Lin Fang once again felt that she was truly superfluous. What did it matter what illness he had? She had no affection whatsoever for this nominal grandfather of hers. Whether he lived or died was none of her concern. And as for her so-called grandmother, who had heartlessly drowned her own granddaughter—Second Grandmother had once mentioned that Dong Shi was brainless, blindly following Lin Boshi’s every word. It was entirely possible that drowning the granddaughter had been Lin Boshi’s idea.
At this thought, Lin Fang couldn’t help but wish that Lin Boshi’s illness was indeed colon cancer.
No, Lin Fang reconsidered. If Lin Boshi had colon cancer, it would be incurable, and his days would be numbered. Wouldn’t that mean her aunt would suffer terribly at his hands?
Soon enough, Lin Fang would come to realize that the ones Lin Boshi had harmed the most were her own family.
In their household, whenever someone fell ill, the mistress, Tong Shi, would take care of it if it was a family member. For the servants, they would rely on Zhou Sanxiao, the dedicated messenger, to either summon a physician to the residence or, after reporting to the master, allow the servant to visit a clinic for treatment. Thus, Zhou Sanxiao was the most familiar with the physicians in town.
That day, when Li Mingzhu came to town to fetch a physician for Lin Boshi, she consulted Li Cuimei about which doctor was skilled in treating abdominal pain. Li Cuimei then called Zhou Sanxiao, who introduced the town’s physicians one by one, leaving the final choice to Li Mingzhu.
Just as Lin Fang had suspected, the town physicians diagnosed Lin Boshi with intestinal obstruction—colon cancer—and declared that he had little time left. The eldest son went to Shengcheng to invite a renowned physician, but the diagnosis was the same. The physician only advised that the patient’s wishes be respected, as it might prolong his life by a few days.
The eldest and sixth sons, along with Lin Cuiping and Lin Cui’e, intended to fulfill their filial duties by his bedside. However, Lin Boshi shut the door firmly, still refusing to let his children near him.
Coincidentally, Lin Zhongshi returned to Liangping Town on official business. Upon hearing about his elder brother’s condition, he forced the door open despite Lin Boshi’s curses and managed to immobilize him.
The sixth son inserted his finger into his father’s anus to remove hardened feces. Even after marriage, the eldest son had moved back to the main household, but his interactions with his parents were limited to handing over money or enduring his father’s lectures and his mother’s scolding. He had never been close to them. Now, seeing his father naked, he felt extremely uncomfortable and went to the eaves to brew medicine. Having grown up under Tong Shi’s care, he was well-versed in the properties of herbs and the methods of decoction.
When the tenth son returned, he went straight to his own room. The sixth son, furious, dragged him out and demanded, “Do you have no respect for your elders? Father is gravely ill—why aren’t you attending to him?” The tenth son coldly replied, “Your return is just as unnecessary.”
Hearing such unfilial words, the sixth son was enraged. He raised his fist to strike, but the tenth son stood his ground, refusing to beg for mercy.
Seeing the situation, Li Mingzhu stepped forward to pull the tenth son away, smiling as she said, “It’s not that the tenth son is unfilial. It’s just that Father is too stubborn and constantly berates him. He spoke out of frustration—don’t be angry, Sixth Brother.”
Within half a month, Lin Boshi’s condition worsened further. As his end approached, the eldest son summoned Lin Wen back. All the men of the main household gathered by Lin Boshi’s bedside, while the women waited in the outer hall.
Lin Boshi instructed the sixth son to fetch the village head and the Lin clan members. When the sixth son asked why, Lin Boshi remained silent. When the village head and clan elders arrived, Lin Boshi insisted on also summoning the village scribe and bailiff, and even demanded the presence of the clan’s senior elders.
Once everyone was assembled, Lin Boshi pulled a document from under his bed, bit his finger to mark it with blood, and handed it to the clan leader. The clan leader’s expression changed drastically upon reading it. Lin Zhongshi snatched the document, glanced at it, and tore it apart in fury.
Unexpectedly, Lin Boshi produced another document from his robe, crumpled it in his hand, and extended it toward the village head.
Lin Zhongshi, incensed, tried to grab it but couldn’t pry open his elder brother’s fingers. He fumed, “Elder Brother, why must you do this? You resent our parents for favoring me, but why take it out on the eldest son? Do you realize that once this document is enacted, not only will the eldest son suffer, but Wen, Wu, and Fang will also lose all future prospects? What kind of grandfather is so heartless?”
The eldest son’s heart sank. Li Cuimei, waiting in the outer hall, also sensed something amiss. Then the tenth son spoke: “Uncle, don’t waste your effort. Father has already prepared at least ten copies of this document, hidden all over the house. It’s better to reveal it now than for it to be discovered after his death, which would only bring greater shame to Eldest Brother’s family.”
Lin Zhongshi roared, “If you knew, why didn’t you stop him?”
“Why should I?” the tenth son retorted angrily. “What’s so good about this family? It’s like a tomb for the living. I wish I were the one being disowned—at least I’d be free sooner.”
The eldest son asked tremulously, “Disowned? What do you mean? Why would Father disown me?”
The tenth son turned, pulled a sheet of paper from behind a screen, and handed it to the eldest son. “Read it yourself.”
As the eldest son unfolded the paper, his entire body trembled. Lin Wen and Lin Wu supported him from either side. Lin Wen’s face also paled as he skimmed the document. He took it from his father’s hands, passed it to the village head, and helped his father to a seat in the outer hall with Lin Wu.
The women, gathered in the outer hall, crowded around to ask what had happened. Lin Wen’s face was grim as he recited aloud: “The eldest son, Lin Dalang, is unfilial and rebellious. From this day forth, I sever all ties with him and disown him forever. Signed: Lin Boshi.”
Lin Zhongshi muttered a few reproaches toward his elder brother but, concerned for his nephew, followed them out. Seeing the eldest son sitting motionless like a puppet, he knew the shock had overwhelmed him. There was no point in further discussion. Lin Zhongshi carried the eldest son on his back, instructed Li Cuimei to bring the three children, and returned to the rear courtyard. Lin Cui’e hesitated briefly before following.
Back in the rear courtyard, Tong Shi used acupuncture to put the eldest son to sleep. Lin Zhongshi personally drove the carriage to take the eldest son’s family back to Liangping Town, with Tong Shi accompanying them.
Upon returning, Lin Zhongshi brought Lin Cui’e back with him. At first, she refused, but Lin Zhongshi persuaded her: “If you’re not by your father’s side when he passes, your eldest brother will bear even greater blame. Can you live with that?” Lin Cui’e burst into tears and followed her uncle back.
The next day, as Li Mingzhu went into labor, Lin Boshi breathed his last. At that moment, the eldest son was still unconscious, murmuring in feverish delirium, “Why… why…”
From her readings, Lin Fang understood that unless a child was irredeemably unfilial or a parent was persistently cruel, severing familial ties was a last resort. For Lin Boshi to disown his eldest son on his deathbed meant that the eldest son was deemed truly rebellious. Had the eldest son been an official, he would have been stripped of his position. His sons could still pursue scholarly honors but would be barred from official service, and his daughter could not marry into an official’s family.
In other words, Lin Wen and Lin Wu’s education would end after their current studies, and Lin Fang herself would remain a commoner for life.
Lin Fang couldn’t comprehend the depth of Lin Boshi’s hatred—why wait until his dying breath to sever ties with the eldest son? But she knew this act had truly destroyed Lin Wen and Lin Wu’s futures. As for herself, she didn’t care much; she had never pinned her hopes on marriage anyway.
The entire family, including Tong Shi, kept vigil by the eldest son’s side without rest. Three days later, he finally awoke—but his temples were streaked with white, and his once handsome, youthful face now bore the marks of age.
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