Originally, Yang Ming’s fifth uncle lived in Xiawa Village. She wondered why she had never seen him. His eldest uncle’s family, third uncle’s family, and fourth uncle’s family, as well as their own family, were all in Yang Family Village. So, why had his fifth uncle moved to another village?
"Honey, since it’s our first visit, we should bring some gifts, right? Wait a moment," she said.
Xiaoxiao immediately went back inside. It was her first visit, and it seemed inappropriate to show up empty-handed, so she found a piece of cloth, grabbed the snacks she had prepared a few days earlier for their wedding chamber, and took two pounds of brown sugar as well.
Upon leaving the house, she said to her husband, "Honey, these gifts seem a little scant, but we’ve run out of meat at home."
"No worries, we’re heading to the village chief’s house. They’ve already started receiving game delivered to the village chief’s place. We’ll buy some there."
Talking this over, they left the house. Coincidentally, there was a live pheasant available, which Xiaoxiao and her husband bought immediately before heading straight to Xiawa Village.
On the way to Xiawa Village, they passed the plot of land they had bought, so after updating her father about the situation, they hurried to the fifth uncle’s house.
During the journey, Xiaoxiao asked about the fifth uncle’s family.
"Honey, why doesn’t the fifth uncle live in Yang Family Village?"
Speaking of which, Yang Ming felt somewhat embarrassed, but since his wife had asked, he had to explain, "Actually, after the family split, the fifth uncle went to his wife’s family and became their son-in-law through a practice called ’taking in’."
"Why did he only become a son-in-law after the family split?" Xiaoxiao was quite curious. Based on Yang Ming’s demeanor, it seemed as if ’taking in’ was somewhat frowned upon.
"The fifth aunt originally married into the Yang family as usual, but later on, her brother passed away due to illness, leaving their family with no male heir. Since the Yang family was dividing its property at that time, life was quite hard for the fifth uncle and aunt outside, so he became a son-in-law instead."
So that was the case. She had heard of this practice before. A family without a son was called ’a family without a lineage’, but she didn’t find the idea of being ’taken in’ repulsive at all. Gender equality mattered, and it was perfectly okay to live with whoever, as there were many instances in modern times where children took their mother’s last name.
It didn’t take long before they reached Xiawa Village, which looked similar to Yang Family Village, mostly consisting of earthen houses. She thought it made sense since, judging by the name "Xiawa Village," one could tell the village was situated in a low-lying area, and the plots of land the villagers owned might not be much better than the one she bought.
The village was probably very poor, and she guessed that the fifth uncle’s family wasn’t very affluent either. After winding through the village, they finally reached the fifth uncle’s house, and Xiaoxiao was immediately shocked.
The fifth uncle’s house was actually made of brick and tile, and it seemed his father-in-law was quite wealthy. This was completely unexpected for Xiaoxiao.
Even more surprising were the numerous farming tools laid out in the courtyard, which made Xiaoxiao wonder if their family sold farming equipment.
Seeing the surprised expression on his wife’s face, Yang Ming said, "I forgot to mention, the fifth uncle’s family sells farming tools."
"..." Indeed, she had guessed right.
Before they even reached the house, a man who appeared to be under thirty years came out.
Xiaoxiao thought to herself, could this be the fifth uncle? Such a young fifth uncle.
While she was thinking this, she heard Yang Ming calling out, "Fifth Uncle."
"..." Xiaoxiao felt like she had received quite a shock today. This fifth uncle was young and handsome, seemingly younger than her modern-day peers.
Yang Wuzhu was quite surprised to see Yang Ming arrive and immediately welcomed them inside, "Yang Ming is here! Is this your wife? Come in quickly."
Xiaoxiao quickly greeted him, "Hello, Fifth Uncle."