Chapter 16: No Mistake, You Were Indeed Picked Up
As the evening drew near, Yang Zhengshan returned to the Yang household. The Yang household was still bustling with activity, and the matter of Jiang Family Village had been resolved. The young men of Yang Family Village had also returned. Yang Chengze, Yang Chengxu, and Yang Qinwu, with nothing better to do, had come to the Yang household to practice their martial arts.
However, there was an additional person today – Yang Minghao had also returned.
“Father!” Yang Minghao saw Yang Zhengshan and pouted, looking resentful.
Yang Zhengshan saw him and was slightly taken aback. “How did you come back?”
“I missed home!” Yang Minghao said with a hint of complaint.
He couldn’t help but complain. When he got back home, he realized that the family was living a good life. Not only did they have meat to eat every day, but his elder brothers had also resumed their martial arts training.
As for him? He was toiling away at the ironworks every day, exhausting himself without even getting to eat meat. Thinking about the hardships he faced and the good life his family was living, he really wanted to ask Yang Zhengshan if he was indeed picked up.
If he really asked, Yang Zhengshan would definitely say, “No mistake, you were indeed picked up. Not just you, but this entire family was picked up by me. You’re welcome!”
Yang Zhengshan had indeed forgotten about his youngest son. Except for the first time he went to the county town and saw him, he had never thought about him again.
No wonder, with so many people in the family, it was normal to overlook some.
Yang Mingcheng and Yang Mingzhi were at least around him, so he couldn’t ignore them. But Yang Minghao was in the county town, and since he didn’t see him, he naturally wouldn’t think about him.
“It’s good that you’re back. From now on, don’t go to the ironworks anymore!” Yang Zhengshan didn’t care about Yang Minghao’s complaints, and simply said indifferently.
“Really?” Yang Minghao’s face lit up with excitement upon hearing this.
“Yes, focus on practicing your martial arts and strive to become a martial artist as soon as possible.” Yang Zhengshan said.
One sheep is a drive, two sheep are also a drive, and adding Yang Minghao is no big deal.
However, the household was getting more and more crowded. Yang Minghao could only share a room with Lin Zhan. If there was another person, they would have to move into the main house.
It seemed that they would need to build a bigger house next year.
Yang Zhengshan thought to himself.
Previously, he didn’t have such thoughts, but after seeing the Lu family’s large courtyard, he had started to consider building one.
However, whether they could move into a bigger house depended on the county government’s silver reward.
The county government was still very reliable, and County Magistrate Luo Jin was a man of his word. After the incident in Jiang Family Village, Yang Zhengshan received the county government’s silver reward of three hundred taels on the fourth day.
The person who came to deliver the reward was Yang Zhengshan’s uncle, Lu Zhaoqi.
In the Yang household’s main hall, Lu Zhaoqi looked around at the people practicing martial arts in the courtyard with great interest.
“It’s gotten much more lively here compared to before.”
Yang Zhengshan poured a cup of tea from the newly bought teapot and said, “I’ve recovered from my injury, and the clan leader has asked me to get more involved in clan matters. Those young men are the ones sent by the clan leader!”
Lu Zhaoqi nodded slightly, then looked at Yang Zhengshan’s white hair at the temples and said, “You’ve aged a lot in just a short time.”
Yang Zhengshan’s mouth twitched slightly.
He couldn’t help but feel annoyed when people mentioned his age. As good brothers, they shouldn’t bring it up. It would be better if they didn’t mention it at all.
Yang Zhengshan was indeed ten years older, and he had acknowledged it. However, when someone suddenly brought it up, he still felt a bit frustrated and wanted to yell at Lu Zhaoqi, “I’m only twenty-eight years old, still a young man!”
But he couldn’t.
“We’ve all gotten older, and our children have grown up!” Yang Zhengshan could only steer the conversation towards their children, not wanting to continue talking about his age.
“I heard that Wenyuan is doing well in his studies!”
When mentioning his own son, Lu Zhaoqi’s face immediately lit up with pride. “Haha, Wenyuan is indeed doing well. The teacher at the school says he has a high chance of passing the imperial examinations next year!”
“Next year’s imperial examinations will be in the prefectural capital, right?” Yang Zhengshan asked while pouring tea.
“Yes, in May.” Lu Zhaoqi replied.
Yang Zhengshan smiled and said, “We should let Mingcheng accompany him to the capital, it would be safer with someone to take care of him.”
Lu Zhaoqi took a sip of tea and said, “Wenchun can accompany him, that’s enough.”
Yang Zhengshan laughed and said, “Mingcheng has trained in martial arts and can protect him. You can be more at ease with him accompanying Wenyuan.”
Yang and Lu families were indeed close relatives, and as relatives, they should be close and help each other out. That was what family was about.
The distance from Anning County to Jing’an Prefecture was over two hundred li, and the road was not easy to travel. Without someone to accompany Wenyuan, the journey would be even more difficult.
Yang Zhengshan thought that he would like to go to the prefectural capital himself, but considering that there was still half a year until the imperial examinations, he didn’t want to make any promises.
If the timing was right, he would go himself. If not, he would let Yang Mingcheng accompany Wenyuan.
“That’s settled then. I’ll trouble Mingcheng to accompany him to the capital next time.” Lu Zhaoqi didn’t decline, and accepted Yang Zhengshan’s kind intention.
Then, he changed the subject and said, “About the matter of seeking an official position, Father has already told me.”
“You killed Knife Scar Liu, and Lord Luo is very pleased. He even specially summoned me to ask about your situation.”
“However, seeking an official position is still unlikely for now. The county government only has a few positions available, and they’re all already taken. You don’t have a chance to get in.”
“If you just want to be a minor official in the county government, that shouldn’t be difficult. I can help you get a decent position as a third-rank official, a station master, or a soldier.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help Yang Zhengshan, but he really couldn’t.
He was just a low-ranking official, without even a official rank himself, so how could he help Yang Zhengshan get an official position?
Yang Zhengshan felt a bit disappointed, but his disappointment quickly dissipated. “It’s okay, I’m not interested in those minor positions.”
He wanted an official position with a official rank, not those insignificant jobs.
Those jobs might give him some minor power and income, but they would also limit his freedom.
Rather than wasting his time on those, it would be better to focus on building up his strength and cultivating his children in Yang Family Village, waiting for the right opportunity.
He believed that as long as his strength was sufficient and his children were outstanding, there would definitely be opportunities for them to rise in the future.
“Don’t be too disappointed. You’ve already made a name for yourself in Lord Luo’s eyes. You may get his attention at any time.” Lu Zhaoqi consoled him.
Lord Luo indeed remembered Yang Zhengshan, but whether he would help Yang Zhengshan get an official position was still uncertain.
From the fact that Lord Luo didn’t summon Yang Zhengshan, it could be seen that he didn’t think much of Yang Zhengshan. He was just a martial artist in Lord Luo’s eyes, not worth paying attention to.
This was a normal thing, and Yang Zhengshan knew it. He was a martial artist, but in Lord Luo’s eyes, he was just a commoner, not worth his attention.
(End of chapter)
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