Chapter 950 Promise (Reward for the book friend "Dielianhua")
Bai Erlang pointed at them and said, "You are so shameless when you say these things. Doesn't the master always tell us that there are always people better than you?"
Manbao said: "That was said to the two of us. You can't say that to you."
Bai Jilang: "Then how should I say it?"
Bai Shan stood up and imitated the teacher, with his hands behind his back, and said solemnly, "Erlang, don't underestimate yourself."
Manbao clapped his hands and smiled, "Yes, that's it."
Bai Erlang was stunned and frowned as he asked, "Why is mine different from yours?"
Manbao sighed, "Because Shanbao and I are not good and too proud."
Bai Erlang always felt that she was not criticizing them but praising herself, but seeing her face full of shame and heaviness, he could not produce any evidence.
Bai Erlang tried his luck and snorted, then turned away and ignored them. After a while, he turned back and said, "If I really get into the Imperial College, you can treat me to another meal at Zhuangyuanlou. If I don't, it means you were wrong, and you have to compensate me with a meal."
Manbao turned around and said to Baishan, "Is Junior Brother stupid? Do we look like fools?"
Bai Shan shook his head, "Not like that."
Bai Jilang stared at them.
Manbao said, "How can it be that if you win, the profit is yours; if you lose, the profit is also yours?"
Bai Shan thought for a moment and said, "How about this. If you get into the Imperial College, it would be a happy occasion. How could you not treat us to a meal for such a happy occasion? If you only get into four subjects, it would be a pity. Although this is your ideal, I think you will still be sad. So how about Manbao and I treat you to a meal?"
Bai Erlang asked, "What if I can't even pass the four subjects?"
Bai Shan looked at him silently without saying a word.
Manbao was reviewing with Bai Erlang during those two days. Although she didn't know much about the abilities of other students, Feng Zongping judged that Bai Shan's ability was not bad and there was a great possibility that he could be admitted to the Imperial Academy.
Then, using Bai Shan's ability, we can deduce Bai Erlang's ability...
Judging from the topics they'd discussed after returning home these past few days, there weren't any major issues with their calligraphy and ink interpretation. Bai Erlang had listened to the few points he wasn't sure about, and she thought a demanding examiner might deduct points, but it probably wouldn't be all, so...
Manbao said confidently: "If you can't even pass the four subjects, Bai Shan and I will treat you to two meals." And then we will beat you up twice!
Manbao and Baishan looked at each other.
Only then did Bai Erlang feel relieved.
The three of them waited until the afternoon when it was no longer so hot, then went out shopping, mainly to look for a bookstore.
It is impossible to find a bookstore near Liuxue. The houses nearby are too expensive and most shops cannot afford to buy or rent them.
So they walked down along the Sixth School and after walking half a street they found the bookstore.
There are three shops next to each other, and there are many stalls nearby selling calligraphy, paintings, wood carvings and other things that scholars like to buy.
There were many things among them that Bai Shan and the others had rarely seen before. The exquisite styles really refreshed their cognition, and the prices did not seem to be very expensive.
Bai Shan found a uniquely shaped pen holder at a small stall. Upon asking, he learned it was only one or two ounces of silver. He immediately whispered to Man Bao, "No wonder County Magistrate Yang didn't seem particularly surprised when we gave him the pen holder. It turns out there are so many strange stationery items in the capital."
Manbao nodded, took a paperweight and looked at it, and said in a low voice: "It's really unique. There are many more styles than what we saw in Yizhou City."
Bai Shan and Bai Erlang nodded repeatedly.
Therefore, the three of them decided not to spend money easily, otherwise how much money would it cost to buy so many good things?
How long will it take to use all the products after I buy them?
The three of them suppressed their desire to shop and turned into the bookstore.
Once you enter the bookstore, it's less tempting because it's mostly filled with books.
Bai Erlang didn't want to buy any books, but Bai Shan thought that the collection of books in the Imperial College must be richer than that in the bookstore. Manbao wanted to save money and wanted to read Bai Shan's books for free, so he didn't buy any books easily.
The three of them walked around the bookstore and didn't find any books they particularly liked, so they started picking out pens and ink.
This thing cannot be bought at small stalls outside, because good pens can basically only be bought in large bookstores. No matter how exquisite the surface of the pens is, they are not as good as those produced by famous brands.
Bai Shan picked out several pens from the pen holder, frowning and looking dissatisfied.
The shopkeeper saw this and glanced at their clothes. Although they were made of ordinary silk, they were neither new nor old and fit very well. In addition, there was a tall and strong guard following behind the three of them.
He smiled slightly, turned around and took out a box from the shelf behind him and said, "Are you not satisfied with these pens? Why don't you take a look at this one?"
The shopkeeper opened it and gave it to Bai Shankai.
When Bai Shan saw that it was packed alone in a box, he knew it was not cheap. He reached out to take it, took it out, looked at it carefully, and then handed it to Manbao.
Manbao also looked at it carefully, touched the tip of the pen lightly, and nodded slightly, saying, "Not bad."
Bai Erlang took it and turned the pen to examine it. Seeing a familiar mark, he said, "Isn't it the Zhai family's Hu brush? My father said it's not as good as the Sichuan brush. That's what the master uses."
Manbao insisted, "This one is OK, boss, do you have any other pens?"
The shopkeeper knew they were experts and smiled, saying, "Of course we have some. How many would you like to buy, young ladies? Do you all want these fine brushes?"
Manbao thought about it and nodded: "That's about right. Let's see how good yours is first."
The shopkeeper asked them to sit down in the small room next door, and then went to get two boxes of pens. When the boxes were opened, there were four pens in each box. Bai Shan took a look and found that each one was no worse than the ones in the box just now. Only then did he feel satisfied.
The shopkeeper smiled and said, "This is the Sichuan brush that the young man just mentioned. This box is full of Hu brushes, but if you want to talk about the best brushes today, they have to be Xuan brushes. Would you like to take a look, young men and women?"
The three of them shook their heads together. Xuan brushes were tributes. Even if the ones circulating outside were not as good as tribute brushes, with the reputation of being tributes, those ones weighing one or two taels could be sold for three or two taels.
Bai Shan and his friends don’t need Xuan brushes to decorate their storefronts yet, so they naturally choose affordable ones.
Bai Shan loves writing, so he is more picky about pens and ink. Man Bao knows this, so he chooses them carefully for him.
Bai Shan picked three and put them aside, then asked, "Anything else?"
The shopkeeper went to get two more boxes and said with a smile, "All are here."
Manbao asked about the price and picked out two. Bai Erlang thought that he was going to study at the Imperial College after all, so he picked out two generously.
(End of this chapter)
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