Chapter 273: Chapter 273 Adopts Ding Family Siblings
273 Taking in the Ding Family Siblings
However, Ding Chenguang declined, expressing his gratitude, "Thank you for your kind intentions. You have already helped me so much; I cannot trouble you further. The next Spring Exam is next spring. During this time, I can sell paintings and write letters for others to earn the funds for my journey to the capital."
Sun Youwei wanted to say something more but was interrupted by Zhao Zhitong.
She laughed and said, "Eldest Uncle, look at Mr. Ding. He is so ambitious. As Teacher says, a scholar should always maintain their pride."
Clearly, despite his current predicament, he was proud to the core.
That was why Zhao Zhitong had interrupted Sun Youwei.
With Zhao Zhitong’s interruption, Eldest Uncle Sun Youwei joined her in praising Ding Chenguang and dropped the topic of providing financial assistance.
Something occurred to Zhao Zhitong, and she asked again, "You’ve resolved the issue of travel funds, but where are you planning to live?"
Ding Chenguang replied, "We were previously staying in the broken temple in the east of the city. It provides shelter from wind and rain; it’s pretty good."
Sun Youwei disagreed, "You have your younger sister with you. Living in the broken temple in the east of the city is too unsafe."
After saying this, he glanced at the courtyard. "Well, I have a vacant room here. If you don’t mind, you can stay with us for now."
"Will this... cause trouble for you?" Ding Chenguang felt slightly embarrassed, but Sun Youwei’s mention of his younger sister made him hesitate.
"Not at all," Sun Youwei persuaded. "Most of my family members live back in our hometown. The rooms in this medical clinic would remain vacant otherwise, so please, feel free to stay."
Finally, Ding Chenguang, holding his sister Ding Xiang’s hand, thanked the Sun family once again.
Just then, Sun Kang returned from seeing a patient and was surprised to find two strangers in the medical clinic.
Zhao Zhitong excitedly recounted the events to him.
"That Niu Baishun is becoming more and more outrageous." After lamenting Niu Baishun’s abuse of his position, Sun Kang smiled and told the Ding Family siblings to make themselves at home.
The two siblings thanked him profusely once more. They also stated that they would not stay for free and could help with any chores around the house.
Once it was settled that the siblings would stay at the Sun Family Medical Hall until the Spring Exam next year, Ding Chenguang returned to the broken temple where they had been staying.
He brought back their belongings in a single straw basket, which wasn’t much but was quite heavy.
When he took out the contents, Zhao Zhitong saw it was mostly filled with books, with only two or three changes of clothes and nothing else.
This confirmed he was indeed a scholar. Even while fleeing famine, all he had brought with him was this pile of books. He would rather eat tree bark and grass roots in his desperation than sell his books for money.
Once Ding Chenguang had taken the basket into their room, Ding Xiang and Sun Xiaoyu finished heating water in the kitchen.
The siblings definitely needed a good wash.
Having spent most of their journey begging, they were already quite dirty and disheveled. Furthermore, to save Ding Chenguang, Zhao Zhitong had splashed his face with slop water, leaving them with a rather pungent odor.
After the two siblings had washed away the dirt and grime and tidied their hair, their true appearances were finally revealed.
The siblings were both strikingly good-looking. The brother was handsome and refined, exuding a scholarly air with every gesture. He appeared gentle and cultured, yet his upward-slanting phoenix eyes held a hint of roguish allure.
The sister was charmingly pretty and vivacious, with a classic oval face. Her phoenix eyes, with their slightly upturned outer corners, sparkled with life, her glances radiating a captivating charm.
Sun Youwei exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Ding is indeed exceptionally handsome!"
"You overpraise me; it’s merely my outward appearance," Ding Chenguang replied with a smile, then turned to Zhao Zhitong. "I’ve been truly neglectful. I still do not know the names of my benefactors."
"Please, don’t keep calling us benefactors. My surname is Zhao, and my given name is Zhitong. This is my grandfather, who is also my teacher..."
Zhao Zhitong introduced every member of her family to him one by one.
Ding Chenguang looked at Zhao Zhitong with admiration in his eyes. "Miss Zhao, at such a young age, your medical skills are already so remarkable. Then your master, who taught you, must possess even more formidable skills."
Sun Kang was very proud of his little disciple and immediately said, "Ah, ’remarkable’ is too strong a word. It’s just that my little disciple is exceptionally clever and naturally gifted. She has loved studying various medical texts since she was a child. Sometimes, even I, her master, have to consult her."
Upon hearing this, Ding Chenguang’s admiration for Zhao Zhitong grew even stronger.
Zhao Zhitong felt quite embarrassed by the praise and pouted. "Grandfather, how can you praise your own disciple so extravagantly? It’s too cheesy!"
Sun Kang laughed heartily at Zhao Zhitong’s teasing, "HAHAHA, so I can’t even praise my own disciple?"
"HAHAHA, Little Cousin is shy! Little Cousin, you weren’t shy before. Besides, you really are amazing~"
Sun Daqing and the others chimed in, teasing her.
Ding Xiang, who had been standing quietly to the side, watched Zhao Zhitong being doted on by the entire family and felt a twinge of envy.
It was almost noon when Aunt, who had come to take over cooking duties from Eldest Aunt for Sun Kang and the others, arrived with a basket of vegetables.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, she called out, "Hey, why is only Daji in the front hall? What are all of you doing in the backyard?"
Then she saw the Ding Family siblings and asked, "Eh, who are these two?"
Sun Daqing ran over and exclaimed, "Mom, you’re finally here! I’m starving!"
Aunt tugged Sun Daqing’s ear and said irritably, "You, all you ever think about is eating."
When Aunt walked in, Zhao Zhitong pulled her over and briefly introduced the Ding Family siblings.
"Oh, the Ding Family siblings are very good-looking," Aunt praised them, then said, "Alright, I’ll make some extra food for lunch today."
After saying that, she went into the kitchen.
Sun Xiaoyu and Sun Xiaoxue immediately ran to the kitchen to help Aunt with the fire and washing the vegetables.
A patient arrived in the front hall, so Sun Kang took Sun Daqing, who was eager to see what was happening, with him. Zhao Zhitong stayed behind to chat with the siblings for a while.
Perhaps because Zhao Zhitong had saved his life, Ding Chenguang was very interested in her. "You mentioned your Teacher earlier," he asked. "Do you also study, Miss Zhao?"
Zhao Zhitong nodded. "Yes, my parents believe studying makes one wise, so they sent me to school for a few years. I only learned to recognize a few characters."
Ding Chenguang nodded approvingly. "Studying is good."
After a little more casual conversation, the topic turned to raising money for the journey to the capital and the examination. Ding Chenguang said, "I’ve noticed this street is quite busy. This afternoon, I can set up a stall on the roadside to write and read letters for people."
Zhao Zhitong suggested, "You can set up your stall at the entrance of our medical clinic. There’s a restaurant not far ahead, with many people coming and going. We have tables, chairs, and benches you can use."
"Then allow me to thank you in advance," Ding Chenguang replied.
After lunch, Ding Chenguang moved a table and chairs to the entrance and set up his stall. Sun Youwei even found him a piece of cloth to make a sign.
In the county town, many families had sons who were either doing business elsewhere or had been conscripted to serve in remote border regions. Receiving letters was common, but many of the elderly folks at home were illiterate.
Therefore, some scholars often earned a meager income by reading and writing letters for people.