(2-in-1) bright candles flickered in the front hall, and after Lin Ke's burial, the mourning hall had long been demolished, and the hall had been restored to its original state. But after the sprinkling and cleaning, there was still a strange smell in the air in the hall. It was the smell of burning incense and paper money and cigarette ash mixed with the strange smell of decay of the corpse that lingered. After three days of resting on the corpse, although there were ice cubes on the corpse, in fact, on the day of the funeral, Lin Ke's corpse already smelled. Everyone can smell it, but no one dares to say it.

There was no sound in the room, as if no one was there. However, in fact, the hall was full of people, and dozens of people were sitting or standing, all with solemn expressions. On a few chairs next to the table, Lin Song and Lin Run sat with a big thorn, and next to them sat Lin Quan, the eldest son of the third room, who rushed back from Shaoxing to mourn. This time, Lin Ke died, and he was allowed to come back for funeral. On both sides of the lower head, except for a few stewards in the Lin family's house, the rest of the people were tall, short, fat, thin, old, handsome and ugly, and they were all unfamiliar faces. These people are the main people in the Lin family's business, the shopkeepers in the shops, and the big and small stewards in the docks of the ship company.

Lin Jue sat quietly in the corner, looking thoughtful.

Not long ago, the head of the house ordered the people to gather here, saying that there was something important to announce. not only notified everyone in the house, but also ordered someone to invite the shopkeepers to come together. Someone who cares naturally guesses what is going to be discussed tonight. The eldest prince died, and the chief steward of the Lin family's business died, who will succeed him and who will be in charge of the business, this is naturally to be discussed.

Many people speculate that it must be one of the two sons of the long house, but some people think that it is the head of the family who has re-emerged from the mountain. After all, two of the three sons of the long house, except for the eldest son, have no ability, and it is difficult for them to hold this position. But I heard that the head of the family was sick, and it was difficult to come out to work at this moment, so although everyone sat quietly, their hearts were full of confusion and uncertainty.

Footsteps sounded behind the hall, and the light of the lantern shone in through the bamboo curtain, shaking the eyes of a few people. But everyone in the hall knew that it must be the head of the house who had arrived. Sure enough, the bamboo curtain was lifted, and Huang Changqing and Zhao Liancheng, the housekeepers of the Lin family, appeared at the back door with Lin Boyong, the head of the family, on the left and the right. Behind them was Lin Bonian, the second master of the Lin family.

Everyone got up one after another and bowed to Lin Boyong and Lin Bonian. Several old shopkeepers asked with concern, "How is the head of the family?" But you have to take care of your body and mourn the change. ”

"Yes, Dong Weng must take care of himself, you are the backbone of everyone, you can't fall."

Lin Boyong's face was withered, with a pale and sickly look on his face, but he barely squeezed out a smile and waved his hand: "Okay, you don't have to be polite, sit down, sit down." ”

Of course, a group of people refused to sit down, and after saluting Lin Boyong, they saluted Lin Bonian, and made a commotion, and after Lin Boyong and Lin Bonian sat down one after another, everyone returned to their seats.

"I've called you all here so late, but I'm working on you. In the past few days, everyone has been very tired from Ke'er's funeral. The funeral was very good, I am very satisfied, and I believe that Ke'er will be satisfied with the spirit in the sky. The old man is here to thank you on behalf of my Lin family. Lin Boyong said slowly.

Many of the people here were involved in the funeral, and it was true that Lin Boyong had helped a lot. Although Lin Jue presided over the affairs, Lin Jue was a novice after all, so many things were decided with the help of these old shopkeepers and stewards. So things didn't go wrong.

"Ke'er has a thin life and died young, leaving me, an old man, and the orphans and widows in his room, but when he goes, my Lin family's business is no one to take care of." Lin Boyong's face was sad, and he suddenly covered his mouth and coughed. This cough coughed for a long time, and it was not until Huang Changqing held a cup of hot tea and sent it to Lin Boyong after taking two sips that he stopped coughing.

"The head of the house, mourning, your body is important." Everyone said with concern.

Lin Boyong waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, my old bones won't be in the ground for the time being." But I really don't have enough energy, and my family's business can't take care of it. The old man can come up with ideas for big things, but the business matters are too complicated, and I am afraid that my body will die in a few days. Therefore, the matter that you are urgently looking for to discuss today is who will take on the position of the chief steward after Ke'er's death, and who will be the general manager of the Lin family's business. The stakes are very high, and I know these days that there has been a lot of chaos on the docks because of the funeral. So, it can't be delayed. ”

Everyone had already guessed this, so they were not surprised to hear these words. Lin Song and Lin Run's expressions were a little excited, in their opinion, does the position of this chief steward still need to be discussed? Naturally, I chose one of the two of them. Although the death of the eldest brother is sad, it also brings opportunities to the two of them, and they have long envied the majesty and style of the eldest brother in the position of the chief steward.

Regarding this matter, the old man and Bo Nianzi discussed it carefully, and now they have a personal choice. Therefore, I called you here to announce this matter, and I hope you can help more, once the chief steward is appointed, he will be the person in charge of my Lin family's business, and you will have to listen to his orders. Second brother, come on, I don't have enough strength and can't say much. Lin Boyong said in a deep voice.

When Lin Bonian heard this, he got up and said to Lin Boyong: "Obey, big brother will rest for a while and drink some hot tea." ”

Lin Boyong nodded, and Lin Bonian turned to everyone and said in a deep voice: "After careful discussion with the head of the family, we need to be extremely cautious about this candidate. It stands to reason that when the eldest son of the Changfang passed away, one of the two sons of the Changfang should be selected to preside over the business of the Lin family. But the head of the family believes that this position is extremely important, and it is necessary to choose someone who can be used. Therefore, we broke the rules and chose not one of the two sons, but someone outside the long house. ”

As soon as these words came out, Lin Song and Lin Run's faces suddenly changed. was full of expectations, but as soon as the second uncle spoke, this hope was dashed. Both of them thought in their hearts: Daddy, is this old and confused? What's wrong with the chief steward who is in charge of the family business and doesn't need a person in the long house?

Lin Bonian's words also shocked everyone in the audience. The head of the family does not go out of the mountain, and the two sons of the long house are excluded, is it because the second master himself presides over it? But the second master is an official of the imperial court, and he can't stay in his hometown for a few days, and he has never been involved in business, which is absolutely impossible. So who will be the steward? Who has the qualifications and abilities? The crowd was confused.

But listening to Lin Bonian continue: "My Lin family has always respected the elders and granddaughters before, this is naturally the rule of the ancestors, and it is understandable. But there will always be exceptions to anything, especially at this time, when the Lin family is in a critical situation, some things cannot be done according to common sense. There are many talented children in my Lin family, and many times they can't give full play to their abilities because of such rules. I discussed it with the head of the family for a long time, and I felt that this was the time to change the rules. Therefore, we decided that from now on, the Lin family will not distinguish between their descendants, whether inside or outside, but all the children of the Lin family, as long as they have the ability, will be used as appropriate, so as not to bury talents. This time, when the head of the family fell ill and everyone was at a loss, someone stepped forward to preside over the funeral, so that the funeral of the eldest son was carried out in an orderly manner, and was praised by the upper and lower people, so that I and the head of the family were very satisfied. The head of the family and I both thought that this man was a useful talent. Managing the Lin family's business is nothing more than managing people and affairs, although he has not been exposed to the Lin family's business, but we believe that he will be competent. I don't say that you can guess this person, he is Lin Jue of the third room. ”

As soon as Lin Bonian said this, everyone in the hall was stunned at first, and then it seemed to explode. This person was really a surprise to them.

"What's going on? How is Lin Jue's son? ”

"I really didn't expect that the son of Lin Jue in the third room could be in this position?"

"What's wrong with the head of the house? Then Lin Jue has never been in contact with business, how can he be a big steward, isn't this nonsense? ”

"That's not necessarily, Lin Juegongzi has been very organized these days. The funeral is inextricably linked, and ordinary people are incompetent, but he does it in an orderly manner and praises it from top to bottom, isn't this a skill? Can it be done if you change it? ”

"That's it, you said that Lin Juegongzi has no contact with business? Don't you know that Jiangnan Grand Theater is a business run by Lin Jue's son? Two big theaters, making money every day, isn't this a business? ”

“……”

Everyone had their own ideas, and they were buzzing about it. Lin Song and Lin Run gritted their teeth with angry faces. After the incident a few days ago, the two brothers ran to sue Lin Boyong despite his sadness and illness. They didn't dare to say that Lin Bonian was not, and they blamed Lin Jue for the events of that day, which was very slanderous. At that time, although Lin Boyong scolded them a few words and warned them, they didn't care. Because according to past experience, Daddy will still defend them in the end, and they think that Daddy will definitely deal with Lin Jue fiercely afterwards. However, now it seems that Daddy not only had the slightest intention of disposing of Lin Jue, but also made Lin Jue the chief steward, which simply made the two brothers stunned.

"I'm against it. Daddy, second uncle, even if I don't have the ability to take over the position of the eldest brother, there is Lin Runlin and all of them behind me, so I can't take Lin Jue's turn. He's just a three-room ......."

"Shut up!" Lin Boyong interrupted angrily, coughing again because of excitement. Huang Changqing hurriedly took the tea and handed it over, and Lin Boyong waved his hand to stop coughing.

"Shicai Bonian has already said, from now on, my Lin family will choose talents regardless of the main one, regardless of the descendants, only on virtue and ability. Among the virtues and talents, virtue is more important. Collateral children, good moral character can also enter the family property management. The old man and the second master discussed, and after Ke'er passed away, Lin Jue was the only one in the family who could be called both capable and political, so he was entrusted with an important task. This is a joint decision of the old man and Bo Nian. ”

"Daddy! This...... This is also outrageous. Lin Jue has no experience and no prestige, how can he convince the public? Even if you have talent, you may not be able to do it. If something goes wrong, wouldn't it be a loss for my Lin family? Lin Run shouted.

"Don't worry, with Lin Juezhi's intelligence, it won't be long before he can get started. There are old treasurers who can help him, don't you two also have some experience? You can also help him. How difficult can it be to do business without studying for exams? Lin Boyong said in a deep voice.

Lin Run rolled his eyes and said, "Shall we help him?" That's not to think about. He is so capable, he should be self-taught. We are obviously competent, why choose someone who doesn't understand business? What do Daddy and Second Uncle think? Was it coerced? ”

"Shut up, are you up to the task? You are not as good as Lin Juezhi. When the business is handed over to you, the old man is the most worried. Third, if you talk nonsense again, you will be dealt with by the family. Lin Boyong reprimanded angrily.

Before Lin Run could pout, Lin Song reached out and grabbed his sleeve to stop him. Lin Song said: "Daddy, don't be angry, we are also thinking about the Lin family." Since Daddy and Second Uncle have already made a decision, we won't say anything, but I hope Daddy and Second Uncle are right. We are only afraid that we will mess up the Lin family's business, and it will be out of control when the time comes. ”

Lin Boyong said: "You do your own thing, you don't have to worry about these things." ”

Lin Kelin Run sneered and was silent.

Lin Boyong no longer paid attention to them, looked at Lin Jue in the corner and said, "Lin Jue, did you hear that?" From today onwards, you need to carry the burden and make a big contribution to my Lin family. ”

Lin Jue kept a stunned expression after hearing his name announced, he didn't care about business matters, and it had nothing to do with him at all. Lin Jue would never think that he would be that candidate. However, the reality is that Lin Boyong and Lin Bonian actually chose themselves, what does this mean? Lin Jue was a little confused.

Hearing Lin Boyong's words, Lin Jue came to his senses, hurriedly stood up and arched his hand: "Family master, my nephew can't take on this big stewardship, and my nephew doesn't want to mess up the family's business." The head of the family and the second uncle are very loved, but please choose another master. ”

Lin Boyong frowned and said, "What? You won't contribute to your family? ”

Lin Jue hurriedly said: "It's not that I don't want to, but I can't." I've never been in business at all, and I've never been involved in business, so how can I take on this responsibility? What the two brothers said just now is very right, I have neither experience nor prestige, how can I make decisions? How to convince the public? ”

Lin Boyong said in a deep voice: "If you don't know, you can ask, and if you don't understand, you can learn." People are not born to know, they are old husbands, didn't they learn to manage things with their fathers fifty years ago? A lot of mistakes were made. Besides, you are more than capable of doing so. Didn't you build a Jiangnan Grand Theater? I heard that you are the owner and the business is doing well, how can you say that you don't know how to do business? ”

Lin Jue smiled bitterly: "That's just a nephew's shareholding operation, and the nephew doesn't have any hands at all in the specific business affairs, and he can't do a lot." I also asked the second uncle of the family to think twice. This is not a joke, it has to do with the business of the Lin family, and it has to do with the livelihood of tens of thousands of people inside and outside the Lin family, if it is messed up, I can't afford it. This must not be done. ”

Lin Boyong didn't expect Lin Jue to refuse to accept it, but he didn't have any idea, so he had to turn his face to look at Lin Bonian and cast an inquiring look.

Lin Bonian said in a deep voice: "Lin Jue, now the Lin family needs you to take responsibility, as a child of the Lin family, you should have the courage to take responsibility." The head of the family fell ill, the eldest prince died, and now the Lin family's business needs someone to come out to stabilize the situation, otherwise it will fall into chaos. At this time, the head of the family and I chose you because we thought that you could take the responsibility. What is the reason why you are reluctant to take over? It's not a question of whether you're willing or not, it's a question of whether you're willing to work for the Lin family. Every Lin family member has a responsibility to the Lin family, if everyone shirks and is unwilling to contribute, what prospects and hopes does the Lin family have? ”

Lin Jue scratched his head and groaned. If the Lin family really needs to come out and do things on their own, it is naturally incumbent on them in the current situation. However, if you say yes, it will definitely attract a lot of rumors. Besides, Lin Jue also weighed his own ability and whether he could take on this great responsibility.

"How good it would be if Ke'er lived, as soon as Ke'er died, even the Lin family's business would be left to take care of. That's it, Lin Jue, you really don't want to, so the old man will take this old bone. It's a big deal to go with Ke'er, and Izumi will have a peaceful birthday. Lin Boyong patted his knees and sighed.

Although Lin Boyong sighed sadly, this is also a radical method. He thought that Lin Jue would gladly agree, but he didn't expect Lin Jue to refuse. Although Lin Boyong actually didn't want Lin Jue to be the chief steward, since this matter had been agreed, he naturally couldn't give up halfway. Besides, it is not known whether Lin Jue is pretending to shirk.

Sure enough, these words came out, but Lin Jue arched his hand and said: "The head of the family, the second uncle, since you value your nephew, your nephew can't ignore it." My nephew tried it. ”

"That's right, we all believe that you have this ability, but you don't believe in yourself." Lin Bonian sneered in his heart, it was really hypocritical.

Lin Jue said: "However, my nephew has a few things to explain clearly, so as not to cause right and wrong when he gets it, I hope the head of the family and the second uncle can agree to me." ”

Lin Boyong frowned, very unhappy in his heart. This Lin Jue is also too hypocritical, what conditions do you have to mention? Yes, he was afraid that everyone would not be convinced, so he deliberately made this gesture so that others could see that he was forced to be helpless. This kid is really acting and scheming everywhere, which is really annoying.

"Fake!" Lin Run muttered in a low voice. Although the voice was low, everyone in the audience could hear it clearly, and the scene was a little awkward for a while.

Lin Bonian coughed and said, "Lin Jue, this is for the family, what conditions are you proposing." ”

Lin Jue said quietly: "Second uncle, I'm not hypocritical, but there are some things that must be said in the head, so as not to be unclear when I get it." ”

Lin Bonian looked at Lin Boyong, who was frowning, and saw that Lin Boyong didn't seem to have any intention of expressing his position, so he made up his own mind and said: "Okay, you just say it." ”

Lin Jue bowed down and apologized, and arched his hand: "The head of the family, the second uncle." Lin Jue has been studying for more than ten years, and last year he worshiped Fang Daru of Songshan Academy as his teacher and entered Songshan Academy to study, aiming to enter the imperial examination, not a businessman. Although my Lin family is a family of businessmen, the head of the family has always encouraged his children to join the family, and I naturally responded to the call of the head of the family. The middle of September is autumn, and it has only been more than two months since then. I've wasted a lot of time before, and I have to hold on to my feet temporarily. Therefore, I cannot hold this position of great steward for long. At most, I have to concentrate on preparing for the exam. At that time, the head of the family will have recovered, and the head of the family will either go out of the mountain to take care of it himself, or entrust someone else. Anyway, I'm going to make time to study and prepare for exams. I also asked the head of the family and the second uncle to know that the position of the chief steward was only temporary. ”

The look on Lin Boyong's face relaxed, and there was some surprise in his eyes. He thought it was some other harsh condition, but he didn't expect that the condition Lin Jue said was actually this. Before, he was still a little worried that after Lin Jue became the chief steward, once he really made some achievements, it would be difficult to drive him down at that time. Although what the second brother said is reasonable, Lin Jue has not done anything in the family industry, and he must be incompetent, but the world is unpredictable, and the concubine of the third room has given him too much surprise, and with his intelligence, it is not necessarily incompetent. At that time, if he is prosperous in the position of chief steward, although it will be a good thing for the Lin family, wouldn't it be self-defeating?

Therefore, if it is only temporary, a month later, Lin Jue will have to give up the position of the chief steward no matter what he does, which will avoid a lot of embarrassment. For a moment, Lin Boyong even felt that Lin Jue was a little empathetic, as if he had seen through his own thoughts, and he had a little more affection for him.

"Hmm...... Autumn is the top priority, how can your future be delayed because of your family's business. Lin Jue, don't worry, once the old man's health improves, he will take over. This one is naturally promised to you. Lin Boyong said in a deep voice.

"Thank you for your understanding. A month later, when the head of the family came back from illness, I handed in the errand. The second thing to say is that since the head of the family and the second uncle trust the nephew and let the nephew take care of things, how can the nephew not do his best. Although the nephew is only temporary, even if it is only the chief steward for a temporary day, the nephew will not get by. Therefore, I would like to ask the head of the family and the second uncle to promise me that during my tenure as the chief steward, all the old and young shopkeepers in the business must respect my life. I don't want to be slacking off on me because I've been in office for a short time. I'm talking about the ugly things in my head, and whoever thinks I'm not in charge of this is going to bring them up right now. If I mutter again after I take office, then I will not be blamed for not tolerating it. ”

Lin Boyong quickly summarized Lin Jue's words in his heart, and refined two words: "I want power!" ”。 Lin Jue wanted to promise him authority in public, and not to hinder him behind his back. Obviously, Lin Jue was wary.

"Lin Jue, don't worry, but within the authority of the chief steward, your second uncle and I will fully support you. As for the others. You don't have to worry either. The shopkeepers of the Lin family are all old people for many years, and they will naturally do their best. As long as you don't mess around, how can they not listen. ”

Everyone at the table nodded and said, "What the head of the family said is extremely true, how can we disobey the yang and the yin?" We will never do that, Lin Juegongzi can rest assured. ”

Lin Jue's gaze swept over Lin Run and Lin Song, and the two sons seemed to want to say something, but under Lin Boyong's stern gaze, the two finally couldn't help but speak.

"Lin Jue, the head of the family has already agreed to your conditions, this time you can rest assured." Lin Bonian asked.

Lin Jue arched his hand and said, "Thank you to the head of the family, thank you to the second uncle." I have one more small request, though? ”

"And?" Lin Bonian also frowned, with a look of reproach in his eyes.

"What else do you want? Say it all together. Lin Boyong frowned even more, and his face showed a look of no annoyance.