959: Chapter 938: Fearless 959: Chapter 938: Fearless Manbao scratched her face in frustration, “Do you think if I talk to Mr.
Zhuang heart-to-heart, he will tell ?”
Bai Shan and Bai Erlang shook their heads together, “No.”
Manbao nodded, “I also think it isn’t a good idea.
Let’s leave it be for now.
If he dares to bully Mr.
Zhuang again, we won’t be afraid.”
Hadn’t they even taken on the Prince of Yizhou?
What was there to fear from a re fifth-rank official?
Bai Shan and Bai Erlang didn’t feel scared, either.
Their mindset was the sa as Manbao’s; they’d made an enemy of a prince beyond their rank, and had already gotten through the most frightening and distressing of tis.
Why would they fear a small fifth-rank official now?
Compared to the colossus that was the Prince of Yizhou, Chen Fulin was truly not worth ntioning.
After listening for a while, Liu Gui said, “Young Master, Young Master Tang, Miss Man, how do you know that it was Lord Chen who bullied Mr.
Zhuang?
What if it was Mr.
Zhuang who made an enemy of Lord Chen?”
“That’s impossible,” Manbao replied without hesitation.
“Mr.
Zhuang is so amiable, how could he make an enemy of soone?”
Bai Shan nodded, “Exactly, Mr.
Zhuang is so gentle, how could he bully anyone?”
Bai Erlang sighed, “And Mr.
Zhuang has such a good temperant.
If Chen Fulin can make enemies with Mr.
Zhuang, I can’t imagine how terrible a person he must be.”
“But…” Liu Gui was conflicted.
“What I heard was that this Lord Chen is famously good-natured.
Not only does he have a good reputation in the Six Ministries, the locals and even the street vendors near his ho say he is a great man.”
Manbao blinked, “Could we have misunderstood?
Perhaps Mr.
Zhuang and he are really old acquaintances?”
Bai Shan replied, “If they were old friends, why didn’t Mr.
Zhuang recognize him yesterday?
And why didn’t he visit him today?
When has Mr.
Zhuang ever been so impolite?”
“That’s true.” The three settled on that conclusion.
Although they had no evidence and didn’t know the full story, they were determined to believe that it was Chen Fulin who had bullied Mr.
Zhuang.
Manbao put her small backpack back in her room, and the three of them sat down in the small garden at the back.
She said cheerfully, “Shall we go out to play this afternoon?”
“We should look for a bookstore in the streets,” suggested Bai Shan.
Bai Erlang disagreed, “I don’t want to read or buy books today.”
“If not books, we still need to get so writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones,” Bai Shan said.
“The results co out tomorrow and we have to enroll on the sa day.
Do you want to go out and buy them afterward?”
“Can’t we use what we have at ho?”
Manbao said, “We always need backups.
Besides, you’re going to the Imperial Academy to study; I’ve heard most people there are quite rich.
Your writing brushes, ink, and inkstones can’t be too cheap, or they will look down upon you.”
Bai Erlang asked, “What about you?”
“I won’t buy an inkstone.
I have enough paper, too.
I’d like to pick out a couple of good brushes and look at so ink,” Manbao told Bai Shan.
“Once you’re in the Imperial Academy, find out if outsiders can go in to read books.
If not, see if you can borrow so books for .
The books in the bookstore are too expensive; I don’t want to buy them.”
“You’re not short of money, why do you insist on saving money on books?” Bai Shan asked.
“I will be soon,” Manbao said.
“My family is planning to buy a shop, and I’ve decided to contribute so money…”
When the ti ca, she would also take a cut of the profits—if it made money…
That way, she could secretly buy a horse for Keke, then a cow, quietly…
Hmm, earning money from the shop would probably take so ti.
For now, though.
Manbao’s eyes rolled as she started to discuss with Bai Shan and Bai Erlang, “Do you think the rich people in the capital will like to buy those beautiful and rare flowers just the sa as the wealthy in Yizhou?”
“Probably,” Bai Shan replied.
“Didn’t Madam Tang and Second Madam Ji used to live in the capital?”
Manbao’s eyes sparkled with delight, and she propped her chin on her hands, making a wish, “It would be great if the rich ladies in the capital are as generous and lavish as Madam Tang and Second Madam Ji.”
“The main thing is how you’re going to et them, right?”
Manbao looked at Bai Shan and Bai Erlang.
The two stiffened, pondering whether it was still possible to make an excuse to leave.
Of course, it was too late for that.
Manbao, grinning, grabbed hold of them, “I’ll have to trouble you with this.
Even though you can’t et these rich ladies, you can et their sons.”
Bai Shan pushed aside her hand from Bai Erlang and asked, “What flowers do you want to sell?”
He tilted his head and furrowed his brow, “Didn’t you leave the peonies and orchids you gave to Mr.
Zhuang back in Qili Village?
And it’s not even the flowering season right now.”
“I’m going to sell chrysanthemums!” Manbao announced.
Only then did Bai Shan rember that autumn was coming, and the early chrysanthemums were blooming.
Bai Erlang asked, “Where are you going to get chrysanthemums?
And the rare varieties…”
“There’s no flower in this world that I can’t find.
If I can’t, it’s just a matter of ti,” Manbao claid.
This statent was also directed at Keke.
In the future, she was determined to find every plant in the world for Keke to catalog.
Keke returned a series of light, musical notes.
Its program remained unflustered as it thought: Before that, the host needs to keep her own life safe, doesn’t she?
Hearing her resolve, Bai Erlang rembered her habit of digging up plants wherever she went and nodded, feeling that she made sense.
Bai Shan, however, suspected Uncle Zhou’s help was involved.
He did not continue the subject; instead, he thought about how, after entering the Imperial Academy, he would find those wealthy, flower-loving, and willing-to-spend classmates.
Bai Erlang was never troubled, taking things as they co.
Although he had agreed to help Manbao, he didn’t intend to try too hard.
He decided to wait until he was familiar with his classmates, and then he’d just ask who liked chrysanthemums and who wanted to buy them.
Why bother making it so complicated?
What he was more concerned about was, “Do you think I can get into the Lesser Institutes?”
Bai Shan exclaid, “Aren’t you supposed to be aiming for the Highest Institute?
You have no confidence even in the Lesser Institutes?”
“The Highest Institute is wishful thinking.
I’m trying to be realistic.
I’d be content with the Lesser Institutes,” Bai Erlang said, taking it easy.
“My older brother studied so hard for so many years and only managed to get into the Lesser Institutes.”
He felt as long as he didn’t have to study mathematics, it was fine; math was such a headache, as was jurisprudence with so much to morize.
Manbao said, “You’re not the sa as Senior Brother Bai.
He took a major exam, competing against thousands of students, while you’re only up against forty-eight.
Can’t you beat them?”
“What if all those forty-eight people are better than ?”
Bai Shan and Manbao then looked at him and sighed, patting his shoulders from both sides, “Bai Er, although you’re not as good as in studying, you’re not worse than others.
Rember how, back in Yizhou City, you were in the sa class as Qi Jue and others?
And they were older than you.”
Manbao added, “Junior Brother, you have to understand, Shanbao and I, we are very smart, exceptionally smart.
You can’t compare us to ordinary people out there.”
User Comments
0 comments from readers