TFS – Chapter 84 Resolution

“You are too polite, Clan Leader Zhao,” Li Feng cupped his fists and said. Since the other party showed him respect, he was not the type to bully others. Besides, he clearly understood Clan Leader Zhao’s intentions. Having a reasonable person in the Zhao family would save both him and Ming Ge’er some trouble. They certainly didn’t want to see Third Granduncle and Old Madam Zhao continue to stir up chaos. Someone had to keep them in check.

“The matter Old Madam Zhao is asking for is beyond my ability. How to handle it is up to you and them to negotiate,” he added.

With that, he led Tang Chunming away. The reason he had stepped in was not only because those people had insulted Ming Ge’er but also to intimidate them, making sure they wouldn’t dare to act recklessly in Pingshan Village. This place was not like others where people feared hired thugs and the forces behind them. As for Old Madam Zhao wanting him to retrieve the house and land deeds for the Zhao family without spending a single penny—who did he think Li Feng was?

“Brother, this family is too much. Luckily, no one took their side to pressure Brother Feng,” Tang Chunrong said angrily to his older brother.

Tang Chunming, however, was unfazed. He smiled and said, “We’ve always known what kind of person he is. No need to get angry. Besides, Ah Feng and I would never let them have their way. Do they think taking advantage of us is that easy?”

Hearing this, Li Feng smirked, while Elder He stroked his beard with a chuckle.

Clan Leader Zhao could tell from Li Feng’s words that this time, Old Madam Zhao’s family was going to suffer. He didn’t think Li Feng was being unreasonable. After all, it was Zhao Daniu who had brought this trouble upon himself. If Li Feng hadn’t intimidated those people, the upcoming negotiations would have been even more difficult.

“Gentlemen,” Clan Leader Zhao said, though it was unclear if he was being sincere or sarcastic, addressing the three men who could barely get up, “the land belonging to Daniu’s family isn’t solely theirs to decide. The debt will certainly be repaid, but we ask that your esteemed establishment return the land and house deeds.”

The three men had lost all their previous bravado. One punch from Li Feng had sent them flying, and now, their gazes carried fear and respect whenever they looked his way. At most, they were skilled at intimidating ordinary villagers with some brute force. But when faced with a real martial artist, they were completely outmatched. Li Feng’s move had made it clear—he was no ordinary farmer. Even among the trained fighters they had encountered, few could compare.

However, they could also tell that this family had no good relationship with the Zhao family and had no intention of resolving the matter on their behalf. But one thing was obvious—land in Pingshan Village would not be allowed to fall into outsiders’ hands. Realizing this, the three men exchanged glances. It seemed their master’s plan wouldn’t work.

“We are only here to collect the debt on behalf of our master. As long as the money is repaid, the land and house deeds will naturally be returned,” one of them said.

“Ahhh—”

At that moment, Old Madam Zhao lunged forward, trying to slap Clan Leader Zhao. In his eyes, he had ruined his plans. If only he had pleaded with Li Feng and Tang Chunming, wouldn’t they have given him, an elderly ge’er, some face?

“What kind of clan leader are you? Our Zhao family does not recognize you! Get lost! We have no money—only my old life! If you don’t return the land and house deeds today, I will fight you to the death!” He wailed, rolled on the ground, and caused a scene. His half-black, half-white hair became disheveled, making him look like a mad person.

“Fine, don’t recognize me then!” Clan Leader Zhao sneered in anger. “But if you don’t recognize me, don’t expect to redeem your house and land either! Go settle it yourselves with them. You got yourselves into this mess, so deal with it on your own. I’m done wasting my time on this nonsense!”

With that, he turned to leave, fuming.

“Mother, get up and talk properly. Haven’t you lost enough face already? Even if this matter gets resolved, my reputation is completely ruined. I might as well stay home with you instead of returning to the county school.”

Zhao Laosan’s face was dark and gloomy. Looking at the current situation, it was clear that their family was completely isolated in Pingshan Village. This realization nearly made him cough up blood.

The words of outsiders didn’t matter, and even Third Granduncle’s opinions required Old Madam Zhao to weigh before agreeing. However, when it came to Zhao Laosan, he had always been used to giving in. He opened his mouth a few times but ultimately fell silent. Reluctantly, he got up from the ground, covered in mud, chicken droppings, and other filth. The sight almost made Zhao Laosan pinch his nose and flee. This house was getting dirtier and dirtier each time he returned, making him even more unwilling to come back.

“Third Granduncle, what do you think about this matter…” Zhao Laosan was no fool. He knew that the new clan leader of the Zhao family wouldn’t support him. He was well aware of the reasons behind the division within the Zhao family, and it was obvious that the new clan leader sided with the villagers and the Li family.

Third Granduncle, already weakened by his earlier anger, forced himself to speak: “Ask your mother how much silver is left at home and see how much land you can redeem.” Were moneylenders and gambling house owners people they could afford to provoke? Yet now, he had no choice but to admit that the only ones who could resolve this matter were Li Feng and his wife. But they had long since offended them, and he couldn’t bring himself to lower his pride and beg for help.

His sons and grandsons weren’t completely indifferent to him, but they were resentful. This issue had nothing to do with them, yet their father (or grandfather) insisted on taking it upon himself. However, they had made up their minds this time—they would not hand over a single coin for Zhao Laosan’s sake. As for whatever their father (or grandfather) wanted to do, they no longer cared about those assets anyway.

“Mother…” Zhao Laosan turned to look at Old Madam Zhao. He was about to wail again, but one cold glance from him immediately shut him up. After thinking for a moment, Zhao Laosan turned and walked straight to his mother’s room. He knew exactly where mother hid his silver—he had never kept it a secret from him. Rather than trying to pry the money from his hands, it was easier to find it himself.

“No, Laosan, you can’t do this! That silver is for your marriage and imperial exams!” Old Madam Zhao screamed as he rushed toward him.

Seeing his reaction today, and recalling how he used to faint at the slightest provocation, some onlookers snickered. It was nothing more than a trick to manipulate the younger generation.

Inside the house, the mother and son quarreled fiercely. Outside in the courtyard, Third Granduncle frowned and looked at his sons and grandsons for help. But they all simultaneously turned their heads away, refusing to meet his gaze. Finally, one of them couldn’t hold back and muttered, “We already spent all our money on buying seeds. We don’t have anything left.”

“You… Good! You’ve all grown wings and stopped listening to me!” Third Granduncle pointed at them and scolded angrily.

Clan Leader Zhao, unable to stand it any longer, stepped forward and advised, “Third Uncle, don’t scold them. Who doesn’t want to live a good life? And do you think the money you make them hand over will ever come back? They also have to live, and the younger ones need to attend school.”

Hearing this, the younger generation looked at Clan Leader Zhao with gratitude. Third Granduncle, however, turned his head away, refusing to acknowledge this younger clan leader. As for the clan leadership, he had never recognized it in the first place.

But when he glanced at his grandsons nearby—who looked both resentful yet too afraid to speak, their faces full of disappointment—his heart suddenly tightened.

Did he really do something wrong?

But when he saw Zhao Laosan walking out of the house with the silver, he reassured himself —no, he wasn’t wrong. Who among them had more promise than Zhao Laosan? Which of the younger generation had his talent? Otherwise, why would he have devoted all his energy to Zhao Laosan?

“Third Granduncle, even after gathering everything, we only have a little over seventy taels of silver…” That was still less than half of what they needed. Behind him, Old Madam Zhao collapsed at the doorway, crying and wailing with snot and tears streaming down his face. This time, his sorrow was genuine—he had even dug into the money meant for his own funeral expenses. Unlike before, when he was just putting on an act, this time, he was truly devastated. How could Laosan do this to him? He had scraped and saved all that silver for his sake, yet he had taken it all in an instant. How was he supposed to survive now?

“Sigh, I still have about ten taels of loose silver. Let’s pool it together. We can’t count on them anymore. First, let’s redeem the house, then get back as much land as we can. We can’t let them be left without a place to live,” Third Granduncle sighed in disappointment.

His sons and grandsons were equally disappointed. Fine, let it be. But they had made up their minds—they would not hand over another single coin. Did their father (or grandfather) think seeing doctors and buying medicine didn’t cost silver? If they gave up everything, would he just lie on the bed waiting to die? Couldn’t he see how his complexion was growing grayer by the day?

The villagers whispered among themselves. So, Old Madam Zhao had always pretended to be poor, but look at how much silver he had been hoarding! In the past, that would have made him one of the wealthier families in the village. Thinking back to Zhao Dahu—he was the one who was truly poor. He and Ming Ge’er couldn’t even afford a new set of clothes all year round because they had to keep helping this “poor” Old Madam Zhao. The more they thought about it, the more they felt that Zhao Dahu’s death had been unfair.

Tang Chunming scoffed. He had long known that the old woman had plenty of silver, and now it was confirmed. And that wasn’t even counting the expenses after Zhao Dahu’s death. In reality, he had probably hoarded more than a hundred taels.

Even after scraping together every bit of money, including some loose silver Zhao Laosan had on him, they only managed to collect a hundred taels—still far from the two hundred taels they needed. What could they do now?

Tang Chunming whispered something to Zhang Xiu, who then walked over to the village head and whispered in his ear. The village head’s eyes lit up—he had been struggling to find a solution. If they asked the villagers to pay for Old Madam Zhao’s debts, no one would be willing. In the end, the Zhao family would just take the help and forget the lesson. The village head then spoke with Clan Leader Zhao, who nodded repeatedly after hearing his plan.

Tang Chunming himself wasn’t short on money—two hundred taels of silver was nothing to him. But he didn’t want to get involved with the Zhao family’s land and house, lest it become a messy entanglement. However, the distillery had money. His idea was to have the distillery purchase the land under its name. If Old Madam Zhao’s family couldn’t come up with the silver to buy it back, the land would remain under the distillery’s ownership. When spring planting and autumn harvest came, the distillery could hire workers, and the yield would go to the business. That way, everyone who invested in the distillery would benefit. The village head consulted a few clan elders, and none of them objected. They all agreed that the land must not fall into the hands of outsiders. Going forward, they would have to be more vigilant.

From that point on, no matter how much Old Madam Zhao protested, it was useless. Even Third Granduncle had to agree—he had no choice. The village head directly took the silver and redeemed the house and land from the gambling house. In the end, it was the distillery that became the Zhao family’s creditor. As for the house and land, the village head didn’t withhold half of it based on the silver they owed—he still gave the Zhao family some face by only keeping enough land to cover the equivalent of one hundred taels, while returning the majority of it.

The three thugs from the gambling house hadn’t even brought the house and land deeds with them, which made the village head even more cautious. When he went to exchange the silver for the deeds, he brought along something else—an item from Li Feng’s household. When the manager of the gambling house saw what it was, he didn’t dare to resist, no matter how bold he was. He obediently handed everything over.

That item was none other than a token left behind by Master Rong, proving his identity. After staying at Li Feng’s house for a few days, Rong Yue, as a businessman, had easily recognized the value of Li Feng’s goods and knew that others would target them. So, he offered to provide some protection, leaving behind a token that held no real authority but served as proof of his backing.

The Zhao family’s troubles weren’t over yet. No matter how much Old Madam Zhao raged, he couldn’t change anything. With the land now under the village’s control, he wouldn’t be able to reclaim it without paying silver. And Zhao Daniu wasn’t going unpunished either—the new Zhao clan leader had him dragged to the ancestral hall and beaten. Didn’t want to acknowledge the new clan leader? Fine—then he would be expelled from the Zhao family. Even Third Granduncle was powerless to stop it.

With that, Third Granduncle collapsed. Old Madam Zhao collapsed. Zhao Daniu collapsed as well.

Ironically, Wang Chunhua—who had been unconscious earlier—suddenly seemed quite lively. With the three of them out of commission, he still had the energy to argue with Old Madam Zhao and Zhao Daniu. After the fight, he packed up his belongings, took Zhao Dong and Zhao Mei, and left for his maternal home.

In the past, no one would have cared about Zhao Mei, who barely had a presence. But this time, Old Madam Zhao had tried to sell Zhao Mei, which made Wang Chunhua feel a sense of crisis. Besides, even if someone had to be sold, it wasn’t Old Madam Zhao’s decision to make. So, he took Zhao Mei along. As for Old Madam Zhao and Zhao Daniu—he had no intention of serving them anymore.

Third Granduncle no longer had the strength or silver to care about Zhao Laosan’s affairs. Given the state of the household, Zhao Laosan couldn’t just abandon them entirely. So, he went to town and the county to gather some silver, hired someone to take care of the bedridden elders, and entrusted what remained to Third Granduncle. As for himself—he still had to continue his studies in the county.

No one could have predicted that once Zhao Laosan left, he would return with a completely different identity. The one person Old Madam Zhao and Third Granduncle had placed all their hopes on ultimately had nothing to do with the Zhao family anymore. It became the biggest joke in the Zhao family’s history.

_{T/N: Do you think he’s going become an live-in husband for someone and break all ties with zhao family?}