Chapter 103: The ancestors of the Bai family

From then on, Bai Ruyi became painfully aware that the world was never equal. The wealthy looked down on the poor, and even when they presented their best selves to the world, they secretly considered themselves superior.

This was why Bai Ruyi grew up without any expectations of the main family. She would never ask them for help. She could stand on her own two feet!

Before, because Bai Ruoxi was considered Bai Ruyi’s elder, she could not do anything openly.

But now that the slut had been kicked out, Bai Ruyi made sure the adulterous woman would not have a peaceful day. She constantly posted pictures and videos of the wealthy Bai family, hoping to make that slut die of envy!

Now, she had yet another piece of material to use against her.

Perfect!

"Put away your phone. If the elders see you, you’ll get scolded," her elder brother reprimanded her.

"Fine, fine. The rites haven’t even started yet. You’re so uptight."

Outside, another old man from a collateral branch was helped down by a younger family member. The two whispered to each other.

"Did that boy really come?"

"Yes, Grandfather."

Seeing the elder frown, the man added in a whisper, "Fortunately, the main family didn’t include him in the first group. I heard he’ll be worshiping the ancestors alongside the younger generation of the collateral branches."

The elder’s frown finally relaxed a little. "At least the main family still has some sense."

The man did not respond.

Inwardly, he thought, ’If they really had any sense, they wouldn’t have brought that boy here.’

The elder glanced at the heir of his collateral branch. "Tell the youngsters not to cause trouble. That boy still has Bai family blood. The genealogy still records him as a maternal grandson."

Although unwilling, the man nodded. He knew it was best not to offend the main family, which held the greatest decision-making power within the clan.

He was simply a little resentful. That boy had not even been disciplined according to the family rules because he bore the Lin family surname, yet he still dared to come here.

This collateral branch was not the only one that felt this way. As more people arrived, most of them expressed reservations about Lin Feng’s presence in the ancestral house.

Despite their initial protests, however, the main family had insisted on bringing him.

Their anger stemmed not only from their displeasure at the boy’s reckless actions, which had harmed the family’s interests, but also from their worry that the ancestors would be displeased by an unfilial descendant who was only half a member of the Bai family coming to offer incense.

Like many clans, the Bai family held great respect for their ancestors, who had endured tremendous suffering and humiliation to preserve the family’s roots in the country.

Originally, the family had been no more than a small business in the capital, constantly worrying about going bankrupt under the pressure of powerful feudal lords.

During the great turmoil, most of the Bai family’s collateral branches had fled overseas, taking the younger generation of the main family with them, while the elders and the most devoted family members had remained in the capital to guard their ancestral home.

The ancestors had endured countless hardships just to preserve the Bai family’s roots. They had lived through the Great Leap Forward, the Great Chinese Famine, and the Cultural Revolution. They had been paraded through the streets, publicly humiliated, beaten, and sent away for re-education.

The older members had died from the hardships of life on rehabilitation farms, as well as from various illnesses and injuries that had gone untreated.

When the country reopened to the outside world and the Bai family was no longer branded as a family of "evil capitalists," their siheyuan and confiscated properties were returned.

By the time the younger generation, whom they had painstakingly sent overseas to preserve the family’s future, finally returned with the hopes of the entire Bai clan resting on their shoulders, the surviving elders were already old and frail.

Yet they had managed to hold on until the Bai family had reestablished itself in the capital. Only then had they passed away in peace, content that their efforts had not been in vain.

Because of this, all the descendants placed great importance on ancestral worship. Likewise, they frowned upon any descendant who brought trouble upon the family.

This applied even more to a half-descendant who bore another family’s surname.

Because many of the Bai ancestors who had stayed behind were women, the Bai family genealogy had been revised to include their daughters’ marriages and descendants. Their children were recorded as maternal grandchildren who could attend the Qingming ancestral rites and pay their respects to their maternal ancestors.

However, these children were not considered heirs to the Bai family’s ancestral line unless they changed their surnames to Bai.

Lin Feng had learned all this after thoroughly examining the relevant memories in his mind.

He had been prepared to face isolation.

He had also realized that Wei Ranmiao had been subtly preparing him for this.

After all, as long as Lin Feng bowed before the ancestors on the first day of Qingming, he would inevitably be acknowledged as someone who still belonged to the Bai family.

That would put an end to all the gossip and criticism once and for all.

Early that morning, the servants had swept the courtyard clean and arranged fresh offerings in the main hall. The ancestral tablets had been brought out, along with old family portraits and the thick genealogy book recording the names and deeds of the Bai family’s ancestors.

The north-facing main hall, where the elders had gathered, was solemn and dignified.

Incense smoke drifted upward from a bronze burner, its faint fragrance mingling with the aroma of freshly brewed tea and the delicate pastries prepared for the occasion. Platters of carefully roasted meats and other traditional offerings had been neatly arranged on the altar.

The ancestral hall could not accommodate all the Bai family members kneeling to worship at once.

The senior members would pay their respects first, proceeding from the main family to the collateral branches. Afterwards, the same process would be followed by the younger generation.

No one raised their voice. Even the younger generation, usually accustomed to lively conversation, behaved with unusual restraint.