Chang was resolute. He was a good student and would have a bright future in the clan school. Once he passed the Tongkat Ali exam and his family's financial situation improved, it wouldn't be too late to send him to study in town.
Ding Pingshun's views were exactly the opposite of hers. When he was still alive, he often complained to Ding Sheng, "What kind of nonsense can a free school teach you? In short, only things that cost money are good."
Ding Sheng himself felt the same way. Studying in town was a privilege, and the clan school was for the unmotivated like Ma Xiaomai and Ding Quan. Otherwise, why didn't Dabao and Ma Xiaomi go? Why could they go to town school, but he couldn't?
If he is not allowed to go, he will go on a hunger strike.
He was on a hunger strike, and it would be a lie to say Chang wasn't anxious; it was just a piece of her own flesh after all. But she was also annoyed at his ignorance. The family was burdened with so much foreign debt, and as the eldest son, he should have thought about sharing the burden with her.
At noon, she went back from Jian Ning's house to make lunch for the children. When she finished, she saw Daya secretly put a bowl of rice away and hid it. She knew it was for Ding Sheng. When she got home from work in the evening, Xiaoya quietly told her that her brother had eaten the rice left by her sister.
Chang didn't know whether to be happy or worried after hearing this. She was happy because he had eaten and was no longer hungry; she was worried because he had no ambition, saying he didn't want to eat but secretly eating, playing tricks on her.
A useless person.
She was even more determined to send him to the clan school. Unexpectedly, Ding Sheng, who had stubbornly refused to eat in front of her that night, suddenly knelt down in front of her and begged her to send him to the town school. He promised that he would study hard and, when he had a promising future, he would support his younger siblings, honor her, and take care of her in her old age.
Chang was so angry. Why was this kid so ignorant?
"What if I don't agree?" she asked him coldly.
"I'm going to die!" he said firmly.
"Then go die, and die as far away as possible."
Without a word, Ding Sheng kowtowed to her three times. Chang saw his determined expression, as if he had truly made up his mind to commit suicide. Then she saw him get up and go to the outhouse in the backyard. She wondered if he was going to follow in the footsteps of his father, Ding Pingshun, and drown in the pit.
She immediately broke through her defense, rushed over and grabbed him, and her fists rained down on him, "What kind of injustice have I done to me? Why are you so ignorant? Can't you feel sorry for your mother? Are you trying to force me to death?"
After the fight, she hugged him and cried.
"Mother! I love you. It's because of you that I want to go to town to study. Only after I finish my studies and become an official in the future, you won't have to work for others and no longer have to worry about others' feelings."
Chang pushed him away. "Whose face did I look at? Who looked at me? Was it your Aunt Jian, or your Uncle Ding? Son, the ones who looked at your mother were none other than your damn father and you!"
"You're not a child anymore, you should understand the ways of the world. Our family is swamped with foreign debts, and we borrowed a lot more to send your father to the mountains. How can we afford to send you to school in town? You might as well suck your mother's blood dry, or just strangle me with a rope!"
As Chang said this, she grabbed him, lowered her head and banged it against his chest, yelling at him to find a rope and strangle himself.
"Mother!" Daya knelt on the ground crying, hugging Chang's legs and saying, "I won't go to the clan school anymore. I'll take my sister to grow vegetables at home, and from now on my sister and I will go to the town to sell vegetables every day. I can count, I can count out how many copper coins there are. I will help you earn money to support my brother's studies. Please agree to my brother's request."
The little girl also knelt down and said, "Mom, my sister and I will go to sell vegetables. Mom, sister and I will support my brother's education together. Please agree to it."
"Mother!" Ding Sheng also knelt down. "I only ask this once. When I become an official in the future, I will pay you back whatever money you spent!"
Chang's heart ached when she heard this. Looking at her children kneeling before her, she finally hardened her heart and said, "Alright, even if I have to eat coarse grains and vegetables, I will support you in going to school in town. I don't expect you to repay me when you become an official in the future, nor do I expect you to bring me great wealth, but the dowries of your two younger sisters must fall on you."
"Words are not enough. If you agree, you must put it in writing."
"Stand up, stand up!" Ding Sheng nodded several times. "I'll sign this agreement now. Mother won't have to worry about arranging the dowries for my younger sisters. I, the eldest brother, will take care of it all."
He wrote it down as soon as he said it. He even pricked his finger with a needle and stamped it. After reading it to Chang, he handed it over and said, "Mother, keep it well. I will definitely do what I say!"
Chang's face was cold. She took the document and said nothing more to him. She just told him to go and eat. She didn't say another word to him the whole night, not even giving him a glance.
On the eighth day of the first lunar month, when school began, Jian Ning spoke to Mr. Ding San, explaining that he had recently felt someone was secretly watching Dabao and was worried someone might be plotting against him. He urged him to be extra careful. He also urged that whenever a carriage was left unattended, it must be carefully inspected, including the wheels and cushions, to ensure it had not been tampered with.
When Mr. Ding San heard this, his eyes widened. "What? Who is this evil-hearted fellow who dares to set his sights on Dabao? Don't let me catch him, or I won't let him go even if it costs me my life!"
"They're not from our village. Anyway, be careful and alert to strangers approaching. Don't take it lightly, no matter if they are eighty or three years old."
Master Ding San nodded heavily: "Better safe than sorry. Don't worry, I'll save you the trouble."
Ding Youtian also told Dabao about it, and frankly said that he didn't like Ding Sheng, saying that he had a somewhat dark personality, and asked Dabao to be wary of him. After all, they were from the same village, so it was fine as long as they were not too close or too distant. Let Dabao handle it himself.
When Mr. Ding San sent Dabao and the others back from the academy, they were accompanied by Pu Rentang's carriage. Yang Jinyu had been to the capital before the New Year and had only returned yesterday. He brought a lot of gifts with him, and bought clothes for Qiaofeng, Da Niu and the other two, all of which were fashionable materials and styles in the capital.
There were also New Year gifts that Ah Man prepared for their family. The gifts for Dabao included several books and a set of four treasures of the study. The gifts for Da Niu and the other two included not only food but also many exquisite gadgets that could not be seen here, which made Er Niu and San Niu jump for joy.
Ah Man also asked Yang Jinyu to bring a letter. In the letter, she still addressed Jian Ning as "mother" and Ding Youtian as "second father". In addition to asking them to take good care of Qiu Ge and send greetings to Maoqiu, at the end of the letter, she also specifically reminded Erniu and Sanniu not to fight over gifts.
Jian Ning looked at the little gadgets. Ah Man was thoughtful. She bought two sets of the same gadgets for both of them, exactly the same. Now the two kids would never fight with each other.
Ding Youtian's face turned pale after reading the letter. "Why do you call me mother and I become the second father? This girl, let Dabao write her back and ask her, if I am the second father, shouldn't you be the second mother? I'll ask her to change it next time."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Jian Ning rolled her eyes at him and lowered her voice, "Second Mother has become Huo Jincheng's concubine. You're happy to be cuckolded, but I'm not!"
"By the way, do you know what it means to be cuckolded?"
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