The moment Ding Qiao saw Auntie Liu, she seemed to have found someone she could rely on and hurriedly hid behind her in fear.
Auntie Liu shielded Ding Qiao and said firmly, “Ding Jing, what are you doing?”
Ding Jing rolled his eyes. “I’m in my own house. I can do whatever I want. What’s it to you?”
Auntie Liu was furious with him. She took Ding Qiao by the hand and led her outside.
By then, many villagers had already come over after hearing the commotion. They stood outside the house, pointing and whispering among themselves.
Auntie Liu didn’t want to argue with Ding Jing anymore. She simply took Ding Qiao back to her own courtyard and gently comforted her.
Meanwhile, Ding Jing had turned the entire house upside down, yet he couldn’t find even a single copper coin. He was so angry that he stamped his feet.
When he opened the courtyard gate, he saw the villagers gathered outside.
Ding Jing let out a cold “Hmph,” then walked away with a dark expression.
The villagers immediately began discussing what had happened.
Some of the older villagers openly criticized him.
“Ding Jing has gone too far.”
The others quickly agreed.
“Someone this ungrateful still has the nerve to attend private school?”
“Ding Er spent so much money raising that boy, and this is what he ended up raising!”
“Last time, Ding Jing was also forcing his big sister to give him money in town. Ding Lan was driven to the point where she didn’t even want to live anymore!”
“Ah, those two sisters really have it hard…”
Ding Jing hadn’t managed to get any money, which made him even more irritated.
He had no choice but to walk back to town.
By then, the sun was already high in the sky. The scorching heat only made him more impatient, and the more he thought about what had happened, the angrier he became.
He had returned home hungry yesterday afternoon and hadn’t even gotten a meal.
Now he was heading back to town on an empty stomach again.
His stomach was already growling loudly.
When had Ding Jing ever suffered such hardship?
Back when he had gone to town to study, he had complained that traveling to town early every morning was too difficult.
Without saying a word, his big sister had rented him a room in town.
Whenever he went to town, she would even help him clean and organize the room. Before he left, she would prepare his meals for him as well.
And now, that same big sister wouldn’t even give him a single copper coin.
Ding Jing felt that he was truly pitiful.
While Ding Jing was busy complaining about Ding Lan in his head, Ding Lan herself was still wandering around the shops in town, thinking about ways to make money.
The morning sun was already unbearably hot.
Ding Lan found a shady spot, put down her basket, and sat down to rest for a while.
Looking at the fatty pork in her basket, an idea suddenly occurred to her.
What if I made soap?
Soap didn’t exist in this era yet.
Ding Lan knew how to make it. Her middle-school textbooks had actually taught them about the process, and she had even made a handmade bar of soap at home when she was younger to use for washing her hands.
But where would she get caustic soda?
Did she really have to make lye herself?
Besides, after making soap, she would still have to wait for it to cure before she could use it.
She was desperately short of money right now.
She simply couldn’t afford to wait that long.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a lantern shop ahead.
Surprisingly, there wasn’t a single one of her rabbit-shaped lanterns hanging outside.
Looks like this shopkeeper is a man with principles.
Ding Lan carried her basket into the shop.
A thin, middle-aged man quietly sized her up.
Judging by the way she was dressed, she didn’t look like someone who had come to buy a lantern.
He asked curiously, “Miss, is there something you need?”
Ding Lan smiled and stepped closer.
“Is the shopkeeper here? I have something I’d like to discuss with him.”
The middle-aged man pointed at himself and smiled.
“I am the shopkeeper. Just tell me what you need.”
Ding Lan immediately began flattering him.
“Oh, you’re the shopkeeper? I was wondering why you looked so impressive!”
The man couldn’t help laughing.
“Miss, just get to the point.”
A glimmer flashed through Ding Lan’s eyes.
She lowered her voice and said mysteriously, “I have a way for you to make money. The only question is whether you’re interested in earning some silver!”
The shopkeeper’s curiosity was immediately piqued.
“What do you mean?”
Ding Lan lowered her voice even further.
“Have you noticed that over the past couple of days, many lantern shops have started hanging rabbit-shaped lanterns outside?”
The shopkeeper nodded.
“I have. But what does that have to do with making money?”
Ding Lan said proudly, “Actually, I was the one who came up with that rabbit lantern. Now all the other lantern shops are copying my design, and they’re making quite a bit of money from it!”
The shopkeeper stared at her in surprise.
“You made it?”
Seeing that she had sufficiently aroused his interest, Ding Lan nodded confidently.
“Of course I did. And I still have many other lantern designs that I haven’t made yet.”
The shopkeeper patiently asked, “So what exactly is this money-making opportunity you mentioned?”
Ding Lan got straight to the point.
“I’ll sell my designs to you. Do you want them?”
New designs?
For a lantern shop, this could absolutely be the beginning of something new.
The shopkeeper’s attitude changed immediately, and his voice became eager.
“Of course I want them.”
He paused before asking, “But about the price… how much silver are you asking for?”
Ding Lan thought for a moment.
“One tael of silver per design. I’ll only provide the drawing. You’ll have to figure out how to turn it into a lantern yourself. Does that price satisfy you, Shopkeeper?”
How could he not be satisfied?
He was extremely satisfied!
The shopkeeper wasn’t the kind of person who liked taking advantage of others. After hesitating for a moment, he actually reminded her, “Your price is too low…”
Ding Lan smiled.
“Do you know why I chose to do business with you?”
The shopkeeper looked at her in confusion.
Ding Lan explained, “Because you’re the only lantern shop in town that hasn’t hung up a rabbit lantern. That tells me you’re a man of integrity.”
Ding Lan didn’t forget to flatter him a little.
The shopkeeper was extremely pleased by her praise, though he modestly said, “Miss, you’re flattering me. I don’t deserve such praise.”
Ding Lan paused before continuing.
“Besides, once I give you the designs, the moment you put your new lanterns on display, all the other lantern shops will immediately copy them!”
The shopkeeper waved his hand dismissively.
“That doesn’t matter. Miss, did you bring the designs with you?”
Ding Lan gave him a small smile.
“Why would I need to bring them? They’re all in my head. Do you have paper and ink here?”
The shopkeeper didn’t say anything more. He simply took out writing materials from beneath the counter and handed them to her.
Ding Lan wasn’t very skilled at using a brush.
She could only draw simple outlines on the paper.
Although her drawing skills were fairly average, the shopkeeper kept nodding as he looked at the designs.
He had never imagined that lanterns could be made into such unusual shapes!
Ding Lan drew three designs for him.
One was a tiger, another was a fox, and the third was a lotus flower.
She had deliberately chosen designs that were either cute or beautiful.
Ding Lan handed him the drawings and smiled.
“You should be able to figure out how to make these lanterns within a few days, right?”
Although the drawings were nothing more than simple sketches, the shopkeeper didn’t mind at all.
He stared at them in fascination, especially the lotus design.
He praised it three times in a row.
“Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!”
These unusual designs had completely opened up a new world for him.
Ding Lan couldn’t help giving a couple of light coughs before the shopkeeper finally came back to his senses.
He looked at her somewhat sheepishly.
“All right. I’ll get the silver for you right now!”
He took the drawings into the back courtyard.
After a short while, he returned with three taels of silver and handed them to her.
“Miss, if you come up with any more designs in the future, you must sell them to me!”
Ding Lan tucked the silver into her money pouch, her mood brightening considerably.
“Of course, of course!”
Now that she had earned some silver, Ding Lan said goodbye to the shopkeeper and left the lantern shop.
With three taels of silver on her, she wouldn’t have to worry too much about money for the time being.
It seemed that the soap plan could finally be put on the agenda.
With her purse feeling pleasantly heavy, Ding Lan also felt much more confident about spending money.
Naturally, the first thing she thought about was food!
After buying several portions of pastries, she finally managed to calm herself down.
Then Ding Lan remembered the bloodsucker Ding Jing waiting at home.
She couldn’t let him know she had money.
She still needed to keep a low profile.
Uncle Liu usually didn’t finish selling his vegetables until the afternoon, so today Ding Lan would have to walk back to the village herself.
The August sun was still scorching.
And now it was right around noon.
Ding Lan took some pastries from her basket and ate a few bites to fill her stomach before setting off back to the village to prepare lunch.
Unexpectedly, just after leaving Qingshan Town, she encountered Ding Jing on the road.
Ding Jing was equally stunned when he saw her.
He had been walking under the blazing sun for nearly half an hour.
He was exhausted and hungry.
He never expected to run into his big sister on the road.
To him, it felt as though he had suddenly found his savior.
Ding Lan took the initiative to greet him.
“Xiao Jing, why aren’t you eating lunch at home?”
As soon as Ding Jing heard that, he remembered that he was still hungry.
He couldn’t help losing his temper.
“I don’t want to eat anything you make!”
Ding Lan immediately put on an expression as though his words had broken her heart.
Seeing his big sister’s expression, Ding Jing felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
It felt good to hurt her back.
Ding Lan carried her basket on her back and acted as though she were deeply wounded.
“Fine… I’ll go home, then.”
She hunched her shoulders and slowly walked toward the village.
Ding Jing: “???”
Wasn’t his big sister supposed to give him some silver at this point so that he could go to town and eat?
Seeing Ding Lan getting farther and farther away, Ding Jing hurriedly shouted, “Big Sister!”
Ding Lan pretended not to hear him and continued walking.
Ding Jing had no choice but to run after her.
“I just called you! How could you not hear me?”
Ding Lan looked at him sorrowfully without saying a word.
Seeing that his big sister wasn’t responding, Ding Jing had no choice but to speak first.
“Big Sister, my money…”
Before he could finish, Ding Lan interrupted him.
There was an embarrassed expression on her face.
“Xiao Jing, we’re already so poor that we can barely put food on the table. Do you still have any silver?”
Ding Jing stared at his big sister in shock.
He hadn’t even asked her for money yet, and she was already asking him for money!
Before Ding Jing could refuse, Ding Lan began talking about the family’s situation.
“Didn’t you take one tael of silver from me last time? Actually, I borrowed that money from someone else.”
This wasn’t entirely a lie.
The original Ding Lan really had borrowed money from Auntie Liu before, although she had already paid it back.
After a few seconds of silence, Ding Lan asked again.
“We can’t afford to repay it now. How much silver do you have left?”
Ding Jing finally recovered from his shock.
He immediately refused.
“I spent all my silver a long time ago.”
Ding Lan stared at him in disbelief.
“That was one whole tael of silver! How could you have spent all of it?”
Ding Jing had always been extravagant with money. How could he possibly remember where every coin had gone?
Still, he stubbornly replied, “Anyway, I don’t have any money now!”
Ding Lan delivered the final blow.
She sighed heavily.
“Then there’s nothing we can do. We’ll just have to sell the house.”
Ding Jing panicked the moment he heard that.
He was the only son in the family.
The house was supposed to belong to him.
If his big sister sold it, he really would have nowhere to live in the future.
Ding Jing exploded.
“That house is mine! You can’t sell it!”
Ding Lan spoke with righteous indignation.
“Do you think I’m trying to take your house for myself? Your big sister is doing everything for your sake! If it weren’t for Mother’s dying wish, I would have gotten married long ago and gone off to live a comfortable life!”
Ding Jing was rendered speechless by her words.
Yet in his heart, he was absolutely certain that the house could not be sold.
Ding Lan put on an expression of someone who was only thinking of his best interests and gently persuaded him.
“Besides, you can’t even afford your tuition anymore, and our family still owes money to other people. There’s nothing wrong with selling the house. At least we can get some silver in return.”
Ding Jing stomped his feet angrily.
“Stop talking about it! The house cannot be sold!”
Ding Lan put on a worried expression.
“Then what are we going to do about the money we owe? Your big sister can’t repay it.”
Ding Jing snapped, “That’s your problem! Anyway, the house is mine. You can’t sell it without my permission!”
He did still have a little money left.
But there was no way he wanted to use it to repay that one tael of silver.
Ding Lan pretended that she still wanted to persuade him.
But Ding Jing no longer wanted to argue with her.
He angrily flung his sleeves, turned around, and walked away.