When Er Niu arrived at Mother Zhao’s courtyard, it was surprisingly lively. Mother He and Mao Mao were there, along with Hong Xia and Hong Yun and their children; the courtyard was full of people. Seeing Er Niu, Mother Zhao, still angry about the previous incident, did not rise from her seat, but Hong Yun was the one who welcomed Er Niu in. Er Niu asked, “Where is Father? I came to speak with him about something.”

Hong Yun called out Old Man Lin, and Er Niu explained the purpose of his visit. Upon hearing Er Niu, Mother Zhao forgot her anger and exclaimed, “This Clan Head is acting lawlessly just because he holds a little power! Why should you have to pay so much money? I’ll go reason with him right now! The ancestral hall was renovated just a few years ago; why build another one? Isn’t this just wasting money?”

“Exactly, this Clan Head truly lacks sense. If the ancestral hall has no funds, then don't build it. I went to look the other day; it was perfectly fine, I didn't see anything lacking anywhere. If he wants to build, he should pay for it himself, why ask us for so much contribution money? Does he think everyone is like his family, getting rich just from receiving gifts all year round?” Mother He said, filled with righteous indignation.

Hearing Mother He, Mother Zhao chimed in, “Yes, the Clan Head probably receives no small sum just from New Year’s gifts alone. Look at their house—it’s all blue bricks and large tiles, and their family members dress like city folk. They only own some land; how much money can they earn in a year? All of this must come from the gifts they receive. I think the Clan Head has held the position for so many years; it’s time for a change. He can’t just monopolize this good fortune, making his whole extended family better off than everyone else. When his family members need land or anything, it’s directly allocated from the village, while we have to buy ours.”

Mother He nodded in agreement with Mother Zhao’s words: “That’s right, Mother. Why don’t we go to the village and talk about electing a new Clan Head? Anyone we pick would be better than him.”

Listening to the two women, Er Niu found himself caught between laughter and tears. He had only come to discuss the matter of paying for the ancestral hall construction, and now they were talking about electing a new Clan Head. If the Clan Head heard this, it wouldn't be good. Er Niu interjected, “Mother, where are your thoughts going? This isn't the time to talk about electing a new Clan Head. If our whole family goes to say this, it won't look good. People who don't know the situation will think we are intentionally causing trouble. I just came to talk about the ancestral hall construction fees.”

“Father, what do you think we should do about this? I am willing to pay more for the ancestral hall, but it definitely won't be more than ten taels. At most, I can add to the contribution fee and offer two taels of silver as my support for the construction. I absolutely cannot give more than that. What do you think?” Er Niu asked Old Man Lin, who had remained silent until now.

Before Old Man Lin could speak, Mother Zhao suddenly cried out, “Er Niu, two taels of silver is enough for our living expenses for half a year! Why spend it on this? If you’re going to spend it, you might as well spend it on me. You and your wife aren't exactly generous in providing for your parents, but your wife doesn't say a word about contributing to the hall fee—just pay the contribution, and if he wants to build the hall, let him; if not, it has nothing to do with us.”

“Old woman, what are you saying?” Old Man Lin scolded Mother Zhao into silence. Mother Zhao glanced at Er Niu and stopped talking.

Old Man Lin then turned to Er Niu and said, “Er Niu, don’t you worry about this matter. This afternoon, your mother and I will visit the Clan Head’s house. I need to ask him what justification there is for demanding your family pay so much.”

Hearing his father, Er Niu nodded. “Father, then you and Mother should go. I won't go. However, building the ancestral hall is a good thing for the village, and I’m not saying I’m unwilling to pay a single cent. I am willing to donate two taels of silver. You two handle the rest.”

Old Man Lin nodded. Er Niu was about to leave when Hong Yun said she would take Da Mao to visit Second Sister-in-law, and she walked with Er Niu.

In the afternoon, after eating, Old Man Lin and Mother Zhao casually grabbed some items from home and headed to the Clan Head’s residence. The Clan Head greeted them warmly upon seeing them, saying, “We are all brothers in the same village, why be so formal? You should just come by for a visit during the first lunar month. Why bring gifts?”

Old Man Lin smiled and replied, “It’s the New Year, and we haven’t had time to pay respects at the Clan Head’s house before; things have been busy in the first month. Today we finally have a chance to stop by. These are just small tokens, please don't take offense, Clan Head.”

The Clan Head offered a few polite remarks. Seeing that the Clan Head hadn’t brought up the matter of the ancestral hall at all, Old Man Lin finally asked himself, “Clan Head, I heard the village is planning to build an ancestral hall. When is the work scheduled to begin?”

The Clan Head, hearing Old Man Lin mention it, smiled and said, “The money hasn’t been collected yet. Once all the funds are in, we will start work right after the first month, striving to finish the hall quickly so the villagers have a proper place for ancestral worship.”

“Building the ancestral hall is certainly a good thing for the village, and Er Niu told me about it. However, building an ancestral hall must require quite a bit of money, right? Can the villagers scrape up that much?” Old Man Lin inquired.

“The contribution fees certainly won't cover that much. That’s why we need Er Niu’s family to donate some. Your Er Niu has truly brought honor to our village these past few years; he’s become quite a prominent family here. I assumed you came today to give money to Er Niu?” the Clan Head asked.

“Clan Head, this is a significant sum of silver! To demand our Er Niu alone—what kind of reasoning is that? Why must our Er Niu’s family bear such a large expense?” Mother Zhao became agitated upon hearing the Clan Head’s words.

“Sister-in-law, you shouldn't speak like that. The other villagers have no money; it’s for the welfare of the entire village that your Er Niu contributes this amount. When a person becomes prosperous, they cannot forget their ancestors; it is entirely thanks to the protection of our ancestors that your Er Niu has become successful!” the Clan Head said, his expression turning cold.

“Our Er Niu isn’t the only prosperous family in the village. Why don't you go ask the others? Why single out our Er Niu’s family? Are you looking at our family because Er Niu is easy to bully?” Mother Zhao’s voice began to rise.

Upon hearing Mother Zhao, the Clan Head’s eyes indeed showed a flicker of evasion. There were a few other relatively wealthy families in the village, but none were as agreeable as Er Niu’s family. When he had gone to those houses, he hadn't even met the owners; the maids had sent him away. But he certainly couldn't admit these things in front of Mother Zhao and her husband: “The other wealthy families in the village are definitely contributing too; I have already gone to ask them.”

“Oh, is that so? In this village, including Landlord Xia’s family, there are a total of four wealthy households. If each one contributes twenty taels of silver like our Er Niu, added to the population of our Lower Lin Village, is your ancestral hall inlaid with gold or silver? Exactly how much does it cost?” Mother Zhao demanded.

“This…” The Clan Head was momentarily speechless under Mother Zhao’s interrogation.

Old Man Lin saw that the situation had reached a critical point and gave Mother Zhao a meaningful look, saying, “Clan Head, my wife just has a fiery temper, please don’t take offense. But speaking of the matter, building the ancestral hall is indeed a tremendously good thing for the village. Our Er Niu’s circumstances have improved a bit these past two years, so contributing money is appropriate. However, this is ultimately a matter for the entire village, not just one person. Their family’s wealth isn't mined from gold or silver seams; they can’t just pull out tens of taels at once. How about this: in a few days, once you’ve collected the money from the other wealthy families, whatever amount they give, our Er Niu’s family will absolutely not give less. How does that sound?”