I was a stepmother in ancient times, and I led my whole family to wealth.

Chapter 20 Village Head Lin Peisheng

Gu Li said gloatingly, "This is the patriarch of our Gu clan."

Dongfang Jin looked surprised: "Oh, I don't know him."

Lin Lizheng: This child is panting so hard.

The clan leader was so angry at her appearance that he trembled. He pointed at Dongfang Jin and said, "You...you have no respect for your elders! No wonder the Fang family doesn't want you."

Dongfang Jin looked at him, "Who are you being fierce to? Do you really think she has the same soft and weak personality as the original owner?"

With that kind of imposing manner, she really couldn't be intimidated; she had grown up with those old men and women.

Each of those people is a prominent figure, and their aura is no less imposing than that of the clan leader.

"Yes, the Fang family doesn't want me, but they want you. Why don't you go?"

“You…come here and explain the clan rules.”

"Tsk tsk... Old man, your scope of management is wider than the universe. Do you even care about the twinkling of the stars in the sky?"

Clan rules? Do you even have the right to impose them on me? By what right do you impose clan rules on me?

"It's like an old hen sticking a feather duster on her head, trying to act like a big shot."

"puff……"

Someone in the crowd burst out laughing, and once the first person did, a second one followed.

"Gu Chenglin's wife is really bold. She's the head of the Gu clan, and she dares to talk back to him."

"Why not confront him? Haven't you heard? Cheng Lin has already been expelled from his clan. What does that mean?"

"That's true. Being expelled from the clan for no reason means they can no longer be protected by the clan."

"Don't say that, Lin Xiang's family. It's as if Cheng Lin has been protected by their clan."

"Hehe, I just forgot."

……

Chief Gu was so angry that he was panting, and he shouted at Gu Chenglin who was standing next to him: "Gu Chenglin!"

Dongfang Jin's face turned cold: "Alright, stop shouting. Why are you calling him? Gu Chenglin is no longer a member of your Gu family. His name has been removed from the family register. Stop showing off your power here."

Go do what you need to do, sir. Who is this clan chief's family member? Get him out of here right now.

Don't make me say anything harsh, it really isn't nice.

We'll be living in the same village from now on, so we'll run into each other all the time. This will save us from awkward encounters later.

At this age, please open your eyes when you go out or come in, don't walk with your eyes closed.

"If you fall down someday, you'll have to blame this person for appearing in front of you without warning."

Gu Yucheng, the son of the Gu clan chief, was also helpless when he heard Dongfang Jin's words. He glanced at Gu Chenglin with a guilty look on his face, then stepped forward and pulled his father away.

"Get out of Lingwu Village!" Chief Gu shouted angrily, shoving his son and pointing at Dongfang Jin.

"Oh, you're the village chief of Lingwu Village? You don't seem to have the authority to kick me out of the village."

Go home and show off your power in your Gu family.

They can't distinguish between insiders and outsiders, good and bad, they bully the weak, and they are selfish and self-serving. Where is the demeanor of a clan leader?

I am truly worried that your clan has such a patriarch, how can you possibly…”

Lin Lizheng then stepped out and interrupted her: "Little one, you should respect the elderly and care for the young. I am the village head and village chief of Lingwu Village."

"Hello, Village Head," Dongfang Jin immediately stood up and half-squatted, obediently giving the village head a standard junior's greeting, with an excellent attitude.

Lin Peisheng looked at her and nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad."

After saying that, he glanced at the person beside him who was furious and had eyes bulging with rage. This guy was really something. Gu Yaohui was just a first-year student, and he hadn't even done anything yet, but he had already made a mess of the clan.

Dongfang Jin stood up, raising her chin: "That's right, manners are something for people to use."

Lin Peisheng shook his head speechlessly: "Alright, what's going on here? Chenglin, tell us."

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Jin became anxious: "Uncle Village Head, please don't make things difficult for him. Let me explain."

The Gu family came from afar, cursing and swearing. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they started cursing Gu Chenglin for being unfilial, and that fat guy even stole the meat I bought from the kitchen.

Look, there's a thief hiding in that room who hasn't come out yet.

I'd like to ask the village head, is this letter of severance of ties even valid? Aside from their clan, are these people still considered part of the same family? Doesn't their behavior constitute burglary?

Lin Peisheng listened to Dongfang Jin's words: "Once the severance agreement is signed, it will be effective. If a name is no longer on the family tree, a member of a clan is no longer considered a member of the clan."

Yes, once the severance agreement is signed, the relationship is no longer considered kinship. If a person's name is no longer on a clan's genealogy, they are no longer considered part of the clan.

I don't know what Gu Yongliang was thinking. His behavior and character are so different from his father's.

"Then tell me, if they come to my house, can I report them to the authorities and accuse them of burglary?"

Lin Peisheng paused for a moment, then laughed: "Going to the yamen to beat the drum means you'll get ten strokes of the cane first."

Dongfang Jin took out a jade pendant from his sleeve pocket: "Uncle Village Head, I have this, it will exempt you from ten strokes of the cane."

The village head took the jade and asked in surprise, "Where did this come from?"

"Someone gave this to me at the county government office today. He said I can take it to him anytime if I need anything." Dongfang Jin knew what he meant as soon as she saw his expression... She didn't expect her attempt to intimidate him like this would actually work.

Lin Yu took the jade pendant and said, "Father, this is the jade pendant of our newly appointed magistrate." He then pointed to the character "Lu" on the back of the pendant.

Upon hearing this, Gu Li said, "Lin Yu, stop talking nonsense. Who is the county magistrate? Would he know a peasant like her? Who are you trying to scare?"

Fang Jin is really joking. County Magistrate, she really dares to say that.

Dongfang Jin ignored Gu Lishi and said to the village head, "This jade pendant was given to me by the man in white clothes at the entrance of the county government office. He was quite handsome, and he was accompanied by a clerk named Xu."

Gu Chenglin walked over with a headache: "Uncle Village Head, it was Xiao Jin who was playing a word guessing game at the county government office today. That noble young man gave it to her. We don't even know him. He's the county magistrate."

Lin Jiang, the second son of the village head, was surprised to hear Gu Chenglin's words and exclaimed, "Ah! You were the ones who guessed more than ten words at the county government gate today, answered a question from a big shot, and won 180 taels of silver?"

Lin Jiang's words caused an uproar among the crowd.

The onlookers were quite excited.

"Are the characters on the gate of the government office really that difficult?"

"That's right, I heard that not a single person has been able to answer it in a month."

"That's right. I heard that last year, only one student from Yunshu Academy guessed three words correctly."

"I'm just curious how Gu Chenglin's new wife managed to guess so many characters. More than a dozen? Good heavens, that's 180 taels!"

"She can read!"

“There are plenty of literate people in Sun Ersheng’s family. I’m just wondering how she guessed so many correctly. One hundred and eighty taels of silver! That would take us several years to save up.”

"Hehe, Gu Chenglin is probably going to turn things around now!"

"That's true, God can't always let him have bad luck, can he?"

"Poor child!"

……

The Gu family members also looked at Gu Chenglin and Dongfang Jin with blank expressions, listening to what the old people had said, and they didn't believe it at all.

Old Lady Gu: Bah, who are you trying to fool? She has seen what kind of life Fang Jin lived in the Fang family. He was treated worse than a servant.

Gu Meiyu's face twisted with anger. What right did Fang Jin have? One hundred and eighty taels of silver, for her embroidered pair of rare items.

Li and Ye Shilan looked on incredulously.

……