Having moved into her new home, everything was in disarray and needed rebuilding. Although she was currently financially secure, Tao Wanniang still felt it was time to start her business as soon as possible. The capital city was vast and rich in resources; opening a wonton shop would offer her no competitive advantage!
"Mother, um... could you give us some money?" Ling Dahu and Ling Dapeng looked embarrassed. Since they were able to work in the fields, they had never asked for money.
But in the capital, you can't do anything without money!
Tao Wan's mother was taken aback. She looked her two sons up and down, and after thinking for a moment, she said, "Alright, I'll give you each ten taels of silver. I won't interfere with how you use the money. But I do need to tell you who's going to pay for the household's food, clothing, and other necessities?"
"Mom, aren't you the richest in the family?" Ling Dapeng muttered.
"What, do you expect me to support both of your families for the rest of my life?" Tao Wanniang said sarcastically. "Do you expect me, your grandmother, to raise Gouwa and the others?" She earned the money through her own abilities, so why can't she keep it for herself?
"No, Mother, that's not what we meant. It's just that we haven't found anything to do yet," Ling Dahu said embarrassedly. If his wife hadn't told him that he needed to have some money, he really wouldn't have been able to bring himself to ask.
Then I met up with my younger brother and talked about it. I found out that my sister-in-law had also asked for the money. It was as if the two of them had made an agreement. But as the father of the child, I had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask my mother for the money.
Seeing her two sons blushing, Tao Wan's mother knew that it wasn't easy for them to bring this up.
"Alright, let's talk about this after you find something to do. Anyway, I've been supporting you all this time."
"I've thought about the names for your two children. Gouwa will be named Ling Rui, Ergou will be named Ling Zhi, and Huani will be named Ling Xiaofeng. What do you think? I hope my two grandsons will be wise and intelligent, and I also hope my granddaughter will have a bright future. What do you think?"
Ling Dahu and Ling Dapeng exchanged a glance, then happily thanked Tao Wanniang, Ling Rui, and Ling Zhi, saying it was better than Da Niu and the like.
"Also, you two brothers should get a memorial tablet for your father. I'm planning to set up a mourning hall for him!" Tao Wanniang instructed. In the future, when she, as a woman, takes charge of things, she will always be asked about her family.
“Mother, this is the proper thing to do, but what should be written on the memorial tablet?” Ling Dahu asked. Was the memorial tablet set up by his mother or by them?
"The memorial tablet of my deceased husband in Lingyunzhou, do you understand?" Tao Wanniang said immediately.
“I understand, Mother, the money…” Ling Dapeng said to Tao Wan’s mother eagerly.
Tao Wan's mother couldn't help but feel a little disgusted, so she gave each of her two sons ten taels.
"Don't come looking for me unless it's important. I need to think things through carefully these days. Should I open a breakfast stall or a small restaurant?"
“Mom…aren’t we well-off? Running a breakfast stall will be very hard work.” Ling Dapeng was a little confused. The money his mother had was more than they could earn in their entire lives in the countryside. They already had such a big house, so why did they have to work so hard?
Tao Wan's mother glared at her two sons. They were so unambitious!
"Mom, let's open a restaurant! Your cooking skills are so good, the business will definitely be good." Ling Dahu's eyes lit up. If his mother opened a restaurant, wouldn't he have work to do? He could work for his mother and she would pay him, right?
"You think so too? Let me go out and see more of the world first. You two shouldn't stay at home all day. Go out and see more of the world. The capital is so big. You don't want to start retiring so early, do you?"
Tao Wanniang said, "Although you are already married, to be honest, you don't know many characters and have limited knowledge. Now we are in the capital, where there are all kinds of people. If you don't want to be looked down upon, you must improve yourselves."
"In addition, the children are still young, and we should also think about whether to send them to school in the future."
These words left the Ling brothers stunned. Since fleeing the famine, Tao Wanniang had been in charge, and they had mostly been on the road. Whether they could read or not seemed to make no difference!
"Mother, we understand. We'll be going now. You go ahead with your work!" Ling Dahu felt a little guilty. Were all their strength really so useless?
Tao Wanniang waved her hand, dismissing her two sons. "Constructing things behind closed doors is never enough. We need to go out and explore, to understand the tastes of the people in the capital!"
After receiving the money, the Ling brothers told their wives and went out together to take care of their father's memorial tablet.
As soon as they stepped outside, the two ran into Wang Fugui from next door.
"Uncle Wang!" Although things had been quite unpleasant before, Ling Dahu was just that kind of simple and honest person, and he still greeted him when he saw him.
"Where are you going?" Wang Fugui asked casually, his face stern.
"Get a memorial tablet for my father, Uncle Wang. Where are there any funeral clothing shops around here?" Ling Dahu asked truthfully.
Wang Fugui was taken aback. He glanced at the two of them and said, "You've just arrived in the capital. You probably don't know the way. Come on, I'll take you there."
"Thank you very much, Uncle Wang." Ling Dahu was overjoyed and immediately expressed his gratitude.
"What's wrong? Did your father just pass away? You haven't even set up a memorial tablet yet?" Wang Fugui asked casually on the way.
“No, my father has been dead for seventeen years, but I didn’t know until recently,” Ling Dapeng chimed in. “My father left home before I was even born, but we never heard from him again. My mother was waiting for him, and only found out a few days ago that he was long gone!”
"So, your mother has had a tough time." Wang Fuhao was a little surprised. The woman didn't look very old, and he didn't think she was so pitiful.
“Yes, my mother raised my brother and me all by herself. She suffered a lot in raising us,” Ling Dahu said with emotion. “But if it weren’t for my father’s protection in heaven, we probably wouldn’t have made it to the capital.”
Wang Fugui glanced at Ling Dapeng. He was handsome and tall, but surprisingly, he wasn't very bright and actually believed in the protection of the dead.
"Uncle Wang, what do you do? You seem to have so much free time every day," Ling Dapeng asked casually.
Wang Fugui glanced at Ling Dapeng again; the son raised by a woman, he just wasn't very bright.
“I’m already so old, what can I do? There are still a few shops at home, which my sons have taken over. Can’t I take care of myself in my old age?”
"Uncle Wang, you're not that old. You look about the same age as my mother before," Ling Dahu said in surprise. Are people in the capital all so young?
"Comparable to your mother, who not only looks young but also has a sharp tongue. Tsk tsk, who would have thought she was such a tragic figure."
Accompanied by Wang Fugui, the Ling brothers found a funeral clothing shop.
After Ling Dahu read the words on the memorial tablet, Wang Fugui and the shopkeeper were both stunned.
"Who are you talking about? Who is your father?"
“Ling Yunzhou, from Lingjia Village, has been dead for over ten years. What happened?” Ling Dahu asked, puzzled. Was there something wrong with his name?
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