Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 177: Chapter 173: Wedding Approaching, Relatives and Friends Visit

Xu Jin’s arrival brought many benefits to Yang Zhenshan.

Unlike the previous Military Equipment Department official, Hao Zhaoxian, who only thought about amassing wealth and left all official duties to magistrates and civil servants in the government office, those magistrates and civil servants, not wanting to stir up trouble, carried a careless attitude and did nothing about the affairs of the garrison office.

This had rendered the office of the Military Equipment Department as mere decoration; since Yang Zhenshan’s arrival in An Yuan City several months ago, the Military Equipment Department had never paid him a visit.

Xu Jin was different; this elderly gentleman took everything seriously and responsibly. He had the authority to oversee the garrison office’s matters like agricultural management, finance, and military, and could intermeddle in nearly any affair of the garrison office.

Logically, most commanders should feel uncomfortable with such a meddling presence.

However, Yang Zhenshan was different. He was guilt-free; he never embezzled a penny from the garrison office and even went to great lengths to secure provisions for the soldiers’ training.

He was not afraid of Xu Jin’s surveillance, nor was he bothered by Xu Jin watching him constantly, provided that Xu Jin did not hinder his military training programs and the fortification repair plans.

Xu Jin’s presence positively spurred the civil servants and constables in the garrison office, and served as an effective caution to the officials of the garrison forts outside the city.

Moreover, his familiarity with a variety of official duties not only caused no obstructions to Yang Zhenshan but even somewhat helped him identify deficiencies and make improvements.

Regrettably, Xu Jin was responsible not only for An Yuan State’s garrison office but also overseen military affairs in two other states; otherwise, Yang Zhenshan would have wanted him to work at the garrison office every day.

Nevertheless, the provisions Xu Jin promised were still procured by Yang Zhenshan, and although only a hundred loads, Yang Zhenshan gratefully accepted them without complaints.

With these provisions, this year’s training plans should face no issues.

As for other matters, they would have to wait until the new Commander of Songzhou Guard arrived.

Time gradually passed, the spring plowing had completely ended, and the first batch of trained soldiers from various garrisons gradually arrived at An Yuan City’s City Gate Castle.

The first batch consisted of only five hundred men, with personnel drawn from every garrison, and even each Fire Road Pile and signal tower.

Although Yang Zhenshan placed great importance on military training, the agricultural duties and defense tasks of the garrisons were of utmost priority, which could not be neglected for the sake of training.

Thus, the training was divided into four phases, each phase consisting of a month of basic training; as for combat training, they had to carry it out themselves after returning.

As training proceeded smoothly, Yang Zhenshan visited the City Gate Castle every alternate day, mainly to replenish the soldiers’ supplies with Spiritual Spring Water.

With time progressing, his wedding date with Yu Qingyi was drawing nearer.

The Yang family had already started preparing for the grand wedding.

A son and daughter-in-law preparing a wedding for their Dad might sound strange, but Yang Mingcheng and Ms. Wang were quite enthusiastic about it.

Even the new house was arranged by Ms. Wang.

As May arrived, with only five days left till the wedding, friends and relatives began arriving at An Yuan City.

Yang Zhenshan was to marry Yu Qingyi with full honors and did not conceal the event; he sent out all the necessary invitations and notified everyone who had to be informed.

The first to arrive in An Yuan City was the Yang family. Yang Zhengxiang did not come as he had visited earlier this year and was also getting on in years, not able to endure the travel.

The Yang family was led by Yang Minghui, consisting of more than a dozen people, including newly advanced Martial Artists of the Yang family this year, and some reputable members who were relatively young.

In addition to the Yang family, accompanying them were the Wang, Li, Jiang, and Lu families, with whom the Yang family had marital ties.

The parents-in-law from Wang, Li, and Jiang families all arrived; from the Lu family, Lu Zhaoqi and Lu Wenquan came.

Yang Zhenshan naturally had to personally receive these kins.

That day, Yang Zhenshan hosted a banquet for them in the mansion.

Despite Yang Zhenshan being very amiable, the parents-in-law still felt somewhat constrained.

All of them were ordinary farmers; although their lives had significantly improved over the years due to their connection to the Yang family, their peasant nature hadn’t changed.

Facing Yang Zhenshan, the high official, they were very nervous, and even their speech was not smooth.

Mr. Wang and Mr. Li simply focused on quietly drinking, and only Jiang Cheng was a bit better, managing to hold a conversation with Yang Zhenshan.

Lu Zhaoqi also felt uneasy.

Now that his brother-in-law was remarrying, does that mean his role as the second uncle was outdated?

It was an unavoidable situation; despite Yang Zhenshan doing his best to bridge the gap, the relationship between the Yang and Lu families had still become considerably awkward.

As the banquet ended, Yang Mingcheng escorted Mr. Wang and Mr. Li to the guest rooms, while Jiang He took Jiang Cheng back to their quarters.

For a moment, only Lu Zhaoqi and Lu Wenquan were left in the hall.

After the leftovers were cleared, tea was served, and Yang Zhenshan, feeling a bit flushed from the alcohol, wiped his face. He had a good tolerance for liquor, but drinking with these older gentlemen can still get him slightly tipsy.

”Here, brother, take this,” Yang Zhenshan handed a damp towel to Lu Zhaoqi.

”Thanks!” Lu Zhaoqi wiped his face.

Yang Zhenshan, smiling, turned to Lu Wenyuan, who was already twenty this year and no longer the immature youth of the past.

However, he still looked somewhat frail, somewhat like a delicate scholar.

”Wenyuan, have a seat!” Yang Zhenshan said.

”Thank you, Uncle!” Lu Wenyuan responded politely.

”It’s been four years since we last met; time truly flies. Just like that, four years have passed!” Yang Zhenshan said while brewing tea.

He genuinely felt time had flown; back then, he had just arrived in this world, and Lu Wenyuan was just a little boy. Now, Lu Wenyuan had grown up and become a young man.

”But I think, Uncle, you look even younger than before!” Lu Wenyuan said with a smile.

Yang Zhenshan laughed heartily, ”You’ve become better at speaking than before!”

At this moment, Lu Zhaoqi came over and sat down, and Yang Zhenshan poured him a cup of tea.

”How are Dad and Mom doing?” Yang Zhenshan asked.

”They are all doing well, they often talk about you!” Lu Zhaoqi said.

That was true, especially recently; they really talked about him a lot.

Yang Zhenshan nodded gently, ”As long as they’re healthy, that’s good. I’ll visit them when I have the chance!”

That’s one downside of this world; heading out is too cumbersome.

In the previous life, a distance of over 300 miles could be covered in a few hours by car, and making a round trip in one day was quite easy. Here, however, a round trip of 300 miles takes at least two days.

Even that is under the condition of riding a fast horse and pushing it hard. If one were to travel with a caravan, it would take at least five or six days.

Yang Zhenshan certainly could not spare so much time, so he could only say he would come if the opportunity arose.

”By the way, when is Wenyuan getting married?” Yang Zhenshan suddenly remembered that Lu Wenquan was not yet married.

Lu Wenquan was already twenty years old, which in the countryside made him quite an old bachelor.

”Father plans for him to get married after he takes part in the autumn examinations!” Lu Zhaoqi said.

”Doesn’t that mean waiting for another three years?” Yang Zhenshan was somewhat surprised.

”Yes! Three years isn’t considered long!” Lu Zhaoqi replied.

Yang Zhenshan thought for a moment and then understood Lu Songhe’s thinking.

Now, since Lu Wenquan was only a scholar, even if he found a match of equal social standing, the bride’s family status wouldn’t be very high.

Not to mention, the legitimate daughter from the Lu family wouldn’t marry Lu Wenquan.

The reason was simple: the Lu family’s social foundation was too shallow, not matching the Lu family’s stature, and Lu Wenquan simply wasn’t in a position to marry up.

But if three years later, Lu Wenquan could secure a top position in the imperial examinations, the situation would be different; then, marrying anyone wouldn’t be considered marrying up.

The Lu family’s social foundation was too shallow; if Lu Wenquan were to enter officialdom, he would need the support of his wife’s family.

Therefore, Lu Songhe decided to delay Lu Wenquan’s marriage by three years.

This situation wasn’t rare; many scholars from humble families didn’t marry early.

The three of them chatted about family matters, and Lu Zhaoqi’s awkwardness was notably lessened, while Lu Wenquan’s respect towards Yang Zhenshan remained the same as before.

Meanwhile, Yang Mingcheng arranged the guests from the Li family in the guest rooms, then took Mr. Wang to the main building’s courtyard.

”Grandpa!”

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Yang Qingwan ran out.

This clever girl, who clearly didn’t remember what her grandfather Mr. Wang looked like, called out to him affectionately nonetheless.

”Oh my, Qingwan has grown so much!” Mr. Wang, seeing the pretty little girl, smiled so broadly his teeth showed.

Honestly, arriving at the Yang family’s home made him really nervous, almost to the point of forgetting how to walk.

It was only inside the main building’s courtyard that he felt a little better.

”Grandpa, Mom has been waiting for you for a long time!” Qingwan said as she grabbed Mr. Wang’s hand and pulled him toward the house.

At that moment, Ms. Wang and Wang Zhangshi also came out from inside the house, as Ms. Wang had called Wang Zhangshi to the backyard while Mr. Wang was eating in the front yard.

The mother and daughter had been talking heart-to-heart for quite a while.

”Dad!”

Seeing her father, Ms. Wang’s eyes brimmed with tears.

”Good, good, good!” Mr. Wang, just a rural old man, didn’t know what to say at this moment, so he just repeatedly uttered ”Good.”

In truth, he felt somewhat estranged from Ms. Wang. Although she was his daughter, the current Ms. Wang was different from before.

Ms. Wang had become plumper and looked more prosperous. Having run the household for a few years, she had developed a certain air about her.

This air was negligible in front of Yang Zhenshan, but in front of Mr. Wang, it created a significant emotional distance.

”Dad, come inside!” Ms. Wang ushered Mr. Wang into the house.

On the tea table inside were already placed some tea and snacks, but after Mr. Wang arrived, Chunhua re-brewed another pot of tea.

”My dear, you really are fortunate!” Mr. Wang couldn’t help but sigh.

Initially, he was somewhat reluctant to marry his daughter into the Yang family, as they were poor back then and also had a sickly family member.

When Ms. Wang married Yang Mingcheng, the original family member was already severely injured and practically unable to do any fieldwork.

It was Wang Zhangshi’s decision at that time to incorporate Ms. Wang into the Yang family.

But back then, Wang Zhangshi’s thought was simple: he felt that Yang Lushi was a reasonable person. With such a mother-in-law, the future days should not be too bad.

However, Wang Zhangshi did not expect that Yang Lushi would pass away in the third year after Ms. Wang married into the Yang family, and she regretted it for a long time afterward.

After that, it goes without saying, Yang Zhenshan came to this world, replaced the original member, and the Yang family’s fortunes improved day by day. Now the Yang family was a family of officials, and Ms. Wang had become the Madam of the house.

”Hehe, Dad and Mom are fortunate to have a daughter like me!” laughed Ms. Wang.

”Yes, yes, we are indeed fortunate because of you!” Mr. Wang also laughed along.

Over the past few years, Ms. Wang hadn’t skimped on helping the Wang family. Every time the Yang family sent gifts during festivals, Ms. Wang would always send a portion back to them.

Those items might not be much for the Yang family, but for the Wang family, they were significant wealth.

”Dad, my sisters-in-law haven’t made trouble again, have they?” Ms. Wang cautiously inquired.

The division of the family was instigated by her, in a moment of impulsiveness she had her parents split the family, which had caused her much anxiety.

Although her parents had written to say everything was fine at home, she was still worried her sisters-in-law might continue causing trouble.

”What trouble? They don’t dare to make trouble anymore!” said Wang Zhangshi.

Mr. Wang also nodded and said, ”No more trouble. Didn’t I buy thirty acres of land the year before last? I gave fifteen acres to your second brother, and for the remaining fifteen acres, I told them I would give it to whomever is more filial!”

After the Wang family had split, they lived with Wang Erlang. Even though his personality was stronger, he was very filial to them.

The key was his wife, a reasonable woman, who didn’t make trouble.

”This is a good idea!”

Ms. Wang chuckled.

She didn’t expect her parents to be very wealthy, she just hoped they could live comfortably.

With the two sisters-in-law not causing trouble, her parents could live a more comfortable life.