The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 327 - 316: Farewell

Chapter 327: Chapter 316: Farewell

When out, Grandma will surely write to Uncle Bai, and by then he can use the excuse of writing to Bai Er to include Manbao’s letter in his.

Manbao, of course, knew this as well, and the two exchanged looks, both snickering.

As Ms. Liu and Ms. Zheng were passing by to check on the prepared carriage, they saw the two children holding hands and laughing face to face. Ms. Liu couldn’t help but stop in her tracks.

Ms. Zheng also saw the two and sighed, "It’s rare for Shanbao to have a friend. His leaving must be heartbreaking."

Ms. Liu gave her a sidelong glance and said, "It’s just a month away, not that he’s not coming back."

"Still, that’s quite a long time. I’m already reluctant to part with him, not to mention they are just children."

Ms. Liu didn’t know what to say to her daughter-in-law and squinted at the two children holding hands and parting with reluctance. She stood there for a while before moving on.

"Let’s go. The journey is not short. The last time we moved here, it was all so hasty and we didn’t prepare well. This time we must make good preparations."

Ms. Zheng replied affirmatively.

The Bai Family had only two horses of their own, and Old Master Bai also kept two. He was willing to lend one of his to Ms. Liu.

After pondering, Ms. Liu did not refuse.

Besides the three horse-drawn carriages, the other vehicles were pulled by donkeys.

This time, Ms. Liu was determined to intimidate and show off, so she brought quite a few belongings.

Most of them were provisions for the road; Ms. Liu would never treat herself poorly in this regard, and even less so her grandson.

The remainder were gifts for relatives and friends, including ostentatious but impractical valuables and simple local specialties.

It took three whole donkey carts, and then they went to the county town to hire guards from the escort agency.

Compared to their earlier embarrassing flight to Qili Village, this departure was on a grander scale and much more leisurely.

With the exception of one laborer staying behind to look after the crops, two old servants, and two very young maids, everyone else from Bai Manor left with Ms. Liu.

Manbao specifically told Keke to wake her up the next day at the designated time.

When she arrived at the village entrance, rubbing her sleepy eyes, she saw under the dim morning light, three horse-drawn carriages, and three donkey carts slowly making their way across the bridge from the opposite riverbank.

Manbao watched, dumbstruck.

Bai Shanbao, riding in the first carriage, saw Manbao through the window and immediately waved excitedly. As soon as the carriage came close, without waiting for it to stop completely, he hopped down.

Bai Shanbao said, "I waited at home for a long time, thinking you might not come to see me off."

"How could that be? I promised you I would. If I really didn’t come, it must be because I overslept and haven’t awakened yet, not on purpose."

"I know, but if you could sleep through something as important as seeing me off, it’s clear you don’t hold me dear."

"You can’t say that, it just means that sleeping is more important than you, that’s all."

The two kids stood by the roadside chatting nonsense while the six vehicles lined up, waiting.

Manbao glanced at the convoy and sighed like an adult, "Let’s not delay any longer. If you don’t start now, you might not reach your midday resting place in time."

Manbao took out three paper-wrapped bundles from her book box and handed them to Bai Shanbao, "These are pancakes my sister-in-law made early this morning; they’re filled with egg and vegetables, really delicious. Share them with Grandma Liu and the others."

Bai Shanbao took them, noticing the paper was still hot, obviously freshly made.

Touched, he said earnestly, "When I return, I’ll go up the mountain with you to dig China root."

Bai Shanbao paused then added, "Whatever China root we dig up will be yours; I won’t share it with you."

On hearing this, Manbao cheered, waving her hand, "That’s so kind of you, then I’ll wait for you to come back!"

Bai Shanbao indicated that it was no problem.

Bai Shanbao climbed into the carriage, handed the paper bundles to his grandmother, and then leaned out the window to wave goodbye to Manbao.

Manbao waved back, watching the carriage slowly move forward, followed by the donkey carts.

The convoy drifted further away, and Manbao stood at the crossroads watching them wind their way onward until they disappeared from sight.

Feeling downcast, Manbao shouldered her book box and headed to school.

It was still early, and the schoolhouse was empty. Glancing at Bai Shanbao’s spot, she resolutely placed her book box on his seat.

She then sat down to try it out and realized that it wasn’t so bad without Shanbao; there was much more room, and she didn’t have to put her book box at her feet. From now on, she could stretch out however she liked.

Manbao chuckled, took the last pancake from her book box, grabbed the bamboo container of warm water, and began to eat directly with the warm water, finding it quite tasty.

Yet after finishing, she inevitably felt lonely. If Bai Shanbao had been there, she could have discussed the taste of the pancake with him, but now that he was gone, she had to keep her thoughts to herself.

Manbao took out a book and started to read, feeling lonely.

Logically, with Bai Shanbao gone, Manbao should have been able to find the time to join Zhou SiLang and the others to search for China root in the mountains. But for two days in a row, she stayed in her room doing homework or reviewing and preparing for lessons, never suggesting a trip to the mountain.

Instead, she intermittently asked them to bring back various things from the mountain—wild mushrooms, the soil they grew in, all kinds of plants and flowers.

No one knew what she wanted them for.

On the third day, Zhou SiLang couldn’t hold back any longer. He chose the time when she finished school to go home and peered into her room through the window, asking through the pane, "Manbao, has your teacher been giving you a lot of homework lately?"

"It’s manageable," Manbao replied while buried in her work, "The main thing is, I have a lot of notes to remember, and I need to review a lot."

Not only did she have to remember the notes from the class but also those from the teaching room.

And it was not just about reviewing the textbooks from class, but also the medical books studied in the teaching room needed reviewing.

Especially those medical books, there was so much to memorize, she felt it was ten times harder than Mr. Zhuang’s classes.

Lately, she was learning about human anatomy. Mr. Mo had found her a chart with not only the body’s meridians and acupoints but also the internal organs. What was most important was that it was an animated chart.

She’d tap it, and the blood vessels of that part would animate, showing her how it functioned.

Manbao found it fascinating.

But those acupoints and meridian pathways were really difficult to remember. She could only remember ten a day and needed to connect them all together—which would take who knows how long to learn.

Zhou SiLang clearly wasn’t satisfied with this answer and pressed, "Can you finish all of that?"

"Of course, it takes some effort, but it’s definitely doable," Manbao assured.

"Then, do you have any free time after you finish?"

Understanding his point, Manbao looked up curiously and said, "Zhou Si, just say what you want."

Zhou SiLang leaned further into the window and chuckled, "Little sister, have you forgotten about the China root on the mountain? They might be missing you already."

"Miss me digging them up?"

"Exactly," Zhou SiLang nodded seriously, "They must want to see the light of day again, to fulfill their purpose in the world. Who wants to stay buried? I think the China roots feel the same."