Chapter 21 Spring Festival, Naming

The New Year is approaching, and the cold winter cannot stop the enthusiasm of the villagers in Yangjia Village. Many villagers will go to the market town or county town to purchase New Year's goods, or visit relatives and friends to give New Year gifts.

Yang Zhengshan was no exception. This time he went to the county town not only to take Yang Mingcheng and others to study, but also to purchase New Year's goods.

There was a whole ox cart full of New Year's goods, including cloth, furs, tea, meat, etc. These New Year's goods cost Yang Zhengshan more than twenty taels of silver.

After returning home, Yang Zhengshan immediately put away the New Year's goods.

Some are for home use, while others are given as New Year gifts to relatives and friends.

The next day, the Yang family began to send New Year gifts. The eldest son, Yang Mingcheng, accompanied Wang back to her parents' home, the second son, Yang Mingzhi, accompanied Li back to her parents' home, and Yang Zhengshan took Yang Minghao to visit relatives in the village. He would give a New Year gift to those who were older than him and of higher generation than him.

Following the principle that the more gifts you give, the less blame you get, Yang Zhengshan is never stingy when it comes to giving gifts. Of course, he will not pretend to be rich and do only as much as he can afford.

Giving each household some pork and cotton cloth was both practical and did not seem too cheap. In fact, the gifts Yang Zhengshan gave in Yangjia Village only cost three taels of silver, and the majority of it went to the clan leader Yang Zhengxiang.

Of course, Yang Zhengshan’s New Year gifts cannot be without his father-in-law Lu Songhe.

Now that the original body's wife is gone, the task of visiting Lu Songhe falls on Yang Zhengshan.

Yang Zhengshan personally took Yang Mingcheng, Yang Minghao and Yang Yunxue to the Lu family in Qinghe Town.

Perhaps it was because of the changes in Yang Zhengshan during this period, perhaps it was because his father-in-law had untied his knot, or perhaps it was both, the Lu family's attitude towards Yang Zhengshan became more and more enthusiastic.

It happened that Lu Zhaoqi was also at home. Yang Zhengshan drank a lot of wine with the two brothers Lu Zhaoqi and Lu Zhaoran. When they went home, they all lay on the ox cart.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye it is New Year's Eve.

This is Yang Zhengshan’s first Spring Festival since he came to this world, so the meaning is naturally different.

Actually, he didn't like celebrating festivals in his original world, because ever since his grandparents passed away, he had been celebrating the Spring Festival alone.

Although his parents always invited him to their home to celebrate the holidays, he found himself like a superfluous person after going there. He could not fit in no matter whose home it was.

Therefore, after graduating from university, he began to spend the Spring Festival alone, sitting alone in front of the window, watching the fireworks blooming in the night sky, looking at the children playing downstairs, recalling the beauty of his childhood, and feeling the loneliness brought by the Spring Festival.

But now, as he looked at the whole family having fun, the loneliness in his heart suddenly disappeared.

"Dad, it's time to invite the family!" Yang Mingcheng came to Yang Zhengshan and said.

"Please come in, family!" Yang Zhengshan was stunned for a moment, then he reacted.

According to the customs of Yangjia Village, on New Year’s Eve, the family hall should be set up with a variety of wine and food, incense and paper should be burned, and ancestors should be invited to return home to celebrate the New Year.

Yangjia Village is mainly populated by the Yang clan, so every year most of the village joins in the family hall ceremony.

"Is everything ready?" Yang Zhengshan looked back at the incense, candles, wine and food set out by Wang and Li.

"Well, everything is ready. There are already many people waiting behind the village!" Yang Mingcheng said.

Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly, strode out of the main room and walked towards the back of the village.

"Uncle Zhengshan!"

"Grandpa Zhengshan!"

As soon as he arrived in the village, many villagers greeted him.

Yang Zhengxiang had also arrived. Seeing Yang Zhengshan coming, he hurried forward and pulled him up the mountain.

The Yangjia Village invited the family to go to the cemetery on the back mountain, where the ancestors of the Yang family were buried.

Looking back on the past, although his original self also went to the Qingjiatang every year, he always followed behind the villagers, but now Yang Zhengxiang took him to walk in the front.

This is also a reflection of his changing status in the Yang family.

There was no need to say much about burning incense and paper. Yang Zhengshan kowtowed countless times before the ceremony of inviting the family hall to an end.

By the time he got home, his knees were covered with a thick layer of mud.

For the New Year's Eve dinner, Wang and Li prepared a large table of food. This time it was a really large table, not just a pot of pork and boiled cabbage.

There are chicken, fish, eggs and meat, and the portions are large enough to fill you up.

The whole family enjoyed the meal.

Wang's eyes were filled with tears as she ate, and she passed food to the child while she ate.

Mrs. Li was the same, she only picked fresh and tender fish meat for her children to eat.

"Daya, this is delicious!"

Yang Yunxue will never forget to take care of Wang Daya. Perhaps she now regards Wang Daya as her own sister.

Wang Daya is no longer as timid as before. Although she is still a little soft-tempered, she is much more lively than before. Yang Zhengshan sipped his wine and looked at the whole family with a smile. The loneliness was still there, but with so many people accompanying him, the loneliness was suppressed in his heart.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Yang Zhengshan got up early and took out the red envelopes he had prepared long ago.

After breakfast, Yang Zhengshan sat in the main room, watching the families coming to pay New Year's greetings.

Starting with Yang Mingcheng, Wang held Yang Qingwan in one hand and held Yang Chengye's hand with the other.

"Happy New Year to Dad. I wish him good health and all the best!"

"Okay, okay!" Yang Zhengshan took out red envelopes with a smile on his face and gave one to each person.

There was not much money in the red envelope, only one penny of silver.

But Yang Zhengshan specially prepared a silver lock for his eldest granddaughter and put it on the little girl. The little girl grabbed the silver lock, her cute big eyes were full of curiosity, and she opened her mouth and bit it.

"Thank you, Dad!" Wang smiled with her eyes curved, and all kinds of auspicious words came out of her mouth, "I wish Dad good luck, longevity, health, and peace every year..."

After a month of study, Wang had learned a lot. Although she hadn't recognized all the characters yet, she could say auspicious words fluently. It was unknown whether Yang Mingcheng had taught her this secretly.

Next is the second son Yang Mingzhi’s family. Compared to Wang, Li’s temperament is gentler. She never fights or competes, and is easily overlooked.

However, Yang Zhengshan knew that his second daughter-in-law was much smarter than his eldest daughter-in-law.

Not fighting or competing does not mean you will suffer losses. The original owner has always been fair and just in managing the family, and the second wife will not lack anything that the first wife has.

The same thing happened after Yang Zhengshan arrived.

Since the head of the family can be fair, why should Li, as a daughter-in-law, fight for it?

This is where Li’s cleverness lies. She sees things clearly and thinks things clearly.

Next came Yang Minghao, Yang Yunxue, Lin Zhan, and finally it was Wang Daya's turn.

Wang Daya hugged her younger brother, knelt on the ground and kowtowed hard, and the bang scared Yang Zhengshan.

"What are you doing, girl?" Yang Zhengshan quickly reached out to help her.

Just kowtow to wish a happy new year, why do you have to do it so hard? If you make a hole in the ground, you will have to fill it up.

When Yang Zhengshan helped her up, he found that her eyes were full of tears.

"Thank you, Master!"

Yang Zhengshan knew that she was feeling sad, and he also understood her gratitude.

"Okay, okay, it's New Year's Day, you can't cry!"

As he said this, he placed the red envelope and a silver lock in Daya's arms and in the swaddling clothes.

Although Wang Daya's younger brother had nothing to do with him, he still treated him equally. Everything his granddaughter had, the little kid also had.

"I'm happy today. Master will give you a name!" Yang Zhengshan suddenly thought of Wang Daya's name.

Wang Daya is different from Lin Zhan. Lin Zhan used to have a father who was a scholar, so he had his own name, but Wang Daya was born into an ordinary peasant family, and her family background was not as good as the former Yang family. Just because she was the eldest daughter, she had always been called Daya Daya.

Wang Daya raised her head and said expectantly, "Master, can you help me come up with a name?"

This girl values ​​her brother more than herself.

"Both!" Yang Zhengshan said with a smile.

He thought for a moment and said, "From now on, you will be called Wang Yunqiao, and this little guy will be called Wang Mingzhe."

Daya was his disciple and should be of the same generation as Yang Yunxue, so he simply gave Daya the name “Yun”. As for the name “Qiao”, it was because Daya had very dexterous hands and was very good at needlework.

The name Mingzhe was given after the three brothers Yang Mingcheng.

"Thank you, Master!"

Wang Daya, no, now it was Wang Yunqiao. She cried with joy and kowtowed to Yang Zhengshan heavily.

"Alright, alright, no need to knock your forehead anymore. It's all red!"

"Yunxue, help her up!"

Yang Zhengshan felt helpless.

He could not stand this habit of kowtowing all the time.

(End of this chapter)