The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 583 - 572: Conflict

Chapter 583: Chapter 572: Conflict

After the quarrel subsided, Daji stepped forward with the kite in his hands, "Young Master, Miss Man, this is the kite I just retrieved."

Manbao glanced down at it and couldn’t help exclaiming with a "wow," taking a closer look, she marveled, "What a beautiful kite, huh?"

Bai Shanbao also found it very beautiful and after looking at it for a while, asked, "Is it a phoenix?"

"It is indeed a phoenix," a young man nearby also came over to look, and the one leading them said, "And it’s made of silk. Such kites can only be made and afforded by noble families. Did you get it down from that tree just now?"

All three nodded in agreement.

The young men envied their good fortune and after inspecting the kite added, "The frame is still intact, and the silk isn’t damaged. A bit of tidying up and it can fly again."

Manbao particularly liked the design, most of all because it was brightly colored and made to look very lifelike; she held it in her arms and looked at Bai Shanbao.

Bai Shanbao generously waved his hand, "It’s yours."

Manbao cheered, "We have spare string in our pack; let’s go attach it now."

"Sure."

As Bai Shanbao and Bai Erlang were heading back up the mountain, the young men naturally joined them. With both groups being about the same age, they couldn’t help but chat. Manbao asked them first, "What are your names?"

"I am Qi Jue."

"I am Shan Yu."

...

"And what are your names?"

The three of them introduced themselves in turn, saying, "Our master and your master are Senior and Junior Brothers, so that makes us Senior and Junior Brothers too, doesn’t it?"

Qi Jue snorted, "We are older than you."

Manbao said familiarly, "It’s ranked by the time you were admitted. I became a student under our master in the sixth year of Great Zhen. When did you start your studies?"

The young men: ...

Manbao knew by their reaction and gloated, "Then I am senior to you, and you should call me Senior Sister."

The young men ignored her and quickened their pace.

Seeing that, Bai Shanbao and Bai Erlang laughed and quickly followed after them, "Junior Brothers, what’s the name of your academy, and where is it? We should come and play with you sometime."

The young men were furious and didn’t want to deal with the three, with Shan Yu nearly breaking into a run.

The two groups sped along to the mountainside, and more kite-flyers appeared in the clearing on the way. Manbao, holding the beautiful kite, might have been slower, but she still followed close behind the young men, insisting they call her Senior Sister.

"Hey, stop right there!"

A loud shout arose, and Manbao reflexively turned her head towards the source of the noise but didn’t stop pursuing the others.

"Are you running away?" A whip lashed out towards her, and Manbao stepped aside in surprise but didn’t dodge. However, Daji swiftly grabbed the whip midair.

Manbao frowned and then looked at the person wielding the whip. It was an older girl, holding the whip and looking at her with cold, furrowed brows.

Bai Shanbao and Bai Erlang immediately ran back from ahead, first checking to ensure Manbao wasn’t hurt before glaring at the girl and angrily demanded, "Who are you, and why are you hitting someone without reason?"

The young men, who had walked a long way off, also turned and came back.

The whip-holding girl’s brow furrowed even more, her expression turning cold, "You’ve got some nerve. Do you know who I am?"

Manbao stepped forward, bypassing Bai Shanbao, and said with her chin up, "There aren’t any names written on your face. You can’t just ask people who you are out of the blue. We’re not immortals; how would we know?"

"You!" The other party clearly did not expect Manbao to talk back and reached to flick the belt tied at her waist.

The three bumpkins stared back with innocent eyes.

Qi Jue quietly walked behind them and whispered so only they could hear, "The pattern on the belt is only worn by servants from the Prince of Yizhou’s household..."

Now that Manbao and the others understood, they still kept an innocent look on their faces, pretending they didn’t get it!

After a moment of silence, the other party, thinking they either genuinely didn’t know or were feigning ignorance, sneered, "No wonder you country bumpkins don’t know the rules of Yizhou City, seeing as you’re from out of town."

"Even from out of town, this is still Great Jin. All I need to know are the rules of Great Jin. For instance, assaulting someone for no reason is punishable by law," Bai Shanbao retorted coldly. "You’re arrogant and rude, and you lash out at someone with a whip upon first meeting, without any provocation. If I don’t take you to the County Governmental Office to be taught a lesson, others might think all the people of Great Jin are so disrespectful."

Many onlookers crowded around to watch the excitement, and when they heard Bai Shanbao’s words, despite his youth, someone shouted loudly in approval, "Well said!"

This encouragement set off a chorus of others calling out "Well done!"

The maid seemed slightly guilty, but still held the whip and tried to appear calm, "What do you mean unrelated? The kite she’s holding belongs to our young lady. It’s a phoenix kite made by our craftsmen, and that silk..."

"Oh, you mean this?" Manbao cut her off, her face showing displeasure, "We found it on a very high tree while looking for our kite. It was hidden by leaves, and only a few colors were visible. We thought it was ours, so we went to great lengths to get it down."

"We lost it yesterday, and we were about to go search for it today..."

"Then having seen me with it, shouldn’t you have asked nicely for its return?" Manbao interrupted again, speaking quickly, "Instead, you started with scolding and whipping. Who would recognize you for who you are?"

The people started discussing amongst themselves, casting glances at the maid, then subtly eyeing the circle surrounded by other young girls and servants behind her.

As the circle dispersed, a pretty girl around sixteen or seventeen years old came forward, her colorful and luxurious clothes signifying her status.

She stepped forward with a light smile, nodding slightly to Manbao and the others, "Forgive my servant’s rudeness. The kite is my beloved possession, and I ask that you return it."

Manbao responded with a light smile, nodding, "Of course, of course, even if we hadn’t run into you, we would have turned the lost property over to the County Governmental Office once we got back to the city. However, the kite was in a high place, difficult to reach, and it was our Daji who risked his life to retrieve it."

Daji stepped forward and bowed slightly.

The pretty maid hesitated before taking out a silver piece from her purse, "Here is the reward our young lady wishes to give you."

Manbao replied, "There’s no need for a reward. Just have your young lady thank our Daji or give him some compensation. As for the reward money, we will take care of that at home."

Daji stood behind obediently.

Bai Shanbao nodded repeatedly, "Right, by the looks of it, the kite is very important to you. Our Daji provided a great service to your young lady, and while compensation can be waived, a simple thank you will suffice."