The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 637 - 626: Examination of the Mansion School (extra update for the book friend "Al Pacino")

Chapter 637: Chapter 626: Examination of the Mansion School (extra update for the book friend "Al Pacino")

In the carriage, Mr. Zhuang, while stroking Manbao’s little head, said with a beaming smile, "From now on, you can study medicine at ease. Tomorrow, I’ll prepare a gift for you, and you can select a medical book to send to Doctor Ji."

Manbao happily agreed, "Yes." In her heart, she went over the incident that had just occurred, as well as the words her teacher said earlier at the County Governmental Office. She felt she had learned something, but couldn’t quite grasp that specific point.

She could only exclaim in admiration, "Teacher, you’re truly amazing."

Mr. Zhuang smiled faintly, tenderly patting her little head; these were just small tricks, yet they were the result of contemplation from the first half of his life.

He only hoped that his students would not need to learn such cunning tactics in the future.

Mr. Zhuang personally prepared a generous gift; together with the medical book from Manbao, they were sent to Jishi Hall. After that, whenever Manbao went to Jishi Hall to study, Doctor Ji took even more care in teaching her.

Without mentioning other things, when encountering some special diseases, he would observe and simultaneously point things out to Manbao, and afterward would explain in detail the prescriptions he formulated.

Apart from that, Doctor Ji also took special time out to teach her his cursive script so that she could quickly understand the prescriptions he scribbled.

And so, Manbao spent half of her time practicing at the pharmacy and the other half reading with Mr. Zhuang, living an incredibly enriching life.

Zhou Silang made the trip between Yizhou City and Qili Village every five days. Not only did he and Zhou Lijun develop their own grain business, but they also provided excellent conditions for communicating with their family in Qili Village.

After teaching several major classes at Dazhi Academy, Mr. Zhuang also sent Bai Erlang there.

He also made the schedule for the major classes denser.

In his words, "Erlang and Shanbao Manbao are different. Even if left unsupervised, they may be playful but can still restrain themselves—at least, they won’t go too far. However, it’s unacceptable for Erlang to lack classmates and study companions."

Several times, Mr. Zhuang found Bai Erlang daydreaming during the morning classes.

Even though there were only the two of them in the study and he was standing right in front of him teaching, Bai Erlang managed to let his mind wander off.

This made Mr. Zhuang reflect for quite some time. Was his teaching really that dull?

It was not until Manbao came back for her lesson in the afternoon that Mr. Zhuang discovered it.

Although they were studying different subjects, when another serious student sat in the study, Bai Erlang, even if not learning that particular subject, would diligently write his own characters, read his own books, and do his own homework.

Even if his mind wandered, he could quickly refocus.

It was not like he would only come back to reality when the teacher stood right in front of him.

Thus, after weighing the options, Mr. Zhuang decided to send Bai Erlang to Dazhi Academy. In this way, he not only got new classmates, but also, when he returned, Mr. Zhuang could give him extra lessons, and his progress would be remarkable.

Of course, that’s for Bai Erlang.

That’s why during this period, he was experiencing pain mixed with pleasure.

This kind of pleasure made him get up early every day, and then he’d leave the house with Bai Shan. Daji would conveniently drop him off at Dazhi Academy first and then take Bai Shan to the government school.

In the afternoon after school, Daji would first pick up Bai Shan from the government school, and then swing by to collect Bai Erlang on the way back.

This pain was making Bai Erlang count down the days until the month of June each day.

Because, after the mid-year exams, both the government school and the academy would have a ten-day holiday.

Of course, they weren’t granted such a long break merely for the students to play, nor just because the exams required grading—it was also because June marked the beginning of the busy farming season in Yizhou City.

The spring wheat was ready to be harvested, as were the beans.

For such a long holiday, of course, they had to go home.

It was only when he had to immerse himself in study that Bai Erlang would miss the warmth of home.

He thought, if Qili Village also had the bustle of Kangxue Street, and with less homework, it would be as delightful as paradise on earth. He would never leave home for the rest of his life.

Amid this ambivalence, the mid-year exams at the government school arrived.

Early that morning, Bai Shanbao sat down for a breakfast specially prepared by Aunt Rong, and after eating, picked up his school basket and left.

Manbao gave him a purse to hang at his waist, saying with a serious face, "This purse was made by Lijun, but inside is a ’sure-win in exams’ charm I wrote myself. I also drew a portrait of Heaven Master and posted it on the wall, specifically placed it in front of the portrait for a whole day and night, and even prayed over it."

Bai Shanbao: ...

Zhou Silang looked at Bai Shan seriously and said, "It was my idea, Shanbao. I’ve told you before, my little sister is the reincarnation of a fairy. If you carry a charm she has blessed, it’s certain to come true. Just take it with you."

Mr. Zhuang couldn’t help but rub his forehead and said to Daji, "Alright, there’s an exam today. Go to the government school early to prepare. Let’s head out now."

Daji agreed and reached out to take the school basket from the young master’s hands.

Mr. Zhuang advised Bai Shan, "Don’t be nervous, just treat it with a normal heart. Even if you don’t score within the top sixty, getting into the top one hundred is also good."

Zhou Silang clicked his tongue, "Teacher, won’t you make the young master even more nervous talking like that?"

"No," Bai Shan finally found something to say, "I’ve already been nervous during the last few days. Now that the exam day is here, there’s no need to be apprehensive."

Although he said that, Bai Shanbao still staggered as he climbed onto the carriage.

Bai Erlang couldn’t hold back and let out a huge laugh, which earned him a stern glare from Zhou Lijun and the others.

Manbao stood below the carriage, waving to Bai Shan, "I’ll wait for your good news."

Bai Shan nodded.

The government school’s exam would naturally not only test essays and poetry; it would also assess calligraphy, etiquette, and music.

It was said that next year, they would introduce archery and horsemanship, as well as painting. There was so much more to learn.

Everything was manageable for Bai Shan, except for music which gave him a bit of a headache. But, he had learned the zither from his mother for a while, and Mr. Zhuang had also taught him the basics. So while there had only been two music lessons at the government school since he enrolled, he still managed to pass smoothly.

Although the examiners graded on the spot, they didn’t reveal the scores right there. Bai Shan had listened to others’ performances, realizing they indeed played considerably better than he did.

He didn’t know how important music was in the overall score; if it wasn’t significant, it was fine, but if it was...

"I think my other subjects should all be fine, it doesn’t seem hard to be within the top sixty without counting music," Bai Shan declared after enduring three days of exams. He said, "I’ve overheard some answers from the A-class students, and mine are no worse than theirs."

Mr. Zhuang nodded slightly and said, "If you have confidence, then there’s no need to worry further. Anyway, you have a ten-day holiday ahead. Use these ten days to rest and have fun."

He smiled and continued, "Take tomorrow to prepare. We’ll start our journey back home the day after tomorrow, and then you can have your holiday."

Upon hearing this, everyone cheered. Zhou Lijun immediately said, "I’ve already finished the quilt cover for great-aunt. Tomorrow, I want to go to the market to buy some pretty hair ties to bring back for my older sister and youngest sister."

Manbao said, "I also want to buy gifts for my parents and sister-in-law."

Putting the exam out of his mind, Bai Shanbao declared, "I, I, I also want to buy a lot of things."

Bai Erlang excitedly said, "I’ve already made a list."

Zhou Silang couldn’t help but tense up, "You all take it easy, we only have two carriages."