The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 613 - 602: Encounter

Chapter 613: Chapter 602: Encounter

Bai Shanbao bought one, then broke the qingtuan in half, giving Manbao one half, and they each had a taste.

After savoring it, Manbao nodded reluctantly, "Not bad. You all can buy some to try. We haven’t had qingtuan yet this year."

Bai Erlang immediately took one. It’s customary in Qili Village to eat qingtuan during Tomb-Sweeping Day, and now it’s already the Dragon Boat Festival, which is quite late. By now, the mugwort isn’t very tender, and the flavor isn’t as good as during Tomb-Sweeping Day.

But the vendor’s choice of ingredients was not bad, Bai Erlang broke half of one and passed it to Wei Chen, then took a bite himself.

Wei Chen held the lotus leaf, looking awkwardly at the half piece of qingtuan, unsure whether to eat it or not.

After tasting it, Bai Erlang couldn’t help but express his disdain, "It’s not as good as the ones made at your house."

Manbao finished her qingtuan, her chin tilted upward she said, "Of course not, the ones at my place are made by my sister-in-law."

The stall owner was not pleased and said, "The skill of our household isn’t bad, it’s just that the mugwort is a bit old now. The tender mugwort we carefully selected is still good. During Tomb-Sweeping Day, the qingtuan we make is also very tasty..."

Bai Shanbao paid for it, insisting, "Still, it’s not as good as those made in our home."

The stall owner was taken aback and then said, "You’re not wrong there, everything naturally tastes better from home."

Qi Jue, inspired by their conversation, also spent some money to buy one, then shared it with his companions to eat. They were eating this kind of food for the first time and found the taste quite strange.

After the group finished eating their qingtuan, they followed the flow of the crowd and moved forward, and Manbao discovered a small street specializing in selling flowers and birds and, curious, went in to take a look.

Qi Jue and the others weren’t interested in this, and Bai Erlang wasn’t either, so they continued with the flow of people and parted ways with them.

Considering that she would still need Manbao’s help with her homework tonight, Bai Shanbao decided to join her for a stroll.

Half the street was filled with flowers, and the most eye-catching among them were the peonies and peonies.

The peony flowers came in various colors, but currently, dark red, silvery red, and pink were considered the best. Having been in Yizhou City for over a month, Manbao had of course seen peonies before.

But every time, she could only look and not afford to buy...

At that moment, seeing several rows of large pots of peonies on the ground, Manbao squatted down, her mouth watering as she looked on.

If Keke could materialize, it would surely be squatting and drooling in its host’s mind at this moment.

She really wanted them.

Manbao admired a pot of dark red peonies in full bloom, a strong appreciation visible in her eyes.

The stall owner glanced at their attire and asked with a smiling face, "Young lady, this is a top-quality peony. Would you like to buy a pot?"

Manbao asked, "How much is it?"

"Not expensive, not expensive at all. To celebrate Daji during the Dragon Boat Festival and wish our customers wellbeing, we’ve made it quite affordable – just sixteen taels."

Bai Shanbao, squatting next to Manbao, said, "Five cattle..."

Manbao, who had been considering making a purchase, immediately didn’t dare to say anything more.

Keke felt a bit itchy in its teeth. Why had it so thoughtfully suggested that its host go out and enjoy the festival? Was it not because there were many good things on the streets as well?

During the festival, shouldn’t it buy something festive for its host and for itself, the system?

Manbao looked up at the stall owner and asked earnestly, "Boss, do you have any peonies that are a bit inferior or not blooming yet, to sell to me for a cheaper price?"

The stall owner was taken aback before saying, "Oh my! Who buys flowers intending to pick out the inferior ones? We wouldn’t dare to bring out such flowers."

"It’s okay, I don’t mind if they’re inferior."

"But we mind," said the stall owner, "if word spreads, it could damage our reputation. We’re flower farmers and rely on growing flowers for our livelihood, so we can’t do such a thing."

"Are peonies difficult to grow?"

The stall owner laughed and said, "Ordinary peonies aren’t difficult to grow, but peonies of this rare quality are indeed troublesome. If we botch the cultivation of one pot, the loss is significant."

"Where can one buy ordinary peonies then?"

The stall owner looked troubled, "I really wouldn’t know. Our family only grows premium peonies."

Bai Shanbao asked, "Does your family sell peony seeds? We’ll buy them whether they are ordinary or top-notch."

The stall owner shook his head with a smile, "Our peonies are propagated by transplantation, we don’t have seeds."

Manbao sighed softly, thanked the owner and along with Bai Shanbao, moved on to look at other plants.

Bai Shanbao complained in a low voice, "They really are stingy. People in our village wouldn’t be like this."

No ordinary flowers, no seeds, it all sounded like lies to Manbao who was already accustomed to this. People outside seemed to care more about seeds and techniques, and were not willing to teach or share them readily.

As she roamed half the street, she didn’t come away empty-handed; under Keke’s guidance, she bought two pots of flowers not previously recorded by Keke, then she and Bai Shanbao each carried a pot and continued their shopping.

They were not worried about not finding Bai Erlang and the others, for the busiest street was precisely where they were, and no matter where they wandered, they would always end up back on the main street. They had also agreed to meet at Ganxiang Pavilion on the main street at lunchtime.

By the time all eight of them arrived at Ganxiang Pavilion, they each had quite a few items in their hands.

Qi Jue couldn’t help but tease upon seeing Bai Shan and Zhou Man holding two pots of flowers, "Who goes flower shopping during the festival? It’s not even Mid-Autumn."

"Flowers are cheaper during the festival." Manbao, having visited the flower market more than once before, was aware of the prices of these plants.

The eight of them chatted and laughed as they went upstairs, but the waiter at Ganxiang Pavilion looked at the number of them and apologetically noted that there were no seats available.

They could only wait, but it was lunchtime and nobody knew how long they would have to wait.

As the group was feeling disappointed, someone walked to the stairway on the second floor and said, "Come on up."

All eight looked up to see the person standing on the stairs. Bai Shan and his two companions were clueless while Qi Jue and his two companions went stiff, their faces frozen.

The young man upstairs spoke and then left; Qi Jue and the others hesitated, pushing each other, unwilling to step forward.

Curious, Manbao asked, "Do you know him?"

Qi Jue glanced sideways at her and said, "You don’t recognize him? He’s the eldest son of Mr. Huang and also a teacher at our academy, called Mr. Huang."

"Oh, so he’s our Senior Brother then?" Manbao was particularly familiar, and promptly pulled Bai Shan up the stairs, "Let’s go; the teacher might also be upstairs."

Indeed, Mr. Zhuang was upstairs.

They had secured a large private room, which was already occupied by several people, including Huang Chuan and Lan Cheng whom they had already met, as well as another middle-aged man and the young man they had just seen.

As the eight people entered the private room, it became significantly more crowded. Daji, scanning the room, wisely stayed near the door without advancing to disturb anyone.

The waiter, aware they were accompanied, quickly and adeptly brought enough stools for them. Although it was a bit cramped, the large table could accommodate them all.

Mr. Zhuang smiled and called his three disciples over, introducing them to his brothers, "These are the three disciples I’ve taken in..."

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