"Sister-in-law, go back and give my eldest brother an ounce of silver and have him deliver it to mother. Just don't give it too quickly. You two should make some noise. I guarantee she'll stop making trouble once you get the money. Later, have your eldest brother come to my place and I'll pay for the ounce of silver."
Anything that can be solved with money is not a problem. Ding Youtian knew that his parents only cared about money, and his mother was not just standing up for Ding Fu. She just felt that Ding Zhu didn't give her enough things after marrying into a wealthy family, so she was making a fuss about the inkstone.
"Is this okay?" Liu looked at the head of the village hesitantly.
"What else can we do except listen to the fourth brother?" The head of the village knew that if the eldest brother and his wife took out one or two taels of silver, it would be more valuable in the eyes of Old Ding and Mrs. Meng than the ten thousand taels of silver given by Ding Youtian.
Given Ding Youtian and Jian Ning's current status, even if they took out ten thousand taels, the two old guys might still think it was not enough. Taking one tael of silver from the eldest couple would be like plucking a feather from a stingy person. They would just be secretly happy.
"Uncle, I'll have to trouble you to go through all the trouble to clear Ding Zhu's name, so as to prevent the people who came with her from gossiping about her. If the news gets out, it will not only damage the reputation of the court officials, but also make it difficult for Ding Zhu to stay in the mansion in the future."
"No one is perfect, and as long as they are not stubborn and evil, we should help them if we can. After all, they are from our village, and we can't let them have no place to stand."
Jian Ning often mentioned the time and space of her previous life to Ding Youtian in private. Compared with modern women, Ding Youtian only felt that women in ancient times had many restrictions, and it was not easy for women to survive in the world. He himself had three daughters, and Ding Zhu was not the Ding Zhu of the past, so he was willing to help her to prevent her from being troubled by servants when she arrived in the capital.
He and Liu came out of the headman's house and told Liu, "Tell Zhu'er to come to my place at night when she has time. I have something to tell her."
Liu was so moved that she burst into tears and could only nod. Seeing her like this, Ding Youtian gave her a few more words, "Life is a matter of life wherever you go. Don't think about going to the capital with Zhu'er to enjoy life. It's not time for you and your elder brother to enjoy life yet. Besides, Zhu'er is not the mistress of the house anymore. Going there may not guarantee that she won't be a burden to her. There are many people in the Yang Mansion, and the rules are strict. It's better for you to stay in the countryside and live more freely."
"Fourth brother, I listen to you. Your elder brother and I understand. Zhu'er is just a concubine. If they want to sell her, they can sell her! We understand. After what happened with Wu Fengfu, what else do your elder brother and I not understand? Don't worry, we don't want anything from her. As long as Zhu'er lives a good life and can have a stable life, we will be satisfied."
"Yeah." Ding Youtian nodded. "That's how it should be. When Ding Peng becomes successful, and you can't do farm work anymore, you can either go to him or rely on our two sons. You won't have a bad life. There's really no need to go to your married daughter's house and beg for mercy."
Liu nodded hurriedly. For a moment, a thought flashed through her mind that Ding Youtian didn't need to take the one or two taels of silver. But then she thought again, one or two taels of silver, if saved, would be enough for half a year's living expenses. They also had three sons who needed money to start their own families and careers. So she suppressed the thought in the end.
Ding Youtian went back and told Jian Ning about this, but Jian Ning didn't say anything. Although she was a special police officer in her previous life, she had never participated in or witnessed a war involving hundreds of thousands of people in peacetime, or the tragic scene of corpses everywhere. Large-scale wars gave her a new understanding of life.
Living a safe and healthy life is better than anything else. Forgive others when you can, unless they are unforgivable.
She had some idea why her father, King Pingnan, never came to Dingxian Village to inquire about Duan Xinning's past. People who have experienced war may have different perceptions of life than ordinary people, and may be more respectful of life and more open-minded.
After receiving one or two taels of silver, Meng's family calmed down. Liu and the eldest brother even had a quarrel in front of her over the two taels of silver. At night, the eldest brother came to Ding Youtian with his head down and his hands hesitant.
He knew in his heart that it was not right to let the fourth brother take the two taels of silver, but it really hurt him to lose one or two taels of silver, so he had to bite the bullet and come.
To the boss's surprise, Jian Ning gave him not one tael of silver, but three hundred taels of silver. He opened his mouth wide, hesitant, and didn't dare to take it, just looking at Ding Youtian.
"Take it. It's not all for you. We'll be leaving for the capital in a few days. From now on, Dad and Mom will have to ask Brother and Sister-in-law to take care of them. If Dad and Mom are in any health or need money, you can use this money to pay them. If there's anything serious happening at home and you're short of money, just let us know."
Ding Youtian pondered for a moment, then continued, "There are many things that are not right about the way our parents handle things, but without their hard work and careful budgeting when they were young, how could we have the dozens of acres of fertile land and the large house at home? From now on, you and your sister-in-law will have to take better care of them. If you, as the elders, are willing to take care of them, the younger brothers will naturally follow suit. In a few years, when they are no longer as strong and can no longer make trouble, I will take them in."
Jian Ning was stunned when she heard this. Ding Youtian had not informed her about this matter. She was the mistress of the house after all. How could he make the decision without even asking her?
"Madam." As soon as Jian Ning looked over, Ding Youtian bowed to her and said with an apologetic smile, "I haven't discussed this with you yet, Madam. I made my own decision. Please don't be offended."
The eldest brother became nervous when he saw him apologize to Jian Ning. He was a little bit hypocritical of Jian Ning, mainly because Jian Ning was a good fighter. When he got home, he imitated Liu's words and then concluded, "Although my fourth brother is a high-ranking official, I don't envy him. He has to ask his wife for advice on everything and has to read her face. He is not as free as a country boy like me."
"Bah!" Liu pocketed the banknotes and spat in his face. "What do you know? Fourth brother is being courteous and respectful to his wife. In the past, he used to imitate his mother and throw tantrums. Who is he afraid of? He only gives in and respects those he wants to. If he doesn't love his own wife, who else can he expect? Why wouldn't I treat you twice as well as I do if you love and respect me a little?"
The eldest brother thought about it and realized that this was the truth. What Liu said was correct, so he smiled at her innocently, "Have you told Zhu'er? Fourth brother asked her to go over there. There are not many people there right now, so tell her to go quickly."
Liu rolled her eyes and said, "I'm still waiting for you to tell me, but I've already gone."
Ding Zhu was currently listening to Ding Youtian and Jian Ning's advice. Ding Youtian said, "If someone around you gossips about what happened today, don't argue with them. The more you talk about it, the worse it gets. If you ignore them, they'll figure out whether it's true or not, and over time, they won't bring it up again. But you must reprimand those who gossip, and even if you do, don't bring it up with that incident. Just stop them from talking nonsense about your master behind his back."
"I have taken note of Fourth Uncle's teachings and will never disobey." Ding Zhu looked at Jian Ning again, waiting for her instructions.
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