The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 941 - 920: One on One

Chapter 941: Chapter 920: One on One

Bai Dalang: "...This doesn’t seem right. Who’s going to believe that the test papers you’re selling are authentic? Plus, Shanbao and the others are taking the exam, aren’t you just helping increase the strength of their competition by selling these?"

Manbao replied, "That’s where you’re being too narrow-minded. Why is this booklet so expensive? It’s because those who buy it don’t want others to see it, and for the sellers, the more copies they have, the cheaper they become. They sell ten copies at the same price as one, so of course, they prefer to copy only one."

"But studying isn’t just about reading; it also depends on the student. Otherwise, if all books were the same, why do some people gain insights and become great scholars while others study all their lives and still remain students?" Manbao said, "So, it isn’t the booklet that matters, but the person reading it."

Bai Dalang asked, "What if someone is even more talented than Shanbao and surpasses him in understanding after reading the booklet when originally they were behind him?"

"That would simply be their own capability, showing that they are moldable talents," Manbao replied, "and I have faith in my junior brothers."

Bai Dalang: ...But he didn’t trust his own brother.

Manbao took the booklet home and handed it directly to Mr. Zhuang.

Inside, there were only questions; finding the answers was up to him. But Mr. Zhuang had taught for many years—this little difficulty couldn’t stump him, could it?

After just one glance, he not only had the answers on the booklet, but also those in his heart. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Manbao, I remember you making many annotations on The Analects... Never mind, bring me the book. I will mark a few essays for Erlang. Explain the annotations to him, test his knowledge first, and wherever he doesn’t understand, teach him."

Manbao agreed.

He said a few, but when he finished marking, he had selected sixteen essays. Bai Erlang, upon seeing this, was astonished and said, "Mr. Zhuang, you might as well have me memorize The Analects all over again."

Mr. Zhuang then put down his pen and said, "That’s not a bad idea. How much of it do you still remember?"

Bai Erlang wished he could stitch his own mouth shut. He had indeed memorized it all before, but that was years ago. Over time, and with so many other books memorized in the past two years, it was inevitable to get some things mixed up—but of course, he still remembered most of it.

Mr. Zhuang understood his situation from his expression, and handed the marked textbook to Manbao, saying, "Supervise his recitation. The texts he memorized years ago should come back to him upon review. The key is the meaning of the text; some terms and phrases are hard to remember, help him with those."

Manbao took note.

Mr. Zhuang knew this disciple was always clever; he had even wagered on him in the past, so he smiled and said, "Teach him those terms and phrases you think are likely to come up in the exam."

Manbao nodded repeatedly, indicating she understood.

After assigning the tasks, Mr. Zhuang picked up the booklet and gestured to Bai Shan, saying, "Let’s go to the garden and discuss policy essays, so we don’t disturb them."

Bai Shan agreed.

The left-behind Bai Erlang quickly said, "Mr. Zhuang, Mr. Zhuang, I’m also taking the policy essay exam, our papers will be the same. Shouldn’t I listen in?"

Mr. Zhuang stopped in his tracks, turned back, and smiled at him, "Don’t worry, even though you will sit for the same exam, the focal points can be different. Bai Shan’s abilities in classics and text interpretation are not a problem; I want him to compete for a place at the Imperial Academy."

"You, on the other hand, have only been studying policy essays for half a year and have just learned how to approach the questions. Just go with the flow for now; later, I’ll go over the rules with you. As long as your writing is orderly, the rest is flexible, but your command of classics and text interpretation must be good. In doing so, you might even vie for a slot at the Highest Institute and aim for the Four Schools. You must strive for it."

Mr. Zhuang pointed at Manbao and said, "For these two points, your senior sister is more than capable to guide you. Start by learning with your senior sister."

Bai Erlang turned to look at Manbao, and Manbao gave him a smile, her eyes curving in adoration, irresistibly cute.

But Bai Erlang shivered and felt a chill down his spine.

Bai Dalang, observing this, couldn’t help but say, "Mr. Zhuang, why don’t I do it?"

Mr. Zhuang looked at him and chuckled, "Let Manbao do it. You just watch."

He paused and then explained, "You can’t quite keep that kid in line."

Bai Erlang sulkily said, "Mr. Zhuang, I’m very well-behaved."

Well-behaved he was, but he couldn’t help his wandering mind.

Bai Dalang seized the moment while Manbao was outside talking with the Zhou family members to pick up the textbook and guide his brother. Upon looking down, he saw the latter staring into space, daydreaming.

Bai Dalang: ...

"Erlang, what are you thinking about?"

Bai Erlang ignored him.

Bai Dalang then waved his hand in front of his eyes, and when Erlang snapped back to reality, he frowned and questioned, "What were you thinking about?"

Bai Erlang honestly shook his head, "I forgot. You startled me, big brother, and I forgot what I was just thinking."

Bai Dalang: "... Get back to memorizing."

Bai Erlang sneakily glanced outside and, seeing that only the two of them were in the study, he boldly clutched his head and said, "But I can’t memorize any further, big brother. I’m so worried. Can we rest for a while? I don’t want to memorize at all right now; I did a lot of it just a moment ago."

"Did you remember it all?"

"Mostly, I guess. Manbao explained it in great detail."

She did explain it in great detail, sometimes in ways that even Bai Dalang found better than his own explanations. No wonder Mr. Zhuang was so fond of this junior sister.

Seeing his older brother wasn’t pushing him to memorize right then, Bai Erlang seized the opportunity to change the subject and peeked his head out, asking, "What’s Manbao talking about with Datou and the others?"

Bai Dalang glanced at him and said, "His name is Lichong. Have you forgotten yesterday’s chase around the yard?"

Outside, both Datou and Second Son were not pleased with everyone calling their childhood nicknames; they had sternly declared that they wanted to be called by their proper names, so as not to be looked down upon when out and about or looking for work.

But Bai Erlang couldn’t adjust immediately and ended up being chased around the yard by both yesterday.

Having lectured him, Bai Dalang then said, "They’re discussing the business of copying and selling exam papers."

Growing up alongside Manbao, Bai Dalang didn’t need to explain in detail—Bai Erlang understood right away. He exclaimed, "No way, she’s going to copy the booklet we bought and sell them again? That’s not right. Bai Shan and I paid for that booklet; she should consider my share."

Thinking that his brother might object, Bai Dalang found himself at a loss for words. After a moment, he reluctantly swallowed the words he was about to say, and with irritation said, "You never go without food or money from our father; why are you always thinking about making money? You’re going to the examination hall in two days; can’t you focus on your studies?"

"Big brother, it’s not just about making money; it’s about the joy of it, okay?" The joy of counting money.

"I don’t understand," Bai Dalang said irritably, "I only know that Manbao contributed five taels, Bai Shan three, and I made up the rest of the money needed to buy the booklet."

"I just haven’t had a chance to pay you back, have I? I’ll pay you back when I have time tonight. But don’t pay the five taels back to Manbao; she’s making money."

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