The Heir

Сhаpter 49: А Маd Dесision

Soon аftеr, the grouр arrived аt thе mаin brаnсh оf the Li familу residence.

Upon еntеring the mаin hall, Zhеn Niаng nоtiсed thаt bеsidеs thе stеwards frоm the Ink Workshoр, thеre wаs also Doсtor Hu, whо treatеd Оld Маdаm Li, аnd а clerk frоm thе prеfесtural оfficе nаmed Sheng, whоm еverуone usuallу addressed аs Shеng Shiуe.

Shе understood in hеr hеаrt that thеsе twо must bе thе witnеsses fоr thе will.

"Greеtings, Aunt." Zhеn Niang bowеd to Сhеn Shi.

"Gоod, it's gооd thаt уou're herе. Please, evеryone, tаke a sеat." Сhеn Shi said, instruсting her maids and servants to serve tea.

"All of you may leave now." After the tea was served, Chen Shi waved her hand, and the surrounding maids and servants withdrew.

"Now that everyone is here, I won't keep you in suspense. Old Madam's letter is right here. Doctor Hu and Sheng Shiye were the witnesses that day. Now, Sheng Shiye will read Old Madam's letter." Chen Shi said, holding up a letter in her hand before passing it to Sheng Shiye beside her.

Sheng Shiye straightened his attire as he took the letter. Although Old Madam Li was not deceased, he had learned from Doctor Hu that there was little chance she would wake up again. Therefore, he approached this letter with the mindset of reading a will, his expression naturally carrying a sense of gravity and reverence.

"...However, the seventh branch of the Li family has no heirs to carry on, and fate has been unkind. There is only an eight-year-old child, unable to shoulder such a heavy responsibility. Fortunately, the eighth branch has a daughter, Li Zhenniang, who possesses exceptional talent in the Ink Industry, along with loyalty, honesty, diligence, and endurance. After careful consideration, I have decided to pass the Ink Workshop to Li Zhenniang of the eighth branch. From now on, all assets of the Ink Workshop shall belong to Li Zhenniang, and no one may raise any objections..."

"How is this possible?" Just as Sheng Shiye read this far, his words were interrupted by a collective uproar.

Everyone present was stunned. No one had expected that Old Madam would pass the Ink Workshop to Li Zhenniang—not as a temporary custodian, but as a direct transfer of ownership.

"Has Old Madam gone mad?" Li Jingdong glared fiercely at Sheng Shiye. If not for his crippled leg, he would have jumped up at that moment.

No matter how wildly he had speculated before, he had never imagined such a scenario.

The others present exchanged bewildered glances. Previously, they had all speculated that Old Madam would appoint a few senior stewards to manage the Ink Workshop on behalf of Li Tianyou until he came of age.

But according to the meaning of Old Madam's letter, she had no intention of leaving the Ink Workshop to young Tianyou at all. Instead, she had directly passed it to Li Zhenniang of the eighth branch.

In other words, the future head of the Li Family Ink Workshop would be Li Zhenniang, a mere fifteen-year-old girl. This was utterly unacceptable.

This... how could it be? At this moment, Zhen Niang felt a throbbing pain in her head. This was something she could never have imagined before. What did Seventh Grandmother mean by this? It made no sense.

Zhen Niang felt her throat parched to the extreme. She kept swallowing, but it remained dry and rough. She understood in her heart that Seventh Grandmother's letter would bring her nothing but turbulent storms.

Seventh Grandmother, what exactly do you mean by this? Zhen Niang murmured inwardly.

Old Shopkeeper Li, meanwhile, furrowed his brows in deep thought. Ever since Steward Shao mentioned that Seventh Sister-in-law's letter concerned Zhen Niang, he had wondered whether she intended to bring Zhen Niang into the Ink Workshop. But he had never imagined that Seventh Sister-in-law would directly pass the Ink Workshop to Zhen Niang.This was truly a mad move.

"Madam was perfectly lucid when she wrote this letter." At this moment, Doctor Hu stood up to testify.

"This can't be. It doesn't make sense." Li Jingdong gritted his teeth. If he had lost to Steward Shao, he could have accepted it, since Steward Shao was managing the Ink Workshop on behalf of Young Master You. In that case, he would still have lost to the direct line.

But now he had lost to an opponent he had never even considered—a fifteen-year-old girl, and the daughter of the person who had caused his legs to be crippled. He absolutely could not swallow this.

Thinking this, he glared fiercely at Old Shopkeeper Li and Li Zhenniang.

"Whether it makes sense or not is not our concern. We are merely acting according to Madam's letter," said Sheng Shiye.

"If it doesn't make sense, then there are doubts. Who knows if this letter has been tampered with by someone with ulterior motives?" Li Jingdong said coldly.

"Master Li, are you questioning me? This letter was made in triplicate. One copy belongs to Chen Shi—the one just read aloud. Another has been filed with the yamen, and the third is held by Doctor Hu, the witness. If you don't believe it, Master Li, you can file a complaint, and the three copies can be compared," Sheng Shiye replied sternly.

Hearing Sheng Shiye's words, the crowd erupted in murmurs again. Once filed with the yamen, it meant the contents of the letter had legal force and must be carried out.

Now, all eyes were fixed on Zhen Niang.

"Then, Sheng Shiye, can Zhen Niang refuse?" Zhen Niang finally couldn't help but ask, her voice dry.

"Miss Li, don't rush. This official has not finished reading the letter. Please listen patiently," Sheng Shiye said again.

"Please proceed, Shiye. Zhen Niang is all ears." Zhen Niang gave a slight bow.

"...After receiving the Ink Workshop, Li Zhenniang must devote all her efforts to expanding and glorifying the workshop. In addition, she also has the responsibility of raising the descendants of the seventh branch to adulthood and caring for the widows and orphans of the seventh branch. These three responsibilities are witnessed by heaven and earth." After finishing, Sheng Shiye put down the letter and said to Zhen Niang, "Alright, I've finished reading. Miss Li, you may now consider whether to accept it or not."

Hearing these final words, those present shook their heads. These three responsibilities were far too heavy for a fifteen-year-old girl.

Everyone was truly puzzled about what Madam had been thinking.

Zhen Niang bit her lip, deep in thought. Even with the soul of two lifetimes, this responsibility was still too heavy. Admittedly, she knew the tragic fate of the Li family's direct line, and she would certainly do her utmost to help them. But helping and fully taking on the responsibility were two entirely different matters.

Zhen Niang wanted to refuse, but she hesitated. The Li Family Ink Workshop had suddenly fallen into her hands in such a manner—this was the legacy of the Li family's Ink Industry. Could she just give it up? Was she willing?

"Grandfather..." Zhen Niang turned to look at her grandfather.

"If you can't decide right away, perhaps take two days to consider it," Old Shopkeeper Li said to Zhen Niang.

"Yes." Zhen Niang nodded. This matter was too significant. No matter how she looked at it, she needed to think it over carefully. Making a decision only after thorough consideration was also what her grandfather from her previous life had taught her.

"In any case, I will never acknowledge this," Li Jingdong said coldly. Then, turning to Li Zhengyan behind him, he said, "Zhengyan, let's go."Li Zhengyan, who stood behind him pushing the wheelchair, glanced at Zhen Niang before pushing his father away. Originally, it had been agreed that after the will was read, they would discuss how to deal with Tian Jiazheng’s pinewood matter.

But clearly, the old lady’s will was too shocking, and at this moment, no one was in the mood to discuss such matters.

The managers of the Ink Workshop also shook their heads one by one, sighing as they left.

“Then we’ll take our leave as well. This matter should be carefully considered by Zhen Niang. To be honest, I don’t agree with it. This burden is not something a woman like Zhen Niang can shoulder.” Old Shopkeeper Li said to Chen Shi and the others, also making his stance clear.

It wasn’t that he thought Zhen Niang lacked ability. On the contrary, he believed that if Zhen Niang made up her mind, she could take on this responsibility. It was just that the path ahead was too arduous, and as her grandfather, his heart ached for her.

“Alright, tell Zhen Niang not to feel too much pressure.” Chen Shi sighed. To be honest, she also had doubts about this decision, but the old lady’s decisions were rarely changed.

Thus, Zhen Niang and her grandfather bid farewell to the main branch of the family.

“Zhen Niang, wait a moment. Your second aunt has something for you.” At that moment, Huang Shi, who was standing nearby, called out to Zhen Niang again.

Then Huang Shi raised her voice toward the door: “Sister-in-law Ma, bring it in.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a woman entered, holding a wooden box.

“You… aren’t you the aunt who buys ink from my stall every day?” Zhen Niang pointed at the woman.

Ever since she started setting up a stall on Four Treasures Street to sell ink, this aunt had been buying ink from her stall daily. At first, the ink she sold attracted no attention at all, for on Four Treasures Street, there was no shortage of ink.

Fortunately, this aunt appreciated her ink, which kept her from losing heart.

“Miss Zhen, it was the old lady who instructed me to buy it every day.” Ma Sao said, then handed the wooden box in her hands to Huang Shi before retreating.

“Second Aunt, what is this about?” Zhen Niang asked.

“Take this back and look inside, and you’ll understand.” Huang Shi didn’t explain further, simply pressing the wooden box into Zhen Niang’s arms.

“Oh.” Zhen Niang nodded, holding the wooden box as she left the main Li residence with her grandfather.

By the time they returned home, it was already noon.

“Why are you so late? Have you eaten lunch?” Zhao Shi stepped forward to ask.

“How did it go? What did they say?” Before Zhen Niang could answer Zhao Shi, her grandmother Wu Shi also chimed in.

“I haven’t eaten, but I don’t have much of an appetite. I don’t want to eat now. I’m going back to my room.” Zhen Niang was in no mood to eat at the moment. Clutching the wooden box, she ignored her mother and grandmother, entered her room alone, and tightly closed the door behind her.

“What’s wrong with this child? Who upset her?” Zhao Shi was puzzled at first, then glared. The only one who could scold or hit Zhen Niang was her, the mother. If anyone else dared to upset her, Zhao Shi would not let it slide.

“The old lady of the seventh branch has suffered a stroke. She left a will earlier, bequeathing the Ink Workshop to Zhen Niang.” Old Shopkeeper Li sighed. Back in the day, it wasn’t that he hadn’t harbored ambitions for the Ink Workshop—it was just that he had sought it but failed to obtain it.

He never expected that now, the Ink Workshop would be passed to Zhen Niang in this manner. The ways of fate were truly unpredictable.

“What? Is that true?” Wu Shi asked in surprise."How could such a thing be false?" Old Shopkeeper Li said, then proceeded to recount the contents of the will.

As soon as Zhao Shi heard the "three responsibilities," she immediately widened her eyes and exclaimed, "The old madam is truly cunning! Does she really think others don’t know the state of the Ink Workshop? For years now, it’s been operating at a loss. The little money it earns isn’t even enough to divide among the master craftsmen. Hah! With just an empty shell, she wants to trick Zhen Niang into becoming a laborer for their seventh branch, supporting the old and raising the young? Don’t even think about it."

"Exactly, Zhen Niang, don’t pay them any mind. Let’s just live our own lives. Don’t dwell on it. Let your grandfather go and refuse them. If you really want an ink workshop, we can start our own. We don’t need anything from the main branch." For the first time, Wu Shi and Zhao Shi were in agreement.

"Enough, stop shouting. Let Zhen Niang have some peace and quiet," Old Shopkeeper Li said with some annoyance.

These two were completely shortsighted.