Actually, my great-uncle and my granduncle are of the same generation, but to differentiate between closeness, they are addressed differently.
But they are both respected elderly men with great virtue and high esteem.
Following behind, the strong and dark-skinned one is Yang Mancang, the village head of Dapu East Village, and since the majority in Dapu East Village have the Yang surname, he is also the Clan Leader of the Yang Family.
The other slightly taller and thinner one is Li Cheng from Xiaobudong Village, who is also the Lizheng for several surrounding villages.
"Dongzi, come out and tell us what exactly happened," the great-uncle demanded authoritatively, immediately calling out Yang Peili’s nickname.
A few people in the courtyard couldn’t help but shrink back.
"Great-uncle," Yang Peili heard and hurried out from the house, walking while still pulling on his shoes, "Granduncle, please come inside and have a seat."
Although Yang Mancang was the village head, in terms of family hierarchy, he was still from the younger generation of Yang Peili’s nephews, so he first called out respectfully as "Old Uncle," while Li Cheng also greeted him with a "Yang Second Uncle."
Yang Peili also nodded and agreed quickly. Although he was an elder, the other was an influential and official person.
In the eyes of the villagers, the village head and the Lizheng were considered high-ranking officials.
Yang Ruxin’s lips curled slightly, and her heart fluttered with excitement—the long-awaited moment had finally arrived.
Yang Rulin suddenly turned his head and caught a glimpse of the slight curve of Yang Ruxin’s lips, and a flicker of interest passed through his eyes.
Yang Ruxin frowned momentarily, then quickly lowered her eyes; she had been too careless just now, revealing her emotions. She definitely had to be more careful in the future; she just hoped that the boy Yang Rulin wouldn’t mess things up later on, although he was... quite interesting indeed.
"Big sister..." Sanni came over with reddened eyes and tugged at Yang Ruxin’s hand. Although they suffered hunger and beatings in the Yang Family, the thought of leaving, especially while their mother was still unconscious, was frightening to her—as, after all, she was just an eight-year-old child at heart.
"After the division of the household, we can be in charge of our own lives," Yang Ruxin reassured the little girl in a soft, whispered conversation, "Otherwise, if this continues, we’ll all end up dead... "
Sanni blinked.
"So, when you come in with me later, just start crying when granddad and grandma mention dividing the household," Yang Ruxin patted Sanni’s little face, "Remember, big sister is here for everything..."
Sanni seemed a bit stunned, but still nodded vigorously, her fear slowly dissipating. That’s right, with big sister here, there’s nothing to be afraid of.
Inside the house, although Yang Peili was reluctant to speak, he couldn’t evade the issue since everyone had come. So, he explained the situation from start to finish, eventually letting out a sigh, "There’s just no other way. We can’t let an outsider drag down the entire family, can we?"
"How could it be that serious?" the granduncle frowned.
"Why don’t you say that it was my second uncle who did the beating?" Yang Ruxin timely asked a question and then glanced at the granduncle, "Granduncle, actually, it’s common for our main branch to suffer beatings, though it just hasn’t resulted in death..."
The air in the room instantly went still.
Yang Peili’s face turned exceptionally ugly, and he glared fiercely at Yang Ruxin. This girl, was she trying to disgrace the entire Yang Family?
Yang Ruxin, however, didn’t mind. Since faces were already torn, why bother trying to please anyone?
Yang Baichuan quickly ducked his head, but seeing everyone staring at him, he stiffened his neck in defensiveness, "That’s because your mother has angered your grandmother, isn’t it? Such a disrespectful person deserves to be beaten to death..."