Blind Liu scoffed, "If you don't like wine, or if you really listen to your wife and insist on not drinking, who can cheat you?"
Ding Youtian raised an eyebrow, concentrated his thoughts, stood up, bowed, and said seriously, "Thank you for your teachings, Master. I understand and will keep it in mind."
Blind Liu rolled his eyes and started eating his food, ignoring him.
Ding Youtian really didn't drink another drop of alcohol. Blind Liu's words had given him a wake-up call. If a person showed his preferences on his face, it would be fatal if his opponent knew and took advantage of him. He finished his meal with Blind Liu, put away the food box, bowed deeply to Blind Liu, told him to rest early, and then took the food box and left.
Blind Liu glanced at his back, picked up the wine glass, brought it to his lips, sighed, and put it down again.
In a person's life, there are many truths that cannot be truly understood by others in just a few words without the erosion of time and the baptism of wind and frost.
Blind Liu himself had only recently come to realize that, like Ding Youtian, he came from a common family. Knowing well the sufferings of the common people and influenced by his master's new ideas, he was eager to abolish the old and establish the new after the empire was initially settled, advocating equality for all.
This undoubtedly touched upon the interests of the powerful, whether merchants or officials, who were all deeply intertwined with each other. Driven by powerful interests, they quickly banded together to resist the various reform measures he proposed.
If one or two people impeached Emperor Yongping in front of him, Emperor Yongping might not take it to heart. But if there were many people impeaching him and they used every possible means, Emperor Yongping would inevitably feel a thorn in his heart.
Once the thorn is planted, the gap between the monarch and his subjects will be difficult to eliminate. Since the common people at the bottom cannot access information from above, the powerful people only need to quietly spread some unfounded, unfavorable and false remarks about him in the market, and easily push him into a situation surrounded by enemies.
Unfortunately, he was blinded by hatred and unable to grasp such a simple truth for many years. In fact, it was not so much that others harmed him, but rather that he was harmed by his own impatience and overestimation of himself.
Back then, he led the Dayan Army to victory and achieved one brilliant victory after another, but he never expected that he would be defeated by the powerful in the end.
How sad and tragic!
Blind Liu picked up the cup again, drank the wine in one gulp, and a hint of bitterness overflowed from his lips.
…
"Hey, Brother Huo, why are you the only one guarding here?" Ding Youtian arrived at the clinic, feeling cold, carrying a lunch box. He was surprised to see Huo Jincheng sitting beside the charcoal basin, lost in thought. "Dabao is asleep again."
He glanced at Dabao, who had his eyes closed on the bed, and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"
"Daddy." Dabao was not asleep. He was never a talkative person, and Huo Jincheng was not one who was good at chatting. After just a few words, the two of them ran out of topics to talk about. He had to close his eyes and pretend to be asleep to avoid awkward conversation.
"Are you feeling better?" Ding Youtian put down the lunch box, walked over and sat beside the bed, and asked with concern.
"My son feels much better. I'm sorry to have worried you."
Ding Youtian felt that if Master Mo continued to teach this kid, his son would become stupid and forget that he always called Jian Ning "husband". Master Mo was indeed knowledgeable, but he was too dogmatic and pedantic, and his words were full of nonsense. This was not good.
He had the idea of transferring Dabao to the county school.
"Are you bringing food to your master?" Huo Jincheng glanced at the food box on the bedside table. "He's so close, why doesn't he come to eat with you? Is he unwell?"
"Can't you just hope for my master's well-being?" Ding Youtian squinted his eyes. "He's fine, but it's just cold out, and as his disciple, I don't want him to go out in the cold. He's afraid of the cold."
Huo Jincheng glanced at the cloak he was wearing and said teasingly, "You're the one who's afraid of the cold. It's not even the coldest days yet."
"You don't understand. I'm not wearing it to keep warm. This cloak was recently bought for me by my wife. I can't refuse her kindness."
Huo Jincheng didn't understand a word, but he understood the hidden meaning of Ding Youtian's words. Ah Man had told Jian Ning that she had no mother, and her mother died after giving birth to her. Jian Ning knew that Ah Man had no mother, so Ding Youtian naturally knew it too.
These two people seemed to be incompatible with each other. When they got together, they loved to argue. Huo Jincheng's face turned black. They were bullying him because he didn't have a wife!
Humph, he snorted inwardly, thinking, your wife might still be my wife!
"I'm going to write to my father and ask him to send someone to deliver the indenture of that lowly maid to me after the New Year. I'm sorry I can't keep you company."
Huo Jincheng stood up, took two steps, and then stamped his feet. He turned sideways without looking at Ding Youtian, and his eyes fell on the fur ball lying beside the charcoal basin. "Actually, that slave girl is a perfect match for you."
After he finished speaking, he walked away quickly with his head held high, as if he was afraid that if he walked a step slower, he would be covered in blood by Ding Youtian's poisonous tongue.
"Daddy, Uncle Huo, he seems unhappy."
"It's his business if he's unhappy, but as long as Daddy is happy, that's all. Seeing that you're feeling better and your mother is feeling better too, Daddy is very happy."
In the dining hall, Ma Xiaomai and the other two were pestering Jian Ning to tell them about the Three Kingdoms. Ma Fuquan and Tian Shi refused to give in. Dabao was still lying in the clinic, and Jian Ning's injuries hadn't healed. When Huo Jincheng entered, the family was about to leave. He heard Da Niu and the other two calling Ma Fuquan and Tian Shi uncle and aunt, and frowned slightly. "Why did they suddenly become uncle and aunt?"
If he just went to the clinic, would the two families become relatives?
"Hey, Mr. Huo, there's another piece of good news." Ma Fuquan glanced at Tian's belly and said cheerfully, "My wife is pregnant. I'm going to be a father again soon. Guess what my wife will give birth to this time?"
Tian smiled and pushed him, "You're evil, you've gone berserk, asking everyone you catch. You might as well go ask Blind Liu for a divination."
"What a great idea! Why didn't I think of it?" Ma Fuquan slapped his forehead. "I'll go get a fortune teller from the old blind man right now. You guys wait here for me. I'll be there in a minute."
"Dad, I'm going too."
Ma Xiaomai wanted to go with him, and Ma Xiaomi and Ma Xiaodou also clamored to go. After the four of them left, Huo Jincheng asked Tian, "Brother Ma, do you want a daughter?"
Tian smiled and said, "That's right. He wants a son when he doesn't have one, and when he has too many, he wants a girl. He usually only loves the second and third daughters, and he's almost going crazy thinking about daughters."
Huo Jincheng glanced at Erniu and Sanniu, trying hard to piece together Duan Xinning's childhood appearance in his mind, but it was still a blur.
"Could you lend me Dabao's pen and ink? I need to write a letter to my father." He turned to Jian Ning, having already made up his mind to tell his father that Jian Ning might be Duan Xinning, and asked his father to inform the Pingnan Palace.
"It's on the table in the east room, just go and write it." Jian Ning took a step back seemingly casually. Since she woke up, she felt a little happy whenever Huo Jincheng was close to her. She wondered if she should also go find Blind Liu and ask him to help Duan Xinning's soul to be reincarnated and send her away properly?
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