Lin Yiwei’s family had four generations of scholars. Starting from his grandfather’s generation, there would be people from every generation who would go to the examination hall and then manage to get the title of elementary scholar or provincial scholar.
Lin Yiwei’s grandfather’s young brother, Lin Guoan became a provincial scholar. He was hired to be a teacher at an academy in the capital. Later, his wife and son were brought to the capital as well. His descendants would only return once every three years to pay their respects to their ancestors.
In Lin Yiwei’s father’s generation, his second uncle, Lin Yuanren, was an elementary scholar. However, he was not as lucky as Lin Guoan. After becoming a scholar, he kept failing the Imperial examinations to become a provincial scholar. It was only when Lin Yuanren was 45 years old that he gave up and became a teacher in a private school in An Ning County.
In Lin Yiwei’s generation, it was his younger brother, Lin Yishan, who became an elementary scholar. However, Lin Yishan had chosen to be a private advisor in the county government. He had no further goal of becoming a provincial scholar.
Then, it was Lin Yiwei’s next generation. His youngest son, Lin Mingqing, became an elementary scholar. However, tragedy struck.
Lin Mingqing’s scholar status was eliminated due to his illness.
Lin Yiwei wanted to use his connections to keep Lin Mingqing’s title. When Lin Mingqing recovered, he would resume his title as a scholar.
However, Lin Mingqing was a man with strong self-esteem, even though he looked delicate and elegant. Once he heard that his father was going to use the backdoor to maintain his title, he ran into a rage. He rejected this nepotism.
They all assumed Lin Mingqing would heal within a few months, but he ended up a cripple. Someone had to help him eat, pee, and drink. He would only lie in bed all day as the doctors came and went. Hope slowly turned into disappointment and festered into despair.
His gentle and refined personality began to change day by day. He became impetuous, and his temper became violent. He smashed things and scolded his parents. But Lin Mingqing didn’t want to do this. He was in so much shame. Seeing how his aged parents had to take care of him like a baby, he’d rather die. The idea of suicide fermented inside his mind.
One night, while his parents were asleep, he broke a bowl by the bed. Then, he took a sharp piece of porcelain and cut a wound on his wrist.
In an instant, blood gushed out from the wound. In the dark, the smell of blood slowly filled the small dark room.
At the same time, Lin Mingqing felt himself getting dizzier and dizzier. He was falling asleep.
“This is not bad.” His eyes looked at the door with an apology. There was a relaxed expression on his face as he muttered, “I’m sorry, Mom and Dad.”
However, just as he was about to close his eyes, the door to his room opened with a ‘bang’. Then, he heard hurried footsteps.
Very quickly, the dark little house was lit up.
When Lin Yiwei saw the man covered in blood, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He would never have thought that his youngest son would commit suicide!
Lin Yiwei looked at the lifeless child and immediately cried out in shock and pain, “Qing ‘Er, Qing ‘Er, wake up! Why are you so stupid?!”
Lin Yiwei’s shout attracted other people. Everyone was shocked when they saw the blood covering the floor and bed.
“Qing ‘Er…”
“Brother…” Lin Mingliang knelt on his brother’s bed with a pained expression, “Why are you doing this to yourself?”
“Qing ‘Er, are you going to leave your mother like this? In that case, Mother will accompany you so that you won’t be lonely in the netherworld…” Lin Yiwei’s wife, Zhou Erniang, cried.
“Qing ‘Er… How could you leave father behind?” Lin Yiwei cried. “If you do, what will father do?”
