445: Chapter 434: Difference 445: Chapter 434: Difference Manbao was different from everyone else in this world, for Keke had co into her life when she was still an oblivious child.
Junior Ms.
Qian and Ms.
Qian were the people closest to her, with Junior Ms.
Qian spending the most ti with her, but even they could not compare to Keke.
Because it was always by Manbao’s side, every single mont.
No matter why it started, Manbao had been able to learn a lot and more from it since she was young.
So her mind, or more precisely, her thoughts, were sowhat different from those of everyone else at the mont.
Because she not only received education from Zhou Family and Mr.
Zhuang, and gathered information from the people she ca into contact with, but she also got a variety of information from Keke and the encyclopedia behind Keke.
Even after the forum opened up, she was able to learn about the perspectives of humans and non-humans, and other intelligent beings from various worlds.
She was still too young to think too much.
She just read the comnts in the forum and learned that most of the shapes in the universe are round spheres, spinning and twirling, and that humans and everything else live on the surface of these spheres, not falling off due to sothing called planetary gravity.
Even each planet’s gravity was different.
But Mr.
Zhuang didn’t know this, Bai Shanbao didn’t either, and no one else in this world did.
Yet, this was sothing Manbao herself had not realized.
She just had so questions when acquiring knowledge and thought a bit more, which led her to say a few words.
If Mr.
Zhuang hadn’t brought up the topic today, she might never have thought about the words she had just said.
With a face full of confusion, Mr.
Zhuang held on to her and was on the verge of tears, not knowing why he felt like crying; he was just overwheld with excitent.
My god, this is his disciple!
Seeing tears in Mr.
Zhuang’s eyes, Manbao, Bai Shanbao, and Bai Erlang were all frightened and held onto him, not daring to move.
Mr.
Bai was also startled and quickly asked, “Mr.
Zhuang, what’s wrong with you?”
Mr.
Zhuang shook his hand, indicating he was fine.
But Manbao looked anxious and asked Bai Shanbao in a low voice, “Did I say sothing wrong?”
“I don’t think so,” Bai Shanbao glanced at Junior Ms.
Qian and replied in an equally soft voice, “I think the teacher is happy.”
“Yes, the teacher is very happy.” Mr.
Zhuang couldn’t help but laugh heartily for a while, but that was not the most important thing right now.
The most important thing was, “I have decided, Manbao, Shanbao, including Erlang, we need to step up your lessons.
You should read more books and learn more knowledge.
It might not be long before you’ll be able to teach in return.”
Mr.
Zhuang announced this “terrible news” with a serious face.
Manbao and Bai Shanbao opened their mouths wide; they seed to have been planning to go to Yizhou…
Bai Shanbao said weakly, “But teacher, we are still running the farm…
”
“You don’t have to work the fields yourselves, don’t you have the Manor Head?” Mr.
Zhuang said, “From now on, you can just give him instructions; you’ve also earned so much money, it’s best to save it.
If sothing happens in the farm in the future, you can hire people; you don’t need to work the fields yourself.
You should read more books instead.”
The three children slumped their shoulders.
They used to join in the fun and work the fields, but they didn’t enjoy farming quite as much anymore.
Yet, now that Mr.
Zhuang had put it this way, they found themselves wanting to work the fields.
How were they going to deal with this?
Mr.
Zhuang wiped his tears and apologized to Old Master Bai for his emotional display before turning to the three children, “Even though Manbao has resolved my doubts, the third question still remains.
You do not have to think about what doctrines to study; you can choose to study everything or study selectively.
But you need to consider what kind of person you want to beco.”
Mr.
Zhuang continued, “This is a question you will ponder your entire life.”
Mr.
Zhuang waved his hand, full of ambition, “Alright, you can go back now.
Co to the school earlier tomorrow; I need to prepare your lessons well.
We will not take a break for this year’s Dragon Boat Festival.”
The three had not expected that they would not even get the Dragon Boat Festival off and sulkily turned to leave.
They had co with the ledger and then had received a second question that might take many years to answer and a lifelong question to ponder before leaving.
If they had known…
The three thought simultaneously that if they had known, they would not have co.
Returning to the room where they stored the silver, all three let out a deep sigh.
Manbao, with her spirits dampened, said, “I had it all planned out; I made so much money that I wanted to take my nephews and nieces to town for Dragon Boat Festival, treat them to a big al, and buy nice gold bracelets for my mother and sister-in-law.”
Bai Shanbao also sighed and sat down on the ground, “My grandmother isn’t ho, and I had it all planned too, to go watch the festivities at Luojiang with Daji.
I heard that it’s really fun there, with people racing boats on the river.”
Bai Erlang shouted indignantly, “You said we could go to Yizhou if we made money, that we could play there for an entire day with a three-day break for the Mid-Autumn Festival; one day to travel, one day back.”
Manbao said weakly, “But it’s not Mid-Autumn Festival yet.”
“If we don’t even get a break for Dragon Boat Festival, we definitely won’t for Mid-Autumn,” Bai Erlang was not foolish and knew this just by thinking about it, which made him lose enthusiasm for dividing up the silver.
Manbao sighed, and Bai Shanbao also sighed.
Both sitting on either side of the pile of silver, they knocked and played with the silver ingots, and after cooling down a bit, said, “Can we really not read books?”
Bai Erlang thought he wanted to, but Manbao didn’t want to at all.
She said, “Although playing is important, reading is even more so.
I like reading books.”
Bai Shanbao thought about it seriously and realized he now quite liked reading too, so both turned their eyes to Bai Erlang.
Bai Erlang pursed his lips and said, “I would like to, but is it possible?”
Both shook their heads.
So Bai Erlang also sat down beside them, “Then what’s there to discuss?
Let’s divide up the money.”
Bai Shanbao took out an abacus and said, “Let’s first allocate the money for my family’s wheat, and then there’s still…
one thousand four hundred and eighty-eight taels left.
Shall we split it equally?”
Manbao did so calculations too and said, “Silver isn’t easy to cut.
We’ll leave eighteen taels for the public fund and split the rest.”
Bai Shanbao nodded, “Alright.”
Bai Erlang certainly had no objections.
Everyone then counted out their share of silver, while the remaining coins, along with the eighteen taels, were left for Manor Head Bai to manage, separate from Bai Family’s accounts.
Manbao had her share of four hundred and ninety taels, and perhaps because there was so much of it, she was not very excited.
Coupled with her growing sense that there would be no rest for an entire year, her excitent was even less stirred.
But when she was putting the money into the basket she had borrowed, Manbao did feel a bit happier and even found ti to show concern for Bai Erlang, “Are you going to take the money ho too?
Will your mother keep it for you?”
She knew very well, after all, that Bai Erlang’s significant sums of money had always been managed by his mother.
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