Chapter 42: The Uninvited Guests
Two days had passed in the blink of an eye.
Early in the morning, Yang Zhengshan rode his horse around Yang Family Village. Originally, he couldn’t ride a horse, and since he had never seen a horse up close, he had to start from scratch. Fortunately, Hongyun’s temperament was very gentle, and with Yang Zhengshan’s exceptional physique, riding a horse wasn’t too difficult. However, to master horse riding, he still needed to practice regularly.
Without anyone to guide him, Yang Zhengshan had to figure it out on his own. Every day, he would take out half an hour to ride Hongyun around the village, not galloping, just controlling the horse to take a leisurely stroll. This would help cultivate his bond with Hongyun and improve their tacit understanding.
Not just him, Yang Mingcheng, Yang Mingzhi, and Yang Mingwu would also ride their horses around the village daily.
Today was the day Yang Family was hosting a banquet, and Yang Zhengshan rode his horse around the village before returning home to prepare for the event.
The Wang and Li clans had prepared food and drinks yesterday, and Yang Mingcheng and Yang Mingzhi were setting up two large cooking pots in the courtyard. Yang Minghao, Yang Yunxue, and others were washing vegetables by the well.
Around nine o’clock, the head chef from the county’s largest restaurant arrived with four apprentices.
Before long, the aroma of cooking food wafted from the Yang Family courtyard.
Neighboring villagers also came to help, setting up tables and benches from the Yang Family gate to the large tree in the center of the village.
Yang Zhengshan, Yang Zhengxiang, and several clan elders stood at the village entrance, waiting for the guests to arrive.
This time, Yang Zhengshan not only invited the entire Yang Family Village but also a large number of prominent local landowners, scholars, warriors, and others from Anning County. Everyone who had any connection to the Yang clan, regardless of their social status, had received invitations at Yang Zhengxiang’s suggestion.
Around nine o’clock, Wang Lao from Wang Family Village arrived with several sons, which was a family relation.
Although this was a close family tie, Wang Lao felt a bit embarrassed, and after apologizing profusely, Yang Zhengshan welcomed him warmly.
Next, the Li clan arrived, followed by the Jiang clan, but Yang Yunyan didn’t come, as she was nearing her due date and shouldn’t venture out too much.
Then, the Lu clan arrived, with Lu Songhe bringing his entire family.
Yang Zhengshan had to extend a warm welcome to his uncle and aunt.
“Seeing your family like this, I can finally put my heart at ease!” Lu Songhe said, looking around at the lively scene.
Although he felt some regret that his daughter hadn’t enjoyed this good fortune, he still felt comforted.
Looking at the group of children, his mood improved even more.
“Father, you rest for a while, and I’ll come to visit you later!”
“Older brother, come and greet your grandfather and uncle!”
With many guests arriving, Yang Zhengshan couldn’t stay with Lu Songhe, so he called Yang Mingcheng over to accompany him.
“You go and take care of things, don’t worry about us!” Lu Songhe said, understanding Yang Zhengshan’s busyness.
Yang Zhengshan exchanged greetings with Lu Zhaoran and several nephews, then rushed back to the village entrance.
By then, a large number of guests had arrived, and Yang Zhengxiang and the clan elders were busy escorting them to their seats.
There were guests from the neighboring village, local landowners, scholars, warriors, and others who had received invitations.
“Congratulations, congratulations!” many of them said to Yang Zhengshan.
To be honest, Yang Zhengshan didn’t recognize these people, but as the host, he had to greet them warmly.
After a round of greetings, he actually recognized a few warriors and scholars.
However, within an hour, the twenty tables he had prepared were already filled with guests.
Fortunately, the weather was fine today, with the sun shining brightly, and although the temperature was a bit low, the many guests didn’t feel cold.
Around noon, Yang Zhengshan welcomed a few unexpected guests.
Several horse carriages slowly approached along the dirt road.
“Old third uncle, haha!”
The first to alight from the carriage was Lu Zhou. Yang Zhengshan wasn’t surprised to see him, but the people behind him were unexpected guests.
Yang Zhengshan went forward to hug Lu Zhou, saying, “Lu Da Ge!”
However, his gaze fell on the older and younger men behind Lu Zhou.
The older man wore a silk robe, his silver hair neatly combed, and a gentle smile on his face.
The young man had rosy lips and white teeth, with a slight hint of bookish weakness, but his eyes seemed to hold a hint of arrogance.
Lu Zhou noticed Yang Zhengshan’s gaze and hastily introduced them: “This is our Lu Family’s Second Master, and this is our Lu Family’s Seventh Young Master!”
Yang Zhengshan was taken aback, quickly stepping forward to bow: “I, Yang Zhengshan, greet Second Master Lu and Seventh Young Master Lu!”
The Lu clan was the most prominent gentry family in Anning County.
Although they didn’t amount to much in the entire Da Rong Empire, in Anning County, they were like local royalty.
To be honest, the county magistrate himself had to be humble before the Lu clan.
For the Yang clan to be recognized by the Lu clan was an honor.
This wasn’t just self-deprecation; it was a fact.
No matter how many warriors the Yang clan had, they were nothing before the Lu clan.
Yang Zhengshan glanced at the guards beside the carriage and knew that these seven or eight guards were all warriors.
In front of the Lu clan, warriors could only serve as guards.
This was the gap.
“Ha ha, Lu Zhou is my nephew, so I’ll take the liberty of calling you Yang Zhengshan, won’t you mind?” Second Master Lu said with a hearty laugh.
“How could I not be honored?” Yang Zhengshan replied with a smile.
An old man in his sixties or seventies addressing him by name wasn’t unusual, was it?
If possible, Yang Zhengshan wouldn’t mind being called a grandson; he loved being a grandson.
Of course, that was just being a grandson, not being treated as one.
Being a grandson showed youth, while being treated as one showed inferiority; there was a difference between the two.
“Ha ha, good! Qi Er!” Second Master Lu called out to Seventh Young Master Lu.
Lu Qi stepped forward and bowed: “Lu Qi greets Uncle Yang!”
Yang Zhengshan was taken aback again, “Seventh Young Master is too kind, I don’t dare to accept!”
“Ha ha, why not? He’s calling you uncle, which is his honor!” Second Master Lu said.
Yang Zhengshan was confused again.
To be honest, the Lu clan’s visit was already an honor.
But Second Master Lu’s behavior seemed to be overly elevating the Yang clan.
The original Yang clan had only interacted with the Lu clan through Lu Zhou, and the Yang clan wasn’t even worthy of being their attendants.
Now, Second Master Lu’s behavior was suggesting a close relationship between the two families, which made the gap between them seem much narrower.
Yang Zhengshan looked at Lu Qi, then at Second Master Lu, with a warm smile on his face.
“Then I’ll take the liberty, Seventh Young Master!”
He stretched out his hand to support Lu Qi’s arm.
Although he didn’t understand the Lu clan’s intentions, if they wanted to be close to the Yang clan, Yang Zhengshan wouldn’t reject them.
“Uncle Yang can call me Qi Lang,” Lu Qi said politely.
Yang Zhengshan nodded with a smile.
The Lu clan was indeed a prominent family; their etiquette and mentality were far beyond what a small family like the Yang clan could compare to.
This Lu Qi had a hint of arrogance in his eyes, but his behavior was neither haughty nor arrogant, instead showing refinement and elegance.
As they chatted, two more horse carriages arrived, followed by government officials.
Yang Zhengshan turned to look, seeing that the officials were from the county government.
Second Master Lu also turned around, laughing: “Governor Luo has arrived!”
(End of chapter)
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