Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 479: Chapter 442: When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do

A wedding is a complex and busy affair, even for the Yang family with hundreds of servants, it still seemed a little chaotic.

After avoiding the hustle for a while, Yang Zhenshan was also busy entertaining the guests who came to offer their congratulations once the wedding ceremony was over.

By the time the guests were sent off, it was already dark.

The next morning, Yang Zhenshan was still not fully awake when he was roused by the noise outside his door.

”What time is it?” Yang Zhenshan felt it was still early and asked.

”Master, it’s just reached the time of Mao!” replied Qingxia, who was guarding the outer room.

Yang Zhenshan sat up, and Yu Qingyi awoke as well.

On normal days, they would also get up around this time, wash up, and start their morning exercises.

However, on usual days, it would be very quiet outside if they didn’t get up, but today there were some slight noises.

”Is it Chengye and Mrs. Yu who have come?” Yu Qingyi said.

”Likely so!” Yang Zhenshan got up and dressed, saying so.

According to the customs of Da Rong, the new bride must pay her respects to her uncles and aunts—the parents of the groom—the morning after entering the husband’s home.

Red candles in the bridal chamber were kept alight until dawn, waiting for the morning to pay respects before the parents. After dressing up and bowing to the husband, does the depth of the eyebrow drawing matter?

Not only that, but the new bride also needed to cook for the parents-in-law and serve them meals.

Although Yang Zhanshan and Yu Qingyi were not the new bride’s in-laws, they were the grandparents of the young couple, so they could not be absent from this ritual of paying respects before the uncles and aunts.

Though the custom and rules were somewhat tiresome, Yang Zhanshan could not simply dismiss them.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do!

If he were not to let the new bride visit, then she might feel that her grandfather-in-law did not care for her.

Indeed, after Yang Zhanshan washed and went to the main hall, he found that Ms. Wang and Mrs. Yu were already preparing breakfast, evidently having started very early.

”Dad!” Ms. Wang saw Yang Zhanshan and immediately grinned as she called out to him.

Her plump, round face appeared exceedingly festive when she smiled.

”Granddaughter-in-law pays respects to grandfather!” The new bride, Mrs. Yu, was still a bit nervous, bowing deeply with her head lowered and not daring to look up.

Yang Zhanshan glanced at the food on the table and said amiably, ”Hmm, just keep it simple, no need for anything too elaborate!”

As soon as he said this, Mrs. Yu’s petite body trembled slightly, probably feeling that Yang Zhanshan might not think highly of her.

After all, paying respects to the uncles and aunts in the morning was a process through which the new bride showed respect and filial piety to the elders, as well as demonstrated her ability to manage a household.

When Yang Zhanshan mentioned keeping it simple, in Mrs. Yu’s understanding, it wasn’t consideration for her but rather an indication that he thought she lacked the ability to manage a household.

After all, Mrs. Yu was not just any bride; she was the eldest grand-daughter-in-law of the Yang family.

However, Mrs. Yu was merely flustered for a moment when Ms. Wang, with a beaming smile, said: ”Our daughter-in-law knows that you don’t like these conventional rituals, Dad, so we didn’t prepare too much.”

This statement eased Mrs. Yu’s mind considerably, at least her mother-in-law was very considerate of her.

Yang Zhanshan himself was unaware that Mrs. Yu would think so much about it; being a young girl who had just married into the Yang family, it was quite normal for her to be somewhat sensitive.

A moment later, the Li family, Yang Minghao and the Liang family, Jiang He and Yang Yunyan arrived one after another, with Yu Qingyi bringing Ming Zhao at last.

As for the other juniors in the family, it wasn’t necessary for them to come; too many people early in the morning would not be appropriate for creating too much noise.

Each courtyard had its own kitchenette, and there were plenty of servants and maids, so no one needed to worry about going hungry.

All were ready, and everyone took their seats.

The young couple, Yang Chengye and Mrs. Yu, then served tea to the elders and attended to them during the meal.

With so many elders, the young couple was quite busy.

Yang Zhanshan glanced several times at Mrs. Yu, his granddaughter-in-law, who was already sixteen this year. Although she was born into a military family and had practiced martial arts from a young age, she had not yet become a martial artist.

But looking at the calluses on her hands suggested that she was capable of enduring hardship and persisting in her cultivation.

Yang Zhanshan was quite pleased with this.

Members of the Yang family all need to practice cultivation, including daughters and granddaughters-in-law.

However, Ms. Wang, Mrs. Li, and Mrs. Liang—the three daughters-in-law—were not from martial arts families, and even though they now have decent cultivation, their potential and achievements were quite limited.

On the other hand, Mrs. Yu, the granddaughter-in-law, could potentially achieve much in martial arts if nurtured properly.

After a series of tedious rituals, Yang Zhanshan finally got to pick up his bowl and eat; he enthusiastically finished a bowl of plain porridge and put down his chopsticks.

”Chengye, take Mrs. Yu around the house more these few days, let her get more familiar with it, and also explain the family rules to her properly!” he said.

”Yes!” Yang Chengye responded.

Yang Zhanshan then turned to Mrs. Yu and said, ”Our family doesn’t have many rules, but you must not neglect cultivation; you have to practice diligently in the future.”

He felt it was necessary to mention the matter of cultivation.

Cultivation for women is not favorable; it is undoubtedly more troublesome than it is for men.

Many women from martial arts families give up on martial arts after getting married and spend their time in the inner courtyards raising children and supporting their husbands.

This is also why there are relatively few women in the military and the worldly society.

Nevertheless, Yang Zhanshan believed it was better for women not to give up on cultivation; even if there isn’t any grand achievement, at the very least it would strengthen the body and improve health.

”Granddaughter-in-law will heed grandfather’s teachings!” Mrs. Yu responded respectfully.

Yang Zhanshan nodded slightly and then, with his hands clasped behind his back, left the hall first.

Practice must not be interrupted; if he went a day without practicing, he felt uncomfortable—it was a habit formed over a long period.

After breakfast, everyone returned to their own courtyards to practice cultivation, so they didn’t stay in the main courtyard for too long.

Yang Chengye brought Mrs. Yu to their own small courtyard.

The courtyard was not large, but it had four main rooms and four side rooms, with twelve servants, among which four were Mrs. Yu’s dowry, including two nursemaids and two maids.

The two nursemaids were from the imperial palace and should have been given to Mrs. Yu by the Empress.

The Empress only had this one niece, and she was the matchmaker for Mrs. Yu’s marriage, so naturally, she would put more thought into it. The dowry she gave might not be a lot, but it was obviously given with care.

”Husband, can I continue to practice cultivation in the future?” Once back in her own courtyard, Mrs. Yu finally relaxed.

Yang Chengye smiled gently, ”Of course, didn’t Grandpa say? We can’t fall behind! You not only have to practice cultivation but also work hard at it, striving to become a Martial Artist as soon as possible!”

Don’t be fooled by Yang Chengye’s burly appearance and his mature demeanor outside; in fact, Yang Chengye was quite a tender-hearted man.

The newlyweds had just married, and Yang Chengye was very caring of his wife’s feelings.

”It’s very difficult to become a Martial Artist. My grandfather says I have good talent, but I’ve been practicing for so many years and still haven’t become a Martial Artist!” Mrs. Yu was a little discouraged.

In the Yang family, it was quite normal to become a Martial Artist by the age of fifteen, but in the outside world, not to mention fifteen, even becoming a Martial Artist at sixteen would be considered a genius.

The Yu family had shallow foundations, and although Yu Zijin had good talent, the Yu family did not have many cultivation resources to give her, so she could only rely on her own hard work to become a Martial Artist.

Now she was already sixteen but still felt far from becoming a Martial Artist.

Yang Chengye grabbed her small hand, and Mrs. Yu’s face immediately blushed. Although they had already consummated the marriage last night, the young lady’s face was still too thin.

”Don’t worry, I will guide you,” Yang Chengye said.

Mrs. Yu couldn’t help but be curious, and asked, ”Husband, what is your current level of cultivation?”

Yang Chengye showed a proud little smile, ”Just one step away from the Postnatal Realm!”

Mrs. Yu’s mouth dropped open, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Yang Chengye was quite pleased with her astonishment.

Men, after all, probably enjoy their women’s admiration the most.

Although Yang Chengye was not old, he had become a man last night.

”My Dad hasn’t even reached the Postnatal Realm yet!”

Mrs. Yu was both surprised and awed, her expression was especially cute, which made Yang Chengye feel a bit restless.

To avoid embarrassing himself, Yang Chengye quickly changed the topic, ”Let’s go practice cultivation!”

With that, he pulled Mrs. Yu to the courtyard.

The young servants and maids, having finished their tasks, were already practicing cultivation.

”Young Master Sun!”

Da Fu, Yang Chengye’s personal servant, rushed over when he saw Yang Chengye coming out from the house.

Da Fu was two years older than Yang Chengye and had been following him since he was nine.

After the rise of the Yang family, the juniors in the household would have a servant boy or maid arranged to accompany them at the age of seven. This was to prevent the child from feeling lonely and to cultivate a bond of loyalty from a young age.

The bond between master and servant that grew from childhood in this way was sometimes even deeper than that with their own siblings.

As the eldest grandson of the Yang family, Yang Chengye had the most servant boys around him, besides Da Fu, there were four others who had been with him since before he was ten.

As for the maids, before the men of the Yang family were married, they would not have maids around them, only two older nursemaids to look after them.

Firstly, to prevent the maids from having impure thoughts and tempting the young masters, and secondly to prevent the young masters from tasting the forbidden fruit prematurely.

”Alright, go practice cultivation, I will accompany my wife!” Yang Chengye casually waved off his long-time brother in favor of practicing cultivation with his wife.

Da Fu scratched his head; he used to accompany Young Master Sun to practice cultivation, but now that Young Master Sun was married, will I have to practice alone?

He stole a glance at Mrs. Yu and walked out of the inner courtyard somewhat reluctantly, to find his fellow young servants to practice cultivation with.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Yu was not paying attention to Da Fu, but was observing the several maids practicing cultivation in the inner courtyard.

She was amazed to find that these maids were actually Martial Artists.

”Husband, they are also Martial Artists!”

”Yes, they are the maids whom Mother had arranged to come over. They will come to greet you later! Now it’s time for cultivation; let’s start practicing!” Yang Chengye said nonchalantly.

Although Yang Chengye’s courtyard had not had maids before, Ms. Wang had already prepared them, and now that he was married, these four maids had also become part of his courtyard.

”But they are actually Martial Artists, and they don’t look very old!” Mrs. Yu was so surprised it was as if she had seen a ghost, her eyes fixed on the four maids.

Yang Chengye scratched his head, not quite sure how to explain.

In the Yang family, if a servant boy or maid was over sixteen, they were generally Martial Artists. Of course, this didn’t include aged old servants.

”You’ll understand in time; let’s focus on our practice first!”

Unable to explain, Yang Chengye could only lead Mrs. Yu to practice cultivation.

Mrs. Yu did not press the matter. She just felt that the Yang family was very different from the Yu family; even a maid being a Martial Artist broke her understanding of things, making her feel somewhat inferior.

However, she was not the kind of person to be petty or envious of others.

Seeing that the Yang family had so many Martial Artists, she began to practice even harder.

Two days later, Yang Chengye and Yu Zijin went back to her family’s house for the return visit, and with their return, the marriage ceremony was officially concluded. Yu Zijin had married into the Yang family and became their granddaughter-in-law, while Yang Chengye had been acknowledged as the son-in-law by the Yue family.

There was still the rite of ’Honoring the Ancestors’, where the bride had to worship the lineage’s ancestral spirits at the ancestral temple, a ritual signifying the bride’s entry into the family genealogy.

However, this was a simple matter; Yang Chengye and Mrs. Yu did not need to return to Yang Family Village. They only needed to worship at the Yang family’s ancestral shrine and let Yang Minghui add Mrs. Yu’s name to the genealogy of the Yang Family.

With the conclusion of Yang Chengye’s wedding affairs, Yang Zhenshan once again focused his energy on the duties at the government office.