Chapter 39: What Should Have Come Had Come

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Ding Yao was very self-aware. Her posture was dignified and her handwriting was upright. She was too mature. It would be too embarrassing if she was scolded while learning to write with a group of children. She couldn’t afford to lose face. Slowly, Ding Yao’s handwriting became more and more beautiful. Song Xiuyan was secretly amazed. He even took Ding Yao’s writing book to set an example for Song Yi and Song Xue. “Look at this. Ding Yao has only practiced for two days and she can already write so well. You guys have practiced for several years, but you’re still not as good as her. How embarassing!”

After Song Xue finished reading, she smiled proudly and said, “Ding Yao is really smart! Much smarter than me!”

Song Xiuyan said with a straight face, “Don’t talk nonsense. Copy these words fifty times. Don’t eat until you’re done!”

Song Xue immediately didn’t dare to retort and hurriedly lowered her head to write. From this, it could be seen that Song Xiuyan was really very strict when it came to learning! Song Yi’s handwriting was average, and Song Xiuyan didn’t have high expectations of him. Song Yi didn’t like studying to begin with, and when he was just a little over ten years old, he followed the county’s business owner everywhere. Although he was young, he was very good at doing business. He was quick-witted and had many ideas. He made many friends and was very popular with the boss. He brought him everywhere and once even brought Song Yi to the capital. After Song Yi’s leg was broken, the boss came to see Song Yi a few times and gave him two thousand yuan. Later, when he saw that Song Yi really didn’t have any hope of standing up, he slowly lost contact with him.

In the evening, a few villagers brought their children to see Ding Yao. Including the one in the afternoon, there were a total of six children.

The next day, Ding Yao got up early. After mixing the herbs, she boiled a pot of medicinal soup and added sugar. Then, according to the condition of each child, she distributed the medicinal soup and watched them drink it, then, she asked Song Yu to tell them one by one.

After lunch, Song Yang brought Song Yu up the mountain to dig for herbs. In the afternoon, someone sent a message saying that Ding Yao’s father was sick and was dying. He told her to go home quickly. Maybe she could see him one last time. Ding Yao’s first reaction was that Wang Hongxia was trying to trick her into going home. She didn’t hear that her father was sick a few days ago. How could he be sick all of a sudden? Her second thought was, could it be that Wang Hongxia was audacious enough to poison her father? If it was the second case, she had to go back.

Hearing that Ding Yao was going home, Song Xiuyan naturally had to go with her. They first went up the mountain to find Song Yang and Song Yu and told them to hurry home. Ding Yao was worried that they wouldn’t be able to come back tonight, so she got the herbs that they were going to use the next day, then, she told Song Yu to cook and distribute the herbs according to the method she had mentioned earlier.

When it was almost evening, Ding Yao and Song Xiuyan arrived at Spirit Stone village. As expected, Wang Hongxia was lying to Ding Yao.

That day, when they left the Song family home, Second Uncle Ding scolded Wang Hongxia fiercely. “You’re really useless. You were actually scared by a little girl. Have you forgotten that Ding Yao is a mute? Even if she really knows about our relationship, so what? She can’t explain it clearly. We can completely deny it!”

Wang Hongxia thought about it and regretted it. So, she found an excuse to trick Ding Yao back. This time, she was absolutely unafraid that Ding Yao would say anything.

Ding Yao’s father, Ding Qingshan, was indeed sick, but it wasn’t a serious illness. He just suffered from a cold and had a slight cough. There were many people around the Ding family’s house. They were all members of the Ding family. Wang Hongxia wept and complained, “Come, come, come. Everyone, please come and judge. We have a man in our family and Ding Yao’s father isn’t dead. Why is it that Ding Yao, a little girl, is the inheritor of the treasures left behind by the Old Master?”

Second Uncle Ding immediately agreed, “Yes, why is it that Ding Yao, a little girl, is the inheritor of the treasures left behind by the Old Master? She is an outgoing girl. She won’t inherit the Old Master’s treasures unless all the members of the Ding family die.”

Wang Hongxia continued to cry, “But the things that the Old Master left behind are now in Ding Yao’s hands!”

Everyone’s gaze fell on Ding Yao in an instant. Ding Yao finally understood why Wang Hongxia had tricked her into coming home. She tugged at Song Xiuyan’s sleeve, and Song Xiuyan explained for her, “Ding Yao said that she picked up the Snake Swallow Stone by herself and that it wasn’t left to her by grandfather. Third Uncle and Fourth Uncle can testify to this.”

Third Uncle and Fourth Uncle nodded. “At that time, we also asked whether Ding Yao’s Snake Swallow Stone was left behind by grandfather, but Ding Yao shook her head and said no. Song Xiuyan also explained it that way.”