Chapter 252: 252 Voluntarily Leaving the Clan Chapter 252: 252 Voluntarily Leaving the Clan Finally, the Ye Family Clan Leader stepped forward, taking out two taels of silver himself and asking for donations from the clan members.
Unfortunately, times were tough for everyone. Even with the numerous members of the Ye clan, they managed to scrape together only twelve taels of silver, which included the two taels Ye Jiu had given to Old Man Ye to .
Still eight short of the needed twenty taels, there truly was a significant gap.
The Clan Leader handed over all twelve taels of silver to Ye Wenzheng, a big pile of copper coins, with only the Clan Leader’s and Old Man Ye’s silver ingots being noticeably different, before gathering them up and stuffing them into a cloth bag.
The Clan Leader’s face flushed with shame, “Wenzheng, as you can see, this is all the help your clan can provide. Beyond this, we are truly powerless!”
Everyone was having a hard time; even a few copper coins represented a bit of kindness from the clan members.
But alas, it was still not enough!
Ye Wenzheng’s hands trembled as he took the half-bag of Copper Coins and immediately knelt on the ground, “Thank you, Clan Leader, and thank you to all the clan members who helped. I, Ye Wenzheng, swear that I will repay this money in the future.”
Everyone shook their heads and sighed.
Then, Ye Wenzheng looked up again and made a decision that left everyone in disbelief, “Clan Leader, Wenzheng has been unfilial. Today, I wish to ask to leave the clan, and I hope the Clan Leader will grant me this request.”
“What?” the Clan Leader widened his eyes in astonishment, “Wenzheng, think this through. Do you understand the consequences of being a man without the protection of a family?”
Take today, for example, the Clan Leader was able to intervene, and the clan members were willing to money because he bore the face of the Ye Family. Once the relationship is severed, then he becomes a person they are not obliged to care for; how could he then expect them to help him in future?
“Clan Leader, I have thought it through. With such elders who only bully us, even if I save my little sister, she might just be sold off again by them. Wenzheng, my mother, and my sister can’t bear such consequences; please grant my request,” Ye Wenzheng said resolutely.
The Ye Wenzheng family had actually already split from the main household. However, the Third Grandma, relying on her seniority and the absence of the person in charge of the fourth branch, had not stopped making the Wang family mother and sons’ lives miserable over the years.
The only way Ye Wenzheng could think of to escape these relatives was to ask to leave the clan.
In so doing, he would sever all ties with the Ye Family once and for all, preventing them from having any authority to order his mother around or sell his sister ever again.
Third Grandma immediately rolled her eyes.
Over the years, Mrs. Wang had become so thin that she was almost unrecognizable and could hardly do any work; Ye Wenzheng, that clammy brat, was becoming increasingly uncontrollable as he grew older; and the only somewhat valuable person, Ye Yun, had already been sold off. Thus, even if this family left the clan, it wouldn’t be a significant loss to them.
Besides, leaving the clan was even better: the house they were living in, the land they were cultivating, all belonged to the Ye Family. Since they would be leaving the clan, they certainly couldn’t take the clan’s land with them. She was curious to see how that little clam would manage to survive with his sickly mother.
However, Third Grandma covetously glanced at the cloth bag in Ye Wenzheng’s hand that was full of copper coins but quickly averted her gaze.
This money had just been d by the clan, and even if she wanted it, neither the Clan Leader nor the other clan members would agree; Third Grandma had at least that much self-awareness.
The outcome was clear: Ye Wenzheng’s decision to leave the clan and establish his own household was lamentable, but the Clan Leader also promised that even if he left the clan, he would still carry the blood of the Ye Family. As long as the matter was not too severe, the clan would still lend a helping hand when they could.