Li Lingyun heard this, turned around, and sat back down, saying, "Then I thank Eldest Uncle."
Li Chengcai's mouth twitched as he said, "You wait, I'll go get your money."
With that, he got up and left the room.
All the Li family members sat calmly on their stools, no one objecting to Li Chengcai's decision.
Li Dashan and his brother even had the mood to joke around.
Li Chengcai was very fast; in just a few minutes, he walked in holding a bundle.
"Lingyun, this is the harvest from your family's land; it's all here. Take a look."
Li Lingyun took the bundle and opened it.
Inside were about ten strings of copper coins.
Li Lingyun frowned and said in disbelief, "How is there only this much?"
At first glance, there were indeed over ten strings of copper coins in the bundle, but each string only had about a hundred coins, totaling only one tael and three qian when all added up.
Li Chengcai sighed and sat down, saying earnestly, "Lingyun, you don't know how cheap grain is if you haven't managed a household. I've only saved this much money in eight years."
Li Lingyun closed the bundle, his face turning cold: "Eldest Uncle, my parents passed away in year 1 of Zhonghe. That year, my family's land yielded twelve piculs. After deducting eight dou for taxes and my rations, Eldest Uncle sold ten piculs, getting a total of one thousand coins."
"In year 2 of Zhonghe, ten piculs were harvested, seven piculs were sold, yielding eight hundred coins."
...
"In year 8 of Zhonghe, which was last year, eight piculs of grain were harvested, and four piculs were sold. Last year, the grain price was fifteen coins per dou, so four piculs totaled six hundred coins."
"In total over eight years, it's six taels and one hundred five coins. Besides that, my parents also deposited six taels of silver with you before they passed away. Adding it all up, it's twelve taels and one hundred five coins. Eldest Uncle, could you have misremembered?"
The Li family members didn't expect Li Lingyun to remember so clearly, even remembering the six taels of silver his parents had deposited.
For a moment, everyone was stunned.
The reason Li Lingyun could rattle off these numbers so quickly was that the original owner remembered these things exceptionally clearly.
He didn't dare to argue with the Li family about the land, but he was extremely dissatisfied with Li Chengcai occupying his family's harvest. He would review this matter in his mind almost every day, and over time, these figures were clearly imprinted in his brain.
Li Chengcai gave an awkward laugh: "Lingyun, are you mistaken? There isn't that much."
"The first year, you and Uncle Zhao went to sell the grain together. The second year, you, Uncle Zhao, and Uncle Ma went to sell the grain together. The year 3..."
"Stop, stop, stop, don't say anymore." Li Chengcai quickly interrupted him.
Damn it, why hadn't he realized this little rascal had such a good memory before?
Li Lingyun smiled: "Eldest Uncle, do you think I need to invite all these people over to help you recall?"
Liu Shi slammed the table and angrily said, "You ungrateful brat! I worked so hard to raise you, and not only are you ungrateful, but you also want to extort money from me! I'm telling you, want money? Not a chance!"
Li Lingyun chuckled: "Since Eldest Aunt says so, then I'll have to slowly settle accounts with you all. After my parents passed away, Eldest Uncle would deduct nearly three piculs of grain each year as my food expenses."
"Did I even eat two piculs of grain a year?"
"From the time I was fifteen, I went to Town to work for two months every year, earning roughly nine hundred coins a month. Over year 3, that's more than five taels of silver. I handed all this money over to Eldest Aunt, not a single cent less."
"After my parents passed away, I never wore a new piece of clothing or a pair of cloth shoes. The silver spent on me, let alone five taels, wasn't even half of five taels."
"Eldest Aunt, shouldn't you return my hard-earned money?"
Liu Shi spat and cursed, "I never saw your money, you ungrateful wretch. Don't talk nonsense here."
Li Lingyun didn't continue to argue with her, turning instead to Li Chengcai and saying, "Eldest Uncle, the money I've earned over these years is my way of repaying you. You just need to return the harvest from my family's land to me."
Li Dashan angrily said, "Didn't you hear my mother? She said she didn't see your money."
Li Lingyun stood up: "Alright then, I'll go find the Lizheng to help me verify it."
Li Chengcai pulled him back: "Alright, sit down, I'll go get your money."
With that, he got up and walked out.
Xiao Qian Shi's expression changed, and she quickly tugged at Li Dashan's sleeve.
Li Dashan understood and said anxiously, "Father, you can't give it to him! If you do, Xiao Jun won't be able to study!"
Li Dashan's son, Li Jun, is seven years old this year and has apprenticed with an old scholar from Xiao Qian Shi's maternal village. He has been studying there these past few days.
Studying requires paying tuition, and one also has to buy brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones; there are many expenses.
Although the Li family's life was decent, it was still very difficult to support a scholar.
Giving the family's savings to Li Lingyun at this time could mean that Li Jun might not be able to continue his studies.
Li Chengcai seemed not to have heard his son's words and walked straight out the door.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade his father, Li Dashan vented his anger on Li Lingyun, raising his fist and smashing it towards his head.
Li Lingyun grabbed his incoming fist and slammed it heavily onto the dining table.
Li Dashan let out a scream, pulled back his hand, and looked at Li Lingyun in disbelief.
He dared to fight back?
Li Lingyun's move stunned all four people present. Since when did this good-for-nothing dare to lay a hand on his eldest brother?
Li Dashan held his hand, his face grim as he looked at Li Lingyun.
He wanted to kick Li Lingyun over and then use an axe to smash his leg!
But looking at Li Lingyun's sharp eyes, he didn't dare to make a move.
Just as the several people were in a stalemate, Li Chengcai walked in.
He placed a silver ingot and several strings of copper coins in front of Li Lingyun, and said coldly, "Adding those in the bundle, it's exactly twelve taels and one hundred five coins."
Li Lingyun put the money into the bundle and said with a smile, "Then I thank Eldest Uncle. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."
"Wait, I still have something to say."
Li Lingyun, who was about to get up, sat back down.
"You are already married, and it's not convenient for you to live with us anymore. It's better to separate and live on your own."
Li Xiaoshan sneered: "Move out quickly, don't stay in my house anymore."
"Once you're gone, don't come back. I'm not serving you anymore."
Li Dashan endured the pain and sneered, "Don't come begging if you can't make a living then, otherwise I'll set the dogs on you."
Li Lingyun nodded: "Alright, then Eldest Uncle, clear out those two rooms of my family's, and I'll move in tonight."
Li Chengcai's face darkened, and he said coldly, "Those five rooms were all built by me. Where do you get two rooms from?"
"Eldest Uncle, could you have forgotten? When you and my parents separated, the two old houses on the east side near the main gate were given to my parents, and the three rooms on the west side were given to your family."
"Later, you razed my family's house and built a brick and tile house. Forty percent of that house's building plot belongs to my family."
Li Chengcai stared at Li Lingyun for a long time before saying, "All these years, I've really misjudged. Second Brother had a good son."
Li Lingyun pretended not to understand the meaning behind his words and said with a smile, "Thank you for the compliment, Eldest Uncle."
"The house was built by me, and it's not suitable to give it to you. How about this, I'll buy your building plot for five hundred coins, how does that sound?"
"Alright."
It had come to this point, and Lingyun had no intention of staying here any longer. Five hundred coins it was; it was better than nothing.
Li Chengcai took out another five hundred coins and handed them to him. Li Lingyun took the money, turned around, and left the kitchen.
