"Mom~ah——" Ma Xiaolu raised his little arm and pointed towards the front yard, his little body tilted up and down, meaning that he wanted to go to the front yard to play and didn't want to stay in the backyard.

"Oh, Xiaolu can already call me mom?" Jian Ning called out to the little guy, "Xiaolu, call me auntie. Come, let me hold you." She put down her handkerchief and stretched out her hands. Tian also made a gesture to hold her in her arms, "See if you want to hold me."

Ma Xiaolu hurriedly put one arm around Tian's neck and shook it with the other hand, refusing to let Jian Ning hug him.

"Just like Xiaomi, they are shy. My Xiaomai and Xiaodou are not shy at all. They can be carried by anyone, whether it's a human or a ghost. They always smile when anyone holds them. But the second and fourth ones are shy. It will take two days before they want you to hold them." After saying this, Tian said, "This is the princess's aunt. If the aunt is willing to hold you, you still..."

"Ah! Ah!" Before she could finish her words, Ma Xiaolu was already impatient. He tugged at her clothes with both hands and made a fuss about leaving. Jian Ning slapped him on the butt, "You bad boy!"

"Ahaha~" He laughed when Jane Ning clapped her hands. He turned around and swung his hands down vigorously, looking at Jane Ning with a smile and shouted loudly: "Hit!"

"Beat you! Auntie will beat you, you bad boy." Jane Ning turned sideways and slapped his little butt lightly. He was even happier, "Beat you!" He swung his little hand down hard again, and his saliva spurted out with excitement.

After the aunt and niece had laughed and joked for a few rounds, Jane Ning tried clapping her hands and said, "Come, auntie, hold me, okay?"

Just as Tian was about to say something, Ma Xiaolu suddenly fell towards Jian Ning. In such a short while, he actually wanted her to hold him. Tian changed her tone and said with a smile, "This really proves the old saying, 'A person's bones are fragrant when they are close to each other.' We are close relatives, so we have already recognized each other. If it were someone else, he wouldn't want to be held for two or three days. Even his father, if he hasn't been home for several days, he wouldn't want to be held for half an hour when he sees him for the first time."

"It's good to be shy. It means our little brains know how to think, right?" Jian Ning grabbed Xiaolu's hand and made "Ah-woo-ah-woo" sounds as if she was going to bite his hand, which made him giggle.

Tian was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. As she walked towards the front yard with Jian Ning, she said, "I'm afraid it's just as you said. No wonder my Xiao Mi is as good at studying as Da Bao. Those two shy kids just can't get into school no matter how hard they try. It seems Xiao Lu will also be a good student in the future."

"Of course. Our Xiaolu will also become the top scorer in the imperial examination like his uncle."

Tian was overjoyed when she heard this. Since the emperor read the letter written by Ma Xiaomai last year, she realized the benefits of reading. She had taken the initiative to ask Ma Fuquan to teach her how to read, but today she learned it and returned it to Ma Fuquan after waking up from a sleep.

Gradually she became lazy.

She couldn't concentrate on her studies, but that didn't hinder her progress in consciousness. If Xiaolu really could become the top scorer in the imperial examination like Ding Youtian... Oh, she couldn't close her mouth just thinking about it.

"If your auspicious words really come true, that would be great! His father would probably wake up laughing in his dreams. Hurry up and wait for Blind Liu to come back and have him give Xiaolu..." Tian stopped talking halfway and slapped her forehead with a smile, "Look at my memory. Blind Liu is out. He said it might take a year or two, maybe even three to five years."

"He left the key with me and asked me to pass it on to his uncle. I will go get it and send it to his uncle at the ancestral hall." Tian said as she carried Ma Xiaolu over.

In the ancestral hall, the clan leader, Ding Youtian and several clan elders washed their hands, straightened their clothes, and took the lead, holding three incense sticks in their hands to report to the ancestors that Ding Youtian, a descendant of Ding Dachuan, had won the top spot in the imperial examination. From then on, the Ding family had someone who had left the agricultural sector and entered the court as an official. This was an honor for the entire Ding family.

After the clan leader finished speaking, he motioned for Ding Youtian, who was wearing a bright red top scholar robe, to come forward. After Ding Youtian stepped forward and respectfully informed the ancestors, he spoke loudly to his grandfather Ding Dachuan's tablet: "Master, your unfilial grandson Ding Youtian has passed the imperial examination. I will strictly abide by the teachings of the Ding ancestors: be an upright person, be down-to-earth in my work, and leave a legacy of integrity in the world!"

Standing in the ancestral hall, facing the tablets of his ancestors, Ding Youtian felt a sense of mission and a touch of pride. But he was immediately reminded that Liu Xiazi had previously refused to accept him as his apprentice simply because he loved to show off his cleverness and boast about his achievements.

A full bucket of water does not shake, but a half-full bucket of water will shake violently.

Blind Liu had once told him this, pointing to Xiu Gu, a water bearer. At the time, Xiu Gu was only ten years old. He and Xiu Gu had drawn half a bucket of water from the river. They had agreed to take turns, but Xiu Gu waved him off. He followed Xiu Gu, and if she walked faster, the water would splash onto him.

That day, Blind Liu happened to pass by them, so he pointed to the water in the bucket and told him that he was the half bucket of water, and whenever he did something great, he would want to tell everyone in the village about it.

After informing the ancestors, they went to the outer room and took a seat. The clan leader and elders invited Ding Youtian to take the seat of honor. He bowed to them and said, "Never mind that I have only won the first place in the imperial examination, even if I really become the most powerful official in the future as my master said, when I return to Dingxian Village and enter the ancestral hall, I should respect the clan leader and elders in their presence. How can a young man like me take the seat of honor? Absolutely not! Uncles and aunts, please forgive me for not obeying your order!"

His heartfelt words made the clan leader and elders nod their heads frequently and give him a thumbs up.

The clan leader clasped his fists and said to the elders, "Everyone has heard what nephew Youtian said. In this case, I, the clan leader, will take advantage of my seniority and say a few words. Nephew Youtian is now an official. No one is allowed to ask nephew Youtian for personal matters and ask him to do things that violate the law. Nor are you allowed to use his power to oppress the villagers. Our Ding family has only had an official in over a hundred years. We must not tarnish his reputation. If I knew about this, I would definitely remove him from the family tree. No one would hesitate!"

The elders nodded in agreement.

Ding Youtian stood up and bowed deeply to the clan leader.

"Fourth brother, here's the key for you. It belongs to Uncle Liu's family and was sent by Ma Tian." A man took the key sent by Tian and gave it to Ding Youtian.

After leaving the ancestral hall, Ding Youtian took Guoguo to Liu Xiazi's house. Upon entering, they found a letter Liu Xiazi had left for him. Liu Xiazi explained that he was going to the Moon Kingdom to repay a favor he owed him in his early years and would not be returning anytime soon. He urged Ding Youtian not to dwell on himself and to be a dedicated official. He also wrote at the end of the letter that if he knew that Ding Youtian had exploited the people since becoming an official, he would come and take his head. He hoped Ding Youtian would take care of himself.

He really had gone to the Moon Kingdom. Putting the letter into his sleeve, Ding Youtian secretly wondered what favor his master owed Pei Xiyuan. Pei Xiyuan's life had been saved by his wife. Given his master's cultivation, it couldn't be that someone from Pei Xiyuan's family had saved his life before, had they? Or was it really as Jian Ning said, that any survivors of his master's family had fled to the Moon Kingdom?

Thinking of this, Ding Youtian became spirited and was eager to go back and tell Jian Ning that her guess was probably right. He locked the door and took Guoguo with him as they strode towards his home.

Guoguo followed him happily, and when it was only an arrow's distance away from home, it suddenly jumped up, spread its four hooves and rushed into the yard like lightning.

Then Baimei'er's panicked cry was heard in the yard.