Chapter 749: Poetry Chain
Manbao returned to her room with a heart full of sadness. The next day, she stood by the door frame and measured her height for a long time. It was not until the servants said that guests were coming that she composed herself and went forward.
Old Madam Zuo came with her daughter-in-law and two grandsons and two granddaughters. Since they were from the same clan, there were not many taboos when they sat together.
Old Madam Liu directly asked Bai Zhi, Bai Shan and Man Bao to take them to the garden to play, while the middle-aged and elderly people talked to each other.
After all, they just met and talked yesterday, so both sides are still familiar with each other. It’s just that the host and the guest have changed.
As the only girl here, Manbao naturally had to take on the responsibility of greeting Bai Jiashi and her sisters, so she walked with them.
Bai Shan and the others walked in front. Bai Jiashi, perhaps a little unaccustomed to it, deliberately slowed down her pace, looked at the scenery in the garden and smiled, "The scenery in this garden is really nice."
Manbao was speechless as he looked at the potted plants in the flower garden.
Perhaps because the house was bought not long ago, the flower beds were mostly weeds, so they became bare once they were cleaned up. These potted plants were bought when they went shopping the day before yesterday. There were not many, just a few placed here and there.
Manbao thought that when the weather got warmer next year, she could move some of the flowers and plants planted in their yard here, which might be better than those bought outside.
Seeing Manbao looking at her with his big, innocent eyes, Bai Jiashi said a little embarrassedly, "We rarely play with our brothers at home, so we're a little uncomfortable. Sister Man, why don't we separate from them?"
Manbao said, "But this is the only garden we have at home. If you don't like playing with them, then we can just play on our own."
"No, no," Bai Jiashi said quickly, fearing she might misunderstand, "It's not that I don't like playing with them, I'm just not used to it."
Bai Jialin said, "Sister Man, in our family, the men have always been trained in the front yard, and the women in the back yard. It's rare for them to be in the same place."
Bai Jiashi quickly said, "We're fine, but we're just worried that Cousin Zhi and the others might find us annoying."
"No," Manbao immediately smiled and said, "Brother Bai is a very nice person, very humble and generous. How could he find us annoying?"
She reached out and grabbed Bai Jiashi, saying, "There are too few of us playing alone. It will be more lively and fun if there are more people."
Bai Jialin was about the same age as her and quite lively. Upon hearing this, she asked, "What game do you want to play?"
"There are so many games to play. Let's go find them first and see what they want to play." After saying that, he pulled one of them in each hand and rushed to the front.
The boys were also talking, and Manbao caught up and asked, "Do you have any games you want to play?"
Bai Ling, the eldest son of the Bai Mansion, smiled and said, "What a coincidence! My second brother just said he wanted to play a game of poetry chain."
Manbao said "Huh" and laughed, "This game is fun too. Let's play this."
Bai Ning glanced at her and asked, "Do you want to play too?"
Manbao was stunned and asked, "Can't I play?"
Bai Ning smiled faintly and said, "It's not impossible, but can you catch it?"
He glanced at Bai Shan and said with a half-smile, "Cousin Shan is a student of the prefectural school after all. I'm afraid his poems are not something that ordinary people can follow."
Manbao frowned and said, "Poetry Chain doesn't require you to write your own poems. Why can't you recite other people's poems? I'm saying, do you want to play or not?"
Bai Ning choked. Bai Zhi glanced at his expression and immediately tried to smooth things over with a smile. "This game is more fun the more people there are. And since it was cousin Ning who suggested it, of course we have to play it."
Bai Jiashi and Bai Jialin hesitated, carefully pulled Manbao's sleeve, and whispered, "You guys play, I, we won't play."
"Why? This is fun."
Bai Jiashi shook her head slightly and whispered, "We only know a few words and have read a few books. We don't know much about poetry, so how can we follow along? So you guys can play, and we'll just watch from the side."
Manbao thought this was very rude behavior. How could he go out to play by himself and leave the guests behind?
So she hesitated whether to take Bai Jiashi and the others to play another game, but Bai Shan pulled her and said, "Come on, play one game first, and then play other games. My two cousins, please wait for a moment."
It seemed certain that the game would be over soon.
Bai Ning sneered at this, then sat down on a stone bench with a dagger in her hand. She raised her chin and said, "Let's get started, who's first?"
Bai Shan casually picked a plum blossom from a nearby potted plant and said, "Just throw it randomly. The bouquet will start from whoever it lands on and flow downwards."
Bai Zhi clapped his hands and smiled, "That's great. Then let's stand in a circle?"
After a few people moved their feet, the order was almost the same, and it didn't necessarily have to be particularly round. Bai Jiashi and Bai Jialin stood aside and didn't move forward to join in.
Bai Shan threw the plum blossoms in his hand, and with a snap, the bouquet fell towards Bai Erlang.
Bai Erlang didn't expect his luck to be so good, and he was so happy that he shouted, "Then here I come."
Bai Zhi and Bai Shan smiled faintly and nodded.
Bai Erlang rolled his eyes and then recited: "A fragrant orchid grows in the front yard, waiting for the breeze with its fragrance."
Unfortunately, Bai Erlang was Bai Zhi in the past. He recited without thinking: "The wind blows the tung and bamboo, but there is no rain. Bai Erlang is sick and his heart is broken."
Bai Shan nodded at Manbao with his chin, and Manbao continued, "Every family has fine wines and fine brocades, and everywhere there are music and singing, and swallows flying."
Bai Shan glanced at Man Bao deeply and continued, "The flying canopy gathered in the orchid hall, and the clear song passed the cypress cup."
Then he looked at Bai Ling.
Bai Ling was silent for a long time, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. After a while, he took a step back and said shamefacedly, "I'm not very knowledgeable and I'm afraid I can't continue."
Bai Ning's face looked a little grim, but she continued, "I am drunk and leave my seat in the east, with my waist half bent and half untied, like the stars working hard."
Bai Erlang scratched his head and thought for a long time before continuing, "Take the trouble to roll up the shrimp's whiskers with your bare hands, and let the jade room be adorned with pearls."
Bai Zhi: ...
He secretly glared at Bai Erlang and continued, "The young man with pearl shoes has just filled the room, and the wandering man in white clothes has also followed you."
Man Bao felt a little regretful, but he continued, "Even though you are a noble, I have not yet rewarded you. I will go to visit the fairyland as you said."
Bai Shan: "Swimming is the time of fragrance, and life is over."
Bai Ning pondered for a moment and said, "After all, forgetting words is my way. I cannot bow to Xiao Cao in my cassock."
Bai Erlang rolled his eyes and glanced at Manbao secretly. Manbao winked at him, and Bai Ning coughed lightly and asked, "Can you figure it out?"
Bai Erlang snorted, took a step back and said, "I can't, you guys come."
If you have the ability to beat my elder brother, Bai Shan and Man Bao, I will lose if you can win two more games!
Bai Erlang thought viciously in his heart.
The next chapter will be around 3 p.m.
(End of this chapter)
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