After Ding Pingshun delivered the vegetables to Zhang Mazi Restaurant early in the morning, he came back and picked up a load of vegetables to go to the West Street Market. Before he had sold them for long, he heard the news that the Zhuling County government had stopped purchasing high-priced grain because relief grain from the imperial court had arrived.

When Ding Pingshun heard the news, he felt a chill down his spine and was filled with fear. If Chang hadn't quarreled with him, all his family's money would have been lost!

He squatted in front of the vegetable stall like an idiot. When people came to buy vegetables and asked him the price, he pretended not to hear. He was estimating in his mind how much money he would lose if he could complete the sale.

You don’t know until you calculate it, and you’ll be shocked when you do.

A grain ship couldn't just turn around mid-journey; it needed the approval of the other merchants. Even if everyone agreed, the boatman would still charge the agreed-upon round-trip freight rate. Merchants specializing in grain would sell their grain wherever it went, and they wouldn't agree to a U-turn just to save half the freight.

Once the grain is transported to Zhuling County, there is a daily charge for parking it at the dock after unloading. If he uses the little money he has to buy the grain and rent a cargo ship to transport it back, then a basket of vegetables will be sold at the price of pork.

You can only wait for the boatman to sail when he is full. Every extra day spent at the Zhuling County dock costs an extra day's money, and if the weather is bad, the boat can't sail. If you are hauling a few carts of food around the county town, you are unfamiliar with the place and there is a risk of being robbed.

I can't think about it, I can't think about it. The more I think about it, the more scared I get. Fortunately, he didn't succeed in this deal. Now Old Ding's family is in big trouble!

He had just finished feeling scared, but the next moment he fell, he started to gloat over the misfortune. He hurriedly packed up the vegetable stall and came back, unable to wait to see Old Ding and his family crying and wailing.

Once upon a time, when his parents were still alive, his father had to go to Old Ding to borrow eighty cents to arrange a marriage for the Chang family. Old Ding not only refused to lend the money but also ridiculed his father in public. His father, a man of great ambition, fell ill soon after returning home. He had just married and sent his father away a few days later. This anger had always lingered in his heart, otherwise he would not have fallen ill.

Ding Pingshun returned to the village carrying his load. What surprised him was that he could not see anyone in front or behind. Just as he was wondering, Old Ding bumped into him.

"Uncle, something big has happened, you still don't know?"

"Fart!"

Old Ding thought he was going to talk about the carriage team coming to the village, so he glanced at him with disgust and subconsciously took two steps back.

He didn't want to get too close to the tuberculosis patient. Even though he heard that Jane Ning had cured his disease, he still felt uncomfortable.

It's not easy to tear off the label of tuberculosis once it's stuck.

Ever since Old Dingtou and Ding Youtian completely severed their relationship, news about them was always brought to his attention. For example, he heard about the butcher who extorted several hundred coins from Ding Youtian for two chickens, Jian Ning who cut open someone's stomach to take the baby out, and the fact that all the fees collected by the Huimin Medical Clinic for treating San Gouzi's injuries went to the village. He heard everything.

Yesterday, he and Mrs. Meng were at home scolding Jian Ning and the others for being stupid, for letting the village head and the clan leader, those two old guys, fool them. If they didn't sever ties with them, with those two old guys backing them up, could the clinic's fees be owned by the village?

You’re dreaming!

If you don't earn money, who will care about you? Isn't that butcher a living example? How much game did she trade for secret water? Then she turns around and scolds you for two chickens, and then extorts money from you.

So stupid, so stupid!

While Old Ding was thinking about these things, Ding Pingshun finished saying what he needed to say. After he finished speaking, he saw that his brows were furrowed, which was completely different from the reaction he expected. In his heart, he admired the old man for being so calm and pretending. He might go back and close the door and burst into tears.

"Dad, why are you here?" When Ding Pingshun wanted to provoke Old Ding a few more times, his eldest daughter came over with her younger sister on her back.

Daya had come with the villagers to watch the fun. She told Ding Pingshun, "Everyone in the village has signed up, except our family and Xiaodouzi's family. Oh, and Fifth Grandma's family and..."

She glanced at Old Ding, who had a gloomy face, and stopped talking.

Daya is half a year older than Da Niu. She couldn't explain exactly what happened, but she only knew that they were the only families in the village who didn't sign up.

"Dad, go ask them yourself. They're all over there." She pointed toward the fields. "I'm going to collect firewood."

Ding Pingshun thought that it must be a good thing that only a few households did not sign up. He had to go and take a look. If there was any good thing, his family could not fall behind.

He left Old Ding behind and picked up the load.

Hey, why did this person leave?

Old Ding came to his senses and tilted his head to think about it. It seemed that Ding Pingshun had just chatted with him about something, but he had no recollection of what he had said.

Turning around, he saw him carrying a load and heading towards the farmland. Old Ding cursed inwardly, then left with his hands behind his back.

Ding Pingshun went over with his load on his shoulder and saw that everyone was there. There was a row of horse-drawn carriages parked on the roadside. He said, "Why is there no one in the village? I guess they all came here."

A greenhouse had been built in the village head's fields, but its roof wasn't an arched one, but a pointed triangular one. Weidong was truly no ordinary chief eunuch; his bare hands could instantly transform into a red-hot furnace, capable of directly heat-forming colored glaze and seamlessly welding the pieces together.

When Wei Dong was performing his kung fu, his men surrounded him, but Jian Ning and Ding Youtian witnessed the whole process. Ding Youtian was no longer surprised by it, but Jian Ning knew that it was the Red Flame Palm. If you were hit by it, you wouldn't feel anything at the time, but a few days later a flaming palm print would appear on the wound, and your internal organs would feel like they were being roasted by flames, and you would eventually be burned to death in unbearable pain.

Jian Ning had heard from her master that one must castrate oneself before practicing this martial art. It turned out that the old man was a eunuch. She thought Wei Dong was the first eunuch she had seen since she came to this time and space, and she couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.

Ding Pingshun came to ask someone and learned that the village head and others had received 12,000 taels of silver notes. Anyone who signed up to participate in the hybrid grain trial planting would receive a reward, but he was troubled about how to register with Ding Youtian.

He secretly calculated that he couldn't make much money selling vegetables, and Jian Ning didn't pay him for preparing meals for several children every day. It would be better for him to come back and try growing hybrid crops, otherwise they would have to watch helplessly as the money was distributed among the households in the village.

No, he had to talk to his wife and ask her to tell Jane Ning that he quit and wanted to come back to try growing hybrid crops.

Ding Pingshun turned around and went to find Chang. When Chang saw that he had brought the vegetables back, she asked him what was going on and why he came back instead of selling them in town.

He gestured for Chang to go outside and talk. Chang said, "I'm busy here. The fourth brother and his wife are not here. How can I leave? If you have something to say, just say it here."

"If he asks you to go, then go. There are a few of us here." Tian waved her hand. "Go quickly and come back soon. I'll help you for a while."

"Tell me, what's the matter?" When they got outside, Chang urged impatiently.