Chapter 3

That roar made Yang Heng shudder, "Eh, that's strange, the voice wasn't that loud, why did I shudder? Ah, bad." Yang Wei slapped his thigh and remembered, this was the body's instinct.

Father was calling him, Yang Heng immediately turned back, how could he not run, his legs were still trembling, taking a step felt difficult, as if he were in a dream, being chased by someone, wanting to run but unable to move.

Fortunately, Yang Heng hadn't gone far, it took him about ten minutes to get home, "You old man, this son is my son, not yours. I'm telling you, you don't need to educate my son anymore. If you touch him again, just try it." Yang Heng, leaning on the door frame and panting heavily, heard his mother yelling inside.

What, could he be some kind of illegitimate child? If so, life would be tough. Who knows what era this is, but in ancient times, illegitimate children had a hard time.

"What do you mean 'your son'? Without me, could you have given birth? I just moved in with your family, but the son still calls me Father, right? I discipline him for his own good. Besides, how long can we stay here? Haven't you seen Li Sanlang from the west of the city eyeing our place? He's come many times, and Heng keeps bumping into them. Isn't this asking for trouble?" Father mumbled, it seemed he was also afraid of his wife; "Shh, be quiet, you know this is just an agreement between your father and me, we don't want to spread it around. Do you want the whole county to know? Haven't you noticed that even without telling them, some people seem to know something."

Yang Heng also breathed a sigh of relief, at least his identity wasn't a problem, even though his father had moved in, he was still a legitimate son, and the marriage was a private agreement. "I'll be quiet, but you started yelling first."

"You still have the nerve to say that. Look at what you've put our child through these years. You made him start blacksmithing at five, and now you're punishing him for some lousy scholar. And what's there to worry about with Li Sanlang? Why not just give him the shop? Would that solve the problem of how you treat our child?" Mother was a master, her loud voice followed by a soft, tearful one, which would surely break Father's heart. It seemed the couple's relationship was good, but why was he so harsh on Yang Heng?

"Could it be?" Yang Heng suddenly thought, Mother's surname is Yang, her name is Yang Ying. It seems she was named after a bird that landed in the courtyard when she was born, so she was called Ying, her full name is Yang Yun. But that's not right, why does Father also have the surname Yang, he seems to be called Yang Da. There must be something going on.

"Alright, alright, Ying, come, smile. From now on, we'll both take care of our son." "What do you mean 'our son'? He's my son." "Alright, alright, yours is mine too. Why don't you have another child to carry on my lineage?" "Silly, I want another child too, but our ancestors have always had only one heir. How about I get you a concubine..."

The voices in the room gradually quieted down, and Yang Heng wisely started to explore the yard. He had been out on the street, but he hadn't really observed his new home. That Li Sanlang could go to hell, Yang Heng didn't even think about him, but it was Li Sanlang who forced them to leave their home.

"Wow, this anvil is huge, and there are so many anvils," Yang Wei saw three anvils, the largest one was set up, and the other two smaller ones were thrown to the side. There were also three furnaces, but two of them were surrounded by clutter. It seemed this place used to be bustling, with three furnaces working simultaneously and several large hammers hammering away, how lively it must have been.

"Brat, you're back. Don't you know you caused trouble, and you're still running around?" Father's voice suddenly boomed in his ear, "Ah, Father." Yang Wei exclaimed, then shouted, "What's so interesting here? You're not interested in blacksmithing, you like going to school, don't you?"

"You old man, what are you yelling about? Heng, come here to Mother. How are you feeling now? My poor Heng, come, let's go eat. You old man, hmpf." Yang Heng was dazed as Mother pulled him into the house. What was going on?

"Mother, when are we eating?" Yang Heng asked, puzzled. "What's wrong?" Mother touched his forehead, "You're not feverish anymore, are you still not recovered? We usually eat our second meal at this time. You had a bowl earlier, but if you don't eat now, can you wait until tomorrow's first meal? I remember you always had a big appetite."

Oh no, does this era only have two meals a day? Yang Heng slapped his forehead. Also, this low table, I don't even know if it's called a table, and these things, are they called stools? Can people sit on them, they're so low.

Indeed, they weren't for sitting. Father slipped in, "Hehe, my dear, can I eat now?" He knelt on the stool. So they ate while kneeling. Could this be before the Tang Dynasty?

"Heng, hurry up and eat, you used to be the fastest eater," Mother glared at Father, then gently scolded Yang Heng with a loving tone, "Ah, okay." Yang Heng was startled and immediately knelt down like Father. This was too painful, how could anyone eat like this and still be full?

But after Yang Heng finished a bowl of rice, he didn't think so. The rice was just enough for the three of them, "Heng, you just ate a little while ago, I thought you wouldn't eat much, but it turned out to be just enough for the three of us." Mother looked at Yang Heng apologetically.

"Mother, I'm full, look, my stomach is already bulging." Yang Heng tried to lift his shirt to show his belly, but the clothes were too tight, so he patted his stomach to prove he was full. "You child, if you're full, you're full. Why are you patting your stomach? Be careful, you might hurt it after just eating." Mother scolded with a smile, showing how much she doted on him.

"Alright, boy, if you're full, you can leave. I have something to say to your mother." Father interjected.

"Say it, what are you afraid your son will hear?" Mother rolled her eyes at Father.

"Alright, it's about Li Sanlang. I've been investigating why this brat was eavesdropping on the scholar's lessons and why Li Sanlang is so arrogant and wants our shop." Father said, puzzled.

"Did you find out?" Mother exclaimed. "Yes, apparently, a group of bandits attacked the city recently, burning many places, including the county office, which contained all the household registration records. They haven't been updated yet, so we're now considered displaced people. Li Sanlang can do whatever he wants to us, and the shop is already his. Sigh!" Father sighed.

"Then what should we do? My uncle is nowhere to be found, so no one can help us." Mother panicked.

"What should we do? At worst, I'll take you two back to my hometown and farm some land." Father said helplessly.

If we can't fight, we'll run. Though it's embarrassing, it's a way to survive. Yang Heng didn't have the ability to resist yet. His biggest wish now was to survive in this era. Even if he had to be a farmer in the countryside, he was confident he could do it. He didn't believe a person from the future couldn't even be a good farmer.