Upon hearing that Ding Youtian was a commoner, Lord Fang's smile faded sharply, though he managed to conceal it well. However, Ding Youtian still noticed it, and his gaze grew colder, though he remained silent.

The two adults were invited to the ancestral hall by the villagers like stars in the sky. The noise outside disturbed the children in the clan school and they could not sit still. Master Chen knocked the ruler in his hand loudly, asking the children to turn a deaf ear to the outside world and concentrate on reading the books of sages.

The children weren't afraid of Master Chen, but they were terrified of his ruler. A few hits would have made them lose their balance, unable to even hold their bowls and chopsticks. They calmed down for a moment and followed his swaying movements as he read. The two adults, accompanied by the village head, clan leader, and Ding Youtian, had just arrived outside the school for an inspection.

Seeing that the children were all concentrating on following the teacher's study, Master Fang nodded. The village head and the clan leader smiled brightly, but when his eyes swept over the several female students in the schoolhouse, his brows furrowed.

"A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. Furthermore, it is inappropriate for men and women to study together, as it can easily distract them. Of course, this government simply discourages this practice, not prohibits it."

He said a few casual words, which frightened the village head and the clan leader so much that their smiles froze on their faces. They both looked at Ding Youtian at the same time.

Ding Youtian's eyes were cold. This prefect was nothing special. He hadn't wanted to come to the ancestral hall earlier. If the village head hadn't pulled him, he would have walked away. Seeing them looking at him, he raised his lips slightly. "Studying is simply to broaden your mind and understanding. It's not a bad thing for a girl to learn a few words. As for how much you learn, the knowledge you gain is yours. Not everyone needs to study for the imperial examination."

Lord Fang said "Oh" when he heard this, then glanced at Ding Youtian and said, "I believe you are well-educated, but you just disdain the imperial examination. This has impressed me."

Ding Youtian remained calm, "I can only read a few words, how can I deserve your respect? Your Excellency, as the governor of this county, you are so kind to the people, even walking here. This is truly a blessing for the people of this county. With an official like you, the people can live and work in peace and contentment. Your Excellency is truly remarkable."

Lord Fang laughed but felt a little annoyed in his heart, thinking that Ding Youtian was implying that he was walking to the countryside but making such a big fuss about it, as if he was trying to gain official reputation.

In his heart, he labeled Ding Youtian a troublemaker, but because Huo Jincheng and Wei Dong were there and he couldn't figure out the relationship between them, he kept silent and kept a decent smile on his face.

At this point, Huo Jincheng said with a half-smile, "I just learned today that Brother Ding has remained a poor man only because he disdained the imperial examinations. Indeed, Brother Ding is now a wealthy local tycoon, which is much more comfortable than being an official who always cares about the people."

"Is that so?" Ding Youtian squinted his eyes, "I'm just a small country vendor. How can I compare to Brother Huo, a wealthy tycoon? When it comes to freedom, Brother Huo is undoubtedly more experienced than I am. Compared to Brother Huo, I'm nothing but a small witch meeting a great witch."

Among the four classes of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, merchants were ranked last. Although Emperor Yongping was a merchant, his ancestors were from a declining family. After becoming emperor, he never admitted to being a merchant, and the social status of merchants remained low.

When Huo Jincheng mocked Ding Youtian's merchant status, he completely forgot that he had always been operating under the banner of a merchant. Ding Youtian took advantage of this opportunity, but he was unable to refute it. He could only laugh awkwardly and said, "Brother Ding has a sharp tongue. When it comes to talking, I'm afraid no one in the world can surpass Brother Ding."

They exchanged a few sharp words, and Lord Fang became increasingly confused about their relationship. To be able to hold the position of a prefectural governor, his cunning was undoubtedly unmatched by ordinary people. He remained calm and smiled, changing the subject.

Although Master Chen was a pedantic scholar, he had the integrity of a scholar. Knowing that there were prefects and county magistrates among the group of people outside the teaching building, he still did what he was supposed to do and didn't even glance outside.

The prefect and the county magistrate were not superhumans; they were just like ordinary people, with a head on one shoulder. Far from being curious, he kept his eyes fixed on the children sitting below. If anyone dared to glance out the window, his gaze would immediately follow.

Therefore, all the children in the dormitory looked straight ahead, following his rhythm and reading aloud. Lord Fang was also amazed when he saw this. He felt the same as Huo Jincheng, that this humble little village was full of strange people.

After returning to the ancestral hall and settling in for a short rest, Lord Fang suggested going to the hybrid grain fields. This was the reason he had come. The credit had fallen to him, and as the chief official of the county, he naturally wanted to learn about it and see what it was like.

Ding Youtian didn't want to accompany him any longer and tried to leave, but Huo Jincheng pulled him back. "Brother Ding, you were the one who first proposed hybrid grains. How can you not go? Let's go together."

The village head wouldn't let him go, so he had no choice but to continue playing along, feeling annoyed. Fortunately, Ma Xiaomai and Ma Xiaodou were also among the crowd watching the excitement, so he found a chance to talk to Ma Xiaomai. Ma Xiaomai nodded, and then he led Ma Xiaodou to find Jian Ning.

Jian Ning was reading mail in Dabao's room. The courier had just delivered two letters, one from Mei Niang and the other from Ah Man. Jian Ning gave Ah Man's letter to Dabao and read Mei Niang's first. In it, Mei Niang sincerely invited the whole family to Zhuling County for the New Year. Perhaps because she was pregnant, her words were filled with the joy of impending motherhood.

Mei Niang's letter also contained a page of Qin Yifan's letter to Ding Youtian. Jian Ning took a look at it and found that he also strongly invited their whole family to celebrate the New Year there.

"What did Ah Man write?" She finished reading Mei Niang's letter, folded it, and looked at the letter in Da Bao's hand. "Is she okay?"

"Her handwriting is so ugly, you can take a look at it yourself." Dabao gave the letter to Jian Ning. She took it and looked at it. She felt that what Ah Man wrote was more like a calligraphy practice than a letter.

The paper was filled with the names of Dad, Mom, Dabao and the other four, as well as the family pet. Although they were crooked, it was quite impressive. She had only been back for a short time, but she had learned so many words, and every word was written by herself. It was pretty good.

Like Mei Niang's letter, there was also a piece of paper written by the Taifu in Ah Man's tone. It seemed that the grandfather and grandson had a very good relationship now.

In addition to playing the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, Ah Man is also learning needlework. At the end of the letter, the Taifu told Jian Ning that he promised Ah Man that as long as she studied hard, he would send her to Dingjia Village to live for a while next summer. He asked Jian Ning to mention this in her reply so that she could rest assured.

"Bao'er, since Ah Man has written a letter herself, I think you should be the one to reply. When you're better, how about writing her a letter on behalf of your sisters?"

"No need to wait until she's well. Just write a few words. Wait until my eldest sister comes home from school and see if they have anything to tell her. I'll write it all tonight and send it to her tomorrow. Maybe she'll still receive it before the New Year."

Dabao remembered that Ah Man had asked her grandfather to tell him in the letter that Maoqiu belonged to both of them. If she saw that Maoqiu had become thin because of him when she came next summer, she would definitely not forgive him for what he said. He looked up and asked Jian Ning, "Mom, her grandfather is trying to trick her into studying and has no intention of letting her stay here next summer, right?"