The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 502 - 491: The Gold Lump

Chapter 502: Chapter 491: The Gold Lump

Old Master Bai personally escorted a crestfallen Bai Erlang to copy manuscripts. Along the way, he earnestly advised his son, "I know copying books is tedious, and writing too much not only tires the hand but also causes irritability. Once a person gets irritable, it’s easy to make mistakes, and the handwriting starts to become sloppy..."

"But you’ll need to take part in the imperial examination in the future. Each time, a considerable amount of writing is required; after drafting, you must copy onto the exam paper. What if you write too slowly, run out of time, and your writing speed is still slow? Wouldn’t that be disastrous?"

Bai Erlang, surprised by each word he heard, realized for the first time he had such a grand goal. So, he asked in bewilderment, "Dad, why do I need to take the imperial examination too? Isn’t that for my older brother?"

Old Master Bai looked at him with a frustrated expression, "You really lack ambition. Just because your brother is going, can you not go?"

He then started to speak of his older brother’s hardships. "Look at your brother, hardly leaving the study even when he comes back for New Year’s. Can’t you expect something of yourself without relying on your brother? If you can succeed in the imperial examination and become an official, not only will you honor our ancestors, but you will also be able to support your brother in the bureaucracy."

Unable to restrain himself, Bai Erlang muttered, "You talk as if my brother and I are certain to pass the exams. Dad, you might as well treat Shanbao and Manbao nicer and let them become officials. Then they could help out Big Brother."

Old Master Bai couldn’t help but smack his forehead, "You really lack ambition. No, we’ll start with copying books. You will copy as many books as Shanbao and the others. Believe in your father’s words; you’ll appreciate the benefits once you continue copying."

He sighed, "Back in the day, I failed to keep copying..."

Bai Erlang couldn’t help but jump in frustration, "Dad, you couldn’t even do it and yet you make me do it!"

Old Master Bai merely gave him a glance, "That’s right. I used to cry out, and your grandmother wouldn’t let me copy anymore. Now, as your father, I regret it very much and even somewhat blame your grandmother for indulging me too much. So in order for you to not resent me in the future, I’ve decided to be stricter with you."

Bai Erlang: ...

By the time they reached the door of the study, Bai Erlang finally organized his words amidst his grief and anger, shouting, "I will also resent you for being too strict with me!"

Old Master Bai was about to smack his head, but Manbao looked up just in time and said, "Old Master Bai, hitting the head can make one stupid."

Stopping his hand in mid-air, Old Master Bai changed the smack into a caress and smiled at Bai Erlang, squinting, "Even if you want to resent me, you will have to wait until you grow up. What you say now doesn’t count."

Bai Erlang: ...

Old Master Bai dragged Bai Erlang into the study and smiled at Manbao, "I’m not hitting him, Manbao. I’m teaching him. By the way, how is your book copying going?"

The two confidently showed him their copied manuscripts.

Old Master Bai nodded repeatedly after looking at them, then bent down with a beaming smile to his sulking son and said softly, "Erlang, you’re older than both Shanbao and Manbao. The Thousand Character Classic and The Analects are the simplest, and you’ve studied them before, so you can definitely copy them well, right?"

Bai Erlang was still thinking about the rhizomys he had failed to catch on the mountain, but when his dad rolled up his sleeves, he reluctantly accepted, "Yes."

"Good," Old Master Bai said briskly, gesturing grandly, "Go ahead and write. Dad will watch you in the study."

Bai Erlang widened his eyes, glanced at Bai Shanbao, then at Manbao, and finally took his time settling down at his small desk.

Old Master Bai walked around the study with his hands behind his back. Suddenly recalling he hadn’t read for a long time, he casually picked up a book from the shelf to read.

The three children behind the desks made faces at each other.

They didn’t particularly like adults in the study, feeling as if there was a constant threat looming behind them.

As they made faces, Old Master Bai turned around from behind the shelves, and the three immediately acted properly, bowing their heads to grind ink and spread paper...

Old Master Bai glanced at them, intending to find a place to sit down and read. Only then did he notice Daji sitting motionless in a corner, startling him.

Pegging his chest, he moved to the opposite side of Daji with the book in hand, sat on a small stool, and shared the brazier with him.

He opened the book, glanced at Daji, and asked, "Don’t you get bored sitting around all day?"

Daji leaned slightly towards Old Master Bai with a smile and replied, "Not bored. The young masters are tirelessly busy; just watching them wears me out."

Old Master Bai nodded with a smile, "That’s how studying is. Once they succeed in their exams, it’ll be better."

Daji smiled faintly. This was just an adult deceiving children. Once they really grew up and became officials, that’s when the real business would start.

Looking up at the three children who were intently copying books, Daji thought it was a pity the children didn’t realize this fact.

The true joy and ease were probably at this very moment.

The children were indeed relaxed. Although they had to copy books, they didn’t spend the whole day doing so.

When tired of copying, they would go out and play. After getting tired of playing, they would read books they liked and eat snacks they found tasty. They would continue copying only when they had nothing else to do.

Yet even so, the three children’s speed improved significantly, especially Manbao and Bai Shanbao. In the end, they could copy entire books from memory without consulting the originals. After reciting and copying, they would check for errors before compiling them together.

Later, Manbao would take them home to be bound by her sisters-in-law, resulting in a new book.

A couple of days later, Bai Erlang no longer needed Old Master Bai’s supervision, and he indeed discovered the advantages of copying books.

Although he still disliked it, he wasn’t as averse to it as before.

By the Lantern Festival, the three children had produced only ten books. Manbao was in no hurry; she planned to give them her old books and just copy two new ones for herself afterwards.

When Mr. Zhuang returned from the county town after the New Year and saw Old Zhou leading a row of children to school, he was still surprised, despite having been forewarned by his apprentice.

Mr. Zhuang was only surprised, but the villagers of Qili Village were stunned.

In the past, the opening of the village school didn’t draw much attention from the villagers, as they regarded it as impolite to gawk and potentially upset Mr. Zhuang.

But now, they couldn’t help themselves and gathered near the school to observe, amazed and perplexed.

"Has the Zhou Family found a goldmine? Why have they sent all their children to school?"

"Is it because Mr. Zhuang does not charge them tuition?"

"Why not? Because of Manbao?"

"Having a clever daughter is indeed a blessing."

"You don’t know anything. The books the Zhou children study from are all copied by Manbao. Hey, I saw them yesterday, and they looked just like the real thing."

"... There are fake books?"

"I mean, they look as good as those sold in the bookshops in the county town. The Zhou Family hasn’t just found gold; they’ve raised a golden lump."

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