The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 595 - 584: So Many Books

Chapter 595: Chapter 584: So Many Books

This time, they brought so many things that due to the excess, Old Master Bai even sent another horse-drawn carriage over.

Besides the items listed on their inventory, the Bai Family also packed a lot of extra things for Bai Shanbao and Bai Erlang.

For instance, their clothes and shoes, they even packed two sets of quilts, along with matching pillows and mats.

If it wasn’t inconvenient, Mrs. Bai and her family would have wanted to transport their familiar study desks as well.

Fortunately, Old Master Bai withstood this pressure. It was said that because Erlang was also leaving home to study, both the Old Lady Bai and Mrs. Bai cried rivers, and their eyes stayed swollen for three consecutive days.

That caused Ms. Liu and Ms. Zheng, who were originally fine, to start crying as well.

Then, Ms. Liu dispatched the family cook to join them, and after that, the amount of items they brought increased even more.

Mr. Zhuang even rolled up his sleeves to help.

All the books brought in were counted and placed on the bookshelves, and as there weren’t enough, they had to be organized in boxes temporarily until more bookshelves could be purchased the next day.

Then, the household goods that were brought had to be sorted and carried to their respective rooms.

Because an extra cook had arrived, they were running out of room space, so Bai Erlang moved to stay with Bai Shanbao.

The two griped at each other, "We need to buy beds tomorrow."

Manbao nodded in agreement beside them, "Buy, buy, buy, my Erya, no, Lijun, also needs to buy one."

Zhou Lijun: "...Junior Auntie, if you’re not comfortable, just call me Erya."

Manbao giggled and called her "Lijun" several times in a row, then asked, "Do you want a big bed or a small one?"

Their rooms weren’t small, initially divided with an inner and outer room, separated by a screen in the middle. All they had to do was move or shift the tables and chairs to place a bed against the wall on the other side of the outer room, then slightly move the screen inward to create two small rooms.

It was very similar to the time Manbao lived in her parents’ room, even more spacious.

But Lijun was already very aware of her privacy, so she requested, "I also want a screen placed in front of my bed."

With this, the rooms became much more private. What was originally a one-room and one-hall layout had been transformed into two small rooms and a small hall, with only space left for a small table and chairs in the middle.

But this was sufficient for their use.

After all, the aunt and niece were accustomed to living with others from a young age.

However, Bai Shanbao and Bai Erlang were not used to it at all, quarreling over the positioning of the screen and almost coming to blows. In the end, Bai Shanbao prevailed with eloquence and force, subduing Bai Erlang.

Daji didn’t bother with them since time was tight and it was already late today, so tonight the cook would sleep on a temporary bed in Manbao’s room. The carter who came with them would stay with Zhou Si and Zhou Silang, and the requisitions for beds and screens would have to be made the next day.

Mr. Zhuang had thought about going out to eat, but with the cook’s arrival and the Zhou Family had brought plenty of vegetables, besides the vegetables, there was tofu and some semi-finished ingredients made by Junior Ms. Qian.

The Bai Family also had the cook bring some cured meat and salted fish; these ingredients easily filled half the kitchen. The cook quickly had rice steaming and then began to select the ingredients for the evening meal.

Not only Mr. Zhuang but all three students were stunned, not understanding why, but the master and his three disciples suddenly felt somewhat sorrowful, as if the good old days were about to become a thing of the past, never to return.

Even Zhou Silang, who was busy moving items up and down, quietly said to Daji, "We talked about eating at every restaurant in Yizhou, and now that’s gone, there’s no chance."

Daji remained silent.

Lijun, while helping to organize things, complimented Manbao, "Junior Auntie, you’ve put on weight again."

In that era, being plump was something to be proud of.

Manbao obviously inherited the Zhou family’s aesthetic and puffed up her chest, asking, "Really?"

"Really," Lijun confirmed. "You’ve all put on weight."

Mr. Zhuang stood to the side, finishing placing the last book on the box and sighed, "You’ll slim down soon enough."

Lijun was puzzled, "Why?"

"Because food outside always seems to make you gain more weight."

"Huh?" Lijun was confused.

Mr. Zhuang did not continue the subject but looked at his student who had studied with him for only two years and asked, "Lijun, have you decided what you want to do now that you’ve come to Yizhou City?"

Lijun scratched her head and glanced at Manbao before responding, "I am here to take care of my Junior Aunt, so I guess I should follow her, right?"

Mr. Zhuang just smiled without comment.

But Manbao said, "You don’t have to always follow me. Do whatever you want to do."

Lijun then said softly, "I want to become a bookkeeper."

"Go find one!" encouraged Manbao. "Start as an apprentice, and one day you’ll surely be a head bookkeeper."

But Mr. Zhuang shook his head and said, "Shops generally seldom hire female bookkeepers. Finding such work won’t be easy."

Mr. Zhuang’s comments were comparatively mild. For a woman to become a bookkeeper wasn’t just difficult, it was an achievement that was nearly impossible to attain.

Some shops did have female bookkeepers, but that was because those were family members, with the bookkeeper often being the wife of the owner.

Who would actually go out of their way to hire a woman as a bookkeeper?

Still, he didn’t dismiss the notion outright. After all, even if he objected, the children might not agree, so why not let them try?

And he harbored a hope that perhaps they’d find someone willing to take on the task.

Just like now, who could have imagined that a young lady would aspire to become a bookkeeper?

Mr. Zhuang put away his books and glanced at Bai Shanbao and Bai Erlang, who were still arranging their books, then left with his hands clasped behind him, contently.

Well, time to wash his hands and wait for dinner with a cup of tea.

Bai Shanbao checked his list while counting his books and found quite a few extras. A quick glance and he knew those were extras that his grandmother had packed for him.

He sighed repeatedly, "Looks like we need to buy two bookshelves tomorrow. Actually, there are a few books here I’m not fond of reading; I didn’t expect my grandmother to have packed them as well."

Bai Erlang felt even more like crying. Crouching in front of his box, with a pained expression, he took out each book and organized them by difficulty.

He whimpered a little, saying, "I didn’t ask my dad to bring me any books."

Manbao looked over and said, "Just be content, otherwise you would have to buy all new ones, which would cost so much money?"

At that point, Manbao paused and asked, "By the way, didn’t the teacher ask you to buy books today? Why didn’t you buy any?"

"You bought so many books, and so did the teacher. If I bought more, how could I carry them all back? So, I plan to go in the next few days. Anyway, you also need to go to the bookshop to read, right? Just buy one or two at a time."

Bai Shanbao said, "You’re just looking for an excuse to go out and play, aren’t you?"

Manbao then remembered something, "I’ve bought all the books you wanted. It cost a total of three taels and six coins."

Bai Shanbao replied, "Give me the money after dinner."

Manbao then casually asked, "How was your day at school today?"

Bai Shanbao sighed, "Don’t even mention it. I was placed in Class C-One. I’m the youngest in the class, and the official managing our class doesn’t like me at all; he put me at the very last desk."