12

Two days later, Yang Tianhu, accompanied by his entire family, arrived at Xishan villa. He was not only a famous warlord in the whole country but also held sway over all aspects of the military and the society in the eastern. Alongside Mrs. Yang, there were two other ladies: Lady Xu and Lady Liu. Yang Tianhu had a total of eight children. Mrs. Yang had given birth to three sons and two daughters. The eldest daughter, Yang Yihua, was already married in Aron Kingdom. The eldest son, Yang Chen, was in charge of the military affairs for his father. The second son, Yang Jing, had studied mechanical engineering in Republic of Ferceland and was mainly responsible for military production. The second daughter, Yang Erhua, had married Liao Yuanfang, the second son of the Liao family, another warlord in the south territory. The youngest son, Yang Yang, was studying at the university now.

Lady Xu has two children: the third son, Yang Zheng, had graduated from university and was preparing to study abroad in the Aron Kingdom. The third daughter, Yang Sanhua, was currently studying at the university and was adamant about studying abroad in Aron Kingdom with Yang Zheng. However, her mother, Lady Xu, didn't agree with her intentions. Lady Liu had only a daughter, the fourth one, Yang Sihua, who was still in high school.

Aside from the married daughters, everyone had gathered at the villa this time, including two daughters-in-law, Hu Suqiao, Yang Chen's wife, and Jiang Fengtian, Yang Jing's wife, as well as two grandsons, Yang Zichun, the son of Yang Chen, and Yang Zixiao, the son of Yang Jing.

After dinner, with the men and women seated at separate tables, they started conversing. Hu Suqiao appeared much livelier compared to her last visit. At times, she engaged in conversation with Yang Sanhua about fashion clothes, while at other times, she discussed parenting experiences with Jiang Fengtian. Suddenly, Yang Sihua asked:

"Eldest brother, I heard about the discovery of an ancient tomb nearby, rumored to contain depictions of the same-sex relationships. Can we go and take a look?"

Before Yang Chen could respond. Mrs. Yang interjected displeased:

"Sihua, don't talk about the vulgar thing like this. I really don't understand why they can allow such things to be put on display for the public. Isn't it detrimental to social morality?"

Yang Chen's expression involuntarily darkened, but he refrained from arguing with his mother. He forced a smile and said:

"Mom, there is nothing vulgar about it. The culture of homosexual has a long history in our country, spanning nearly 2000 years. In some dynasties, it was even considered fashionable. It's simply a matter of personal preference, which doesn't necessarily conflict with morality."

Yang Jing chimed in calmly:

"Eldest bro. is correct. Our country boasts a rich and diverse history. While some dynasties were conservative, others were more open-minded. Nowadays, we may be overly conservative, clinging to tradition and lagging behind in various aspects. Even the Wasoku has made significant strides ahead of us."

Yang Jing skillful shifted the conversation's direction, as was his habit in the family. In this family, he held great admiration for his eldest brother, surpassing even his respect for their father. Though Yang Chen hadn't had the opportunity to study abroad like him, he had compensated with his intelligence and diligence to learn a lot by himself. Particularly in matters of military knowledge and battle command, not only was he exceptionally talented but he also had been immersed in military training and understanding of military strategy. Starting from his 8 years old, Yang Chen had been trained as a soldier and began his experience of the military life, rising through the ranks in a regular army. By his early twenties, he had assumed command of military affairs from his father, handling things competently both on and off the battlefield, and becoming a pillar of support for his younger siblings at home. What Yang Jing admired most was Yang Chen's adeptness at deploying flexible tactics on the battlefield, adjusting seamlessly to the changing geography of the battlefield. In addition, he trained his officers and soldiers in a more modern and daring way. All of the reasons prompted Yang Jing to always lend his utmost assistance to his eldest brother whenever he could.

Madam Yang scolded jokingly:

"You two always gang up on me like this in perfect harmony. Okay, if you say it's not vulgar, then it's not vulgar. I'll hush up now."

Yang Sihua interjected:

"So, mom, can we go and have a look?"

Yang Tianhu nodded in agreement, saying:

"Sure, let us go and take a look no matter how they are rare mummies. It's said they are more than one thousand years." 

Upon hearing that the Grand Marshal and his family were coming to the exhibition hall for the Zhou&Nie's mummy, Chief Zheng of the Cultural Relics Bureau immediately took charge, ensuring that they would have a pleasant and enjoyable visit. The entire bureau was cleaned spotless and all the staff stood at attention at the entrance, ready to greet the Grand Marshal and his family. Zhou Di also stood among them, watching the large family with a bit of astonishment. He couldn't help but look at Yang Chen with a mischievous smile. At the same time, he also felt sorry to Yang Chen. Yang Chen, noticing this, glanced back at Zhou Di, playfully winking at him when everyone was focusing on his parents. It was their first meeting since Zhou Di had moved out of the villa.

Chief Zheng promptly instructed Zhang Zhen:

"Leader Zhang, come here and tell the Grand Marshal and his famiy about these antiquities."

Yang Chen said:

"Well, I have already seen them. You go ahead. I'm not in competition with you."

Seeing Zhou Di standing quietly in a corner while others moved forward, Yang Chen walked over to him. He sneakily grabbed Zhou Di's hand, pinching it lightly and said with a smile:

"Do you miss me?"

Reaching back to grasp Yang Chen's finger, Zhou Di playfully responded:

"No."

Yang Chen jokingly responded:

"You little bastard! How dare you not to miss me! Be careful, I might find a chance to fuck you."

Zhou Di's expression suddenly turned serious as he lowered his head, saying in low voice:

"Chen Ge, I'm getting married."

Yang Chen was taken aback, feeling a pang of uncomfortably as he replied:

"Really? What do you want me to say? Congratulations?"

Yang Chen's tone held a mixture of resignation and bitterness.

"Chen Ge, I ..."

"You don't need to say anything. I understand you don't have any choice. I not only am married but also have a son. How could I ask you to stay single for me? I just hope you won't give up on our relationship, like those two over there, staying together forever." Yang Chen looked at the pair of embraced mummies from a thousand years ago and then asked with a hint of sarcasm, "When is the wedding? If I have time, I'd like to attend."

"My grandpa is discussing with the bride's family. It should be after Mid-Autumn Festival. Her father hopes that the girl can spend this festival at home. Her grandmother isn't in good health and her family wants the girl to spend more time with the old lady. Our marriage is also intended to bring joy to her grandmother."

"Yeah, it's time for you to get married. I was already a father when I was your age. Congratulations!"

After saying this, Yang Chen looked at Zhou Di and smiled with a sense of helplessness and sadness. Zhou Di couldn't hold back his tears and softly called out in lower voice:

"Chen Ge."

"Don't be like this. Be a man! Wipe your tears. I promise you that I'll be waiting for you here no matter whether you give up or not."

"No, I'll never give up."

At this moment, Mrs. Yang suddenly raised her voice, breaking their emotional moment:

"Suqiao and Fengtian, take your children away quickly. Sanhua and Sihua, turn your heads around quickly. Don't look at this any more. It is not only vulgar but also disgusting. I was cheated by Chen and Jing. It's truly nauseating. And you, Mr. Zheng, are also shameless for displaying this."

Upon hearing Mrs. Yang's outburst, Zhou Di's face turned pale and his heart sank further. Yang Chen felt uneasy. He whispered to Zhou Di:

"Don't act impulsively and let me handle it."

Then he stepped forward and said:

"Mom, what's the matter now? This is the Cultural Relics Bureau, not the Department of Ethical Code. They are more value on their archaeological. And it has been more than one thousand years. Given their current state, if not for the explanation, who could tell whether they are men or women?"

Yang Jing tried to support his brother once again, saying:

"Eldest brother is..."

But his words were cut off by Mrs. Yang:

"Shut up! I don't understand any archaeological value. They're just here to attract the people coming to see, men, women and even children. How inappropriate it is! If you say there's archaeological value, then let them study it archaeologically. No problem! But why do you display them in public?"

Yang Chen didn't want to argue this with his mother so he compromised:

"Okay, mom, okay, let's leave. If you think it is disgusting, please don't look at them any more. Let's go home."

Mrs. Yang persisted, saying:

"Chen, it's not that mom is narrow-minded. But look at this placed here. It's quite unsightly to see them them embracing each other like this. There is even a sign saying: 'Please don't separate us. I want to hold my baby in my arms.' It is horrible. What kind of words are these? My Grand Marshal, you have to ask them to stop displaying it anymore. Please?"

Yang Tianhu agreed:

"Your mom makes a valid point. It's indeed unsightly displayed it here. Chief Zheng, it is better to pack them up."

But before action could be taken, someone interjected:

"Wait a moment."

Zhou Di stepped forward, bowing deeply to Yang Tianhu and Mrs. Yang, saying:

"Grand Marshal, Madam, my name is Zhou Di, an employee here. I have no intention of offending any of you but I have a few words to say."

Not waiting Zhou Di to argue with his mother, Yang Chen shouted:

"Zhou Di, shut up. Leader Zhang, please pull him away."

"Young Marshal, please let me speak out. I will leave on my own, no need for anyone to pull me away. Grand Marshal, Madam, what you find unacceptable is simply two boys embracing each other. They, obviously, are the gay. Regardless of whether we acknowledge about them or accept their relationship or not, they had embraced each other. Moreover, their embrace has lasted for more than one thousand years. However, our history spans much longer than a mere thousand years. As for homosexuality, how many people have been gays throughout the course of our history? They are just one of many same-sex pairs pairs. During the Warring States period (476 B.C --- 221 B.C), a king of the Wei Kingdom shared the same bed with Mr. Longyang. To avoid causing Longyang any distress, the king ordered a nationwide ban on mentioning beautiful people, leading to the saying of Longyang's love for the homosexuality. Similarly, Wei Linggong, a king in a small kindom during Spring and Autumn period (770 B.C --- 476 B.C), was walking in the orchard garden with Mi Zixia, his boyfriend. Mi Zixia found a peach very sweet so he shared half of his peach to Wei Linggong, hence the tale of sharing a peach. During the Han Dynasty (202 B.C --- 220 A.D), Emperor Ai and Dong Xian, his favorited minister, shared a bed slept. Emperor Ai found that Dong Xian was lying on his sleeve so he had to cut his sleeve by a knife to avoid waking up Dong Xian. So we also call the homosexuality as Broken Sleeve. All of these stories have been passed down for thousands of years. These people were revered our ancient kings or emperors, yet they could still accept this kind of love. What's more, how many gays have also shared this kind of love during the long history? No one knows but this kind of love must have existed. We have never heard of anyone being socially rejected because of this. Why does it suddenly become vulgar and disgusting in our modern society? Or perhaps, in our society, we preach morality and righteousness but engage in all sorts of immoral behavior in secret. Of course, I'm not saying such relationships are admirable and even promoting pedophilic behavior. On the contrary, such actions are truly vulgar and disgusting. What I mean is that this is also a form of love, a same-sex love, rather than the conventional love between a man and a women, which the common people can accept. I think this is about private sexual orientation." 

He paused and sighed at this moment. And then he turned around to the dried mummy in the glass coffin. With tears in his eyes, he continued his words:

"Please don't separate us, I want to hold my baby in my arms. It is commonly known that it is easy to accept the love between man and woman in our society. If Nie Huanzhang's baby were a girl, we would definitely be moved by their love. Let us image how many novels, movies, art books and songs to praise and celebrate their love and how man narratives depict their ways of loving each other. However, I regret to say that his baby is a boy, Zhou Chuyu, who was less than twenty years old when he died and Nie Huanzhang took poison to die directly for the sake of his beloved. He was barely twenty-five when he died. Why shouldn't we accept them in our time?"

He wiped away tears streaming down his face as he spoke.