The Lucky Farmgirl

Mr. Mei glanced at Bai Shan and Bai Erlang present, and instead of mentioning what kind of doctor he wanted, he arranged a meeting with Zhou Man, "I wonder if Lord Zhou might spare some time to meet."

Manbao calculated her own schedule, nodded, and said, "Tomorrow from 9 a.m. to lunchtime, you can go to Jishi Hall in the Inner City, I will be there."

Mr. Mei breathed a sigh of relief.

Master Zhi Ren smiled and said, "Benefactor Zhou, I see that Jiechen seems to have already wrapped your plum branches."

Bai Shan and the other two immediately stood up to say goodbye, fearing that Jiechen might really give their plum branches away.

As they left, Mr. Mei turned to Master Zhi Ren, slightly cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you, Master, for the introduction."

Master Zhi Ren gave a gentle smile, "Benefactor Mei, you’re too polite."

He glanced at the pieces on the chessboard, simply put the pieces down, and laughed, "This chess game cannot go on, why don’t we go inside the house and admire the plum blossoms that Jiechen brought back?"

After admiring, naturally one would want to paint them.

Manbao and the three took their plum blossoms back, the cut sections wrapped in leaves to keep moisture in and allow them to live a bit longer.

After giving the items to them, Jiechen turned and left, leaving Manbao without a chance to inquire about Mr. Mei.

Manbao watched his departing figure with a sigh, then turned to question the two, "Did one of you make him angry?"

"It certainly wasn’t me," Bai Shan said, "Every time I come to Guardian of the Nation Temple, I discuss Buddhism and martial arts with him, I haven’t offended him."

After speaking, he glanced at Bai Erlang.

Bai Erlang: "...I’m even less likely, I come to learn martial arts."

Manbao looked suspiciously at Bai Erlang, "Maybe because you’re too clumsy to learn, so..." Bai Erlang stomped his foot, "Even though I can’t learn, I don’t push it. I think it’s not me, it’s Bai Shan who can’t learn yet keeps asking Jiechen for advice; I think he’s annoyed."

"No way," Bai Shan said, "Master Jiechen has been part of the Buddha’s sect for many years, how could he lack such patience? Besides, I am diligent, shouldn’t he be proud to have such a studious student like me?"

Bai Erlang was also a bit unsure now, mainly because Mr. Zhuang and the teachers at the Imperial Academy’s Chongwen Pavilion seemed to like students like Bai Shan.

Both Manbao and Bai Shan skeptically looked at him, Bai Erlang also began to wonder, maybe he really did annoy Jiechen?

Just as Bai Erlang was falling into self-doubt, Liu Huan and Zhou Liru supported the smiling Old Madam Liu and Ms. Qian over to them.

The three immediately put aside the matter, first looked at Liu Huan and Zhou Liru’s expressions, then looked at Old Madam Liu and Ms. Qian’s faces; seeing that they were harmonious, they felt more certain about the situation.

The Liu family ordered vegetarian dishes at Guardian of the Nation Temple, and after everyone had eaten, they descended the mountain. Bai Shan and the others deliberately pulled Liu Huan to stay behind, and when they were a distance from the elders in front, they quickly lowered their voices to ask him, "How goes it, how goes it?"

Liu Huan: "...What can I say, the two of us have long been acquainted, today is about seeing how the elders feel, right? By the way, you all count as the girl’s elders, don’t you?"

Liu Huan had a puzzled look, "Shouldn’t I be asking how you all feel?"

The three of Manbao thought for a moment and realized it was indeed the case, so they immediately left him behind and went to the front to speak with Ms. Qian and Ms. Feng.

Liu Huan quickly pulled them back, lowering his voice to say, "There’s something I’ve been pondering for a long time, if I...what should our generation be considered?"

Bai Shan teased him, "What is that what?"

Liu Huan glared at him, "If the two families unite through marriage, how should we address each other?"

Bai Erlang nonchalantly said, "What’s the matter, each follows their own line, you and we are not fellow disciples under the same master, just classmates, we wouldn’t be different generations. Although, I wouldn’t mind if you called me uncle-master."

"Get lost," Liu Huan gave him a push, unwilling to call Manbao an aunt, "Then each follows their own line, Zhou Man also studied at the Chongwen Pavilion, so we’re classmates, right?"

He tentatively asked Zhou Man, "Is that correct?"

Manbao said, "You can ask Liru."

Manbao mainly wanted to know what her mother and Second Sister-in-law thought.

Ms. Feng had no idea at all, she was still in a daze until she accidentally hit her head due to the bumpy ride on the carriage and came to her senses. She immediately looked at Manbao and her mother-in-law, "Mother, is this matter settled?"

Ms. Qian glanced at Liru, whose face was blushing and head down, then smiled and said, "Both children are willing, and the Liu family is reasonable, so why not agree?"

Before, they were concerned Liu family would mind Liru being a doctor, now since they don’t, why not agree?

"But..." Ms. Feng shifted uneasily, "Before, little aunt said the Qi family was too big, not a lotus in our pond, was it?"

Manbao immediately chuckled, almost bringing tears to her eyes, "Second Sister-in-law, it’s ’some decisions are too great; not everything fits’, it’s not whether they’re a lotus in our pond that matters. As long as they’re willing to stay in our pond, even if the lotus is bigger, we can live harmoniously. I said that before because I was worried the lotus deep down wouldn’t be willing to intimately associate with our pond; even if outwardly they are cordial, there would be many issues in the future. But now the Liu family is open-minded, so the matter of social status isn’t a huge problem."

Ms. Qian nodded slightly, smiling and said, "The gap between our family and Bai family is also a chasm, yet we get along just fine, it mainly depends on the heart."

Ms. Qian chuckled, "The Liu family is generous, you can tell from Old Madam Liu, Mrs. Liu, and the Liu Imperial Doctor family."

Ms. Feng nodded repeatedly, and Manbao quickly explained, "Mother, those three families are not the same family."

Not even the same provincial prominence, which means possibly having no connection even five hundred years ago.

Ms. Qian didn’t understand this, and said to Manbao, "I see Mrs. Liu is not rushing, so let Liru focus on her studies, we can settle this after the year, and marrying in one or two years is also fine."

Ms. Feng was shocked, "Wouldn’t that be too late, isn’t Liu family’s young master older than little uncle-in-law?"

Ms. Qian replied, "Not by much, wasn’t it said he came of age this year?"

Manbao nodded, they had attended his coming-of-age ceremony earlier.

Ms. Qian then decided, "Then marry in a couple of years."

Ms. Feng:...When Zhou Erlang was twenty-two, he had almost three children.

She uneasily asked, "Would the Liu family agree?"

Manbao said, "Second Sister-in-law, don’t worry, for families like theirs, they consider earlier or later equally normal."

Some families rush for offspring, forcing children into marriage at thirteen or fourteen, but more often, they wait until eighteen or nineteen.

And some with aspirations only marry at twenty or thirty, as long as they can afford the single tax and have a word with the county magistrate, these are no issue.