"Mom, I'm going to comfort my sister."
"Stop!" Jian Ning glanced at Erniu and pointed his chin towards the stove. "Who will light the fire if everyone runs away? You don't plan to have dinner, do you?"
Erniu shrugged: "I'll put my schoolbag down and come back."
After a while, Sanniu, who had just said that she would never play with Erniu again, came running over hand in hand with Erniu, talking and laughing. As usual, the two of them squeezed on a small bench, and put firewood into the stove head to head to start the fire.
Jane Ning was used to this. She quickly cut vegetables and glanced at the two of them calmly. Sometimes she couldn't understand why their personalities were so different. Sanniu was stubborn and unyielding, while Erniu was flexible and adaptable. If you scolded Sanniu, she would remain silent and refuse to eat or drink until she understood. But even if you just hit Erniu, she would just wipe away her tears, eat and drink as usual, and would never treat herself badly or make things difficult for herself.
Even if the sky falls, I will wait until I am full and satisfied.
Theoretically, Jane Ning felt that Erniu had a better personality. She was heartless and would not mistreat herself. She could get along well in any time and space and would be more likely to survive, but she was also likely to become a traitor.
Ding Youtian disagreed with her last comment, because he himself was an out-and-out life-preserving person. He believed that most people only had one life in this life. People like Jian Ning and Ma Fuquan who had the memories of two lives and could be resurrected through reincarnation were very rare, and could even be said to be exceptions.
Since we only have one life, what's wrong with cherishing it?
Cherishing and protecting life does not mean betrayal, especially when it comes to national justice. He vowed that if such a day really comes, he and Erniu would rather die than surrender!
Jian Ning said that he might have some misunderstanding about the principle of "rather die than surrender", but Ding Youtian really couldn't say for sure. But Erniu was definitely sure that if this little girl was caught in the battle between the two armies, she would cry and rebel without being tortured.
"Mom, today..." Erniu hadn't received any verbal praise from her yet, and was still thinking about asking her to praise her a few words. Before she could finish, Jian Ning said, "Mom knows. You did well, but it's not enough to improve yourself. You also have to help your sister improve together, understand?"
Erniu and Sanniu are nine years old now, and they have to follow the local customs. In ancient times, boys and girls did not sit at the same table when they were seven years old. So the school that Jian Ning and his friends set up in Xing'an County separated boys and girls and set up a separate school for girls.
Initially, Jian Ning and his family paid for the school themselves, offering free pens, ink, and paper. The boys' school quickly became overcrowded, while the girls' school initially only had two students, Erniu and Sanniu. Girls from ordinary families were expected to help with household chores and often took care of younger siblings. Furthermore, education didn't guarantee success or even the top spot in the imperial examinations, so no one was willing to send their daughters to the school, even for free.
Later, in order to curry favor with Jian Ning and Ding Youtian, the wealthy families in the city sent their young maids to learn to read and write, and voluntarily donated money to the school they run. They also helped them mobilize the families of the helpers in their shops, and only then did they gradually have a few more girls.
Jane Ning no longer worries about whether there are girls coming to study. Every era has its own rules of survival. She just needs to do her best. This is not a current situation that she can change alone. The changes of the times need to be gradual, just like one cannot become fat in one bite.
However, she was still pleased that more girls were attending school.
After dinner, Ding Yang returned. After greeting Jian Ning and Ding Youtian, he headed straight for the dining hall. He took the teapot and gulped down a few large gulps of herbal tea. After wiping his lips, he told Jian Ning, who had followed him in and questioned him, "I ran into Brother Xu and his friends on the way back. Shopkeeper Chen said he was going to the capital, saying it wouldn't be a good idea to take me with him since I work for the government. He sent me back and wouldn't let me go with him no matter what."
"Glad you're back! I'll go cook you two more dishes. Sit down and take a rest. The food will be ready soon."
"Tell me about it," Ding Youtian casually asked Jian Ning after she left to cook, "Did Manager Chen decide to go to the capital early on, or was it something unexpected that prompted him to go?"
Ding Yang scratched the back of his head and thought for a moment. "At first, he didn't say he was going. He just said he wanted to visit a few nearby cities to see if he could do some big deals. He actually negotiated a few deals and took the deposit. He originally said he would transfer it over, but for some reason, after we finished dinner together, he changed his mind."
"Oh, right." Ding Yang fished out a bag of silver from his pocket. "This is what Shopkeeper Chen asked me to bring back to give to Fourth Sister-in-law. It's the deposit paid by several wealthy families. Shopkeeper Chen asked Fourth Sister-in-law to keep it for him first."
Ding Youtian looked at the bag of silver, was silent for a moment, then raised his head and asked him, "Where did you eat? An inn or a restaurant?"
"It's not the inn we're staying at. It's another inn not far from where we're staying."
"If it's not far away, why did you go to that inn to eat? There must be a reason. Don't worry, think carefully and tell me the whole story."
Seeing his serious expression, Ding Yang also concentrated on thinking carefully. Ding Youtian said, "Who were the people around him? Who did he talk to? Tell me everything you remember."
"I only spoke to the waiter, asked him to name the dishes, and ordered a few dishes. I didn't speak to anyone else." Ding Yang shook his head to indicate no.
"Do you remember who dined at the inn? Were any of them among those who attended our banquet?"
"Yes, but it's just a half-grown girl with a few big men. I wanted to come over and see if the girl was abducted. But seeing that those big men were quite submissive to her, I didn't bother with that."
After he finished speaking, Ding Youtian stood up and told him to rest for a while while he went to see if the food was ready. Then he hurried to the kitchen.
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