The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 145 - 134 Friends (Additional - for reaching 20000 recommendation tickets on Start Point)

Chapter 145: Chapter 134 Friends (Additional Chapter for reaching 20000 recommendation tickets on Start Point)

Second Miss Fu never expected that the nice thing Manbao said she would bring for her would be a basket of ginger. She was quite speechless, standing inside the door without a word for a long time.

Manbao truly believed her ginger was something special, after all, she had watched it grow and mature.

She recommended to Second Miss Fu, "Ginger is spicy and slightly warming, it enters the lung, spleen, and stomach meridians, and can induce sweating to expel pathogens, warm the middle to stop vomiting, warm the lungs to relieve cough, and even disperse cold evil. That’s why there’s ginger tea. Second Sister Fu, right now is the time for the autumn grain harvest; your father must be very busy. At such times, it’s even more important to look after one’s health, so buy some ginger to take back and make tea for him."

Second Miss Fu laughed at her words and asked, "Do you also understand medicine?"

Manbao shook her head, "I don’t. I’m just reciting what I’ve learned from books."

Second Miss Fu smiled faintly and turned to her maid, saying, "Since Manbao says her ginger is good, it must be. Buy it all and send it to the kitchen."

The maid agreed but did not move to take the basket; instead, she proceeded to lead Zhou SiLang to the kitchen.

Manbao scratched her head and said to her, "Can your family eat so much? Just buy a bit. If you think it’s good, we can bring you fresh ones later; we’ve planted a lot of ginger at home."

Second Miss Fu laughed, saying, "I have only seen sellers who hope buyers buy more, but you are the first seller I’ve seen who advises to buy less."

Manbao earnestly replied, "Although we engage in business, we don’t cheat people. Ginger is only used for stewing meat and brewing tea. Why don’t you just buy a pound for forty coins? The tender parts of the leaves can even be stir-fried. You must have an iron pot at home, right?"

How would Second Miss Fu know?

However, she didn’t heed Manbao’s advice and still decided to buy it all, saying, "If my family can’t finish it, we can give it away. Let them weigh it in the kitchen. You stay here and chat with me."

Second Miss Fu enjoyed talking with Manbao, especially since they became pen pals. Although they were five years apart in age, she felt a connection with Manbao.

Manbao had less prejudice against her, feeling that despite being the daughter of the county magistrate, she was quite adorable. Since Manbao hardly had any young ladies to speak with freely, she cherished this friendship a great deal.

Zhou SiLang heard Manbao’s price and went with the maid to the kitchen, carrying the basket on his back.

Since it wasn’t suitable for Zhou Xi and the others to enter the house, Second Miss Fu just extended her hand to pull Manbao aside to talk, "My mother took my elder sister to my maternal grandparents for a birthday celebration, so there are fewer people at home. I don’t even have anyone to talk to, it’s so boring."

Manbao asked, "Don’t you go to school?"

She felt she was so busy every day, especially when school was in session. From the moment she opened her eyes, she had to go to school, then do homework after coming home, check on her plants, play, read books—there never seemed to be enough time. How could someone be bored?

Second Miss Fu explained, "My elder sister is not at home, and as it’s the busy farming season, our teacher has given us a break."

And even if the teacher hadn’t given them a break, she only had to attend half a day of class, so she was very curious about Manbao’s life. In her understanding, farm girls couldn’t go to school, and among the friends she knew, few could read.

In their family, it was their grandmother who took charge. She and her siblings had lived with their grandmother in their early years, that’s why it became customary to hire a teacher for lessons. Thinking back to when they first came to the county city, her mother hadn’t considered hiring a teacher for her and her sisters.

Especially after they started exchanging letters, Second Miss Fu became very interested in Manbao’s life. She felt there were many things she couldn’t discuss with her mother and elder sister, but she could with Manbao.

Holding Manbao’s hand, Second Miss Fu gestured for her maid to step back a bit before asking, "Why are you always out doing business with your family? Is your family in need of money?"

"Yes, my family is in need of money," Manbao counted on her fingers, "We need to build a house and arrange marriages for my Fourth and Fifth Brothers. I also want to buy lots and lots of tasty things, so we never seem to have enough money. But right now, I can’t always come out to do business, I still have to study. My friend said that I need to read more, so when I grow up, I will be able to go further and earn more money. Otherwise, being young and smart won’t help me earn much."

Second Miss Fu laughed, "Your friend sounds impressive. What’s her name?"

Manbao hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "I can’t tell you its name, it won’t let me."

Second Miss Fu nodded understandingly, "Alright then, but what book are you reading recently?"

"I am studying the Classic of Poetry and The Great Learning. The teacher doesn’t talk much about The Great Learning, saying we’re too young. He talks more about the history of previous dynasties and teaches us mathematics. So, recently I love reading History of the Great Sui. What about you?"

Second Miss Fu looked at Manbao in surprise, "I am also studying the Classic of Poetry, but I haven’t read The Great Learning..."

She hesitated before adding, "The Great Learning is what my brother and younger brother are studying. It seems the teacher has no plans to teach us."

Manbao said, "If he won’t teach you, then read it on your own. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask him. Our teacher said that The Great Learning is very important. The so-called great learning is the study of becoming a sage, which embodies becoming a person of ultimate goodness. But our teacher also mentioned that becoming a sage is very hard, yet he never said that women can’t become sages. He even praised me for being smart, even better than Bai Shanbao, hmm."

Second Miss Fu stared at her blankly for a moment, then replied, "You are right, it seems no one has ever said women can’t become sages."

Seeing that she agreed with her opinion, Manbao brightened up, "Right? You’re older than me and know more. You can start reading The Great Learning right now, and you can ask the teacher about anything you don’t understand."

Second Miss Fu smiled and asked, "May I ask you as well?"

"Of course, you can," Manbao became excited and laughed, "We are friends. You can ask me, and I can ask you. This is called mutual learning."

Second Miss Fu nodded with a smile, "Then you must ask your brothers to send me letters often. It doesn’t have to be your brothers; anyone from your village can bring the letters to my door. I will surely reply."

Manbao solemnly promised.

As if afraid that she might forget, Second Miss Fu added, "If your family has any tasty or unusual things, you can send them to my home. If I like them, I’ll buy them."

Manbao felt envious of her wealth and nodded admiringly, "My wish is to become like you, spending money whenever I want."

Second Miss Fu couldn’t help giggling and pinched Manbao’s round cheek, saying cheerfully, "You’re really adorable."

Manbao returned the compliment, "You’re very adorable too."

She considered herself a child who believed in reciprocating kindnesses, a thought that filled Manbao with contentment.