Chapter 2060 Selection of Incense Bearers

In Wu Village, Wu Tianhe and others gathered in the square in front of the Wu Family Ancestral Hall, waiting for the members of the Elders' Council to arrive.

During this period, investigators from many companies came to Wucun to visit the villagers and solicit their opinions on demolition compensation.

This matter became the talk of the village and the focus of attention for all the villagers.

They had heard of and witnessed stories of families becoming rich overnight by simply buying a house.

Now that such good fortune has finally come to them, many people are excitedly looking forward to it, hoping that this day will come soon.

Especially for young people, they don't have a deep concept of their homeland. The most practical thing for them is to receive huge compensation, become rich overnight, and move into an apartment in the city.

But there are also some old-fashioned people who find it hard to leave their hometown.

They believe that their ancestors have lived here for generations, and this is their root.

Now that they are suddenly being slated for demolition, they are finding it difficult to accept emotionally.

However, everyone knows that the Xingyi Industrial Park project is a key local project that is being promoted by higher authorities and is personally supervised by a high-ranking official, making it imperative to proceed.

Now all they need to do is try to get compensation terms that satisfy them.

Wu Taishan, the patriarch of the Wu family, has been seriously ill and unconscious, and could pass away at any time.

The Wu family is leaderless, and all matters must be decided by the unanimous agreement of the elders.

Wu Tianhe applied several times to convene a meeting of elders to make a decision on the demolition of Wu Village.

But his main purpose was to use this meeting of elders to solidify his dominant position in the Wu family.

In other words, according to the Wu family rules, once Wu Taishan passes away, Wu Tianhe will be the first in line to succeed him and become the new patriarch of the Wu family.

He took the Xingyi Industrial Park project as an opportunity to try to finalize the matter as soon as possible.

At the same time, he had another goal: to take back all the territory in Wu Tianding's hands at this elders' meeting and drive him out of the Wu family.

Without Wu Taishan's protection, Wu Tianding was isolated and helpless, and it was impossible for him to contend with him.

These past few days, things have seemed peaceful at the Wu family's residence, but Wu Tianhe has been making many moves behind the scenes.

He visited four of the seven members of the elders' council and offered them enough incentives to win their support at today's elders' meeting to become the successor to the patriarch and to cooperate with him in exercising the new patriarch's rights.

At this moment, Wu Tianhe was confident and waited for the elders to arrive in the square.

Wu Tianhu, Wu Tianbao, and others have also arrived.

Today's meeting will affect everyone in Wu Village, and everyone wants to know as soon as possible what the meeting decided.

Besides the brothers, almost every branch of the Wu family sent representatives to the square.

Although they cannot lead this meeting, they are just as concerned about its outcome.

"Why hasn't the seventh brother arrived yet?"

After glancing around and not seeing Wu Tianying, Wu Tianhe couldn't help but ask.

"Seventh Brother is still in the hospital. He said he would come later because he was afraid that someone might take advantage of this time to break into the hospital and cause some trouble."

Wu Tianxiong replied.

Wu Tianhe smiled coldly, "Besides Wu Tianding, who else could possibly pull off something? Do you think he could wake the old man up at this hour and have him attend today's meeting?"

Wu Tianxiong hesitated for a moment, then took out his phone and went to the side to call Wu Tianying.

As usual, Wu Tianying guarded the main entrance of the fifth inpatient ward of the hospital, preventing any unrelated people from entering.

He was right; Wu Tianding had already arrived at the hospital.

Knowing that the Wu family was holding a family meeting today, Wu Tianding realized that the time to decide his fate had come.

He kept Pi Yangyang's instructions in mind, so he arrived at the hospital early and tried to find a way to get into the fifth inpatient ward.

But Wu Tianying stood guard at the door, and no one was allowed to enter.

Wu Tianding sent someone to impersonate Wu Taishan's old friend, wanting to go in and visit Wu Taishan, but Wu Tianying stopped him without hesitation.

Wu Tianding, who was hiding in a car not far away, couldn't help but feel anxious.

If Wu Tianying had stayed here, it would have been really difficult for him to sneak in.

Just as he was getting anxious, Wu Tianying received a phone call, then got up, gave a few instructions to the guards, and hurriedly left.

Wu Tianding breathed a sigh of relief. He quietly changed into a white coat, put on a mask, a stethoscope, and a hospital badge in the car, and slowly made his way to the entrance of the Fifth Inpatient Department.

He borrowed this set of equipment from a friend at the hospital.

If Wu Tianying were there, he wouldn't dare take the risk, since they were too familiar with each other and could tell each other's identities with just a glance.

Only now that Wu Tianying is not here does he dare to openly come to the entrance of the Fifth Department of Hospitalization.

"stop!"

Just as they arrived at the entrance of the Fifth Department of Hospital, they were stopped by the guards from the Wu family.

Wu Tianding stopped naturally and said calmly, "I am Dr. Xie from neurosurgery. Our director asked me to perform a routine check-up on Mr. Wu."

"Dr. Xie?" The guard was a little suspicious, but he still made way for her. "Go in."

Wu Tianding's heart was pounding in his chest, but he remained calm and unhurried, putting his hands in his pockets as he walked inside.

He gripped the porcelain bottle Pi Yangyang had given him tightly in his right hand, his palm already damp with sweat.

This porcelain vase will determine his fate.

When he arrived on the fifth floor, no one stopped him.

The guards from the Wu family merely glanced at him and didn't ask any further questions.

He went straight into the ward and closed the door behind him.

The entire ward was completely silent, except for the rhythmic beeping of the monitoring equipment.

He took out a porcelain bottle, carefully unscrewed it, and poured out three bright red pills, each about the size of a mung bean.

A fragrant aroma of medicine wafted over.

He suppressed his excitement and nervousness, reached out and pinched Wu Taishan's chin, pried open his mouth, and then put the pill into his mouth.

After doing all this, he felt a chill on his back and was covered in a white sweat.

He sat weakly on a chair by the bed, staring nervously at Wu Taishan, whose eyes were still tightly closed, hoping for a miracle.

…………

At the Wu Family Ancestral Hall, the seven elders have arrived one after another.

Normally, no one is allowed to enter the ancestral hall without Wu Taishan's permission.

Even the seven elders were no exception.

Therefore, although all seven elders came, none of them went in; instead, they stood at the entrance.

The elders of the Wu family, in order, are Wu Guangming, Wu Zhende, Wu Anping, Wu Zhengfeng, Wu Zhengchu, Wu Yongchang, and Wu Guanglin.

They share the same ancestry as Wu Taishan, but belong to a collateral branch. Therefore, in Wu Village, they have no possibility of inheriting the position of clan leader and can only exist in the form of an elders' council.

"Wu Tianhe, the clan leader is still ill. Why did you summon us old folks here in such a hurry?"

Elder Wu Guangming, leaning on his jujube wood cane, stared at Wu Tianhe with his cloudy eyes and asked.

Wu Tianhe said, "Uncle, you should know about my father's illness; he might not wake up. Now, the Xingyi Industrial Park project has started bidding immediately, and many companies have come to our village to conduct investigations and discuss matters such as demolition compensation."

"This matter concerns the interests of the entire village. If we don't reach a consensus soon, it could cause chaos, and many villagers might even suffer losses."

"Therefore, I have taken the liberty of inviting my seven uncles here to discuss this matter."

Wu Zhende nodded and said, "Tianhe is right. Developers these days are very cunning. If we don't prepare early, we might fall into their trap!"

Wu Yongchang also said, "Yes, the formal bidding will be held in a few days, and the demolition is imminent. This matter is indeed related to the vital interests of every one of us in Wu Village, and we cannot be careless."

“Once the house is demolished, it’s gone forever. Compensation is only given once. If we don’t stand up for our bottom line this time, we’ll have no chance to regret it later!”

Wu Zhengchu followed suit.

Upon hearing these people express their opinions, Wu Tianhe unconsciously curled up a slight smile.

These were the people he had privately approached and promised benefits to, so naturally they would speak up for him.

"But the clan chief isn't here, so how can this ancestral hall meeting begin?"

Although Wu Guangming was persuaded, he still asked with some hesitation.

“Uncle, you are the eldest elder! With the clan head absent, you are the most senior. This ancestral hall meeting will naturally be chaired by you.”

Wu Tianhe spoke with great respect.

“This isn’t right! The clan rules clearly state that only the clan chief can lead the incense offering into the ancestral hall. I… I don’t have that qualification…”

Wu Guangming glanced at the ancestral hall gate and said hesitantly.

"I think it's best if the clan chief, being seriously ill, can't come to the ancestral hall today," Wu Zhende said. "In this urgent situation, we should act accordingly. Tianhe is the clan chief's eldest son, so I think he should lead the incense into the ancestral hall on the clan chief's behalf..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Zhengchu said, "Yes, Tianhe will lead the incense offering."

Wu Guangming's mouth moved, but he didn't say anything.

He also knew that Wu Tianhe was most likely to be the next clan leader, and it was not worth offending him at this time.

"inappropriate!"

Just then, a discordant voice suddenly rang out.