Chapter 80: Caught in the Act (3)

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Old Xiang’s mother was still alive, now eighty-nine a well-known long-lived elder of Xiaoqiu Village.

For many years, the old woman lived alone in the family’s old house, earning small work credits by gluing matchboxes, trying not to trouble her children. Despite repeated pleas from her children, she refused to move in with any of her sons. Only in recent years, as age made independent living impossible, did she move in with her eldest son. Old Xiang made sure to deliver her provisions every year.

She had three sons and two daughters in her lifetime. Except for the youngest son who had died young, the other four children were all dutiful and sensible. Villagers often praised her when her name came up: a good, moral woman who had raised her children well.

Xiang Qianjin was sent to her care when he was very young. In his second year, his mother became pregnant again. With four older siblings ahead of him, he was a robust, loud, and strong child. His crying drove the older siblings crazy, so the day after he was weaned, he was handed to his grandmother to raise until he was five or six.

The Xiang family’s old house and Old Xiang’s home were only at opposite ends of the village, so they often met, but didn’t live together. Compared with his siblings, the bond was somewhat distant. Villagers often said Xiang Qianjin’s success was all thanks to his grandmother’s guidance.

That evening, Old Xiang had called all his sons and daughters-in-law together. Even the immobile grandmother, supported by the eldest son, had come. Except for the married daughters, the entire Xiang family was present.

“Second son, you hurriedly summoned me and your eldest brother what’s going on here?”

The old woman had lost most of her teeth, only six remaining between the two jaws. Her speech was a bit muffled, but her mind was sharp. Her eyes swept across the restless younger generation, lingering briefly on Yin Hong before shifting away.

The second son’s wife was a foolish woman, long treated as a lackey by the other daughters-in-law. But this was her husband’s family matter; the elderly woman, close to her grave, would do better to stay out of it. She was old why invite the disdain of the younger generation?

“Mother, eldest brother, I’ve had dreams these past few nights. I keep seeing my youngest brother; he tells me he’s alone underground, with no children, so desolate,” Old Xiang said, face full of sorrow.

His “youngest brother” was the grandmother Xiang’s youngest son, who had died at seven amid famine and illness. Caring for five children during such hard times, she never forgot him, a knot in her heart.

“His spirit has sent you a message,” she said, her frail hands trembling as she reached for Old Xiang.

Guilt flickered in Old Xiang’s eyes as he nodded repeatedly.

“Second brother, what did he say? Does he lack something? I can" Old Xiang’s eldest brother began, but stopped midway. These days, old customs were under critique; temples and shrines were being demolished. Some radical places even destroyed graves. No one dared burn paper or incense for ancestors, whether during Qingming or New Year.

Old Xiang shook his head. “He asks for nothing but that we adopt a child for him, to continue his line.” His eyes shifted toward Xiang Qianjin. He felt the pain of knowing his own child would have no fatherly connection.

“Adoption!”

Everyone present, except Old Xiang, exclaimed in surprise, exchanging worried glances. Particularly those who might be adopted if this happened, they’d get nothing from the family estate.

“That’s right,” Old Xiang confirmed. “He likes Qianjin. I plan to formally adopt him to my youngest brother. The paperwork will be clear. Mother, remember when population records were checked? We registered the youngest son then. We’ll transfer Qianjin’s registration later; he’ll officially be my youngest brother’s child, my nephew. From then on, this branch’s matters won’t concern him.”

The grandmother had ensured her youngest son had a household registration before he died, so his spirit would not wander as a lost soul. The registration was tied to the old house where she had lived.

Old Xiang’s solemn expression emphasized the gravity of his decision.

The grandmother, excitement barely fading, saw Old Xiang’s demeanor and guessed most of the story. The second son’s wife, showing no reaction to such a big matter, must have done something to push her husband to the edge.

Yet the temptation was too great. Seeing her deceased youngest son desolate and without descendants, the grandmother could not refuse.

She had once considered adopting a child from her two other sons, but every child was precious to their parents; adopting one away would mean the biological children would have to call their parents, uncle and aunt. So she never mentioned it to her other children.

“Second brother, why adopt your third son?” Old Xiang’s eldest brother asked. Xiang Qianjin was the family’s most promising child. How could he be adopted?

“My youngest brother asked me directly. He wants Qianjin as his child,” Old Xiang replied. Even the puzzled eldest brother had nothing to argue; the second brother had been closest to the youngest, and perhaps it was truly a message from the departed that prompted this decision.

“Father, how can we adopt our third brother away?”

Yin Xiuli signaled to her mother-in-law, but Yin Hong kept her head down, silent. Old Xiang ignored her entirely.

Xiang Qianjin had handed over most of his earnings to her mother-in-law over the years. If adopted, he would legally be the youngest son’s child, and she would no longer have reason to demand money. The crucial matter was that Old Xiang intended to transfer his household registration completely severing ties and influence.

“I’m still alive, so this house is not yours to meddle in,” Old Xiang slammed the table, rattling the teacups.

No one had ever seen him this angry. Yin Xiuli, pointed at and shamed, turned beet-red and dared not speak, barely controlling her temper by gripping her husband’s leg.

“Mother, eldest brother, I called you here to witness. The agreement is written, in two copies. Qianjin keeps one; eldest brother, you keep the other,” Old Xiang said, producing two pre-written papers from his pocket.

Even his eldest brother understood that something had happened and that Qianjin had to be adopted.

The agreement was simple: Xiang Qianjin would be adopted by Xiang Tongqian, severing all relations with Old Xiang’s family. He would have no inheritance rights, and no one could demand money from him. The support of the Xiang elders was unrelated to him.

“Second brother, have you thought this through?” asked the eldest brother.

Old Xiang nodded silently.

“Qianjin, what do you say?”

Xiang Qianjin looked at his father, then his mother, and nodded.

“Third son" Yin Hong’s voice was filled with reluctance and grievance.

“Shut up,” Old Xiang snapped, furious at his wife’s scheming and the way she tried to manipulate her son’s future for money. He shivered at the thought of her feigned innocence over decades.

Indeed, a dog that bites doesn’t bark normally, fair woman was terrifying when enraged.

The eldest brother sighed, taking one copy of the agreement, understanding the matter was now settled.

“Third son, this is the last time your father calls you,” Old Xiang said tearfully, hands trembling.

Xiang Qianjin knelt before him.

“Keep this safe. If anyone troubles you, show it. You are now Qianjin, the son of Xiang Tongqian, nephew of Old Xiang. Your future earning, marrying, raising a family is yours alone. Others cannot interfere, and you must not be burdened by others.”

Old Xiang wiped his son’s tears. “Don’t cry. Life will get better. Find a good wife, have children, continue my youngest brother’s line. That will fulfill my wish.”

Old Xiang wept as he sent his son away.

Xiang Qianjin’s heart surged with grief for his father, relief from his mother.

He looked at the agreement in his hands, vision blurred by tears. He knew the hidden agreement in his pocket was the key; with it, his mother could no longer trouble him or Dani. As for his eldest brother’s wife, without his mother, she had no leverage.

“Father"

He called out, kneeling and bowing three times. Though he would always think of Old Xiang as his father, after the adoption, this “father” would no longer exist in public.

Old Xiang watched tearfully, allowing it.

After the three bows, the family’s children and daughters-in-law were puzzled. The third son’s adoption meant future hardships for the family. Yin Hong’s heart ached with regret her clever son was gone, and the leverage she had was nullified.

Yet regret was useless; the note was in her son’s hands. Yin Hong dared not stir trouble, fearing scandal or accusations of sullying another girl’s name, crimes that carried imprisonment.

That night, Xiang Qianjin packed his belongings and moved to the old house where his grandmother once lived. She had originally intended to divide it among her two sons after her death, but now it was given to Xiang Qianjin. The household registration transfer handled all formalities.

The old house, with three earthen rooms, was dilapidated and worthless, yet neither of the grandmother’s sons objected.

Even the eldest thought his nephew had it rough years of money contributed to the family, none recovered, new house built with his funds yet he got nothing. On New Year’s Day, he had to live in a mud-brick house; the uncle felt sympathy, not resentment.

With Xiang Qianjin’s moving, commotion was loud. That night, many villagers saw people going in and out of the Xiang household. By the next morning, the news of Xiang Qianjin’s adoption by the deceased youngest son spread throughout the village.

Everyone thought Old Xiang foolish for giving away his most promising son. Yet, while thinking him foolish, they also eyed Xiang Qianjin as a golden opportunity.

A young man with a house, money, and a job, with no parents or attachments such a prospect was impossible to find. The next days, people desperate to marry off their daughters and granddaughters nearly broke down the gate trying to introduce them to him. Xiang Qianjin, scared, fled back to the city even before work started.

TN:
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