As the night deepened, the croaking of frogs in the distance and the chirping of crickets around the farmhouses could be heard occasionally, one after another. Far from being disturbing, they only served to highlight the tranquility and peace of the countryside.
Jian Ning counted and packed up the things that the head of the village and the clan leader brought to the tutor, as well as the gifts that the Ma brothers and her three daughters brought to A Man, and put them in the Baicao Room.
A few days ago, she went to the county to vaccinate Tong Zhanggui's child, and waited until the big Bao Ma Xiaomi came back from school. Ma Xiaomi gave A'man a pen and a message from Dabao, asking Jian Ning to say hello to A'man on his behalf.
Jane Ning couldn't help but laugh when she thought of Dabao's expression at that time. She brought the ball of fur that day and thought Dabao would give it to Ah Man, but the boy just held the ball of fur and pondered for a while, and only said one sentence.
"I'm really worried that your son won't be able to find a wife in his lifetime."
"Well, what do you mean?"
After taking a bath, Ding Youtian wore a light green autumn shirt and leaned on the bed reading a book. His ink-black hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin.
Jian Ning knew that this wooden hairpin was a coming-of-age gift given to him by Xiu Gu, and it was made by Xiu Gu herself. He always treated it as a treasure and used it to tie his hair after washing it.
"This time he wants to give the fur ball to Ah Man. Do you think Ah Man will think of him when she sees the fur ball? Maybe she can become our daughter-in-law in the future. I think he actually wanted to give it to her, but he probably couldn't bear to do it in the end."
"Do you want to marry Huo Jincheng?" Ding Youtian looked away from the book and turned to look at her.
"I like Ah Man and I miss her a lot. She has a good heart."
"That's clever, but it may not be suitable for Baoer. Don't bother with children's affairs. They are just a few years old, yet you are already worried about them."
"I'm happy with it, what's your business?" Jane Ning casually pulled off a piece of clothing she was tidying and threw it at him, "Are you annoying?"
Ding Youtian smiled and resumed his concentration on reading.
After a while, Jian Ning finished packing the clothes she was going to take with her. She glanced at him, remembering that he had been reading almost all the time recently, and said, "Don't feel burdened. Relax a little. It doesn't matter if you don't pass the exam. We can still make a living."
"There are so many talented people in the prefectures and counties, and it's not easy to pick one out of ten thousand."
Earlier, the head of the village and the clan leader came to deliver something. When they learned that they were going to Beijing for Ding Youtian to take the imperial examination, they both advised him to just go out and broaden his horizons. It didn't matter whether he passed or not.
At first, the two old men thought that the imperial examination would be over by the time they arrived in the capital. Later, when they heard Jian Ning say that they could travel five or six hundred miles a day by riding fast horses, they laughed and said some meaningless words. In their hearts, they both believed that Ding Youtian's success as a scholar was mostly due to luck.
Ding Youtian also knew that they all looked down on him. He closed the book and said seriously, "Just wait and see. I'll let them know that they still...overestimate me after all."
“Bang!”
Jian Ning slapped him with his palm.
"Believe it or not, I'll beat you to death!"
"If you kill me, you'll be a widow. I'm still useful to you." As he spoke, he stretched out his long arm, grabbed Jian Ning, and held her in his arms. He put his hand under her neck and put it under her vest. He smiled and said, "I can scrub your back when you take a bath. In my free time, I can invite you to go to Wushan together. Isn't it wonderful!"
Jane Ning was wearing a bra she had made herself, and her vest was fastened with buttons. He undid the three buttons with a few skilled rubs. He leaned over and buried his head in her chest when he heard a voice from the back window: "Shameless!"
He looked up in the direction of the sound and saw one of the eyes on Qiu Ge's left snake head visible in the carved window lattice on the back window. In the other square of the snake head, Bai Mei's two small eyes were staring at him and he opened his mouth to curse again: "Old scoundrel!"
Jane Ning giggled and pushed him down, then stood up and straightened her clothes.
"You flat-haired beast, get out!" Ding Youtian grabbed the book and pretended to hit it, but the white-browed cat flapped its wings and flew away.
Brother Qiu lowered his head and followed suit.
"It's all your fault. You always use those dirty words to scold me, and that flat-haired beast has learned them."
"Stop rambling. It's almost time to leave. Hurry up and comb your hair. I'll do it for you. It'll be my apology to you."
Jane Ning picked up the wooden comb and dragged him to the dressing table, but his hair had just been washed, and it was thick and smooth. She tried several times to fix it but failed, so she had to give up.
"You do it yourself. I can't fix this for you."
"How stupid! Xiu-gu used to be able to do it in just a few strokes."
"Get lost!"
Jian Ning punched him on the back, "You blame me for your bad hair? I combed Shu'er and the others' hair. It's your hair that's the problem."
As she spoke, she went to the west room to call Erniu and Sanniu. She was still worried about leaving the two little ones at home. When she went to the west room, Yue'e and Qiaofeng had already woken up Erniu and Sanniu. Their hair had been combed and they were washing their faces.
The big girl also woke up.
"Your aunt will be moving in tomorrow. You should listen to her and your two sisters at home. Remember to drive the chickens back to their roost before going to bed. If there's anything urgent, have your third uncle go find your master's grandfather and uncle. Remember?"
Jane Ning instructed the big girl.
"Mom has told me several times, I remember it. Don't worry, Mom, I will take good care of the family."
Jian Ning smiled and pinched her face, "Don't worry, mother, Shu'er is the best."
After a few more words with Yue'e and Qiaofeng, Jian Ning returned to his room. Ding Youtian had already packed up. Although he had a tan from working in the fields, he looked much more mature and steady. He wore two black headbands and a black robe. Standing under the lamp, he looked energetic.
In the past, Jian Ning had only heard that the more you look at a beautiful woman under the lamp, the more charming she becomes. She didn't expect that the same would be true for a handsome man under the lamp.
"Even if it's pretty, you don't have to stare at it. If you want, I'm not as picky as you are. I'll always do what you want."
As he said this, he gave Jane Ning a wink.
"Have some shame!" Jane Ning pushed him away with her shoulder, adjusted her hair in front of the mirror, looked at the person in the mirror, and smiled.
"My own face is still better looking."
"This is my wife's face."
Jane Ning glared at him sideways, "My own face is the same, not a single bit different."
Ding Youtian pulled up the doll hanging from his waist and shook it. "It's not like I haven't seen photos like this before. Your eyebrows are thicker than my wife's, your lips are thicker than my wife's, and in terms of appearance, my wife is still better."
"Go find your wife!" Jian Ning grabbed the two bundles on the bedside, put one on his shoulder, threw the other into his arms, glared at him fiercely, and walked out through the curtain.
In the yard, Brother Qiu couldn't wait to finish inflating. Erniu and Sanniu hugged their respective little silver foxes and climbed onto its back to sit. Jian Ning and Ding Youtian sandwiched them in the middle, one in front and one behind. Jian Ning then put a rope around their waists to prevent accidents.
Only Baimei was as steady as an old dog. The moment Qiu Ge took off into the air, it flapped its wings, shot out like an arrow, and landed steadily on Jian Ning's shoulder.
Guoguo jumped up in a hurry, but was a little slow and fell to the ground with his limbs spread out.
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