The town's school was actually a private school. The teacher, surnamed Mo, was forty-eight years old and had been taking the imperial examinations two years ago. He took the exam every three years, but never passed. However, he had produced many second-place and third-place candidates, as well as juren. Although he had never produced a top scholar, many families still sent their children to study there.

Ding Youtian was also a student of Master Mo, and Master Mo had a deep impression of him, mainly because of his outstanding appearance. Master Mo thought he was also talented in writing, and even considered him the most talented student he had ever taught. However, his fate was unfortunate, just like his own.

Seeing that Ding Youtian was very enthusiastic, Mr. Mo first felt sorry for him when they met, and then encouraged him to continue taking the exam. He took himself as an example and vowed to pass the high school entrance examination in his lifetime, with the ambition to live and take the exam until he was a hundred years old.

"I will listen to you, Master. I will take the exam again in February next year." Ding Youtian said with a smile.

"That's great! That's great! When you pass the exam, next September, you and I will go to the exam hall together as teacher and student. If we can both pass, it will be a great blessing in life. How wonderful! How wonderful!"

A young woman came in with tea, glanced at Ding Youtian, and called out in a delicate voice, "Brother, please have some tea."

"This is... Mingyue? Little Mingyue? You've grown up so big in the blink of an eye. You were just a little girl this tall back then." Ding Youtian compared their heights and smiled again, "Have you talked about your in-laws? When are you getting married? Then, I'll ask your sister-in-law to give you some dowry."

"Senior brother!" Mo Mingyue blushed slightly, "Why do you make fun of me when we meet? It's annoying!" She stomped her foot, turned around and ran away.

Master Mo said, "This girl has a high heart, and she hasn't said anything about me yet."

"If I remember correctly, Mingyue should be eighteen years old, right?" At this age, he hasn't even mentioned his in-laws yet, and his wife gave birth to Dabao at the age of eighteen.

"Let her be. Are these kids here to study?" Mr. Mo pointed at Dabao and the others. Ding Youtian smiled and said, "Exactly. This is the little boy Ding Cheng, and this is Ma Xiaomai..."

Ding Youtian introduced them one by one. Ding Sheng saw him talking and laughing with the teacher at ease, and then looked at his father, who was speechless and timid when seeing the teacher. He suddenly regretted letting his father come. He should have followed Ding Youtian like the Ma brothers.

Dabao, Ding Sheng, and the three Ma brothers all enrolled in the He character class. Ding Gui and Ding Quan, two brothers who had only started a few days earlier, also attended the He character class. There were four classes in total: Heaven, Earth, Humanity, and Harmony. Their teacher was Mr. Mo. Normally, he taught the class he was teaching, while the students in the other three classes studied on their own, eating lunch at the private school. The monthly tuition, including lunch, was six hundred wen, a hundred wen more than Ding Youtian's tuition. However, if paid annually, it would amount to six taels of silver.

Ding Youtian and Ding Pingshun paid the tuition to Dabao and Ding Sheng on an annual basis. The three Ma brothers paid monthly because Tian had only given Ding Youtian two taels of silver. At this time, Tian was worried about the three children's education. It cost eighteen taels of silver a year, not including the gift money for the teacher during the New Year.

She couldn't understand why Ma Fuquan thought of sending the children to school. She had never heard him mention such a plan before. Like Chang, she could earn thirty-five or sixty taels of silver a year. With Ma Fuquan's ten taels a year, the family could have lived a good life and could have saved money for the three children to get married.

Although Ma Fuquan said she didn't need to worry about the children's education, could she not worry? She suddenly felt that having a son was a loss, and she envied Jian Ning and Chang Shi. Having a daughter was still better, because daughters were so close to their mothers. Unlike her three boys, they would rather hold her hands and play with her, and would never help her make a doll, because they were too clumsy and couldn't make it well.

Life was hard when I didn’t make money before, and it’s still hard now that I can make money. This money never feels like it’s enough. Wouldn’t it be great if I didn’t have to worry about money all the time?

Tian was in a bad mood all morning, and by noon she was furious. Ma Xiaomai had returned with Ma Xiaodou, and the two brothers, saying that studying wasn't fun, refused to go back. Tian asked where the money was. Ma Xiaomai replied that it was lost. Furious, Tian grabbed a firewood stick and chased him from one end of the village to the other, then back again, all the way around Dingjia Village three times, but still couldn't catch him.

Tian was so angry that he threatened to break his legs if he dared to come back. Ma Xiaodou ran to tell Ma Xiaomai what he had said. Ma Xiaomai was still very careful about his legs. He ran to the mountain and saw that he had trapped an antelope and a hare. He threw the hare in his yard and carried the antelope to the town.

Ma Xiaomai went directly to Laifu Restaurant to find Ding Laoliu, sold the antelope to Zhang Mazi, and asked Ding Laoliu how to get to the county town. When he learned that Ding Laoliu wanted to go to the county town to find his father, Ding Laoliu tried to persuade him for a long time but failed, and he ran away.

He didn't run towards Dingjia Village. Ding Laoliu was afraid that he really went to the county town. He had a big mouth, so even if he didn't tell Ma Xiaomai, Ma Xiaomai could find out by asking others.

Lao Liu asked someone to bring a message back to Jian Ning. Before the person who brought the message arrived, Yang Jinyu sent Huo Jincheng's daughter A'man there first.

Yesterday, Huo Jincheng saw Luo Junxian being arrested in the town. He was worried that some of Prince Yong's men were also in Baisha Town. He was afraid that they would know his whereabouts and cause trouble for Taigong and Yang Jinyu, so he packed up and went to the county town.

Ah Man arrived early this morning, and it happened that there were many patients today. This idiot was tortured by Yang Jinyu all morning, and also made Taigong very angry. He started crying and howling at the top of his lungs, so loud that people halfway down the street could hear him.

As a last resort, Yang Jinyu had to find time to bring her to his master, who also had a little girl of about fourteen or fifteen years old.

"Master, there's really no other way. Jin Cheng has instructed me to send his daughter to you. If there's any way I can help, I won't bother you anymore. Please forgive me."

"Can you get her away?"

"……cannot."

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!