"Dad, Brother An has returned."
"Where is he?" Yang Dachuan asked. He was a man who might not express longing in words, but his concern did not diminish.
"He went to wash up." Thinking about Brother An’s success, she quickly hugged her father’s arm, "Dad, I have good news, Brother An has passed the examination for Cultivated Talent. He waited for his results and that’s why he returned so late. I heard that the official who delivers the good news should be reaching our village in a day or two."
"Really?" Yang Dachuan widened his eyes, and then burst into hearty laughter, "Great, that’s absolutely wonderful. I knew that this young man had promise. Now I can rest easy."
"Look at how delighted you are." Ms. Wang grinned at him.
Yang Dachuan glared at her, "You’re not happy?"
Ms. Wang responded irritatedly, "Nonsense, how could I possibly not be delighted. Our daughter will certainly enjoy good fortune with this young man’s success."
"Hehe, exactly, exactly." Yang Dachuan played along, patting Yang Chuxia’s head, "My daughter is already a fine young lady, blessed indeed. I’m really happy today. Tonight, we definitely need to have a few extra drinks with your uncle and his family."
While they were chatting, Brother An came out from the bathing room, promptly greeting Yang Dachuan, calling out "Uncle."
"Very good, very good, you didn’t disappoint your Uncle!" Yang Dachuan patted his shoulder several times, laughing heartily.
Seeing the extent of Yang Dachuan’s laughter, she realized how incredibly happy her father must be.
"Brother An, once the news bearer arrives, your Uncle will put together a feast to celebrate. We’ll invite everyone from the village to share the joy and let them see that you’re not the same old Brother An."
Yang Dachuan and Ye Zi’an both had physical disabilities and had been looked down upon numerous times — something he was well aware of.
Now that Brother An proved his worth, Yang Dachuan, being the compassionate father he was, wanted to let everyone who once looked down on Brother An see his success. This was an aspect that distinguished him from Ms. Wang.
Upon hearing this, Yang Dachuan paused, blinked, looked at Ms. Wang, looked at his daughter, then turned to Brother An, "What did you just call me?"
Ye Zi’an smiled faintly, repeating, "Dad!"
After calling out, he seemed a bit embarrassed and lowered his head, before saying, "I, had to call you that eventually, and after all, you and aunt have treated me just like your own son. It’s right for me to call you that. Besides, I want to call you that."
Upon hearing this, Yang Dachuan was overjoyed; even more than when he heard Brother An had passed the examination for Cultivated Talent.
But Ms. Wang was a bit displeased, "You impertinent boy, you call him dad, why are you still calling me aunt?"
Ye Zi’an was taken aback, then quickly proceeded to kneel in front of Ms. Wang and bowed, "Mother."
Now, Ms. Wang was also overjoyed.
"Very good, very good, today I gained another son." Upon seeing that Ms. Wang was so moved that she started crying, she wiped her tears and said to Yang Chuxia, "Go tell your uncle that we won’t be going there tonight, we will have dinner at home. Your mother will cook, let’s celebrate as a family."
Yang Chuxia nodded in surprise.
To tell the truth, she never expected Ye Zi’an to do this. It was quite a surprise, but it also made her very happy.
When Old Yang returned after his stroll and heard their conversation, seeing his son and daughter-in-law so happy, he thought to himself, "What a lack of self-esteem, just because someone started calling them mom and dad, they’re over the moon with joy. This rascal has been calling me grandpa all along."