House Dad's Literary Life

“A banquet? Marriage?” Yang Yi showed a confused expression.

He had never thought about this issue, perhaps because he wasn’t used to following conventions. He used to think that it was enough for two people to be together. Even if they were stable partners, the concept of marriage had never appeared in his mind!

Hearing his doubts and seeing his expression, Yang Chonggui’s face immediately darkened.

“You haven’t gotten married? You haven’t gotten a certificate?” Dong Yue’e furrowed her brow and asked.

Mo Fei stood next to Yang Yi with her head down and hands hanging down like a little wife, not daring to breathe. She actually did nothing wrong, but being questioned, Mo Fei felt as if she had teamed up with Yang Yi to deceive the two elders, and she was very uneasy.

“Do we really have to get a marriage certificate?” Yang Yi asked straightforwardly, expressing his genuine question.

“Bang!” Yang Chonggui slapped the table hard, and everyone’s bowls and chopsticks jumped. Yang Huan and Yang Qing lowered their heads, afraid to look directly at the old man.

Even Xixi, who had eaten early and ran to the side to play on her own, was scared by this movement.

“Tiezi, your words are becoming more and more inappropriate. Have you picked up bad habits during these years away from home?” Dong Yue’e quickly interjected, “Mo Fei gave birth to your child, how can you fail her like this?”

“No, what I mean is, even if we don’t get a certificate, don’t have a wedding, I still want to spend my whole life with her, what’s the difference?” Yang Yi explained with a wry smile.

Mo Fei was stunned, staring blankly at Yang Yi. She was moved by Yang Yi’s words “I want to spend my whole life with her”.

From his perspective, it was indeed the case. Yang Yi didn’t believe that a mere piece of paper could make two people good for a lifetime. Love requires careful cultivation from both individuals and isn’t constrained by a marriage certificate alone!

“You rebellious son, our Yang family doesn’t have a scoundrel like you who plays with women’s feelings!” Yang Chonggui angrily rebuked, and the effect of Dong Yue’e trying to intervene earlier was now lost.

Yang Yi closed his mouth. He knew from the memories of his predecessor that when the old man was furious, further explanation would only have a counterproductive effect. Talking back would make Yang Chonggui even more angry.

“The child is now over four years old, and you still haven’t married Mo Fei. Isn’t this making us a laughingstock in front of others?” Dong Yue’e didn’t show any leniency to Yang Yi this time, and she chimed in, “Tiezi, you need to think about this issue carefully.”

“Think carefully about what? I see that after retiring, he got dazzled by the outside world and forgot the most basic principles of being a person. He completely forgot his ancestral teachings!” Yang Chonggui pounded the table and angrily rebuked.

Yang Yi avoided the spotlight and remained silent.

But Mo Fei was in a panic. She quickly spoke up to defend Yang Yi, saying, “Dad, Mom, don’t blame Yang Yi. It’s not his fault. It’s because of me. Due to the nature of my current job, I can’t make our relationship public yet, so we can’t get a marriage certificate yet.”

What? Yang Chonggui and Dong Yue’e both looked over in confusion.

Yang Yi quickly pulled Mo Fei and whispered, “Are you silly, what are you doing? Leave this matter to me.”

“It’s my problem, I can’t let you take responsibility for me anymore.” Mo Fei pouted and said.

“What? They were talking about the issue of getting married and obtaining a certificate, which I hadn’t thought about before.” Yang Yi waved his hand and turned to his parents, saying, “Dad, Mom, don’t listen to Mo Fei’s nonsense, it’s my lack of consideration.”

He was also worried that Yang Chonggui and Dong Yue’e would have any negative views on Mo Fei. Today, they finally accepted Mo Fei after much difficulty, and he didn’t want all their efforts to be in vain.

Yang Chonggui, with a stern face, stood up and said, “Come out with me!”

“Old man.” Dong Yue’e quickly called out.

“Don’t interfere with this!” Yang Chonggui waved his sleeve and walked to the yard with his hands behind his back.

Yang Yi stood up helplessly, ready to follow him out. At this moment, Mo Fei grabbed his hand. When Yang Yi turned his head to look, tears were already swirling in her eyes.

“It’s okay, don’t worry.” Yang Yi gently patted Mo Fei’s hand, and gestured with his eyes toward his mother, “You go and wash the dishes with Huanhuan.”

Yang Yi followed Yang Chonggui into the courtyard, and then Yang Chonggui took out a key and opened the door of the ancestral hall.

The ancestral hall was an independent tile house, but there was no electric light inside, only a dim kerosene lamp and a few red incense sticks flickering.

Yang Chonggui remained silent. He took a lighter from the Eight Immortals table in front of the ancestral tablet and lit two candles on the table, which made the ancestral hall a bit brighter.

“Kneel down!” Yang Chonggui didn’t look at him, but instead stood with his hands behind his back in front of the ancestral tablet, facing away from Yang Yi, gazing at the ancestral tablet.

Yang Yi hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly knelt down on the cushion as he was told. These actions were very clear in the memory of his predecessor. Before his predecessor was a soldier, he was often punished by kneeling.

After kneeling down, Yang Chonggui didn’t speak for a while, as if he was leaving Yang Yi hanging. However, Yang Yi remained satisfactory, kneeling there with his back straight, not uttering a word.

“With a little money, you forget your ancestors. Given a few more years, are you going to abandon your wife and child?” Yang Chonggui turned around and snorted, “How does the saying in the ancestral teachings go? Let me recite it for you: ‘If one is obstinate, they will make many mistakes. If one is lazy and indulgent, it is difficult to establish a family.’ Now, tell me, what does it mean?”

Yang Yi, kneeling on the cushion, was silent for a moment before saying, “People who are obstinate, stubborn, and self-righteous often do things that they regret and miss many things that should be cherished. A person who is decadent, lazy, indulgent, and not ambitious also finds it hard to establish a family and career.”

These ancestral teachings, Yang Chonggui used to make the three siblings copy and memorize them. If they couldn’t remember them, they would be beaten! How could Yang Yi not remember?

“In front of your ancestors, carefully reflect for an hour and see where you went wrong! If you can’t figure it out, you will kneel here tonight and don’t go back!” Yang Chonggui waved his sleeve and left Yang Yi in the ancestral hall. The door was left slightly ajar, and then he walked away.

In Yang Chonggui’s view, Yang Yi was becoming more and more unreasonable. If he didn’t teach him a lesson, his arrogance would reach the sky! He also knew that someone would definitely persuade him, so he decided not to stay at home and came back later.

Yang Huan had been secretly watching, and then quickly ran to the kitchen to inform Mo Fei, who was in a fluster.

“Sister-in-law, Big Brother seems to have been punished to kneel by Dad. I listened for a while, it seems to be for an hour!” Yang Huan whispered to Mo Fei.

“Ah!” Mo Fei was about to cry, “Was Yang Yi punished because of me?”

“It’s not entirely your fault. Big brother shouldn’t have spoken like that and angered Dad!” Yang Huan held Mo Fei’s hand and said, “But don’t worry too much, It’s just an hour of kneeling. This is considered light! Last time, Second Brother drank and got into a fight with people in the village, he was whipped by Dad twice, and was punished to kneel for one night. The next day, his legs were not his own!”

“But, it’s so cold now…” Mo Fei’s eyes were red, and she said, “Where is Yang Yi? I’ll go accompany him!”