After hearing what MoFang said, Mo Qingze agreed, "That’s how it should be, our Mo Clan shouldn’t be rootless and adrift."
Upon hearing this, MoFang’s face showed little joy. He looked at Mo Qingze uneasily, as if burdened by a deep-seated difficulty he dared not express.
Mo Yan noticed this and her heart sank. Glancing at the other people’s expressions of secret delight, she knew what MoFang was about to say next, and she even guessed why they had the audacity to make such a shameless request.
As expected, MoFang said with difficulty, "Building the ancestral hall is a major affair for the clan, and naturally, every family should contribute money and effort. But... as you know, Qingze, our village is already impoverished, and we lost a substantial amount of Silver Coin on the road fleeing from our troubles. Building the ancestral hall will require at least eighty taels of silver. Spread among each household, it would mean four to five taels per family, and folks simply cannot afford it!"
No sooner had he finished than everyone’s eyes, filled with expectation, turned straight to Mo Qingze, stopping just short of explicitly telling him, "We’re poor; your family has the most money, so you might as well pay for the entire ancestral hall."
Now, even if Mo Qingze were slow to catch on, he understood the intent behind their words, and a frown crossed his brow, a flicker of displeasure passing through his mind.
"Clan Leader, building an ancestral hall isn’t a matter of one or two days. If we can’t afford it now, that’s only temporary. When better days come, each family can contribute a little. You needn’t worry," he said.
Mo Yan gave her father’s response a thumbs up. Playing dumb was the best move at this time. If MoFang dared to make things explicit, he couldn’t blame her for not showing any courtesy.
Upon hearing this, disappointment flickered in MoFang’s eyes, but as the Clan Leader of the Mo Clan in Liu Yang Village, he couldn’t openly speak his mind, and he fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.
However, some were not so restrained. Mo Dashan, who had earlier flattered most enthusiastically, stepped forward and said, "Brother Qingze, raising the money for the ancestral hall isn’t easy for folks like us. But for your prosperous household, spending eighty taels of silver is like removing a hair from an ox, isn’t it?"
"Right, Qingze, you’re part of the Mo Family too. Since you have the capacity, you really should do your part."
"We who lack money will contribute our labor; we’ll take care of the construction of the ancestral hall. You just need to furnish the silver, no need to worry about anything else."
"It’s better to build the ancestral hall sooner rather than later. Who knows how long it will take us to gather enough silver! Brother Qingze, Uncle Moer’s family has done so many wrongs to your family, yet you’ve been so kind to them. Now we’re facing difficulties; just consider it helping out your poorer relatives."
Once one person started, four or five others also joined in, voicing their agreement.
"Heh heh~"
Hearing this, Mo Yan let out a laugh, her gaze sweeping over the faces of the speakers, yet her eyes held no trace of amusement. These people spoke so self-righteously, even using Old Man Mo’s family to pressure her father. Did they think that just because they’d shown leniency to Old Man Mo’s family, the Mo Family would definitely agree to their request?
Unfortunately for them, they were just ordinary relatives, not Old Man Mo, and she didn’t need to be so considerate.
"You all said that building the ancestral hall is a major affair for the clan, but now you’re pressuring my family to pay all the silver. I don’t know if the ancestors of the Mo Clan would bless you after it’s built," she said.
At those words, several faces changed color. Indeed, even if the ancestral hall was built, what use would it be if the ancestors didn’t bless them?
Mo Dashan, bristling with anger, said, "We are all descendants of the Mo Clan. As long as we make offerings to our ancestors during the festivals, why wouldn’t they bless us?"
Those who had been wavering, hearing this, felt that Mo Dashan had a point, and the way they looked at the Mo Family turned unfriendly.