Chapter 7 Blind Date

  Yang and her son, Xue Liang, supported each other as they slowly returned to the small house where Ding Hao and Xue Liang lived together. The clever little maid, Qing, had already been sent by Lang Zhong with some wound medicine. A large lantern was lit, and Yang said worriedly: "Son, quickly lie down and let mother take a look at your injuries, I'll apply some medicine for you."

  Ding Hao grasped his waistband and said somewhat awkwardly: "Mother, don't bother, I'll just apply some medicine with Da Liang later."

  Yang's eyes widened slightly, and she let out a soft sigh: "You child, flesh born from my body, still feeling embarrassed? Alas, it's true, unknowingly, you've grown so tall, in an ordinary family, they'd be talking about finding a daughter-in-law for you by now, but you... all because of me, dragging you down."

  As soon as she said this, her eyes turned red again and she thought of crying. Ding Hao hurriedly comforted her: "Mother, don't say that. A son doesn't despise his mother for being ugly, a dog doesn't despise its home for being poor. You gave me this body and this life, that's the greatest kindness already. Can't I, as a man, rely on myself to earn a living, use my own abilities to let Mother enjoy her later years in peace? And yet I'd still blame Father and Mother for giving me life without also bestowing wealth and glory upon me? That would be the most despicable thing."

  Yang didn't expect her son to say such considerate words, and she was both moved and relieved in her heart. Ding Hao tore off a strip of bed sheet from his own bed, let Yang sit down, carefully combed open her hair, applied the golden wound medicine for her, and then gently wrapped it with a cloth strip. Yang held her son's hand, feeling full of peace and happiness in her heart. Her son had finally come to his senses after this illness, no longer being dull all the time. The growth of her son into an adult was undoubtedly the greatest satisfaction in a mother's heart.

  Xue Liang was holding a black lump in his hand, standing to one side. The room was simple and crude, with no table or chair, except for the bed, so he had nowhere to put down what he was holding. After helping his mother apply the medicine, Ding Hao turned around and asked in surprise: "Piggy, what's that thing you're holding?"

  Xue Liang chuckled foolishly and said, "Huanzi, if you throw away the wasted ones, I'll pick them up. They're just charred on the outside, but inside they're still fragrant."

  "Alright, come on, you sit down too... let's eat rabbit meat."

  Xue Liang held the dark, charred raccoon dog meat and sat on the edge of the kang, while Ding Hao tore off a leg from the raccoon dog. Although the outside was charred, the inside meat was still very tender, with a hint of warmth rising from it.

  "Try some, daughter, it smells good."

  "Ah", Yang took a bite of the fragrant rabbit meat from her son's hand, slowly savoring it, and tears gradually welled up in her eyes. She hastily turned her head away, quietly wiping away the tears on her cheek, then turned back to look at her son and Xue Liang, who were both eating with big bites, and burst into a happy smile.

  This mother, in Ding Hao's heart at this moment, originally had no blood connection. This Xue Liang, who was not a brother but like a brother, in Ding Hao's heart at this moment, was just an unrelated passerby. He inherited the memories of the original Ding Hao, but did not inherit his emotions, yet now he clearly felt that a deep and thick mother-son bond and fraternal bond were rising again from the bottom of his heart.

  He suddenly felt that in this world, he wasn't completely empty-handed after all.

  Master Ding of the Ding family, Ding Tingxun, rushed to the city these two days to meet an old friend. This old friend surnamed Li, named Li Yuchang, was a big salt merchant. Master Ding's family had good fields and produced countless grains, all sold to the northwest border army. The border army did not have so much silver to pay, so they issued a salt certificate from the official salt monopoly, allowing him to return to the inland salt factory with the salt certificate to take salt as payment for grain.

  Ding Tingxun was a landlord with status and prestige, who had already somewhat lowered his identity by engaging in commerce. Moreover, he was getting older and couldn't bear to leave his hometown, so he didn't want to engage in business outside of his land again. Therefore, he always handed over the salt certificates to this good friend, who would take people to transport the salt out and then use his commercial network to sell it to various markets.

  The two have been working together for many years and have a deep friendship. Now they are not only business friends, but also close family friends. Ding Tingxun originally wanted to invite his old friend to stay at his house temporarily, but was politely declined by Li Yuchang. Ding Tingxun asked in surprise, and only then did he know that Li Yuchang's niece, Tang Yan, had come to Bazhou City with him this time. After Li Yuchang handled some business matters in Bazhou City, he would send her to Guangyuan.

  Li Yuchang is a wealthy salt merchant, and his brother-in-law Tang Baquan is even more prominent. The Tang family is one of the top aristocratic families in the entire northwest region, with wealth that rivals that of a country. The Tangs are related to General Cheng Shiying of Guangyuan by marriage, and General Cheng is Tang Yan's uncle. This time, Tang Yan has come to represent the Tang family at his aunt's 70th birthday celebration.

  Ding Tingxun figured out the complicated relationships between the Tang, Li and Cheng families. He also heard that Miss Tang was still unmarried and had a thought. His second son Ding Chengye, who was approaching adulthood, was far less mature than his older brother. He spent his days fighting chickens and dogs, idling around, and often lingered in brothels, which gave Ding Tingxun a headache. He had been thinking of arranging a marriage for this son, hoping that after getting married, he would become more stable.

  But with the power of the Ding family, it's not easy to find a suitable family in Ba State that matches their social status. Even if they found one, there might not be a daughter of suitable age for marriage, and even if they did marry, it's uncertain whether she could handle his unruly son. But if it were the Tang family... that would be different. The Tang family surpasses the Ding family in both wealth and power, and if they could really form an alliance with them, the Ding family's position in the northwest would be as stable as Mount Tai. Moreover, even the eldest daughter of the Tang family might not be able to control her own useless son?

  As for his second son, Ding Chengye, he was indeed a spoiled and idle young master, but his appearance was extraordinary. With clear eyebrows and bright eyes, red lips and white teeth, who wouldn't praise him as a handsome young gentleman at first glance?

  Ding Tingyun thought for a while, then used wine to cover his shyness and expressed his intention to marry Li Yuchang. However, Li Yuchang didn't know the true nature of Ding's second son. Every time he came to Baizhou, he was in a hurry, but Ding Chengye was a talented person who always answered politely and elegantly in front of him, which pleased Li Yuchang. Although the Ding family was not as wealthy or influential as the Tang family, they were still considered a good match. Since his brother-in-law had passed away early, the Tang family was now managed by his nephew, so it was reasonable for him to take care of his niece's marriage. Therefore, he agreed to the proposal and set a date for the two young people to meet in Baizhou City. If they were interested in each other, he would then ask the Tang family for their daughter's hand in marriage.

  Ding Tingxun was overjoyed when he heard the news, and didn't return to his mansion that day. Instead, he accompanied Li Yuchang in drinking and receiving guests until evening, when he hastily wrote a letter and had someone take it back to the mansion, instructing Ding Chengye to rush to Bazhou City early the next morning to welcome Li Shishu at Baifeng Tower and arrange for his son to meet Miss Tang.

  Ding Ershao was displeased as soon as he saw the letter, and the young ladies from wealthy families were numerous, but few were beautiful, and those with bad temper were a handful. It was said that the Tang family had more power than his own Ding family, so he was even less willing to marry a little ancestor back home to ruin his carefree life. However, he did not dare disobey his father's orders, so early in the morning, he got up with an unhappy expression, and the servants were scolded and beaten, making it difficult for those who served him to breathe.

  When the sun was high in the sky, Yan Jiu was already by the prepared carriage, anxiously pacing back and forth like ants on a hot skillet. It wasn't until then that Ding Chengye finally arrived, looking lackluster as he boarded the carriage.

  Yan Jiu chased after the carriage, shouting loudly: "Hurry up, hurry up! Take Second Young Master to Baifeng Building immediately. Today is Second Young Master's auspicious day for matchmaking. The girl from the Tang family in the northwest is a young lady of high status. If you delay, I'll skin you alive when you get back!"

  Xue Liang shook the reins, and the horse carriage sped out. Xue Liang leaned in close to Ding Hao, whispering: "Second Young Master is going on a blind date today? Pitiful, that Miss Tang's life is ruined..."

  Ding Hao's mouth slightly hooked up and he said lightly: "Blind date, isn't marriage. Want to be together, it's not that easy..."

  Xue Liang blinked: "What's this? With our Second Master's family background and appearance, isn't he good enough?"

  Ding Hao didn't respond, he flicked his wrist and swung the whip, creating a loud cracking sound. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips: "Not avenging a grudge is not being a gentleman..."