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  His one blind eye, combined with his expressionless face, made Old Man Yuan seem like he was always recalling something unpleasant. This appearance would frighten the children, who didn't dare to approach him whenever they saw him.

  But Mr. Song trusted him very much, not treating him as a servant, but as a member of the family. However, Lao Yuan refused to eat at the same table with them, maintaining his dignity as a servant, even though he ate the same food as the master's family. Nevertheless, Lao Yuan was indeed a good coachman. He drove several pairs of mules, always in an orderly manner, never carelessly cracking whips or yelling, let alone abusing the animals. He would quietly hold the whip in his sleeve, slowly smoking his dry tobacco pipe, and complete the driving task without any fuss.

  The purple wicker screen was gently lifted, and they had already left the village for two miles. The broken kiln had entered their line of sight, but it was unknown whether he was waiting there or not, and the girl's heart was a bit anxious. As they walked closer, the staggering figure emerged from the broken kiln and stepped onto the main road, and only then did Zǐ Juān breathe a sigh of relief and smile with pursed lips.

  Meng You Tian walked forward along the road with a pretentious air, and the sound of wheels behind him grew louder. He stopped in his tracks and yielded to the side of the road.

  "Is it Brother Tian?" Zi Juan leaned out of the car with a smile and greeted: "Where are we going?"

  Lao Yuan muttered something under his breath, and the two mules slowed down their pace.

  "Zi Juan, I'm going downtown to buy some things." Meng You Tian's performance wasn't very convincing, but that didn't matter.

  "Uncle Yuan, take a shortcut and bring back some land deeds, he's walking there, it won't be dark before he returns!" Zi Juan turned her face to the blind old man Yuan.

  Yeah, Old Yuan glanced at the car handle and stopped the sedan. Although he didn't say anything, that meant he agreed too.

  "Thank you, Uncle Yuan." Meng You Tian was no longer the original Meng You Tian. He bluntly and unceremoniously sat on the carriage shaft, one side of him being blind Old Yuan.

  The magpie saw that its goal had been achieved, and it secretly rejoiced in its heart. It sat calmly in the carriage, gently turning the hand warmer, and even the subtle changes in its expression were all taken in by Zhang's wife.

  Zhang Shu sighed secretly, Zi Juan had grown up and it was normal to have such thoughts. Tian Ye was a good young man too. However, considering her physical condition and family background, the gap between them was too big, making it difficult for them to be together. If the Song family had a son, Zi Juan would have been married off long ago. But since she was an only daughter, her parents loved her like their life depended on it and wanted to find someone who was knowledgeable, courteous, and from a wealthy family, preferably someone who could marry into the Song family so they could see their daughter every day and not worry about her being bullied by her husband. With such high expectations, it was hard to find a suitable match. Anyone who came before Zi Juan would be eliminated by Mr. Song.

  No rush, no rush, after the New Year I'll be eighteen, seventeen is not too late to get married. We'd rather be safe than sorry, a daughter's lifelong event can't be taken lightly. Mr. Song always says this, but only he knows whether he's really in a hurry or not.

  Meng You Tian sat on the carriage shaft, always silent, as if there was something wrong. But for blind old Yuan, he really couldn't find a suitable topic to talk about. Moreover, he had some fear of this unsociable old man, probably due to the psychological shadow left from his childhood.

  "Hey, Uncle Yuan, you're the first to drive cattle, no one dares to compare with you." Meng You Tian thought for half a day and still used the old trick, first putting on a high hat, seeing if he's happy or not.

  Lao Yuan nodded slightly, neither confirming nor denying, and his facial expression didn't even change, which made Meng You Tian suspect that the nod was just an illusion caused by the bumpy ride.

  "Uncle Yuan, I know your eye for cattle is also top-notch. When we get to town, I'll really have to ask you to give me some pointers." Meng You Tian fell silent for a moment before continuing, this wasn't just a figure of speech, but his genuine thoughts.

  Lao Yuan fell silent for a moment before asking briefly: "Is it plowing or pulling carts?"

  "I want them all." Meng You Tian smiled and said, "For plowing fields, oxen are not necessary, mules will do; for pulling carts, it's okay to be a bit casual, donkeys are fine too."

  Lao Yuan's eyebrows moved slightly, and he glanced at Meng You Tian with a faint tone: "Buy it today?"

  "Uh, let's buy it when we get to town." Meng You Tian nodded vigorously and said: "First, buy a draft animal for the cart, best to buy the cart together. Then wait until spring to buy land for farming. Mainly because there is no place to raise them now, and not enough fodder has been prepared."

  Lao Yuan only believed that Meng You Tian was not speaking nonsense and really wanted to buy it, this time he really nodded, Meng You Tian saw clearly.

  The girl is outgoing, and that's nothing, she has already made a mess of the Song family's money. Zhang Shu glanced at Zi Juan with the corner of her eye, thinking to herself.

  Where did Youtian get the money to buy cattle, and even two heads? Ziqing frowned slightly, thinking in her heart, hmm, it must be Axiu who brought it. This girl looks ordinary, but she really has a lot of family property! In the past, she didn't take out the money, and she didn't plan to stay long-term. Now it seems that she wants to settle down in the village. This is not good, really not good. She and Youtian can meet every day, and they even went out together for a day and night some time ago. If this bachelor girl stays alone for a long time, who knows if the younger sister will become a daughter-in-law?

  Everyone has their own thoughts, but no one guessed Meng You Tian's strange encounter. Meng You Tian readily accepted Zi Juan's appointment, and he didn't have the intention of stirring up trouble. Thinking this way, he thought that way, and it just so happened to cover up the suspicious origin of the money.

  "In the past, stretching arms and kicking legs was quite enjoyable, and it looked like some sort of skill." Suddenly, Old Yuan spoke up: "After your leg got injured, you all gave up on it?"

  Meng You Tian blinked his eyes and smiled, saying: "I've been practicing my body every day without fail, so I can forget about techniques. Even if I practiced again, I'd have to change my style, find a suitable martial art for this leg of mine."

  Lao Yuan glanced at Meng You Tian and said suspiciously: "Is there a martial art suitable for a lame person to practice?"

  "Ah!" Meng You Tian said with a serious expression: "I think the moves of Tieguai Li, one of the Eight Drunken Immortals, should be the most suitable for me to practice. There's that move where he lifts a wine jug with a force of a thousand catties... and another one... I forgot."

  Hehe, a stifled laugh came from inside the sedan, no need to look to know it was Zi Juan.

  The old blind man flipped his single eye and said with a bad temper: "A drunkard can lift a thousand catty wine jar? That's Lü Dongbin."

  Ah, did I remember wrong? Or was it the movie that got it wrong? Meng You Tian scratched his head, this blind old man understood martial arts and could actually point out his own mistakes.

  "Heh heh, haha, you're talking nonsense." Meng You Tian smiled wryly and then straightened his expression, saying: "Although I haven't practiced martial arts much, my marksmanship has improved a lot. If I were to switch from the old rifle to a new quick-firing gun and practice some more, I reckon I'd be even more formidable."

  The muscles on Lao Yuan's face twitched suddenly, and he was silent for a while before saying in a low voice: "Even with full mastery of martial arts, it's hard to withstand the impact of foreign guns. Decades of bitter practice can't even block a single shot from the gods. Heh heh, foreign guns, foreign cannons..."

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