"You're right." Jian Ning thought that it was someone sent by Lord Yang to seek medical treatment and medicine. She hugged her clothes and was about to go out to check, but Erniu and Sanniu had already run out.
The two little girls had grown taller. They stood on tiptoe and looked over the railing. The third girl, who always had sharp eyes, ran into the house first and said, "Mom, it seems to be Sister Ding Zhu. She's wearing a hat, so she can't be seen clearly."
Jian Ning and Ding Youtian exchanged a glance. Jian Ning assumed Lord Yang had sent Ding Zhu, but Ding Youtian disagreed. How could a concubine know about this hidden illness unless they were a trusted confidant? If a concubine knew, none of Lord Yang's concubines would have escaped unscathed.
"Ask her to come up." Ding Youtian said to Sanniu, and then told Jian Ning, "She's probably here for something else. Let's see what she says. If there's anything she needs our help with, Madam will take care of it as appropriate."
Jian Ning snorted. She put away her clothes and tied up her bag. Erniu and Sanniu led Ding Zhu over. Jian Ning glanced at her sideways, then gave Ding Youtian a look and teased, "Talk to your brother if you have anything to say."
The implication was that she didn't have the time to listen to her nonsense.
Jian Ning was about to leave when Ding Youtian stopped her, "Madam, please stay."
"I'll close the door." Jane Ningke didn't really plan to leave. She was still curious about what Ding Zhu was doing here. "You two go play in the next room." She drove away Erniu and Sanniu, closed the door, and turned around to see Ding Zhu kneeling down.
Ding Zhu's heart started pounding as she walked through the door. She couldn't understand why she knelt down all of a sudden. Well, since she was kneeling down, she had to make up an excuse, "Uncle, aunt, I want to go home. Please help me."
She didn't call them fourth uncle and fourth aunt. There was nothing wrong with calling them uncle and aunt. Since they were no longer related, it was appropriate to call them that.
Ding Youtian glanced at her. The woman now was no longer the arrogant little Ding Zhu who wore coarse peasant clothes. He frowned, "Stand up and talk. Why are you thinking of going back when you're fine? Did he treat you badly?"
Ding Zhu stood up and took off her veil. She hadn't even thought about going back; she'd just told a lie. She didn't dare look at Ding Youtian, and with drooping eyelids, she said, "It's not about good or bad. I just... miss my parents."
Jian Ning had initially assumed she'd come for Lord Yang, but now, hearing her want to return home for reasons other than Lord Yang's, she suddenly became wary. In her previous life, she'd also interacted with women from prostitutes while carrying out missions. Once someone got used to the quick bucks in those places, few would turn back, preferring instead to return to a more austere life in the countryside.
Especially someone like Ding Zhu who is lazy and vain. She was so proud of herself when she married Wu Fengfu, a cunning guy. What's more, she now has maids and old women serving her. She doesn't believe that she wants to go back to the countryside and continue to be a village girl.
Originally, because Lord Yang was not on the same side as Jiang Tongpan and Prince Rui, Jian Ning had already dispelled her suspicions about Ding Zhu. But now she thought that her maid knew that she and Ding Youtian were her "brother and sister-in-law". It was possible that Jiang Tongpan had spies in the backyard of the yamen. As soon as they arrived in Yancheng, someone came to kill them in the middle of the night. The possibility that Ding Zhu was being used by someone to harm them could not be ruled out.
"If you want to go back, you have to let us plan for you. We know about this matter. You can go back first and come back to listen to our instructions in a few days." Jian Ning ordered him to leave.
Ding Youtian also said, "Listen to your aunt. Life in the countryside is better now than before. Your grandparents have divided up their property. It's better for you to go back so your mother won't worry about you."
"Is my mother... okay?" When Ding Zhu heard him mention her mother, tears welled up in her eyes. From childhood to adulthood, her mother Liu loved her the most.
As a young girl, Liu Shi had been unloved by her parents. Like old Meng Shi, she had been beaten and scolded by them, a common experience for rural girls. After marrying Ding Youwang, she was also subjected to beatings and scolding from her mother-in-law and her husband. Even as a young girl, Liu Shi had secretly vowed that she would never be so unkind when she married and had a daughter. Therefore, she loved Ding Zhu even more than she loved her own son.
"Why are you crying? Your mother is very happy now. Now that the family has split up, she doesn't have to endure your grandmother's anger anymore. She even speaks louder than before! Your family doesn't lack food for you. If you really go back, your mother loves you so much, your life won't necessarily be any worse than it is now."
After saying this, Jian Ning chased her away again, mainly because he was worried that Lord Yang would send someone to run into Ding Zhu. "Okay, go back quickly, otherwise if Lord Yang goes looking for you and doesn't find you, you won't be able to explain yourself when you return."
How could Ding Zhu leave without completing her mission? No matter how good her life was at home, could it be better than life in the prefectural government? But she really missed her mother. She called out to her mother, lowered her eyes, and sobbed, making excuses to stay a little longer, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.
Jian Ning frowned and was about to scold her, but Ding Youtian waved his hand and said to Ding Zhu, "If you want to cry, go cry somewhere else. Why are you crying here? If someone doesn't know, they'd think we're bullying you."
As he spoke, he reached for the teapot on the table. Ding Zhu looked up and saw it, then hurried forward a few steps and said, "I'll do it, uncle. I'll pour it."
Jian Ning narrowed her eyes slightly, "Oh, there seems to be a bug in my eye, husband, please help me blow it out." She covered her right eye with one hand. Ding Youtian heard her shouting anxiously and thought that a bug really flew into her eye. He quickly stood up and pulled her over, "Let me take a look..."
"Blow it for me quickly." Jian Ning pulled him around and turned her back to Ding Zhu, winking at him. Ding Youtian raised his eyebrows, instantly understanding, and remained calm, "There really is a small flying insect that got in. There are a lot of mosquitoes in the summer, huh~huh!"
The opportunity came from the sky. Ding Zhu didn't have time to think about it. She took out a small porcelain bottle from her arms, pulled out the stopper, dripped the medicine into the pot and shook it. She first poured a cup of tea, thought about it, and poured another cup. She was worried that she would be beaten to death by Jian Ning before she could even leave the room.
"Okay." Jian Ning pushed Ding Youtian away, rubbed his eyes and said, "They just flew in and scared me. How come there are still these damn mosquitoes in the room even though there is incense!"
"That's fine." Ding Youtian smiled. "I'll just light another stick of incense later."
"Mom!" Erniu and Sanniu ran in, followed by several spirit pets. Sanniu was holding a small bamboo figurine in her hand. The two came over after hearing Jian Ning's exclamation, "Mom, what's wrong with you?"
"Mom is fine. A small fly just blinded her, and Dad blew it away for her." Jane Ning said with a smile, glancing at the two cups of tea on the table out of the corner of her eye.
As soon as Sanniu entered the house, Ding Zhu was attracted by the little bamboo figurine in her hand. Her first toy in childhood was a bamboo dragonfly made for her by Ding Youtian. She was about the same age as Erniu and Sanniu at that time. She suddenly remembered that Ding Youtian often carried her on his neck and walked around the village, and she was often chased by her grandmother and scolded. Her grandmother scolded Ding Youtian for trying to find an excuse to take her out to play and be lazy and not work.
Fourth Uncle used to love her very much, and so did Fourth Aunt. Although Fourth Aunt was not talkative, every time Fourth Uncle made her giggle, Fourth Aunt would stand quietly by and look at her with a smile in her eyes.
Since when did Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt stop liking her?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
