There's Something Wrong With My Little White Flower - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Fallen Republican Era Young Lady X The Overseas-Educated Paternal Aunt

Ruan Clan Ancestral Hall.

Due to Ruan Jiyun’s unexpected appearance, Uncle Ruan and Aunt Ruan’s expressions were a bit strained, but the hall was filled with neighbors of the same clan. At this moment, even if they were unwilling, they had to put on a smiling face.

“You’re getting married soon. We just wanted to handle this before your marriage so you’d have support from your maiden family, and the Jiang family wouldn’t dare to neglect you,” the aunt said as she walked toward Ruan Jiyun. “Yunniang, all of this is for your own good.”

Under the bright lamplight, Ruan Jiyun watched her performance coldly. She first curtsied to the clan leader, and then asked: “Great Uncle, since today is about adopting a son for my father, it is only right that I, as the eldest daughter, be here to witness it, isn’t it?”

The clan leader saw her solemn expression, completely unlike the timid person he remembered, and instead possessed a steady demeanor. He couldn’t grasp Ruan Jiyun’s intentions, so he stroked his beard and said: “Logically, in such a major affair, there is no place for you girls to interfere. But considering that your father only has you, just listen from the side.”

After speaking, he glanced at Uncle Ruan and then slowly added: “The Ancestral Hall is the place of your ancestors. You must adhere to the rules and not disturb your father’s peace.”

Ruan Jiyun smiled: “This humble daughter naturally understands.” Without looking at the aunt, she walked straight to the other side of the incense table and stood still.

The clan leader, seeing that she was genuinely preparing to quietly observe the ceremony, said no more, turning to instruct a few clan members to light the incense and prepare for the ritual announcement.

The Ruan branch had relocated here from the North during the late Qing Dynasty, so the ancestral hall was built later. Being a collateral branch, it had not produced any illustrious officials, so the ritual announcement to the ancestors was naturally simple. It involved lighting incense and bowing to the ancestors, followed by the clan leader personally noting the names and transfers in the genealogy book.

Uncle Ruan directed Ruan Xiaoxian to kneel in front of the incense table. Just as the clan leader was about to take out the genealogy book, Ruan Jiyun spoke from the side: “Wait a moment—”

“Yunniang, whatever you have to say, wait until the adoption is complete. Don’t delay the main business,” the aunt, who had been on edge, quickly interrupted when Ruan Jiyun spoke. “This is the Ancestral Hall. Girls should not interrupt.”

Ruan Jiyun turned to look at her: “I am a Ruan family daughter. Why can’t I speak before the ancestors? Aunt, are you not a woman? Why are you so eager to lecture me? Since Xiaoxian is being adopted into my branch, I, as the elder sister, have the right to inquire clearly.”

“No shouting in the Ancestral Hall!” The clan leader hesitated for a moment and said: “Yunniang, speak quickly if you have something to say.”

Ruan Jiyun respectfully bowed deeply toward the incense table and then calmly said: “I dare to ask the Clan Leader, if Ruan Xiaoxian is adopted into my Third Branch, then the First Branch will be without a male heir. How should this matter be resolved?”

“Because your Ruan family currently only has one male heir, he will naturally serve both branches.”

“Then I cannot agree.” The corner of Ruan Jiyun’s mouth curved. “All the uncles here must know that my father operated a weaving workshop during his lifetime. After his death, because there was no one to inherit, my uncle decided to sell the business. The money was used to purchase a full 120 mu of prime paddy field, producing an income of five hundred silver dollars annually.”

“I have been engaged to the eldest young master of the Jiang family since childhood. The Jiang family is one of the most prominent wealthy families in Shanghai,” she surveyed the expressions of the crowd. “As everyone knows, Old Master Jiang also has only one son.”

“My maiden family possesses assets worth thousands of silver dollars, and the family I am marrying into is even more distinguished! Ordinary families can end up in lawsuits over just three to five ounces of wealth. If someone is to succeed my father and continue the family line, there is a condition: this adopted son must belong only to my Third Branch. Is this request excessive?”

Ruan Jiyun’s words were undoubtedly a bomb thrown into a calm pool, causing a great surge of waves in everyone’s hearts, their expressions varied.

120 mu of prime paddy field! That was an asset worth thousands of silver dollars! As for the Jiang family, judging by Yunniang’s attire and demeanor, once she became the eldest daughter-in-law, she would certainly not lack money. This Uncle Ruan, looking quiet and unassuming, had played a truly brilliant trick, trying to keep all the benefits for himself. No wonder they rushed to open the ancestral hall in the middle of the night for this adoption!

Their Ruan clan had not produced any successful descendants for many years, and every family relied on their land for food. Now, hearing the implication in Ruan Jiyun’s words—that if their own family could offer a completely dedicated son… who among them didn’t have one!

The aunt had already taken in the expressions of the clan members. She said anxiously: “But… but Xiaoxian is, after all, his Third Uncle’s biological nephew! There is no closer blood relationship!”

“I didn’t say I disagreed; I only hope to have a complete son as my successor,” Ruan Jiyun sneered, looking down at her cousin kneeling at her feet. “Xiaoxian, let me ask you: are you willing to renounce your Uncle and Aunt’s family and be my brother alone?”

In the flickering candlelight, Ruan Xiaoxian looked up, meeting Ruan Jiyun’s gaze. He already had a psychological fear of this cousin. Now, with the imposing black ancestral tablets looming over him, his heart tightened, and he involuntarily blurted out: “I’m being adopted to continue your Third Branch’s line! What are you to demand that I sever ties with my parents?”

The aunt felt something was wrong and was about to try to cover for her son when Ruan Jiyun suddenly laughed. Before anyone could react, she suddenly raised her hand and slapped Ruan Xiaoxian hard across the face!

The slap was extremely heavy. Even with Ruan Xiaoxian’s build, his head was violently jerked to the side. His head was ringing, and one side of his face burned fiercely. Blood rushed to his head, and he stood up, angrily cursing: “Are you crazy!”

Ruan Jiyun had been prepared for this reaction when she hit him. Her movements were nimble as she retreated behind the incense table. Seeing Ruan Xiaoxian lunging toward her, she snatched the bronze candelabrum from the incense table, pointed the sharp end at Ruan Xiaoxian, and yelled:

“To act like a fool in front of the ancestors and disturb the peace of the Ancestral Hall, I will discipline this confused wretch on behalf of our forefathers today!”

Ruan Xiaoxian’s face was still stinging. He was suddenly confronted by the normally meek older sister, speaking fiercely with the sharp tip of the candelabrum pointed directly at him. He gasped: “Why did you hit me?”

Ruan Jiyun didn’t look at him, only stating coldly: “Grandpa Clan Leader, and all our clansmen, I have overstepped my bounds today, but it is truly out of desperation. My father toiled his whole life. Whenever the clan had an issue, he always wholeheartedly supported it. Now that he is adopting a son, does he not have the right to choose a good one? Great Uncle, do the words I say make sense?”

The clan leader saw the girl’s ferocity and then Ruan Xiaoxian’s uselessness. He could only sigh: “We are all one family. Speak properly.”

Ruan Jiyun stood tall and straight. Her emotions were running high, and the knuckles of the hand gripping the candelabrum were white from tension. She said clearly, word for word: “As long as I live, I will not agree to my father adopting a son with ulterior motives like this one. If this matter must be concluded today, I will die right here and apologize to my father in the afterlife!”

“You must be crazy!” The aunt wanted to rush forward but feared Ruan Jiyun’s appearance at the moment. She could only say tremblingly:

“Didn’t we do all this for you? I raised you since childhood! Are you trying to repay kindness with enmity?”

“Silence!” The clan leader finally managed to have someone drag Ruan Xiaoxian to the back. Seeing the aunt personally step in, he cursed her internally as a foolish person. “Yunniang, this is the Ruan Clan Ancestral Hall! Put the candelabrum down first!”

Ruan Jiyun shook her head: “My voice is weak. I can only use this life as a stake to beg you for justice.”

The clan leader’s lips moved. He realized this matter could no longer be easily dismissed. Before he could think of a countermeasure, someone else walked into the Ancestral Hall. Before they arrived, a voice already rang out:

“Sister Ruan, this small matter is not worth staking your life for!”

Hearing that voice, Ruan Jiyun’s eyes flickered. The strength that had desperately sustained her seemed to have found its anchor. She trembled slightly, looked up, and saw a pair of familiar bright eyes.

Jiang Peifeng had managed to piece together the general story while rushing to the Ancestral Hall with Ruan Jining. She didn’t actually care about the Ruan family’s adoption issue; after all, in her plans, taking care of the little white flower was no big deal. But when she saw Ruan Jiyun standing alone in the Ancestral Hall, forced to the point of holding a candelabrum to her own throat, she couldn’t suppress her anger.

Her little white flower, whom she had carefully protected, was actually being forced to this extreme by these people?

If she had arrived a moment later, who knew how much more she would have been bullied!

Thinking this, her expression darkened: “I’d like to see who dares to touch you.”

Jiang Peifeng’s words were not empty threats. As her voice fell, a respectful voice came from outside the Ancestral Hall: “Miss, Jiang Ming has already taken your name card to the county to find Magistrate Yu. Hearing the noise inside, has someone started a fight? Should I inform the Garrison Bureau as well?”

The clan leader felt a pang of despair. It was supposed to be an internal clan matter, but this young lady was bold enough to mention the county magistrate immediately. But he knew Jiang Peifeng wasn’t joking. Her actions now showed she was genuinely here to stand up for Ruan Jiyun.

“Miss Jiang, this is a misunderstanding! Things weren’t clearly communicated…” he said, rubbing his hands. “It was originally a family matter, but everyone got a little too anxious.”

Jiang Peifeng walked to Ruan Jiyun’s side, first gently taking the candelabrum from her hand, then taking the little white flower’s icy hands. Only then did she speak calmly: “Adoption is about mutual consent. The assets left behind by Uncle Ruan are something our Jiang family will not interfere with even a bit. However, if a family truly has an outstanding, promising child, the Jiang family will naturally treat them as relatives.”

She scanned the people in the room, the corner of her lips curling slightly: “While our Jiang family is not a large one, paying for a capable young man’s overseas education or finding him a job is certainly not out of the question…”

The clan leader’s heart sank further as she spoke. He realized that Uncle Ruan’s prospect was completely hopeless.

Everyone has private interests. Just now, when Yunniang openly publicized the Ruan family’s assets and clamored for the adoption of an obedient and sensible son, many people were already tempted. Coupled with Jiang Peifeng’s words now, anyone who wasn’t a fool knew how much benefit there would be in aligning with Ruan Jiyun.

Even as the clan leader, he could not easily suppress the private ambitions of a whole group of people.

Jiang Peifeng observed his expression without revealing her own thoughts, then lowered her voice, seemingly unintentionally, and said: “It is the new society now. I heard the county is strongly promoting the eradication of outdated customs. From what I saw just now, someone almost lost their life…”

Her words were not an idle threat. Others might not know, but the clan leader had personally seen the county magistrate’s subservient demeanor in front of the Jiang family. Although Jiang Peifeng was a girl, every word she spoke struck deeply at the clan leader.

“Absolutely not, absolutely not!” The clan leader quickly guaranteed. “I just told Yunniang that the adoption matter needs to be discussed slowly. It was meant to be a good thing, all for the benefit of the clan…”

Jiang Peifeng smiled: “Then you see today—”

Support There’s Something Wrong With My Little White Flower