The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 612 - 601: Lively

Chapter 612: Chapter 601: Lively

Alas, though the carriage returned to the right track, it so happened that the two carriages were now neck and neck, and there were still carriages ahead, so to prevent another mishap, the coachman drove forward at a leisurely pace.

Thus, the occupants of both carriages couldn’t quite stop themselves and continued to lean out of the windows to argue back and forth.

Manbao, weary from the arguing, switched with Bai Shanbao, and after Bai Shanbao had his turn, Bai Erlang took over...

There were quite a few youngsters in the opposing carriage too, who also took turns arguing, and then it wasn’t clear who started it, but Bai Erlang, clutching his sore hand, pulled it back in and howled, wanting to hit back.

Manbao looked around inside the carriage, then snatched the fan from Wei Chen’s hand, leaned out of the window, and started to slap at the hands and heads across from her.

Qi Jue and others were also incensed, searched around for a while, and then pulled out a flute...

The two carriages thus continued at their lazy pace, with people on board loudly bickering, leaning out of the windows and fighting.

Not just the passersby on the road stopped to enjoy the spectacle, but folks from the shops on either side also looked out curiously.

Seeing all the commotion on the two carriages, along with the occasional sounds of argument, County Magistrate Tang couldn’t help but chuckle, "They are just youths after all, so lively and vivacious."

An attendant bowed and said, "My lord, the festivities at Prince of Yizhou’s mansion will start soon; it is time for you to set off."

County Magistrate Tang snapped open his folding fan with a flick, waved it a few times, and chuckled, "No hurry, no hurry, it’s not the official day yet, and if I’m late to official duties, it would be understandable."

The attendant didn’t speak again.

County Magistrate Tang, after getting his fill of the lively scene from the teahouse and having another round of breakfast, finally straightened his clothes and descended the stairs.

The carriages simply could not get close to the Prince of Yizhou’s mansion; the area was currently buzzing with people everywhere.

So, from a considerable distance away, the Tong family’s carriage stopped, and then Manbao and her companions hopped off the carriage, with Wei Chen looking at his fan with a distressed face until he saw that it was not damaged and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Qi Jue and the others also alighted, and as the people from both carriages met face to face, they began exchanging greetings with snorts and hums.

They could only walk the remaining distance, and Wei Chen, particularly worried that they might start fighting in the street, asked, "Do you know each other?"

Qi Jue was the first to respond, "No, we don’t know each other."

Manbao, "We know them; they are our junior brothers!"

"Shameless, who’s your junior brother?"

"You are," Bai Shanbao said. "Your master is our master’s junior brother."

Wei Chen, seeing that they started arguing again within two sentences, couldn’t help but exclaim, "You sure have a lot of energy."

Knowing they wouldn’t really come to blows, he stopped worrying.

He stood on tiptoe to look ahead, heard the drumbeats from up front, and immediately tugged at them, "Stop quarreling, it’s already starting up ahead, let’s go watch."

The group of eight quickly pushed their way forward.

In front of the Prince of Yizhou’s mansion, lanterns and colored banners were strung up, and a troupe of over a dozen people, dressed in strange costumes and wearing masks, performed the Nuo dance.

Manbao squeezed her way to the front of the crowd to watch. This was her first time seeing the Nuo dance, and she couldn’t help but exclaim in awe. Then, a performer wearing a ghost mask suddenly leaped before her. Manbao gasped in surprise and before she could react, the performer, bending at the waist, leaped away again while another with a god mask jumped forward, beginning to dance in front of them.

Manbao excitedly clapped her hands, and both Bai Shanbao and Bai Erlang, also flushed with excitement, clapped along.

Wei Chen couldn’t resist expressing his admiration, "Yizhou City is certainly lively, much more so than our Longzhou."

The locals like Qi Jue were also amazed, exclaiming loudly, "This year is far more bustling than last or the year before."

The group of young people was thrilled.

Daji stood closely behind Bai Shan, his deep gaze fixed on the majestic gate of the Prince of Yizhou’s mansion, silent and unsmiling.

Bai Shan let himself go completely, seeing that the view ahead was blocked, he cheerfully hopped up to get a better look.

The Nuo performance would continue all the way to the main street today, and tomorrow, it was set to parade down the street, with the group following along for a while. At the entrance merging onto the main street stood a high platform erected by the Prince of Yizhou’s mansion, where it was rumored that Prince of Yizhou himself would join the festivities and mingle with the people the next day.

What they did not know was that today Prince of Yizhou was already enjoying the company of local officials big and small at a pre-celebration.

County Magistrate Tang leaned against his carriage, waiting for the crowd following the Nuo performers to clear a bit before the carriage moved from the halted alley towards the Prince of Yizhou’s mansion.

Even if it was just a short stretch of road, walking there in the official uniform, County Magistrate Tang had no wish to sweat under the sun, so it was probably that official affairs were just too busy, which justified the lateness.

Upon reaching the side gate of Prince of Yizhou’s mansion, County Magistrate Tang sighed and confided to his attendant, "When picking posts, Yang Changbo chose to be County Magistrate in a minor Luojiang County, and I ridiculed him then. But now I understand that being a magister in a superior county is not so easy either."

"To be attached to Guo County, where one has to tread cautiously as soon as leaving the County Governmental Office." To this day, County Magistrate Tang hasn’t been able to fully exercise the powers of a parental official.

Entering the side gate, County Magistrate Tang adjusted his expression and hurriedly alighted from the carriage, then strode inside, and as soon as he reached the gathering place of the bigwigs, he quickly bowed and apologized, expressing his late arrival...

Bai Shanbao was unaware of County Magistrate Tang’s current predicament, as he was busy telling Manbao, "Once I pass the imperial examination, I want to work as an official in a place like this, where every day will be lively and festive, with lots of fun stuff on holidays, won’t that be wonderful?"

Manbao nodded in deep agreement, "The best would be to work as an official in Yizhou City, that way it’s closer to home."

"Indeed, one could go home to stay a night during rest days," Bai Shanbao finally remembered his grandmother and mother at home, squeezing out a place for them in his heart, "I’m beginning to miss grandmother and mother."

On the side, Bai Er interjected, "I don’t miss home, and I bet you don’t either."

Bai Shanbao and Manbao turned to look at him.

Bai Er asserted with conviction, "If you really missed them, you could have gone home yesterday evening; three days off was plenty of time to go back and forth."

Manbao, pointing to a stall along the road, said, "Look, mugwort cakes, I want to try some."

Bai Shanbao immediately offered generously, "I’ll buy some for you."

The two of them, ignoring Bai Er, went together to buy the cakes.

Bai Er followed behind them, saying, "Don’t forget what you promised me last night."

Wei Chen and Qi Jue also followed along.

One of them questioned, "Can this really taste good? It looks rather strange."

"Eating street food, what if it upsets your stomach?"

These few had scarcely eaten street food, unlike Bai Shanbao and his peers, who had grown up roaming the streets and alleys of Luojiang County.

Manbao wasn’t sure how the local flavors compared, but she herself made decent mugwort cakes.

Volunteering herself, she said, "I will try one first."

The stall owner strongly recommended them, "My mugwort cakes are made very well; I wouldn’t dare to set up a stall on the street otherwise. Young master and young ladies, have a taste."

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