The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 999 - 978: Redo (An additional update for the reward from the book friend ’Strive for the Better Every Day’)

Chapter 999: Chapter 978: Redo (An additional update for the reward from the book friend ’Strive for the Better Every Day’)

"I don’t lack money."

Mr. Zhuang fell silent for a moment before asking Manbao, "How much did your estate produce this year?"

Before Manbao could answer, Bai Erlang spoke up, "Teacher, I have my own additional income. I can buy a horse without relying on the estate’s revenue."

"What income do you have?"

Bai Erlang puffed out his chest and said, "I won nearly two hundred taels betting on football yesterday. A few more trips and I’ll have enough for a fine horse."

Manbao and Bai Shan turned their heads in surprise to look at Bai Erlang, their mouths slightly agape in astonishment.

Mr. Zhuang’s hand trembled as he pointed at Bai Erlang. Manbao turned to see the teacher’s face turn an ashen hue, worried that he might collapse, and quickly rushed up to press his Hegu acupoint.

Mr. Zhuang’s mind became a bit clearer, then he shook off Manbao’s hand and pointed at Bai Erlang, saying, "Go, bring me the discipline ruler."

Bai Shan and Manbao did not dare to move and quickly tried to persuade him, "Teacher, please don’t be angry, Junior Brother must have an explanation."

Mr. Zhuang then turned around and asked Bai Erlang, "Do you have an explanation?"

Bai Erlang was stunned, seeing Bai Shan and Manbao giving him urgent looks as if on death row, he hesitated and said, "I, I might have an explanation... perhaps?"

Mr. Zhuang then raised his eyebrows and shouted at Bai Shan, "Go, bring me the discipline ruler. Are you trying to infuriate me to death?"

Bai Shan searched around the room and finally found the discipline ruler that the teacher had casually placed on a bookshelf.

Mr. Zhuang took the ruler and approached Bai Erlang, shouting, "Kneel down."

Bai Erlang dropped to his knees with a thud. He slowly realized why he was being punished and quickly defended himself, "Teacher, this isn’t gambling, it’s just betting on football. Which team will win, many classmates from the Highest Institute play this, and also the seniors?"

"I even saw many nobles, high officials, and their ladies at the horse track, even young maidens were playing this. Zhang Jinghao called it a refined pastime, not gambling."

Mr. Zhuang: "Stretch out your hand."

Bai Erlang’s hand, shaking tremulously, stretched out before Mr. Zhuang struck it hard with the ruler. It was the first time Bai Erlang had been hit so hard and he couldn’t help crying out, "Teacher, I realize my mistake, I won’t dare to do it again."

Mr. Zhuang, his anger not subsiding, said, "You admit your fault so readily, which you’ve learned from your Senior Sister and Senior Brothers, but I’m afraid you don’t truly think you’ve done wrong. Stretch out your hand again."

Bai Erlang, crying, stretched out his hand and Mr. Zhuang struck it again and again with all his might.

In the past, when he punished children, no matter how angry he was, he would hold back a little. He would generally get tired from hitting too much, but after just four or five strikes, Mr. Zhuang felt a throbbing pain in the palm of his hand.

But he did not stop and continued to strike while panting, with tears in his eyes, "You cause trouble outside, disregard your own safety, I have endured all that as teacher, but gambling... How many families in Qili Village gamble?"

"One Zhou Silang is a warning from history, one Zhou Laizi is an even more painful lesson. Not only do you not learn from them, but you even look for excuses—what ’refined pastime?’ Gambling is gambling, and you bring so many excuses to me. I’m not only punishing you for not knowing propriety and righteousness, but also for your sophistry, for your stupidity!"

Bai Erlang was in so much pain that he shut his eyes and cried out loud, yet he kept holding his hand up, not daring to put it down.

Seeing that the palm of his hand was bleeding, Manbao couldn’t help but kneel down and say, "Teacher, Third Junior Brother realizes his mistake, please don’t be angry anymore."

Bai Shan also knelt down on the other side, "Mr. Zhuang, we will definitely teach him properly in the future. Please don’t let this anger harm your health."

Mr. Zhuang ignored them and continued to whip. Manbao and Bai Shan saw blood seeping out, fearing that he would really damage Erlang’s hands, and that the teacher himself would be overcome by anger, they quickly grabbed him, one holding onto his thigh, the other his hand.

Mr. Zhuang struggled for a moment, angrily said, "Let go of me. I am disciplining your junior brother, and you are being defiant and unfilial. I, I will expel you from my teaching."

Bai Shan responded, "Teacher, it was you who taught us, ’For minor faults we serve beside, but grave ones mean we must not abide, to avoid anger’s hurtful tide.’ By letting you beat our junior brother like this, wouldn’t we be leading you into injustice?"

Manbao turned her head and saw Bai Erlang still holding up his hands and crying, so she pulled away her hand and pushed him, "What are you stunned for? Run now!"

Bai Erlang, sniffling, looked at the three of them but didn’t dare to move.

Mr. Zhuang, seeing him so dazed, couldn’t help but raise his hand again, which was firmly grasped by Bai Shan.

Manbao exclaimed, "What are you dazing for? Do you want to wait for the teacher to beat you to death? Run! We just said ’grave ones mean we must not abide’..."

It was then that Bai Erlang came to his senses, stole a glance at the teacher, and seeing he wasn’t so angry, scrambled up and ran away.

Mr. Zhuang was so angry he felt pain in his chest. Manbao and Bai Shan quickly helped him to a seat, "Teacher, let me have a look at you."

It was just a case of anger overwhelming Mr. Zhuang, not a serious ailment. Manbao didn’t give him any medicine but merely inserted a few needles to calm his emotions, then she and Bai Shan brought hot water to soak his feet, attending to him so he could sleep first.

To ensure the teacher slept better, Manbao also inserted a few needles to aid his sleep.

When the two went out to look for Bai Erlang, he was already gone. Daji pointed the way, "The young master is at Dalang’s."

Manbao went back to her room to grab her basket, Zhou Lijun had just come back from the restaurant, and seeing his younger cousin come in, he asked, "Cousin, what was all that wailing from the study just now?"

Manbao opened her own cabinet and took out a jar of ointment, "Nothing much, Bai Er got the teacher angry and was beaten. You go to sleep first, I’m going to see him."

Bai Erlang was sitting on Bai Dalang’s bed, sobbing.

Manbao and Bai Shan entered with the ointment and basket. Bai Dalang quickly asked, "What in the world happened? What did he do to anger the teacher? I asked him, and he wouldn’t say."

A classmate who shared the courtyard with Bai Dalang came over to see the commotion, "What happened?"

It wasn’t proper to air dirty laundry, Manbao and Bai Shan both looked up at him and smiled, "It’s nothing, senior brother, you go to sleep first; we’re about to take him back with us."

Bai Dalang, looking at Manbao and Bai Shan, understood that the matter wasn’t minor and quickly got up to entertain his classmate, taking the opportunity to send him back to his own room.

Once the person had left, Manbao then let Bai Erlang stretch out his hand.

Mr. Zhuang had been blinded by anger, and on his first attempt to hit the palm, he hadn’t struck evenly, aiming all the cane strikes at the right hand. Thus, the left hand was untouched, but the right was swollen and red, looking like it had been pickled.

By that time blood was oozing from the palm, this was the first time a beating had drawn blood, a clear sign of how angry Mr. Zhuang had been.

Manbao asked Daji to bring a basin of hot water, first cleaned the wound, and then started applying the medicine.

As soon as the medicine touched his skin, Bai Erlang’s tears that had stopped began to fall once more.

Bai Shan, helping to scoop out the ointment, remarked, "You had it coming. You knew they were betting on ball games, with ’bet’ right in the mix, yet you actually told the teacher it wasn’t gambling. Are you stupid?"