The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 360 - 349: Agreement

Chapter 360: Chapter 349: Agreement

Manbao didn’t know, and Bai Shanbao and Bai Erlang knew even less.

Bai Erlang didn’t even glance at the farming book, asking directly, "Is the person who wrote this book very good at farming?"

"I’m not sure about that, but they must be very good at studying." Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been admitted to a graduate program.

Bai Shanbao and Bai Erlang had no objections to this point, reasoning that if one wasn’t adept at studying, they wouldn’t be able to write a book either.

While writing, Bai Shanbao realized that the problems were increasing and he could only turn back and read the farming book carefully. Sighing, it seemed that making plans was necessary; not taking studying seriously was unacceptable.

The three friends discussed together, but although they had read a lot, they had little experience in farming, and often had to stop halfway through their planning.

In the end, Manbao said, "I need to go back and ask my elder brother."

So Bai Shanbao handed the paper filled with questions to Manbao, saying, "You go back then."

It was then that Bai Erlang realized it was getting late, and he hadn’t yet gone to play with his friends today; he startled himself with this realization.

Old Master Bai was also shocked; the servant sent to find his son didn’t find him near the school nor in the fields but next door.

Had his naïve son actually changed his ways?

Upon further inquiry, Old Master Bai learned that they had spent the entire evening next door planning the farming, and although Bai Erlang couldn’t understand much of it, he was fully involved and had an idea of what they planned to grow in the fields.

He was even able to engage in conversation with Old Master Bai on the topic.

Old Master Bai looked down at his son with a complex gaze.

Bai Erlang, scratching his head, asked, "Dad, what’s wrong?"

Old Master Bai took back his gaze and said, "Nothing, after school tomorrow, have Shanbao and Manbao come over to our place. There’s no need for so many plans when talking to me; just tell me what you’re really thinking."

Though one hundred acres wasn’t a small amount, and the expense of people and livestock seemed great, these costs were really nothing for Old Master Bai.

A hundred acres of land wasn’t even enough for a Little Manor.

Yet, he himself was in a dilemma.

He wanted his two children to become noble scholars, not to work the land. How come they suddenly took an interest in farming?

Especially his second son, Two...

This was actually one of the main reasons for his hesitation.

No matter what Shanbao did, he excelled, even farming wouldn’t affect his studies, but it was different for Two.

Thinking differently, nowadays Erlang was naughty and playful, needing someone to force him to study daily. If playing with Shanbao and farming helped him settle down, inspiring him to study diligently...

It was with this idea in mind that Old Master Bai didn’t outright reject their plans.

But he was still undecided in his heart.

So after contemplating for an entire evening, Old Master Bai still decided to discuss it with Ms. Liu.

He felt that matters of farming and sericulture could be left to the stewards and servants; as the landowners, they just needed to learn how to manage them well.

Shanbao truly didn’t need to manage a farm himself, at this time he should be dedicating himself entirely to his studies, right?

He felt that it wasn’t right to bend Shanbao’s talents just to make Two become more stable; if necessary, he would later compel Two to spend more time playing with Shanbao.

After hearing this, Ms. Liu asked, "How are they planning to farm this land?"

Old Master Bai replied with a wry smile, "I asked Erlang about it last night, and it seems they want to keep growing wheat, beans, and rice like we do now, but the three kids want to alternate different crops over two years and three seasons."

This sort of intensive, even excessive, use of land—Old Master Bai had attempted it himself, and it had all come to naught because, after adding one more season’s harvest, the yield did not meet expectations. After two to three years, the soil became overused, and the crops were inferior to those of the same period.

Old Master Bai felt it was sufficient to have an understanding of agriculture; there was no need for hands-on involvement.

Their two families were not the sort that needed to rely on their children’s personal labor in the fields to get by.

However, Ms. Liu understood her grandson better; if it were just ordinary farming, he could simply observe the villagers’ labor. Why then did he request a piece of land from Old Master Bai to farm? Clearly, he had different ideas he wanted to validate that the villagers couldn’t achieve.

Ms. Liu smiled to him and said, "When the kids come back, we’ll ask them."

Bai Shanbao had no intentions of keeping this from his family. At his grandmother’s question, he immediately turned his head to Manbao.

Manbao took out a large piece of paper from her book box. It listed many items and questions, and now, most of the responses were filled in below.

These were answers she wrote down after asking her elder brothers upon returning home the previous evening.

When it came to understanding farming, ten Old Master Bais couldn’t match one of her brothers.

Seeing how well-prepared the children were, Ms. Liu couldn’t help but laugh. She only glanced at the paper before folding it and giving it back to Manbao, then asked with a smile, "I don’t need to read this. I just want to ask you all, why do you want to farm, and how is your farming different from that of the villagers?"

After looking at Manbao, Bai Shanbao said, "Manbao has obtained a farming book that describes many new methods for farming. If we follow them, we can greatly improve yield. We want to give them a try."

"And if you succeed, what do you intend to do?"

This was a question Bai Shanbao and the others had considered from the very beginning. Puffing out his chest, he said, "Manbao’s family would have much more grain and make a lot of money. Then, we can eat as much rice as we want. The villagers will benefit too, and so will our family."

Ms. Liu nodded, then asked, "What next?"

"Then Manbao and I will be very rich. We want to travel to Yizhou for fun. Grandmother, I’ve heard that the Mid-Autumn and Lantern Festivals in Yizhou are very lively. We only get three days off for Mid-Autumn, which is inconvenient for travel, but we could go for the Lantern Festival."

Bai Erlang added, "And me too!"

Ms. Liu laughed, "That would be the Lantern Festival the year after next, right? Can you wait that long?"

Bai Shanbao and Manbao nodded, while Bai Erlang shook his head.

Old Master Bai glared at him from the side.

Bai Erlang then nodded along with the other two.

Ms. Liu then said with a laugh, "Alright then, go ahead and try. If you lose money, it’s on me; if you make money, it’s yours."

She turned to Old Master Bai and said, "For the land these three kids will use, I’ll pay for the lease."

Old Master Bai replied with a wry smile, "Auntie, aren’t you slapping your nephew’s face? I never said I wouldn’t let them farm; I’ll handle the cost of the hundred acres."

Ms. Liu nodded, not arguing with him, and said, "Then I will provide the manpower and materials they need."

Manbao looked up at Bai Erlang, then turned to Bai Shanbao, feeling instinctively that the bargain might not be favorable for her.

In her mind, she hesitantly asked Keke, "Is this really alright?"

Keke did not answer; lately, it had been responding to Manbao’s personal questions less and less because, with the forum opened, the main system imposed stricter monitoring on these sub-systems. Manbao vaguely understood that this might be the reason.

But Manbao and Keke had years of tacit understanding. Even though Keke didn’t respond, Manbao still sensed its opinion.

Therefore, Manbao said, "I need to go back and ask my parents."