Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Master Sun was no kind-hearted man.

Since he had decided to suppress the Han family, he naturally struck immediately!

Within just a few days, Han Zhang, who was studying at the academy, was ambushed by ruffians when he was alone.

Fortunately, when it came to fighting, he, who had survived the apocalypse, had no fear.

Not to mention a few thugs; even a battle-hardened veteran might struggle to defeat him.

So, the ruffians were not the problem.

The problem was that, while being harassed by those thugs, he could clearly sense their vicious intent—they were out to cripple him. That was audacious and very troubling.

After all, he was a scholar with a degree, a man of merit.

In this era, where scholars held high status, ordinary thugs would have to be out of their minds to harm him so severely.

Thus, someone must have been behind this.

This suspicion was soon confirmed by the bad news from home.

“Son, something terrible has happened to the family and the clan!”

Han’s father rushed to the academy, panting heavily.

Han Zhang quickly steadied him and asked, “Father, don’t rush. Take a breath and tell me slowly—what happened?”

“It’s Master Sun… A few days ago, for some unknown reason, he suddenly targeted our Han family again! First, he blocked the forest path in the back mountain, forbidding our Han clan from logging, claiming the mountain was his ancestral property…”

“That was bad enough, but then he sent word to all the shopkeepers in town, ordering them to fire any Han surnamed workers or apprentices without exception!”

Han’s father grew more frantic, his voice trembling with tears: “But it didn’t stop there… He even targeted the marriages of our clan’s younger generation!”

“Master Sun spread rumors everywhere, saying our Han family had thoroughly offended him, and anyone who married into the Han clan would be opposing his Sun family.”

“Now, many of our clan’s married daughters and young lads have been divorced or sent back by their in-laws on various pretexts… And those who were in the middle of matchmaking have all had their engagements canceled! No one dares to marry into the Han family anymore!”

Finally, Han’s father broke down in tears, “If we can’t log, we can at least tighten our belts and make do with less income from the match business…”

“But forcing our clan’s married daughters and young lads to be divorced and preventing the younger generation from marrying and starting families—this is an attempt to cut off our Han clan’s future and drive us to ruin!”

Upon hearing this, Han Zhang clenched his fists, his eyes darkening.

There was no doubt that the ruffians’ attack on him yesterday was likely also orchestrated by the Sun family.

What was the Sun family trying to do?

Did they truly intend to push the Han family to the brink of destruction?

“Father, I’ll ask the teacher for leave and return to the village with you.”

Without hesitation, Han Zhang bid farewell to the academy and followed his father back to Shangpo Village.

Back in the village.

Han Zhang discussed the matter in detail with the clan chief and elders, learning that the real mastermind behind this was the Luo family, who had long been at odds with them.

“Shangpo Village is right outside the capital. Although Master Sun isn’t known for being generous, he’s not the type to drive people to despair so easily.”

“After this incident, I sensed something was off and made inquiries with the Luo family. Sure enough, before Master Sun moved against us, Xiucai Luo went to see Miss Sun…”

Clan Chief Han spoke with both anger and worry.

Hearing this, Han Zhang, being an experienced man, could roughly guess what had happened.

It was likely that when Shen Qinglan stood up for him last time, Xiucai Luo had seen his extraordinary bearing and mistakenly thought Han Zhang had also gained powerful connections. Fearing future retaliation, Luo decided to strike first.

As the saying goes, to stamp out the source of trouble.

Han Zhang could understand the Luo family’s logic, but he could not accept their actions.

After all, not only were the Han clan members suffering, but if he hadn’t been skilled in combat yesterday, the original Han Zhang would have been crippled by now.

But now was not the time for anger; solving the problem was key.

Han Zhang asked with concern, “Clan Chief, Grandfather, regarding the Match Workshop, we’ve stockpiled plenty of wood, so there’s no immediate rush. But what about the daughters and young lads who have been divorced and sent back? What are the clan’s plans?”

As far as he knew, in this world, much like in the ancient times of his own world, divorced or sent back women and young lads often faced grim fates.

Even if they were beloved at home, for the sake of the family’s reputation, they were often hastily married off to distant places or forced into a nunnery, spending the rest of their lives in seclusion.

Although the Han and Luo families had old grievances, and the Luo family would have eventually acted against the Han, this storm was ultimately triggered by him. He couldn’t stand by and watch these young people suffer.

However.

The Han family had once been a prestigious clan. Even if they had lost all their wealth, their vision and foresight remained—unlike ordinary farming families.

Clan Chief Han said, “This matter is essentially a feud between our clan and the Luo family. Those daughters and young lads were divorced or sent back through no fault of their own; rather, the clan has wronged them.”

“I’ve already discussed with the clan members. We’ll let them stay at home for now, and once the storm passes, we’ll find them new, suitable husbands.”

This was the most reasonable and generous solution of the time.

In the current social climate, it was nearly impossible for women and young lads to remain unmarried for life. Unless they were widows, they would be drowned in gossip.

Even a royal princess would not escape the whispers of the crowd.

The Han clan did not blame these young people for their misfortune and was willing to plan for their future—this was already commendable.

But Han Zhang felt this was unacceptable.

He pondered for a moment and then spoke solemnly, “No, Clan Chief, Grandfather, we absolutely cannot let them hastily remarry. With their current status as divorced or sent back individuals, what good matches can they find other than becoming a second wife or marrying an elderly or disabled man?”

“Instead of letting our clan’s daughters and young lads suffer outside, why not keep them here and recruit husbands into the family, allowing them to expand the Han clan’s lineage?”

“Recruit husbands? Expand the Han clan’s lineage?” Clan Chief Han fell into thought.

“Exactly. Marriage, whether through giving away a daughter or bringing in a son-in-law, always combines two families. The children born share blood from both sides. So, if we recruit husbands, the children will bear the Han surname and belong to our clan.”

“For a family to thrive, besides having an outstanding leader, it also needs a large population.”

“Clan Chief, Grandfather, our Han clan currently has too few people—only about two hundred, including the elderly and children. If we rely solely on young men marrying and having children, how long will it take to have descendants filling our halls? Recruiting husbands is a viable path.”

In truth, Han Zhang had been thinking about this idea for a while.

Because population was the greatest resource!

Especially in an era where the clan is paramount, the family is a person's most solid support. As long as it's not a life-or-death feud, under the law of "implicating the entire clan," even if clan members have grudges, they will still unite against outsiders at critical moments.

Now the entire Han clan numbers no more than two hundred people.

Such manpower is too meager; it's simply insufficient for getting things done. We must increase the population as soon as possible.

"But as for men willing to marry into the family, I'm afraid it will be hard to find those with good character and appearance."

Patriarch Han is not a stubborn man; he is just worried about the quality of the live-in sons-in-law.

Han Zhang said, "Grandpa Chief, your concerns are very valid. Those ugly misfits in the village are naturally unworthy of our good young women and men. Moreover, their families are large and full of gossip, which will inevitably lead to entanglements later. Why not go directly to the brokerage to buy men?"

"Buy men?" Patriarch Han was taken aback.

"Yes, buy men. We go to the brokerage to specifically select men without relatives, with decent looks and strong bodies. With their contracts in hand and the elders constantly supervising them, they are alone and have nothing to rely on. How would they dare not treat our young women and men well?"

"Of course, we need to teach our young women and men to stand on their own, not to be soft-hearted or easily swayed, lest they be swayed by a few sweet words."

Patriarch Han listened: ...

It's a bit unorthodox, but it makes perfect sense.

"But an able-bodied young man at the brokerage costs a lot. Where can our clan get so much money?"

Han Zhang said: "I'll find a way to get that money. For now, please go and ask those returned young women and men if they are willing to take husbands and stay in the clan. If they don't want to give up their children, I can negotiate on their behalf to bring the children over, let them change their surnames and be entered into the clan registry, as compensation for their suffering."

"Furthermore, in the future, if there are capable and independent young women or men in the clan who can earn money to support their families, they may take husbands and stay in the clan to continue the family line."

"Grandpa Chief, you should understand that some intelligent daughters may be just as beneficial to the clan as male offspring. To revitalize our family, we must cast aside convention and use all means..."

"Marry off the less clever, keep the smart ones. Over time, by nurturing the best, our clan will be full of smart people!"

After all, it's not him who will become a live-in son-in-law. 'Better them than me'—these clan members, male or female, are all resources in his hands. How could he waste the talents of the young women and men?

Han Zhang spoke with great passion.

Patriarch Han felt a surge of excitement.

Although he felt that something didn't feel right, Elder Brother's words did seem very reasonable.

For the development of the clan, why be bound by trivial conventions!

Moreover, the Han clan had examples in the past where the master was incompetent and the mistress took over.

"This plan is great, this plan is great! But to settle all these returning young women and men, purchase live-in sons-in-law, and acquire assets, we need at least a hundred taels of silver. Elder Brother, do you really have a solution?"

"Don't worry, Grandpa Chief. With the fortunes of the entire clan at stake, how could I speak heedlessly? Earlier I wrote a script and sent it to a bookstore, and it sold quite well. Now I have several dozen taels on hand to tide us over..."

"Besides that, please comfort those clansmen who have lost their jobs. Once our 'Match Workshop' gets on track, everyone's life will improve."

Han Zhang was not worried at all.

It was too easy for him to earn money. Not to mention that his script had already started to bring in income; even just using his Power to force a few rare flowers and plants to grow would be enough to get a large amount of money.

He just needed to think of a reasonable explanation to avoid arousing suspicion.

Patriarch Han's furrowed brow finally relaxed, and he happily patted Han Zhang on the shoulder repeatedly.

"Good, good, good! Elder Brother has indeed become promising, worthy of being the Qilin Son of our Han clan. But this matter is a disaster for the family, and the responsibility cannot be borne by you alone."

"As the saying goes, 'A small favor earns gratitude; a great one breeds resentment.' We must not let clansmen develop the habit of reaping without sowing. The foundation of our Han clan is that the whole clan advances and retreats together, and everyone earns their own living."

"Let's consider this money as a loan from the clan to you. Once the 'Match Workshop' earns money, we'll pay you back."

Patriarch Han spoke earnestly, every word sincere.

Han Zhang revealed a smile: "Alright, I'll listen to Grandpa Chief."