The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 942 - 921 Teaching

Chapter 942: Chapter 921 Teaching

Manbao found time to copy those two booklets, which were tiny and only contained the topics without any answers. With her experience in copying books, she was quick, so she finished copying them during her spare moments.

"You and Liwei, Lijun copy a few booklets, and we’ll sell them tomorrow morning for one or two silver pieces each. The topics for policy essays and poetry are more expensive, two silver pieces per booklet."

Zhou Lichong was very doubtful, "Auntie, can we really sell such a small booklet for one silver piece?"

Zhou Liwei nodded repeatedly, sharing the skepticism, "Isn’t that ripping people off?"

Manbao: "...Do you know how much money I spent to buy these two booklets?"

Both shook their heads.

Manbao said, "Fifteen silvers, five for this one, ten for that one."

Zhou Lichong and Zhou Liwei: ...Money from scholars is indeed easy to earn.

Manbao handed them the booklets and instructed, "You guys have been studying for a few years now, hurry and copy them, and remember, check them twice more to avoid any mistakes that could mislead the scholars."

The young men agreed, but Zhou Wulang asked, "Where do we sell them? Right now, the only people who would need these booklets are those forty or so, right? We don’t even know where they’re staying."

Manbao said, "Ask Liu Gui, he definitely knows."

Zhou Liulang didn’t understand, "Why would he know?"

Zhou Lijun explained, "Because he went to find out, this is what Auntie always says, ’know the enemy and know yourself, and you’ll never be defeated.’ We’ll all be competitors in two days, so of course, we need to know about our competitors."

Zhou Wulang felt something was not quite right, "Manbao, is it really okay to sell these valuable items to our competitors? And to sell them cheaply when we bought them at a high price?"

"We can’t help it, these are second-hand goods. It’s good enough that we’re making money. Just go, I trust Mr. Zhuang and Shanbao, and I also trust myself and Bai Erlang. Even if we give the booklets to others, we won’t fall behind."

Moreover, they had seen the two booklets earlier than the others. Maybe the others only had two people, but they had five, right?

The Zhou Family was persuaded by her, and Zhou Lichong led his younger brothers and sisters to copy the booklets while Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang went to find Liu Gui.

Manbao turned around and went back to the study, where upon entering, she saw Bai Erlang happily talking with Bai Dalang.

Upon seeing Manbao come in, Bai Erlang immediately picked up the textbook on the table to cover his face, while Bai Dalang: ...

"Have you memorized everything we just went over?"

Bai Erlang nodded with confidence: "Memorized."

Manbao then pushed down the book in his hand, indicating for him to recite it.

Bai Erlang began reciting. He had memorized The Analects before, and with just a few more readings or a prompt, he could remember them, so reciting wasn’t difficult for him.

Manbao continued to hold down the book, asking, "The ’govern’ in ’govern a state of a thousand chariots,’ what does it mean?"

Bai Erlang faltered for a moment before responding, "Is it ’lead,’ implying governance?"

Manbao looked at him, and a sheepish Bai Erlang looked back at her, "Is that wrong?"

"It’s right, but can you be more confident when you say it? Do you not believe it’s correct?"

Bai Erlang then puffed out his chest and said loudly, "It means governance."

Manbao nodded slightly, and continued, "Then what does the ’time’ in ’governing the people by the seasons’ mean?"

Bai Dalang, sitting aside, suddenly felt useless. After watching for a while, he couldn’t help but scratch his head and decided to stand up and return to his own room to take out the comprehensive examination topics he had organized before.

He had copied down the essay and poetry topics from previous years’ exams and sent them to Mr. Zhuang, and now he started pondering over the classics and their interpretations.

When Manbao’s explanation reached a pause, he said to Bai Erlang, "Let me tell you about the topics of the major exam."

Manbao nodded, "That can be studied as well."

Aunt Rong called from outside, "Dinner is ready!"

Bai Erlang immediately looked out the window.

Manbao continued, "Tonight we should still discuss the interpretations of the classics, and the next morning you memorize. That way your memory will be deeper. I’ll check which parts you don’t remember, circle them for you, make them into a booklet, and the day after tomorrow you can read it while waiting at the examination hall."

Aunt Rong, seeing that no one was responding after quite a while, called out again, "Dinner is served!"

Bai Erlang once again raised his head to look outside.

Bai Dalang, watching, felt deeply frustrated and couldn’t resist smacking him, "Stop thinking about food all the time. You have an exam in two days—do you know how difficult the four subjects are? Do you know what the Highest Institute is? It is the top educational institution in the country."

"Isn’t the top educational institution in the country the Imperial Academy?"

"The Imperial Academy doesn’t count; ninety-nine out of a hundred there are students who got in through patronage. If we included the Imperial Academy, then the Hongwen Pavilion would be considered the highest. Bai Dalang had the pride typical of a scholar, as he seriously said, "The Highest Institute is the premier educational institution, and right now, you don’t need to compete against thousands for a few dozen spots, but against forty-seven people for the top fifteen. Do you realize how lucky you are?"

Bai Erlang nodded blankly.

Bai Dalang said, "So, you must work hard, understand?"

Bai Erlang nodded blankly again and then asked, "But brother, if I get into the Highest Institute, wouldn’t I be more impressive than you?"

Bai Dalang was momentarily stunned, looking at his exasperating brother with a heavy heart.

Manbao said from the side, "You’re overthinking it. Do you really think the students at the Highest Institute are better than those at the four lesser schools? There are plenty of students there who also got in through patronage, like you, you’re partially relying on a patronage, aren’t you?"

Otherwise, given another two years, he probably wouldn’t be able to get into the lesser schools either.

With a disdainful glance, Bai Dalang nodded in agreement with Manbao’s word.

Bai Erlang said indignantly, "So are you trying to encourage me, or put me down?"

Manbao and Bai Dalang both fell silent and then said one after another, "You’re indeed quite impressive. Push a bit harder, and you’ll surely beat the other forty-some people."

"Exactly, food and drink are all illusions; only studying is what truly matters. Let’s continue studying first."

Aunt Rong, having laid out the dinner and still seeing no one coming to eat, couldn’t help but put her hands on her hips and shout, "Come out and eat now, the food is getting cold!"

Bai Erlang forced himself to look down, but still couldn’t resist turning his head to look outside.

Manbao also smelled the aroma of meat, took a deep breath, and looked at Bai Dalang, "Shall we eat first and then continue after?"

Bai Erlang nodded repeatedly.

Helpless, Bai Dalang put down the book, "Alright, I see you guys aren’t focused on reading anymore."

Manbao was the first to run out of the study. Seeing that Mr. Zhuang and Bai Shan hadn’t come yet, she knew they were still in the garden and simply ran out to find them.

The mentor and Junior Brother, one deep in explanation and the other engrossed in listening, had not heard Aunt Rong’s calling.

It wasn’t until they finally gathered everyone in the household that Aunt Rong went back to eat in the front courtyard.

Mr. Zhuang said to his four disciples, "Dalang, go to sleep. You three, light the lamps tonight."

Manbao led the two Junior Brothers in standing up and bowing in response, while Bai Dalang said, "Teacher, let me stay and help too."

After some thought, Mr. Zhuang nodded, "Alright, sometimes I need to find some books, help me with that, and bring the reference answers for the previous major exam’s essays and poems as well."

Bai Dalang smiled and agreed.

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