Chapter 286: Chapter 286: A Meal Reciprocated (Thanks to Xixi for the monthly ticket and more updates)
Xie Zichen and his father returned to the Xie Family. A little over three months later, his father passed away. With his father gone and his grandfather advancing in years, the members of the first branch of the Xie Family began to coax Xie Zichen’s grandfather into letting them manage the second branch’s assets. After all, although the original second branch possessed some property, they lacked someone capable of managing the household; Xie Zichen, despite being a scholar, was merely twelve or thirteen years old. His grandfather, earnestly hoping his grandson could focus on his studies without being burdened by household affairs, eventually agreed and handed over the inventory of the second branch’s assets to the first branch. Later, Xie Zichen’s grandfather passed away smiling when Xie Zichen succeeded in the provincial examination. Consequently, Xie Zichen’s line, originally the second branch, came to be known as the fifth branch. This was because of his ranking within the Xie Zian generation, and because people, unaware of the full details, had started referring to them as such.
As time went on, Xie Pan’Er and the others found it too troublesome to explain that their branch was originally the second, not the fifth. Such an explanation would inevitably lead to the matter of their grandmother having originally been a mistress. Although the Xie Family later acknowledged their grandmother as a member and added her to the family register, she no longer cared for such recognition! They were determined to have their ancestral tablets moved and establish a new Ancestral Hall for their own line.
Having listened to Old Madam Ji narrate the original circumstances of Xie Zichen’s family in one breath, Nanny Zhang couldn’t help but pass a water pouch to her in admiration. "Have some water. Speaking of which, this matter of the original second branch of the Xie Family must be decades old. How do you know it so clearly?"
This question posed by Nanny Zhang was also something that Huo Xing’Er and Xiaosuisui eagerly wanted to know.
Xiaosuisui watched Old Madam Ji curiously, her large eyes blinking.
Huo Xing’Er, on the other hand, asked directly, "Indeed, Mother! You haven’t been in the Capital City for more than a decade. How do you know so much?"
"These events happened thirty years ago! At that time, I was still wandering the Jianghu and happened to know Xie Zichen’s mother. I once sought shelter from the rain at their estate and had a meal there. Xie Zichen was still young then. I remember seeing him holding a book, standing under the eaves and reciting fluently."
"Ah! So you and Xie Wulang’s family actually share such a connection! I always thought you disliked meddling in others’ affairs. No wonder you’re going to such lengths for Xie Pan’Er this time. It turns out you’re repaying the kindness of that shared meal!"
Old Madam Ji pursed her lips and remained silent.
Truthfully, even if she hadn’t come personally, the help her Ji Family children had already provided to Xie Pan’Er far surpassed the debt incurred from that single meal. However, the main reason she had come herself was because the Little Emperor had sent word that there were Gu Insects in the Xie Family. This matter of the Gu Insects was connected to another affair concerning the Ji Family. Only by discovering the origin of these Gu Insects and meticulously following the clues could they hope to find that person who was, on the surface, already dead.
「On the Xie Family’s side,」 Xie Pan’Er and the others, along with Ji Youze, held the severance agreement. They finally breathed a sigh of relief after the names of Xie Zichen, his father and mother, Xie Pan’Er and her siblings, and Madam Luo were all crossed off the family register.
Ji Youze examined the family register and said to Xie Pan’Er, "Your great-grandfather and Xie Yinghui’s great-grandfather were biological brothers. If we also remove your great-grandfather and great-grandmother from this register, it would be more appropriate to establish him as the founding ancestor of your new Ancestral Hall."
Xie Pan’Er pondered for a moment. Glancing at the section detailing her great-grandfather’s siblings, she noted that her great-grandfather had surprisingly only had one wife and no concubines. Thus, she declared, "Then let’s remove them all together!"
Old Madam Ji readily agreed.
With this matter settled, Xie Pan’Er brought up another issue.
"Old Madam Ji, that two-courtyard residence to the east of the first branch’s estate originally belonged to our fifth branch’s assets, didn’t it? Back then, Madam Lin tormented my parents, and they endured the humiliation and compromised by moving to a small courtyard in the back alley, one meant for servants. I wonder, what are your thoughts on that courtyard now?"