Chapter 16: Fourth Uncle's Version of Events

After Old Man Yang finished speaking, Yang Ruoqing clearly felt Lady Sun's fingers twitch. The heart that had just fallen silent seemed to be gripped tightly once again.

She knew that Lady Sun was still clinging to a final shred of hope, pinning it on the fourth son, Yang Huaming—who had once received kindness from Yang Huazhong—hoping that at this moment, he might step forward to say a word in support of the third branch!

Yang Ruoqing also held her breath, quietly looking up toward the fourth uncle, Yang Huaming, who had remained largely unnoticed at the table.

The fourth son, Yang Huaming, had his head bowed, picking pieces of reed fluff and chicken feathers stuck to his body one by one and flicking them onto the floor.

Suddenly hearing Old Man Yang call his name, Yang Huaming secretly curled the corners of his mouth, straightened his posture, and lifted his head.

A face more striking than any of the other men in the Yang family was revealed under the lamplight.

Yang Ruoqing was secretly astonished. The men of the Yang family typically inherited the burly, fierce build of farmers—dark and sturdy—but this fourth uncle, Yang Huaming, was born with fair skin and bright features. If it weren't for the coarse, patched cloth clothing dragging down his temperament, he would truly be a standard, handsome scholar!

He raised his hand to brush away the last chicken feather from his shoulder, then spoke with a forced smile: "Father, those trivial, old matters... even Third Brother hasn't brought them up himself. Why do you keep digging them up? Is there any point?"

"A person must not forget their roots. I'm afraid you'll learn the wrong things instead of the right ones!" Old Man Yang said with a stern face, casting a displeased glare at the second son, Yang Hualin, sitting at the table.

Yang Hualin kept his eyes fixed on his nose and his heart on his mind, pretending not to hear.

Old Man Yang snorted through his nostrils and turned his gaze back to the fourth son, Yang Huaming: "The first and second branches have both spoken; it's time for your fourth branch to state your position! Say what you want to say, don't hold back!"

Yang Huaming scratched his head, looking as miserable as a bitter melon: "Father, regarding Third Brother's matter... you'd better not ask me. I truly feel for my Third Brother from the bottom of my heart, but as for whether to treat his legs or not, I really don't know what to say."

Old Man Yang's eyes widened, and he tapped his tobacco pipe forcefully against the corner of the table: "Say what you need to say! Be quick about it!"

Yang Huaming let out a depressed sigh, turned to glance at his pot-bellied wife standing by the bed, and said, "That woman, Lady Liu, has an unreliable womb. She gave birth to two girls in a row previously. If this pregnancy results in a son, it would be fine, but if it's another girl, we'll have to keep having more. Without a son, there will be no lineage, right?"

"I called you here to ask about your brother! Save the talk about babies for when you go back to your room!" Old Man Yang roared impatiently.

Yang Huaming shrugged his shoulders and said with a conciliatory smile, "Father, don't be so agitated, I'm just getting to it. Look, Father, there are three ways to be unfilial, and having no heir is the greatest. My three older brothers all have sons and daughters, but my fourth branch is the only one without. When we're old, there will be no one to care for us or see us to our graves. We don't know when a boy will finally arrive, but these girls keep coming—we can't let them starve, can we? I can barely even clean the filth from my own pockets; as for Third Brother... your younger brother has the heart, but my arms are too short and my sleeves are too small. I'm powerless to help!"

Old Man Yang's face turned green with rage. A mouthful of smoke went down the wrong way, causing him to cough violently, nearly coughing up his heart and lungs.

"Father, are you alright?"

"Father, what happened?"

"Grandpa, have some tea..."

The area around the eight-immortals table instantly fell into chaos. Yang Hua'an and his brothers all crowded around Old Man Yang, patting his chest and back, putting on a grand display of filial piety.

In the corner, Lady Sun's frail body couldn't help but tremble slightly. The cold sweat seeping from her palms had already dampened Yang Ruoqing's fingers.

Yang Ruoqing looked at Lady Sun with concern. The last shred of hope had shattered; her mother seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown. The first branch's attitude was ambiguous, the fourth branch was making excuses and feigning poverty, and the second branch had stepped forward to directly refute the idea. Even if Old Man Yang, as the head of the household, eventually stood against all opposition to treat Yang Huazhong's legs, there would likely be no peace in the Yang house from then on.

Furthermore, seeing this momentum, Yang Ruoqing had great doubts about Old Man Yang's courage and determination.

Sure enough, after coughing for a while, Old Man Yang finally quieted down. His breathing was still somewhat uneven, but he raised his hand to dismiss everyone, his voice sounding weary: "It's getting late. Everyone, disperse. Your mother and I are tired!"

"Father, Mother, then you two should rest early as well. We... will take our leave first. We have to work in the fields early tomorrow morning," the eldest son, Yang Hua'an, said respectfully, his stout body slightly bowed, before turning to lead his four sons away.

As he reached the door of the side room, Yang Hua'an's footsteps came to a sudden halt. He turned his head and shot a dark glare at Lady Jin, who was still sitting in the corner with a dazed expression: "Stop making a fool of yourself there. Hurry up and follow me!"

Lady Jin shuddered, hunched her shoulders, stood up, and followed Yang Hua'an out of the east wing.

Behind them, the second son, Yang Hualin, had already slipped out of the east wing the moment Yang Hua'an glared at Lady Jin.

Yang Huaming, having breathed a sigh of relief, was about to leave when he suddenly thought of something. He turned to Lady Sun, who had also stood up in the corner, and said, "Third Sister-in-law, Liu and I live in the side room next to Father and Mother, right across from you and Third Brother. If Third Brother wakes up at night and needs anything from your younger brother, just give a shout. I'm a light sleeper and will wake up at the first sound. We're family, don't be polite with me, alright?"

Lady Sun looked up at Yang Huaming, bit her lip, and nodded slightly. As for Yang Ruoqing, she couldn't even be bothered to look at him!

Compared to a blatant villain like Second Uncle Yang Hualin, the hypocritical concern of Fourth Uncle Yang Huaming was even more loathsome.

After Yang Huaming and Lady Liu left, Lady Sun took Yang Ruoqing's hand and prepared to leave as well. At that moment, Old Man Yang suddenly called out to Lady Sun.

"Third daughter-in-law, stay. Your mother and I have some words to say to you!" Old Man Yang had moved from the table to the bed. He had taken off his shoes and was sitting cross-legged on the bed, puffing on his pipe.

Yang Ruoqing understood. It was "words to say," not "matters to discuss."

Could it be that regarding the matter of treating Yang Huazhong's legs, Old Man Yang and Lady Tan had already reached a consensus and formed a plan before calling the sons over for questioning?

If that was the case, after making such a huge scene just now, this Old Man Yang... was indeed as cunning as an old fox!

Being called by her parents-in-law, even though Lady Sun was heartbroken, she steeled herself and gave a soft "Mhm." She led Yang Ruoqing to the bedside, lowered her head, and waited to hear Old Man Yang's "words."

Old Man Yang pulled the pipe from his mouth, tapped it a few times against the wooden edge of the bed, lifted his eyelids to glance at his third daughter-in-law, and finally let his gaze fall on Lady Sun and the nearby Yang Ruoqing, studying them for a moment.

(End of Chapter)