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  Ding Ruo stopped in front of the manager, and the person who rushed in was sweating profusely, with a large patch of mud on the corner of his yellow shirt. His cloth shoes were also muddy, with a hole at the toe, revealing his big toe. Ding Ruo looked up at his face and saw that he was a man in his early twenties, with a dark complexion and eyes etched with the hardships of life. It was clear that he didn't live an easy life. He had come to find Wang Cheng, and Ding Ruo guessed that he must be a neighbor. From this, she could also tell that Wang Cheng's life wasn't easy either, which explained why he could only borrow books by being punished with copying more books - not only to strengthen his memory but also to practice his writing.

  The imperial examination not only requires beautiful and elegant writing, but also pays attention to the font. If it meets the examiner's eyes, it will leave a good impression and add points. Ding Rou heard the steward sigh: "Wang Cheng's mother spent a lot of money on medicine and doctors, Wang Cheng is a filial child, he would rather save some money and remember to buy medicine for his mother."

  Someone informed Wang Cheng that Ding Rou saw a large ink stain on his white Confucian robe, probably because he was so shocked by the news that the ink dripped onto it. Wang Cheng grabbed the person and anxiously asked: "Zhu Zi Ge, my mother, what happened to my mother?"

  "After the Wang family's relatives came to see her, she fainted and heard that they were going to take away the remaining two mu of water fields from their home."

  Wang Cheng's eyes were bloodshot, his face dark and sinister, "Despicable, despicable."

  "No making a disturbance in the Royal Bookstore." The manager reminded Wang Cheng, "Leave quickly."

  Wang Cheng pulled out a man named Zhu Zi from the Royal Bookstore, and Ding Rou felt sympathetic towards Wang Cheng. "Uncle, is Wang Gongzi also from a wealthy family? Didn't he pass the Imperial Examination?" Wang Cheng was wearing a Confucian robe, which meant he should be a scholar who had passed the examination and received a stipend. The system of Great Qin mostly imitated that of the Ming Dynasty, Ding Rou recalled reading about the Ming Dynasty's imperial examination system in her past life.

  "There is a fortune, but most of it was sold to treat his mother's illness. Wang Cheng comes from the royal family in Beijing, but his father was a concubine's son and died of depression after repeated failures. His widowed mother raised him with great difficulty. Now it seems that the Wang family wants to take back the two acres of water field. How important is this land? Can't people of the same clan be so ruthless? Isn't this pushing the widow and orphan to death?"

  Ding Rou sighed and couldn't help but wonder, wasn't the ancient times not very particular about family relationships? Wang Cheng was so diligent and became a scholar, how could the Wang family not know that Wang Cheng would not pass the imperial examination to become an official in the future? Weren't they afraid that Wang Cheng would take revenge when he became rich and powerful? The Wang family was still a prestigious family in the capital, couldn't they understand this point? Ding Rou felt that there must be some hidden reason, hum, the Wang family? Wasn't what the siblings surnamed Yin from Luofeng Mountain said about this Wang family? It's really messy, the affairs of aristocratic families are indeed complicated.

  "The Wang family is not bullying the orphaned mother and son, but helping Wang Cheng." Just then, a young man in luxurious clothes walked over and heard the steward's sighs. He smiled and said, "In two days, there will be no more Wang Cheng."

  "Why say so?"

  "It's not known, but the owner of Xiankeju had taken a liking to Wang Cheng. Xiankeju was renowned as the number one restaurant in the capital, with a single table setting costing twenty or thirty taels of silver. Boss Qian not only owned restaurants, but also textile shops and other businesses, with a family fortune worth tens of thousands. Boss Qian's younger sister was a favored concubine of Duke Chuling, although she hadn't become a secondary wife, she was still an honored lady with imperial decree. With the backing of the Duke Chuling's estate, Boss Qian's business continued to grow. The only regret in Boss Qian's life was that he had no son to inherit his family business, having only raised two daughters, and with no one to take over the vast family fortune. A few days ago, for some reason, Miss Qian, the eldest daughter of the Qian family, ran into Wang Cheng while buying medicine for her mother, and secretly fell in love with him. After Boss Qian had someone investigate and found out about it, he began to think of a way to recruit Wang Cheng."

  "Son-in-law? Wang Cheng probably won't agree."

  Ding Rou nodded in agreement. In ancient times, a son-in-law who married into his wife's family was often discriminated against. Wang Cheng had become such a son-in-law one day, and for the rest of his life, he would find it difficult to hold his head high again. Even if he were to pass the imperial examination and become an official in the future, as a merchant son-in-law, Wang Cheng would still be looked down upon. At this time, Ding Rou was not reborn into her previous life, where merchants held a high social status. The Taizu Emperor had only lifted some restrictions on merchants, making their status slightly better than it had been throughout Chinese history. Otherwise, the younger sister of Old Man Qian would not have become the wife of Chu Ling Wang.

  Young Master snickered: "Now it's not King Cheng's turn to take charge, the water field has been taken back, his mother is seriously ill, and he has no money or property. King Cheng can only become a son-in-law by marrying into the family. I heard that the girl surnamed Qian, Qian Cheng, sounds good too."

  "What a pity for his great talent."

  Ding Ruo only met Wang Cheng once, but in her past life, she had also taken care of her mother and could relate to Wang Cheng's current situation. Manager Uncle said that based on Wang Cheng's previous behavior, he was a filial son, but now he was in a desperate situation and had to take the road of becoming a live-in son-in-law. After paying the money, Ding Ruo left with the books, feeling sympathetic towards Wang Cheng, but also somewhat heavy-hearted. She couldn't understand why Qianjia's young lady seemed to be bullying him. Shouldn't choosing a husband involve mutual affection? If Qianjia's young lady appreciated Wang Cheng's talent, she should have supported him in his studies and welcomed him into her family after he graduated. Why did she choose the most inferior path instead? Even if Wang Cheng became a live-in son-in-law, could he treat her well? Their future life would likely be difficult.

  Ding Ruo sat down at a stall on the side of Yanjing Road and ordered a bowl of steaming wontons. As she was about to start eating, she habitually reached out to touch the vinegar bottle on the table, as she always liked to eat her wontons with vinegar. However, there was no vinegar bottle on the table. Ding Ruo said, "Boss, can I have some vinegar?"

  The landlady of the steaming hot pot smiled and said: "Little girl, there's no vinegar for you."

  The people around burst into laughter, Ding Rou's face turned red, "I want to borrow some vinegar." The boss lady smiled and said, "Give the little girl a vinegar bottle." The people eating the wontons laughed again. This stall's business was very good, the boss and his wife were kind and generous, the wonton serving size was just right, and the price was reasonable. Many people loved to come and support them. The wonton soup was very clear, and it smelled rich and savory. The broth must have been cooked for a long time. Ding Rou picked up her spoon and took a sip of the soup. The boss lady smiled and suggested, "Don't use a spoon."

  Ding Rou just saw that everyone around her was drinking directly from the rim of the bowl and praised: "Boss lady, delicious."

  "That's natural, it's a family secret recipe. The second miss of the Qian family likes it and often asks her maid to buy it from me to take away, just for my stirred egg drops and this rich and savory broth."

  "Nonsense, I don't believe it. The boss's wife said others are better than us, but the Yanjing wine house of the Qian family is one of the most famous in Beijing. Are you saying that our master chef can't even compare to theirs? I don't believe it."

  The proprietress wiped her hands with an apron and said, "What's the use of deceiving? The second young lady likes the flavor of small dishes made by women. Although they can't compare to chefs in terms of color, our Liuji is also very famous throughout Yanjing City."

  Miss Qian's second daughter? Ding Rou was eating her congee, and today she kept hearing the name of the Qian family. She poured some vinegar into her bowl, and Ding Rou furrowed her brow. The vinegar didn't have much of a sour taste, but it was very murky, and just looking at it made her lose her appetite. Ding Rou opened the vinegar jar and saw that the vinegar inside was also the same. She asked, "Boss's wife, how long has this vinegar been used?"

  "Just bought it back, what's wrong? Anything wrong?" The boss walked up to Ding Rou, "I still bought Chen Jia old vinegar, Chen Jia is known as the vinegar king of Beijing, most families in Beijing use their old vinegar, I don't treat people who come to eat at Hun Dun poorly."

  Ding Rou tapped her forehead, and suddenly the idea came to her without much effort. A bright smile spread across her face: "Thank you, boss lady."

  The boss's wife was stunned, and at this time a horse-drawn carriage passed by outside the stall. Someone said: "It's the Ding family's carriage, I don't know which Miss Ding is going out."

  Ding Rou drank the soup calmly, but the carriage driver couldn't help but be distracted. He lifted the curtain and looked back, was it Ding Rou? Was he seeing things? How did she keep appearing in the capital city like a ghost?

  "Third Miss, be careful, the wind is blowing into your eyes. If you have any instructions, tell me, your servant."

  "It's nothing."

  Third Miss Ding put down the carriage curtain, it's not what Ding Ruo said, she was so reluctant to ask for her mother's permission to go out, and couldn't let Ding Ruo delay the best opportunity. A sharp glint flashed in Third Miss' eyes, even being driven to the countryside wouldn't make her obedient, Ding Ruo, don't blame me for being ruthless.

  Ding Rou felt a chill on her back, had the weather changed? As she sipped the thick soup to warm her stomach, she still had some spare change in her hand. Later, she would go to the cosmetics stall and buy some rouge and powder for her mother and Lan Xin. Her mother was not yet thirty, still in the prime of her life like a flower in bloom. Ding Rou did not want Liu Shi to live like a widow, devoid of joy and desire, with a heart as dry as dust. With Liu Shi's broad-mindedness and enthusiasm, Ding Rou could easily persuade her to escape and start anew.

  Liu's son is weak and stubborn, Ding Rou still has to persuade her slowly. Ding Rou shook his head, get rich first, then persuade Liu.

  "Huh? Miss Qian Er?" The boss's wife exclaimed, "Why have you come here in person today?"

  Ding Ruo raised her eyes and saw a young lady, about 14 or 15 years old, walking towards her. Qian Er's oval face, curved eyebrows, bright eyes, straight nose bridge, and a small cherry mouth with a red mole on the upper lip made her look very approachable, without any arrogance or rudeness typical of rich girls. However, Ding Ruo noticed that Qian Er's eyes were red, obviously having cried not long ago. The chaotic restaurant only had one table occupied by Ding Ruo alone, and Qian Er walked over to sit beside her, forcing a smile: "Do you mind?"

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