The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 379 - 368: Gift

Chapter 379: Chapter 368: Gift

She had prepared all the items in boxes. What she prepared for Zhuang Dalang’s three sons were three identical bamboo boxes. When Zhuang Dalang’s daughter-in-law received them, she felt they were somewhat heavy and didn’t know what was inside.

The gift for Zhuang Dalang was a set of brushes purchased by Manbao using her own savings at the bookshop, and for Zhuang Dalang’s daughter-in-law, it was a flower that Manbao had come across by chance in the mall.

Keke said they were artificial flowers, used for decorating rooms when placed in vases. The craftsmanship was average, but Manbao found them very pretty, even prettier than real ones, and since they were not expensive, she bought a large bunch.

There was no other option, a bunch was just a bunch, containing eleven stems. She didn’t understand why not ten but figured, more is better, right?

After purchasing them, Manbao gave one to each of her four sisters-in-law; her mother, of course, had one as well, followed by Daya and Erya. Even the youngest, Sanya, snatched one for herself. With three left, Manbao kept one for herself and put the two shortened ones in a box for Zhuang Dalang’s daughter-in-law.

Of all the gifts, Zhuang Dalang’s was the most expensive and the one that pained Manbao the most. She felt that gifts for girls were easier to choose; there were many pretty things in the mall that could be used as gifts. It was not like choosing gifts for boys, which was so troublesome.

It took her two days to decide on the gift for Bai Shanbao. She discovered the artificial flowers while selecting presents.

Manbao had never seen such flowers before but thought they were very pretty at first glance, mainly because of their colors.

Manbao’s sense of aesthetics was inherited from Ms.Qian and Junior Ms.Qian.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law believed that bright red was the prettiest. Having grown up with both, Manbao also thought that bright red looked the best, so she found the flowers very beautiful when she saw them.

Mrs.Zhuang stored the gifts they brought, waiting until the guests had left before checking all the items.

Of course, she first looked at the gifts from the Bai Family. The items from both families were similar, not only valuable but also practical.

The cloth sent by Ms.Liu was of the highest quality, mainly because it included suitable colors for men as well as her favorite colors, clearly intended for the women of the household.

Mrs.Zhuang touched and felt the cloth and finally put it aside, contentedly.

Old Master Bai, eager for Mr. Zhuang to accept his son, also went to a lot of trouble, adding an extra thirty percent to the gifts prepared by Ms.Liu.

After accounting for all the gifts from both families, Mrs.Zhuang then opened the boxes sent by Manbao. Mrs.Zhuang, upon seeing the brush inside her box, closed it up and handed it to her husband, and then went to open her box. As soon as she did, she was startled.

Zhuang Dalang looked over and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Upon seeing the flowers inside the box, he was surprised and exclaimed, "Where did these flowers come from at this time of year?"

Mrs.Zhuang reached out and touched them lightly. Realizing that the texture was obviously not that of real flowers, she was taken aback and promptly lifted them for a closer look.

Zhuang Dalang was so fascinated and said, "Are these fake? They’re made so realistically. What are they made of?"

"I don’t know," Mrs.Zhuang said regretfully, "It’s a pity we don’t have any girls in the house, otherwise..."

Zhuang Dalang just laughed and said, "It’s the same if you wear it."

Mrs.Zhuang then smiled playfully and said, "I’m too old, what would I wear them for?"

Zhuang Dalang placed one in her hair and then complimented with a smile, "Beautiful."

Mrs.Zhuang looked down and smiled, opening the remaining three boxes to find that they all contained candy, and it was candy she had never seen before.

After tasting one, she couldn’t help but exclaim, "This young lady has really put a lot of thought into it, but I wonder where she gets all these nice things."

Zhuang Dalang just laughed it off and said, "There are always some craftsmen in the countryside. It’s not surprising."

"These various colored cloths look pretty good," he said, "You should cut them out and make a few more outfits for father. After the New Year, he has to go back to teaching in the countryside."

Mrs.Zhuang agreed and stored everything neatly.

Mr. Zhuang also saw the flower on Mrs.Zhuang’s head and knew it was from Manbao, he smiled and said, "That child loves plants the most, I wonder from where she got such a beautiful flower."

At that moment, Mr. Zhuang did not know the flower was artificial, not until his daughter-in-law wore it for several days in succession. Then he realized they were fake.

Upon this realization, Mr. Zhuang was surprised for a moment but then smiled and shook his head thinking of the Zhou family’s knack for handiwork, still unsure who had made the flowers.

No sooner had Bai Shanbao climbed into the carriage than he wanted to open the box, but seeing his grandmother, mother, and Manbao all looking at him, he refrained and held it in his arms, gazing out of the window.

Ms.Liu and Ms.Zheng couldn’t help but smile discreetly, showing no interest in taking a peek.

As for Manbao, she was indifferent. Mainly because she was concerned that if Bai Erlang saw the gift she gave to Bai Shanbao, what if he didn’t like the gift she would give him when they got home?

At that moment, Manbao was pondering, "What should I give to Bai Er as a gift?"

Bai Shanbao was even more curious about what Manbao had given him, so after casting her a glance, he remained silent.

Manbao lamented, "I feel if I give him something similar to yours, he definitely won’t like it, but if not the same, what should I give?"

Bai Shanbao figured it out instantly. Manbao must have given him something for studying, as Bai Er would not dislike it otherwise.

Engrossed in their thoughts, the two returned to Qili Village. As soon as they reached the village, Bai Shanbao hurried Manbao out of the carriage, waving goodbye and saying, "I’ll come to play with you later in the evening."

To discuss the gift for Bai Er.

Manbao sighed with a sense of worry, and after getting off the carriage, said to Bai Er, "We have to suggest to Junior Brother not to accept any more students. It would be better to accept girls as it’s easier to find gifts for them."

Ms.Liu and Ms.Zheng, amused by the conversation, laughed from inside the carriage, teasing, "Manbao is so young yet already knows the difficulties of gift-giving."

Bai Shanbao called out, "I know too."

As soon as they reached home, Bai Shanbao hopped off the carriage, clutching the box and running into his own room. Once inside, he opened the box.

Bai Shanbao uttered a small "huh" and took out the notebook from the box. The notebook’s cover was light blue with a semi-circle outlined in blue. A flat boat with a vague figure on it floated on the light blue water surface, and at the end of the water was a blue sphere that looked just like the moon.

But strangely, isn’t the moon supposed to be white?

Bai Shanbao scratched his head and opened the notebook, blinked, and then realized that it was a blank book.

He flipped through it, and indeed, it was completely empty; he had thought it was a filled book, but it turned out to be an empty binder.

After pondering a bit, Bai Shanbao prepared the ink, picked up the brush, and wrote on the title page: Zhou Man’s gift.

The ink did not blur or run, nor did it seep through, revealing that it was high-quality paper.

Bai Shanbao touched the notebook, amazed beyond measure, and wondered where Manbao had acquired it from.

Thinking this, Bai Shanbao went to ask Manbao.

Manbao replied, "I bought it from my friend."

Bai Shanbao knew that Manbao had a friend from whom she often bought things, so he envied her for a moment, "He is really amazing to be able to get such a notebook. The paper inside is very good."

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