Chapter 46: Chapter 45: Talking About Kinship Chapter 46: Chapter 45: Talking About Kinship “Zhen’er, Zhen’er, serve tea to the guests!”
Mr. Liang San had just ushered Yang Zhenshan into the back hall and called for someone to serve tea.
“Coming!” A crisp voice came from the backyard.
Yang Zhenshan was only seated for a moment when a young girl dressed in a green cloth skirt came in, carrying tea.
“Please have some tea, dear guest!” The girl said with a gentle smile.
Yang Zhenshan sized her up.
The young miss was quite attractive, with clear and delicate features, and her dark eyes appeared quite spirited. Her rounded cheeks had a hint of baby fat.
Not flamboyant or vulgar, neither arrogant nor impetuous, she actually seemed quite adorable.
“Is this your daughter?” Yang Zhenshan saw Mr. Liang San coming in with two bolts of cloth, and it seemed like he asked in passing.
“Hehe, yes, she’s my eldest daughter,” Mr. Liang San replied casually.
“She’s a diligent and good girl!” Yang Zhenshan added.
He noticed when the young miss was serving tea that her fingers were not those of someone whose hands had never touched spring water – soft and untarnished, but rather had some small calluses.
For a young lady like her, she naturally wouldn’t work in the fields, so the calluses on her hands must have come from doing needlework.
As soon as these words came out, Mr. Liang San, who had been indifferent, suddenly changed his expression, his gaze towards Yang Zhenshan becoming more guarded.
Meanwhile, the young miss quietly left the back hall.
Commenting rashly on someone else’s daughter is a very taboo matter.
Especially for an unwed maiden, it is already not easy for her to appear in public, let alone being appraised face-to-face by a strange man.
However, Mr. Liang San did not immediately erupt but instead said indifferently, “Dear guest, please wait a moment.”
Yang Zhenshan also stopped talking and simply continued to quietly drink his tea.
The tea was average, which indicated that the life of Mr. Liang San’s family was not very affluent.
His daughter coming out to serve guests also proved this; otherwise, hiring a helper would suffice, and there would be no need to let his own daughter appear in public like this.
He was a bit rude just now, but Mr. Liang San endured it, which suggested that he really needed this business.
And Mr. Liang San’s wariness in his eyes indicated that he valued his daughter greatly, and it was only because of the pressures of life that he had to tolerate Yang Zhenshan’s rudeness.
Caring for his own daughter also showed that Mr. Liang San was not a shallow man.
There are too many families here that favor sons over daughters, with many treating their daughters as commodities, sold at will.
There are also many merchants who use their daughters as chips to climb the social ladder and curry favor with the powerful.
From just that brief exchange, Yang Zhenshan felt that Mr. Liang San and Liang Zhen probably did not have a poor character.
How good they were could not be determined, but they probably weren’t those without a bottom line.
“I hear the shopkeeper comes from the provincial city?”
Mr. Liang San walked in again with two bolts of cloth, and Yang Zhenshan started the conversation offhandedly.
“Mm!” Mr. Liang San responded with a low, muffled voice.
“You don’t seem like a merchant, more like a learned man!” said Yang Zhenshan again.
Mr. Liang San raised his head, “Are you not here to buy cloth?”
Yang Zhenshan said with a warm smile, “I am indeed here to buy cloth.”
“I come from the Liang family of the provincial city, and just got separated from the family last year!” Mr. Liang San stopped moving the cloth and sat in front of Yang Zhenshan, his eyes clearly showing even more caution.
“Separated? You only got this one shop after the division?” Yang Zhenshan, unfazed by the caution in his eyes, still spoke with a smiling face.
“That’s correct!” Mr. Liang San said.
Yang Zhenshan nodded; this was in line with his guess.
“Do you have other children?”
“Yes, I have one more son, he’s six years old this year!”
“So why did you only get one shop?”
“I am a concubine-born son!” Mr. Liang San replied to every question. He was suspicious of Yang Zhenshan’s intentions but did not take any action.
After leaving the Liang family, he was merely a small cloth shop’s shopkeeper.
In fact, during his time in the Liang family, he was also someone insignificant; otherwise, in the grand division of the Liang family, he would not have ended up with just a small county town shop.
He didn’t feel there was anything about him worth anybody’s concern.
Of course, if someone did take notice, he seemed to have no power to resist.
The Liang family wouldn’t help him, a son relegated to the sidelines, nor did he have any solid foundation in Ning County.
“Have you had no contact with the Liang family since the separation?” Yang Zhenshan asked.
“None!” Third Master Liang gazed steadily at him.
Yang Zhenshan nodded again, acknowledging the understanding in the other man.
Though he was driven out of his home, he showed no signs of decadence or resentment.
Indeed, the lives of illegitimate sons and daughters within many large families were quite difficult.
Perhaps for Third Master Liang, being separated from the family was actually a blessing, allowing him to live his days in peace.
“I am Yang Zhenshan, residing in Yang Family Village, Qinghe Town,” said Yang Zhenshan as he introduced himself.
Third Master Liang was taken aback, “You’re not here to cause trouble?”
Yang Zhenshan grinned, “I’m here to buy cloth!”
“Ah, right, I’ll prepare the cloth for the customer!” Third Master Liang, still somewhat in shock, awkwardly got up to continue moving the cloth.
Seeing him like this, Yang Zhenshan suddenly felt a touch of concern.
Such an in-law seemed too honest; what if he were to be deceived by others in the future?
When Third Master Liang had brought out the cloth, Yang Zhenshan found a bull cart to take it to the inn, then mounted Red Cloud to return home.
Back at home, Yang Zhenshan had Ms. Wang distribute the cotton cloth that he had bought.
The selections for those accompanying him to Chongshan Pass had been finalized, all exemplary young men from Yang Family Village.
Apart from Yang Mingzhi and Yang Mingwu, there were a total of ten people, each with three sets of clothes to change into, with cloth provided by Yang Zhenshan, but the tailoring would have to be done by their own families.
Calculating the time, there were still more than ten days before he headed to Chongshan Pass.
Yang Zhenshan decided to finalize Yang Minghao’s marriage before going to Chongshan Pass.
Since he found the Liang family to be a good match, there was no need for hesitation.
The next day, Yang Zhenshan summoned the matchmaker Ms. Wang to start discussing the marriage arrangements.
…
“Who did you say?”
In the back yard of the Liang’s cloth shop, Third Master Liang looked at his wife Ms. Lin, eyes wide and incredulous.
Just now, the matchmaker Ms. Wang had come seeking a marriage for their daughter.
The matter of matchmaking was not surprising to them. Liang Zhen was of marriageable age, and there had been a few suitors in recent months, all of whom they had turned away.
Being new to Ning County, they weren’t familiar with the local families, and neither Third Master Liang nor Ms. Lin wanted to rashly marry off their daughter, preferring to wait until they knew the county better before securing a good marriage for her.
Initially, Ms. Lin hadn’t paid much attention to the matchmaker Ms. Wang, intending to handle the matter perfunctorily and send her away.
But Ms. Wang praised the Yang family greatly, making her believe that the Yang family was indeed an ideal match.
“Have you heard of the Yang family’s third son from Qinghe Town?” Ms. Lin asked, seeing Third Master Liang so astonished.
Third Master Liang furrowed his brow and pondered.
Previously, he didn’t know of the Yang family, but just yesterday Yang Zhenshan had come to buy cloth and mentioned he was from Qinghe Town’s Yang family.
He paced back and forth in the hall.
Yesterday, he felt that Yang Zhenshan was unusual, and now, reflecting on it, he realized Yang Zhenshan had set his sights on his daughter.
If Yang Zhenshan knew what he was thinking, he would surely retort: It’s not I who have my eyes on your daughter, but my son who fancies her, do not falsely accuse me.
“The matchmaker said that the Yang family from Qinghe Town passes on martial traditions, with several martial artists in the family, among them the family head Yang Zhenshan is a formidable martial artist, who has slain bandits and northern barbarians!”
“Some time ago, the Yang family held a banquet, and the County Magistrate Mr. Luo personally attended, as did Second Young Master Lu from Ning County’s Lu family!”
“Although the Yang family resides in a rural area and isn’t extremely wealthy, they have been rising to prominence lately.”
“Moreover, Yang Zhenshan has obtained an official position, the Trial Hundred Households garrison commander of Chongshan Pass!”
“My lord, though we originate from the Jing’an Liang family, we both know we cannot rely on the Liang family now.”
“For us at present, a family like the Yangs would be a fine choice indeed.”
Ms. Lin tried to persuade her husband earnestly.
She truly believed that the Yang family was an excellent choice.