Chapter 380: Tracing Our Ancestry
Although he’d bought the properties, both the large and small courtyards were in such a state of disrepair that they were completely uninhabitable.
The main problem was that when the original residents left, they had taken away quite a few items from the courtyards—including wooden doors, windows, and four-poster beds—leaving Li Yi with nothing but an empty shell.
Therefore, the immediate priority was to find someone to repair the courtyards as soon as possible.
At the same time, the interior of the house needed to be renovated as well.
However, since it was winter, exterior work was impossible, so they had to focus on the interior first.
The exterior walls, roof tiles, and other elements would have to wait until next year when the weather warmed up.
Li Yi immediately contacted Master Zhao, who had renovated his restaurant, and asked him to round up some carpenters, painters, and bricklayers to help refurbish the house.
Right now, only she and Tang Xue were in the capital—and at most, Third Sister—so there was certainly no need for that three-courtyard compound.
Plus, since they needed a place to stay urgently, Li Yi had Master Zhao and his team start by fixing up the small courtyard.
As for the large compound, given the scale of the work and the lengthy timeline, it would have to wait until next year!
While Li Yi was busy with the house, back at the hospital, Ye Lingyun was insisting on being discharged.
She really didn’t want to stay in the hospital any longer, so she asked Tang Xue to call Jiang Longcheng and have him come pick her up.
Partly because her nephew Jianhua was getting married, and as his aunt, she wanted to attend the wedding.
On the other hand, Ye Lingyun felt deeply for her own daughter, who had been staying at the hospital every day to accompany her while heavily pregnant, which broke her heart.
On top of that, she felt much better now and believed she could recover just fine at home, so she insisted on being discharged.
Upon hearing the news, Li Yi and Jiang Longcheng didn’t waste any time and immediately drove to the hospital.
They first located Ye Lingyun’s attending physician and asked him to carefully assess her physical condition.
Only after the doctor confirmed that Ye Lingyun would be out of immediate danger even if she left the hospital did they agree to her discharge.
On December 31st, the very last day of 1980, Li Yi and Jiang Longcheng drove Ye Lingyun and her daughter back to the Jiang family’s ancestral home.
At the same time, to make it easier to care for Ye Lingyun and Tang Xue, Li Yi, after consulting with the old patriarch, had his third older sister, Li Na, and Zhang Xinyao move into the Jiang family’s old mansion as well.
On the very day Ye Lingyun was discharged, all members of the second and third generations of the Jiang family who were in Beijing returned home.
This was at the Old Master’s specific instruction: today marked Tang Xue’s first return to the Jiang family, and he intended to use this opportunity to have her formally acknowledge her ancestral lineage.
For such an important occasion, the Old Master insisted that every member of the Jiang family be present.
As for Jiang Shiying, her father, he had boarded a flight to Beijing early that morning; by the time Li Yi and the others had just returned to the Jiang family’s ancestral home, he had already arrived.
In addition, the patriarch of the Ye family had personally led the Ye family members to the gathering as well, making the occasion truly grand.
……..
The Jiang Family Ancestral Home. Main Hall!
By now, all the direct descendants of the Jiang and Ye families had arrived—young and old alike, numbering some sixty or seventy people.
With so many people gathered, the occasion was partly to celebrate Ye Lingyun’s discharge from the hospital, but more importantly, it was to mark Tang Xue’s formal recognition of her ancestral lineage.
With so many people gathered, the atmosphere was naturally bustling.
The women gathered to chat about family matters, discussing not only events from the past but also the Ye family’s wedding the following day.
The men, meanwhile, gathered in the inner rooms to discuss work matters.
Young people like Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua, however, had no place among them and could only stand in the crowd, listening to the elders chat.
Aside from that, the fourth-generation children from both families were running and playing in groups of three or five in the courtyard, with the occasional child letting out a loud cry.
In the bed of the west wing, Tang Xue clutched Li Yi’s hand tightly, looking somewhat nervous.
Just a moment ago, perhaps due to her nerves or the bumpy ride, Tang Xue had begun to feel a bit unwell upon returning to the Jiang family’s ancestral home.
Jiang Shiying and Ye Lingyun, deeply concerned for their daughter, immediately had her go to the west wing to rest for a while.
“Are you feeling better?” Li Yi asked with concern.
Although he knew her discomfort was caused by nerves and shouldn’t be anything serious,
But she was, after all, pregnant—and carrying twins at that. Any significant emotional upheaval could potentially lead to premature labor, so Li Yi couldn’t help but feel anxious.
Tang Xue nodded and said, “I’m fine. The palpitations have subsided a lot!”
“Don’t worry. They’re your family. They went through so much trouble to find you; it’s only natural they’d want you to reconnect with your roots!” Li Yi said.
“I know, but I’m just a little nervous!” Tang Xue said.
Although she had long since known she was a child of the Jiang family and had accepted Ye Lingyun and Jiang Shiying,
But the sudden prospect of reconnecting with her family meant she would not only have parents, but also a grandfather, maternal grandfather, maternal grandmother, uncles, and a whole host of cousins.
What’s more, since many third-generation members of the Jiang and Ye families had already married—and some even had children—Tang Xue’s status naturally rose, making her the children’s aunt.
This sudden change in status left her feeling a bit overwhelmed!
Li Yi sensed Tang Xue’s nervousness and immediately took her hand, saying, “Actually, you should be happy about this. From now on, besides me, there will be even more people who care for you and love you!”
Hearing Li Yi’s words, Tang Xue’s anxiety eased slightly. She nodded gently and said, “You’re right. It’s just that having so many new relatives all at once makes it feel a bit unreal!”
“It’s okay, you’ll get used to it gradually!” Li Yi said.
“Do you think I should change my surname after I’ve been reunited with my ancestral family?” Tang Xue asked again.
“Technically, you should, but it really depends on what you want. If you don’t want to change it…”
Before he could finish, Tang Xue cut him off: “If Mom and Dad want me to change it, then I’ll do it. The Tang surname doesn’t hold any memories worth clinging to for me!”
“Alright…”
Just then, a series of heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the door, and Jiang Shiying strode in.
Upon seeing the two people in the room, Jiang Shiying hurriedly asked, “Xue’er, are you feeling any better?”
“Father, don’t worry. I’m feeling much better. Did Grandfather and the others send me over?”
Jiang Shiying nodded and said, “Yes, everything’s ready in the main hall!”
“Alright then, let’s go!”
Li Yi immediately helped her up from the bed, and they followed Jiang Shiying toward the main hall.
By then, everything in the main hall was ready.
Jiang Dingfang, Ye Shixiong, and Lady Ye sat in the seats of honor, while the second generation of the Jiang and Ye families sat in the chairs beside them. The third generation—including Jiang Longyin, Jiang Longcheng, and Ye Jianhua—stood on one side of the living room.
The children stood quietly beside their parents, and everyone’s gaze was fixed on the doorway, waiting for Tang Xue and Li Yi to appear.
When Tang Xue entered from the west wing, accompanied by Li Yi, everyone broke into warm smiles.
At that moment, the old patriarch stood up and said, “Xue’er, come to Grandpa!”
Without hesitation, Li Yi immediately helped Tang Xue over to the old man.
“Grandpa!”
The old master nodded and said, “Although everyone is likely already aware of Xue’er’s background, I’d still like to briefly explain it to everyone. Xue’er is the child that Shiying and Yun’er left behind; she is a direct descendant of the Jiang family.”
“From this moment on, Xue’er is officially recognized as a member of our family. From now on, she is just like Long Yin, Long Cheng, and Long Ze—she is one of us, a member of the Jiang family!”
No sooner had Old Master Jiang finished speaking than Old Master Ye rose to his feet and said, “Originally, our Ye family planned to hold a separate family recognition ceremony for Xue’er, but Yun’er was worried her health might not withstand the strain, so we decided to hold them together.”
“From this moment on, Xue’er is also a direct descendant of the Ye family. If anything ever comes up in the future, don’t forget to turn to your uncles and cousins here—we’ll make sure everything is taken care of!”
Hearing the two old men’s words, Tang Xue felt a warm glow in her heart, and her eyes welled up with tears…
…….