After the meal was served, the clan leader ordered tea to be served. The Grand Tutor spoke with a smile and proposed to adopt Ding Youtian as his adopted son.

When the village head, clan leader and elders heard that the teacher from the capital wanted to adopt Ding Youtian as his adopted son, and that he was the father of a wealthy man, they thought it was a piece of cake!

Seeing that Ding Youtian didn't agree immediately, the village head thought he was so happy that he was stupid, and hurriedly urged him, "Why don't you agree quickly? The teacher is such a learned man. As your adoptive father, he must give you some guidance on your studies. Maybe next year you can pass the examination for Tongsheng, and even better, you may even pass the examination for Xiucai."

"Yes, respond quickly!" the patriarch also urged.

Ding Youtian had never expected that the Grand Tutor would want to adopt him as his adopted son. He was not mentally prepared at all. After a few days of getting along with him, he had a very good impression of the Grand Tutor. If he were an ordinary person, it would be fine to have him as his adoptive father.

The key point is that he is not an ordinary person but a Taifu, which makes Ding Youtian very embarrassed. He does not want to curry favor with the powerful, nor does he have the intention to do so.

After a brief pause, he stood up and bowed, saying, "Master, please forgive me. It's not that I'm ungrateful, but Master has been so kind to me, and I've always considered him like a father. I still need to consult my Master on this matter, and I need his approval."

"That's absolutely right. It's what should happen. I didn't think it through enough. I'll wait until you report to your teacher." The Taifu was even happier and didn't forget to glance at Wei Dong.

Meaning: You see, you can’t just adopt a child as an adopted son whenever you want. You need the approval of the elders.

Why are you so proud? Although you are the Grand Tutor, I am not willing to be your adopted son. Wei Dong suddenly thought that if Ding Youtian became his disciple, the Grand Tutor would surely be very happy.

"Little brother, your master taught you how to brew wine and tell fortunes, right? Then do you want to find a master who can teach you martial arts? Like ours."

Weidong saw that Jian Ning knew some martial arts, and Ding Youtian seemed a little henpecked, presumably because he couldn't beat his wife, so he fully expected that Jian Ning would be overjoyed and would agree immediately after hearing this.

Unexpectedly, each word was just a rejection. Ding Youtian thought of his palms that were as red as charcoal, and was worried that if he became his disciple and learned his skills, he would hurt Jian Ning in the future.

He refused decisively, and the Grand Tutor laughed heartily. "Old Wei, do you think everyone wants to be your disciple? Only those with poor Kung Fu skills would want to be your disciple. Someone like you, who has absolutely no Kung Fu skills, wouldn't be interested at all. You'd better give up."

Don't you just want to go against him?

The Grand Tutor was feeling quite pleased with himself. At least Ding Youtian didn't reject him outright. He found that he enjoyed seeing Wei Dong suffer a setback more and more.

Wei Dong was also very depressed. You know, countless eunuchs and guards in the palace chased him and begged him to be their master and adopt him as their adoptive father. But he only accepted Huo Jincheng as his apprentice and adopted son. He was not the kind of person who would accept apprentices or adopted sons casually.

Of course, the little eunuchs don’t count.

He had several young eunuch apprentices in the palace, all of whom were taught how to do things, not martial arts. Initially, he hadn't been so eager to accept Ding Youtian as his apprentice, but to provoke the Grand Tutor, after Ding Youtian refused, he had some thoughts of accepting him as his apprentice.

It has to be said that this old man Wei Dong is quite persistent. He has been pestering Ding Youtian the whole afternoon to persuade him to become his disciple. Ding Youtian even wants to drag him to Blind Liu to see him and give him a sense of crisis. If he doesn't treat him as his master, someone else will take his place.

Dinner was still eaten in the ancestral hall, but there was no buffet in the courtyard; only a few tables were set up. Blind Liu still didn't come, so Ding Youtian once again brought the meal.

After dinner, the Grand Tutor took Lai Xi to the town on foot. Wei Dong's group set up camp outside the clinic in the afternoon, so as not to show off in the town and attract the attention of Prince Yong's men, which would ruin the prince's plans.

They set up camp in the back mountain, which made Lao Wu very anxious. He deeply regretted not killing Liu Xiazi at noon and snatching the silver. Having missed the opportunity, he set his sights on his own home, waiting for his eldest brother to come back with the silver before he could find a way to steal it.

He planned to go to the town tomorrow to inquire about the news, and by the way, go to Tu Yidao to plead for mercy, asking them to give him another day or two and not to raise the interest. He would definitely pay back the 150 taels, and at worst he could win it back next time.

The village head had held a family meeting that evening. In the afternoon, relatives and friends had approached him to borrow money, offering various excuses, all of which he had declined. When he arrived home, he heard the second and third wives arguing with Chunying. A married daughter had returned to her parents' home with a sullen face to take advantage, and the two wives naturally couldn't tolerate her. The village head was so angry that he kicked the stool away.

He glared and scolded, "You guys can't do your work, but you're good at calculating."

The second son's wife whispered, "The dead man still knows how to guard the coffin."

"What did you say?"

"No, nothing."

"You don't have it, but I do. Come in, I have something to say."

The village head decided to return all the 10,000 taels of silver to the village. This was a decision he made after a day of careful consideration. He consulted the Grand Tutor for his opinion. The Grand Tutor did not tell him what to do, but only analyzed it for him.

The Grand Tutor said that with the 10,000 taels of silver, they could buy a house in the town and the whole family could live a life of luxury without doing anything.

But what about the next generation?

They couldn't just sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Their roots lay in the countryside, and the land was their foundation. Only by relying on their own abilities and stepping out step by step could they survive and establish roots. The Grand Tutor gave an example: if you pull crops too high, they will soon wither because they don't grow on their own.

The head of the village agreed with the Taifu's words, but except for his wife and his youngest daughter Qiuying, everyone in the family strongly opposed him doing so, especially his three sons.

"Am I discussing this with you? I'm just letting you know. I don't need your approval or disapproval. I want to set up a clan school in the ancestral hall. The village will pay for the writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone. I'll let Ding Youtian teach first, and we'll talk about it later when we find a teacher."

"Dad, he's not even a student, the teacher has to be a scholar!" Chunying was furious. If she had known this would happen, she would rather not have come back.

"Do I need you to remind me? What's there to be afraid of about clan studies? Just let him teach the kids a few words. It's not like he doesn't already know them. Why should you worry about that?"

"Dad," Qiuying asked, "Can I go to the clan school if it's established?"

"What's the point of reading for a girl? She's just letting her mind wander." Without waiting for the headman to speak, Chunying rolled her eyes at her sister.

"Sister! You're a woman too, how can you say that? What's wrong with knowing how to read? I think it's good to be able to read and write. Didn't Fourth Brother Ding get to where he is today by studying a few more years than others? I want to study!"

"Okay, my son has ambitions, and Dad supports you. When the clan school is established, you can go and study there. Learn as much as you can. When you can read and write in the future, our family will have a female teacher."

After notifying his family, the village head went to discuss the matter of setting up a clan school with the clan leaders and elders. When he passed by Old Ding's house, he saw that Fang and Lu had both returned.