By the evening of the fifth day of the first lunar month, Lin He's home still had quite a bit of food and pastries left over from the banquet. Er Niu figured this was because the villagers, out of consideration, had only eaten one meal and then stopped coming, leaving so much behind. He discussed with Huang Shi that they should send a portion of these pastries and clean dishes to every household.

Huang Shi agreed; they couldn't possibly finish all that food anyway, so giving it to the villagers was a good deed. Besides, it was originally intended for the villagers in the first place—though those who came every day were naturally excluded.

The time during the first lunar month was always spent visiting relatives, so naturally, time passed quite quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was the tenth day. Er Niu's family had just finished breakfast and were playing with the two little ones inside the house when shouts came from the courtyard outside. Not long after, Zi Qing walked in, saying the Clan Elder was looking for the master of the house. Er Niu's family was very surprised—why would the Clan Elder come over? Thinking it must be important, they hurried out. Indeed, the Clan Elder was standing in the courtyard. Er Niu quickly stepped forward, greeting him with a smile: "Clan Elder, why the visit today?"

After speaking, he gestured for the Clan Elder to sit in the courtyard. The Clan Elder also smiled, but the expression on his face was rather complex. After sitting down and exchanging a few pleasantries with Er Niu, he stated the purpose of his visit: "Er Niu, here is the situation. I've conferred with some of the older members of the village, and we plan to rebuild the ancestral hall entirely. The current hall is truly too dilapidated. With so many people in the Lin Family Village, having such a rundown hall is quite embarrassing."

"Didn't the ancestral hall undergo renovation a few years ago?" Er Niu asked, sounding somewhat surprised by the Clan Elder's words.

"Yes, everyone pooled money for repairs a few years back. But we only patched up the broken parts and re-tiled the roof. However, that was several years ago, and some dilapidated sections are now beyond repair. So, after discussing it with the village elders, we decided it’s better to rebuild it from scratch," the Clan Elder explained.

Hearing this, Er Niu replied, "Rebuilding the ancestral hall is certainly a good idea, but a complete rebuild will likely cost a considerable amount of money, won't it? Do all the villagers agree?"

The Clan Elder's expression flickered upon hearing Er Niu's question, but he quickly masked it with a smile and said, "I haven't broached the subject with everyone yet, but the village has already decided: regardless of agreement or disagreement, this ancestral hall must be rebuilt. If we rebuild it, we certainly have to do it well. The ancestral hall is where we honor our ancestors; it cannot be neglected."

Er Niu didn't say much after hearing the Clan Elder’s words, merely echoing his agreement. A moment later, the Clan Elder spoke again: "Er Niu, the reason I came to see you today is that regarding the village's reconstruction of the ancestral hall, I hope you can offer substantial support."

Er Niu was momentarily confused about what "support" the Clan Elder meant. Thinking he just wanted his approval for the reconstruction, Er Niu smiled and said, "Rebuilding the ancestral hall is a good thing for the village. Since everyone agrees, I naturally support it. If manpower is needed for the construction, I will certainly contribute."

Seeing that Er Niu hadn't grasped his true meaning, the Clan Elder grew slightly impatient: "Well, we plan to hire masons from the town to handle the construction; that should be sufficient. But we will likely face a significant shortfall in funds. Er Niu, you know most villagers live paycheck to paycheck; besides their obligatory contribution, they can't offer much more. Your family has been quite prosperous these last few years, so we must rely on you for the financial aspect."

Er Niu hadn't realized the support referred to money. Building a new ancestral hall would undoubtedly be expensive. From the Clan Elder’s tone, it sounded like their family was expected to contribute extra money beyond the standard contribution, and judging by the manner, it wasn't a small amount. Er Niu didn't know exactly how much the Clan Elder expected, and he felt he couldn't agree too readily. He replied, "Clan Elder, isn't the reconstruction funded by everyone contributing? I certainly won't skimp on my required contribution. How much is each household expected to give?"

The Clan Elder saw Er Niu still hadn't understood his implication and stated it plainly: "The contribution per household is three hundred da qian. However, we calculated that just the contributions won't be enough; we're short by nearly fifteen liang. Er Niu, what I mean is, your family should cover this shortfall of over ten liang. Surely your family isn't lacking that much money."

Er Niu was stunned by the Clan Elder's words. What did the Clan Elder mean? Was this ancestral hall solely the responsibility of him, Lin Er Niu's, family? While the other villagers weren't overly wealthy, there were several households that were doing quite well. Why should he alone cover the entire remaining cost? What kind of reasoning was that?

Yet, Er Niu knew the Clan Elder was not someone to be easily offended. If he refused too bluntly and caused the Elder to lose face, he would need the Elder's help with his own family matters in the future. However, he definitely couldn't afford to give away those fifteen liang. Although this sum wasn't a huge burden for their family now, if he handed it over so easily today, he suspected that whenever the village needed something done in the future, they would see Er Niu as a veritable money tree and come knocking.

Considering this, Er Niu opened his mouth: "Clan Elder, I absolutely support the rebuilding of the ancestral hall. I will not argue about the required contribution, but over ten liang of silver is quite a large sum. Our family might not be able to pull that much extra out immediately. Clan Elder, you must understand, we have many uses for money at home. Though things look good on the surface, our household is essentially a shell right now. I'm afraid we cannot manage it this time."

"Ah, Er Niu, your family has become quite famous in Lin Family Village recently—building that large house, holding that extravagant banquet! Fifteen liang shouldn't be a great deal for you. Wouldn't your family spend that much or more in a year just by raising one less maidservant? Once the hall is built, your ancestors will also be housed there. If you won't even contribute this small amount, aren't you being too stingy?" The Clan Elder's face darkened as Er Niu showed reluctance to pay.

The Clan Elder's words were excessive, and Er Niu's expression also soured. His family's money was earned by his own family. Building a large house or employing maids was their own business. Although he was the Clan Elder, he shouldn't meddle in the affairs of other households. However, Er Niu didn't want a direct confrontation. Just as he was racking his brain for a way to refuse, Lin He came in shouting, "Father! Brother is crying, and he's crying very hard! Mother says you need to go in and check on him quickly."

The Clan Elder figured he had stated his purpose and decided to leave. He said, "Er Niu, that’s the situation. If you have time, please bring the money to my place. We plan to break ground on the ancestral hall right after the holiday, so you should hurry up." With that, the Clan Elder walked away.

After the Clan Elder left, Er Niu walked back inside. Huang Shi asked him what had happened, and Er Niu recounted the Clan Elder’s request. Lin He's family was all quite indignant; the Clan Elder’s behavior was truly too much. While their family would use the ancestral hall too, it wasn't just for them. Why should their family cover half the cost when everyone would use it equally? That made no sense.

Er Niu thought for a moment and then said, "I need to visit my parents. This contribution is handled by the whole family together, and my father usually handles the payment. I'll go discuss it over there and see how we can handle this money issue." With that, Er Niu headed toward Old Man Lin's residence.