Mr. Ding San didn't follow them to the tailor shop next door, instead retreating to the side under the pretext of smoking a cigarette. The Qin family would even interview the buyer before selling a house, which showed they were very particular. Although he was an old country man, he was also a man of pride. He didn't want to ruin Jian Ning and the fourth son's house purchase just because he didn't meet the Qin family's eye.
He squatted by the roadside, smoking silently, looking at the two-story storefront of the Qin family. Thinking that Jian Ning and the fourth brother could now look at any house worth 150 taels, he became more determined to let Ding Yang and Ding Jian work with them.
You won’t starve to death by farming, but you won’t get rich either.
A country person who works hard all his life wants to buy a house in town for more than one hundred taels. Even if he saves and lives frugally for several generations, he will never be able to save enough money.
It’s good enough if I can eat three meals a day without going hungry.
How could I dare to dream of such a good thing as buying a house in town?
The old saying goes that every profession has its top scholar, and it's truly true. Let's not talk about distant past events, just take Ding Youtian. Although he couldn't read and couldn't pass the imperial examination like the Qin brothers and become an official, he was smart and perceptive. When he insisted on marrying Jian Xiu'gu, he even turned against Lao Wu. Who in the village didn't laugh at him behind his back?
At that time, Uncle Ding San used him as a negative example to educate his two sons, saying that he did not study hard and was unwilling to work hard. He even turned against his brother for a silly girl, making the whole village laugh at him.
Thinking of this, he sighed. This guy, there are three sections of grass, and no one knows which section is better. Those who laughed at Ding Youtian in the past have now been slapped in the face, including himself.
Who would have thought that after being struck by lightning, Jian Xiu Gu turned a disaster into a blessing and regained her mind. Once she woke up, she became so powerful. It can be seen that Ding Youtian is a man with good eyesight. He must have seen from the beginning that Xiu Gu had great abilities.
Having good eyesight and being able to judge people is a skill, a great skill at that!
Apart from Xiu Gu, there was also Blind Liu. Who in the village looked up to Blind Liu in the past? He didn't even cultivate the land, relying on his mouth to make a living. In the eyes of the villagers, he was a lazy person who was despised by everyone!
In the past, Ding Youtian always chased after Blind Liu, and the villagers often said that the boy had no future. They all thought that Ding Erdan and Meng had wasted their money sending him to school. Later, when he failed to learn, the villagers also opened their eyes.
But success does not only depend on studying. Uncle Ding San felt that Ding Youtian was quite remarkable. No one else had thought of using Blind Liu to make wine to make money, but he had thought of it and even made a splash.
Facts proved that these peasants lacked vision. However, Ding Sanye felt that he was a little better than that old dog Ding Erdan. His travels in his youth were not completely useless. At least it broadened his horizons and made him realize that if he wanted to get rich, he couldn't just rely on farming. At best, he could only have a stable meal.
Slowly exhaling a puff of smoke, Mr. Ding San thought of Old Ding and couldn't help laughing.
Ding Erdan, Ding Erdan, you are really unlucky. If you had separated the fourth brother's family and treated them well, instead of destroying them, if the fourth brother and his wife really bought the tailor shop today, wouldn't they have brought you to the town to enjoy the good times?
In the tailor shop, Old Qin was still cutting clothes, having to finish the work he had taken on before leaving. After Sanniang and Mo Mingyue led Jian Ning and the others into the house, he only glanced up, then lowered his eyes again to focus on the work at hand.
"Uncle, Madam."
Big Girl, Second Girl, and Third Girl shouted in unison.
Aunt Feng responded with a smile, and Old Qin raised his eyelids as a response.
Ah Man held Mei Xiang's hand without saying a word. Jian Ning looked at her and remembered that when Ah Man first came to her place, she also didn't know how to greet people.
But this doesn't mean that Ah Man is not a good child. She just has no mother to teach her, or maybe her grandparents don't like her, so she rejects the old man in her heart.
"Uncle Qin, Aunt Feng, this is my friend Madam Jian, and this is her husband. They want to see your house. I'll bring them over to have a look." Sanniang said with a smile.
Hearing about Madam Jian, Old Qin looked up at Jian Ning. The previous time Yang Jinyu had taken Jian Ning as his teacher, Grandfather Yang had also intended to invite him to accompany her. Because his son had won the second place in the imperial examination, he was considered a prominent figure in town. However, that time, he and his wife had gone on a family trip, and when they returned, Grandfather Yang had come to talk to him about it.
He had heard of Jian Ning, of course from Grandpa Yang. Even Grandpa Yang admired Jian Ning and asked his grandson to be his teacher. Naturally, he was curious.
Ding Youtian saw him looking over and said with a smile, "Uncle Qin, Aunt Qin, sorry to bother you."
"Sorry to bother you." Jian Ning also said with a smile.
"Oh," Sanniang continued, "Madam Jian's husband was your brother's classmate. And this one." She took Mingyue's hand, "This is Master Mo's daughter, Miss Mingyue."
Mingyue stepped forward slowly and bowed to both him and his wife.
Old Qin nodded. He knew Master Mo had a daughter, but he had never met her. Mingyue was still a child when his son was studying under Master Mo. His gaze fell on Ding Youtian, who bowed again. "Uncle Qin, I am Ding Youtian. I studied at Huating Academy with Brother Yifan for four years. I heard that Brother Yifan is now the County Magistrate of Zhuling County. Congratulations."
Old Qin had heard his son mention Ding Youtian's name before. He knew that he was close to his son and that he had not even passed the examination for the title of Tongsheng. His son had felt sorry for him back then.
Old Qin said "hmm" lightly. He had no interest in paying attention to someone who hadn't even passed the Tongsheng exam. He just glanced at Jian Ning again.
But Jian Ning turned his eyes away and frowned.
Old Qin's attitude towards Ding Youtian inexplicably angered her. Who was he looking down on? It was a pity that his son was only a county magistrate. If he had been a prefect, wouldn't his eyes have been raised to the sky?
For a moment, she wanted to walk away!
Ding Youtian noticed his wife was unhappy, or perhaps because she was angry with others for him, but he was actually happy. He didn't care about Old Qin's attitude towards him at all. He had failed the Tongsheng exam for three consecutive years. Not to mention others, the constant insults from Meng Shi alone had made him invulnerable, and he had long since cultivated an invincible heart.
One day, he will make his wife proud of him.
Right now, there is no need to argue about who is better.
"Oh, look at me. I was so busy talking to Miss Mingyue that I forgot you were here to see the house. How rude! Please forgive me." Aunt Feng was originally talking to Mingyue. Seeing her old man being so cold to her son's former classmate, she felt bad and cursed him inwardly. She walked forward and said in a negotiating tone, "Shall I take them to the backyard and upstairs to have a look?"
"Yes." Old Qin said one word.
"Come with me, everyone, let's go to the backyard first." Aunt Feng took Erniu and Sanniu, one in each hand, and warmly invited everyone to follow her to the backyard.
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