Chapter 638 Unintentional Guidance
Xiao Qian knew that Manbao was in poor health and was afraid of the cold in winter and the heat in summer.
When the weather gets hot, her appetite is poor. She almost doesn't want to eat naan or stuffed bread, and now she's on the road...
Although it was only one day, Xiao Qian was still very distressed.
So she got up before dawn to roll out the noodles, cooked a large pot of noodles and soaked them in boiled water. Then she added a little water to a jar and poured the noodles, which had been rinsed with water and were no longer hot, into the jar.
Chop up a few pieces of chicken and a fried fish left over from last night, stir-fry them with oil and salt, and then put them in a small jar.
Then she made a bowl of tofu pudding and a bowl of egg noodles for Manbao. She put the rest in Zhou Silang's carriage and said, "For lunch, just take out the noodles, add some minced meat from the small jar, and some sweet sauce."
Zhou Silang was skeptical. "Is it okay to leave this out for the whole morning?"
"It's okay. It's already been soaked in water and has cooled down. It's not as good as freshly cooked food, but it's better than eating naan bread on the road, right?"
Zhou Silang thought so too. He took the thing and smelled a very fragrant meaty aroma when he took the small jar.
He immediately hugged the jar tightly and said, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, I will take good care of Manbao and make sure she has enough to eat on the road."
Mrs. Qian glanced at him and said, "Don't let her eat too much. The car is bumpy, what if she vomits? A small bowl will be enough. Aren't Mr. Zhuang and the two young masters traveling with us? You and Daji have big appetites too..."
Zhou Silang nodded repeatedly to show that he understood everything.
The Zhou family prepared food, and of course the Bai family did too.
Mr. Zhuang returned to Qili Village from the county town the day before yesterday. He, Mr. Bai and Mrs. Liu focused on discussing the future development direction of Bai Erlang and Bai Shan, so they set out from the village together.
After stuffing everything into the car, Zhou Lijun turned around and waved goodbye to his brothers and sisters. He also quietly told Sanya, "You must study hard and learn from your aunt. It would be great if you could be half as good as her in the future."
San Ya said, "Our teacher said I am smarter than Si Tou."
"Don't compare yourself to Sitou, compare yourself to my aunt." Zhou Lijun was very disappointed. "What's the point of comparing yourself to your brothers? If you don't want to compare yourself to my aunt, you can compare yourself to the best person in your class."
San Ya agreed reluctantly.
There were quite a few people who came to see them off. In addition to the three families, the new teacher of the school also came to see them off. Of course, the main people came to see them off were Mr. Zhuang.
As a friend, he naturally had to give Mr. Zhuang some things, such as food. He knew that he could not compare with the Bai and Zhou families, so he gave Mr. Zhuang two handwritten books.
Mr. Zhuang was very surprised when he saw it, and said to him: "Last time when I went to Yizhou City, two of my students happened to get a few volumes of Shui Jing Zhu. I will send you a handwritten copy later."
Now it was Mr. Liu's turn to be surprised. "Really?"
"nature."
After getting on the bus, Mr. Zhuang said to Bai Shan, who had the best handwriting, "Shanbao, from now on, every day after school, you must copy two pages of "Waterways of the Classic of Waterways."
Bai Shan: "...Sir, where is Manbao?"
Manbao glared at him secretly.
Mr. Zhuang thought about it and realized that the two of them were on similar course schedules and were about the same level of busyness. It would be bad to favor one over the other, so he said, "Manbao, you should also copy two pages every day."
Manbao responded listlessly and secretly glared at Baishan again.
Bai Shan narrowed his eyes and smiled at her.
Manbao decided to break up with him temporarily, but not long after the carriage started moving, the two of them came together to talk again, and Manbao temporarily put the idea of breaking up behind him.
"...There are so many books in our provincial school's library. I've only been there three times, but I was so busy I never had time to look for 'Waterways Classic'."
"No catalogue?"
"Yes, but I haven't read much. Besides, the man in charge of the library doesn't like to show us the catalog. If we want to find a book, just tell him and he'll show us the way." Bai Shan whispered, "I asked him if he had 'Water Classic Annotations', even a fragment would be fine, and he just looked at me and sneered."
"So yes or no?"
Bai Shan: "Only Tian and he know this."
Manbao: ...
She thought about it and finally found a reason. "It must be because you don't know how to speak and offended that gentleman. If it were me, I would definitely not do this."
"Humph, you can't even enter the gate of the prefectural school, let alone the library."
Manbao snorted and said, "Who said we can't get in? If you take me with you, I can get in, right?"
"I won't take you." Bai Shan said arrogantly, "Hahahaha, I won't let Wei Chen and the others take you either. Let's see how you get in."
Mr. Zhuang, who was sitting at the side, closed his eyes and rested, then opened his eyes and said with a smile: "There are more ways to enter and exit the prefectural school than just the main gate."
Manbao immediately sat down next to the gentleman and asked, "Where else is there?"
Mr. Zhuang's eyes were filled with nostalgia, and he smiled, "I remember when we were studying there, the west wall near the library was quite low. Most importantly, behind the wall was a small, deserted alley, so vendors would often smuggle some private work for the students inside."
Mr. Zhuang laughed and said, "Some students also skipped school from there."
Bai Shan looked puzzled. "If you don't want to study, just ask for leave from the teacher. Why are you skipping school?"
Manbao also nodded. "Besides, if you don't want to go to the provincial academy, then don't take the exam. There are so many people who want to go to the provincial academy but can't get in. Why bother to go in and then run away?"
Mr. Zhuang smiled and said, "There are always some who don't pass the exam, and there are always some who have other urgent matters. Not all students will be granted leave by the teacher. But after so many years, the prefectural school has been renovated many times, so the place should be repaired by now."
Manbao seemed to be lost in thought and asked quickly, "Sir, have you ever skipped school from there?"
Mr. Zhuang smiled and said, "I only escaped once."
Manbao's eyes lit up, and Baishan was also very interested. "Why did you skip school, sir?"
Mr. Zhuang thought for a moment and said, "Because you want to drink?"
Both of them were stunned. They never expected such an answer. Their teacher actually climbed over the wall to skip class just to drink?
Mr. Zhuang sighed and said, "So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. That was the only time I skipped school. Not long after that, you left the prefectural academy."
Manbao opened his mouth wide, "I just skipped class once, and I was expelled?"
Mr. Zhuang patted her on the head and scolded her with a smile: "You are naughty. I am graduating you, not expelling you."
Manbao touched his head and stuck out his tongue.
Manbao sat down next to Mr. Zhuang and said, "Sir, can you tell us more about your school days?"
(End of this chapter)
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