The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 265 - 254: Passing Through

Chapter 265: Chapter 254: Passing Through

The Bai family’s garden housed a pavilion next to the pond.

As long as it was not dark or winter, Manbao still enjoyed playing in this pavilion, for it was surrounded by breezes and quite cool.

The two directly carried their book boxes to the pavilion, where the servants brought pastries and water before retreating, without constantly following them.

Back in Longzhou, Bai Shanbao was always accompanied by servants, even having a Xiaos on night duty outside his room while he slept, but after arriving in Qili Village, Ms. Liu left only Daji by his side and reassigned all other servants who used to follow him.

At first, Bai Shanbao was not very used to this, but at that time he was busy "battling" with Manbao and Bai Erlang, so he didn’t pay much attention. By the time he noticed the difference, he had already grown accustomed to the change.

Besides, Bai Erlang didn’t have maids and Xiaos following him either, yet he still lived like a little king, didn’t he?

But in the eyes of Lord Wei’s several bodyguards, the Bai family appeared rather shabby.

They were quite familiar with the Bai family’s financial situation because they had investigated Bai Qi back in Yizhou. Although the family could not compare with those of eminent merit like Lord Wei’s or the prestigious scholarly families, they were still a family of the literati class, with fields and shops and many servants. It seemed there was no reason for them to be so destitute.

As Wei Zhi walked leisurely in the garden, he halted upon seeing two children earnestly doing homework on opposite sides of a stone table, not wishing to disturb them.

He gestured to his bodyguards to stay quiet and sat down under a tree that was still fairly lush.

The bodyguards stood silently in the shade.

Wei Zhi watched the two children absorbed in their homework. After they had finished, they exchanged papers to check each other’s work, then amiably switched back and put away their own assignments.

Wei Zhi was about to approach and speak to them when he saw the children pull out their books and start to read aloud in the pavilion, heads shaking from side to side, clearly indicating that they had recitation assignments for the day.

This tree happened to be on the side of the pavilion, with a cluster of rose bushes growing in front, so unless you looked closely, the people inside the pavilion wouldn’t notice Wei Zhi and his men, but Wei Zhi could see them.

He could also hear the two children talking.

Perhaps because the text they needed to recite was too long and arcane, Bai Shanbao couldn’t help but complain to Manbao, "It’s all your fault..."

Manbao, with her back to him as she held her book, hummed snappily, "You’re the one who’s slow at memorizing, and you blame me?"

"I memorize faster than you do!"

"I’m faster than you, just watch," Manbao had already asked Keke, and she knew she was a bit smarter than she was last year, so she immediately inquired of Keke, "Am I smarter than him now?"

Keke did not respond.

Alright then, Manbao understood.

Feeling somewhat indignant, her recitation got louder; she was determined to memorize the text before he did.

Just as she made this ambitious pledge, she smelled a delicious fragrance. She sniffed and turned halfway toward the source of the scent, seeing Ms. Zheng with a handmaid carrying a wooden tray towards them.

Bai Shanbao also smelled the aroma, and the pair immediately forgot about their previous disagreement and bet, sprinting towards Ms. Zheng.

Catching one child with each hand, Ms.Zheng laughed, "Yesterday the servants bought a ewe that’s currently lactating. Coincidently, the butler bought some ice from the town today, so I had them make two bowls of yogurt. Try it and tell me if it tastes good."

Bai Shanbao nodded vigorously, setting aside his book for the moment.

Bai Shanbao asked Manbao, "Have you ever had yogurt before?"

"No, I haven’t."

"It’s delicious." He rarely got to have it, so the taste had left a strong impression on him.

Although Ms.Zheng doted on them, she dared not let them eat too much of the cold treat, so she only gave each a small bowl.

Bai Shanbao and Manbao savored their yogurt. After they finished, Ms.Zheng gently reminded them, "Now that you’re done, concentrate on your homework and try not to fight or argue."

Even though the two children got along, they often quarreled and occasionally fought.

Several times her son had come home with tears, complaining that Manbao bullied him. When Ms.Zheng inquired, she found the little girl also crying on her way home.

With her own son not only a boy but also older and bigger than Manbao, Ms.Zheng certainly didn’t think Manbao could bully him. Likely they both got hurt fighting, but overall she felt surely Manbao was at a disadvantage.

Therefore, after every fight, Ms.Zheng felt a little guilty.

Having had a treat, Manbao was in a good mood and agreed obediently. Once Ms.Zheng left, they picked up their books again. This time, the two did not argue but sat side by side on the railing, swinging their legs while they memorized in unison.

Wei Zhi rose from the grass, hands clasped behind his back as he approached them with a smile, asking, "Do you understand the meaning of this text you’re memorizing?"

Bai Shanbao: "Our tutor covered it today, so of course we know."

"Knowing its meaning makes memorization much easier. Here, let me show you how to memorize it." Memorization was something Wei Zhi, a graduate, was all too familiar with.

Bai Shanbao and Manbao were enthralled by his instruction. In terms of teaching, Wei Zhi might not match Mr. Zhuang, but in sheer knowledge, he was certainly not inferior, even far surpassing Mr. Zhuang.

Thus, both Manbao and Bai Shanbao benefited greatly.

So much so that Manbao almost forgot to go home for dinner. When she realized it was late, it was Daya who came looking for her on orders, and only then did she know it was getting late.

She quickly gathered her books and told Bai Shanbao and Wei Zhi, "I need to go home for dinner now, but after that, I’ll come back to find you. You must wait for me."

Bai Shanbao assured her confidently by thumping his chest.

Wei Zhi smiled faintly, also indicating he would wait. He quite enjoyed spending time with the two children.

For two days straight, besides having tea with Ms. Liu daily, Wei Zhi would stroll through the fields or chat with the villagers under the big banyan tree by the village entrance. After Manbao and her friends finished school, he would join them and play.

Of course, his main activity was helping the two children with their studies.

On the third day, Wei Zhi hinted at his desire to return to the capital. After a moment of silence, Ms. Liu finally sent for someone to go to the main hall.

The area around the Bai family’s main hall was cleared, apart from Daji and Nanny Liu standing guard outside, with no one else allowed to approach.

The more Ms. Liu learned about Wei Zhi over the past three days, the more she trusted him, and thus she was willing to take that risk.

So she asked him, "Do you have the power to bring the person behind the scenes to justice?"

Wei Zhi asked, "Do you have evidence?"

"Didn’t you find anything about the breach of the Jianwei Canal?"

"I found out a bit," Wei Zhi understood what she was referring to but had to say, "However, it’s impossible to nail down everyone involved with this incident. For instance, I can’t do anything to the Prince of Yizhou right now, because there’s not a shred of evidence in my hands pointing to him, even though neither you, I, nor the various court officials believe he’s innocent."

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