567: 556 567: 556 Manbao righteously declined Bai Shanbao’s well-intentioned offer to help her cheat and instead took out blank paper to copy the text herself.
She had just prepared her ink when the gate was knocked, and three chatting people imdiately turned to look outside, seeing Zhou Silang run through the rain without an umbrella to open the gate, quickly welcoming the visitor with an umbrella.
Bai Erlang approached the window to look and imdiately turned back, saying, “It’s Mr.
Lan.”
The three of them beca excited and gathered at the window to look, indeed it was Lan Cheng.
Zhou Silang invited the guest to the main hall, and after a short while, he went out with an umbrella.
Bai Shanbao imdiately nudged Manbao.
Manbao then ran to the door and with a “puchi puchi” caught Zhou Silang’s attention.
Zhou Silang was about to leave the house when he saw his sister’s mischievous appearance.
He stepped forward and asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Silang, where are you going?”
“I’m going to buy so wine and dishes.
Mr.
Lan is here, and he likely has important matters to discuss with Mr.
Zhuang.”
Manbao imdiately waved her hand, saying, “Then go quickly, hurry on.”
Zhou Silang was silent for a mont, looked her up and down, and then said, “Manbao, don’t be naughty while you’re ho alone.”
“I won’t be naughty.”
Zhou Silang then glanced at the two young boys who were leaning against the study window, shook his head, and left.
Manbao and the boys made faces at each other and laughed, “I think we can take a break this afternoon.”
Manbao happily went back to copying the text.
Even though it was ‘Etiquette and Ceremonial,’ she felt much happier.
She had only copied two pages when Zhou Silang returned with wine and dishes.
Bai Shanbao imdiately ran out, asking him to bring the wine and dishes to the study, saying, “The masters will definitely talk about history and classics, so it’s better to eat in the study.”
Bai Erlang also nodded, saying, “Exactly, and then we can go to the main hall to study.”
Zhou Silang regarded them with contempt.
Were they really going to study in the main hall, or just play around?
Isn’t that just like when they were too lazy to work the fields, so they made up excuses to help their sister-in-laws with house chores instead?
Zhou Silang ignored them and wanted to take the wine and dishes to the main hall, but Mr.
Zhuang heard from inside and said, “Bring it to the study room instead.
Mr.
Lan would like to review Bai Shan’s progress.”
Bai Shanbao: …
Manbao and Bai Erlang imdiately shrank their necks and stayed silent.
Zhou Silang cheerily complied, grabbed the basket, and turned in another direction.
Manbao had already refocused, pretending to be very serious about copying the text.
Mr.
Zhuang invited Mr.
Lan into the study, and the two seated themselves far from Manbao’s desk.
Mr.
Zhuang instructed Bai Erlang to continue with his howork and kept Bai Shanbao aside, saying, “Your Uncle Master Lan ntioned, for so reason, this year’s school exam questions are more difficult than previous years.
It is said that two of the major questions were devised by high officials from the court, so your chances of passing are weakened.
Uncle Master Lan is here to gauge your ability.”
Lan Cheng explained, “In terms of scholarship and teaching, I might not surpass your master.
However, I do have a knack for solving problems, which is why I’ve co to test you.”
To put it bluntly, this is the equivalent of a friend giving you so extra coaching.
Bai Shanbao quickly bent down to give thanks.
Lan Cheng raised his hand slightly and asked, “How many books from the reading list I gave you have you went through?”
As they started the review, Manbao slowly relaxed, feeling it was no longer her concern.
She listened with one ear and continued copying the text with the other.
By the ti she finished copying the remaining parts of ‘Etiquette and Ceremonial,’ Lan Cheng was still evaluating Bai Shanbao, even giving him two questions to solve and write essays on the spot.
The two masters found a corner in the study to sit down and chat while drinking, most importantly discussing the preferences of the enigmatic question setter.
Because Lan Cheng also couldn’t see the exam papers, he just heard so news from a colleague.
The original plan was for Lord Zhang and the Prince of Yizhou to set a major question each, but the question setters were changed, and now two questions were from unknown sources.
For average candidates, they wouldn’t have the opportunity to know this information, so a change in the question setter wouldn’t affect them much.
However, for those who could find out who the question setters were, the impact of a change could be significant.
The reason Lan Cheng had listed those books was because he knew, from internal sources, that this past year the Prince of Yizhou and Lord Zhang had spent the most ti reading those books.
Generally, question setters first consider the books they’ve recently read.
Having finished copying, and not wanting to read the ‘Book of Han’ at the mont, Manbao felt a bit of eye strain, so she propped her chin up to watch Bai Shanbao and then gazed at the misty rain-blurred parasol trees outside.
While watching, she noticed the rain had stopped.
Keke also noticed and quietly said to Manbao, “Host, let’s go.”
Manbao rolled her eyes and “hmm” internally, then sneakily slipped out when no one was paying attention.
Bai Er, who was distractedly doing his howork, glanced at her and then towards Mr.
Lan speaking with Mr.
Zhuang.
Ultimately, lacking the courage to slip out to play without finishing his howork, he did nothing.
Manbao snuck into the yard, imdiately grabbing her small basket and garden hoe from the firewood shed.
Zhou Silang, who was in the kitchen weaving baskets, didn’t notice her, but Daji, sitting under the eaves guarding the door, did.
He couldn’t help but stand up.
Manbao gestured “shush” to him, and then quickly pushed the door open and sneaked out.
Daji: …
He furrowed his brows, turned around, and went to the kitchen to find Zhou Silang, saying, “Silang, Manbao ran out.”
Zhou Silang, without looking up, asked, “Where did she go?”
“Probably next door.”
Zhou Silang imdiately looked up, his eyes wide, “Didn’t Mr.
Zhuang forbid them from going there?
Why did she go again?”
Daji rembered Manbao taking the garden hoe and reflected on the last visit when she couldn’t forget those flowers and plants.
He said sowhat helplessly, “Probably because of the garden over there.”
Zhou Silang instantly dropped the half-finished basket and ran out to find her.
Seeing him gone, Daji reassuredly sat back under the eaves to continue his mindless guarding.
The ground was dirty after the rain, but Manbao didn’t mind and just crawled through the hole.
Why care?
After all, whether dirty or clean, she washed her own clothes.
After crawling through, Manbao deeply inhaled, feeling the air on this side was better than the other side.
She asked Keke inside her mind, “Is this what you call the air of freedom?”
“With more flowers and trees here, it’s normal for the air to be fresher.
Host might be overthinking it.”
Manbao, with her basket on her back, went to find the flowers and plants she spotted before, denying, “Not at all, I just feel so happy after crawling in.
It’s not just because of the air.”
Is that because you wanted to play?
Manbao found those poppy mallow plants and dug them up, putting them into her basket with the mud, and also took one for her system.
She wanted to try planting it herself, to see what it would look like once it blood.
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