After becoming rich overnight, I handed over the system.

Chapter 245 Where Did This Great-Grandpa Come From?

With extra money in the family, no one objected to Ding Lan wanting to study. After all, Zhu Zi seemed smart, and maybe he could become an official through studying, then they would have an official son/nephew/grandson!

And so Ding Lan successfully entered school, and his name was even changed by the teacher; he was now called Ding Xian.

Ding Lan's family's top priority right now is building a house!

There was nothing they could do; once the villagers found out his family was making money, they all started trying to curry favor with him.

Fortunately, they told the outside world that they had accidentally made a kind of cake that caught the eye of the master, who sold the recipe for one hundred taels!

Then the family started buying land and fields, and Ding Lan also suggested building a house!

"Is our house alright?" Grandma Ding said, a little reluctant to part with it.

“What do you mean, Mother? Every time it rains, my wife and I have to get up in the middle of the night and sleep in the corner, otherwise we’ll get soaked!” Father Ding immediately retorted.

"What's so great about this thatched house?" Ding Lan quickly stopped her grandmother from scolding her father again.

"Grandma, Grandma, Dad's right. Anyway, we're rich now, so it's time to fix this house. Let's build a brick house!"

“Zhu Zi, you’re wrong about that. Our family can’t afford to build this brick house. It would cost several hundred taels of silver!” Now it was Ding Niang’s turn to object.

Oh, were ancient blue bricks really that expensive? Were they underestimating the price by saying one hundred taels?

“Yes, we’ll build it, but we won’t build a brick house. Zhu, you need money for your schooling, and our house can’t be so conspicuous!”

With money in hand, there's no rush. Grandpa Ding is very calm now. It's just building a house, right? Let's build it!

If they can't afford to build a brick house, can't they at least build a tiled house?

He also experienced firsthand the villagers who secretly came to borrow money. Fortunately, he heard from Zhu Zi that the prescription cost little money, and that they had already bought land and fields long ago.

So the Ding family wanted to build a house, which caused another round of controversy in the village.

"How come their family is so lucky!" the villagers exclaimed.

"Who says otherwise? Why doesn't the master like our family's recipe?" Some people lamented.

"Ding Datou, your family's recipe? What recipe do you have? Your family's soybean paste is always the stinkiest every year, and you still want the master to like your family's recipe? Who would buy a stinky recipe like that?" someone mocked him.

"What do you know? I love stinky soybean paste. The stinkier it is, the more delicious it tastes!"

"Alright, stop arguing. The Ding family is hiring someone to build a house, and they're paying the workers. Aren't you going to go check it out?"

"Yes, I'll definitely go!"

Every day after school, Ding Lan would run to the construction site to check on the progress, his eyes full of anticipation. He really didn't want to live in a leaky house anymore.

When the Ding family built their house, Aunt Ding also came.

"Hey, Auntie, your family's made a fortune, didn't they give you anything?" one of the women who was helping out asked discreetly.

Aunt Ding kept her head down and worked in silence. Why didn't her parents give her any? They gave them ten taels of silver, but she wouldn't tell these women.

The women in the village were just jealous because her family had received money. If they knew that she, a married woman, had also received money, they would definitely gossip about her behind her back.

Ding Lan strongly encouraged the distribution of money to everyone.

"Zhuzi, don't be fooled by how much money we have now. With all the land we're buying, the house we're building, and your schooling, the money won't last long!" Grandma Ding said earnestly.

“But Grandma, everyone has worked hard these past few days making persimmon cakes. Shouldn’t we be paid like everyone else for our work?” Ding Lan countered.

Finally, with Grandpa Ding's consent, Uncle Ding and Dad Ding's family gave twenty taels of silver, and Grandma Ding, remembering Aunt Ding, also gave ten taels.

Sister-in-law Ding and Aunt Ding were a little indignant that their eldest sister-in-law hadn't helped make persimmon cakes. However, thinking about what Grandma Ding had said, when the family was poor, their eldest sister-in-law had given them food more than once. Now that the family was better off, it was only right that they compensate them a little.

With everyone working together, the house quickly took shape.

During a family meal that day, Mr. Ding mentioned someone.

"Dad, my uncle has been hanging around our house a lot these past few days!"

Uncle? That's Ding Lan's great-grandfather. Ding Lan was completely confused. Where did this great-grandfather come from? He had never heard his grandfather mention him before, and even his family had never talked about him.

"Hmph, why bring him up?" Grandpa Ding put down his chopsticks, his face turning gloomy.

“When the family divided their property back then, he kicked us out, saying we were a burden.”

Ding Lan's eyes widened; she hadn't expected there to be such a past.

As for why the Ding family was so poor, they were among the poorest families in the village.

It's because when Grandpa Ding and Grandpa Ding divided the family property, the eldest son took 70% and Grandpa Ding took 30%.

However, relying on being the eldest grandson, Uncle Ding insisted on taking another 70% from Grandpa Ding's 30%, leaving Grandpa Ding with practically nothing in the end.

At the time, everyone in the village felt that Grandpa Ding was being unfair and tried to persuade him, but Grandpa Ding insisted on following this rule and insisted on dividing the property this way.

There is such a rule, but no family would divide it like that when splitting up; it's no different from kicking someone out of the house.

Even if brothers are separated by blood, their bones are still connected by tendons!

Unfortunately, both Grandpa Ding's parents agreed, which made Grandpa Ding feel disheartened. So he simply planned out his parents' future retirement and gave them the money all at once, and then the two families stopped having any contact.

"Then why is he loitering around the door now?" Uncle Ding asked, puzzled.

"I guess they saw that our family has become successful and want to take advantage of it," Ding Niang said with a disdainful sneer.

"I'm telling you, you're not allowed to talk to that family!" Grandma Ding was the angriest.

When the family divided the property back then, she and Uncle Ding didn't even have a place to shelter from the wind and rain. If it weren't for the kindness of the villagers who helped them out for a while...

During that time, she was raising three children and working in the fields. Grandpa Ding went to town to find work. The couple worked desperately to earn money and eventually built up this courtyard.

Why is she so reluctant to spend money? How can someone who has been terrified of poverty dare to spend money recklessly?

Now that her family is doing well, that old man's family wants to take advantage of her, but no way! She won't allow it!

The next day, Ding Lan went to school and, as she passed by her house, she saw an old man loitering nearby. She assumed that was her great-grandfather.

Although Ding Lan was curious, she remembered what her family had gone through and walked past without looking at them.

After school, Ding Lan discovered that her great-grandfather was still there, carrying some pastries.

Grandpa Ding stood at the door of his house, looking at him coldly.

"Second son, I know I was wrong back then, that's why I've come to apologize." The eldest grandfather said with a smile.

Grandpa Ding snorted coldly, "Apologize? Why didn't you apologize when our family was struggling? Now that you know we're rich, you come to apologize, huh? Don't do this kind of nonsense. Our two families agreed to keep to ourselves and never have any contact, so let's not have any contact then."

The old man's face turned pale and then red after being scolded, and he finally slunk away.