Chapter 82

"Yang Hu was startled and, fearing Ding Lai might hear, called out in the yard, 'Sister-in-law Ding, something serious has happened.'"

"Mrs. Zhang hurried out, asking, 'What's the matter?'"

"Yang Hu whispered the news to her."

"Mrs. Zhang had previously despised Ding Chi for ruining their family and wished him dead. But when it actually happened, she was still deeply shaken. Not wanting to delay, she quickly ran to the Xia family."

"Zhang Yu's pregnancy was a big celebration for the Xia family, and it wasn’t appropriate to speak of death in their home, so she simply asked Ding Zhao to come home for an urgent matter."

"On the way, Mrs. Zhang told him about the incident."

"Ding Zhao, with a grave expression, said, 'Hurry back and prepare things for me and Yang Hu, we’ll go to Qiheshan tomorrow.'"

"Upon hearing the news, Ding Zhuang trembled with anger. Despite his hatred for Ding Chi, he didn't wish for him to die so young and tragically."

"Gritting his teeth, he cursed, 'So much for bringing good fortune, just a curse. Act up all you want, now you’ve brought death upon yourself.'"

"Although it wasn’t confirmed that the two skeletons were Ding Chi and his wife, Ding Zhuang felt it was highly likely. He instructed Ding Lai to change into mourning clothes, tie a white ribbon around his waist, and bow three times towards Qiheshan."

"Ding Lai asked naively, 'Why are we bowing in that direction?'"

"Ding Zhuang replied, 'It’s nothing, just praying for the safety and well-being of your parents to our ancestors.'"

"Ding Liren looked at Ding Lai with sympathy."

"Ding Xiang wanted to say that misfortune lingers for a thousand years, and they were living just fine."

"But she could only comfort Ding Zhuang, saying, 'Grandpa, my fifth aunt has a strong fate, fifth uncle won’t die.'"

"Ding Zhuang cursed in anger, 'Good for nothing! If he hadn’t married that disastrous woman, Chi wouldn’t have dared to be so reckless.'"

"Seeing his granddaughter pouting, he clarified, 'Grandpa’s not talking about Xiang Xiang, but those two troublemakers.'"

"Apart from Ding Zhuang and Ding Lai, everyone in the family felt it would be better if Ding Chi were dead."

"The next day, Ding Zhuang insisted on going with his son. Before leaving, he told Mrs. Zhang not to let Ding Lai go to school until their return, to wear mourning clothes at home, and forbid him from eating meat."

"Ding Lai wasn’t as happy as he usually was about not going to school, his pout more pronounced."

"He whispered to Ding Xiang, 'Grandpa acting like this must mean something happened to my dad and mom.'"

"His eyes welled up with tears."

"The young boy wasn’t foolish, just slow to react to certain things, but he had figured it out overnight."

"Ding Xiang comforted him again, 'Uncle said Auntie brings great luck, they won’t be in trouble.'"

"Ding Lai believed every word his sister said, and his eyes soon brightened with a smile."

"My dad said my sister is extremely lucky and will protect our family and me from harm. It's true, Grandpa survived such severe injuries. My mom is highly fortunate too, so she'll keep my dad safe, and they'll return once they make a lot of money."

"Ding Xiang really wanted to say, 'Your dad is just spouting nonsense; he’s no good.'"

"Ding Lai continued with a pout, 'I know, no amount of money can bring back Grandpa’s three fingers or the pain he suffered. What my dad did was wrong.'"

"His eyes dimmed."

"Ding Xiang looked at the young boy, grateful his values were still intact. It was fortunate he had grown up with her family; who knows what he might have become if raised by his parents or other relatives."

"Ding Lai started reading a few books, flipping through them continuously."

"Ding Xiang knew he wasn’t really reading but counting the number of words on each page, pretending to study while actually just counting."

"Ding Xiang sat nearby, doodling flowers on paper as a 'pastime,' her thoughts on Ding Chi."

"Only she knew that the thunderstruck Ding Chi was still alive, along with Tang Shi."

"Last year, when Ding Lai turned seven and moved to the west wing, Ding Xiang finally had a room to herself and the chance to experience dream-incense."

"Her first attempt was last July at noon. She wanted to dream about Ding Chi, but instead, she unexpectedly dreamt of Hao Shi."

"Hao Shi was sitting by a dry well in the small woods north of the village. Ding Xiang thought she was going to jump in, but instead, Hao Shi just sat for a while and then walked away."

"Frustrated at sweating so much for her dream-incense without achieving her goal, Ding Xiang felt dejected."

"The reason she dreamt of Hao Shi was probably because Mrs. Zhang mentioned her during lunch, saying she had been scolded by Wang Shi and beaten by Ding Youshou."

"In August, she dreamt of Fei Fei."

"In September, she tried to dream of Ding Chi again but ended up dreaming about Ding Lichun, the young lad diligently practicing martial arts."

"She tried twice more after that, sweating profusely each time and sleeping soundly, but without dreaming."

"Ding Xiang was despondent, fearing her special ability had suddenly vanished and even more worried that her unique fragrance might disappear too."

"Unexpectedly, this January she dreamt of Ding Chi again."

"In the dream, there was a lush green mountain with a small river running through it, where many people were quarrying stones. Ding Chi, dressed in light clothing, was carrying a stone and talking to Tang Shi while walking."

"Both were thin and dark from the sun, their clothes tattered, but their spirits seemed good, and they even managed to smile."

"Ding Xiang wished she could spit on them."

"Without regard for the safety of his father and son, bringing such misery to his brother’s family, yet they seemed carefree and happy."

"How disgusting!"

"Given the green mountains and light clothing in January, they must be in a place far to the south."

"After waking up, Ding Xiang thought that maybe Tang Shi really was very lucky. They escaped under the watch of six guards at the crossing station and managed to travel far south, still living well..."

"She wondered why she was able to have such a dream-incense experience again."

"Ding Xiang recalled that she had only ever had such dreams a maximum of three times a year, never succeeding on a fourth attempt."

"And since it was a new year, it meant she could have three such dreams annually."

"However, she dared not tell Ding Zhuang the truth about Ding Chi and his wife being alive, and could only watch him worry."

"In June, Ding Xiang remembered Nurse Li, whom she hadn't thought of for a long time."

"Living a happy life, she often forgot she wasn’t a true blood relative of the Ding family and didn’t think about her blood relatives and the villains in the capital."

"Remembering Nurse Li, she wanted to dream about her and see where she was. Unfortunately, Ding Xiang did not dream of her, but instead dreamt of Zhao Shi, who had visited their house."

"Ding Xiang was uneasy. Was Nurse Li already dead, and that’s why she couldn’t dream of her? Thinking of suddenly dreaming about Ding Chi again, there might be some conditions she couldn’t pinpoint. She resolved to find answers in future experiments..."

"This showed that while heaven granted her a special ability, it also imposed limitations."

"Although this ability isn’t as conducive to making a fortune as having a space with a spiritual spring, its advantage lies in precise positioning and finding people. If women could enter the Six Doors organization in this era, with her precise ability to capture people, she would surely achieve remarkable feats."

"Of course, that's provided nothing goes wrong."

"Still, Ding Xiang was extremely satisfied; having this ability was better than not having it at all."

"Yang Hu's voice came from outside, 'Miss, it’s time for me to go to the county town to get silk thread.'"

"Now, colorful bracelets had become fashionable in the Dali Dynasty, especially popular among unmarried young ladies, turning into a trendy accessory."

"The ancient people were ingenious; not only did they develop more styles based on those two bracelets, but they also created seven-strand silk threads specifically for weaving them."

"Seven-strand silk threads were good for weaving colorful bracelets and medium-sized knots, but too thin for larger knots. Half a month ago, Ding Xiang had Mrs. Zhang order custom red and yellow ten-strand silk threads from a spinning workshop in the county town."

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