The old beggar almost knelt down before Jian Ning, thanking her repeatedly. Despite having difficulty walking due to burns on his feet, he still insisted on limping to the canteen for lunch. Ding Youtian asked him to eat at the table, but he refused, squatting in the corner with his bowl of rice and eating silently.

After finishing his meal, he threw away his bowl, grabbed a broom, and went to sweep the yard, refusing to listen to anyone's advice. He insisted he couldn't eat for free, dragging his injured foot around the house, looking for work to do, refusing to be idle for a moment. By the evening, his injured foot was swollen. After dinner, he bent over and bowed to Jian Ning and Ding Youtian, thanked Yue'e and Qiaofeng, and then said goodbye.

"Stay." Ding Youtian saw that his feet were badly swollen and felt sorry for him. "The clinic is empty anyway, so you can stay for one night. If you really need to leave, you can leave after breakfast tomorrow."

After he said that, he looked at Jian Ning.

"Stay, Grandpa." Dabao and Da Niu also said.

"Don't go, grandpa. My mother will tell us some interesting stories later." Sanniu ran to block the door and stopped him from leaving.

Erniu was silent, a little hesitant. The old beggar was dressed in rags, and she didn't like him and despised him. But her brother, sister, and her father didn't dislike him. She was unsure what to do, so she glanced at Jian Ning.

"It's okay. An old beggar can find a place to stay for the night. I won't bother you." The old beggar may have felt that Jian Ning did not express his opinion, or perhaps he really did not want to bother them anymore, so he bowed and was about to leave.

"mother!"

“Master!”

Jian Ning glanced at Dabao and Qiaofeng. "Since you both want to stay, I can't be a bad person. So, you can stay." She said to the old beggar, "You need to apply some medicine on your foot before you go to bed. Stay for one night."

"Thank you, Master." Qiao Feng smiled. "Grandpa, my master asked you to stay. Don't leave. I'll apply medicine to you before you go to bed."

As she spoke, she went forward to pull him. His lips trembled a few times, and he bowed to Jian Ning and Ding Youtian again, "Don't worry, the old beggar won't stay here. Thank you!"

He turned around and prepared to go to the clinic, but Sanniu blocked the door, spread her legs, looked up at him and smiled, "Grandpa, come and listen to my mother's stories with us."

Qiaofeng also wanted him to stay.

"Well, let the old beggar listen too."

He still squatted in the corner and refused to sit down, saying that he was dirty and was afraid of dirtying the stool.

Qiaofeng was afraid that he would be cold, so she brought him a small stove and a small stool, and sat with him in the corner, waiting for the three Ma brothers to come and listen to Jian Ning's stories.

When the three brothers of the Ma family came, they also brought Ding Sheng.

Ding Sheng came to help his mother, Chang, pass on a message. Chang had something to do tomorrow, so she was given a day off and would have to come back to work the day after tomorrow.

Seeing the obvious finger marks on Ding Sheng's face, Jian Ning knew that Chang and Ding Pingshun had probably quarreled again, and might even have fought. The marks on Ding Sheng's face were probably caused by them trying to break up the fight, but she didn't know which of them had hit him.

She wanted to ask, but she knew Ding Sheng was always sensitive and delicate. It was not easy to ask him in front of the three Ma brothers and her own children, fearing that he would lose face. So she nodded and said, "Go back and tell your mother that I know, and we'll come later."

Ding Sheng listened without saying a word and turned away.

When he reached the door, he turned his head again. Jian Ning happened to be looking towards the door, and their eyes met. He was obviously startled, lowered his head, and hurried away.

Jian Ning followed him with her gaze. In a split second, she saw the hatred in Ding Sheng's eyes, and that hatred was directed at her.

This made her feel quite unhappy. She didn't owe their family anything. In the past, she only thought that Ding Sheng was introverted and too sensitive and delicate. Now she was surprised to find that the child didn't seem to have the temperament of Chang, but was more like Ding Ping.

Suppressing her unhappiness, she began to tell the story. Blind Liu was resting in town today and did not come, so Ding Youtian was still transcribing the story. Guoguo was lying at his feet, and the four little foxes were also lying at the feet of their respective masters.

After Jian Ning finished telling the story, Guo Guo and the four little foxes were a little drowsy. Ding Youtian picked up Guo Guo and returned to the main house. After Jian Ning came over, she mentioned Ding Sheng to him. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"

"I'm not blind, I see it clearly. To be honest, it's really unpleasant. I'm not trying to show off, nor do I want to argue with a half-grown child like him. I cured his father's illness and provided his mother with an income. If he is sensible, he shouldn't be grateful to me, but at least he shouldn't hate me, right?"

"No, I have to remind Baoer not to get too close to him in the future. Stay away from him."

She was about to go find Dabao, but Ding Youtian stopped her and said, "Bao'er is steady and prudent. He knows what's going on. It would be bad for us as parents to deliberately remind him."

"No, no matter how steady he is, he's still a child. Have you forgotten what happened with Sanniang and her son? We don't intend to harm others, but we must be on guard. You didn't see the look he gave me earlier. I'm telling Bao'er to be on guard and stay away from him from now on. It won't do any harm."

"If that's the case, then if you want to talk about it, choose a suitable opportunity. There's no need to be so eager to bring it up specifically; that would be counterproductive. Leave it to me. I'll find a chance to mention it to Bao'er."

"That's fine. As his father, it's better for you to talk to him about this. Be gentle and let him know what's going on. Don't try to be cold and distant to him."

"Don't worry, I know what's going on."

"Remember to find a chance to mention Bao'er. Don't take it lightly." Jian Ning said as she took the bamboo basket filled with rags. Ding Youtian raised his eyebrows again, "Let's not do it tonight. Go to bed early."

Jian Ning rolled her eyes at him, "What are you thinking about? The provincial examination is next month. Come back and get the top scorer in October, and we'll talk. Forget it now."

"I only told you to rest early. When did I ever say anything else? Or did you think about anything else? I'm afraid it wasn't you who was thinking about it?"

Jian Ning raised her eyebrow and glanced at him, "I'm upset. Are you looking for a fight?"

"I don't want to." After saying that, he opened the door curtain and walked into the inner room. Whether he was opening the door curtain or walking, his movements were quite large and he was obviously angry.

Jian Ning turned around, glared at the door curtain and shouted, "Try to do something else?"

The sound of flipping pages of books came from the inner room.

Jian Ning rolled her eyes and said, "I don't want to bother with you. If you have the guts, break your own fingers."

As the night deepened, the lights in the main house went out, and only a single lamp on the porch remained in the courtyard. Late in the night, the outer courtyard gate flew open without a breeze, and a dark figure flashed into the courtyard, tiptoeing toward the main house.

The wind was cold and the lights were swaying. A hunchbacked figure was projected on the corridor. He inserted a sharp knife into the door through the crack.