Old Ding had gone out for a stroll in the morning to find some peace and quiet, but Erniu's call of "Master" had given him the idea of renewing his family ties, so he went back to ask Mrs. Meng for advice. Mrs. Meng felt for a moment that Old Ding was truly shameless!
I despised him deeply in my heart.
The severance letter has been stamped, the money has been taken, and the severed family ties can still be picked up and mended? Is this really the way to play it?
Damn old man!
It would be good to be able to pick it up and mend it, which would bring benefits to their family. After expressing her contempt, Meng hurriedly asked him what bargaining chip he had used to persuade Ding Youtian? Was he sure?
Seeing her eyes light up and her words expressing her reliance on him, Old Ding unconsciously straightened his back, adopted the tone of the head of the family, and snorted coldly, "What bargaining chips are you talking about? He is Ding Youtian's father, and Meng is Ding Youtian's mother. Without them, where would Ding Youtian be? How could he be born from a tree or grow from a field?"
They also said that they gave birth to him and raised him with great effort, and it wasn't like they gave him nothing after dividing the land! Although the old house didn't have a title deed, it was occupied by his parents back then! They gave him the food and the old house, and he wanted to buy off their kindness with just one hundred taels? Is there such a good thing?
Of course, he changed the subject. The fourth room was now promising and could make a lot of money. As parents, they didn't need to be angry with their own son. What was the point of arguing? It would just make a fool of themselves for others! Besides, everyone makes mistakes, and they, as parents, are no exception. They should just correct the mistakes they made in the past. Shouldn't they be allowed to correct their mistakes?
Meng's mind suddenly brightened for once, and she deeply understood the central guiding idea of Old Ding's words. They had given birth to Ding Youtian, and he was her son who was born after ten months of pregnancy and hard work. He was not blown up by the wind from the east, west, south, or north. How could the grace of giving birth to a child be bought away with money?
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that this made sense. They could use this as a backup plan, and they wouldn't resort to it unless it was absolutely necessary. Now that their fourth son was able to earn money, they, as parents, had to recognize this son. It was just a mistake, so what? Her reputation was not as valuable as silver.
The old couple made up their minds that to show their sincerity and give Si'er enough face, they decided to go out as a family in the evening and go to Si'er's house to apologize to him.
Just as they had finished their agreement, Ding Gui and Ding Quan came back from school. They cried and told each other what had happened in school that day.
Ding Gui and Ding Quan were Meng's beloved grandchildren, and she was counting on them to win her an imperial decree. She kept calling Dabao a little brat, then, feeling relieved, comforted Ding Gui and Ding Quan, saying, "What's a long gown?" Once their grandparents recognized the Fourth House as their own, she would give all the good things Dabao had to them, and any game they caught would be enjoyed by them first.
Ding Gui and Ding Quan didn't expect that not only were they not scolded when they returned home, but their grandmother also comforted them and said that she would give them all the new clothes for Dabao, and all the delicious food and drinks would be theirs. The two brothers were so excited that they patted their chests again and expressed to Meng that they would definitely pass the imperial examination and win an imperial decree for her!
Meng was heartened by this, thinking to herself that Dabao had always been stupid. Even if he was cured, he would probably follow the fourth son in his studies. What was the point of going to school? It would just be a waste of money like his father.
She thought that after she recognized the fourth brother, she would have to have a heart-to-heart talk with him. She suggested that it would be better to save the money for sending Dabao to school and train Ding Gui and Ding Quan well. In the future, when the two brothers became the top scorers in the imperial examinations, the whole Ding family would benefit from it, and it would also help the fourth brother's business. She could also decide to let Ding Gui and Ding Quan name the fourth brother's wine as the top scorer.
As soon as Meng entered the yard, she saw the wine jug on the dining table of Ma Fuquan and his friends who were having dinner in the yard. This was the wine for the future top scholar!
Listen, the wine for the top scholar, it sounds exciting, and a smile appeared on her face.
Old Ding was also smiling. Seeing the headman's face stern and about to stand up, he quickly raised his hands and waved, "Eat first, eat yours. We're not here to cause trouble, don't worry. Just eat yours peacefully, we won't disturb you. We'll be waiting on the side, don't worry."
Seeing that he and Meng were on good terms, Ding Youtian couldn't guess what they were up to. He was too lazy to guess. Anyway, the marriage certificate was on file in the government office, and the two witnesses, the head of the village and the head of the clan, were there. If they dared to cause trouble, the head of the village and the head of the clan would not sit idly by. It would be better to wait and see what they were trying to do.
The table in the courtyard outside was occupied by men. The three Ma brothers and Ding Sheng were also seated there. A large board padded the square table, and in the center sat two large bowls filled with dumplings, boiled in cold water. As Ding Gui and Ding Quan entered, they were greeted by the aroma of the dumpling filling, and they both wrinkled their noses and sniffed deeply.
Tonight they had mixed noodle porridge with sour pickles, and there was no oil or water in their stomachs. The two brothers stared at the two almost empty bowls of dumplings on the dining table, swallowing their saliva with greed.
Old Ding had promised not to disturb them while they ate, and true to form, he led his sons to a side visit the six stoves used for brewing wine. Mrs. Meng and her daughters-in-law followed. Energy-saving lamps hung in all four corners of the courtyard, illuminating the room brilliantly. What were these precious objects? They gathered around the lamps or the stoves, commenting and pointing. With the exception of Mrs. Fang from the second wife's household, everyone else was grinning from ear to ear.
Fang had a sneer on her lips. She had been increasingly disappointed with the second son recently. This morning, the second son had asked her to hand over the money she earned from making puppets, saying that it was not easy for the family to send two children to school, and asked her not to keep it to herself. She was so angry that she said the word "divorce" for the first time when they were arguing.
The two kids in school are not their second wife's kids. Why should she spend the money she worked so hard to earn under the oil lamp to support their studies?
She glanced at the second son, and sensing her gaze, the second son also turned his head to look at her with a simple smile on his face. He thought to himself that his parents would recognize the fourth son soon, and he would ask the fourth son for this bright thing to give to Fang.
He didn't want to divorce. None of his brothers wanted to divorce. How would he live his life if he divorced? Not only would he be unable to lead a normal life outside, he wouldn't be able to hold his head up in front of his brothers at home.
"What are you doing?"
Ding Sheng suddenly shouted. Just now, he had just scooped a few dumplings into the bowl when a hand reached out from the side and took two dumplings from his bowl.
Ding Gui quickly gave one to Ding Quan, and stuffed the other one into his own mouth. After finishing the dumpling, tears started to fall from his eyes.
Wow, it’s so delicious! What does grandma usually feed him?
"Brother, I want to eat more. I want more." Ding Quan also cried. He was crying because of greed. One dumpling was not enough to fill his teeth.
Ding Gui's act of reaching out to grab food from the bowl shocked the village head and the clan leader. They both thought, "What kind of kid is this? He's really bringing shame to the people of Dingjia Village!"
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