quickly earning money, he had thought about it but ultimately hadn't found a way.
Being a scholar is useless.
In his previous life, he was a liberal arts student, with average physics and chemistry grades, lacking technical skills to make money.
The novels he remembered mentioned making ice from nitrate found in toilets and pigsties.
He did find some nitrate but only produced a small amount of ice. It wasn't an exaggeration to say in winter, he could chisel a piece of ice from Poyang Lake's surface, which would last till the following spring and still be more than what he made.
With no technical path to wealth, he had to use his wits.
Relying on past life knowledge to see if there were any business opportunities.
But after understanding Liang's laws, he realized this path was equally unfeasible.
Liang's laws strictly regulated the professions citizens could engage in.
To do business, one must have merchant registration documents, as the government taxed differently for each type of registration. Without documents, it was considered unlicensed business, a felony.
Blacksmiths paid forging taxes, fish shops paid fish taxes, those with fishing boats paid boat taxes. The only activity unrestricted was farming; no matter the trade, one could farm.
Due to these restrictions and his age, martial arts was his only option.
Reaching this point, and after today's events.
Martial arts was no longer just his own matter.
He needed not only to change his destiny but also that of his household.
That night, Lin Chen suffered a rare bout of insomnia.
And he wasn't alone; his brother did too.
Although his brother lay still in bed, he didn't snore as usual, which meant he was pretending to sleep.
After today's family upheaval, sleeplessness for his brother was understandable.
After some unknown time, Lin Chen heard his brother's voice.
"Chen'Er, are you asleep?"
"No."
Lin Chen replied instantly, causing elder brother Lin Liang to pause for a few moments.
"Chen'Er, train hard in martial arts, make a name for yourself, and show our grandfather!"