Reborn After Widowhood

Chapter 20

Shiqiao Town was not a big place. When the boy servant came to find him, Chen Tingjian was comforting the people in the south of the town where the flood was the deepest.

Knowing that something happened at home, and even the most stable eldest son wanted him to go back at this juncture, Chen Tingjian had no choice but to say to the village chief, “I’ll leave this to you first. I have to go back.”

The village chief bowed down and smiled: “Don’t worry, Cabinet Elder, this kind of small battle is not strange to the people in our town.”

Chen Tingjian nodded and hurried home with his servant. Whenever he met people saluting him on the way, he would return the salute humbly without any official authority.

The people were so enthusiastic that Chen Tingjian was delayed. When he returned to Chen House, he saw his third son waiting at the door.

Chen Tingjian looked stern: “What happened?”

Chen Xiaozong’s eyes turned red, and he briefly told the story of how his fourth brother accidentally found Qi shi‘s account book and discovered that Qi shi was secretly amassing money. The focus was on the two old ginsengs.

Chen Tingjian had no expression at first, as if he was not surprised that Qi shi would do such a thing, but when he heard what happened later, he clenched his hands.

“Go inside.”

Without looking at his son, Chen Tingjian raised his head and walked towards the courtyard.

In the middle of the second courtyard of the main house was the Chen Family Ancestral Hall.

Regarding the death of the old lady, Sun shi took the initiative to brought the whole family from the east house and their eldest family to the ancestral hall. Except for Hua Yang, the distinguished daughter-in-law, and Dalang and the other grandchildren, everyone else was there.

As soon as Chen Tingjian arrived, Sun shi stood up from her chair. Chen Tingshi, who was kneeling in front of the ancestral tablet with his head bowed and sobbing, moved out on his knees and faced his brother with tears streaming down his face: “Brother, I’m useless. I have let you down, and I even more have let our mother down!”

Chen Tingjian first saw half of his swollen face, frowned and said, “Who beat him?”

Chen Tingshi cried so hard that he couldn’t keep his eyes open: “I deserve a beating, brother, please beat me too!”

Chen Tingjian scolded: “How unbecoming is it to cry and cry? You get up first and speak!”

The brother’s power and the official’s power were pressed down together. Chen Tingshi trembled all over, wiped his face with his sleeves, and stood up with his head down.

Chen Tingjian walked to the main seat next to Sun shi, turned around and sat down. His eyes swept across the two distinct branch houses in turn. After pausing slightly on the disheveled Qi shi and the expressionless fourth son, Chen Tingjian looked at Chen Tingshi again: “Your face, who hit it?”

Chen Tingshi refused to say.

“He……”

“I did.”

Just when Chen Jizong raised his finger to pointed out bitterly, Chen Jingzong also stepped forward and took the initiative to claim the “credit.”

Chen Tingjian’s face darkened and shouted angrily: “As a nephew, you dare to beat your own uncle, why don’t you kneel down!”

Chen Jingzong sneered back.

On the contrary, Chen Tingshi, who could not stand up straight, plopped down on his knees and said in tears: “Brother, don’t blame Jingzong, it was me who killed mother, I deserve the beating!”