Poor but talented scholar

Chapter 2 The Bill

"To put it bluntly, with the third son's illness, how much money does the family have? We've borrowed grain, we've bought medicine, if this continues, are we going to expect the entire clan to foot the bill for your branch of the family?"

This is the voice of his uncle, Lu Youcai.

Lu Chuan stopped abruptly, his face turning completely cold.

Then a woman's voice rang out.

"Brother, we never said we wouldn't pay it back..."

This is his mother. She always speaks like this, especially in front of the elders in the clan, where she doesn't even dare to breathe loudly.

Lu Youcai sneered: "Repay? With what? Your three-tenths of an acre of land? Or will your husband be coughing up blood in bed to repay it?"

"If you have money, don't overstate things."

This is my sixth uncle in the clan.

He then added slowly, "However, there's one thing Youcai is right about. When the clan helps each other, you have to think long-term. If this branch of the family can't support itself, then helping others is just a bottomless pit."

Lu Chuan pushed open the courtyard gate and went inside.

The courtyard wasn't large. There was a chicken coop on the east side and several bundles of firewood piled up on the west side. An old wooden table sat in front of the main house. Two old men sat there, Uncle Liu and Uncle Jiu, both influential figures in the clan. Uncle Lu Youcai stood to the side, his hands behind his back, his face stern.

His mother stood under the eaves, clutching a rag in her hand, forcing a smile, but her eyes were red.

Lu Xiaoman, the younger sister, huddled by the door. When she saw him come in, her eyes lit up. She was about to call out, but then, as if afraid of ruining something, she held back.

"Chuan'er's back," his mother said first, her voice tinged with relief. "Did you get the medicine?"

"Got it." Lu Chuan walked over and handed the bamboo basket to his younger sister, "Take it inside and brew a dose for Dad to drink first."

The younger sister took the bamboo basket, glanced at it, and whispered, "Only two sets?"

Lu Chuan glanced at her. The little girl immediately fell silent, lowered her head, and ran into the inner room with her bamboo basket.

Lu Youcai snorted as if he had caught something red-handed.

"See that? You can't even afford three doses of medicine, what are you trying to prove here?"

Lu Chuan turned around, glanced at him, and then cupped his hands in greeting to the two elders who were sitting.

"Sixth Uncle, Ninth Uncle."

Sixth Uncle nodded, his gaze sweeping over him.

"Did you go into town to get medicine?"

"Yes."

"Do you have enough money?"

"We have to make sure it's not enough; we can't let my dad continue like this forever."

Lu Youcai's face turned even uglier.

"Listen to this," he pointed at Lu Chuan. "So young, yet so arrogant. Your father is sick, your family is so poor they can't even afford to eat, your mother has worn herself out trying to borrow half a bushel of grain, and you, on the other hand, still have this stubbornness to maintain. What's the value of stubbornness? Can it put food on the table?"

Lu Chuan looked up at him: "Uncle, did you come today to borrow grain, or for something else? Please speak frankly."

Lu Youcai was clearly surprised that his usually quiet nephew dared to ask such a question in front of the clan elders, and his face immediately darkened.

"Okay, then I'll get straight to the point."

"Your father's illness isn't something that developed overnight. Your family has been borrowing money every year for the past few years, but it's always been difficult. The clan isn't a temple of saints; they can only help once or twice, not ten or eight times."

"Furthermore—" His gaze shifted to the half-open door, "Even in your father's state, he still keeps you glued to the house, saying you're clever and shouldn't work for others, but should stay home and study. What's the use of studying? Does your family really expect to produce a scholar?"

He laughed first as he said this.

Lujia Village has produced scholars over the years, but the more this happens, the more they know how difficult it is to support a scholar.

Their family had also had children, but that was a long time ago.

"My uncle means that I should go to work."

Lu Youcai raised his chin: "You're not completely stupid yet."

"Going to the county grain store, cloth shop, or even carrying bags at the dock is better than staying at home. You can eat and walk, which is the time to contribute your strength. It's better than the whole family relying on those three acres of land."

That's a harsh truth, but it's also very true.

Even his mother opened her mouth as if to refute something, but in the end she couldn't say anything.

Lu Chuan nodded after listening.

"I see."

Lu Youcai was stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting him to agree so quickly.

"Has Uncle finished speaking?" he asked.

"Are you done talking?"

"Now that you've finished, let me ask you a question."

Lu Chuan's gaze fell on the old account book on the table.

He saw it as soon as he entered the room.

That was the village's account book for borrowing grain, money, and allocating land; it was of utmost importance. Now it lay open on the table, half a page exposed, the ink fresh, clearly indicating that something had just been written down.

Lu Chuan glanced at it twice.

"My uncle just said that my family borrowed half a bushel of grain last month."

"But if I remember correctly, the account book shows it's probably more than half a bushel, isn't it?"

Lu Youcai's expression changed: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

His voice suddenly rose, startling even Lu Xiaoman, who was standing by the door, who shrank back.

Lu Chuan ignored him and simply bowed to his sixth uncle.

"Sixth Uncle, may I take a look at your account book?"

Sixth Uncle didn't speak. He was old, and his eyelids were a bit loose, so he usually looked at people with his eyes half-open, as if he didn't care about anything. But this time, his old eyes opened wide.

"Can you read the accounts?" Uncle Liu asked.

Lu Chuan said, "I've seen some."

"You've seen some?" Lu Youcai sneered as if he'd heard a joke. "You think you're an accountant just because you know a few words? These are the clan's accounts, not your own firewood. You can't just look at them whenever you want!"

"If Uncle has a clear conscience, why is he in such a hurry?"

"you!"

Lu Youcai's face darkened, and he raised his hand to lash out.

"Alright."

Uncle Nine, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke out.

He was two years younger than Sixth Uncle, with a thin face but a neatly trimmed beard, and he spoke slowly. During important clan events, Sixth Uncle was more likely to be the one in charge of setting the scene, while Ninth Uncle was the one who loved to keep accounts and adhere to the rules.

He waved the ledger on the table.

"Show him."

Lu Youcai's expression changed: "Ninth Uncle, this..."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Uncle Jiu's expression remained unchanged. "If a child truly can't see or understand, he'll only humiliate himself. If he can understand, then it's a sign that a member of the Lu family has made something of himself."

After hearing this, Lu Youcai had no choice but to shut up, no matter how unwilling he was.

Sixth Uncle pushed the account book forward a bit.

"See?"

Lu Chuan took two steps forward and stood beside the table.

The ledger wasn't thick, so he flipped directly to the last page, where it recorded the amounts that the various households had recently borrowed grain, money, and divided land and water.

This page of the account was not difficult for him.

Although Lu Chuan wasn't extremely wealthy or a top genius in his previous life, he was quick to act and quick to remember things. After starting work, let alone project budgets, filming costs, and contract terms, even in the most chaotic situations, he could still roughly recall a few sets of accounts and expenses that were temporarily modified.

These account books are hardly complicated compared to the account sheets, progress reports, and expense reports of later generations.