Chapter 22: Chapter 21 The Spring Festival, Naming Chapter 22: Chapter 21 The Spring Festival, Naming The Chinese New Year is drawing near, and the cold winter cannot dampen the enthusiasm of the villagers in Yang Family Village. Many villagers would go to the market town or county city to buy New Year goods, or visit relatives and friends to give New Year gifts.
Yang Zhenshan is no exception. This time, his trip to the county city is not only to accompany Yang Mingcheng and the others to study, but also to purchase New Year’s goods.
An entire ox cart full of New Year’s goods, including fabrics, fur, tea leaves, meat, and so on. These goods cost Yang Zhanshan more than twenty taels of silver.
Once home, Yang Zhenshan immediately sorted out the New Year’s goods.
Some were for his own family’s use, while others were for giving away when visiting relatives and friends.
The next day, the Yang family began to deliver New Year gifts. Eldest son Yang Mingcheng accompanied Ms. Wang back to her mother’s home, second son Yang Mingzhi accompanied the Li family back to her mother’s home, and Yang Zhenshan took Yang Minghao to visit neighbors in the village. He would present a New Year gift to those who were older or of higher seniority than him.
Based on the principle of “one cannot offend with too many gifts,” Yang Zhenshan was never stingy when it came to gift-giving. Of course, he also did not pretend to be wealthier than he was, managing affairs according to his means.
A bit of pork and some cotton cloth for each household—practical yet not too cheap. In reality, the gifts that Yang Zhenshan gave out in Yang Family Village only cost him three taels of silver, with the Clan Leader Yang Zhengxiang receiving the larger share.
Of course, Yang Zhenshan definitely could not forget to give a New Year gift to his father-in-law, Lu Songhe.
Since his original wife has passed away, the responsibility of visiting Lu Songhe fell on Yang Zhenshan.
Yang Zhenshan personally took Yang Mingcheng, Yang Minghao, and Yang Yunxue to the Lu family in Qinghe Town.
Perhaps due to Yang Zhenshan’s recent changes, or perhaps because the father-in-law’s issues had been resolved, or maybe both, the Lu family’s attitude toward Yang Zhenshan was becoming warmer.
Just so happened, Lu Zhaoqi was home, and Yang Zhenshan drank quite a bit with him and his brother Lu Zhaoran. When they returned home, they were lying on the ox cart.
Time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, New Year’s Eve arrived.
This was the first Spring Festival that Yang Zhenshan experienced in this world, naturally giving it a special significance.
Speaking of which, he did not enjoy celebrating festivals in his original world because ever since his grandparents passed away, he spent the Spring Festival alone.
Although his parents would invite him to celebrate the festival with them, he would feel like an outsider, unable to fit in with anyone’s family.
Thus, after graduating from college, he spent the Spring Festival alone, sitting by the window, watching the fireworks bloom across the night sky, watching the children playing downstairs, reminiscing about the joys of his childhood, and feeling the loneliness that the Spring Festival brings.
But now, looking at his lively and bustling family, the loneliness in his heart suddenly disappeared.
“Dad, it’s time to pay respects to the family shrine!” said Yang Mingcheng, coming up beside Yang Zhenshan.
“Pay respects to the family shrine!” Yang Zhenshan was momentarily stunned before he realized what that meant.
According to the customs of Yang Family Village, on New Year’s Eve, they would prepare the family shrine table, arrange various wines and dishes, burn incense and joss paper to invite the ancestors to come home for the New Year.
The Yang Family Village was primarily made up of the Yang Family, so each year paying respects to the family shrine was a collective action involving most of the village.
“Is everything ready?” Yang Zhenshan turned to look at the incense, candles, and dishes prepared by Ms. Wang and the Li family.
“Yes, everything is ready, and there are already many people waiting behind the village!” replied Yang Mingcheng.
Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly, stepped out of the hall, and walked toward the back of the village.
“Uncle Zhengshan!”
“Grandpa Zhengshan!”
No sooner had he arrived at the back of the village than many villagers greeted him.
Yang Zhengxiang had also arrived, and upon seeing Yang Zhenshan, he hurriedly pulled him to go up the mountain together.
In Yang Family Village, paying respects to the family shrine meant going to the ancestral graves behind the mountain, where the ancestors of the Yang Family were buried.
Reflecting on the past, although the original host had followed the tradition of paying respects each year, he had always been at the back of the group of villagers. Now, Yang Zhengxiang was leading him at the front.
This was also a reflection of his changing status in the Yang Family.
Burning incense and joss paper went without saying, and Yang Zhenshan did not know how many times he had kowtowed before the family shrine ceremony was over.
By the time he returned home, his knees were covered with a thick layer of mud.
For the New Year’s Eve dinner, Ms. Wang and the Li family had prepared a large table of dishes—this time a truly large table, no longer just one pot of boiled cabbage with pork.
There was chicken, fish, eggs, and meat, all in abundant quantities to ensure full bellies.
The family ate their fill with great delight.
Ms. Wang was even moved to tears, piling food onto her children’s plates as she ate.
The Li family did the same, selecting tender pieces of fish for her children.
“Daya, this is tasty!”
Yang Yunxue would never forget to take care of Wang Daya; by now, she likely regarded Wang Daya as her own younger sister.
Wang Daya was no longer as timid as before, still somewhat soft in temperament, but had become much livelier than before.
Yang Zhenshan, sipping his wine, looked at his big family with a smile. Loneliness was still there, but with so many people around, that loneliness was deeply suppressed in his heart.
On the first day of the Chinese New Year, Yang Zhenshan got up early, taking out the red envelopes he had prepared in advance.
After breakfast, Yang Zhenshan sat in the main hall, watching each family come in to pay their New Year visits.
Starting with Yang Mingcheng and Ms. Wang, the latter holding Yang Qingwan in one hand and leading Yang Chengye with the other.
“Happy New Year, Dad, wishing you good health and everything going your way!”
“Good, good!” Yang Zhenshan, smiling broadly, handed out the red envelopes, one to each person.
There wasn’t much money in the red envelopes, just one qian of silver.
However, Yang Zhenshan had specially prepared a silver lock for his granddaughter. As the silver lock was placed on the little girl, she grasped it, her big curious eyes shining, and she started nibbling on it.
“Thank you, Dad!” Ms. Wang’s eyes curved with her smile, and she rattled off auspicious phrases, “Wishing Dad all the best, health and longevity, peace year after year…”
After a month of learning, Ms. Wang had picked up a lot, and although she hadn’t learned all the characters yet, her auspicious words were fluent. It was unclear whether this was something Yang Mingcheng had secretly taught her.
Next came Yang Mingzhi’s family. Compared to Ms. Wang, the Li family’s temperament was a bit more gentle; she never fought or scrambled for anything and was easily overlooked.
But Yang Zhenshan knew that this daughter-in-law was much smarter than the eldest son’s wife.
Not fighting or scrambling didn’t mean suffering losses. The original family head always insisted on fairness and justice: what the first wife’s family had, the second wife’s family would not lack.
After Yang Zhenshan arrived, it remained the same.
As the head of the family could be fair, why should the Li family’s daughter-in-law fight for more?
That was where the Li family’s intelligence lay; she had a clear understanding and clear thoughts.
Then came Yang Minghao, Yang Yunxue, Lin Zhan, and finally, it was Wang Daya’s turn.
Wang Daya held her little brother and knelt on the ground, kowtowing vigorously, startling Yang Zhenshan with the thud.
“What are you doing, girl?” Yang Zhenshan hurriedly reached out to help her.
Kowtowing for New Year’s wishes is alright, but why so vigorously? If you make a hole in the ground, it will need to be filled.
When Yang Zhenshan helped her up, he saw her eyes full of tears.
“Thank you, Master!”
Yang Zhenshan knew her heartache, and understood the gratitude she felt even more.
“Alright, alright, it’s the New Year, no crying allowed!”
While speaking, he put a red envelope and a silver lock into the swaddle in Daya’s arms.
Although Daya’s little brother was not related to him, Yang Zhenshan treated him with the same regard. What the granddaughter received, this little baby would also have.
“Today is a joyous occasion. Master will name you,” Yang Zhenshan suddenly thought of Wang Daya’s name.
Wang Daya was different from Lin Zhan; Lin Zhan’s father was a scholar, so he had his own name, but Wang Daya, coming from an ordinary farming household, was worse off than the Yang family in the past, and being the eldest daughter, she had always been called Daya.
Wang Daya looked up, her face full of expectation, “Master, could you give my little brother a name?”
The girl placed more importance on her brother than herself.
“Both of you will have names!” Yang Zhenshan said with a smile.
He thought for a moment and said: “From now on, your name is Wang Yunqiao, and this little fellow will be called Wang Mingzhe.”
Since Daya was his disciple, she should belong to the same generation as Yang Yunxue, so he directly gave Daya the character ‘Yun,’ and as for ‘Qiao,’ it was because Daya was skillful with her hands, adept at needlework.
Mingzhe as a name was following the pattern of Yang Mingcheng and his brothers.
“Thank you, Master!”
Wang Daya, no, now Wang Yunqiao, was so happy she cried, and again deeply kowtowed to Yang Zhenshan.
“Alright, alright, no need for that, you’ve kowtowed till your forehead is red!”
“Yunxue, help her up quickly!”
Yang Zhenshan was somewhat helpless.
This habit of kowtowing at every turn, he found it hard to bear.