CH 61

Chapter 61 – Quarrel

Bai Shanbao didn’t notice anything wrong, but happily said to her, “My grandmother said it’s ok for you to check out the books in my house. What book would you like to read?”

“I don’t know, let’s take a look at the books you have,” Man Bao thought for a while and asked, “Are there any specialised books on processing and curing medicinal herbs?”

“Do you want to process herbs?” Bai Shanbao said, “Just buy at the medical hall.”

“Well, where do the herbs in the medical hall come from?”

Bai Shanbao looked at her innocently, how would he know?

Man Bao said solemnly, “I sold it to them. As long as I learn how to process raw herbs, I will be able to sell them to the medical halls.”

The curious Bai Shanbao expressed his surprise, “Why, your family grows medicinal herbs?”

It was Man Bao’s turn to be astonished, “It turns out we can grow medicinal plants?”

The two children looked at each other, dumbfounded.

Finally, they took the question to Mr Zhuang.

Mr Zhuang didn’t know why they asked about medicinal materials, but he still answered their question, “Some medicinal materials can be grown, but most of them are wild.

“Many are available in the wild. Some people collect them and send them to the medical halls. These people are called herb pickers, and some rural doctors are also engaged in this industry.”

Mr Zhuang simply led the two children to the back of the school and pointed to a clump of weeds on the ground and said, “Look, this is a type of herb.”

Although Bai Shanbao didn’t recognise the herb, Man Bao did.  With delight, she said, “This is centella, also called pennywort!”

She was plucked the herb for Keke when she was very, very young, so there was an entry for the herb in the system.

Mr Zhuang smiled and nodded, “The two names are not wrong, but it is written in the medical texts as liverwort. It is cold in nature and has a bitter taste, enters the liver, spleen, and kidney meridians, and can cure heatstroke, diarrhoea, damp heat, jaundice, and bruises. When you have time, you can pluck them, dry them, and sell them to the medical halls.

“Every year during the hottest summer days, Ji Shi Tang will boil a large bucket of liverwort and put it at the entrance of their medical shop so that the passers-by and merchants can cool down and get a reprieve from their internal heat.”

Man Bao is now very interested in making money, because the fish and meat from the Bai family would be completely consumed by today. She has already told her mother that she would kill the big rooster tomorrow.

But her mother refused, saying that if she killed the rooster, the eggs laid by the hen would not be able to hatch chicks. Man Bao had no choice but to buy another rooster.

So, she squatted down and looked at the liverwort with special interest. In fact, she was rather familiar with this grass which grows behind her house, on the ridge of the field and on the ground. As the grass grows everywhere, she had pulled out a handful of it for Keke to record a long time ago.

Man Bao asked enthusiastically, “Sir, how much does the medical halls pay for 0.5kg of this herb?”

Mr Zhuang was stumped. He really didn’t know, but he remembered that when he was very young, his brother who led the family always went to pluck them. He would take them home, dried them, and then, took a big, big bag of the herb to sell to the medical halls.

He mused, “I’ll help you ask when I return to the county.”

Man Bao was happy, and whispered to Bai Shanbao, “From now on, we will pluck liverwort after class.”

Bai Shanbao shook his head and said, “I don’t have to make money.”

Man Bao asked, “Then, do you have any money?”

He answered boldly and confidently, “No! But my mother does.”

“That’s so embarrassing, having to ask your mother for money every time you need money. I haven’t asked my parents for money since I’ve grown up as I’ve my own money.”

Bai Shanbao didn’t think it was wrong to ask his mother for money. Anyway, his mother said all the money in the family belonged to him. Since it was all his, he can spend it anyway he wanted.

But Man Bao disagreed. She told him, “Only what you earn is yours. When you use someone else’s money, even if it’s given to you, the other person can always take it back and not feel sorry about it.”

She racked her brains to give him an example, “For example, my fourth brother. My family’s money is pooled and collectively used, and the money is not his alone. So, when he lost money gambling, although the family paid off the debt, he didn’t earn this money. As he is in debt to the family, he is seen as an eye-sore and disliked.”

She added, “You don’t have your own money. If you spend more in the future, your mother will despise you too.” (Translator: aiyoh, blind leading the blind…)

Bai Shanbao didn’t believe her, “She won’t. My mother said, all my family’s money will be given to me.”

Keke said she is the smartest person. She made the conclusion after a long period of observation so, how could she be wrong?

So, she grunted, “If you don’t believe me, go home, ask your mother, and ask her to give you all the money immediately. Would she be willing?”

Bai Shanbao replied, “Definitely!”

Man Bao, “No, she would not!”

“She will!”

“She will not!”

Bai Shanbao glared at her, and Man Bao glared back defiantly.

Mr Zhuang who was completely ignored…

He was about to say something, when Bai Shanbao suddenly snorted loudly, turned away and said, “I’m not going to be friends with you. I won’t take you back to my house to check out the books after school today.”

“What’s so great about that?” Man Bao said angrily with her hand on her waist, “You are not allowed to go to my house anymore.”

So, the two children snorted at each, turned around and went back to the classroom. Oh, they ensured they were at least eight feet apart from each other.

Mr Zhuang who was left behind…

He looked at the backs of the two puffed-up disciples, shook his head and laughed twice, felt endlessly amused, and did not bother to mediate. He returned to the classroom leisurely with his hands behind his back.

Man Bao and Bai Shanbao really “broke up” and did not speak during the entire class, but they tried to drown each other’s voice in their recitations, as if they were in a competition. When answering questions, they rushed to answer, and the loser would glare at the winner.

Mr Zhuang looked at their childishness and couldn’t help holding back his smile.

After school, the two of them didn’t run out together, but walked out with their own books.

Da Tou was squatting outside school to pick up his little aunt. He was particularly happy to see her when he saw her coming out, “Little aunt, are we going to Young Master Bai’s house?”

“No, I’m not friends with him anymore.”

“Huh?” Da Tou immediately asked, “Did he bully you?”

Man Bao snorted, “Can he bully me? He is obviously stupid, and he still doesn’t believe my conclusion. I’m the smartest person within 100 miles.”

For Da Tou, it was all good since they were just quarrelling, and not fighting.

No longer nervous, he nodded, “Yes, little aunt is the smartest.”

The words sounded like perfunctory reassurance, but Man Bao didn’t hear the undertone. She just assumed Da Tou was sincere and nodded in deep understanding.

Bai Shanbao was not in the mood to play. He ran home fuming in anger.

Madam Liu and Zheng did not expect that he would be home so early today. He would usually play outside for more than half an hour and would only be home when it was getting dark.

Madam Liu looked out, didn’t see Man Bao, and asked with a smile, “Shanbao, didn’t you say your friend is coming to check out the books today? Why is she not here?”