The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 760 - 749: Petty

Chapter 760: Chapter 749: Petty

For Bai Shan and Manbao, a poetry contest was something they did not fear at all. Having studied from a young age and with good memories, they thought that if even they could not continue the chain of verses, the chances of their opponents being able to do so were even slimmer.

Unless their opponent was smarter than they were, or much older.

The two carefully observed Bai Ning and felt that he belonged to neither category, so they were quite assured.

As for Bai Zhi, he was even less afraid, being six years older than Bai Shan and having just been given the opportunity to go to the capital for further studies, naturally, he had read no fewer books than they had.

So, he continued smoothly, "Brother Cao Xi once spoke to me, ’Words are precious like gold and jade, cast away like spit and mud.’"

Manbao pondered briefly before following, "Twists and turns bring support, compliance leads to hardship and loss."

Bai Shan slightly smiled, "To see inscriptions, one peels away the moss; to find a hall of books, one slashes through overgrown grass."

Turning to Bai Ning, he lifted his chin slightly.

Bai Ning gritted his teeth inwardly and continued.

Now only the four of them were left on the field, going back and forth several turns. Manbao turned her eyes and decided to bring the final character back to "wind," starting over, but the verses that had already been read could not be repeated.

Bai Shan seemed to know her mischief, breaking the second line precisely with the character "home." Bai Ning, without noticing at first, racked his brains and came up with a line; having finally continued, who knew that Bai Zhi’s next line would end with the character "fly."

Bai Ling, who had been standing by and watching, could not help but look up at them, his brow furrowed without a word.

Bai Ning was still oblivious, struggling to follow their poetry. After another round, Bai Ling chuckled and interrupted, "I think that’s about enough, we have spent the morning watching you play this game. Our big sister and second sister are almost falling asleep at it."

Bai Jiashi and Bai Jialin were actually engrossed in the game, but being suddenly called out, the two looked at Bai Ling with some confusion. However, Bai Jiashi quickly reacted, smiling apologetically at everyone.

Seeing this, Bai Zhi chuckled, "In that case, let’s stop here for now. We’ll play again when we have time; I think it’s quite enjoyable."

Mainly because he found it very amusing to play with Bai Shan and Manbao.

Manbao happily agreed, and Bai Shan naturally had no objections; they had no intention of including Bai Ning in their play anymore.

Manbao also found Bai Ning didn’t quite suit her temperament, so she even began to disdain a few boys, taking Bai Jiashi and Bai Jialin aside, "Come on, let’s go have our fun."

But she couldn’t take them to play skipping stones, nor could she take them to play with pond mud; they ended up talking about flowers, plants, and trees in the garden instead.

Bai Jiashi thought Manbao was amazing. "You have read so many books; you were able to continue each verse they came up with, but we haven’t even heard of them."

Manbao asked, "Do you like poetry? If you do, I have several anthologies; I could lend them to you to read."

Bai Jialin shook her head without a second thought, "Forget it, watching you play is enough for me. I don’t even want to read the ’Lessons for Women’ required by my family, let alone those poems."

But Bai Jiashi hesitated before saying, "I’m not sure if I could understand them."

"Poetry, well, you’ll understand once you read enough. If there are things you don’t understand, you can ask your brother," Manbao said with a smile. "I’ll pick out an easy-to-understand anthology for you later."

Bai Jiashi whispered, "My brothers are going to the academy to study; I’m afraid they won’t have the time. Manbao, if there are things I don’t understand, may I write to you for advice?"

Manbao nodded blankly, not quite understanding why going to the academy meant there would be no time to teach their sister.

When she was in school, she could always find plenty of time to teach her brothers, nieces, and nephews, and still have a long time to play.

With the effort it takes to write and send a letter, wouldn’t it be faster to just ask at home?

Yet seeing that Bai Jiashi did not seem to be lying and also looked troubled, Manbao did not press the matter.

Bai Jiashi was delighted, knowing that Manbao was fond of flowers and plants from the way she had been talking incessantly about the limited flora in the garden earlier.

So, aiming to please, Bai Jiashi said, "We’ve also just moved to Yizhou City. The garden in that house was quite barren when we moved in, and we’re planning to buy some flowers and plants to plant. Since you like them, I’ll send you some when I see something nice."

"Oh yes, yes," Manbao immediately agreed happily. "There’s no need to send them here; just send them to Kangxue Street, as you know. It’s right outside your garden wall, and we’ll mainly be living there."

Bai Jialin was curious, "Why would the Old Madam and the others buy a house here, yet the Shantang boys still live outside?"

"It’s closer to the prefectural school, which makes it convenient for school, and we’re also used to living there," Manbao replied.

Bai Jiashi nodded, and they agreed to visit each other often. So, before she left, Manbao lent her an anthology, "After you finish this one, I’ll lend you other anthologies."

Bai Jiashi then realized that when Manbao said she would lend them, she truly meant to lend.

Bai Jialin, who had also thought she meant to give them away, blinked and tugged her sister into the carriage, murmuring, "Don’t we have poetry collections at home too?"

Turning through the anthology, Bai Jiashi laughed after a moment. "Even if we do, it saves me a lot of trouble. Otherwise, I’d have to go to the front study to find books, and if Father found out, I’d still have to come up with a reason to explain."

That made sense.

Recalling Manbao’s easygoing conversation with them, Bai Jialin felt a pang of envy. "She really has read a lot; I forgot to ask about her family situation. Why doesn’t she live at her own home but stays with the Bai Family?"

"Didn’t you hear what the Old Madam and the others said? She’s Senior Sister to Shantang, studying together with their teacher. If the Old Madam and the others were not visiting, they would all be living on Kangxue Street," Bai Jiashi explained.

"So what? Shantang and the boys being men can follow their teacher to study abroad without question, but she’s a girl. How can her family rest easy letting her go out alone?" Bai Jialin wondered.

Bai Jiashi was also curious, but she felt that it was someone else’s privacy and therefore not appropriate to inquire.

Nevertheless, Bai Jialin, driven by curiosity, couldn’t help seeking information from their mother as soon as she got home.

Madam Bai, Ms. Duan, was quite well-informed and laughed upon hearing the question. "She’s not alone. According to what Old Madam Liu said, she usually has her brother and her niece with her, but they have gone home for the Winter Solstice holiday, leaving her alone. The two families have always been close, so it’s Old Madam Liu who welcomed her over to stay."

Laughing, Ms. Duan added, "I think that girl is indeed very smart and blessed with good fortune. You two should socialize with her more."

The sisters exchanged a look and agreed.

Taking the opportunity, Bai Jiashi asked, "Mother, may we correspond with her via letters?"

"Of course, you can," Ms. Duan said with a smile. "We have just arrived in Yizhou City, and we don’t know many people. It’s best if you can have a friend to socialize with. You can also invite her over to our home to play."

As they were speaking, a servant girl entered and said, "Madam, the Eldest Young Master and the Second Young Master are coming to pay their respects to you."

Ms. Duan waved her hand dismissively, "They’ve just got home; there’s no need for all this fuss. Tell them to go back and rest."

"Yes."