"Hehe..." the third great-uncle laughed. "That doesn’t sound bad, let’s settle on that." Although it didn’t really matter whether a girl had a name or not, the previous practice of the Yang Family had indeed been improper. The second branch had a girl named Yang Ruyu, and the fourth branch, although called Daya and Erya, also had given names— one named Yang Rujue and the other Yang Rulan. Only the eldest branch’s girls were called Dani and Erni, with no formal names up till now.
Yang Ruxin smiled. At last, these girls had their own names.
"Alright, you all should pack up now," the third great-uncle said, seeing his objective achieved. He then waved to his fourth uncle. "Let’s go, off to your house to play chess..."
The two old men left without even glancing at Yang Peili.
Everyone thought the matter had settled down, but suddenly a little boy burst out from the house, spitting at the gateway: "The little bitches have gone, the old bastard’s gone too..." It was Yang Ruohuai.
All the departing guests were taken aback for a moment.
The third great-uncle and the fourth uncle’s expressions immediately darkened.
Yang Peili hadn’t expected his grandson to suddenly speak like that and, in fright, slapped him across the face. "Who taught you that?"
Yang Ruohuai burst into tears straight away.
Feng Caie was so startled that she hurried out and knelt on the ground: "Father, he’s just a child..."
"How old is Ruhuai? Why would you hit him?" Yang Anshi also rushed over.
"It’s all because you spoil him," Yang Peili bellowed. "Look at what you’ve turned him into?"
Yang Anshi glanced at the few old men still standing at the entrance of the courtyard, opened her mouth but finally didn’t continue with any unwise words).
"Get back inside," Yang Peili roared again.
Feng Caie quickly picked up her son and went back into the house.
Yang Peili approached the elders intending to explain, but when they saw him coming, they turned around and left.
Yang Ruxin’s heart, however, was overjoyed. Yang Ruohuai was truly a stroke of genius; he had straightened the crooked ways of the Yang Family from top to bottom. It was fortunate that the grandsons of the Yang Family were still young; otherwise, finding marriage partners would have been difficult. There was a marriageable Yang Baihe, but she wouldn’t look twice at a bumpkin—she aimed to marry into a wealthy family, so she could be dismissed.
The village head, Yang Mancang, glanced at Yang Peili and let out a small sigh, unsure of what to say and merely shook his head.
Lizheng Li Cheng, who was usually quiet, often stayed out of matters if the local village chief or clan elders could handle them. Now, seeing the situation, he naturally had nothing to say, but thought to himself that he had to instruct his family to stay clear of these Yangs when he got home.
"Dani ah, harmony in the family is most precious," Yang Mancang said as he came up to Yang Ruxin. "Even ten fingers are not of the same length, right?" Although he knew she now had a formal name, they had gotten used to calling her Dani and it was hard to change that.
"Village Chief sir, I understand," Yang Ruxin smiled back, finding it awkward to call him Second Uncle, so she changed it to Village Chief sir. "Even though we have divided the household, I will not shirk the responsibilities that our branch should bear. But if anyone still pokes their nose into our branch’s business, I will not agree to it."
"Good child." Before Yang Mancang could say anything, Li Cheng, following behind him, started to laugh. "It’s proper to have integrity and be no fool. With your words, I believe your branch will hold up... But, respecting elders is a heavenly duty, so..."