Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Grandfather's Illness (keppra+)

Consecutive nights of sweating and dreaming drained Ding Xiang's physical strength, and training Feifei made her lose a lot of weight.

In the future, even if she conducted that experiment again, it would need to be spaced out over longer intervals.

Ding Zhao weighed Ding Xiang, finding she weighed only nineteen jin, four jin lighter than when she turned two.

Heartbroken, Ding Zhuang had Zhang Shi slaughter a chicken specifically for Ding Xiang's nourishment. He also took her to town for medical treatment, where she was prescribed tonic medicines to improve her health.

Ding Zhuang even scolded Ding Zhao and Zhang Shi, accusing them of not taking proper care of the child and letting her suffer.

Zhang Shi became even more vigilant, ensuring Ding Xiang never left her sight.

Ding Xiang, wanting to experiment with sweating again, found no opportunity to do so.

As the weather grew colder, by the time the twelfth lunar month arrived, her health had finally recovered.

A major incident occurred in Ding's main house before the New Year: Ding Xia's wife died from an abdominal disease.

She had been suffering from the disease since summer, never recovering. Reportedly, she screamed in pain daily, dying in a terrifying state, her body emaciated like a skeleton, her belly skin stretched and shiny, resembling a full-term pregnant woman.

Ding Xiang had only seen her from a distance once, a thin old woman whose loud curses could be heard two li away.

Ding Zhuang and Ding Zhao were overjoyed. The devout old woman had finally died, and in such a miserable way.

Deservedly so!

They not only refrained from attending the mourning but also had Zhang Shi prepare a feast, celebrating with drinks.

Ding Zhuang even wanted to set off firecrackers to celebrate but was dissuaded by Ding Zhao.

His concern wasn't for Ding Xia's wife, but for Ding Liren.

Celebrating a sister-in-law's death with firecrackers could provoke public outrage. Ding Liren was preparing for the imperial examinations, and they couldn't let him face the same social ostracism Ding Zhuang did, with no one willing to stand as his guarantor.

Ding Xiang was also pleased; the wicked old woman deserved to die. Her death was a good thing for the second house and, in a way, for the main house too. Especially for the constantly oppressed Ding Pan, it was a stroke of fortune.

Time flew, and it was now the eighth month of the twenty-first year of the Qingguan era. Ding Xiang had turned three.

The swallows under the eaves had flown south again, the apple tree in the yard was laden with green fruit, the fields were golden with crops, and the mountains were vibrant with autumn colors.

To others, a child of her age was still innocent and naive, but Ding Xiang, feeling the full weight of sorrow, often had a melancholy look in her eyes that seemed out of place with her youthful features.

Several upsetting events had occurred this year.

The first was that Ding Lichun had stopped going to school at the beginning of the year and started learning blacksmithing with Ding Zhuang and his son.

The young boy was reluctant, but for the sake of his family and his younger siblings, he bravely gave up his dream.

Ding Xiang declared she would earn a lot of money in the future and contribute all her savings, even citing the destiny predicted for her by Ding Chi, but it wasn't enough to change the adults' decision.

She felt terribly guilty towards the young boy. If not for the financial burden of raising her and the obligation to save for her dowry, Ding Lichun wouldn't have had to quit school so early.

More than once, she encouraged the young boy not to give up his dream of becoming a general, to continue his martial training, and wait for his sister to earn big money in the future.

Her words deeply moved the young boy, making him feel even more obliged to plan for his sister's future.

The second issue was that, despite the adults recognizing Ding Xiang's intelligence, many of her suggestions were still ignored. Some were dismissed with a laugh.

Even though Ding Zhuang adored his granddaughter and speculated she might be the reincarnation of the Flower King, he only indulged her in minor matters and never in serious affairs.

For instance, when a small iron foundry in town was up for sale at a low price due to the owner's urgent matters, she playfully insisted Ding Zhuang should buy it.

Initially, Ding Xiang didn't want to reveal her extraordinary capabilities so soon, but the opportunity was too good to miss.

However, Ding Zhuang didn't heed her advice, laughing instead, "Xiang Xiang, you really are a little worrier. Don't concern yourself with these big matters; just enjoy your life."

Hearing that the iron foundry was sold off at a low price, Ding Xiang was so upset she stamped her feet and pounded her chest, angrily pulling her grandpa's long beard several times and not speaking to him for a whole day.

The third thing that upset Ding Xiang was that Feifei hadn't visited her home even once. She hoped the little creature hadn't forgotten about her.

The fourth was that the apple seeds planted last year hadn’t sprouted.

The fifth and most distressing was that Ding Zhuang had fallen seriously ill in early June. Although he recovered, he still hadn’t fully regained his strength, spending most of his time lying on the kang.

During her grandfather's severe illness, Ding Xiang cried so much that the skin around her eyes was rubbed raw. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing him so soon; he hadn't yet enjoyed the blessings she could bring.

In ancient times, living to fifty was considered a natural lifespan, surpassing sixty was long-lived, and beyond seventy was exceptionally rare.

Her grandfather was already forty-eight years old.

The first thing Ding Zhuang said after regaining consciousness from his illness was, "I had one foot in the King of Hell's palace, but my granddaughter's tears pulled me back. I can’t bear to leave Xiang Xiang; I’m worried she'll suffer after I'm gone."

Ding Zhao and Zhang took the old man's words as a warning, promising fervently to always cherish Xiang Xiang and never let her suffer any hardship.

The sixth matter was that Ding Xiang failed to achieve her goal of sleeping separately from Ding Zhao and Zhang. Their reason was solid; they feared she might secretly wear her cotton jacket to sweat, which could harm her health.

Zhang kept a close eye on her, following her everywhere, and locked away her cotton jacket and pants as soon as it got warm. At night, Zhang would check on Ding Xiang several times, getting up to search for her if she wasn’t in bed.

Ding Xiang wasn’t prone to sweating; even in summer, she didn't sweat much, not enough to induce those special dreams.

Over this long period, she only managed to experiment once, and it didn't achieve the desired effect.

It was a particularly hot day in early May.

At night, Ding Xiang used Zhang as a human blanket, hugging her to sleep. Initially, Zhang fanned her, but eventually fell asleep while doing so.

Ding Xiang sweated profusely, enveloped in a strong fragrance, and had the 'fragrant dream' she wished for.

This time she hoped to dream of her home in the capital, thinking all night about her princess mother and little brother. However, she had forgotten their faces, her thoughts centered not on their appearance but on their names.

As she sweated more, the fragrance filled the mosquito net, making Ding Zhao and Zhang sleep even more soundly.

Accompanied by distant frog croaks and the snoring of Ding Zhao and Zhang, Ding Xiang's vision broadened.

In the profound summer night, with the bright moon overhead, the moonlight washed over the rolling hills and everything else, making them soft and luminous.

"Huh, why do these mountains and houses look so familiar?"

The camera slowly descended, focusing on a small courtyard.

This courtyard was more familiar; it was indeed Ding Xiang's current home.

The camera then moved forward, approaching the open small window.

"Stop, don’t go there."

The camera continued to advance, passing through the small window, and focused on the person lying below it.

The person was sprawled out in the shape of a 'big' character, with large hands resting on the chest, rising and falling with each breath. The wide-open mouth could fit a walnut, and the round nose was as red as a ripe strawberry. He was snoring, causing his beard to flutter.

It was Grandpa Ding Zhuang.

"The original plan was to write about Xiang Xiang turning six within a hundred thousand words. The plan wasn’t completed because there were many details to address, and I am eager to continue... Still asking for your votes!"