House Dad's Literary Life

Chapter 379: The Old Man Who Made Yang Yi Kneel Down

The question was obviously rhetorical. Yang Yi was already bursting with curiosity.

Seeing Yang Yi nod, Yang Chonggui let out a long sigh and said, “These things, I originally wanted to tell you when I’m about to die, or simply take them to the coffin. But now, you’ve grown up, have your own children, and will eventually become the head of our Yang family. There are some things you should know.”

Could it be another secret?

“Come with me!” Yang Chonggui opened the door of the ancestral hall, brought Yang Yi in, and then closed the door.

“I once told you three siblings that our Yang family has been loyal for generations…” Yang Chonggui stood in front of the altar, with his hands clasped, looking up at the spiritual tablet on the altar, and slowly said, “Do you still remember?”

How could he forget? He used to talk about it a lot. When Yang Yi returned home, he said it several times, making his ears almost calloused.

“Dad, aren’t those stories you told us made up to coax us?” Yang Yi couldn’t help but ask the question that his predecessor and Yang Qing and Yang Huan had always harbored.

If Yang Chonggui’s words were true, the Yang family had produced many great generals in the previous dynasty. Why did they end up in such a miserable state in his father’s generation? Moreover, looking at these tablets, although they had been smoked and aged for some time, Yang Yi remembered clearly that over 20 years ago, these tablets were brand new, obviously Yang Chonggui had someone make them new!”

Besides, even if Yang Chonggui was skilled, Yang Yi didn’t believe that he had participated in the previous wars!

The time doesn’t match!

The old man should have been born in the midst of war, and by the time he grew up and had some abilities, the war had already ended. Where would there be enemies for him to kill?

However, Yang Yi’s question made Yang Chonggui very upset. He blew his beard and glared, saying, “Made up? Can our ancestors’ affairs be made up? If it’s made up, what face would I have to meet our ancestors below?”

That’s true, people generally prefer not to fabricate stories about their own lineage, such as inventing details about their father or grandfather…

Yang Yi closed his mouth and listened to Yang Chonggui tell the story.

The Yang family was indeed a family of generals, and one could even say that the entire Yang family was a well-known military family in the previous dynasty. They were stationed in the Fujian Province and the Jiangnan region, under the orders of the emperor, recruiting and training soldiers to resist the Japanese invaders from the sea.

Yang Chonggui was right. Almost every generation of the family head sacrificed themselves on the battlefield to defend the country, and the Yang family army, like the Qi family army in Yang Yi’s previous life, was famous in history, striking fear into the hearts of the Japanese invaders! Moreover, compared to Qi Jiguang¹, the Yang family’s inheritance was even longer, lasting until the end of the previous dynasty, a total of more than 200 years of history!

Speaking of that period of history, Yang Chonggui’s face was full of glory, and he proudly said, “If you go to Jiangnan and Fujian Province, you can still see the statues of your ancestors and the ruins of the ancestral halls.”

But next, Yang Chonggui put away his smile and said, “Later, the country fell into the enemy hands, and all kinds of invaders wanted a piece of the pie. In the face of national crisis, your great-grandfather, my grandfather, led his relatives and old troops, and joined the Southern Army, continuing to fight against the invaders.”

At that time, the Chinese army was still operating with an outdated mindset, wielding swords fearlessly into battle. However, the enemy army had already entered the era of hot weapons, and the Yang family army, which couldn’t adapt, suffered heavy casualties. After several major battles, there were not many people left. Yang Yi’s great-grandfather was very skilled, but he couldn’t beat a bullet…

In the later stage of the war, Yang Chonggui’s father, also Yang Yi’s grandfather, finally used a gun. He and the remaining men of the Yang family once again entered the extremely fierce all-out war to recover the territory!

“The rise and fall of a country are the responsibility of every individual!” Yang Chonggui said heavily. Yang Yi didn’t know why, but some tears welled up in his eyes. It wasn’t something he consciously controlled, but a genuine emotion that surged from the depths of his being.

Yang Yi’s grandfather became a small general. Of course, compared to the original status of the Yang family army, it was far inferior. However, in the local war, the guerrilla forces led by Yang Yi’s grandfather, just like Li Yunlong’s independent group, were elusive and fought so fiercely that the invaders cried out in fear and were terrified at the mere mention of them.

“When it comes to fighting the devils, no one has as much experience as our Yang family. These more than two hundred years of fighting against the devils are not for nothing!” Yang Chonggui said with some pride.

But… war is unpredictable, and no one knows what changes will happen. It’s very similar to what Yang Yi wrote in his novel. His grandfather’s troops were obstructed by the elite troops of the Japanese. In order to Eliminate Grandpa Yang, the Japanese sent out special forces to the Central China battlefield.

Grandpa Yang was not as lucky as Li Yunlong. His entire troop was wiped out, although he faced his fate bravely, his body was found by the Japanese and hung on the city wall to deter other Chinese troops.

How would the Japanese know that this would only arouse the blood of the Chinese troops! Two months later, the Japanese stationed at this point were completely wiped out.

Speaking of these, Yang Chonggui looked at Yang Yi with a hint of deep meaning. He had read some of “Drawing Sword”. If it weren’t for the fact that Grandpa Yang was ambushed while fighting in the wilderness, and various details were different, he would have suspected that Yang Yi was aware of it.

Yang Yi also knew the direction of the war afterward. Three years later, all the Japanese on the entire Chinese mainland were driven out. In the end, the Japanese surrendered unconditionally, and the hundred-year history of humiliation finally ended…

“But… Dad, where were you in the whole story?” Yang Yi couldn’t help but ask.

“I was still young at that time!” Yang Chonggui glared at Yang Yi, “And my mother wouldn’t let me go to the battlefield to avenge my father, saying that she wanted to leave a legacy for the Yang family, otherwise how could I sit idly by!”

Next was the story of Yang Chonggui.

Yang Chonggui was not able to go to battle to kill the enemy, so he had to endure and practice martial arts. He also met his benefactor in the crowd of refugees fleeing the war and learned his internal strength technique.

However, when he saw the list of unpunished Japanese war criminals in the newspaper, and among them was the colonel of the special forces that had killed his father that year, who later became a major general of a certain division… This guy didn’t die? Yang Chonggui exploded.

At that time, Yang Yi’s grandmother had already passed away, and the last person who was in charge of Yang Chonggui left. Yang Chonggui was like an unleashed wild horse, and no one could stop him.

“I took the route to the island, learned the Japanese language for two years, and then stayed in the Japanese homeland for a full 15 years!” Yang Chonggui said proudly, “In these 15 years, every single person on that list was taken care of. Even that unit², I went and set it on fire, burned it down!”

“You did that?” Yang Yi took a deep breath. When rewriting “Drawing Sword”, he had researched a lot of history, and even many secrets of unofficial history, and knew that indeed, there was a major incident on the Japanese side after the war. Unlike in his previous life, the war criminals could still escape punishment, and in this world, those war criminals met their fates one by one.

“But that fierce… cough, isn’t the hero’s name called Yang Jiye(杨继爷)?” Yang Yi couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s Yang Jiye(杨继业)! Damn it, they even got my name wrong!”³ Yang Chonggui snorted and said, “Your dad used to be called Yang Jiye, but after returning to the country, I changed it to the current name. That name has been registered in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, how can I still use it?”

It really was him!

Yang Yi felt a bit dizzy. He thought he had been quite impressive in his previous life, but he didn’t expect that the old man was even more impressive than him. In 15 years, he single-handedly stirred up a storm on the side of the Japanese, conducting assassinations and even setting a place on fire. This scene made Yang Yi want to kneel down to the old man!

Too… awesome!

Yang Yi really couldn’t think of any words to describe the impressive achievements of the old man.

Yang Yi had originally guessed that Yang Chonggui, who always boasted that their ancestors were the great generals who defended the country and the family, might have also served in the military before. Now it seemed that he guessed wrong! The old man was just like himself, both involved in that line of work. No wonder he has been unwilling to deal with the government for so many years… However, in his previous life, he had done it for wealth, while his old man had done it for revenge and the righteousness of his family and the country! He couldn’t help but respect the old man’s past.

Having caused such a big incident, Yang Chonggui was naturally pursued by the angry and embarrassed Japanese. But somehow, he managed to escape back to the country. Even upon returning home, he couldn’t be careless, as spies were everywhere. The old man changed his name but didn’t change his ancestor’s surname, and hid in Wudaokou Village, which was located in the valley and rarely visited by outsiders.

“When you married mom and had me, why did you still want to leave? Didn’t you say you had something important to do?” Yang Yi asked in confusion.

He was still a little bit resentful about the name “Yang Tiexin” that his mother had given him. What a ridiculous name. In his previous life, it had a somewhat unlucky connotation!

“I wanted to take you and your mother back to recognize our ancestors and return to our ancestral home! But our Yang family is down to just us. To restore the ancestral rites, we need to reclaim our old home, and invite the respected neighbors and elders to help oversee the process. If we’re going to do it, we should do it with grandeur. Our Yang family is a renowned clan across two provinces and three regions. This is a significant undertaking that requires careful preparation. Isn’t it a big deal?” Yang Chonggui snorted.

“…” Yang Yi was a bit speechless. He thought there was some enemy involved.

“Why didn’t you go back later?” Yang Yi asked.

“Later, I secretly went back to our hometown. There was no one at our Yang family’s old house, but there were a few strangers lurking around suspiciously outside.”

Needless to say, they must be waiting for Yang Chonggui, the notorious figure, to return! However, it was unclear whether they were foes or friends; perhaps the former was more likely!

For the safety of his family, Yang Chonggui decided not to leave and chose to honestly stay, living as a farmer in Wudaokou Village with peace of mind. And this secret was kept for more than thirty years.

“So, you must not tell anyone about this matter. Even if it rots in your stomach, keep it to yourself!” Yang Chonggui warned seriously.

Yang Yi nodded silently.

No wonder the old man never told the three siblings about it. He was worried that the little brats, not being mature enough, would show off to others and bring disaster to the family.

The old man did a lot of things on the territory of the Japanese back then. Yang Yi wondered whether, after so many years had passed, there were still people who wouldn’t let it go!

Yang Yi was also very cautious, especially now that he had Xixi and Mo Fei, two people he had to protect for a lifetime.

Let this matter stay in this ancestral hall!