Ding Lan propped herself up and leaned against the wall before calling toward the door, “If you have something to say, come in.”
There was a brief silence outside before someone quickly pushed the door open.
Ding Lan listened carefully to the jumble of footsteps. There were quite a few people. Could Ding Jing have come back to confront her and demand an explanation?
By the time everyone reached the bedside, Ding Lan looked up.
Besides Ding Jing, her eldest uncle and her aunt—the woman who loved meddling in everyone else’s affairs—had also come. They had even brought their three sons, along with their five-year-old grandson, whom they were carrying in their arms.
The whole group stood around the bed, staring at Ding Lan’s pale, exhausted face.
Ding Qiao followed them into the room. The scene frightened her a little, and she instinctively moved closer to her elder sister.
Ding Lan reassuringly patted Ding Qiao on the shoulder but said nothing.
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
Ding Jing looked at his elder sister lying on the bed. Her face was pale, and the skin exposed beneath her clothes was covered in shocking injuries. For a moment, he genuinely did not know how to begin.
His aunt repeatedly gave him meaningful looks.
Only then did Ding Jing remember why he had come. Gathering his courage, he said, “Big Sister, I’m here to get some money.”
Life in town had been extremely difficult for Ding Jing lately. He had almost spent all the silver he had, while his elder sister was in debt to someone else. Because of that, he did not even dare return home to ask her for more money.
But when he heard from his aunt that Ding Lan was eating and drinking well at home every day, he had been furious. That was why he had returned with his uncle’s entire family to demand an explanation from his elder sister.
Ding Lan had naturally noticed his aunt’s little gestures and immediately understood.
Ding Jing’s sudden return was obviously because someone had been stirring things up behind the scenes.
She turned her gaze toward Ding Jing, who was standing beside the bed, and spoke in a hoarse voice.
“Xiaojing, you know very well that there’s no money left in the family. Are you trying to force your elder sister to death?”
Before Ding Jing could say anything, the aunt standing behind him spoke first, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“How can you say there’s no money? Didn’t you just send a big bowl of meat soup to Auntie Ding? You didn’t even think to show a little filial respect to your own uncle and aunt.”
So that was what this was about.
Auntie Ding’s family lived farther away. When Ding Lan had delivered the soup, it had happened to be around mealtime. Someone from the village must have seen her carrying it there and later mentioned it to this aunt.
Naturally, she had been unhappy about it, which was why she had brought everyone here today.
Ding Lan was actually amused by her anger.
She sneered, “When our family was struggling, Auntie Ding sent us vegetables so many times. But you, as my own aunt, have never even given us a bowl of porridge. Now I merely brought her a bowl of soup, and you’re holding a grudge over it?”
A guilty look appeared on the aunt’s face.
Ding Lan’s words also made her uncle’s face turn ugly. She had directly embarrassed him in front of everyone.
He gave a cold snort and said no more.
Ding Jing, however, began to feel a little uncomfortable after hearing this.
Although his uncle and aunt often claimed to care about him, in all his twelve years, they had never once invited him to their home for even a single meal.
Ding Lan had no time today to argue with such a petty woman.
She turned her attention back to Ding Jing.
“Xiaojing, that morning when I went to town, I went there to buy some bones so I could make you some soup. Your elder sister thought that studying at the private school must be tiring for your mind, so I wanted to make sure you had something nourishing.”
She sighed.
“I never imagined you wouldn’t even be home that day.”
Her gaze shifted toward the aunt.
“And Auntie Ding had been helping our family even when Father and Mother were still alive. Since you didn’t come home that day, after I finished cooking the bone soup, I immediately took it to her house. I only wanted to repay the kindness she had shown our family.”
Her uncle immediately snapped, “Then if you had money to go to town and buy bones, why couldn’t you just give the silver directly to Xiaojing? You’re obviously hiding money for yourself!”
Ding Lan put on a pained expression.
“How could I possibly have brought out those few copper coins? Every time I think about the promise I made to Mother, it breaks my heart.”
She lowered her head and continued, “This morning, I even wanted to go into the mountains to collect medicinal herbs so I could sell them for money and continue supporting your studies…”
Ding Lan desperately held back her tears.
“But I never expected… I would fall down the mountain…”
A sob escaped her.
“I won’t be able to do heavy work anymore…”
Ding Jing was startled.
“How could it be that serious?”
Ding Lan lifted her leg.
Although her leg was covered in nothing more than scrapes and abrasions, it had swollen badly by now, making it look bloody and horrifying.
After showing everyone her injuries, Ding Lan spoke miserably.
“Luckily, I met a kind benefactor in the mountains who saved me. Otherwise, your elder sister would never have made it home.”
Everyone instinctively took a step back after seeing the condition of her leg.
Ding Jing stammered, “Then… how am I supposed to continue my studies?”
Ding Lan gave him a sorrowful look.
Then, right in front of her uncle and aunt, she said, “Although I’ve become useless now, our parents’ final wishes must still be fulfilled.”
She glanced at the family standing behind Ding Jing before suggesting, “Since this was Father and Mother’s dying wish, your own uncle should also do his part. Xiaojing, why don’t you ask Uncle and Auntie to show some kindness and continue supporting your studies?”
Ding Jing immediately looked hopefully at his uncle and aunt.
The moment his uncle heard Ding Lan’s words, he knew they were in trouble.
He regretted coming here in the first place.
Ding Jing bowed respectfully to his uncle and pleaded, “If Uncle is willing to continue helping me study, I promise that once I pass the imperial examination and become successful, I will never forget your kindness.”
Before his uncle could refuse, his aunt could no longer hold herself back.
She blurted out, “I doubt you can even pass the scholar examination! If I wait for you to achieve anything, I’m afraid I’ll already be in my coffin before that day comes!”
Ding Jing stared at her in disbelief.
He had never expected the aunt who had always been so affectionate toward him to suddenly change her attitude so quickly.
Unwilling to give up, he said, “Father said that the fortune-telling Daoist predicted that I’m destined to become the top scholar!”
His aunt immediately shot back, “That Daoist was nothing but a con artist! Only your foolish father would believe his nonsense!”
Ding Jing staggered backward as though he had just suffered a devastating blow.
“How could that be?”
His aunt sneered.
“You’re the only fool who’s willing to be taken advantage of like this. Go around the village and ask them yourself. Who actually believes you can become the top scholar?”
The aunt was quick-tempered and was about to continue arguing with Ding Jing, but the rest of her family hurriedly dragged her away, eager to leave the place as quickly as possible.
After his uncle’s family left, Ding Jing’s expression gradually became gloomy.
He turned toward his elder sister and asked as though seeking confirmation, “Big Sister… is what Auntie said really true?”
Ding Lan had thoroughly enjoyed watching the drama unfold.
She glanced at Ding Jing, who looked completely lost.
According to the original plot, after Ding Jing failed the scholar examination once, he began to give up on himself. He followed his classmates around town, eating, drinking, and having fun. Later, he even became addicted to gambling.
After his elder sister was worked to death under the burden of supporting him, he would eventually sell his younger sister, Ding Qiao, to pay off his gambling debts.
Ding Lan calculated the timeline.
He would probably develop his gambling addiction next year.
But she certainly could not tell him that.
With that thought, Ding Lan decided to give him another hard blow.
“I heard people in the village say that the Daoist was beaten to death after he tried to scam someone powerful.”
Ding Jing’s heart skipped a beat.
Ding Lan took the opportunity to fan the flames.
“Everyone in the village is treating our family like a joke.”
Ding Jing had spent his entire life believing himself to be superior to everyone else. He normally could not even be bothered to associate with those people.
He had never imagined that the very people he looked down on were secretly laughing at him.
Ding Lan struck while the iron was hot and began driving a wedge between Ding Jing and their uncle’s family.
“And you really think Uncle and Auntie are helping you because they care about you? They’re only after what you have!”
Ding Jing’s expression changed dramatically.
“What do they want?”
“What else does our family have left?” Ding Lan looked at him as though he were hopelessly naive. “There’s only this house and courtyard left!”
Ding Jing stared blankly at her.
“But… their family already has a house. Why would they…”
Ding Lan could not help rolling her eyes.
“They do have somewhere to live, but they have several sons. Those boys will need to marry soon, and they’re already worried about where everyone will live!”
Ding Jing could never have thought through all those complicated motives himself.
Ding Lan put on an expression as though she were genuinely thinking of his best interests.
“Only I have always been thinking about you. If I get married, I’ll naturally have a good life.”
She looked at him with a mixture of frustration and affection.
“Isn’t everything I’ve done for you, Xiaojing? Tell me honestly—how has your elder sister treated you?”
Ding Jing guiltily looked away.
“Big Sister has always treated me the best.”
Previously, he had even complained that she had become too cold toward him.
Now that he thought about it, he realized how wrong he had been.
Ding Lan nodded in satisfaction.
“Think about it carefully. Have I ever harmed you? Wasn’t everything I did for your sake?”
She paused before continuing, “And today, Auntie has already said what needed to be said. If you ask me, Xiaojing, you should stop studying. Let our family get back on its feet first. We can think about the future later.”
In truth, Ding Jing had never been particularly interested in studying.
When he was young, he liked studying because it gave him a legitimate excuse to avoid work. Now that he had been attending the private school for several years, he had simply been wasting his days there.
While the other students worked hard at their studies, Ding Jing had never been willing to endure hardship.
His father had told him since childhood that he was destined to become the top scholar. Ding Jing had always believed that sooner or later he would rise to prominence.
In his mind, becoming the top scholar was practically guaranteed.
He had never considered the obvious question:
If you don’t study, was the top scholar title really going to fall from the sky and land directly on your head?
He had never expected that his beautiful daydream would be shattered by his aunt today.
And now he no longer had any reason to continue taking money from the family.
Ding Jing fell silent.
Seeing that he did not respond, Ding Lan began talking nonsense again.
“Even if you can’t become the top scholar, you can always have a son one day and let him take the examination for you. That way, you can still fulfill our parents’ dying wish.”
Even Ding Lan nearly burst out laughing at her own ridiculous words.
Ding Jing was completely bewildered by everything she had said.
How had they suddenly started talking about his future son?
After being quiet for a long time, Ding Qiao went to the kitchen and brought over a bowl of sweet-potato porridge.
Ding Lan took the bowl from her and deliberately held it up for Ding Jing to see.
“Look. Your elder sister can’t work anymore. From now on, our family might not even be able to afford a bowl of sweet-potato porridge.”
Ding Jing had never imagined that such a huge change would have happened to the family while he was away.
He could only stiffly nod.
“Fine. I won’t study anymore.”
That was exactly what Ding Lan had been waiting to hear.
She immediately slapped Ding Jing on the shoulder.
“Now our family depends on you to hold everything together! Little Sister, hurry! Bring our head of the household a bowl of porridge.”
Ding Jing felt rather pleased when he heard his elder sister call him the head of the household.
Ding Qiao obediently went to the kitchen and brought a bowl of sweet-potato porridge to her second brother.
Ding Jing drank the porridge without feeling that giving up his studies was particularly painful at all.
After he finished eating, Ding Lan stroked her chin and nodded in satisfaction.
Now that he was full, he had the strength to work!
Ding Lan’s eyes curved into a smile.
“Xiaojing, I can’t get out of bed right now. Why don’t you go up the mountain and chop some firewood?”
Ding Jing immediately protested, “I don’t know how!”
Ding Lan smiled.
“You can learn. Xiaojing, you have to prove yourself. Make all those people in the village who say you’re useless look at you differently!”
Hearing this, Ding Jing was, after all, only twelve years old—the age when boys were especially unwilling to admit defeat.
His fighting spirit immediately surged.
He grabbed the woodcutter’s knife and eagerly prepared to head into the mountains to chop firewood.